Drug War Chronicle
(formerly The Week Online with DRCNet)
Issue #414
-- 12/9/05
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"
Phillip S. Smith, Editor
David Borden, Executive Director
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- UPDATE
AND
APPEAL:
DRCNET
IN
2006
2005
has
been
quite
a
year
at
DRCNet.
In
2006
DRCNet
will
be
able
to
advance
the
cause
in
a
broader
way
and
at
a
greater
level
than
ever
before
--
but
only
with
your
help.
- FEATURE:
VANCOUVER
KEEPS
LEADING
THE
WAY
ON
DRUG
REFORM,
DESPITE
BUMPS
IN
THE
ROAD
The
"Pot
Block"
is
quieter
these
days
since
Marc
Emery
was
indicted,
and
hard
drug
users
a
few
blocks
over
are
facing
a
police
crackdown
against
public
injecting.
But
Vancouver
continues
to
lead
Canada
toward
a
post-prohibition
future.
- FEATURE:
SEATTLE
CONFERENCE
ON
DRUG
WAR
EXIT
STRATEGIES
GETS
DOWN
TO
NUTS
AND
BOLTS
The
second
and
final
day
of
Seattle's
"Exit
Strategy
for
the
War
on
Drugs"
conference
saw
dozens
of
reformers,
academics
and
others
confront
a
series
of
questions
about
how
two
drugs
--
marijuana
and
methamphetamine
--
should
be
regulated
in
a
post-prohibition
era.
- FEATURE:
WASHINGTON
LEGISLATURE
TO
CONSIDER
BILL
TO
EXAMINE
ALTERNATIVES
TO
PROHIBITION
A
coalition
of
professional
and
civic
groups
in
Seattle
are
resuming
their
campaign
to
pass
potentially
paradigm-breaking
legislation.
- LAW
ENFORCEMENT:
THIS
WEEK'S
CORRUPT
COPS
STORIES
This
week,
we
turn
our
attention
from
the
mundane
corruption
of
dope-dealing
prison
guards
and
dope-stealing
bad
cops
to
the
systemic
corruption
created
by
the
reliance
on
informants
in
drug
cases.
- MARIJUANA:
DENVER
MAN
TO
CHALLENGE
POT
ARREST
AFTER
LEGALIZATION
ORDINANCE
IN
EFFECT
Since
Denver
voters
passed
I-100
last
month,
officials
police
have
ignored
the
will
of
the
voters
to
prosecute
at
least
12
adults
for
simple
marijuana
possession.
Now
one
of
them
is
fighting
back
--
in
court.
- CHRONIC
PAIN:
SOUTH
CAROLINA
PAIN
DOCTORS
LOSE
APPEAL,
BUT
GET
NEW
SENTENCING
HEARINGS
A
trio
of
physicians
lauded
by
patient
advocates
but
accused
of
drug
distribution
and
money
laundering
by
the
government
have
lost
their
appeal.
But
a
recent
Supreme
Court
ruling
has
given
them
a
new
chance
at
sentencing.
- MEDICAL
MARIJUANA:
JUDGES
GROWLS
AT
MORE
POSSIBLE
PROSECUTION
MISCONDUCT
IN
BRYAN
EPIS
RESENTENCING
HEARINGS
Federal
prosecutors
handed
defense
attorneys
evidence
of
official
misconduct
as
the
resentencing
neared
of
a
celebrated
medical
marijuana
provider
who
had
served
two
years
of
a
10-year
sentence.
- MEDICAL
MARIJUANA:
SAN
DIEGO
COUNTY
TO
SUE
TO
OVERTURN
CALIFORNIA
LAW
The
San
Diego
County
board
of
supervisors
voted
Tuesday
to
try
to
overturn
California's
Compassionate
Use
Act,
which
allows
seriously
ill
people
to
use
marijuana
with
a
doctor's
recommendation.
- LATIN
AMERICA:
PRISON
SENTENCE
FOR
DYING
WOMAN,
79,
SPARKS
INTERNATIONAL
APPEAL
A
79-year-old
Brazilian
woman
with
terminal
cancer
who
weighs
88
pounds
has
been
sentenced
to
four
years
in
prison,
sparking
an
international
campaign
to
set
her
free.
- AUSTRALIA:
AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT
GOES
AFTER
RAVE
ECSTASY
TESTING
GROUP
A
Melbourne-based
harm
reduction
organization
that
has
been
testing
ecstasy
tablets
at
raves
is
getting
unwelcome
attention
from
its
state
and
federal
governments.
- EUROPE:
CZECH
LOWER
HOUSE
PASSES
DRUG
REFORM
MEASURE,
INCLUDING
DECRIMINALIZATION
OF
MARIJUANA
POSSESSION
AND
PERSONAL
GROWS
The
Czech
Republic's
lower
house
last
week
approved
a
penal
code
revision
that
will
decriminalize
simple
marijuana
possession
and
allow
for
growing
for
personal
use.
It
is
likely
to
become
law.
- CANADA:
WITH
ELECTIONS
LOOMING,
CONSERVATIVES
TALK
TOUGH
ON
DRUGS
Canadian
Conservative
Party
leader
Stephen
Harper
is
hoping
talking
tough
on
drugs
will
win
his
party
votes
in
next
month's
national
elections.
- EUROPE:
DUTCH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
CALL
FOR
REGULATED
PILOT
PROGRAM
TO
SUPPLY
MARIJUANA
TO
COFFEE
SHOPS
Dutch
parliamentarians
have
reached
an
agreement
on
the
details
of
a
pilot
program
for
a
regulated
supply
of
marijuana
for
the
nation's
famous
"coffee
shops"
--
and
warned
the
government
it
must
act
this
week
or
they'll
take
further
action.
- WEB
SCAN
After
I-75
in
Seattle,
re-launched
web
site
from
Bolivia's
coca
country
- WEEKLY:
THE
REFORMER'S
CALENDAR
Showing
up
at
an
event
can
be
the
best
way
to
get
involved!
Check
out
this
week's
listings
for
events
from
today
through
next
year,
across
the
US
and
around
the
world!
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