Weekly:
This
Week
in
History
5/6/05
May 6, 2001: Sydney, Australia, opens its first legal heroin injection room in the Kings Cross Neighborhood, operated by the Uniting Church. The effort is an attempt to prevent drug overdoses and the reuse of infected syringes. May 6, 2004: The Marijuana Policy Project scores a first, but temporary, victory in its "War on Drug Czar" campaign, when the Nevada Supreme Court issues an order declaring MPP had "set forth issues of arguable merit" in its writ of mandamus filed two weeks earlier. The writ appealed an April 2003 opinion from Nevada Attorney General, and charged that John Walters had violated state campaign finance laws by not reporting his expenditures opposing the state's marijuana regulation ballot initiative. May 6, 2004: Media including the Houston Chronicle report that Montel Williams has thrown his support behind legalizing medical marijuana in New York, saying it helps him cope with multiple sclerosis. "I'm breaking the law every day, and I will continue to break the law," said Williams, host of the syndicated Montel Williams Show. May 8, 2002: The Black Ministers Council of New Jersey announce a campaign to inform minority drivers that they have a right to refuse to submit to so-called automobile consent searches, which have been the focus of the fight over racial profiling. The ministers said at a State House news conference that they would begin their "Just Say No" campaign the following week, in the form of messages to minority churches and the news media. May 9, 2001: The Bush Administration announces its intent to nominate Rep. Asa Hutchinson, Republican of Arkansas, to the position of Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, replacing Acting Administrator Donnie Marshall. May 9, 2001: Attorney General John Ashcroft testifies at a hearing that the Justice Department had no higher priority than preventing terrorism. But a day later the department issues guidance for developing the fiscal year 2003 budget that makes reducing the incidence of gun violence and reducing the trafficking of illegal drugs the priority objectives. May 10, 2001: President Bush nominates John P. Walters as America's new Drug "Czar." May 11, 2000: The Arellano-Felix brothers are charged with 10 counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy, money laundering and aiding and abetting violent crimes. The US State Department offers a $2 million reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction. May 12, 1998: A short op-ed/advertisement by ACLU executive director Ira Glasser appears in the New York Times, titled "Marijuana or Martinis?"
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