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Doctors Neutral On Medical Marijuana, Oppose Abortion Measure
('Associated Press' Account In Eugene, Oregon, 'Register-Guard'
Says Oregon Medical Association Vote May Help State Voter Initiative)
Register-Guard
Eugene, Oregon
http://www.registerguard.com/
letters to editor:
http://www.registerguard.com/standingdocs/feedback.html
April 27, 1998
Doctors neutral on medical marijuana, oppose abortion measure
GLENEDEN BEACH, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Medical Association, the state's
largest doctors' group, has decided not to take a stand on a ballot measure
that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But the doctors, voting Sunday at a convention at Salishan Lodge, were
nearly unanimous in their opposition to a measure that would ban abortions
after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
OMA members also voted to expand efforts to report men in their 20s who
impregnate young teen-age girls, and to fight any requirement that assisted
suicide be listed on prescription forms for terminally ill patients
requesting a lethal dosage.
The OMA's house of delegates, its governing body, took the vote after
debating the issues at their annual meeting over the weekend. The
association represents 5,800 of the state's 8,300 physicians.
The association had considered a resolution opposing ``any measure that
would decriminalize marijuana, including the initiative petition currently
being advanced for the medical use of this substance.''
But they voted Sunday to change the resolution wording to say the
association will ``not support'' the measure.
Dr. Richard Bayer, a Portland internist and a chief petitioner for the
marijuana initiative, said the association's action was a ``win for the
citizens of Oregon ... and for the OMA, because the OMA made a wise and
compassionate decision.''
Bayer said he has seen plenty of evidence that smoking marijuana relieves
nausea caused by chemotherapy and some symptoms of pain, and it is effective
in fighting weight loss in AIDS patients. Although a prescription drug
containing an active ingredient of marijuana is available, Bayer said it
sometimes isn't as effective as smoked marijuana.
Dr. Charles E. Hofmann of Baker, past president of the OMA, had urged the
group to adopt an American Medical Association report recommending a ban on
medical use of marijuana until experiments have proven its usefulness.
James Kronenberg, associate executive director of the state association,
said the OMA's neutrality could affect the outcome of the election.
Kronenberg said the vote of neutrality is reminiscent of the neutral stand
taken by the doctors' group about the physician-assisted suicide measure in
1994.
``Both proponents and opponents say the OMA's neutrality was a large part of
the measure's passage,'' he said.
Some physicians oppose legalization of medical marijuana because they say it
could open the door to unscientific medical practices.
``If demand dictates what we use, it will expand into other areas, including
alternative medicines,'' said Dr. Kathleen Weaver, medical director for the
Oregon Health Plan.
She urged OMA members to wait until studies prove that marijuana is safe and
effective.
The American Medical Association, of which the state association is an
affiliate, opposed both physician-assisted suicide and the legalization of
medical marijuana.
Dr. Zena I.P. Monji, a Eugene obstetrician-gynecologist, testified on
Saturday that the proposed abortion ban would make it virtually impossible
to terminate pregnancies in cases where tests indicated birth defects such
as Down syndrome. Such tests cannot be performed until after 12 weeks of
pregnancy, she said.
The resolution is in keeping with the association's established policy to
protect access to abortion.
Copyright (c) 1998 The Register-Guard
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Doctors Keep Mum On Marijuana ('Oregonian' Version)
The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/
April 27, 1998
Doctors keep mum on marijuana
* The OMA hands pot initiative backers a victory by staying neutral but
opposes a measure that bans abortions after the 12th week
By Patrick O'Neill
of The Oregonian staff
GLENEDEN BEACH -- Oregon's largest organization of physicians handed
proponents of medical marijuana a victory on Sunday, voting to remain
neutral in an impending ballot measure campaign to legalize marijuana for
therapeutic purposes.
The group also decided to oppose a proposed ballot measure that would ban
abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The governing body of the Oregon Medical Association, which represents 5,800
of the state's 8,300 physicians, changed crucial wording in a proposed
resolution under which the association would have opposed legalizing smoked,
medical marijuana.
Under the original resolution, the association would "oppose any measure
that would decriminalize marijuana, including the initiative petition
currently being advanced for the medical use of this substance ... ." But
members voted to change the wording. Now, instead of opposing the medical
marijuana initiative, the association will "not support" the measure.
On Saturday, Dr. Charles E. Hofmann of Baker City, the state association's
past president, urged it to adopt an American Medical Association report
recommending a ban on medical use of smoked marijuana until experiments have
proven its usefulness. And on Sunday, Hofmann warned the group that the new
wording would substantially weaken the original intent of the resolution.
"When we're asked what the OMA's position is on medical marijuana, we'll
have to say we're neutral," he said. " 'Not support' means 'neutral.' Be
clear on that."
Dr. Richard Bayer, a Portland internist and a chief petitioner for the
marijuana initiative, said the association's action was a "win for the
citizens of Oregon ... and for the OMA, because the OMA made a wise and
compassionate decision."
Bayer said that members of the association's House of Delegates, its
governing body, "became educated on the specific issues (of medical
marijuana) and chose compassion."
"People realize that if they had a dying and suffering patient in the exam
room that that patient should not be subject to criminal sanctions for
trying to improve his life," he said.
Bayer said he has seen plenty of evidence that smoking marijuana relieves
nausea caused by chemotherapy and some symptoms of pain, and it is effective
in fighting weight loss in AIDS patients. Although a prescription drug
containing an active ingredient of marijuana is available, Bayer said it
sometimes isn't as effective as smoked marijuana.
The marijuana resolution also endorses recommendations in an American
Medical Association report on medical marijuana. That 29-page report largely
calls into question the medical value of smoked marijuana. It urges that the
National Institutes of Health sponsor clinical research into uses for the drug.
James Kronenberg, associate executive director of the state association,
said after the vote that its neutrality could affect the outcome of the
election.
Kronenberg said the vote of neutrality is reminiscent of the ballot measure
campaign about physician-assisted suicide in 1994. The association had taken
a similarly neutral stance on that issue.
"Both proponents and opponents say the OMA's neutrality was a large part of
the measure's passage," he said.
The American Medical Association, of which the state association is an
affiliate, opposed physician-assisted suicide and legalization of medical
marijuana.
The House of Delegates also approved a resolution opposing a proposed ballot
measure that would ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Physicians
regarded the measure as an intrusion into the relationship between them and
their patients. They also worried about sections of the proposed measure
that they think would make it possible for organizations and individuals to
sue doctors for performing abortions.
Dr. Zena I.P. Monji, a Eugene obstetrician-gynecologist, testified on
Saturday that the proposed abortion ban would make it virtually impossible
to terminate pregnancies in cases where tests indicated birth defects such
as Down syndrome. Such tests cannot be performed until after 12 weeks of
pregnancy, she said.
The resolution is in keeping with the association's established policy,
which is to protect access to abortion.
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Let Health Workers Distribute Pot (Op-Ed In 'San Francisco Chronicle'
By District Attorney Terence Hallinan Says That If California Attorney General
Dan Lungren And The Federal Government Successfully Shut Down Safe Access
To Medical Marijuana, Cities Must Seriously Look Into Developing
Distribution Plans That Will Implement The Will Of The Voters)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 00:15:24 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett
Subject: MN: US CA: OPED: Let Health Workers Distribute Pot
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: tjeffoc@sirius.com (Tom O'Connell)
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Terence Hallinan
Note: Terence Hollinan is the district attorney of San Francisco.
LET HEALTH WORKERS DISTRIBUTE POT
The recent shutdown of San Francisco's Cannabis Cultivators Club and its
reopening under new leadership closed a chapter in the continuing debate
over medical marijuana. Broader legal questions about the clubs remain.
State and federal efforts to close six medical marijuana cooperatives in
California have raised the thorny question of who should be responsible for
distributing medical marijuana to sick patients if the clubs are permanently
shut down. Recently, when 1 suggested city health workers may be called on
to do the job in San Francisco, I did not make the statement lightly.
Such a plan already has the support of the city Health Commission and many
of our elected officials.
We stand behind the will of California voters, who, in 1996, approved the
medicinal use of marijuana. To make that right effective, patients must have
safe access, not criminal access to marijuana. As the top law enforcement
officer for San Francisco, it is my job to ensure that law is upheld.
I know from my years on the city Board of Supervisors that marijuana
provides relief to many seriously ill people. Unfortunately, the ballot
language of Proposition 215 left vague how local communities should make
marijuana accessible for those who need it. So far, in San Francisco,
cannabis cooperatives have been the most viable and safest distribution
system available. These clubs screen applicants to ensure that they are
genuine patients in medical need and work closely with local health and
police departments to guard against abuse.
My office has inspected community based distribution centers in our county
and found them to be in compliance with protocol adopted by the city Health
Commission.
The federal government, however, is set on shutting down the San Francisco
centers along with cannabis clubs in Oakland, Ukiah, Santa Cruz and Marin
County. The government says the supremacy of federal law is more important
than the suffering of dying patients - and they have a strong ally in state
attorney general Dan Lungren. Lungren, with his eye set on the governor's
seat, has been a staunch opponent of medical marijuana long before
Proposition 215 even came to a vote. Now he is warning that there will be
reprisals against city officials if the city assumes responsibility for
distributing medical marijuana.
The threats are completely misplaced. Community-based patient cooperatives
are a valuable public health service, distributing marijuana to about 11,000
San Franciscans who suffer from cancer, AIDS and other life-threatening and
debilitating illnesses. If the clubs are shut down - and if cities do not
offer an alternative - we risk an outbreak of unregulated and unregulatable
criminal activity by patients, many of whom will be forced to hit the
streets for marijuana. Our parks and neighborhoods will be blighted, our
courts will be needlessly tied up and local law enforcement agencies will be
overburdened.
If it were up to me, community-based cooperatives working with local
officials and supervised by the local health department would continue to
act as medical marijuana distribution centers. But if Lungren and the
federal government successfully shut them down, cities must seriously look
into developing distribution plans that will implement the will of the
voters. The other alternative flies in the face of human compassion and good
sense.
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McCormick OK'd For Provisional Pot Use (KNBC In Los Angeles
Says A Federal Judge Pledged Monday He Would Allow Cancer Patient
And Medical Marijuana Defendant Todd McCormick To Use Marinol,
Pending His Trial On Cultivation Charges, If Federal Prosecutors Cannot Prove
He Is Using The Legal Prescription To Mask Marijuana Use)
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 19:32:19 -0700
From: Todd McCormick (todd@a-vision.com)
Subject: Fwd: Todd McCormick may be allowed to use Marinol (4/27/98)
McCormick OK'd for provisional pot use
From KNBC - Los Angeles
Check out the KNBC - Los Angeles Web Page for a survey and pictures of
Todd, his alleged plants, and his supporters.
http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/62444.asp
LOS ANGELES, April 27 - A federal judge said Monday he will allow a
medical marijuana advocate to use synthetic pot if prosecutors cannot
prove he is using the legal prescription to mask marijuana use.
Todd McCormick, 27, was ordered to stop using pot-based medicines in
March.
"I am not a doctor and I do not intend to second-guess the actions of
a licensed physician," U.S. District Judge George H. King said at the
hearing for 27-year-old Todd McCormick.
"But if the facts show that the defendant was using this prescription
to cover up his illegal activity, then I must tell you I don't see where
there is a constitutional right to a particular type of medication," he
told McCormick's lawyer, David Michael.
On other requests McCormick had Monday, the judge was less equivocal.
Michael had asked King to reconsider a ruling by a magistrate, denying
a request to stop testing McCormick for drugs while he awaits trial. That
effectively would have allowed the defendant to smoke pot while on bail.
"To the extent that you are asking the court to sanction his use of
marijuana, that request is unequivocally denied," King told Michael.
Without giving the reasons for his decision, the judge also refused to
reduce the $500,000 bail that actor and hemp activist Woody Harrelson
posted for McCormick.
The defendant is awaiting trial on one count of 'manufacturing'
marijuana for growing 4,116 marijuana plants at his rented Bel-Air
mansion. King said Monday the trial probably will be sometime this fall.
McCormick claims he has the right to grow pot under Proposition 215,
the medical marijuana initiative California voters approved in 1996. If
convicted, he faces a minimum 10-year sentence.
A provision of his bail is that McCormick refrain from marijuana use,
which he says he has smoked since childhood to treat the pain brought on by
10 bouts of histiocytosis-X, a rare form of cancer.
On March 17, U.S. Magistrate Judge James McMahon ordered McCormick to
stop using Marinol, which was prescribed by his doctor, and hemp seed oil.
He accused the defendant of taking those substances to mask marijuana use.
On April 3, the magistrate ordered McCormick locked up for testing
positive for marijuana seven times between March 7 and 18. Twelve days
later, King overruled McMahon and freed McCormick pending a May 6 hearing.
King told the lawyers today that he wants "a full record of the facts"
about whether McCormick used the legal substances to mask pot smoking, and
added "there is some evidence that he has."
The judge may have given a big hint Monday about whether he will allow
McCormick's lawyers to use Proposition 215 as a defense at trial.
Told that lawyers for both sides expect the trial to go about two to
three weeks, King replied: "Why would it possibly take two to three weeks
to try this case?"
King said he would hold a hearing later in the year to talk about the
issues to be presented at trial.
Under federal law, marijuana is illegal, even for medical use.
McCormick's lawyers claim he is being tried in federal court to skirt the
state ballot initiative.
***
DONATE TO TODD'S LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
Todd McCormick Defense Fund
c/o David M. Michael Client Trust Account,
Bank of America # 16644 11541, Pier 5
North The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111,
415-986-5591
This is an important case, and it is essential for Todd to have the
resources to fight it well.
***
For more background information, updates, and other action alerts:
http://www.marijuanamagazine.com/
http://www.levellers.org/cannabis.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Marijuana Maneuverings (Staff Editorial In 'Orange County Register'
Suggests California Communities Who Haven't Yet Fulfilled
Proposition 215's Mandate To Provide Medical Cannabis To Patients
Whose Physicians Recommend It Should Follow The Model
Being Established In Arcata, California)
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:02:09 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett
Subject: MN: US CA: Editorial: Marijuana Maneuverings
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John W.Black
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ 4-27-98
MARIJUANA MANEUVERINGS
When they passed Prop. 215 in 1996, California voters in effect told the
government to create conditions in which a small "white" or legal market for
patients whose doctors recommended that they use marijuana for medical
reasons could emerge. Although a few localities have come close to
accomplishing this, for the most part governments in California have flunked
the test of implementation.
In San Francisco what used to be the Cannabis Buyers Club keeps getting shut
down at the behest of Attorney General Dan Lungren, then reopening under
different names and with slightly different policies. Dennis Peron, the
club's founder, who has stepped aside to concentrate on a quixotic quest for
the Republican gubernatorial nomination, told us Thursday that what is now
called the Cannabis Healing Center is open again, after being closed earlier
in the week. It is run by Hazel Rodgers, 79, who uses cannabis to relieve
her glaucoma.
In San Jose, a medical cannabis club that began in a spirit of cooperation
with city officials has undergone raids by the police amid allegations that
many of its "patients" do not have notes from doctors and the club is making
huge profits. In Orange County, Marvin Chavez, who has tried for more than a
year to establish a Cannabis Co-Op, was arrested April 10; new charges were
filed April 16 and he remains in jail with bail set at $100,000. Law
enforcement officials claim that while Prop. 215 allows patients to possess
and use marijuana, it is still illegal to sell or distribute it.
Court decisions on cannabis clubs, even those that have closed them
temporarily, have acknowledged their legitimacy and outlined methods of
operating within the law, inducing some changes. But some law enforcement
people seem determined to close clubs no matter how much they change. That
raises the question of whether they are enforcing the law as the people of
California have written it and raises a legitimate concern about whether
certain government officials, notably Attorney General and gubernatorial
hopeful Dan Lungren, simply don't want the medical marijuana initiative to work.
If so, that's a shame. Californians passed Prop. 215 by a 56-44 margin and
every poll on medical marijuana shows strong majorities still in favor of
making it available to people with a valid medical reason, in the opinion of
a licensed physician, for using it. But if a legal and above-board method of
making the drug available to patients is not worked out, the only way to get
it will be through the black market. Except in the few communities that have
developed an orderly method of certification and distribution, that's where
most patients are getting it now.
In the Northern California city of Arcata, patient advocates, instead of
seeking or inviting confrontation, went to the city council and the police
department and offered to cooperate in devising a safe, legal and affordable
method of making marijuana available to qualifying patients. The result was
a new city ordinance under which, among other things, the police chief hands
out cards to certified patients and the police and health officials
regularly inspect the growing and distribution facilities.
San Jose officials, having experienced an embarrassing failure in their
city, are beginning to look at the Arcata model. Officials in Orange County
and the rest of the state would do well to follow suit.
It isn't easy to implement a safe and affordable medical marijuana
distribution system but it can be done. What's needed on all sides - from
government officials and some of the more flamboyant cannabis advocates
alike - is a decision to put patients first rather than a political agenda
or the desire for publicity.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Violence Linked To Drug Policy ('Saint Paul Pioneer Press'
Quotes Some Officials In Minnesota's Twin Cities Area
Who Say America's War On Some Drug Users
Has Actually Caused An Increase In Crime)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 11:42:05 EDT
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: "MICHAEL C. CLARK"
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Violence linked to drug policy
Saint Paul Pioneer Press
April 27, 1998
Violence linked to drug policy
America's war on drugs has actually caused an
increase in crime, some officials say. Alternatives -
including legalization - are being considered.
by Charles Laszewski
Staff Writer
Lynn Mayo calls her neighborhood, Minneapolis' Phillips area "Baby
Beirut" because of the constant gunfire from drug dealers and the
gangs they spawn. She has watched houses and garages burn to
the ground, the target of arsonists. She has seen children younger
than 10 running the streets until midnight and spending the night
sleeping on porches.
That violence and the resulting spike in homicide rates in in Minneapolis
and St. Paul are the unintended consequences of a war on drugs that
has made drug dealing a lucrative business, police and elected officials
have noted.
While the official policy of the United States and the Clinton
administration
remains tough enforcement of the drug laws, some state and local
governments are experimenting with other tactics. Hennepin County
borrowed an idea, the drug court, from Miami. Arrested users are
forced into treatment under treat of jail time if they fail. The voters of
California and Arizona decided marijuana should be used as medical
treatment. Connecicut is looking a changing drug laws that some
politicians think may have done more harm than good. Discussion
of legalizing drugs, led by Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, former
Kansas City Police Chief Joseph McNamara and federal judge Robert
Sweet of New York City continues to pop up.
Law enforcement officials are resigned to the futility of breaking up the
drug trade and the gangs that engage in it, even as they diligently
crack down on dealers. When a half-dozen members of the Detroit
Boyz gang were arrested and charged in federal court two years ago,
U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug said the cocaine trade disruption was
temporary.
St Paul Police Chief William Finney, who has served on national
committees that stress tough law enforcement of drug laws,
acknowledged current efforts have limited effect.
"It doesn't correct it, it just keeps a lid on it," Finney said.
"We have to figure out a way to take the profit out of drugs," said
state Rep. Alice Hausman, a St. Paul DFLer. "Just look at the
common-sense perspective. If suddenly they couldn't make a lot of
money at it, would they be pushing drugs to your kids?"
Certainly, there are strong sentiments against weaking the legal
controls on marijuana, cocaine, heroin or the other illegal drugs.
"Legalization would increase drug use," said Jeanette McDougal,
co-chairwoman of Drugwatch Minnesota, which fights efforts to
weaken drug laws. "If they legalized it, can they guarantee things
would be better? I'm fascinated with the whole subject, but my
fascination is minor compared to my worry. The devastation is
so great."
Consequences
Tough drug laws and enforcement have not stopped the flow of
drugs in the Twin Cities. To the contrary, there is an underground
economy of wholesale and retail cocaine dealers who have made
whole neighborhoods nearly unlivable and caused dramatic
increases in homicides and shots fired.
Carol Foss can sit in her house near the 700 block of Charles
Avenue, in St. Paul's Frogtown, and point out one of eight men
she says controls the drug trade from University to Thomas
avenues. She can describe the drug transactions. She can tell
you about the gunshots she has heard and the rule of thumb in
her house: If you saw the gun being fired, call the police. If you
just heard it, don't call, because you will have no information to
give to the cops.
Across the river in Minneapolis, the Phillips neighborhood has
become notorious for brazen open air dealing, despite periodic
police crackdowns. On a rainy afternoon last September, a
strung-out crack dealer was working the corner at Franklin and
Park avenues, waiting for cars to pull to the curb so he could
lean in and make a sale. He was oblivious to the weather and
the young children walking home from school. He brushed off a
reporter and photographer who wanted to talk because it interfered
with business.
A half mile east, Lynn Mayo has watched apartments and homes
become crack houses, listened to the barrage of gunfire and seen
10 houses burn as the deterioration encouraged dealers and others
to torch garages and abandoned homes.
Through her efforts to organize strong block clubs and work with
landlords and police, the worst of the gunfire and crack houses
may have been curbed. Mayo said she questions the current U.S.
drug policy and is willing to consider a wide range of alternatives.
"I'm willing to look at legalizing crack, because it's an underground
economic system and it crops up when the regular system isn't
working for them," Mayo said, referring to people who feel shut out
of society.
When the Minneapolis hoicide rate reached a record 97 in 1995 and
a still-hefty 85 the next year, and St. Paul's rate shot up to a near-
record 29 in 1994 (from 22 the previous year), police officials pointed
to the same cause: illegal drugs and the gangs and other dealers
who were fighting each other for the lucrative market. Nationwide,
then surgeon general Dr. Joycelyn Elders characterized the high
murder rate, 50 percent of which was drug-related, as a public
health menace.
"As far as St. Paul, there has been, with the advent of drugs and the
drug culture, a greater acceptance of violence," Finney said.
McDougal, of Drugwatch Minnesota, dismissed the idea of abandoning
tough enforcement because of escalating violence. She called the
disintegration of neighborhoods like Phillips and Frogtown a local
problem. While she said she had no solutions, McDougal said there
had to be a way to help those neighborhoods without having to
"devastate a nation" by legalizing drugs.
She pointed out the U.S. homicide rate has been dropping since it
reached a near-record high in 1991 and said it correlates with tough
drug enforcement.
New solutions
A small but growing, movement among the middle class and opinion
leaders in Minnesota is urging a full debate of options to combat
narcotics.
Rep. Hausman; Dr. Mark Willenbring, an associate professor of
psychiatry at the University of Minnesota; and Billie Young, the
former owner of Old Mexico Shop in St. Paul are among those who
have concluded changes are due.
Hausman and Young think legalizing some drugs could be the
answer, while Willenbring looks to a middle ground where enforcement
is cut and treatment and drug courts are beefed up.
Young would like to see marijuana and cocaine sold legally from
licensed stores as liquor is, with strict laws on who could purchase
and where it could be consumed. The money saved on enforcement
then could be poured into education to reduce use, as has been done
with tobacco, Young said.
Young publishes a newsletter called "It's Time for Change!" in hopes
of spreading the message for her Drug Policy Reform Group.
Hausman has organized a related group called the Minnesota Drug
Policy Council. Last year, she pushed through a law allowing
pharmacists to sell needles without a prescription. It was an effort
to get clean needles into the hands of drug users to cut the spread
of HIV and other diseases, Hausman said.
She introduced a bill last year, and again this year, that would
establish a commission to study some of the state's drug policies
such as sentences for possession and determine whether they are
working or should be changed. It's patterned after a similar law in
Connecticut, but so far, Hausman said, she has been unable to
gain support for it.
In February, the Minnesota Drug Policy Council brought Jonathan
Caulkins, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University's
Heinz School of Public Policy. Caulkins discussed his studies at
the RAND Corp., which found that manditory minimum sentences
curbed the drug trade only slightly. The RAND studies also found
that treatment, even if the person later went back to using illegal
drugs, was more effective than money spent on law enforcement.
"In a nutshell, I'm in favor of reforming our drug policies," Caulkins
said. "But I think legalization is a terrible idea, with the possible
exception of marijuana."
Federal, state and local drug efforts cost about $40 billion a year,
and between 66 and 70 percent of that is for law enforcement, he
said. By cutting the law enforcement portion by 25 percent,
government could save close to $6 billion a year, which could go
to treatment. Law enforcement efforts still would be better
financed than in 1985, when drug enforcement budgets ballooned,
Caulkins said.
Willenbring, because of his work as an addiction psychiatrist at the
Veterans Administration Medical Center, said he would be willing
to decriminalize marijuana but not the more addicting cocaine, he
said.
Putting more money into drug treatment programs, getting rid of
manditory minimum sentences for drug crimes and adding drug
courts are some of the options, he said.
"If we do the no-brainer, it might shrink their market a lot,"
Willenbring said. "We won't know until we've tried."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
19-Year-Old Sentenced To Jail For Delivering Three Pounds Of Pot
('Milwaukee Journal Sentinel' Says The Young Man Was Sentenced
To 10 Months - Two Others Received Four Years And A Fourth Participant
Received Two Years)
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 23:33:11 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett
Subject: MN: US WI: 19-year-old Sentenced to Jail for Delivering 3 Pounds
of Pot
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Contact: jsedit@onwis.com
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Author: Amy Rabideau Silvers
19-YEAR-OLD SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR DELIVERING 3 POUNDS OF POT
West Bend -- At what the judge called the final hearing in a very sad
situation, a 19-year-old man was sentenced to 10 months in jail for
delivering marijuana.
Anthony P. Galindo, formerly of Chippewa Falls, appeared Friday before
Washington County Circuit Judge Richard Becker. Galindo had earlier pleaded
guilty to buying 3 pounds of marijuana for Roger W. Hubbard, the father of
his girlfriend.
Hubbard and his wife, Vicci A. Hubbard, both 39, were sentenced earlier, as
was their daughter, Jacqueline C. Hubbard.
"The quantity here is very, very large," said Todd Martens, assistant
district attorney. "Three pounds is a significant amount. Most cases in this
county are much, much smaller. And the only reason it was in Washington
County was the defendant. He brought it here."
The crime was all the more serious because Galindo was on probation when the
offense occurred. He also admitted making two 1-pound buys for Hubbard on
other occasions, Martens said.
Defense attorney John Best said his client is taking responsibility and
trying to turn his life around. Galindo has entered drug treatment, is
working part time and has married Jacqueline Hubbard.
Best noted that Galindo saw drug use in his own family, and then he met the
Hubbard family.
"I can't imagine being 18 years old and smoking marijuana with your
girlfriend and her father," Best said. "He was desperately seeking
acceptance about the same time Roger Hubbard was desperately seeking
marijuana. Tony made the decision, but there was obviously some influence."
It was just as obvious that Galindo did not buy the marijuana for his own
profit, Best said.
Galindo apologized for his actions.
"I messed up, and I deserve the punishment," he said. "But I ask one more
chance . . . I have been trying so hard to change. I feel I have and will
continue to try harder and harder."
Becker described the entire situation as very sad.
"The situation is that adults pulled down a couple of kids with them,
because of their attitudes toward marijuana. What people never seem to
realize when they're involved with this stuff is that they eventually get
caught."
Becker noted that Roger Hubbard was sentenced to four years and must serve a
minimum of three years. Vicci Hubbard also was sentenced to four years, but
that was stayed for five years of probation and nine months of jail time.
Jacqueline Hubbard received a 24-month sentence that was stayed for three
years of probation.
"The thing to do, so I look good in the paper, would be to send Mr. Galindo
to prison," Becker said. "The day I start worrying about that, they'll be
writing about my retirement."
Instead, Galindo fits "somewhere between" the sentences already imposed by
the court, Becker said.
Becker sentenced Galindo to four years in prison, but stayed the sentence
for five years of probation. Conditions include a mandatory 10 months in
jail, with work-release privileges but no possibility of electronic
monitoring. Becker also ordered fines, driver's license revocation and
cooperation in any substance-abuse counseling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Coward ('Salon' Magazine Says US Health And Human Services Secretary
Donna Shalala Should Resign To Protest The Clinton Administration's Decision
That Needle Exchange Programs Help Prevent The Spread Of AIDS
But Shouldn't Be Funded)
Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 02:54:09 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett
Subject: MN: US: OPED: The Coward
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Mon, 27 1998
Source: Salon Magazine (US)
Contact: salon@salonmagazine.com
Website: http://www.salon1999.com/
Author: David Corn, Washington editor of the Nation
THE COWARD
If health secretary Donna Shalala had any guts she would quit over the
ban on federal funds for needle-exchange programs. But guts aren't a
valued commodity in Washington
Imagine you work at a research institute and discover a practice or a
device that can save tens of thousands of people from a painful and
life-threatening disease with no negative side-effects. You march into
your boss's office and inform him of the finding. He confirms your
data, and how important they are, and then says, "Sorry, no dice,
we're not going to pursue this idea." Why not? Because, he answers, it
may interfere with my career plans. If you had a shred of decency,
wouldn't you quit and seek employment elsewhere? Well, not if you're
Donna Shalala, the secretary for Health and Human Services.
Last week, Shalala was humiliated by President Clinton. She was
prepared to hold a news conference to announce that research confirmed
needle-exchange programs effectively curb AIDS, without encouraging
drug use. Therefore, Shalala was going to add, federal funding could
be applied to needle-exchange programs
It was a bold but sensible move. Drug-related cases account for about
one-third of the 600,000 AIDS cases in this country. Based on the
research, a needle-exchange program seemed a highly effective method
of stemming a virus that continues to spread unabated (even as the
mortality rate declines). AIDS experts fully expected the announcement
to be made.
Then the call came for the White House.
The president had decided it was too risky politically. Despite his
record high poll numbers, he apparently did not have the stomach to
confront the wrath of self-proclaimed virtue czar (and ex-drug czar)
Bill Bennett. So he hid behind the mouthings of his own drug czar,
Barry McCaffrey, who insisted that such a move would send a "bad
message" to the nation's youth. And Shalala all-too-dutifully went
along. With her visibly uncomfortable advisors standing by, she held
an absurd press conference in which she trumpeted the research
findings about the success of needle-exchange programs but left in
place the federal ban on funding for them.
With more AIDS victims condemned to die as a result of such a cowardly
decision, why doesn't Shalala quit in protest? If, as the supreme
political overseer of the nation's health, she can't get a program
that benefits the health of many people, then what is her raison
d'être? And what is the point of her collecting that government
paycheck? Surely, she could find another job -- and probably one that
paid better.
One could ask the same question of other Cabinet members who have had
to gag over other Clinton policies, like welfare. One quick answer is
that the United States lacks the tradition of honorable resignation
found in other democracies, where senior politicians and statesmen
will quit in order to express their opposition to a policy they think
is dangerously wrong. Here, Cabinet secretaries are more likely to
suck it up rather than walk away, even when grave matters of state are
involved.
There have been exceptions. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned
over President Carter's decision to mount the disastrous rescue
operation for U.S. hostages held in Iran. Attorney General Elliot
Richardson resigned rather than accept President Nixon's order to fire
Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. In more recent years, a
few mid-level State Department officials left out of disgust with the
policy on Bosnia. This is a slight record.
Certainly, not every disagreement is grounds for a dramatic exit. But
needle-exchange -- according to Shalala's own data -- is a
life-and-death matter. How can she silently accede?
This is not the first time Shalala has been in this spot. She was a
fierce critic of the welfare law that Congress passed and the
president signed in 1996. But she elected to oversee its
implementation rather than turn in the keys to her office. Yet two
senior Health and Human Services officials -- Peter Edelman and Mary
Jo Bane -- did resign in protest. Edelman and his wife, children's
advocate Marion Wright Edelman, were once close friends of the
Clintons. Still, he told colleagues, in a two-sentence statement, that
he had spent 30 years working to reduce poverty and could not in good
conscience be part of the team implementing a policy that would hurt
poor people.
Edelman and Bane left without much noise, but their honorable act did
earn front-page headlines. Maybe it ought to be taught in high school
civics courses. Maybe Shalala herself could draw some lessons from it.
It's not that she should be a drama queen and storm out of Washington
screaming, "It's my way or the highway." But there is a role in the
political system for a timely exit. The practice would enhance citizen
confidence in the government. People would be reassured to learn that
there is more to Washington than spin, careerism and
self-promotion.
For Shalala, such an act might restore some of her own credibility.
Her office denies that politics played a role in the decision to
continue the ban of federal funding for needle-exchanges. No one
believes that. It's a lie. One more far-too obvious instance of a
politician spinning to serve his or her own agenda (and to protect a
cowardly president) rather than to maintain some integrity. To stay in
her post, Shalala has to be publicly dishonest. That may serve the
president. It may serve her career ambitions. What it does not serve
are the people whose very lives are at stake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug Czar To Be Asked To Tackle Alcohol, Too?
(According To The Richmond, Virginia 'Times-Dispatch,' George Hacker,
Director Of The Alcohol Policies Project At The Center For Science
In The Public Interest, Asked Attorney General Janet Reno,
And Reno Is Considering, Whether The Fact That 40 Percent Of Violent Crimes
And Fatal Car Accidents Involve Alcohol Should Induce The Office
Of National Drug Control Policy To Include Alcohol Abuse Among The Scope
Of Its Mission, For Example, In The Drug Czar's $195 Million-A-Year
Advertising Campaign - So Far General McCaffrey Has Evaded
Any Confrontations With The $106 Billion-A-Year Industry)
Date: Sun, 03 May 1998 20:09:10 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett
Subject: MN: US: Drug Czar To Be Asked To Tackle Alcohol, Too?
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr, 1998
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)
Contact: feedback@gateway-va.com
Website: http://www.gatewayva.com/pages/tdmain.htm
Author: Mark Johnson, Media General News Service
DRUG CZAR TO BE ASKED TO TACKLE ALCOHOL, TOO?
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Janet Reno is looking into whether the Office
of National Drug Control Policy, the drug czar's office, needs to set its
sights on alcohol, too.
The inquiry was prompted by a Justice Department seminar on alcohol and
crime this month. George Hacker, one of a group of alcohol abuse experts in
the audience, asked Reno to urge retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the drug
czar, and his office to devote some of its new money and resources to
alcohol, "given that it's clearly the most used and most devastating drug
among young people.'' Hacker is director of the alcohol policies project at
the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Reno said she would take the idea to McCaffrey. Both hold the same rank as
Cabinet members, although McCaffrey's office only coordinates policy and has
no enforcement powers.
The idea of putting alcohol in the same camp with heroin and cocaine
highlights how all of them frequently are abused by lawbreakers, but it also
emphasizes how differently the federal government currently approaches beer,
wine and liquor.
Reno's response should come as no surprise to tobacco and alcohol industry
executives who have made predictions of the federal government regulating
everything down to the caffeine in coffee.
"There's always been a concern on our part that alcohol could become a focal
point for the office of the drug czar,'' said Jeff Becker, vice president of
alcohol issues for The Beer Institute.
A Justice Department study completed for the symposium attended by Reno
found that 40 percent of violent crimes and fatal car accidents involve alcohol.
"We know that the data is showing alcohol is more closely associated with
crime than any other substance,'' said Marlene Beckman, a Justice Department
lawyer who helped organize the conference.
Hacker's question followed his complaint that the drug czar's office will
receive $195 million each year for the next five years for an anti-drug
advertising campaign and has not included anti-alcohol ads.
The question is logical, given that youngsters are taught in grade school
that alcohol is a drug.
The drug czar's office "has been very reticent to do anything serious about
alcohol,'' Hacker said.
A spokesman for the drug control policy office said that agency already is
tackling underage alcohol and tobacco use, since both are illegal. The No. 1
item on the office's list of "goals and objectives'' is to educate
communities to help youths "reject illegal drugs and underage alcohol and
tobacco use.''
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., however, has noted that the legislation
creating the drug czar's office is unclear about the office's jurisdiction
over alcohol. He is attempting to ensure that underage drinking is included
in the drug policy office's charter.
The spokesman for McCaffrey's office cited the drug czar's speeches and the
planned media campaign as examples of the office's emphasis on alcohol. Yet
among the first ten McCaffrey speeches posted on the office'sWebsite, only
two mention the word 'alcohol' for a total of four references. As for the
media campaign, McCaffrey's office suggested calling Community Anti-Drug
Coalitions of America, a non-profit group helping with the campaign. A
coalitions spokeswoman said the campaign does not address alcohol.
Unlike street narcotics, alcohol is a legal commodity when used responsibly
by adults. It's also a $106 billion-a-year industry. Federal oversight of
alcohol is politically dicey. While cigarette companies historically have
fought efforts to regulate tobacco or declare nicotine a drug, the alcohol
industry has taken a conciliatory stance and, among other steps, helped fund
anti-drunk driving campaigns. It is an industry that holds considerable sway
on Capitol Hill.
Government authority over alcohol is scattered over different agencies. The
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms handles federal excise taxes and
product integrity -- whether the formulas are safe and meet federal
regulations for ingredients. The Department of Health and Human Services,
the Surgeon General and other sub-agencies address alcohol use and abuse.
With Congress and the Clinton administration already embroiled in a struggle
with cigarette makers over legislation that would, among other provisions,
increase the federal regulation of tobacco, it's unclear whether either
branch of government has the stomach to push for tougher scrutiny of the
alcohol industry.
(c) 1998, Richmond Newspapers Inc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
House GOP Offering Anti-Drug Plan ('Associated Press' Version
Of Saturday's News)
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 19:29:27 EDT
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: GDaurer
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: GOP going bonkers over drugs
4/27/98
House GOP Offering Anti-Drug Plan
By DAVID ESPO
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republicans intend to unveil an election-year package
of anti-drug proposals this week ranging from more money for border guards to
tougher penalties for certain crimes to grants for small businesses that fight
workplace drug use.
Republicans also will propose cutting off student loan eligibility to
recipients convicted of drug possession or trafficking, according to GOP
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
These officials said House Speaker Newt Gingrich and other Republicans intend
to announce the legislation Thursday at a ceremony planned for the steps of
the Capitol. They will be joined by a member of the gold medal-winning U.S.
women's hockey team from last winter's Olympic Games in Japan, as well as
members of a drug task force that Gingrich established under the direction of
Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Also on Thursday, Republicans intend to bring one drug-related measure to the
House floor. It would cut off direct or indirect federal money for any needle
exchange program for addicts.
The Clinton administration announced last week it would refuse to use federal
tax dollars to buy clean needles for drug addicts, even though it said needle
exchanges fight AIDS without encouraging illegal drug use.
One Republican aide said the GOP measure is designed to deny funding to
organizations that use their own money to run needle-exchange programs.
The Republican effort, coordinated by Hastert, comes six months before midterm
elections in which both parties are laboring to win support among voters for
their efforts to combat drugs.
The administration's Office of National Drug Control Policy recently unveiled
a 10-year drug control strategy. And President Clinton, in last winter's State
of the Union address, asked Congress to pay for an additional 1,000 border
guards and deploy new technologies to help combat the flow of drugs.
For their part, House Democrats have scheduled a pre-emptive strike Wednesday
- the day before the GOP announcement - at which they are expected to
criticize Republicans for voting in the past to cut spending on existing anti-
drug programs.
Polls consistently show that voters are concerned about drugs, and one
official involved in planning the Republican effort said Gingrich and others
hope to communicate a ``unified, consistent no-use message.''
The proposals call for doubling an existing $10 million program for
communities to devise anti-drug strategies, as well as a new pilot program to
help small and medium-sized businesses fight drugs in the workplace. Officials
said firms with 100 or fewer employees would be eligible to apply for grants,
but they provided no details on the amount of money Republicans will propose
for the effort.
Another proposal would cut off federally backed student loans for recipients
convicted of possessing or trafficking in drugs. Offenders could regain their
loans after a year after completing a counseling program, according to
officials.
Republicans are also expected to propose increased money for construction of a
fence along the southwestern border. They will propose more than doubling the
number of U.S. Customs Service border guards by 2002 - far more than the
administration's proposal.
Another measure would increase penalties for anyone convicted of drug-related
offenses caught at the border. Yet another proposal would require life
imprisonment for anyone convicted of trafficking in methamphetamines.
Officials said they had no immediate details on the precise cost of these
measure, or on how they would be financed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Republicans Quarrel Over Tobacco Bills ('Associated Press' Article
In 'Seattle Times' Notes Senior Republicans Are Divided Over How Far
They Can Go In Penalizing Cigarette Smokers, Caught In The Middle
Between Nearly All The Democrats In Congress Who Are Demanding
The Toughest Possible Anti-Tobacco Legislation, And The Tobacco Industry
That Has Threatened To Fight Any Bill Harmful To Its Interests)
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 22:57:43 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: US: Republicans Quarrel Over Tobacco Bills
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John Smith
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
Source: Seattle-Times (WA)
Contact: opinion@seatimes.com
Website: http://seattletimes.com/
Author: Jim Abrams, The Associated Press
REPUBLICANS QUARREL OVER TOBACCO BILLS
WASHINGTON - With the time approaching for final decisions, senior
Republicans are openly quarreling over how far they can go in penalizing
the tobacco industry for teenage smoking and cigarette-related health
problems.
Nearly all Democrats in Congress are demanding the toughest possible
anti-tobacco legislation, while the tobacco industry has threatened to
fight any bill it thinks harms its long-term economic interests. Many
Republicans are caught in the middle.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., the author of a
$516 billion package of taxes and regulatory measures that is heading to
the Senate floor, said yesterday that something close to his bill will
eventually pass for reasons both patriotic and "a little crass."
"There's a lot of money that is going to be spent there, and politicians
are very attached to that," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said
on NBC that McCain would fail because his bill is too punitive and "you'll
have bankruptcy, you'll have black market, you'll have something that
doesn't work."
Hatch, who last week called McCain's legislation "pitiful," has his own
$398 billion package that is closer to the $368 billion settlement reached
last June between the tobacco industry, state attorneys general and
public-health advocates.
McCain shot back that "there is not five votes for what Senator Hatch just
asked for, and that was to go easier on the tobacco companies."
McCain's bill, which was approved by the Commerce Committee on a 19-1 vote,
was crafted after the White House and public-health organizations said the
June deal, which gives the industry some immunity from future lawsuits, was
too lenient. But the industry maintains that McCain's legislation would
drive them out of business, and it has threatened to fight such provisions
as limits on advertising.
Sen. John Chafee of Rhode Island, who has proposed his own tough
anti-tobacco bill, urged his fellow Republicans to be civil and work
together.
Chafee said he was spearheading an effort to get Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott, R-Miss., to keep his promise to bring the McCain bill to the
floor before the end of May.
But there is growing Republican sentiment that McCain's bill, which
requires a $1.10 increase in the price of a pack of cigarettes and gives
the Food and Drug Administration greater controls over tobacco products, is
a Democratic-style tax-and-regulate bill.
If the bill ends up mainly as a vehicle to finance President Clinton's
priorities on health and education, "Republicans simply aren't going to go
along with it," Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
The House has yet to take action on a completed piece of legislation, and
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., last week voiced resistance to McCain's
approach, calling instead for a narrower bill that targets drug use as well
as teen smoking.
On "Face the Nation," Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota
accused Gingrich and other critics of the tough legislation of bowing to
the tobacco industry, which has long favored Republicans in its generous
campaign contributions.
But he also praised the "courage" of McCain and other Republicans behind
comprehensive legislation and predicted that "there will be a tobacco deal
this year."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
International Olympic Committee Cracks Down on Marijuana
(According To 'The Los Angeles Times,' The IOC Executive Board,
Meeting In Sydney, Australia, Said Today That Marijuana
And Other 'Social Drugs' Will Be Included On Its List Of Banned Substances,
Closing What The Newspaper Calls A 'Loophole Exposed
By The Ross Rebagliati Case' In Nagano)
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 20:28:49 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Mike Gogulski
Subject: MN: Australia: IOC Cracks Down on Marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Pubdate: April 27, 1998
Fax: 213-237-4712
Author: Stephen Wilson, AP Sports Writer
IOC CRACKS DOWN ON MARIJUANA
SYDNEY, Australia -- Moving to close a loophole exposed by the Ross
Rebagliati case in Nagano, the IOC said today that marijuana and other
"social drugs" will be included on its list of banned substances.
The International Olympic Committee executive board agreed to draft new
provisions in the Olympic Charter and the IOC medical code dealing with
marijuana and other recreational drugs. IOC officials said marijuana would
be added to the banned list, even though it is not considered a
performance-enhancing drug, and that any athlete testing positive for the
drug would be disqualified.
The move came as a response to the case of Rebagliati, the Canadian
snowboarder who was stripped of his gold medal in the men's giant slalom
during the Nagano Winter Games after testing positive for marijuana.
The IOC's decision was later overturned and the medal reinstated by the
Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled there was no clear provision
for marijuana testing at the games.
"This was a clear lesson," IOC director general Francois Carrard said. "We
had regulations that were not clear enough. We had to draw a lesson from
Nagano. The IOC wants to take a stand against a social drug."
IOC vice president Dick Pound of Canada, who has expressed reservations
about regulating for social drugs, said the Olympic body wanted to set an
example.
"The IOC has decided in the case of social drugs we should take a stand,
and Olympic athletes should be put to a somewhat higher standard than
society in general," he said. "Marijuana is sufficiently serious that we
will be recommending disqualification."
Carrard said the IOC needed more time to work on the details and language
to be included in the charter and medical code. "Marijuana will be banned,
that's for sure," he said. "There is absolutely no doubt that marijuana is
included there."
IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch set up a four-member task force to
study the issue after Nagano.
Prince Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the IOC medical commission, was
among those pushing for marijuana to be banned. "I believe the IOC as a
principle likes to be associated with the fight against drugs, including
social drugs," he said. "The IOC is taking care of the health of athletes
and young people. We believe Olympic athletes must be an example for other
young athletes and the youth."
De Merode said marijuana should be banned even though it does not act as a
performance-enhancer like steroids.
"It's basically not performance-enhancing, but marijuana can destroy the
performance," he said. "It can be dangerous. It can give you the impression
that you are indestructible."
The medical chief said he would recommend that, outside of Olympic
competition, international federations should apply a maximum three-month
suspension for marijuana use.
De Merode said heroin and cocaine are already on the banned list, while
drugs such as ecstasy and hallucinogenic mushrooms could be added.
He rejected suggestions that the IOC should streamline its banned list to
include only performance-enhancing drugs like steroids, human growth
hormone and EPO.
"If you take something off the list, it's an open door to use that
product," he said. "Everybody jumps on it and uses it." Pound, the Canadian
IOC vice president, stressed that marijuana should be seen in a different
light from steroids.
"I think you have to be careful on social drugs," he said.
"Marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug. One man's marijuana is
another man's alcohol. If it's not something that enhances your
performance, I'm not sure we should be in the business to regulate it."
Copyright Los Angeles Times
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Straw Rejects Report Of Rise In Drugs Use (Britain's 'Guardian'
Says Home Secretary Jack Straw Rejected A Report
From Britain's Biggest Drugs Charity, Turning Point, Which Said The Number
Of Young People It Treated Last Year Increased By 12 Per Cent,
Claiming The Government's Indices Showed Use Rates Were 'Stabilising')
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 12:17:52 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: UK: Straw Rejects Report Of Rise In Drugs Use
Newshawk: mjc1947@cyberclub.iol.ie ((Zosimos) Martin Cooke)
Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Author: Alan Travis, Home Affairs Editor
STRAW REJECTS REPORT OF RISE IN DRUGS USE
Hard drugs are damaging more young people than ever, according to a report
by Britain's biggest drugs charity.
Turning Point claims that increasing numbers of teenagers suffer from the
effects of heroin addiction. The charity claims that the number of young
people it treated last year increased by 12 per cent to 29,599, including a
dramatic rise in young women.
Asked about the report, the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, strongly denied
that the Government was losing the war on drugs.
Speaking yesterday on BBC1's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Straw said: "It is
not the case that more and more and more young people are taking drugs.
"The best evidence based on British crime surveys and other very
independently-conducted surveys is that drug-taking among young people is
stabilising.
"There's some evidence to suggest that it had gone down a little."
The report throws a shadow over a white paper, to be published today, which
sets out a 10-year strategy for dealing with drug-taking.
As well as an increase in heroin use, the Turning Point report also shows a
rise in use of ecstasy and cocaine among young people.
Mr Straw did acknowledge that too many young people were trying drugs to
allow any complacency.
"Half of all youngsters have experimented with drugs, and that's far too
high a proportion," he said. The white paper, to be unveiled by the "Drugs
Tsar" Keith Hellawell, will propose counselling together with "healthy
lifestyle" classes for school children.
But at its heart is a compulsory drug testing and treatment order that will
steer offenders who use illicit drugs into treatment. New Home Office
research shows that 63 per cent of all those taken to police stations after
being arrested tested positive for illicit drugs.
Today's white paper says those who are convicted of possessing cannabis
should be referred to counselling, and that hard-drug addicts who steal to
pay for their habits should be sent for compulsory drug treatment.
Ministers insist that the latest American research shows that treatment
programmes do not have to be voluntary to be successful.
But treatment workers fear that the current overburdened network of
treatment services will be overwhelmed by the plan.
Pressure groups yesterday also claimed they will not get the resources they
would need to implement new measures.
Increased spending is unlikely until the Government spending review is
completed later in the year.
Roger Howard, chief executive of the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse,
said the Government had estimated it would cost £40 million to implement
fully the drug testing and treatment provisions contained in the Crime and
Disorder Bill.
The programme is to be introduced with three pilot schemes, the first on
Merseyside, backed by only an extra £1 million of public funds.
"The Government needs to give a clear signal at the launch of the national
drugs strategy that it will go further than just allocating the £1 million
needed to fund three pilot projects.
"The level of drug-related crime indicated by recent Home Office research
and the success of drug treatment means we have to wonder whether £40
million is sufficient to meet the potential need. People going to already
overburdened drug treatment services must not be displaced by those
referred from the courts," said Mr Howard.
Ministers will also come under pressure today from local authority social
services directors, who are pressing for the Government's drugs strategy to
be extended to cover alcohol abuse.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[End]
to 1998 Daily News index for April 23-29