-------------------------------------------------------------------

Charges Possible In Death Of Auburn Teen ('Seattle Times'
Says Autopsy Results Pending, But Friends Think 17-Year-Old Girl
In Auburn, Washington, Drank Herself To Death)

From: "W.H.E.N." 
To: "Hemp Talk" 
Subject: HT: ART: Auburn teen dies of alcohol OD, cops concerned w/ mj use
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 18:58:42 -0800
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

Posted at 02:20 a.m. PST
Tuesday, February 10, 1998
Charges possible in death of Auburn teen
by Dionne Searcey
Seattle Times South bureau

AUBURN - Police say someone could face criminal charges in the weekend
death of an Auburn girl, if an adult purchased the alcohol that may have
killed her.

Although autopsy results are pending, police who have interviewed friends
of Aja S. Karimi think the 17-year-old girl drank herself to death, said
Cheryl Price, spokeswoman for the Auburn Police Department. Police were
investigating reports that the girl also may have smoked marijuana.

Karimi's mother found her daughter dead in bed Saturday morning in their
home on Auburn Way South.

Results of a toxicology test won't be complete for six to eight weeks,
according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office. Investigators said
there were no signs of foul play.

Karimi, a senior at Auburn Senior High School, apparently drank alcohol
with high-school friends at a party in a Pacific park Friday evening,
returned to her Auburn home early Saturday, and died in her bed, according
to police and school reports.

Police were interviewing Karimi's friends to find out who may have
purchased the alcohol for the party.

"Teenage drinking is a problem that's been dealt with for ages," according
to a close family friend who said the girl's family was grief-stricken.
"Obviously, somebody supplied the alcohol. We want to know who did it."

Karimi was described as a well-liked student and "all-around kid" at the
high school, which she had attended since last fall, after transferring
from Auburn Riverside High School, said Principal George Ilgenfritz.

She played co-ed volleyball and was enrolled in a wide range of classes
including marine biology, he said.

"She was the kind of young lady who was very well-liked by all kids," he
said. "She had a real diverse group of friends."

Ilgenfritz said counselors would be on hand again today for students at the
school and at Auburn Riverside. Several grieving students at both schools
stayed home yesterday.

"Kids see themselves as immune to anything like this happening," he said.
"It's a tough lesson in life."

Dionne Searcey's phone message number is 253-946-3977. Her e-mail address
is: dsea-new@seatimes.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Liquor Agent Arrested On Drunken Driving Charges ('Associated Press'
Says Washington State Liquor Control Agent Arrested Twice, Jailed Once)

From: "W.H.E.N." 
To: "Hemp Talk" 
Subject: HT: WA liquor agent has drinking problems
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 18:49:58 -0800
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

Liquor agent arrested on drunken driving charges
The Associated Press
2/10/98 3:18 PM Eastern

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) -- A state liquor control agent was arrested twice
and jailed on drunken driving charges by officers from the police
department here.

The added twist: The agent is already suing officers from the department
over an earlier incident involving alcohol.

James McDonald, 40, arrested twice within a four-hour period Sunday, is on
desk duty pending a review of police reports and further investigation,
Liquor Control Board spokeswoman Gigi Zenk said.

McDonald told police he had only one drink and that was at a restaurant
owned by his girlfriend's family.

His lawyer, Richard Wooster, said the arrests raised suspicion, "given the
agency that's involved."

Susan Sampson, a lawyer for officers being sued by McDonald, said the
arrests bolstered police claims that McDonald was drunk when he was
detained by two undercover detectives, one wearing a balaclava-style mask,
outside a nightclub in December 1996.

McDonald sued the municipality, saying he was on duty at the time and
thought the officers were robbers. Two officers filed a countersuit
accusing McDonald of malicious prosecution and intentional defamation.

A federal judge dismissed most of McDonald's charges against the city in
November. The issue of whether it was reasonable for one officer to wear a
ski mask is scheduled for a jury trial March 16, and the countersuit will
be heard at the same time, Sampson said.

Police gave the following account of the two arrests Sunday:

An officer noticed a red Porsche "sliding out of control" as it pulled out
of a driveway about 1:30 a.m. McDonald flunked most of a series of sobriety
tests, including a recitation of the alphabet, and was arrested.

At the police station, he registered .156 and .144 percent blood alcohol on
two breath tests, well over the legal threshhold of .10 for driving under
the influence.

McDonald was cited and released just before 3 a.m.

About 4:30 a.m., someone called emergency dispatchers from his house and
said, "Oh my God, Jim McDonald, he..." before hanging up.

Officers arrived in time to see McDonald drive up and took him to the
station again, where his breath tests registered .117 and .108. He was then
booked into the Regional Justice Center in Kent for investigation of DUI.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

School District Takes Tough Stance On Drugs ('Seattle Times'
Says Zero Tolerance Policy At Junior High School In Federal Way, Washington,
Led To Suspension Of Two Teenagers Who Distributed And Used - Advil,
For Menstrual Cramps)

From: "W.H.E.N." 
To: "Hemp Talk" 
Subject: HT: ART: Fed Way school tuff on drugs
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 18:55:44 -0800
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

How can we expect the kids to respect adults when they have examples like
this? Bob_O

***

School district takes tough stance on drugs

The Seattle Times
Tuesday, February 10, 1998
by Tamra Fitzpatrick
Seattle Times staff reporter

Patty Noble says her 14-year-old daughter thought she was just being a good
friend when she gave another student an Advil to help with menstrual cramps
during lunchtime one day last month.

A few hours later, both teens were expelled from Sacajawea Junior High in
the Federal Way School District. It was the same punishment they would have
received from the school if the girl had given her friend a hit of cocaine
instead of an over-the-counter pain pill.

Under the district's "zero-tolerance" policy, any student who possesses,
sells, distributes or is under the influence of drugs, legal or not,
without office supervision and a note from a parent and physician, will be
expelled.

That's a tougher stance than most local districts take - although the
policy does have foundation in state law.

Under the law, students who take medication at school must do so in the
school office. The student also must have a signed note from a parent and a
physician authorizing it.

But if students do not abide by the law in a case involving legal
medication, most schools in the area give a warning to the student or at
most, call their parents. The Seattle School District, for example, does
not allow students to carry over-the-counter drugs at school, but students
caught with such drugs would not necessarily be expelled or suspended.

"It's dealt with on a case-by-case basis," said Ruth McFadden, supervisor
of the hearings office for Seattle schools. "We would investigate what they
took and make sure their parents know about it. But it's not common to
expel them."

Federal Way officials say their rules are strict because of concerns that
students can have allergic reactions to various medications, sometimes
life-threatening.

"It may be an inconvenience, but it's for the safety of the students," said
Tom Murphy, assistant superintendent for Federal Way.

The district does not intend to change its policy.

"We have a job to keep kids safe," said Sherwin Ferguson, coordinator of
health services for Federal Way. "Parents are entitled to know what
medications their kids are taking."

In the case of the two teens at Sacajawea Junior High, the school
eventually dropped the charges, saying the policy wasn't clear to parents.

But Patty Noble says it was too late. The rumors already were flying at the
school, she said, with other students saying the teens were getting high in
the bathroom and some saying they were dealing crack.

"This has affected her self-esteem and her reputation," Noble said of her
daughter. "And all because she had Advil. I want to know how the school
plans to make this up to her?"

Schools throughout the nation have been tightening their drug policies.

A 9-year-old boy in Virginia was suspended for a day last year for giving
Certs Concentrated Mints to his classmates because the mints looked like
"illicit pills," and therefore violated a policy on "look-alike drugs."

In Rhode Island, a 10-year-old was suspended for bringing epilepsy medicine
to school, and in Pennsylvania, an eighth-grader was suspended for having
Alka-Seltzer on school grounds.

But Noble thinks it's possible to take things too far, and calls the
Federal Way policy "ludicrous."

"Everyone knows that drugs are bad, but there has to be a line drawn
somewhere," she said. "I'm going to do everything I can to change this
(policy)."

Tamra Fitzpatrick's phone message number is 206-464-8981. Her e-mail
address is: tfit-new@seatimes.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical Marijuana Patient Todd McCormick Asks Federal Judge To Allow Pot Use
While On Bail (Press Release From NORML Notes Federal Government
Is Preventing Cancer Patient Busted In Bel Air, California,
From Invoking State Law Passed By Voters)

From: NORMLFNDTN@aol.com
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:30:03 EST
Subject: Medical marijuana advocate/patient Todd McCormick

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2-10-98

Medical Marijuana Patient Todd McCormick Asks Federal Judge to Allow Pot
Use while on Bail

Todd McCormick, who had cancer nine times before he was ten, will ask a
federal judge on Wednesday if he can use his medical marijuana while on
bail. "It's been terrible these past six months without my medication,"
said McCormick. "I've been in constant pain. I can't sleep for more than
an hour at a time. Every time I turn, the pain wakes me up." As a result
of cancer treatment, McCormick's top five vertebra were fused when he was
three and one hip stopped growing when he was eight.

"This is an unprecedented move," said McCormick's attorney David Michael,
"We are asking a federal District Court Judge George King to allow someone to
take a medicine, prescribed by his doctor. Normally, this is not a
problem. Defendants out on bail are allowed to take morphine, cocaine, or
any other prescription medication. In this case, however, we're asking
the court to permit the use of a Schedule I substance, where there exists
no scientific reason why it should be so classified. It will take a great
deal of courage and a great deal of compassion for the judge to rule in
our favor, but what else can we do but ask? My client is suffering
unnecessarily."

On Wednesday, February 11, 1998, McCormick and Michael will file the
motion at the Roybal federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles and meet
immediately after with the press at 1:30 p.m. on the courthouse steps.
(Look for McCormick supporters with signs such as, "Let McCormick use his
medicine" and "The people of California have spoken. Federal government,
please listen.") The motion is online at www.marijuanamagazine.com. The
motion also asks for a reduction of the $500,000 bail, put up by actor
Woody Harrelson.

McCormick's Bel Air address caused national headlines and punch lines
when he was arrested on July 29, 1997. The Medical Marijuana Mansion, the
press dubbed it. Jay Leno said if it were a movie, it should be called
"Fresh Pot of Bel Air." Although McCormick was accused by the DEA of
buying and selling marijuana, the federal grand jury found evidence of
cultivation only. Cultivation is specifically permitted to medical
marijuana patients under California law.

McCormick leased the house from an advance he received to write a book
about marijuana cultivation, on which McCormick is considered an expert.
DEA agents destroyed McCormick's research material--including a marijuana
plant that had been alive since 1976.

"I lost my work," said McCormick. "I lost my home. I'm living at a
friend's house now. I haven't been able to work. When I can think about
something other then the pain, I think about the ten-year mandatory
minimum sentence I'm facing. I can't tell you how this has destroyed my
life."

In 1995, McCormick opened the first compassion club in California,
located in San Diego. There, he gave away marijuana to people in medical
need. En route to opening a compassion club in his native Rhode Island,
McCormick was arrested in Ohio. While in an Ohio jail, the DEA closed his
San Diego club. When the Ohio charges were dropped, McCormick went to
Amsterdam, where he deepened his knowledge of marijuana botany. He
returned to California in 1996 after the passage of Proposition 215, the
Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

"With the passage of Proposition 215, I thought I could share what I
knew about growing medical marijuana with other patients in California,"
said McCormick. "I thought the people of California had voted to let sick
people have their medicine, and I thought the government would listen to
the people and go chase murderers instead of medical marijuana users. I
guess I thought wrong."

"Mr. McCormick's case is an unusual one, legally," said David Michael of
the San Francisco law firm of Serra, Lichter, Daar, Bustamante, Michael,
and Wilson. "Normally, in a battle between state and federal authority,
the federal government represents the Constitution, so it usually defends an
individual's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Think
of forced federal segregation in an Alabama school when the governor
himself, George Wallace, had to yield to federal authority. In this case,
however, the people of the State of California have taken the respected,
honored, and valued position - which is that when people are sick, they
should get the medicine they need - while the federal government has taken
an inhumane stand against medical marijuana and the relief of human
suffering that is, to quote the DEA's own Administrative Law Judge,
Francis L. Young, unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious."

(Judge Young's 1988 ruling after almost two years of hearings included
"The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been
accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very
ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would
be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand
between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of
the evidence in this record." DEA Administrators Bonner, in 1992, and
Constantine, in 1996, chose to ignore the judges ruling and keep the drug
as Schedule I.)

"Mr. McCormick represents the will of the people of California in
fighting the staggering might of the federal government," said Michael.

Is there any hope? "The DEA has, for the first time, passed the question
of marijuanais medical scheduling to the Department of Health and Human
Services," explained Michael. "Perhaps weire seeing some return to reason
in our national drug policy regarding medical marijuana. The federal
government is being cruel in its current treatment of Mr. McCormick.
Canit they just leave this young man alone to take his medicine in peace,
and canit those who want to jail him thank God they donit have a
condition that requires constant medication?"

"It would be nice to have my life back," said McCormick.

CONTACT: Todd McCormick and David Michael, 213-650-2818.

TO ARRANGE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH McCORMICK or MICHAEL:

Contact Ed Hashia at 213-650-9571x125.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical Marijuana Patient Todd McCormick Asks Federal Judge To Allow Pot Use
While On Bail (Press Release By Charles P. Conrad On Wednesday Court Hearing)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 19:23:59 EST
Reply-To: cpconrad@thegrid.net
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: "Charles P. Conrad" 
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: McCormick Motion and Press Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2-10-98

Medical Marijuana Patient Todd McCormick Asks
Federal Judge to Allow Pot Use while on Bail

Todd McCormick, who had cancer nine times before he was ten, will ask a
federal judge on Wednesday if he can use his medical marijuana while on
bail. "It's been terrible these past six months without my medication"
said McCormick. "I've been in constant pain. I can't sleep for more than
an hour at a time. Every time I turn, the pain wakes me up." As a result
of cancer treatment, McCormick's top five vertebra were fused when he was
31/2 and stopped growing when he was eight.

"This is an unprecedented move," said McCormick's attorney. "We are asking
Federal District Court Judge George King to allow someone to take a
medicine prescribed by his doctor. Normally this is not a problem.
Defendants out on bail are allowed to take morphine, cocaine, or any other
prescription medication. In this case, however, we're asking the court to
permit the use of a Schedule I substance, where there exists no scientific
reason why it should be so classified. It will take a great deal of
courage and a great deal of compassion for the judge to rule in our favor,
what else can we do but ask? My client is suffering unnecessarily.

On Wednesday, February 11, 1998, McCormick and Michael will file the motion
at the Roybal Federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles and meet
immediately after with the press at 1:30 p.m on the courthouse steps. (Look
for McCormick supporters with signs such as, "Let McCormick use his
medicine" and "The people of California have spoken. Federal government,
please listen") The motion is online at www.marijuanamagazine.com The
motion also asks for a reduction of the $500,000 bail put up by actor Woody
Harelson.

McCormick's Bel Air address caused national headlines and punch lines when
he was arrested on July 29, 1997. The Medical Marijuana Mansion, the press
dubbed it. Jay Leno said if it were a movie, it should be called "Fresh
Pot of Bel Air," Although McCormick was accused by the DEA of buying and
selling marijuana, the federal grand jury found evidence of cultivation
only. Cultivation is specifically permitted to medical marijuana patients
under California law.

McCormick leased the house from an advance he received to write a book
about marijuana cultivation -- McCormick is considered an expert. DEA
agents destroyed McCormick's research material--including a marijuana plant
that had been alive since 1976.

"I lost my work," said McCormick,, "I lost my home. I'm living at a
friend's house now. I haven't been able to work. When I can think about
something other than the pain, I think about the ten-year mandatory minimum
sentence I'm facing -- I can't tell you how this has destroyed my life."

In 1995 McCormick opened the first California compassion club in San Diego.
There he gave away marijuana to people in medical need. En route to
opening a Compassion Club in his native Rhode Island, McCormick was
arrested in Ohio. While in an Ohio jail, the DEA closed his San Diego
club. When the Ohio charges were dropped, McCormick went to Amsterdam
where he deepened his knowledge of marijuana botany. He returned to
California in 1996 after the passage of Proposition 215, the Compassionate
Use Act of 1996.

"With the passage of Proposition 215, 1 thought I could share what I knew
about growing medical marijuana with other patients in California," said
McCormick. "I thought the people of California had voted to let sick people
have their medicine and I thought the government would listen to the people
and go chase murderers instead of medical marijuana users. I guess I
thought wrong."

"Mr. McCormick's case is an unusual one, legally," said David Michael of
the San Francisco law firm of Serra, Lichter, Daar, Bustamante Michael, and
Wilson. "Normally, in a battle between state and federal authority, the
federal government represents the Constitution, so it usually defends an
individual's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Think of forced
segregation in an Alabama school where the governor himself, George
Wallace, had to yield to federal authority.

In this case, however, the people of the State of California have taken the
respected, honored, and valued position -- which is sick people should get
the medicine they need -- while the federal government has taken an
inhumane stand against medical marijuana and the relief of human suffering
that is, to quote the DEA's own Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young,
'unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious'."

(Judge Young's 1988 ruling after almost two years of hearings included,
"The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted
as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people,
and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be
unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between
those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence
in this record." DEA Administrators Bonner, in 1992, and Constantine, in
1996, chose to ignore the judge's ruling and keep the drug as Schedule I.)

"Mr. McCormick represents the will of the people of California in fighting
the staggering might of the federal government," said Michael.

Is there any hope? "The DEA has, for the first time, passed the question of
marijuana's Medical scheduling to the Department of Health and Human
Services," explained Michael. "Perhaps we're seeing some return to reason
in our national drug policy regarding medical marijuana. The federal
government is being cruel in its current treatment of Mr. McCormick. Can't
they just leave this young man alone to take his medicine in peace, and
can't those who want to jail him thank God they don't have a condition that
requires constant medication?"

"It would be nice to have my life back," said McCormick,

CONTACT: Todd McCormick and David Michael, 213-650-2818.

TO ARRANGE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH McCORMICK or MICHAEL, Contact Ed Hashia at
213-650-9571 x125

Charles P. Conrad
(818) 985-3259
mailto:cpconrad@thegrid.net
mailto:cpconrad@freecannabis.org
http://www.freecannabis.org
http://www.hempmuseum.org/
http://www.druglibrary.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Court Returns Pot Club Trial To Oakland ('Associated Press' Notes
California's First District Court Of Appeal Says Judges Have No Authority To
Block Forum-Shopping Prosecutors, Re-Transferring Trial Of Dennis Peron
Of San Francisco Cannabis Buyers' Club From San Francisco County
Back To Alameda County, Where Attorney General Lungren
First Obtained Indictment Back In August 1996)

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 22:44:58 -0500
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: Richard Lake 
Subject: MN: US CA: Wire: Court Returns Pot Club Trial To Oakland
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Tuesday, February 10, 1998

COURT RETURNS POT CLUB TRIAL TO OAKLAND

SAN FRANCISCO -- The criminal trial of the state's most prominent medical
marijuana advocate on drug sales charges is heading from San Francisco,
where his marijuana club operates, back to Oakland, where Attorney General
Dan Lungren got him indicted.

The state's 1st District Court of Appeal, in a ruling made public Tuesday,
overturned an Alameda County judge's decision to transfer the trial to San
Francisco. Dennis Peron, founder of the organization now called the
Cannabis Cultivators Club, criticized the ruling but said he would accept
it and push for an early trial.

``I really believe we're going to win no matter where we are,'' said Peron,
who is also running against Lungren in the Republican primary for governor
in June.

Lungren spokesman Matt Ross said the case should be tried in Alameda County
because the indictment was issued there and included crimes that occurred
there. He declined comment when asked why Lungren did not want the case
tried in San Francisco, where the club was raided and some of the alleged
crimes also took place.

The club, which described itself as a provider of medical marijuana to AIDS
and cancer patients and other seriously ill people, was allowed to operate
for years by San Francisco officers but was raided in August 1996 by
Lungren's agents. They said they seized more than 40 pounds of marijuana
and saw marijuana being sold without any demonstration of a buyer's medical
needs.

Peron, author of the November 1996 medical marijuana initiative,
Proposition 215, and five others at the club were later indicted on charges
of transporting and selling marijuana, possessing it for sale and
contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Lungren has also sought a court
order to shut down the club.

The two sides have fought over whether the criminal case should be tried in
San Francisco, where the marijuana club has strong public support, or in
Alameda County, which is somewhat more conservative.

Last October, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Dean Beaupre ordered a
transfer to San Francisco. He found relatively little connection between
the charges and Alameda County, and said there had been ``an appearance of
improper forum-shopping'' by Lungren.

But the appeals court, in a 3-0 ruling, said judges have no authority to
transfer a case for those reasons.

If a case is charged in a county where at least some of the alleged crimes
occurred, it must be tried in that county unless it is unlikely that an
impartial jury can be found there, said the opinion by Justice Robert
Dossee. A judge ``has no inherent power to otherwise order removal of an
action,'' he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Drug Dealer In Vallejo Gets 110 To Life ('San Francisco Chronicle'
Says 30-Year-Old Rap Producer Also Tried To Dynamite Police Evidence,
But Defendant Sought New Trial Because Prosecutors Offered Plea Bargain
To Girlfriend - Caught With Him In One Police Raid - That Allegedly Caused Her
To Refuse To Testify For Defense)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 19:51:39 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US CA: Drug Dealer in Vallejo Gets 110 to Life
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Frank S. World" 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Author: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer

DRUG DEALER IN VALLEJO GETS 110 TO LIFE

A Vallejo drug dealer who allegedly tried to dynamite his way out of a
three-strikes drug case was sentenced yesterday to 110 years to life in
prison.

Slumped in a chair next to his attorney, Kevin Lee Robinson closed his eyes
as Solano County Superior Court Judge R. Michael Smith announced the prison
term in a crowded Fairfield courtroom.

Known as ``Big Kev,'' Robinson, 30, was a major Northern California
narcotics supplier who also had a legitimate career as a rap producer. A
jury convicted him in September of 10 weapons and drug charges stemming
from two raids in 1995 and 1996 on several residences that Robinson owned
in Vallejo.

He is also accused of plotting two dynamite bombings that damaged the
Vallejo courthouse and a Wells Fargo Bank branch in January 1997. Police
believe that Robinson and five other men also were trying to destroy
evidence in a police locker at a local library, where children discovered
30 sticks of dynamite in a backpack.

Considerably thinner than the 300 pounds he weighed when arrested last
year, Robinson said nothing during yesterday's brief hearing. His brother
and other family members who attended the sentencing declined to speak with
reporters.

``It's no big surprise,'' Robinson's attorney, Daniel J. Russo, said
outside the courtroom, referring to three-strikes sentencing guidelines
mandating 25-year-to- life sentences for a third or subsequent felony
convictions.

Solano County probation officials recommended that Robinson serve 61 years
in prison. County prosecutors were seeking the maximum of 265 years.
Smith's sentence came down in the middle, with several of Robinson's prison
terms to be served concurrently rather than consecutively.

``We were asking for the maximum, but it is a fair and judicious judgment
in the view of the people,'' Solano County Deputy District Attorney Don du
Bain said.

Before issuing the sentence, Smith denied a defense motion for a new trial.
Russo had argued that prosecutors offered a plea bargain last year to
Robinson's girlfriend -- caught with him in one of the police raids -- that
allegedly caused her to refuse to testify for the defense in return for a
lenient county jail sentence.

``I still believe that deal was done to keep her off the (witness) stand,''
Russo said.

Robinson will remain at the Solano County Jail pending the outcome of the
bombing and conspiracy charges filed against him. His case is scheduled to
go to a preliminary hearing on March 20.

His five alleged co-conspirators have already been indicted by a county
grand jury. Trial dates will be set in April.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Board Meeting Before Initiative 59 Hits The Streets Of DC
(Media Alert From ACT UP! In Washington, DC, Announces Start
Of Signature-Gathering Tomorrow For Medical Marijuana Measure -
17,000 Signatures Needed To Get On September 15, 1998 Ballot)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:48:42 EST
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: VOTEYES57@aol.com
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: Final Board meeting before 59 hits the streets of DC

ACT UP Washington
*Media Alert*
contact Steve Michael at 202-547-9404
DC activists renew Rx Marijuana effort
EFFORT TO PLACE ISSUE BEFORE DC VOTERS TO BEGIN AT DC GOVERNMENT
BUILDING--441 4TH STREET NW,

BOARD OF ELECTIONS HEARING AT 2:30PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH
(BOARD WILL PRESENT INITIATIVE SPONSORS PETITION FORMS)

We are asking supporters of medical marijuana in dc to attend the
hearing...thanks Steve!

SIGNATURE GATHERING TO COMMENCE AT 3:30 PM
IN FRONT OF BUILDING AT 441 FOURTH STREET NW

(February 10, 1998--Washington, D.C.) The AIDS advocacy group ACT UP (AIDS
Coalition to Unleash Power) in Washington, DC, sponsors of the medical
marijuana ballot Initiative 57, will begin gathering signatures for its
successor, Initiative 59, at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon, February 11th. The
AIDS activists narrowly missed the signature requirement for Initiative 57.
The measure, written by local patients, public health experts, and attorneys
with the National Capitol Area ACLU, provides legal protection for persons
with serious illnesses like AIDS and cancer, if they use small amounts of
marijuana to ease their suffering.

Organizers will have to submit approximately 17,000 signatures of DC
registered voters, 5% of the total number registered, in order to place
Initiative 59 on the September 15, 1998 election ballot. Last month, the DC
Board of Elections and Ethics ruled that on their first attempt, activists
fell short by a minimum of 819 signatures. With a team of experienced,
dedicated volunteers already mobilized, ACT UP's organizers are confident of
success.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Secondhand Smoke Puts Children At Risk ('Reuters' Says New Research
In 'Pediatrics' By US Government Researchers Found 40 Percent To 60 Percent
Of Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, Wheezing Among Exposed Kids
Is Attributable To Tobacco Smoke - But Paradoxically, Exposed Children
'Were Not At Higher Risk' Of Upper Respiratory Infections, Pneumonia,
Or Cough - White Children Exposed To Highest Levels Of Cigarette Smoke)

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 13:09:02 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar 
Subject: MN: US: Secondhand Smoke Puts Children At Risk
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Reference: Pediatrics (1998;101:e8)
Copyright: (c) 1998 Reuters Limited.

SECONDHAND SMOKE PUTS CHILDREN AT RISK

NEW YORK -- A new study presents additional evidence that young children
who are exposed to cigarette smoke are likely to develop respiratory
problems.

In the Pediatrics electronic pages for February, US government researchers
report that exposure to cigarette smoke, including maternal smoking during
pregnancy, "...plays an important, independent role in the respiratory
health of children under 2 years of age."

Dr. Peter J. Gergen of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research,
Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues reviewed data for 7,680 children, 2
months to 5 years old, whose parents were interviewed during a nationwide
health study in 1988 to 1994. The children studied were considered a
representative sample of the entire US population.

The researchers found that approximately 38% of the children were exposed
to cigarette smoke in their homes. Nearly 24% lived in homes where 1 to 19
cigarettes were smoked each day, and 14.5% lived in homes where a pack or
more of cigarettes were smoked each day. In addition, 23.8% had been
exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

White children were exposed to the highest levels of cigarette smoke, while
Mexican-American children were exposed to the lower levels. Black children
were exposed to intermediate levels.

Among children 2 months to 2 years old, those exposed to cigarette smoke
were more likely to have asthma, chronic bronchitis, and a history of
wheezing than unexposed children, the investigators report. In exposed
children, "...40% to 60% of the cases of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and
three or more episodes of wheezing were attributable to (environmental
tobacco smoke) exposure."

Among children 2 to 5 years old, those exposed to cigarette smoke had a
higher prevalence of asthma only.

Although asthma was more prevalent among children exposed to cigarette
smoke, Gergen and colleagues found that it was no more severe, as judged by
the frequency of medication use. In addition, exposed children were not at
higher risk of upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, or cough.

Even so, the researchers estimate that environmental exposure to cigarette
smoke is associated with approximately "...13,400 to 16,200 excess cases of
asthma among children 2 months through 5 years old.... These findings
reinforce the need to reduce the exposure of young children."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Snowboard Winner Stripped Of Gold ('Associated Press' Breaks News
About Canadian Olympic Gold Winner In Nagano, Japan,
Being Denied Medal Due To Positive Test For Cannabis Metabolites)

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 01:29:33 EST
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: Dave Fratello <104730.1000@compuserve.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: Snowboard Winner Stripped of Gold

----- Forwarded Story -------

Headline: Snowboard Winner Stripped of Gold
Date: Tue, Feb 10, 1998

By TED ANTHONY
Associated Press Writer

NAGANO, Japan (AP) -- The first Olympic gold medal in the youngest,
hippest sport in the games -- snowboarding -- was stripped because of
marijuana use.

Ross Rebagliati, 26, of Canada tested positive for the drug after his
winning run in the men's giant slalom Monday, the International Olympic
Committee said.

It was the first positive drug test reported at the Nagano Games, and
officials said they could not recall another Olympic case involving
marijuana.

IOC director general Francois Carrard said Wednesday (Tuesday night EST)
that Rebagliati had been asked to return his gold medal. The Canadian
Olympic Association said it would appeal the case.

The Canadian association's chief, Carol Anne Letheran, said Rebagliati
told officials he had not used marijuana since April 1997, and that the
positive test was due to the times "he spends around marijuana users." She
called for a severe reprimand rather than suspension.

Rebagliati, in a statement read at a news conference, said he had worked
"for 11 years to be the best snowboarder in the world. ... I've worked too
hard to let this slip through my fingers."

Carrard said the first part of the two-part drug test found traces of
metabolized marijuana in Rebagliati's urine. The second part of the test
turned up more signs of marijuana use, 17.8 nanograms per milliliter,
Carrard said. That meant Rebagliati, a British Columbian whose triumph was
celebrated throughout Canada, was out in the narrowest of votes.

"It is always sad to be facing such a situation," Carrard said. "It was
not an easy decision to take."

He refused to go into detail about the decision-making process, citing
Canada's appeal. But he did say the IOC board vote was 3-2, with two
members abstaining. The medical commission vote was 13-12 in favor of
recommending action to the IOC governing body.

The IOC also could have reprimanded Rebagliati but allowed him to keep
his medal.

"Opinions were quite split," Carrard said. "It was an unusually close
decision."

International ski federation rules allow 15 nanograms per milliliter;
the IOC allows none. The fact that Rebagliati's levels tested above 15 "did
have a certain influence on the debate," Carrard said.

The Committee for the Arbitration of Sport will now review the case and
must rule within 24 hours. It has overturned drug cases before.

Carrard said he had no indication either that Rebagliati used the drug
in Japan or that Japanese authorities were investigating.

"There is no evidence at all that marijuana was consumed here," he said.

Marijuana long has been on the IOC list of banned drugs, but Carrard
said he had no memory of the drug ever appearing before at the Olympics.
"There are no cases which are similar," Carrard said.

It was not the first drug problem for Canada at the Olympics. Toronto
sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record in
1988 in Seoul for using the anabolic steroid stanozolol. Carrard said
emphatically that the situations weren't similar.

"Canada can say that there goes a gold medal, but you can't compare the
two cases," Carrard said.

Rebagliati, who dedicated his Olympic win to a friend who died in an
avalanche, said at his post-victory news conference that he first realized
his Generation-X sport had reached Olympic status when drug testers started
to appear at meets.

Other substances banned by the IOC include alcohol, caffeine, local
anesthetics and performance-enhancing steroids. Though marijuana is not
traditionally considered performance-enhancing, Carrard said he had been
"told that in some situations, it could be."

In another drug case, U.S. bobsledder Michael Dionne was removed from
the Olympic team after his drug suspension was upheld, but he was urged to
stay in Nagano because he was guilty only of "carelessness." Dionne said he
took the banned stimulant ephedrine accidentally in cold medicine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

More College Students Just Say Yes To Marijuana ('Associated Press' Says
Support For Marijuana Legalization Has Grown Among College Freshmen
From Just 16.7 Percent In 1989 To 35.2 Percent In 1997, According To
Study Done At UCLA For American Council On Education)

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 22:36:22 -0500
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: Richard Lake 
Subject: MN: US: Wire: More college students 'just say yes' to marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Dave Fratello, Frank World, Kevin Zeese, and Marcus-Mermelstein
Family
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: 10 Feb 1998
Author: Paul Shepard, Associated Press

MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS 'JUST SAY YES' TO MARIJUANA

WASHINGTON (AP) - Much like their parents a generation ago, today's college
students are just saying yes to marijuana and are increasingly supportive
of its legalization.

"It's out there, but it isn't a big deal. If you don't smoke, you just
disregard it,'' said Amy Kim, a freshman at the University of Arizona. "I'm
not surprised students think it should be legalized because it's the most
accessible thing out there next to liquor.''

Craig Brooks, 18, a freshman at George Washington University in Washington
said "Cigarettes are worse. We all know that.''

Fellow freshman Michelle Rubinstein piped up, "We just don't make an issue
of it. Marijuana is accepted.''

The student comments underscore a growing trend among American youth.

Call it a shift from reefer madness to reefer gladness, as use of marijuana
rises along with support for its legalization, according to recent surveys
of student attitudes.

The affinity for marijuana flies in the face of growing conservatism in
other areas, according to surveys that show today's college freshmen are
more apt to favor restricting abortion rights and are less accepting of gay
relationships than students in recent years.

Support for marijuana legalization has grown among college freshmen from
just 16.7 percent in 1989 to 35.2 percent in 1997, according to a study by
the University of California, Los Angeles, for the Washington-based
American Council on Education.

Marijuana use among high school seniors also is rising. More than 50
percent of seniors say they have smoked it, compared to 33 percent who
admitted to its use in 1992, according to Dr. Lloyd Johnston, author of an
annual report on youth trends involving drugs for the National Institute on
Drug Abuse.

Reasons vary, according to experts. Some say the debate over medical
marijuana and possible beneficial effects for some ill people have softened
its image.

"The perception of risks in smoking marijuana is eroding. They don't see it
as dangerous,'' said Dr. Lloyd Johnston, program director at the University
of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Others point to the fact that many parents of today's crop of college age
smokers are no strangers to marijuana use themselves during the pot-filled
days of the 1960s and '70s.

"More people are going by their own experiences,'' said Keith Stroup,
founder and executive director of the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws.

"For a long time, the government put out these reefer madness reports, and
they molded opinions. But now, when a third of the population have
experience with marijuana, they don't believe the government.''

Steve Dnistrian, senior vice president of Partnership for a Drug-Free
America, said he is disappointed by the survey results but not surprised.

The 1980s saw new laws allowing the forfeiture of property seized during
drug arrests and an expansion of drug testing for public and private work
places in addition to first lady Nancy Reagan's "just say no'' to drugs
campaign.

But those days are little more than a hazy recollection for some.

"We had the media focus. We had the government focus,'' Dnistrian said.
"Kids were exposed to the message and decided it wasn't worth it to smoke.
We burned out giving the message and the public burned out on hearing it.''

What's filled the vacuum since, Dnistrian said, is tacit approval of
marijuana.

"Musicians started singing its praises openly and then sitcoms treated
smoking in a funny way,'' he said. "Then, marijuana leaves started showing
up on hats and shirts. And when the media started up with stories about how
the drug war was lost, our message was lost.''

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Truth-In-Sentencing Bill Advances ('Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'
Notes Wisconsin Republicans, Democrats, Vie In Legislature
For Bragging Rights To Who Eliminated Parole - No Mention Of
Any Truth-In-Sentencing Measure That Would Tell Taxpayers
How Many Marijuana Offenders They Are Convicting At What Cost)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 09:53:54 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar 
Subject: MN: US WI: Truth-In-Sentencing Bill Advances
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Frank S. World" 
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Author: Amy Rinard of the Journal Sentinel staff
Contact: jsedit@onwis.com
Fax: (414) 224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/

TRUTH-IN-SENTENCING BILL ADVANCES

Senate to vote on its version amid continuing partisan wrangling

MADISON -- Nearly one year after it was first proposed by the governor, a
state Senate committee advanced a truth-in-sentencing bill Monday, but
partisan wrangling over who will get credit for the popular measure
threatened final approval.

At issue in the potential gridlock over whether the Democrat- or
Republican-sponsored version of the legislation eventually becomes law is
who gets political bragging rights in an election year.

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on its version of the measure, but
the Republican leader of the Assembly, where a similar bill was passed nine
months ago, said the Assembly is unlikely to take up that Senate bill.

"I see no reason why we should have to start this process again," said
Speaker Scott Jensen (R-Town of Brookfield), noting the overwhelming
bipartisan vote in favor of the Assembly bill. "I think it's a waste of the
Senate's time because they are eventually going to have to take up the
Assembly bill. I don't think we'll be rewarding the Senate's insolence."

The Senate Judiciary Committee Monday voted, 4-0, to advance a version of
the truth-in-sentencing measure that was introduced by Democrats. That
version does not include increased maximum sentences for felony crimes, a
provision that is part of the bill approved by the Assembly last May.

The Republican sponsors of the Assembly bill said they could not go along
with that modification of their truth-in-sentencing measure, which requires
prisoners to serve their full sentences and eliminates parole.

"That sends a pretty poor message to criminals," said Rep. Scott Walker
(R-Wauwatosa).

Jensen called the Senate bill a "watered-down version" of the Assembly
measure and said it was proof that Senate Democrats do not really support
truth in sentencing.

"They're trying to cover their butts. They don't want truth in sentencing to
pass, but they want to be able to tell their constituents they voted for
it," he said.

However, some lawmakers denied that politics had anything to do with
advancement of the Senate version of the bill.

"Let's not quibble about inside politics," said Sen. Robert Wirch
(D-Kenosha), the committee chairman. "People want truth in sentencing and
not election-year posturing."

Nevertheless, although Wirch scheduled a hearing on both the Assembly and
Senate versions of the measure Monday, he precluded the committee from
taking any action on the Assembly bill.

The Assembly bill increases the current maximum sentences for felonies by
25% to 50%. Walker said that was done to ensure that the state can impose
strict supervision on prisoners after they are released from prison.

Sen. Brian Burke (D-Milwaukee), sponsor of the Senate bill, said his
proposal would allow a special commission to review the entire state
criminal code and recommend sentencing changes.

Walker and other sponsors of the Assembly bill have endorsed the creation of
such a criminal code commission and had suggested the Senate could establish
such a commission simply by passing an amendment to the Assembly bill.

The Senate bill also calls for additional state funding for child abuse
prevention programs. However, sponsors of the Assembly bill also agreed to
accept the funding provision as an amendment to their legislation.

Both the criminal code commission and the prevention grant funding were
included in an agreement on truth in sentencing reached between Gov. Tommy
Thompson and Attorney General Jim Doyle last year.

In his testimony before the Senate committee Monday, Doyle said the state
had made great improvements in its criminal justice system, "but the glaring
deficiency in the system is how we sentence people."

"Truth in sentencing will be a major step forward," he said.

Doyle, a Democrat, endorsed Burke's bill and urged lawmakers to set aside
partisan politics on the issue of truth in sentencing.

"This is an issue far too important for partisan wrangling," he said. "I'm
baffled that for months we've been hung up on a political credit-taking
mission that doesn't get us truth in sentencing."

Thompson's chief of staff, John Matthews, endorsed the Assembly version of
the bill and its provision to increase maximum sentences before the
commission makes its report.

"After prisoners are released, we know they're going to be watched,"
Matthews said of the extended sentences. "We cannot put real truth in
sentencing on hold waiting for some future Legislature to take up the
commission's report. It's just too critical."

Truth in sentencing was initially proposed by Gov. Tommy Thompson last
February as a major part of his 1997-'99 state budget bill.

By mutual agreement of the leaders of both houses of the Legislature, that
proposal was taken out of the budget because it dealt with a major change in
state policy and was introduced as separate legislation.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Trial Reveals Secret Kick That Boosted MarIboro Sales
('San Francisco Chronicle' Says Jury In St. Paul, Minnesota,
Is Told Philip Morris First Began Using Ammoniated Form Of Tobacco In 1965
To Increase Nicotine Delivery, Improve Taste - Used More And More To 1974)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 19:57:28 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US: Trial Reveals Secret 'Kick' That Boosted MarIboro Sales
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Tom O'Connell" 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Author: Steve Karnowski Associated Press

TRIAL REVEALS SECRET 'KICK' THAT BOOSTED MARLBORO SALES

St. Paul, Minn.

They called it "the secret of Marlboro."

R.J. Reynolds was desperate in the mid-1970s to learn why its leading
brand, Winston, was losing market share to Philip Morris' Marlboro. So
were other tobacco companies that were losing out in a ruthlessly
competitive business.

"We couldn't figure out what the success of Marlboro was," said David
Bernick, an attorney for Brown & Williamson. "We couldn't figure out why it
was that Marlboro was taking off in sales."

The reason, as it turned out was ammonia, a chemical that boosted
Marlboro's nicotine "kick" and improved the taste at the same time,
according to documents and testimony emerging from Minnesota's lawsuit
against the tobacco industry.

"The secret of Marlboro is ammonia," according to a 1989 Brown & Williamson
document. "Ammonia does many good things."

Two expert witnesses for the state told the jury in detail how tobacco
companies use various ammonia compounds to alter the chemistry of cigarette
smoke to give smokers a stronger nicotine dose.

The way ammonia works, they said, is that it makes the smoke less acidic.
That changes a portion of its nicotine into "free nicotine," a form that is
more readily absorbed in the lungs. Free nicotine's effects are felt in the
brain within seconds.

The experts-a Mayo Clinic authority on nicotine addiction and a Stanford
University chemical engineering professor -said boosting free nicotine also
ensured that cigarettes would remain addictive even though the companies
were bringing out low-tar, low-nicotine brands.

"What the industry was concerned with, in the face of lowering tar, is the
problem they would face if nicotine levels dropped" below the level needed
to keep smokers hooked, testified Channing Robertson of Stanford. "They
didn't want to go out of business."

Marlboro was the first major brand to really capitalize on ammonia, jurors
learned.

Reynolds' scientists learned that Philip Morris had begun using an
ammoniated form of tobacco in 1965 and used-more and more of it from 1965
to 1974.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Vancouver's Marijuana Marketer Calls It Quits In Battle With City
(Marc Emery Is Selling HempBC, According To 'Vancouver Sun')

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Canada: Vancouver's marijuana marketer calls it quits
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 08:51:07 -0800
Lines: 44
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Vancouver Sun
Contact: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Pubdate: Tue 10 Feb 1998
Author: Frances Bula
Section: B1 / Front

VANCOUVER'S MARIJUANA MARKETER CALLS IT QUITS IN BATTLE WITH CITY

The best known marijuana crusader in Vancouver -- and Canada -- is
calling it quits.

Marc Emery will be giving up ownership of Hemp B.C., his business that
sold marijuana seeds and growing equipment, and his restaurant, the
Cannabis Cafe, after the city of Vancouver refused to issue business
licences.

``The problem with running a revolution through a retail business is
you have to conform,'' said Emery. ``I've been here four years. I have
been nothing but an asset to the city. I've paid a million dollars in
taxes. Our neighbours loved us because we drew money to the area. We
were a big tourist attraction. But I ultimately had to conclude that
my name is mud with city council.''

Vancouver community services director Ted Droettboom said the licences
were refused because the city has a stipulation making it illegal to
display drug paraphernalia.

So why did Hemp B.C. get a licence the last three years?

``I don't know, quite frankly,'' Droettboom said.

Emery has the right to appeal to council, but he said he won't bother.

He'll be turning his businesses over to his employees, who plan to
remove the controversial aspects of the operations -- vapourizers in
the restaurants, seeds and growing equipment in the store and the
mail-order business.

Fourteen people in the mail-order business had to be laid off.

Emery plans to devote his time to putting out a newsletter, the
Cannabis Times, and fighting his ongoing legal battles.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Police Drug Squad Corruption In Victoria (ADCA Quotes
Australia's 'Canberra Times' And 'Herald Sun' - Victoria Drug Squad Members
Took $250,000 To Steal Files At Police Station)

Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 19:06:52 EST
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: "Russell, Ken KW" 
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: UPDATE> NEWS - Police Drug Squad Corruption in Victoria

-----Original Message-----
From: McCormack [mailto:petermcc@adca.org.au]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 1998 10:57 AM
To: 'ADCA News of the Day'
Subject: UPDATE - NEWS - Police Drug Squad Corruption in Victoria

CANBERRA TIMES 10 February 1998 p2
HERALD SUN 10 February 1998 p3

Victoria police drug squad members were paid $250,000 by criminals to
steal crucial files from the drug squad's 12th floor offices at the St Kilda
Road headquarters according to allegations aired on the ABC's Four Corners
program last night. It was also alleged that criminals had paid drug squad
members thousands of dollars in return for being "looked after" and left
alone. Some parts of the program were not shown in Victoria after the
State's Director of Public Prosecutions won a Supreme Court injunction on
the ground they might prejudice a trial. Police chief commissioner Neil
Comrie defended his force against corruption allegations. "There was not
one new allegation raised (on the program) and all of those allegations
have been addressed previously". Drug squad chief John McKoy admits having
associated with a criminal in Queensland but rejects allegation of improper
conduct. Police internal affairs investigators cleared McKoy of this and
other allegations in 1995 and 1996.

***

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) Daily News
selects one story only from the many that comprise the national news
for posting to this listserv. Copies of articles can be faxed or mailed on
request and at no cost. Requests can be made by phone 02 62811002,
fax 02 6282 7364 or email library@adca.org.au To subscribe to this listserv,
send the message "subscribe update" (without the inverted commas) in
the text field to majordomo@majordomo.netinfo.com.au with the subject
field left empty.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Forum To Face Drug Abuse ('Byron Shire Echo' Says
Australian Greens Politician Ian Cohen Is Sponsoring Meeting
Due To Increasing Frustration With New South Wales Government
To Implement Detox Unit Or To Deal With 'Exploding Drug Problem
On North Coast' At A Community Level)

Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 20:10:35 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: Australia: Forum To Face Drug Abuse
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Source: Byron Shire Echo
Contact: editor@echo.net.au
Website: http://www.echo.net.au/
Pubdate: 10 Feb 1998

FORUM TO FACE DRUG ABUSE

Greens MLC Ian Cohen is organising a public forum in Byron Bay to look at
the problem of drug abuse. 'Confronted with the exploding drug problem on
the north coast', Mr Cohen said in a press release last Monday he was
becoming increasingly frustrated with the NSW government's slowness to
implement a detox unit or to deal with the drug issue at a community level.

'It is a sad reality that we have injecting drug use in Byron Bay that is
impacting significantly on our community,' Mr Cohen said. 'It is tragic
when it ends in death or the tortuous path of addiction and pain,
compounded by the suffering of friends and family who often feel
ill-equipped to deal with the issue.'

The public forum will discuss drug use, its effects on the community and
available avenues of help and support. The aim is to bring together
representatives of the health department, police, educators, social and
health workers. Mr Cohen said the forum would create an opportunity for
open discussion on creating community solutions and to find 'effective
means to deal with this complex problem'.

'My office has been informed of the growing number of young people using
heroin and amphetamines and the alarming fact that drugs are cheap in Byron
Bay,' Mr Cohen said.

'Something is going terribly wrong. We must look at the needs of our
community, especially children and their requirements for community
support, and then we can work together to create a more caring
environment.'

Sydney-based drugs educator Tony Trimmingham has agreed in principle to
attend the forum if a suitable time is available. Mr Trimmingham is the
founder of the Damian Trimmingham Foundation, a support and education
network named after his son, who died of a heroin overdose.

Mr Cohen said over 700 people a year die in Australia as a result of heroin
abuse. He said the Greens office had discussed the issue with the NSW
government and canvassed the possibility of funding for an education
program. 'The ALP has committed to a detox unit on the north coast but it
is realistically two years away from being operational,' Mr Cohen said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Drugs Man Picked Out By Killers ('Belfast Telegraph' Suggests
Last Night's Attack Was Carried Out By Direct Action Against Drugs,
Cover Group For Irish Republican Army With Nine Victims Since April 1995)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:24:15 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar 
Subject: MN: Ireland: Drugs Man Picked Out By Killers
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Zosimos 
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Source: Belfast Telegraph
Author: Julie O'Connor
Contact: editor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

DRUGS MAN PICKED OUT BY KILLERS

Gun gang catches up with victim on the run

AFTER years of being on the run, Brendan 'Bap' Campbell's life was finally
brought to a bloody end on the streets of Belfast last night.

A known drug-dealer - originally from the Poleglass area of west Belfast -
he knew his years were numbered as ruthless paramilitaries had attempted to
kill him on more than one occasion.

Knowing his life was under threat, Campbell spent his time moving from safe
house to safe house, night after night.

But the murder bids did not change his habits. He continued to sell drugs,
defying his would-be assassins, who finally caught up with him on the
Lisburn Road last night.

His life from as early as 1995 was littered with uncertainty.

In April 1995 he was attacked by gunmen in his home, and his fear of being
murdered led him to ask a judge to revoke his bail and remand him to prison.

He was also credited with launching a grenade attack on Connolly House
(Sinn Fein's Belfast headquarters) last year, phoning them up later to
claim he had carried it out.

Just last month gunmen burst into a Belfast bar on the Boucher Road, where
Campbell was drinking with a friend, and shot him twice in the chest.

Republican paramilitaries were blamed for the attack, and sources at the
time said the only reason he survived was because he was wearing a
bullet-proof jacket.

Early reports suggest last night's attack was carried out by Direct Action
Against Drugs, a cover group for the IRA.

DAAD has now murdered nine people since April 1995, beginning with the
murder of Mickey Mooney, who was killed in a city centre bar.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Fight Hard Drugs And Not Cannabis (Letter To Editor Of Ireland's 'Examiner'
Urges Harm Reduction Approach)

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:24:15 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar 
Subject: MN: Ireland: PUB LTE: Fight Hard Drugs And Not Cannabis
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Zosimos 
Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 1998
Source: Examiner, The (Ireland)
Contact: exam_letters@examiner.ie

FIGHT HARD DRUGS AND NOT CANNABIS

Sir,

It was with a certain amount of misgiving that I read of the recent
cannabis seizures by gardai in counties Cork and Tipperary. Comments Det
Chief Supt Kevin Carty that he 'objects strongly' to people calling for
cannabis to be decriminalised, and that their campaign is based on a 'lot
of empty rhetoric' without any factual evidence to back it up, are hardly
helpful.

I remind Det Chief Supt Kevin Carty that we live in a democracy, and so
have the right to call for changes to any law which we may feel to be
unjust, unworkable, or likely to lead to the prosecution of people for
'victimless' crimes, all of which I consider to be caused by the present
law which criminalises cannabis.

I am dismayed to see someone in Mr Carty's position still insisting that
cannabis is a 'gateway' drug.

It is a fact that cannabis is not a gateway drug to addiction to other
substances. Unfortunately, no matter how many times they are presented with
the evidence, the likes of Mr Carty simply refuse to accept this fact. I
will not waste readers' time by once again listing all the reports that
state that cannabis does not lead on to other drugs.

But what really worries me about the recent high profile seizures, is that
the seizures themselves may lead to our young people becoming addicted to
harder drugs. Due to its bulky nature, and the fact that it has a
distinctive odour, cannabis is by far the easiest of the currently illegal
drugs to detect. Heroin, on the other hand, is very compact, virtually
odourless, and therefore very difficult to detect. And the profit margins
on it are, in fact, far higher than those on cannabis.

If these cannabis seizures continue, and the supply is disrupted, then the
current users, when they approach their suppliers, may well be told that
there is no cannabis available, and perhaps be offered far more dangerous
substances, like heroin, instead.

Indeed, we could be sowing the seeds for a new epidemic of heroin addiction.

If cannabis were to be legalised, garda time and resources could be freed
for targeting the suppliers of the really dangerous drugs. More
importantly, it would separate the market between cannabis and other,
harmful drugs.

As Mr Carty himself points out, young people like to experiment. This is a
fact of life, which we need to accept and face up to.

In a weekend seminar at TCD last November, Prof Parker, an academic social
worker and director of social policy for the management of social problems
at the University of Manchester, stated that cannabis is actually saving
the lives of young people who wish to experiment. Advocating the
de-criminalisation of cannabis, he said that by being readily available to
"risk-taking" adolescents, cannabis had reduced the highly dangerous use of
solvents and gases, and that related deaths (in the UK) had dropped from
about 180 a year to about 50.

Personally, I would far sooner listen to the research findings of the likes
of Prof Parker, than to the empty rhetoric of Det Chief Supt Kevin Carty,
and his ilk.

Of course, I suppose it would be unfair of me to suggest that the eagerness
of the Gardai to call a press conference and to be photographed in front of
all this seized cannabis, may have more to do with personal advancement and
future Garda funding, than with any real concern about the welfare of our
youth.

Martin Cooke,
Corcormick,
Drumkeeerin,
Co Leitrim.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

New Additions To Web Site Of Centre For Drug Research At The
University Of Amsterdam - CEDRO (A Study On Heroin Maintenance In Holland
And A Point By Point Debunking Of Joseph Califano's October 1996 Op-Ed
In 'International Herald Tribune')

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 09:38:29 EST
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: A.Sas@frw.uva.nl (Arjan Sas)
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: New additions to the CEDRO website

New additions to the website of the Centre for Drug Research (CEDRO) at the
University of Amsterdam. (http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/)

1. The Drug Policy Debate in Europe: The Case of Califano Vs.
The Netherlands by Craig Reinarman

On October 18, 1996, the International Herald Tribune
published an editorial by Joseph A. Califano, Jr. condemning
Dutch cannabis policy. From his initial press conference
announcing the opening of CASA in 1990 until the present,
Califano has been highly critical of drug use, claiming that
it is the principal and direct cause of crime, health problems,
declining worker productivity, homelessness, and a range of
other problems. In his article Califano offered 'facts'
purporting to show that 'legalization would be a disaster
for European children and teenagers.' Craig Reinarman offers
a point by point examination of what Califano neglected,
misrepresented, or got wrong, presented in the larger
interest of an informed debate about drug policy options in
Europe.

http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/library/craig/califano.html

2. Heroin maintenance in the Netherlands: The case of the Rev.
Visser in Rotterdam / Parte la distribuzione di eroina in
Olanda: Il caso del pastore Visser di Rotterdam
by Peter Cohen

In this short article that was published in 'Il Manifesto'
in Italy, Peter Cohen explains the experimental Dutch
heroin maintenance system.

http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/library/peter/heroin.html
http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/library/peter/eroina.html

This message was issued on CEDRO's electronic mailing list. To join this
low volume read-only list, send e-mail to  and in the
subject field say only "subscribe CEDRO". To leave this list send a
message to the same address saying "unsubscribe CEDRO".

CEDRO - Centre for Drug Research, University of Amsterdam
http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Call For Renegotiating 1988 Vienna Convention (Italian List Subscriber
Says Recent Congress In Italy Of European Federation Of The Professionals
Working On The Addiction Field Issued Resolution Urging End
To Prohibitionist Policies)

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 23:09:50 -0500
To: mattalk@islandnet.com, maptalk@mapinc.org
From: ser@mail.telepac.pt (Sergio Inacio) by way of Richard Lake (rlake@mapinc.org)
Subject: the call for renegotiating the 1988 Vienna Convention

I am forwarding the following from the drugtext press list, a service in
The Netherlands which also carries our DrugNews-Digest. If anyone runs into
more info. on this story, or perhaps an article for editor@mapinc.org it
will be appreciated. - Richard

***

Notices from Italy

The European Federation of the Professionals Working on the Addiction
Field, had congress that happened for 3 days in Bolonha, Italy
(Bologna in your language, I think), with attendants representing 11
countries and more than 5,000 professionals. The resolution was the
"Bolonha Call". They also say that call is for renegotiating the 1988
Vienna Convention and for the end of drug war, and have also made
severe criticism to the prohibitionist policy. (in "Diário de
Noticias, 10-02-1998 edition) (this text is a very short resume)

sorry about my english

Sergio

- O liberalismo e´ um humanismo

Sergio - Vila Franca De Xira - Portugal - ser@mail.telepac.pt

The drugtext press list.

News on substance use related issues, drugs and drug policy
webmaster@drugtext.nl

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[End]