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

OCTA Multilith Majic - 30,000 Copies Printed Today! (Update
From Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Campaign Notes It Now Has
A Heavy Duty Printing Press At Its Disposal -
Pledge Drive Announced)

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 01:20:11 -0800
From: wbruceh@ix.netcom.com (Bruce House)
Subject: OCTA Multilith Majic: 30,000 copies printed today!
To: octa99@crrh.org

Hello Everyone,

It's a new day for OCTA!

The Multilith Press printed 15,000 pieces of paper double-sided!
30,000 copies!

3 cases of signature sheets + one already on hand,
that's 20,000 signature sheets on hand now!

We have one case of the text of the initiative on hand, and 3 cases
printed one side. Wednesday, the next day I print, I hope to finish
the printing for the next 3,500 piece mailout! We have postage for 700
of it now.

WE NEED YOU TUESDAY NIGHT!

7:30pm, at the weekly Anti-Prohibition League Meeting!

3125 SE Belmont - The Phantom Gallery

MAILOUT WORK!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, I will be preparing the 1,300 piece mailout we've
been working on. And, Tuesday night I hope we can get it ready for the
post office - finally.

Well, here it is: OCTA has in-house printing capability!!!!

We did $1,050.00 worth of printing today and all I had to do was
tighten one allen-screw! (compare with this rate: .035 cents
double-side - that's what it costs at Office Max).

PLEDGE DRIVE

If we can get 100 people to send $25 a week to pay for signatures, we
can put OCTA on the ballot by July hands-down.

Right now, we are accepting PLEDGES.

If we get 100 people to PLEDGE $25 a week to pay for signatures, we will
THEN START paying - but not before we receive 100 PLEDGES.

So, if you want to PLEDGE $25 a week to pay for signatures - KNOWING
THAT IF WE START WE WILL HAVE 100 PEOPLE DOING IT - you don't send any
money until we have the 100 people who have pledged.

Then we will send out a PLEDGE-BILL, to the 100 people who've pledged,
and as long as we immediately receive 75% of the pledges, we can start
paying for signatures.

Remember, all you have to do now is PLEDGE, but don't pledge if you
can't do it if called on.

But, if you would like to PLEDGE, of if you have any other questions,
please reply to this message (to me wbruceh@ix.netcom.com and make
your PLEDGE! I will let you know when we have enough people to do it.

If you can get other people - COMMITTED PEOPLE - to PLEDGE, then by all
means please do so.

Anyway, it's worth a shot - so if you can, PLEASE PLEDGE $25 A WEEK TO
PAY FOR OCTA SIGNTURES!

We can make this work,
if we work on it.

Please, if you can, PLEDGE $25 a week till July to pay for signatures
and PUT OCTA ON THE BALLOT.

We need 100 PLEDGES to start,
so we can get what we pay for.

Paying for signatures is in the long run more cost-efficient and time
efficient, and certain.

OCTA fundraising!

DOES ANYONE NEED FLYERS MADE?

***

Since we have the Multilith Press operational, and it is printing OCTA
petitions with very good quality, if anyone would like to have us do
their copying/printing - AND HELP FUND OCTA AT THE SAME TIME - we can
accommodate you at .015 cents a side - paper is around $20 a case of
5,000.

SO, LET OCTA DO YOUR COPYING BUSINESS, all proceeds go to OCTA!
AND HELP LEGALIZE CANNABIS AT THE SAME TIME!

Let's Get Kicking!

***

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 10:57:47 -0800
To: octa99@crrh.org
From: TerraCore Communications 
Subject: Re: OCTA Multilith Majic: 30,000 copies printed today!

Don't forget:

Regarding the pledge drive, OCTA can bill your credit card if you prefer.

If anybody is willing to make a donation (NO donation is to small!) you
can do it securely, online at http://www.crrh.org/credit_cards.html

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

US Civil Suit Links Real Estate Agent, Marijuana Growing ('The Oregonian'
Says Suburban Portland Real Estate Agent Allegedly Helped Growers Buy Houses
- Prosecutors Say Agent Paid $3,800 Per Pound, Over Five Years
Shipped $10 Million Worth Of Cannabis To California For Resale - No Credit To
Regional Organized Crime Narcotics Task Force - Agent Betrayed
By Several People He Trusted)

The Oregonian
oregonlive.com
February 17, 1998
letters@news.oregonian.com

U.S. civil suit links real estate agent, marijuana growing

The man allegedly helped associates buy houses
where the plant was grown

By Richard L. Hill
of The Oregonian staff

A Beaverton real estate agent helped associates
buy homes provided that they grew marijuana
inside and sold it to him, a federal civil suit
alleges.

Although a dozen homes and an estimated $10
million in marijuana are allegedly involved, neither
the real estate agent, identified as Roland M.
Thoma, nor any of his associates has been
arrested.

U.S. attorneys filed the suit last week as the first
step toward seizing ownership of the 12
Portland-area homes. Federal law allows the
government to seize assets if it can prove that
they were used in the commission of illegal drug
activities.

In papers filed in court Friday, U.S. attorneys
allege Thoma, 39, established a network of
associates during the past five years, placing them
in homes and buying marijuana from them for
$3,800 a pound. Investigators estimated that since
1992 the group has grown about $10 million
worth of marijuana and transported it to
California for resale.

Since starting their inquiry in October,
investigators have seized more than 1,400
marijuana plants and 36 pounds of dried
marijuana.

James G.W. Lilley, a senior Washington County
sheriff's deputy and lead investigator on the case,
would not say why no arrests had been made.

"This is not a case that's going to develop the way
most cases develop," he said.

He would not comment further. Nor would the
assistant U.S. attorney who filed the civil suit nor
Charles Ball, the lead attorney on the case for the
Regional Organized Crime Narcotics task force,
to which Lilley is assigned.

Thoma, through his attorney, also declined to
comment.

The 12 homes, in Washington, Multnomah,
Clackamas and Yamhill counties have an assessed
value of about $2 million; most have loans against
them. Their individual assessed value ranged from
$84,000 to $291,000.

Land records show that Thoma owns two of the
homes; one is owned by a company operated by
his sister, Klaudia Neiss; and one is owned by his
father, Franz F. Thoma.

Roland Thoma and one of his alleged associates,
Gary Lee Corrie, have been convicted before of
drug-related offenses, Oregon records show.
Corrie's company, GLC Landscaping, owns one
of the 12 homes, at 28215 S.W. Heater Road in
Clackamas County south of Sherwood.

Thoma was convicted of felony possession of a
controlled substance in 1979.

Corrie, 37, was convicted of felony possession of
a controlled substance in 1991 and felony delivery
and manufacture of a controlled substance in
1996.

Another of the homes, at 7975 S.W. 45th Ave. in
Multnomah County, is owned by Mortgage
Market Inc. of Lake Oswego. One of the
company's owners, Martin Francis, recently
deeded it to the company.

Francis also sold the house to Corrie's company
last April. Land records show that Mortgage
Market was the lender on two of the 12 homes,
one owned by Thoma.

Francis, through his attorney, declined to
comment Monday.

An affidavit filed by Lilley as part of the civil case
alleges the following:

Several people, among them Roland Thoma's
sister, pointed out homes to investigators where
the marijuana was being grown or gave details
about the operation.

Thoma's sister, Neiss, said he had bought a car
for her and was paying her $3,000 a month to
take care of growing operations at a house near
Sherwood and two others.

Typically, such indoor pot cultivation requires
large amounts of electrical power to supply
lighting. Window openings are usually taped
closed to avoid detection by outsiders.

At several of the homes, evidence was found that
electrical meters had been bypassed to avoid
detection. Portland General Electric Co.
sometimes provides information to
law-enforcement agencies about unusually high
power consumption.

Troy Christopher Cunningham, 28, told
investigators that he had been the owner of a
home at 21233 S.W. Hells Canyon Road,
southwest of Sherwood. But in October last year
ownership passed to Hausfrau, a home-cleaning
business operated by Neiss.

Steven Ernest Taylor, 34, alleged to be a partner
of Thoma's, said Thoma moved Cunningham
from the Hells Canyon house to another house
because Thoma did not trust Cunningham to care
for the growing plants. Investigators seized 376
marijuana plants and five pounds of dried
marijuana from the Hells Canyon house.

"Cunningham said that in 1997 he made
numerous trips to California to deliver marijuana
to Thoma's distributor, returning with cash paid .
. .," Lilley's affidavit states.

Cunningham moved from the Hells Canyon
address to a house at 17310 N.W. Bernard Place
in Beaverton. There, investigators found about 20
pounds of dried marijuana.

Records of the state Real Estate Agency, which is
conducting its own inquiry related to the
marijuana allegations, show that Thoma obtained
his license in 1982. It was on inactive status from
1987 to 1992.

Since then, records show that Thoma has worked
for three different firms, most recently Re/Max
Executives in Beaverton. That company returned
his license to the agency on Feb. 10, and a
company spokesman said it would not comment
on the reasons for his departure.

Thoma began a new job, with the Sunset Group
real estate firm in Beaverton, on Friday.

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

Analysis - The Growing Split In The Medical Marijuana Movement (Dick Cowan,
Former Director Of NORML, Writes In 'Marijuananews.com' That 'Professionals'
Backed By Deep Pockets Are Increasingly At Odds With 'Activists' -
Sort Of Like Realists And Purists In European Green Movement -
Trick Is To Keep Two Groups Working Together For Common Purpose,
Like French Resistance And Allies)

Resent-Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 08:40:45 -0800 (PST)
Old-Return-Path: 
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 12:40:18 -0400 (AST)
Sender: Chris Donald 
From: Chris Donald 
To: maptalk@mapinc.org, mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Dick Cowen's analysis of recent debate

from: http://www.marijuananews.com

A Personal Newsletter on the Cannabis Controversies / Date: 02/17/98

Richard Cowan, Editor and Publisher
Freedom has nothing to fear from the truth.

Analysis: The Growing Split In The Medical Marijuana Movement

February 17, 1998

I am very concerned about the growing split in the medical marijuana
movement. I have friends on both sides, and I agree -- to a degree --
with both sides. However, I have not been able to figure out how to
play a constructive role in this. So, I have said nothing until now.

On the one hand, some of the funders are so aloof from the "real
world" that communicating with them is difficult, if not impossible.
But some of the activists are so alienated from the "real world" that
-- ditto. The drug policy reform professionals are caught in the
middle between them.

I know that there are those activists who say that there should not
even be any "drug policy reform professionals." This is an interesting
argument, but it is also pointless. There are always going to be
professionals, simply because there are people with more money than
time who sincerely want to do something about the mess. The harassment
of the best will simply result in their being driven off and replaced
by someone less experienced, or worse – by the self-serving
opportunists who are hungrily waiting in the wings.

I have no doubt that these professionals are influenced and
constrained -- by the need to please the funders, but they also have
fiduciary obligations to their organizations, and payrolls with
dedicated staffers to meet. As Mark Twain once said, "A dog won't
bite the hand that feeds him, and this is the principle difference
between a man and a dog."

I have been bitten more than once myself. My point is simply that, as
with marijuana prohibition itself, not all of the motivating
corruption comes from a desire for money. As Lord Acton observed,
power tends to corrupt. It is amazing how very little "power" it
actually takes. Humans are hierarchical animals, and it does not
matter how insignificant the position really is, if it is one step up
from the even less significant position of someone whose ambition
overrides their character. Truly, I have met the finest people I have
ever known in this movement, but I am very sorry to say that I have
also met some of the absolute worst. Some in both groups are
"professionals." Others are "activists."

Also, there is the philosophical split mirroring what the European
Greens call the "Realists" and the "Purists." The Realists say that we
must compromise and work within the system. The Purists say that this
would be selling out, and we have to keep the torch burning for the
truth. There is no way to prove which group is right. In a way, both
are. It is necessary to work within the system to get things done, but
it is also necessary to hold on to ones principles. It may be
that the same person cannot always do both, but that is why there
should be a division of labor. Some can keep the flame burning, while
others take part of it and spread the light.

The trick is to keep the two groups working together. This is what
leadership is all about. This is what I tried to do when I was at
NORML, and I know that this is what Allen and Keith are trying to do
now, but this is not a movement that really trusts leadership. I like
to paraphrase the beatitude, "Blessed are the peace makers, for they
shall be shot at by both sides." I know. I have been there, and this
is where Allen and Keith are now. Bless them!

In the broader anti-prohibitionist movement, Sher Horosko, the
Executive Director of DPF is simply too new at the job to expect her
to rally the troops, but given the nature of the funding of the
anti-prohibitionist movement, that may never be possible. George Soros
is one of the greatest philanthropists of all time, and he has done
much good, but he is also a prohibitionist. He even says that he is
opposed to the legalization of marijuana! In other words, the funding
of the anti-prohibitionist movement is led by someone in fundamental
disagreement with the activist cadre. The professionals are caught in
the middle. We have leaders who can't lead and followers who
won't follow.

In all of this, everyone should also keep in mind how incredibly small
the total funding for the anti-prohibitionist movement really is.
Although a few million dollars have been spent on getting signatures
for initiatives, the discretionary budgets of the DPF and NORML
literally would not run D.A.R.E. for a day. This means that decisions
on what to do, what to fund, are terribly constrained.

Frankly, I do not think that the anti-prohibitionist movement can
"liberate" America from the narks any more than the Resistance in
occupied France could drive out the Nazis or the dissidents in the
formerly Communists countries could overthrow the Soviets. But we
should not have to. The medical profession is slowly waking up to the
fact that its primary obligation is the sick and dying, not to the
FDA/DEA. The Bar's first obligation is to Justice. The leadership
of the conservative movement has to decide on its priorities: Freedom
for the people or power for the Republicans. The liberals are going to
have to make the same sort of decision that led them to split with the
Communists in the 1940s. Liberalism and prohibitionism are utterly
incompatible.

Someday, the media may even start reporting the truth about marijuana
prohibition, but if they don’t, we have the Internet and the
people, most of whom are neither in nor of the anti-prohibitionist
movement will start their own media. Actually, we already have. That
is why I am doing this. Today only a few hundred people will read
this. But if each of you takes a little bit of the fire of truth away
and spreads the light, it does not matter how small the spark.

In the rest of the world, in Canada, Europe, an Australia, the bonds
of lies are slipping and people are breaking free. During most of my
life, most of humankind lived under tyrannies that seemed far more
invulnerable than any the prohibitionists could ever dream of. Much of
the infighting in the anti-prohibitionist movement is born of despair.
That is wrong. We are winning. Prohibitionism, the last great
authoritarian movement of this century, is crumbling. This is
happening, not just because of what we are doing, but because tyranny
is a failure. Freedom works!

In the meantime, this does not mean that we can stop resisting. We
would have to resist, even if defeat, rather than victory was
inevitable. Because that is the right thing to do. But never despair;
never take the short view. Most of all, never, never give up.

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

Drug-Dog Plan Under Fire ('San Jose Mercury News' Says,
While Milpitas Unified School District Has One Of Lowest
Drug-Related Incident Rates In California, Administrators
Are Considering A Plan To Turn Drug-Sniffing Dogs Loose
In Classrooms, Hallways, Parking Lots - Irate Students, Parents
Vow To Fight It)

Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 18:23:26 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US CA: Drug-Dog Plan Under Fire
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 1998
Author: Bryan Monroe - Mercury News Staff Writer

DRUG-DOG PLAN UNDER FIRE

Milpitas administrators want to nip problem in schools before it grows

The Milpitas Unified School District is considering a plan to turn
drug-sniffing dogs loose in classrooms, hallways and parking lots, and
irate students and parents are vowing to fight it.

``This won't make it more safe. It will just make students more
frightened,'' said Adam Weinstein, 17, senior class treasurer at Milpitas
High School. ``It makes it look as if we are heading more towards a prison
than a school.''

While the district concedes it has some of the lowest drug-related incident
rates in the state, the proposal has the support of most of the board and
could be adopted as early as Feb. 24.

Students' backpacks, lockers and vehicles would be subject to random,
unannounced searches by specially trained dogs sensitive to the smell of
drugs, alcohol or gunpowder. The students themselves would not be searched.

The plan is virtually identical to a Sacramento-area school district policy
challenged in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union and
eventually overturned after a Galt High School student refused to be
searched.

Milpitas district officials say there has not been a single drug- or
alcohol-related expulsion in the past year, and the district has the lowest
number among county schools for drug-related incidents. But administrators
-- who have promised that all district schools would be free of drugs,
alcohol and violence by 2002 -- are pushing the idea as a preventive
measure.

``Yes, we're at the low end of what happens at schools regarding the issue
of drug use,'' said Charles Gary, principal at Milpitas High. ``But why
wait until there is a real problem? We have to be proactive.'' Gary said
some students have come to him complaining of drugs on campus, and students
have dubbed a park across the street from the school ``Stoner Park.''

If approved, the first dogs could be in Milpitas high schools and middle
schools as early as April. That's when the district wants to begin
demonstrating the dogs at work during school assemblies, to put students on
notice of the policy. Full-scale searches would begin on campuses in the
fall. Elementary schools would probably not be searched.

The dogs cost $300 per visit. The district wants up to six visits this
spring and as many as 20 random searches next school year.

In a demonstration at a school board meeting last week, a handler from
Interquest Detection Canines -- a private Houston-based company that
conducts dog searches in 80 school districts around California -- showed
off Bandit, a playful 18-month-old golden retriever. The dog successfully
found a small bottle of vodka hidden in a planter in the room, pawing on
the container until it was rewarded with a treat.

Christine Moore, a senior handler with Interquest, said her dogs are
trained to seek out the smell of alcohol, illegal and over-the-counter
drugs, and gunpowder. She says a dog's sense of smell is 1,000 times more
sensitive than a human's.

``They think, in their mind, they are looking for their toy,'' she said as
Bandit actively sniffed the room. ``He just thinks we are playing
hide-and-go-seek.''

The practice of using drug-sniffing dogs in schools came under fire
recently when the Galt Unified School district, near Sacramento, contracted
with Interquest to do random searches of its classrooms and property. Dogs
would search rows of students' lockers or groups of vehicles parked in
student parking lots.

Classroom searches

The dogs and a handler would also enter a classroom, unannounced, and ask
students to step out, leaving their backpacks, jackets and other belongings
behind. The dogs would then sniff the room and ``hit'' on any contraband.

One student, Jacob Reed, refused to leave behind his belongings when the
dogs entered his senior criminal-studies class last February. He was taken
to the office and threatened with suspension. He then allowed the search,
and nothing was found. The next day, Reed and his teacher contacted the
ACLU, which filed suit in federal court alleging the district violated the
student's rights against unreasonable search and seizure. A month later,
the district terminated its policy, canceled its contract with Interquest,
and settled with the ACLU, agreeing to pay $35,000 in legal fees.

``The fact that I refused a search doesn't mean I should be searched, ''
said Reed, who now has a Web site at http://www.softcom.net/users/kareed/
and is leading a nationwide campaign against drug-sniffing dogs at school.
``I didn't see the logic in it.''

Los Gatos limits dog use

The dogs have also been used at Los Gatos High School for the past year but
are limited to locker and parking-lot searches. Los Gatos High does not do
the unannounced classroom searches, according to Craig Heimbichner,
assistant principal.

``You need some individualized suspicion before you can subject a student
to that kind of search,'' said John Heller, an ACLU cooperating attorney
who represented Reed in the Galt case. ``Students don't give up all their
rights when they pass through the schoolroom doors.''

But Milpitas' Principal Gary disagrees: ``Students have no rights of
privacy here at school, especially when it comes in conflict with the
rights of the whole.''

The ACLU says it can't get involved in the Milpitas issue until the policy
is approved and a student, teacher or parent files a complaint.

Other area schools using the dogs include Monte Vista Christian School in
Watsonville and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

State and federal courts are unclear about drug-sniffing dogs in schools.
But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that students are subject to a
lesser standard for searches at school -- ``reasonable suspicion, '' rather
than the legally stronger ``probable cause'' standard.

Wrong message sent

But, either way, some parents and students think the dogs send the wrong
message.

``This seems to me to be a knee-jerk reaction,'' said Mike Mendizabal, a
parent and a member of the Community Board Advisory Council. ``I don't see
the situation as being that bad in this district.''

Members of the Milpitas High School Student Congress, who voted against the
idea 46-8, agree.

``It's like, when you drive down a really nice neighborhood, and see one
house with bars on the windows,'' said Eleanor Mangusing, senior class
president. ``It makes you think there's a crime problem in the
neighborhood, even if there isn't. People will now look at the school and
say, `Wow, they have a drug problem there.' ''

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

Psychiatric Drug Prescriptions Soar ('Associated Press' Reports New Study
In Wednesday's 'Journal Of The American Medical Association'
About Doctors Prescribing Antidepressants And Stimulants At Soaring Rates
In 10 Years Ending In 1994 - Among Psychiatric Drugs,
Prescriptions For Antidepressants Increased From 30.4 Percent To 45.2 Percent
While Tranquilizer Prescribing Fell From 51.7 Percent To 33 Percent Of Psychotropic Drugs)

Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 19:02:45 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US: WIRE: Psychiatric Drug Prescriptions Soar
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: GDaurer@aol.com
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 1998
Author: Brenda C. Coleman

PSYCHIATRIC DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS SOAR

CHICAGO (AP) - Doctors prescribed antidepressants at soaring rates in the
10 years ending in 1994, spurred by the new generation of drugs like
Prozac, researchers say.

And stimulant prescriptions took a big jump, with the dramatically
increased rate of diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in
children and adolescents, researchers reported.

``There has been an enormous increase in research on mental disorders that
has elaborated a much better understanding of how they come about and how
to treat them more effectively,'' said Dr. Harold A. Pincus, lead author of
a new study in Wednesday's issue of The Journal of the American Medical
Association.

``Partly as a byproduct, there's been a large increase in the number of new
medications available,'' he said by telephone Tuesday from Washington,
where he is deputy medical director of the American Psychiatric
Association.

Also, he said, the stigma of having a mental disorder has waned and people
are more willing to seek treatment.

The number of doctor visits in which patients received prescriptions for
mental problems rose from 32.7 million to 45.6 million over the decade, the
researchers said. That amounted to a 20 percent increase in the share of
total doctor visits resulting in prescription of such drugs, called
psychotropic drugs, they said.

Visits in which depression was diagnosed almost doubled over the 10 years,
from about 11 million to more than 20.4 million, the researchers said.

More growth occurred in the prescribing of antidepressants than in any
other category, from 30.4 percent to 45.2 percent of all psychotropic
drugs, the researchers said. At the same time, tranquilizer prescribing
fell from 51.7 percent to 33 percent of psychotropic drugs.

Undoubtedly, doctors have switched many patients from tranquilizers, such
as Valium, to new antidepressants such as Prozac because the new drugs work
better and more selectively without being habit-forming or causing
unpleasant side effects, Pincus said.

While stimulants account for only a small proportion of psychotropic drugs,
the rate at which they were prescribed more than tripled in the study, from
1.5 percent to 5.1 percent of all psychotropic drugs given during doctor
visits.

``That is almost exclusively aimed toward treatment of children and
adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,'' Pincus said.

The study did not explore whether drugs were given appropriately, and
Pincus declined to speculate. In recent years, health officials have
encouraged more recognition and drug treatment of depression, and campaigns
have been waged to increase public and physician awareness of its
prevalence.

Dr. Patrick B. Harr, board chairman of the American Academy of Family
Physicians, said Prozac was plagued by safety questions - which were
debunked by the Food and Drug Administration - in the early 1990s and many
patients refused to take it.

Harr, who did not participate in this study, said an examination conducted
today would show an even greater number of antidepressant prescriptions.

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

FBI Joins Crack Probe - Head Of City Fraternal Order Of Police Tells Officers
Not To Submit To Lie-Detector Tests (Colorado 'Post-Gazette' Article
About Crack Cocaine Missing From Pittsburgh Police Evidence Bin)

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 23:33:03 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar 
Subject: MN: US PA: FBI Joins Crack Probe
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Anti-Prohibition Lg 
Source: Gazette, The (CO)
Author: Michael A. Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Contact: gtop@gazette.com
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 1998
FBI joins crack probe

Head of city FOP tells officers not to submit to lie-detector tests

By Michael A. Fuoco
Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The FBI has launched an investigation into the apparent theft last week of
15 large pieces of suspected crack cocaine from a locked safe in the East
Liberty police station.

Pittsburgh police Chief Robert W. McNeilly Jr. said he asked the FBI to
begin an independent investigation so there would be no questions about the
thoroughness of the Police Bureau's internal probe.

"We want to be able to show that we're doing a very thorough investigation
. . and they can verify that," McNeilly said.

Yesterday, McNeilly said the internal investigation had been somewhat
stymied because officers who had agreed to take lie detector tests have now
refused to do so under the advice of the Fraternal Order of Police.

The suspected crack cocaine was seized during a Jan. 31 traffic stop in
Bloomfield, and charges against the man in that case were dropped this week.

Should it be determined that a crime was committed, and a suspect
identified, the FBI would file any applicable federal charges, such as
those regarding police corruption.

City detectives are trying to determine whether anyone committed the state
crimes of theft and tampering with evidence by taking the suspected drugs
from the safe during a three-hour period on the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift
Feb. 1.

On an administrative level, Pittsburgh police investigators are also trying
to determine how many officers failed to follow bureau procedures once they
learned the evidence was missing.

Under current bureau procedures, which will soon be changed in the wake of
the incident, drug evidence seized when the Allegheny County Crime
Laboratory is kept in a locked safe or locker at the zone stations.

The evidence is assigned a number on a log, and each shift must check to
see that what is listed on the log is still in the safe until it is taken
to the lab.

Log records indicate the 15 pieces of suspected crack cocaine were seized
on a Saturday.

Because the lab was closed, the drugs were placed in a locker, and they
remained there through the daylight and afternoon shifts the next day.

They were discovered missing at the start of the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift.

At that time, an officer noted on the log that the drugs were missing;
however, supervisors weren't told the evidence was gone until three days
later -- Feb. 4.

McNeilly said disciplinary action would be taken against four police
officers who didn't follow notification procedures at the East Liberty
station.

The action involves placing written reprimands in the officers' files.

Marshall "Smokey" Hynes, the president of the Pittsburgh FOP, said
yesterday that the four officers were not expected to appeal the discipline.
"They can see where they may have made a mistake," Hynes said.

As for the lie detector tests, Hynes said yesterday that the union had
advised its members not to take the tests because they were unreliable.

"They're not usable in court. They rely too much on the interpretation of
the operator," Hynes said.

McNeilly, however, said the polygraph and voice stress analyzer tests were
used only as investigative tools for either eliminating or including
someone as a suspect.

"I thought it was interesting that Smokey said it could affect their
careers or possibly bring criminal charges because it would only do (that)
if there was evidence to prove it," McNeilly said.

Hynes conceded that before retiring as a homicide detective, he had used
polygraph tests in his investigations, but added, "People had the option of
taking it or not taking it.

"I have 12 or 15 people being interviewed out there," he continued. "I have
to protect the rights of all of them. I'm not impeding the investigation.
My obligation is to protect the rights of police officers.

"We're not here to coddle criminals. If, in fact, this evidence was stolen
rather than lost, there are a lot of innocent officers out there whose
rights I have to protect.

"There's an old adage in the law that it's better for 100 guilty people to
go free than for one innocent man to be convicted."

Hynes said he was troubled over the missing drugs and, like McNeilly, he
said officers routinely handled thousands of pieces of drugs and other
evidence each year without a problem.

"It's going to be a black eye (for the bureau) if it's found that the
evidence was taken by a police officer, and if it's never solved, it's
still going to be a black eye," Hynes said.

"I can't undo that. I have to live with that. I would have preferred the
evidence never came up missing."

McNeilly had the same thoughts.

"Of course, we are concerned with our image. One police officer can cast a
shadow over the entire department," he said. "We have 1,100 officers and
the vast majority are honest, hard-working, dedicated and professional.

"Now, all people are hearing about and seeing is that one officer did
something wrong."

McNeilly said it was too early to tell whether the investigations would
result in criminal charges.

"It's hard to tell right now. We're hoping to be able to develop enough
information to solve exactly who took it. At least so far we've been able
to show that several officers did not follow procedures. We'll have to take
action to ensure this doesn't happen again."

At a meeting Wednesday, the chief and his commanders developed a
three-pronged approach to deal with evidence at stations, McNeilly said.

First, commanders will reinforce in discussions with their lieutenants and
sergeants that they will be accountable for evidence stored on their shifts.

The bureau also plans to install two color-coded mailboxes, one to hold
confiscated drugs, the other jewelry and cash.

There will be only two keys for each mailbox -- one for the commander and
one for whoever is designated to be responsible for removing the drugs for
transport to the crime lab and the other evidence to the property room at
the North Side station.

Confiscated weapons would still be stored in locked safes or evidence lockers.

Eventually, the Police Bureau hopes to have a centralized location for
dropping off evidence.

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

Medical Marijuana Clubs Set Up Kitchener, Guelph Branches
('Kitchener-Waterloo Record' Says Medical Marijuana Clubs Of Ontario
Wants To Establish Branches Across Ontario That Would Use Civil Disobedience
To Help People Who Use Pot For Medical Reasons - Police Vow Arrests)

Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 01:10:39 -0800
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
From: Chris Clay 
Subject: ONTARIO: Medical Marijuana Clubs set up Kitchener, Guelph
branches
Cc: editor@mapinc.org
SOURCE: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
DATE: February 17, 1998
AUTHOR: By Philip Jalsevac, Record staff
CONTACT: recordletters@southam.ca
WEBSITE: http://www.southam.com/kitchenerwaterloorecord/

MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLUBS SET UP KITCHENER, GUELPH BRANCHES

Kitchener and Guelph will soon have clubs that plan to break the
law by supplying marijuana to people for medical use. And
Waterloo regional police warned Monday they will enforce the
law and charge anyone selling or distributing pot.

The Medical Marijuana Clubs of Ontario wants to establish
branches across Ontario that would use civil disobedience to help
people who use pot for medical reasons.

Many people in the community with various ailments could benefit
from using marijuana, says Jeannette Tossounian, founder of a
local chapter.

``I do know a lot of people who suffer, and they usually don't
when they're smoking,'' said Tossounian, 22, of Kitchener.

She hopes to have her group operating by late March or early
April, providing pot for people with such diseases as cancer,
AIDS/HIV, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma, epilepsy and
intractable pain including arthritis.

``I have talked with many people, mostly in the AIDS community,
and some epileptics, and there is an interest there,'' she said.

Medical Marijuana Clubs plan to lobby the government to
decriminalize the possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Last week, Justice Minister Anne McLellan said the federal
government is ``willing to look at the question of
decriminalization.''

But Tossounian is skeptical. ``With most politics, they just talk
about it for a while and then let it go.''

Tossounian operates a company that uses hemp to produce
clothing. She became involved in Medical Marijuana Clubs
because ``I'm just the kind of person who likes helping people.''

She said marijuana can alleviate nausea in patients undergoing
chemotherapy and induce a healthy appetite among AIDS
sufferers. Tossounian uses it to help cope with insomnia.

Marijuana should be decriminalized altogether, she said. While it
can be abused, ``people can abuse anything.''

In Guelph, Derek Wildfong plans to establish a Medical Marijuana
Clubs chapter by May.

Wildfong operates the Hemp Asylum, which sells products made
of hemp like cloth, clothing, briefcases, food and health and beauty
products.

Like Tossounian, he hopes to find sympathetic marijuana growers
to help his group sell therapeutic marijuana at a reduced price,
likely by delivering it to people's homes.

Wildfong said marijuana is ``really an inexpensive product to
make'' at about $30 a pound. However, sold illegally, the price
skyrockets to as much as $3,000 a pound, he said.

Wildfong said he's only an occasional, recreational user himself.
But he's involved in the decriminalization campaign because he has
``seen enough people sick and dying who could have benefited
from this.''

Staff Sgt. Kevin Chalk of Waterloo regional police said police
would have to charge anybody selling marijuana, even if for
medical purposes.

``We would be doing our duty and enforcing the law,'' he said

As for the marijuana clubs, Chalk said: ``Their argument is with the
legislators.''

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

Canadian Hemp To Be Planted This Year ('Ottawa Citizen' Notes Changes
In Federal Regulations Expected Next Month Will Mean Companies Like Hempola,
Of Port Severn, Ontario, Will Be More Widely Distributing
Nutritious Hempseed Oil Later This Year)

Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 10:49:55 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: Canada: Canadian Hemp To Be Planted This Year
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Chris Clay 
Source: Ottawa Citizen
Contact: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca
Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 1998
Author: Derek Puddicombe

CANADIAN HEMP TO BE PLANTED THIS YEAR

Hempseed oil will be sold at supermarkets, advocates say

Canadian-produced hempseed oil may soon be found in stores across the country.

Changes in federal legislation to permit the commercial cultivation of
industrial hemp will mean companies like Hempola, of Port Severn, Ont.,
will be more widely distributing hempseed oil later this year.

Hempseed oil is not illegal in Canada, but growing hemp for the seed is. As
a result, hempseed for oil is imported, mostly from China. And the oil is
viewed as a fringeproduct, available in health food stores rather than
mainstream outlets.

Hemp advocates expect that once the law on cultivation is loosened -
perhaps as early as next month - the stigma surrounding hempseed oil will
fall away and the product will be more widely available both as a food and
as an ingredient in cosmetics.

Hempola co-owners Greg Herriott and Kelly Smith say the new legislation
will allow them to acquire 100 per cent Canadian-grown hempseed that they
can turn into oil and market.

Mr. Herriott says a cultivated-in-Canada hempseed would mean a higher
quality product for consumers.

"It would mean we would have control over it," said Mr. Herriott. "Right
now, we don't."

The federal government is expected to give its stamp of approval to
cultivation in Canada next month.

"In terms of timing, it's expected the commercial cultivation of industrial
hemp will become (legal) in early- to mid-March, in place for the 1998
growing season," said Derek Kent, spokesman for federal Health Minister
Allan Rock.

The idea for the project came largely from rural members of the federal
Liberal caucus, said Mr. Kent. Legalization of hemp is being sought by
farmers in southwestern Ontario as an alternative crop to tobacco.

Susan Whelan, Liberal MP for Essex, said she has quite a few tobacco
farmers in her riding who are interested in growing and processing hemp.
Hemp and marijuana are varieties of the same cannabis sativa plant. The
main difference between the two is that most hemp contains only minute
amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance that gets people high.
Derivatives of cannabis, like hempseed oil, are therefore controlled under
the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Until a new law is passed, the commercial cultivation of hemp remains
illegal. Currently, some cultivation is permitted for scientific purposes,
under licences issued by Health Canada.

Once the new law comes into effect, there will be strict controls on who
gets a licence to cultivate hemp in an effort to prevent people from
growing cannabis to supply the illegal drug market. Last fall, more than
ioo hectares of hemp were being cultivat- ed, mostly in Ontario.

There's a strict manufacturing practice for hempseed, said Mr. Herriott, so
that by the time the hempseed oil is bottled, there are almost no traces
THC left in it.

The days of hemp derivatives being classified as illegal are now numbered
because the government is moving quickly on the new law that will put
Canada several years ahead of the Americans in establishing a hemp in
dustry, said Ms. Smith.

"It will create jobs and has lots of export potential," said Ms. Smith. The
new regulations should also go a long way in educating people about the
health benefits.

"This is the perfect oil," said Ms. Smith "The oil contains two essential
fatty oils which can help prevent blood clotting, cholesterol, and (it) has
anti-inflammatory properties for people who suffer from arthritis."

As a culinary product, there's nothing like adding a little hempseed oil to
a slice of pizza, said Mr. Herriott. Pouring the oil over pasta or steamed
vegetables or using it as a dip for bread is another way to enjoy the oil.
"There is a nutty flavour to it, similar to walnut or sunflower seed oil."

The oil is not to be used for frying food: "What happens when you fry the
oil is that the oil loses its natural elements and actually creates a bad
fat," Ms. Smith said.

Massage oils, soaps and lip balm are also sold at Hempola. When the new
regulations are in place, Mr. Herriott expects his company to bring in $1
million in sales for 1999, and $2 million for

Hempseed oil and the new surge in its popularity are not news to the owners
of the Arbour Environmental Shop in the Glebe, which has been carrying a
variety of hemp oil and hemp fashions, including jeans, socks, shirts and
knapsacks, for three years.

"It may take time to become suited to our climate and soil, but I can see
it at local supermarkets. I'm not sure when, but it will be there," said
co-owner Sean Twomey.

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

International Olympic Committee Medical Chief Wants To Get Tough On Marijuana
('Reuters' Says International Doping Chief Prince Alexandre de Merode
Will Urge Olympic Leaders On Wednesday To Introduce Rules To Punish Athletes
Who Take Social Drugs Such As Cannabis,
Though They Are Not Believed To Be Performance-Enhancing)

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 18:46:16 -0500
From: Cheryl Dykstra & Scott Dykstra 
Organization: Dykstra Computer Repair Service
To: cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com
Subject: CanPat> More olympic world hysteria on maryjane.....
Sender: owner-cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com

04:27 AM ET 02/17/98

Olympics-IOC medical chief wants to get tough on marijuana

By Adrian Warner

NAGANO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - International doping chief Prince
Alexandre de Merode will urge Olympic leaders on Wednesday to
introduce rules to punish athletes who take ``social'' drugs
like marijuana even though they are not believed to be
performance-enhancing.

De Merode said on Tuesday he would propose that social drugs
be put on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned
substances following the confused Ross Rebagliati scandal
involving the drug at the Nagano Olympics.

``I will be putting this proposal forward regarding social
drugs to a meeting tomorrow and we will see,'' the IOC medical
commission chief told Reuters. ``The situation has to be black
or white. These drugs can be dangerous to the health of
athletes.''

The International Olympic Committee now tests for substances
like marijuana only if a sport's world governing body demands
it. It is widely believed marijuana is not performance-enhancing
and many sports federations are against putting it in the IOC's
medical code.

The case of Canadian snowboarder Rebagliati in Nagano showed
there is certainly confusion about marijuana 's status.

The IOC originally stripped the Canadian of his Olympic gold
medal in Nagano after he tested positive for the substance
because officials believed the International Ski Federation
(FIS) had an agreement with the IOC to test for the drug.

But Rebagliati was cleared of any offence and allowed to
keep his medal after a leading FIS official told a hearing of
the IOC's Court of Arbitration for Sport that no such agreement
existed.

Many winter sports in Nagano such as biathlon and luge do
not demand testing for the drug.

``I don't think we will be having any more positive tests
for marijuana here,'' said de Merode who also confirmed he had
no news of any more positive tests at the Games for any drugs so
far.

De Merode said the IOC had introduced the previous rule
involving the agreements with federations to make the system
more flexible. But he said the situation now had to be
clear-cut.

The IOC is trying to hammer out a new medical code with all
summer and winter sports federations and hopes to reach an
agreement later this year which would ensure that all drug
offenders are treated in the same way regardless of their sport.

The marijuana issue, however, could cause a great deal of
controversy and upset the negotiations with the federations.
Many federations are said to be against punishing athletes for
using the drug because it does not help their performance.

Some senior IOC officials also believe that the new medical
code should concentrate largely on serious performance-enhancing
drugs like steroids and human growth hormones where most leading
sports are agreed that common tough action is needed.