Portland NORML News - Friday, May 29, 1998
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Signature Count (Paul Loney, An Attorney And Chief Petitioner
For The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Initiative Petition, Says The Campaign
Has Officially Collected 40,770 Signatures Of The 73,261 Needed By July)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 10:18:03 -0700 (PDT)
To: octa99@crrh.org
From: blc@hevanet.com (Belmont Law Center)
Subject: Signature count

As of 29 May 1998, we have 40,770 signatures counted and stored. Thanks and
Praises. Please gather signatures and turn in the filled sheets that you
have. The time is now.

Paul L
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Oregon State University Releases Results Of Study On Hemp
(News Release From OSU In Corvallis Says The OSU Agricultural Experiment
Station Has Just Published A Study Of Scientific Literature On The Feasibility
Of A Hemp Industry In The Pacific Northwest - Soon To Be Online)

From: "sburbank" (sburbank@orednet.org)
Subject: Oregon State University releases results of study on hemp
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 14:18:42 -0700

News

Oregon State University
News & Communication Services
(541) 757-4611 x 416

Kerr Administration Bldg.
Corvallis, OR 97331-2124

5-29-98

FEASIBILITY 0F HEMP AS FIBER CROP STUDIED

By Carol Savonen
541-737-3380

SOURCES: Daryl Ehrensing, 541-737-5891

Andy Kerr, 541-432-0909

CORVALLIS - To help separate fact from myth about the production of hemp
- touted by some as a miracle crap and by others as an evil, pernicious
drug - an Oregon State University researcher has studied the feasibility of
cultivating hemp as a fiber crop in the Pacific Northwest and concluded it
may have some potential if it overcomes major obstacles.

Hemp, or cannabis sativa, can be manufactured into everything from fine
cloth to auto parts, and concentrations of the psychoactive ingredient,
THC, are too low in fiber hemp to produce a high.

The OSU study of scientific literature just published by the OSU
Agricultural Experiment Station found that several conditions must be met
before hemp could ever became a crop in this region.

First, it must become legal to grow hemp as a fiber crap; then it must
be researched, developed and studied like any other potential new crop; and
it must be able to compete with other fiber crops on the market, including
wood fiber from the forest industry.

"Environmental awareness as well as decreasing availability and rising
prices of local wood fiber resources have greatly increased commercial
interest in agricultural production of alternative fiber sources in the
Pacific Northwest," explained Daryl Ehrensing, researcher in the OSU
Department of Crop and Soil Science and author of the study.

"While many people have proposed industrial hemp production as both an
oil seed crop and a source of raw material for textiles, paper and
composite wood products, the feasibility of hemp production has not yet
been demonstrated in the Pacific Northwest," he said.

Major findings of the OSU study include:

* Hemp is a summer annual crap that is well-adapted to warm growing
conditions. an extended frost free season, highly productive agricultural
soils and ample moisture through the growing season.

* Hemp will almost certainly require supplemental irrigation to
reliably maximize productivity throughout the region, placing hemp in
direct competition with the highest value crops in the region.

* Hemp production in western Europe is made economically feasible
primarily by directsubsidies by the European Community. Since government
subsidy is extremely unlikely in the
United States, a thorough understanding of hemp production practices and
costs is essential to determine the viability of production.

* Total biomass yields will need to be substantially greater than
those previously recorded in other countries far hemp to be economically
feasible in the Pacific Northwest at current prices for raw hemp fiber and
seed.

* Improvements in hemp harvesting and processing equipment are still
required to make hemp a viable crop.

"Since industrial hemp has not been grown in the Pacific Northwest in
many decades, even an a research scale, the yield of modem hemp varieties
under our conditions is unknown," stressed Ehrensing. "Until legislative
restrictions are removed from hemp and production trials are completed, it
is difficult to accurately assess the feasibility of hemp as a fiber crop
in the region."

Hemp has been grown for many centuries for the strong fiber produced in
its stems. Hemp seeds contain vegetable oil with edible and industrial
uses. It is grown as a fiber crop in Europe and Asia, and regulated
cultivation was recently approved in Canada.

In March, 1998, a group of American farmers, businesses and non-profit
organizations filed a petition to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to
redefine industrial hemp to exclude cannabis sativa with I percent or less
THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, explained Andy
Kerr, of the North American Industrial Hemp Council. They also petitioned
the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish rules to certify farmers to
grow hemp.

"The feasibility of Industrial Hemp Production in the United States
Pacific Northwest."
publication SB 681, is available by mail at no charge, single copies only.
Send your request to:
Publication Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr
Administration, Corvallis, Ore.97331-2119.

The bulletin also is posted an the World Wide Web in the near future.
Open eesc.orst.edu and select "Educational Materials," then "Agriculture."
You'll find SB 681 under "Field Crops."
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Will Durst On Medical Marijuana (List Subscriber Posts An Excerpt
From The Comedian's Web Site On The Campaign By State And Federal Officials
Against California Medical Marijuana Dispensaries)

Subj: Will Durst on Med Mj
From: "Frank S. World" 
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 13:36:27 -0500

>From Comedian Will Durst's internet site, The Daily Dose of Durst:
http://www.wald.com/durst.html

Daily Dose of Durst

052798:0043PDT

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CITY WHICH RECENTLY HAD AN ASTEROID NAMED AFTER IT.
QUITE FITTING, WHEN YOU THINK OF AN ASTEROID AS A FROZEN BALL OF
LIFELESSNESS HURTLING TOWARDS NOWHERE AT AN INCREDIBLE SPEED.

They shut down the Cannabis Cultivators Club again. Politics as usual. Same
sad song. Apparently, the Attorney General of California thinks the will of
the people who voted for medical marijuana in a state wide proposition is a
bunch of crap. "Let them eat brownies". What's happening here is as clear as
ice in saran wrap. Dan "Darth" Lundgren, running for Governor as a Hun,
figures to showcase his tough love candidacy by kicking the sick and feeble
in the teeth using steel toed boots with rusty nails sticking out.

Californian Republicans love showing their mettle by picking on San
Francisco, because they know they got the same chance of winning the county
as a third grade Mormon girl in a high stakes crack house craps game playing
with Anthrax stained cards without gloves. It wouldn't surprise me to see
the Attorney General precipitate an altercation between a group of nuns and
a drug crazed pot smoker the week before November's general election so he
can declare martial law and kick some more pansy Frisco butt. The Democrats
could pull the same leverage trick with Orange County and put a luxury tax
on yachts over 100 feet long, but they always need some money and weenie out
with the "big tent" whine. Too bad the Republicans don't need the pot. Of
course their kids do. Hmmm. Will Durst knows some Republican kids who need
pot. Hmmm.

Will Durst knows some Republican kids who need pot. Hmmm.

Email Durst at 104357.2233@CompuServe.COM
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Pot Shopping In Delightful Dolores Park ('San Francisco Chronicle' Columnist
Scott Ostler Walks A Mile In The Shoes Of San Francisco Residents With AIDS
And Other Serious Medical Conditions Who Have Been Endangered
By The Closure Of The Cannabis Healing Center)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 14:36:44 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Column: Pot Shopping In Delightful Dolores Park
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: tjeffoc@sirius.com (Tom O'Connell)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: A3
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Scott Ostler

POT SHOPPING IN DELIGHTFUL DOLORES PARK

HERE WE ARE in lovely Dolores Park, trying to score some weed.

The medicinal marijuana clubs are being closed down by Dan Lungren and the
feds, so even if a person has a prescription and the blessing of
California's electorate to seek herbal relief from pain and suffering, he
or she must hit the streets to buy the pot.

Where do they go? Many of the clubbers mention Dolores Park. The name comes
up so often, I've come to think of the place as Reefers R Us.

Let's see what it's like to go pot shopping in San Francisco.

It's midday, and isn't this a lovely rectangle of the city? It's green and
terraced, with nice trees and a playground and tennis courts, a swell view
of the skyline. A streetcar track runs along one side of the park, under a
bridge, giving the park the feel of a quaint model-train layout.

Hardly a body in the park. A couple dog-walkers, a man pushing a cart
filled with cans and bottles.

So! Who will sell me some mota -- killer weed?

What is the etiquette? If I see a likely drug dealer, do I approach him or
her? Or would that make me seem too eager, thus driving up the price?

But how will they know to approach me? Do I look like a pot shopper?
Maybe I should have worn a backwards baseball cap.

I ask two park gardeners if they know where I can find some cannabis dealers.

``They're usually around,'' one gardener tells me. ``The cops chase 'em out
and the neighbors are active in putting pressure to keep 'em out, but
they're like locusts.'' ------

Some members of Dennis Peron's pot club have given me an idea of what I can
expect venturing into the free market.

``One woman in Dolores Park approached me with a bag of weed in her hand,''
Jonathan says. ``When I acted like I wanted to buy it, she got out her
handcuffs and threw me down on the ground. She was a cop, told me to stay
out of the park.''

So that's one situation best to avoid.

I know I'll have to pay top dollar. In the clubs, pot goes for about $5 for
an eighth of an ounce, good for about six joints. On the street it's
$40-$65.

``I just paid $50 for a bag of oregano in Civic Center,'' a glum former
clubber says. ``You get a lot of bum weed. Lot of pesticides, and it's
always short (of the advertised weight).''

The pot gets messed with by dealers. Your buds might have been steamed in
Pepsi to make 'em heavier and seem sweeter, and the Pepsi'd stuff is murder
on the lungs. Moldly pot is common.

Then there's the danger.

``You have to go up to a stranger and pull out 65 bucks,'' Mary says.
``They want their money up front, so they take it and you don't know if
they're going to come back. Or he might just grab your money and run. Or
pull out a gun and take the money.''

Where is the Better Business Bureau while all this is going down?

Remember, the people who need pot for medicine tend not to be your Dirty
Harry types. It's a vulnerable group. ------

Well, there doesn't seem to be much action in Dolores Park today. But wait,
as I stroll past a storage shed I see three young men huddling. One holds a
bag of something, another has a fistful of cash, fanned out like a poker
hand.

Frankly, I am reluctant to intrude on their scene by calling out, `` 'Scuse
me, fellas, can I get a piece of that action?''

So I saunter on. As I reach the street, a car screeches to a stop and a
young man jumps out and strides past me, in a hurry, into the park.

In the bushes I see three more young men, moving about as busily as
squirrels, as if searching for something or someone.

Most of these fellows are wearing similar jackets. Members of a softball
team, perhaps?

They cast furtive glances at me, and I'm starting to sense that if I really
was desperate to buy pot here, I would not feel very much at ease.

I'm thinking that if I were sick with cancer/glaucoma/HIV/whatever and had
a prescription, there must be a better way to get my medicine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

San Francisco Seeking Pot Club Alternatives ('San Francisco Examiner'
Says That, After A Meeting Thursday With Mayor WIllie Brown,
Police Chief Fred Lau, District Attorney Terence Hallinan,
Sheriff Michael Hennessey, Public Health Director Mitch Katz And Others,
San Francisco City/County Supervisor Tom Ammiano
Vowed To Introduce Legislation As Soon As Monday
Asking The City Attorney's Office To Draw Up A Model
For The Distribution Of Marijuana To Medically Ill Patients)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 17:15:21 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: S.F. Seeking Pot Club Alternatives
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Author: Gregory Lewis of the Examiner Staff

S.F. SEEKING POT CLUB ALTERNATIVES

Backed by mayor, Ammiano pens bill to push for lawful execution of Prop. 215

Supervisor Tom Ammiano might introduce legislation as soon as Monday asking
the city attorney's office to draw up a model for the distribution of
marijuana to medically ill patients.

Ammiano attended a meeting Thursday with Mayor Brown, Police Chief Fred
Lau, District Attorney Terence Hallinan, Sheriff Michael Hennessey, Public
Health Director Mitch Katz and fellow supervisors Barbara Kaufman and Mark
Leno and others about the issue.

"We want to try to find some way to guarantee that people who are sick and
need marijuana to improve their condition can find a way to do that legally
within the confines of Prop. 215," Hallinan said.

Hallinan said city officials believe there is a way, within state and
federal laws, for ill people who need marijuana as medicine to get their
drug.

Figuring out where to get the product and how to distribute it plague the plan.

Brown made it clear The City wouldn't distribute the drug. He also was not
offering his suggestions on how to get marijuana to patients.

"The city attorney and the district attorney are trying to craft an
appropriate ordinance," Brown said. "One that will provide the greatest
security and meet court tests."

Brown later said, "You can conclude The City won't be distributing
anything. The conversation was based around the best way to sanction the
availability of these materials for those who medically need it.

Ammiano said there were city models in Arcadia and West Hollywood that
could be studied. Both of those cities contract out the distribution of
medical marijuana, Ammiano said.

All in the meeting agreed that the health department, not the police
department, should have oversight of any program that distributes
marijuana.

"We have the moral duty to give it a shot to see if we can come up with a
model to implement Prop. 215 that wouldn't result in everybody being
busted," Ammiano said.

1998 San Francisco Examiner Page A 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------

San Francisco Trying To Devise Way To Dispense Medicinal Pot
('San Francisco Chronicle' Version)

Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 00:21:44 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: S.F. Trying to Devise Way to Dispense Medicinal Pot
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Edward Epstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

S.F. TRYING TO DEVISE WAY TO DISPENSE MEDICINAL POT

San Francisco officials admitted yesterday that they face an uphill struggle
in trying to find a way to distribute medical marijuana to thousands of
patients within the city.

``It won't be an easy task. But it's necessary,'' District Attorney Terence
Hallinan said after a meeting in Mayor Willie Brown's office.

Hallinan and Brown said that everyone at the meeting -- a cast that also
included City Attorney Louise Renne, Sheriff Michael Hennessey, Public
Health Director Dr. Mitch Katz and Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Mark Leno --
agreed that a way must be found to get marijuana to those who need it.

A series of federal and state court decisions finally led this week to the
closure of the Cannabis Healing Center on Market Street. That club was by
far the largest operation in the state that was trying to distribute
marijuana under voter-approved Proposition 215.

Leno estimated that 10,000 people have been left without pot because of the
shutdown.

``The agreement was that the city attorney and the district attorney will
try to craft an appropriate ordinance to allow for the greatest security in
any court test,'' Brown said.

Neither Brown nor Hallinan would speculate about what form the eventual plan
might take. But both said they want to move quickly to make medicinal
marijuana more widely available. And they said there was some wiggle room in
U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer's ruling against pot clubs to offer
hope that a solution could be found.

Although medical marijuana is legal in the state, it is still against
federal law to possess, use or distribute it. Neither Brown nor Hallinan
would say how the city would get marijuana to give out.

``We'll have to figure out a way,'' said Hallinan. He said it might be
possible the city could grow its own marijuana, but only if no other sources
were available.

The officials also said that whatever plan the city puts in place will
include strict controls over who gets marijuana. The shuttered club was
assailed for not policing distribution adequately.

Ammiano said urgent action is needed. ``We'd be remiss if we didn't do
something,'' he said.

On Tuesday, he introduced a measure at the Board of Supervisors calling for
the Department of Public Health to begin distributing marijuana. Ammiano
said that idea is still among those under consideration, along with at least
two others.

One is based on the experience of Arcata in Humboldt County. That college
town has a contract with a private firm to give out marijuana.

West Hollywood does it through an independent nonprofit organization with no
ties to the city.

San Francisco already operates its needle-exchange programs largely through
nonprofit organizations.

Ammiano said another model, one being set up in San Mateo County, is too
time-consuming. That county is applying to the federal Food and Drug
Administration for permission to conduct a three-year study of the medicinal
efficacy of marijuana on seriously ill people.

It could be months before San Mateo gets permission to begin the program.
San Francisco wants to move much more quickly.

Ammiano and Leno are expected to introduce a resolution at Monday's
supervisors meeting instructing Hallinan and Renne to come up with a plan
speedily.

1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A19
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting Marijuana To Patients ('Sacramento Bee' Notes The California Senate
Thursday Barely Passed SB 1887, Introduced By John Vasconcellos,
The Democrat From Santa Clara, Creating A Medical Marijuana
Distribution Task Force - Assembly Must Still Approve)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 17:11:55 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Getting Marijuana to Patients
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998

GETTING MARIJUANA TO PATIENTS

The state Senate voted Thursday to create a task force to recommend a "safe
and affordable" system for distributing medical marijuana to patients.

The measure, to establish a Medical Marijuana Distribution Task Force,
passed on a minimum 21-13 vote and now goes to the Assembly. The bill is an
attempt to help implement Proposition 215, a medical marijuana initiative
passed by voters in 1996.

The legislation is SB 1887 by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Officials' Vendetta On Medical Marijuana (Letter To The Editor
Of 'The San Francisco Chronicle' Notes It's The Responsibility
Of California Attorney General Dan Lungren To Enforce The Law
Exempting Medical Marijuana Patients From The Illegal Drug Statutes,
Not Play Semantics With It So He Can Indulge His Personal Prejudices
At Taxpayer Expense)

Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 00:24:06 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: PUB LTE: Officials' Vendetta On Medical Marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/

OFFICIALS' VENDETTA ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Editor -- Even an enthusiastic supporter of the democratic process has to
feel discouraged reading Tuesday morning's article on the closure of the
S.F. medical marijuana club. All the effort of putting the medical marijuana
issue on the ballot, and the voter support for this initiative has not
deterred our elected officials from continuing to waste taxpayer dollars and
law enforcement resources on their vendetta against marijuana.

Did voters really expect critically ill people to cultivate marijuana?

Of course not. Even if their weakness and disability allowed them the luxury
of gardening, where would they buy the seeds, which by this logic would
still be illegal to sell? As another complex ballot faces us this June,
isn't it time to hold our elected officials accountable to our decisions?

Despite the fact that Mr. Lungren doesn't like allowing ill people to use
marijuana to ease their suffering, the law allows it. As attorney general,
his duty is to enforce the law, not play semantics with it so he can indulge
his personal prejudices at taxpayer expense.

Let's let those in wheelchairs get the relief they need.

MERYL NATCHEZ, Lafayette

1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A24
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Re-Open The Compassionate IND Program (Veteran Medical Marijuana Activist
Keven Zeese Notes The Federal Government Already Supplies Eight Americans
With Pot From Its Five-Acre Farm In Mississippi,
And Could Re-Open The Program, Closed For Political Reasons
By The Bush Administration)

Subj: Re: ARO: Info request
From: "kevin b. zeese" (kevzeese@laser.net)
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 19:53:42 -0700

Mark:

The FDA provides marijuana through the Investigational New Drug program (IND).
This is for drugs that have not been approved for medical use but are being
researched. In the early 1980s about 1000 people were getting marijuana through
this program. In the late 80s after those research programs were completed it
was down to about 20 or so. At that time about 300 AIDS patients applied for
medical marijuana and the Bush administration (in its last year in office)
closed the compassionate IND program for medical marijuana. It could easily be
re-opened. (I could see a city negotiating with FDA to do this for a
distribution system run by a city.)

The mj is grown on the University of Mississippi marijuana farm (5 acres) and
is rolled at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina on an old
tobacco rolling machine. The mj is controlled by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse. (NIDA may be a bigger problem than FDA.) The mj is also used for
research purposes (other than medical use).

I imagine a complication would be that the FDA would want to use that
marijuana. (It is lousy, stems and seeds are mixed in, very poor quality. I've
never smoked it but I have been around patients who do and have gotten reports
from them.) NIDA has set up some new roadblocks to access to the mj.

Please forward my email and let the prosecutor know he can contact me directly.

Kevin

Mark Greer wrote:

> There may be a way to find this in the news archive but I'm not sure what
> to search on. Anyone got ideas or info? I assume he's looking for the legal
> loop hole.
>
> --------------------
>
> Hi Mark:
>
> You may remember that we met last year in New Orleans. I am the head of
> the Narcotics unit for the **** (major Calif city) DAs office. I enjoy
> reading your updates so thank you very much for putting me on your list. I
> have a question and thought that you might be able to provide some
> information.
>
> Query: How does the FDA/Federal government provide marijuana to the 20 or
> so people who it allows to have it under their prescription program??? I
> would be grateful for any information that you have in this regard.
>
> Please keep this request confidential
>
> Mark Greer
> Media Awareness Project (MAP) inc.
> d/b/a DrugSense
> MGreer@mapinc.org
> http://www.DrugSense.org/
> http://www.mapinc.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------

New SB 2048 Passes Senate - Start Calling And Faxing Assembly Members
(California NORML Says It's Time To Start Calling Legislators
And The Governor To Support A California Senate Bill To Reform The State's
'Three Strikes' Mandatory Minimum Law, Which Falls Particularly Hard
On Marijuana Offenders)

To: dpfca@drugsense.org
From: canorml@igc.apc.org (Dale Gieringer)
Subject: DPFCA: 3 Strikes Reform Bill passes Senate: start faxing
assemblymembers
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Subject: New SB2048 passes Senate: start calling
and faxing assembly members
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 10:59:57 -0700

Hey everybody,

The new SB2048 passed the Senate yesterday by a 21 to 15 vote. Call and fax
Assemblymembers as soon as possible and tell them to vote "yes" on the new
SB2048. In addition, we should probably start calling and faxing Governor
Wilson's office.

By the way, I'm not disappointed in the new bill. I just wanted the original
SB2048 to be voted on at least one time so all the Senators who have told us
"off the record" they are in favor of the original bill, would once again
have had to go against their conscience to play the "political" game.

Steve Birdlebough, a lobbyist with Friends Committee on Legislation, should
be congratulated for pushing the new language of the bill into Vasconcellos'
office. He proposed this idea a month or so ago and asked if we thought it
would be a good idea (we said "yes"). Steve has been our inside person for
us in Sacramento and has been doing a good job for us (even though we do not
pay him).

What is interesting about this vote is that Lockyer who has usually been
gruff with us and consistently told us he was against the original SB2048
voted "yes" and Calderon who told one of us he would vote "yes" on the
original SB2048 ended up voting "no" on the new bill I guess now we should
think about voting for Lockyer for Attorney General again.

Take care,

Doug Kieso

The vote in the Senate was as follows:

***

AYES

***

Alpert, Ayala, Burton, Costa, Dills, Greene, Hayden, Hughes,
Johnston, Karnette, Kopp, Lockyer, O'Connell, Peace, Polanco,
Rosenthal, Schiff, Sher, Solis, Vasconcellos, Watson

***

NOES

***

Brulte, Calderon, Haynes, Hurtt, Johannessen, Johnson,
Kelley, Knight, Leslie, Maddy, McPherson, Monteith,
Mountjoy, Rainey, Wright

***

ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING

***

Craven, Lewis, Thompson, Vacancy

***

Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml@igc.apc.org
2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114
-------------------------------------------------------------------

DEA Supervisor Convicted Of Stealing $120,000 In Drug Funds
('Associated Press' Doesn't Say Whether Clifford T. Shibata,
A 24-Year Drug Enforcement Administration Agent In San Francisco
Who Embezzled The Money Between 1994 And 1996, Justified His Actions
As A Harm Reduction Measure)

Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 13:49:17 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: DEA supervisor convicted of
stealing $120,000 in drug funds
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Patrick Henry
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998

DEA SUPERVISOR CONVICTED OF STEALING $120,000 IN DRUG FUNDS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor has
been convicted of stealing more than $120,000 that was supposed to be used
to buy evidence and pay informants.

Clifford T. Shibata, a 24-year DEA employee who ran the agency's
Clandestine Laboratory Group in San Francisco before his suspension in
1996, was convicted of embezzlement Tuesday by a federal court jury,
Sentencing is scheduled in September.

Prosecutors said Shibata, facing financial trouble and bitter about being
passed over for a promotion, took money between 1994 and 1996 from a DEA
account that was used for undercover purchases of drugs as evidence and for
payments to confidential informants.

He routinely forged the signatures of DEA agents on forms declaring the
agents had used money from the account for authorized purposes, prosecutors
said. They said he obtained sums of up to $6,450 at a time and converted
the money to personal use, depositing some of it in his checking account.

Defense lawyer Stuart Hanlon suggested others may have forged the
signatures. Shibata denied the thefts and testified he failed to recognize
that there was anything wrong with the paperwork.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Court Excludes Drug-Courier Profile Testimony ('The Arizona Republic'
Says The Arizona Supreme Court Ruled 3-2 Thursday That Testimony
About Police Profiles Of Typical Drug Couriers Cannot Be Used
To Convict People Of Drug Offenses, Overturning The 1996 Marijuana
Trafficking Conviction Of Robert Lee - Allowing Testimony
About Such Police Profiles Would Amount To 'Guilt By Association')

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 14:34:33 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US AZ: Court Excludes Drug-Courier Profile Testimony
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: The Arizona Republic
Section: Valley briefs
Contact: Opinions@pni.com
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/indexmain.html

COURT EXCLUDES DRUG-COURIER PROFILE TESTIMONY

PHOENIX -- Testimony about police profiles of typical drug couriers cannot
be used to convict people of drug offenses, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled
Thursday.

The court, in a 3-2 ruling, overturned Robert Lee's 1996 marijuana
trafficking conviction. A police officer had testified at Lee's trial that
Lee fit the profile of a typical drug smuggler.

Allowing testimony about such police profiles would amount to "guilt by
association," Chief Justice Thomas Zlaket wrote for the court majority.

Quoting an earlier state appeals court decision, Zlaket wrote that using
profile evidence "creates too high a risk that a defendant will be
convicted not for what he did but for what others are doing."

Lee and a companion were arrested in 1994 after they arrived at Phoenix Sky
Harbor International Airport and bought tickets minutes before a late-night
flight to Chicago was scheduled to leave. A drug-sniffing dog singled out a
suitcase Lee brought with him, and police found more than 4 pounds of
marijuana inside.

A police officer testified that Lee shared several characteristics with
other drug couriers, such as taking the last flight to Chicago, checking in
late and carrying a hard-sided suitcase. Prosecutors used the testimony to
show Lee was knowingly carrying drugs -- although no fingerprints were
found inside the suitcase.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Carrie Nation's Ax Waving (Letter To The Editor Of 'The Houston Chronicle'
By A Former Smoker Suggests That What This Country Is All About
Is The Right To Make Individual Choices Without Fanatics
Waiving An Ax At One's Head)

Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 00:27:55 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US TX: PUB LTE: Carrie Nation's Ax Waving
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Tammera Halphen (webdcyner@sprynet.com)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Contact: viewpoints@chron.com
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Note by Newshawk: This letter was in the Viewpoints section of the
Chronicle but did not appear in the online version.

CARRIE NATION'S AX WAVING

After reading Jim Barlow's column on "Tobacco won't go gently into night"
(Business, May 26), I was struck by the inability of the American populace
to accept responsibility for their own conscious actions and their refusal
to exercise a little common sense.

Everyone keeps repeating the mantra, "Nicotine's addictive. If I smoke,
I'm doomed. If my children breathe second-hand smoke, they'll die an early
death." Well, unless the statistics that are published are true, put out
by the very same people who are trying to tax an entire industry into
extinction, this action is patently unconstitutional the last time I read
the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court decisions regarding the government's
power of taxation. This is not a true mantra, but only the hysterical
ramblings of "people without lives."

Statistics seem to indicate that more people these days do not smoke than
do, that there are more ex-smokers than active smokers and that there
really are people who only smoke socially at parties and social gatherings.

The warning label has been on cigarette packages for 30 years. People can
read.

If you want to quit, do what I did 20 years ago: Wake up, say, "I quit,"
and throw them in the trash can and don't look back. But quit bothering
other people who are making their own individual choices.

After all, isn't that what this country is all about, the right to make
individual choices without Carrie Nation waiving an ax at your head?

L.F. Wilkinson III, Houston
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Rostenkowski Says Country-Club Prisons Are A Myth (Cable News Network
Interviews The Former Congressional Heavyweight From Chicago
After His Release From Prison - 'We Don't Seem To Be Winning The War
Against Drugs, But We've Put A Lot Of Young People Behind Bars')

Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 08:59:57 -0700
From: "Charles P. Conrad" (cpconrad@twow.com)
Subject: Former Drug Warrior changes his tune

Found at the CNN website:

Rostenkowski Says Country-Club Prisons Are a Myth

29-MAY-98

CHICAGO (AP) Former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski doesn't
buy into the belief that white-collar criminals get soft sentences in
comfy prisons. In fact, he says, it's a myth.

The whole concept of so-called country club prisons "has about as much
basis in reality as the Loch Ness monster," the former chairman of the
House Ways and Means Committee said Thursday.

Rostenkowski should know. The 70-year-old former congressman
pleaded guilty in 1996 to two counts of misuse of federal funds and spent
15 months behind bars.

In remarks to the John Howard Association, a prison reform group, he called
it "my Oxford education" a stretch in the federal pen at Oxford, Wis.

"It was a difficult adjustment, going from days outside that were overstuffed
with activity to days inside where time dragged," Rostenkowski said. He went
from being chief architect of congressional tax policy to a prisoner
responsible chiefly for watching the pressure gauge on a water tank.

To pass the time, he read books and watched his former
colleagues on C-SPAN while losing 50 pounds. "I shrank physically and grew
mentally while incarcerated."

Rostenkowski said he was surprised by the scope of the federal investigation
that led to his 1996 guilty plea on two counts of misuse of federal funds.
As he has before, Rostenkowski said that he was driven by mounting costs to
plead guilty.

"No matter how powerful you may have been, the government can outgun you in
every case," he said. "Once you are in their sights, they hunt you like a
wounded animal."

Rostenkowski was released from a Chicago halfway house Oct.
15 and returned to his home in his old neighborhood. In March, he announced
plans to serve as a political analyst for a Chicago TV station.

He said some officials who ran the prisons at Oxford and
Rochester, Minn., where he also was an inmate, did a good job under
difficult circumstances. He said others were primarily interested in
"celebrating their authority."

Rostenkowski said mandatory sentences and "draconian"
three-strikes-and-you're-out laws won't solve the crime problem. "We don't
seem to be winning the war against drugs, but
we've put a lot of young people behind bars," he said.

He admitted he must bear part of the blame for the harsh laws. "I voted for
them when I was in Congress," he said. "I swept along with the rhetoric on
getting tough on crime. I deferred to colleagues who had stronger opinions
but little more expertise than I did."

***

Non-Testers List (NTList) news list. A consumer guide to anti-drug testing
companies. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6443/ntl.html
To Join or Leave NTList send "join ntlist" or "leave ntlist" in the TEXT
area to: ntlist-request@fornits.com Don't forget "ntlist" in your
command. For Help, just send "help". List owner: thehemperor@webtv.net
(JR Irvin)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

LSD Threat Called Hoax ('Standard-Times' Says The 'Blue Star'
Urban Myth Has Resurfaced In New Bedford, Massachusetts)
Link to earlier story
Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 00:28:27 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US MA: LSD Threat Called Hoax Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Newshawk: John Smith Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998 Source: Standard-Times (MA) Contact: YourView@S-T.com Website: http://www.s-t.com/ Author: David Rising, Standard-Times staff LSD THREAT CALLED HOAX NEW BEDFORD -- It sounds like every parent's worst nightmare. Depraved drug dealers are selling LSD to school children in the form of press-on tattoos that sport either blue stars or pictures of Bart Simpson, Superman, Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters. But the seemingly nefarious plot to get youngsters hooked on hallucinogens is a hoax. And quite a prolific one, at that. Commonly called the "Blue Star Hoax," the warning has surfaced in the last 17 years in New York, California, North Carolina, and Texas, to name a few states, and as far away as South Africa, Italy and Germany. "This Blue Star LSD is a false rumor and it is believed to have started in 1981," said Agent Pamela Mersky of the Drug Enforcement Agency's New England Field Division in Boston. "Hundreds of incidents of this Blue Star hoax have been documented." Now there is another one. Recently, a student at the Campbell Elementary School brought in a leaflet warning of the drug's distribution, and gave it to Principal Mario Jardin. Alarmed by the message, Mr. Jardin copied the leaflet and sent it home with his students. It seemed like the right thing to do. "It appeared to be extremely legitimate, and a couple of years ago we had a warning like that as well," Mr. Jardin said. "It's terrible when you can't believe anyone anymore." He said he will soon be circulating a new memo explaining the situation. But the Blue Star hoax didn't die at Campbell Elementary. The warning, in an abbreviated form, found its way to the cable access television bulletin board on channels 17 and 18, and has been shown for the last week or two. Yesterday, when informed it was a hoax, the station manager said it would be taken off the air immediately. The Blue Star-LSD warning is a hoax that plays on people's earnest desire to warn others of great peril -- much like the rampant Internet virus warnings telling people not to open e-mail slugged "Good Times" or the like. "This is a new way of selling drugs by appealing to young children!" the pamphlet reads. It tells parents that a form of tattoo called "Blue Star" is being sold to school children. The tattoo is a small piece of paper soaked in LSD, it says, which can be absorbed through the skin through handling. There are other brightly colored paper tattoos, the pamphlet goes on, that resemble postage stamps and have the pictures of popular cartoon characters. "If your child gets any of the above do not handle them," the pamphlet reads. "These are known to react quickly and some are laced with strychnine." The warning is attributed to J. O'Donell of the Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. A secretary with the hospital's out-patient chemical dependency department said yesterday that the hoax had been around for at least 10 years, and the hospital just wished it would go away. "The only information I have is that there is no association of a J. O'Donell with the hospital, and there is no validity to the pamphlet," she said. Like most urban legends, there is a thread of truth to the "Blue Star" hoax. According to the DEA, LSD has been known to have been distributed on "blotter" paper stamped with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters. That LSD is ingested, however, not absorbed through the skin. As of 1996, no LSD-tattoo incidents had been documented in the United States, Agent Mersky said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

News Of The Marijuana Education Summit In Orlando
(Marijuana Policy Project In Washington, DC, Forwards An Inspiring Account
About Florida Activists Whose Counter-Demonstration Took The Wind
From The Sails Of Bill Bennett And Other Know-Nothings
At The Marijuana Education Summit, A 'Seminar' Wednesday For 400 Police,
School And Youth Officials Fighting The Legalization Of Pot
For Medical Purposes)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 10:53:13 EDT
Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org
Reply-To: MPP@MPP.ORG
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: Marijuana Policy Project (MPP@MPP.ORG)
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: News of the Marijuana Education Summit in Orlando
Organization: Marijuana Policy Project

Dear friends,

Toni Leeman of Florida asked me to forward this to DRCNet. She scored
big!

About 2 weeks ago, she called me to lament about this anti-marijuana
conference. I assured her that it was actually a golden opportunity,
and she took charge to prove it to be so. She and her Florida
colleagues are champions. This is the kind of activism that should be
emulated nationwide.

Chuck Thomas
Director of Communications
Marijuana Policy Project

***

Subject: News of the Marijuana Education Summit in Orlando
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 08:01:45 EDT
From: Calmmfl@aol.com

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We went into the belly of the beast at the Marijuana Education Summit in
Orlando and created some ulcers that will long fester. Their press conference
showcasing Bill Bennett was eclipsed by our conference with a handful of
patients outside (where they had relegated us) in the parking lot. All four
t.v. stations ran the story with most of the minute slanted towards us. They
were still replaying the stories the following day on both the morning and
noon newscasts.

The garbage they were spewing sounded like we had gone back to the times of
reefer madness. I kid you not, they had a brochure which claimed that if
marijuana were made legal, crimes including rape and robbery and homicide
would increase. Their brochure had a lovely little saying "You don't win a
war by treating the wounded." How compassionate. And the worst offense (and
there were plenty) was the comments of one speaker that "marijuana caused
AIDS." She then specifically referred to Greg (see article forwarded below)
and claimed that maybe if he hadn't smoked marijuana he wouldn't have gotten
AIDS.

Irvin Rosenfeld, Elvy Musikka, Greg Scott, Paul Adams (from Daytona Beach)
were all in top form, and we believe we were able to plant the seeds of doubt
in many (well, maybe some) minds of those who attended this hyped up
propaganda fest, as well as the thousands of citizens in McCollum country!
Toni Leeman

Coalition Advocating Medical Marijuana

Subject: News of the Marijuana Education Summit in Orlando
Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 20:16:08 -0400
From: Greg Scott (mgscott@bellsouth.net)
To: gscott@iglss.org

I managed to keep my cool until they started questioning the competence
of my two excellent doctors. The insults lit a fire beneath the Malcom Q
kettle-- and eventually that kettle always blows.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/0528pot.htm

The postscript to this story -- for those who haven't already heard --
is that I later had an opportunity to challenge Dr. Cohan's
interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath. Stepping up to the mike when
questions were invited, I asked if he was confident advocating prison
for patients who found marijuana the most effective therapy for their
condition would indeed "do no harm." He responded that he was not
advocating arresting patients. I had already been led away from the
mike, and hotel security had already warned me that if I disrupted the
meeting again they would "remove me." But all I could think about were
the patients who really are in jail -- some serving mandatory minimums
of five or ten years while rapists are paroled in two. I turned on my
heel, faced the doctor and pointed accusatorily as I yelled "But that's
exactly what you're doing. You're saying 'Arrest the patients!"

As if on cue that's exactly what four burly Orange County sheriff's
deputies did after they strong-armed me from the room.

The Marijuana Education Summit was was a state sponsored meeting
underwritten by tax money. Members of the coalition had approached
organizers long ago and asked to be included in the program with no
success. We were universally derided and treated with open hostility
from the opening minutes of the conference. We were not allowed any
reasonable opportunity to present our views. Under these circumstances I
do not regret my "disruptive" behavior, the night in jail, or the charge
I must face in court next month.

After all, they could bust through my door any day and take me away for
ten.

And until we change the law or they take me away, the whistle on this
kettle is going to keep on blowing.

Until the weed is freed...

mgs

Greg Scott
920 SW 19th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315-1926

***

Please support the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies
Impartial Research. Unbiased Analysis. Thinking for the Future.
Point your browser to http://www.iglss.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hemp Fans Want Government To Legalize Crop (Excerpt Of 'Associated Press'
Article From 'The Houston Chronicle' Says Several More Groups,
Including The NAIHC And The Resource Conservation Alliance,
Are Preparing To Petition The DEA Anew To Legalize Industrial Hemp)
Link to earlier story
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 10:01:56 -0700 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US: Hemp Fans Want Government to Legalize Crop Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: BulldogUSA@aol.com Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Contact: viewpoints@chron.com Website: http://www.chron.com/ Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998 Author: Curt Anderson - AP HEMP FANS WANT GOVERNMENT TO LEGALIZE CROP WASHINGTON - Hemp is not dope. It will not get people stoned unless smoked in massive quantities and its strong fibers can be used in 25,000 ways from construction material to paper to clothing. It also just might make a few farmers feel a financial high. But right now, the federal government bans cultivation of industrial hemp and considers it a controlled substance, no different from its hallucinogenic cousin, marijuana. Several groups, including the NAIHC and the Resource Conservation Alliance, want to change that. They are preparing to petition the DEA to drop hemp from the controlled substance list. They also want the Agriculture Dept. to set up a system of certifying hempseed and licensing farmers. (The article goes on about hemp history, McCaffrey quotes, C. Theilen quotes, Canadian plans, hemp uses and benefits.) "While the rest of the world is jumping on the hemp bandwagon, American agriculture is being held hostage to obsolete thinking." said Jeffrey Gain, a hemp proponent and former chief of the National Corn Growers Assoc. "It's a legitimate crop with enormous economic and environmental potential."
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Nutritional Benefits Of Hemp Seeds (From The May Issue Of 'Hemp' Magazine)

Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 22:23:04 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Nutritional Benefits of Hemp Seeds
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John E. Dvorak, Managing Editor, Hemp Magazine
Source: Hemp Magazine
Author: Ann Fleischmann (ann@foodart.org)
Pubdate: May, 1998
Contact: boston.hemp@pobox.com

Editor's note: In a first for this service, Mr. Dvorak has supplied us with
a number of articles from the current issue of Hemp Magazine. We will
distribute some over the next few weeks. We would welcome similar
submissions from other magazines. A number of articles from past issues of
Hemp Magazine are available at http://www.marijuananews.com/hemp.htm

-- Richard Lake, Sr. Editor, DrugSense News Service (rlake@mapinc.org)

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF HEMP SEEDS
by Ann Fleischmann
May 29, 1998
From the May Issue of Hemp Magazine

The seed of the hemp plant is one of the most nutritious foods available to
humans and animals. It is a complete protein source, containing all of the
essential amino acids. It is also an ideal source of the two essential
fatty acids (EFA).

Nutrients are considered essential when they are necessary for health but
cannot be made by the body. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain them from
the foods in our diet. There are about 50 essential nutrients for human
health, including: 2 essential fatty acids (fats), 8 essential amino acids
(proteins), 13 vitamins, 20-21 minerals, a source of energy (calories),
water, oxygen, and light. Foods usually contain some, but not all, of the
nutrients we need, which is why variety is the spice of life. Deficiencies
in the essential nutrients are detrimental to health, and they are
surprisingly common among affluent nations. Over 60% of North Americans get
less than the recommended daily amount of one or more essential nutrients.
This is because affluent nations consume large amounts of highly processed
foods, including refined flour, rice, sugar, and fats. The refining
processes strip away most of the vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty
acids, leaving the calories without the nutrients. Affluent nations also
consume more animal foods in relation to plant foods, which can also cause
imbalances in essential nutrients. (1)

In our bodies, essential amino acids and EFAs work together synergistically
to produce life's energies. They combine to form lipoproteins which make up
the cell membranes of every cell in our bodies. Lipoproteins also form the
hemoglobin in our blood and move fats through our bodies. To maintain
healthy bodies, it's important to balance our intake of protein and
essential fatty acids. The average North American consumes too much protein
and not enough EFAs to balance them out, which can lead to protein
toxicity. Increasing EFAs in the diet can decrease the toxicity of extra
protein, and also reverse many of the common health problems we have today,
including heart disease and cancer. (1)

The hemp seed is a rare source of plant food because it contains all of the
essential amino acids in an easily digestible form, plus both of the
essential fatty acids in the ideal ratio for human health. This is why some
populations have been able to survive on hemp seeds alone during times of
famine. (2)

Protein

The number of vegetarians and meat-reducers in this country is steadily
increasing, bringing an increased demand for good sources of plant protein.
In the past, government recommendations led people to believe that animal
foods were required in order to get complete proteins. We now know this to
be false; plant foods can easily provide all the protein we need.
Populations all over the world maintain excellent health by eating plant
based diets. North Americans actually consume 2-3 times the recommended
daily allowance (RDA) for protein, and the RDA represents over twice as
much as our bodies actually need. The RDA for protein for a 174 pound male
is about 63 grams; for a 138 pound woman about 50 grams. Nutritionists and
health professionals now consistently recommend the health benefits of
diets high in plant foods (grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and
seeds) and low in animal products.

There are a few plant foods that are excellent sources of complete
proteins, containing all the essential amino acids in a single source. The
most commonly used is the soybean. Soybeans can be made into many different
foods to replace animal products in the diet, and are a staple food for
many people.

Hemp seed is another great plant source of complete proteins, considered
equal or superior to soy protein. (2) Hemp seeds have a delicious, nutty
flavor, and can be made into a vast array of different products. These
include: hemp seed oil, hemp milk, hemp tofu and tempeh, hemp cheese, hemp
ice cream, hemp flour, hemp beer, and more. Whole hemp seeds contain about
23% protein; dehulled seeds contain around 30-31%. (8) Dehulled hemp seeds
have the outer fibrous shell removed, which is done to make products like
hemp milk, cheese, and tofu. Hemp seeds contain all 8 essential amino acids
for adults, plus three other amino acids that are considered essential for
children and infants. Table 1 lists the protein breakdown for a typical
batch of hemp seeds.

Another benefit of the protein in hemp seeds is that it contains the
highest amount (65%) of edestin protein among plant seeds. (2,3) This is a
form that is easily digested and utilized by the body. Edestin is a type of
globular protein, classified by their globe-like shapes. All enzymes and
antibodies in the body are globular proteins, as are many of the proteins
found in blood and hormones. These proteins carry out many of the important
life functions in our bodies. (3) Animal feeding studies have found that
edestin proteins are capable of serving as the sole source of protein in
animal diets. (2) Because of their high quality protein, hemp seeds were
used like soybeans for premium cattle feed in the United States, until they
became unavailable in the 1950's. As more people are getting more of their
protein from plants, it makes sense to look at the plant foods that provide
the best nutrition for other herbivores.

Fat

Fats, or fatty acids, come in many different forms. Natural fatty acids are
either saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated, depending on the
number of double bonds in the molecule. Saturated fats have no double
bonds, making them straight chain molecules which tend to stick together.
An excess of saturated fatty acids in the diet can cause diseases of the
heart and arteries. (1) Monounsaturated fats have one double bond, which
makes the shape of the molecule slightly bent. These fats have less
tendency to stick together and are more fluid at body temperatures.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond, so they are
even more bent in shape and more fluid, or less sticky. The ratio of these
fats in our diets is important; polyunsaturated fats in the diet help to
fluidize the saturated fats so our bodies can effectively transport and
process them. (1)

Of all of these natural fats, only two are essential in our diets, and they
are both polyunsaturated. Linoleic acid (LA) has two double bonds and is
also know as the omega-6 fatty acid. Alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) has three
double bonds and is known as the omega-3 fatty acid. The fact that these
two fats are essential in our diets is dangerously ignored in America
today. Americans have caught on to the fact that high amounts of some fats
can cause health problems, but the rush to eliminate harmful fats from the
diet has lead to a low-fat craze where any and all fat is viewed as taboo.
The truth is that we absolutely need the essential fats in our diet every
day; health problems come from eating too much of the wrong fat, and too
little of the right fat. (1)

Many of the diseases that afflict developed nations, including heart
disease and cancer, have shown dramatic increases in the last century.
Researchers are now recognizing that the increases in these diseases
probably correspond to overall changes in our diets; especially the
consumption of processed fats and excessive amounts of animal products.
Many of our current health problems are thought to be related to fatty
degeneration diseases, which come from eating too much bad fat and not
enough good fat. The topic is too large to cover in this article, but an
excellent source for the complete story on fats is "Fats that Heal, Fats
that Kill" by Udo Erasmus. (1)

One of the problems with our current dietary fat is that the ratio of
saturated fat is often too high. The main source of saturated fat is animal
products, while plants are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The
second problem with dietary fat is our heavy consumption of refined and
processed fats. These fats usually start off with good sources of plant
oils, high in polyunsaturates. However the processes used to make them more
shelf-stable can convert them from nutrients into toxins. (1)

Because essential fatty acids contain two or three double bonds, they are
inherently unstable, and easily react with heat, light, and oxygen. These
reactions can convert them from healthy molecules into unhealthy ones. In
order to obtain oil that is nutritious, plant seeds should be processed
with great care in the absence of heat, light, and oxygen, then stored in
opaque bottles at reduced temperatures. Unfortunately, the processing of
most commercially available oils is the exact opposite. Manufacturers are
concerned with making fats and oils more stable, so they have a long
shelf-life and can be stored for up to a year without turning rancid. They
often subject natural oils to severe processing with high heat and
chemicals, with no care to exclude light or oxygen. These processes remove
the unstable molecules, which, unfortunately, are also the nutrients. The
end result is drastic changes in our fats. Refined oils have had many of
the nutrients stripped away, and some toxic compounds can be formed. A
worse case is partially hydrogenated oils, where almost all of the
nutrients are removed with the formation of large amounts of unnatural
molecules that can be extremely toxic to our bodies, including high amounts
of trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids were once essential fatty acids
whose double bonds have been morphed into a form that is not usually found
in nature. These fats are no longer bent in shape and no longer function in
the roles of essential fatty acids, but instead function like saturated
fats. Margarines and shortenings are partially hydrogenated oils, and most
contain high amounts of trans-fatty acids. (1)

Neither monounsaturated nor saturated fats are essential in our diets
because our bodies can make them from the essential fatty acids. We use
them primarily for calories. EFAs, on the other hand, have many vital
functions in the body, including the oxidation of food into life energy,
oxygen transport, and the formation of the molecules in blood and cell
membranes of every cell in the body. EFAs, especially LNA, are often
deficient in the diets of North Americans, due to our consumption of highly
processed, refined fats and animal fats. Deficiencies in EFAs can lead to
deficiency symptoms (see Table 2) and contribute to fatty degeneration
diseases. The reintroduction of these nutrients into the diet can reverse
these conditions. We require the essential fatty acids at minimum amounts
of 1-2% of the calories in our diet to prevent deficiency disease.
Researchers such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Udo Erasmus believe that the
optimum amounts of EFAs are much higher, and both recommend the health
benefits of including hemp seed oil in the diet (1,5). Optimum amounts of
the two essential amino acids are in the range of 9-18 grams or about 1
tablespoon for LA, and between 2-9 grams or 1-2 teaspoons for LNA. (1)

The oil of hemp seeds is an ideal source of the two essential fatty acids.
The seeds contain about 35% oil. The oil contains about 75-80% essential
fatty acids. Hemp seed oil is also the only oil which has these two EFAs in
the ideal ratio for human health: 3 parts LA to 1 part LNA. (1,5) Hemp seed
oil typically contains 56.9% LA and 18.9% LNA. (7) The daily addition of
1-2 tablespoons of hemp seed oil in the diet can provide all the essential
fatty acids needed for optimum health. Hemp seed oil production is
increasing because of it's health benefits, so better care is taken to
process virgin hemp seed oil that is cold pressed in the absence of heat,
light, or oxygen. However, it is always best to look into the processing
methods of individual oil producers.

Hemp seed oil is also one of the few plant sources of gamma-linolenic acid
(GLA). This is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that can be made by the body
from LA, however, production of GLA may be impaired due to stress or aging,
and dietary GLA is thought to be beneficial for preventing or treating
certain health conditions, (6) including premenstrual syndrome (PMS). (8)
The fatty acid breakdown of hemp seed oil is listed in Table 3.

Nutrition experts such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Udo Erasmus are strong
supporters of the therapeutic benefits of including hemp seed oil in the
diet. (1,5) But hemp seeds are valuable for more than just the oil. The
seeds contain about 35% oil high in essential fatty acids and 23% complete
plant protein, and can be grown organically. Hemp improves the soil and
helps reduce pests. All of these factors make hemp an ideal food crop, not
only for a diet which sustains our health, but also for agriculture which
sustains the health of our planet.

Table 1: Protein Breakdown of Hemp Seeds (7)

Amino Acid mg/g seeds

Phosphoserine		0.9
Aspartic Acid		19.8
Glutamic Acid		34.8
*Threonine		3.7
Serine			8.6
Proline			7.3
Glycine			9.7
Alanine			9.6
*Valine			3.0
Cystine + Cysteine	1.2
*Methionine		2.6
Cystathionine		0.9
*Isoleucine		1.5
*Leucine		7.1
Tyrosine		5.8
*Phenylalanine		3.5
*Tryptophan		0.6
Ethanolamine		0.4
*Lysine			4.3
**Histidine		2.5
**Arginine		18.8

* essential amino acids
**essential for children

Table 2: Symptoms of Fatty Acid Deficiencies (1)

LA Deficiency Symptoms
eczema like skin eruptions
loss of hair
liver degeneration
behavioral disturbances
kidney degeneration
excessive water loss through the skin accompanied by thirst
drying up of glands
susceptibility to infection
failure of wound healing
sterility in males
miscarriages in females
arthritis-like conditions
hearth and circulatory problems
growth retardation

LNA Deficiency Symptoms

growth retardation
weakness
impairment of vision & learning disability
motor incoordination
tingling sensations in arms & legs
behavioral changes
high triglycerides
high blood pressure
sticky platelets
tissue inflammation
edema
dry skin
mental deterioration
low metabolic rate
some kinds of immune dysfunction

Table 3: Fatty Acid Breakdown of Hemp Seeds (7)

Component Name
Carbon Chain
% of Total Chain Fatty Acids

Palmitic Acid			C16:0 6.1
Palmitoleic Acid		C16:1 0.3
Heptadecanoic Acid		C17:0 0.2
Stearic Acid			C18:0 2.1
Oleic Acid			C18:1 12.0
*Linoleic Acid (LA)		C18:2 56.9
*Linolenic Acid (LNA)		C18:3 18.9
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)	C18:3 1.7
Arachidic Acid			C20:0 0.5
Eicosenoic Acid			C20:1 0.3
Behenic Acid			C22:0 0.3
Erucic Acid			C22:1 0.2
Lignoceric Acid			C24:0 0.3
Nervonic Acid			C24:1 0.2

*essential fatty acid

C18:0 has 18 carbons in a chain and no double bonds - (saturated).
C18:1 has 18 carbons and 1 double bond - (mono-unsaturated)
LA, LNA and GLA have 18 carbons and 2 or 3 double bonds
(polyunsaturated)

REFERENCES:

(1) Erasmus, U. 1993. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill. Alive Books. 7436
Fraser Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

(2) Jones, K. 1995. Nutritional and Medicinal Guide to Hemp seed.
Rainforest Botanical Laboratory. P.O. Box 1793, Gibsons, BC, Canada V0N 1V0.

(3) Osburn, L. 1992. Hemp Seed: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food
Source in the World : Part One. Hemp Line Journal, Vol 1. No. 1., pp14-15.

(4) Osburn, L. 1992. Hemp Seed: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food
Source in the World: Part Two: Hemp Seed Oils and the Flow of Life Force.
Hemp Line Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp12-13, 21.

(5) Weil, A., 1993. Therapeutic hemp oil. Natural Health, March/April,
pp10-12.

(6) Deferne, J. and Pate, D., 1997. Hemp Seed Oil: A Source of Valuable
Essential Fatty Acids. Hemp Magazine, Oct, pp19-20.

(7) Das, A. Original Sources. Boulder, CO.

(8) Rose, R. Rella Good Cheese Co., Santa Rosa, CA.

Copyright 1998 Hemp Magazine. Redistributed by The Media Awareness Project
of DrugSense by permission.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

A Failed War On Drugs (Two Letters To The Editor Of 'The Washington Post'
Take Issue With General Barry McCaffrey, The Drug Czar)

Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 00:19:07 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: PUB LTEs: A Failed War On Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: emr@javanet.com (Dick Evans)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: Washington Post
Contact: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

A FAILED WAR ON DRUGS

Give me a break, Gen. McCaffrey! Saying that we would send the wrong message
to the children if the federal government funded needle exchange programs
has got to be one of the most absurd bits of reasoning I have ever heard.
For the reader who has not kept up on this subject, I am referring to the
May 18 news story "Drug Policy Chief Is Facing Some New Foes."

Ask any child about getting a shot, and you will quickly see the defect in
this latest defense of the war on drugs. Oh, excuse me, it is a cancer now.
The war on drugs is a complete and utter failure, so now we should call it a
cancer. It does not take much time or thought to break down that metaphor
either.

Face reality. It is time to stop this self-destructive war on our own
people, starting with the repeal of marijuana prohibition. People have to be
responsible for their actions and the consequences of their actions. We need
to start an open dialogue on how to best implement drug-law reform.

Finally no one condones or supports drug abuse, but what we are doing today
is counterproductive.

ROBERT R. RYAN Salisbury, Md.


Why do we have a military general to wage a war on drugs? He is waging a war
on American citizens. Put this issue back to the surgeon general's office
where it belongs as a health issue. No more drug war! Give peace a chance.

BILL HARPER Lexington, Ky.

Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Operation Casablanca's Sting (A Translation Via 'World Press Review'
Of A Political Column In Mexico City's 'Reforma' Which Says
What Is Surprising About The Exchanges Between The United States
And Mexico In The Aftermath Of The Sting Is Not The Arrogance
Of The US Government But The Unusual Vigor Shown By President Zedillo
In Protesting US Violations Of Mexican Sovereignty)

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 01:28:21 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Mexico: Operation Casablanca's Sting
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Source: Reforma (Mexico) (via World Press Review)
Website: http://www.reforma.com.mx/
Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jul 1998

From Reforma, May 29, 1998 Published in World Press Review, August, 1998
Page 48

OPERATION CASABLANCA'S STING

In Operation Casablanca, billed as the biggest international sting
operation in history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
charged three of Mexico's largest banks with laundering millions in drug
money for Mexican and Colombian cartels. Mexican officials called it a
national insult: Whatever the banks had done, they said, Mexican
authorities should have been informed of U.S. police activities in their
territory. Here political Adolfo Aguilar Zinser expresses his anguished
ambivalence about the incident. - WPR

Until the U.S. launched Operation Casablanca to catch money-launderers in
Mexico, President Ernesto Zedillo had never been so stung by U.S.
violations of Mexico's sovereignty. After issuing a cautious diplomatic
note, Zedillo followed up in very concrete and undiplomatic language,
publicly charging the U.S. government with giving its agents free rein in
Mexico without informing Mexican authorities.

Far from offering an apology. President Bill Clinton told Zedillo he was
awfully sorry to have to treat Mexico in this way but his government could
not inform ours about its covert operations, and these operations would be
repeated as often as necessary in Mexico and anywhere else in the world. A
State Department spokesman added that Mexico should worry less about
formalities and more about actually combating drug trafficking.

What is surprising about these exchanges is not the arrogance of the U.S.
government but the unusual vigor shown by Zedillo in this case. Instead of
taking refuge in diplomatic niceties, Zedillo insisted that the two
countries seek a way to restore sovereignty through a commitment by the
U.S. to respect binational agreements on the exchange of information and to
punish U.S. agents who have violated the law. Foreign Minister Rosario
Green says that the Americans have been asked for detailed information
about their operations in Mexico. So far, the demands by Mexican officials
have had little substance. They are like the daredevil stunts of a
bullfighter trying to impress the crowd. Does the Foreign Ministry really
believe that the U.S. Justice Department is going to humbly hand its agents
over to Mexican authorities so that the offending agents can serve time in
prison?

U.S. agents in Mexico enjoy complete immunity from prosecution by Mexican
authorities. If a DEA agent were to be detained by a Mexican officer, the
Camarena syndrome would explode all over again, and the U.S. government
would accuse Mexico of kidnapping. [U.S.-Mexican relations hit a low in
1985, when DEA agent Enrique Camarena was killed in Guadalajara. The U.S.
accused Mexican officials of collaborating with drug dealers in Camarena's
murder. -WPR.] It is absurd to talk about protecting sovereignty through
actions that the Mexican government will never dare to take.

If Mexico had any guts, it would stop observing bilateral agreements on
information exchange. Secondly, it would suspend ratification of additional
protocols to the extradition treaty signed by both countries. And thirdly,
Mexico would ask the U.S. to recall all of its police agents stationed in
Mexico. Surely some of those agents were involved in Operation Casablanca.
But it will be hard to prove it or to detain them for investigation.

Zedillo's government lacks the political credibility to defend its
sovereignty. The reason that the U.S. claims it is necessary to maintain
the secrecy of its covert anti-drug operations is the risk that if the
Mexican authorities find out, those actions would be sabotaged by the
corruption prevailing in the Mexican government and the complicity of the
police with drug traffickers. In other words, the only way to guarantee our
sovereignty is to leave no doubt about the capacity of our political
institutions to combat corruption on their own. The Zedillo administration
is not doing that.

Much has been written recently about why the U.S. gave full media exposure
to the results of a covert operation that has overstepped its bounds and
threatened the entire Mexican financial system, a system that the U.S.
itself has spent billions shoring up. For many Mexicans, the motives for
Casablanca are questionable. Little has been said, however, about what may
have suddenly inspired Zedillo to react with such patriotic zeal. Would it
be wrongheaded to suspect that the president's defense of our sovereignty
is not very sincere either, that his real motive is to conceal the
corruption thriving at the highest levels of power in Mexico? The lack of
credibility and moral authority of our government isthe true enemy of our
sovereignty.

-- Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, "Reforma" (independent), Mexico City, May 29, 1998
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Melon Boxes From China Filled With Drugs ('Canadian Press'
Notes The Biggest Heroin Bust By Customs Officers This Year,
More Than 10 Kilograms Of Heroin Seized On The Waterfront
In Vancouver, British Columbia)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Melon boxes from China filled with drugs
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 16:15:32 -0700
Lines: 19

May 29, 1998

Melon boxes from China filled with drugs

VANCOUVER (CP) -- Revenue Canada revealed Friday it has made a major
heroin seizure on the Vancouver waterfront.

More than 10 kilograms of the drug were discovered hidden in a
container carrying a shipment of melons from China.

The drugs were seized April 17 after an X-ray of the boxes in the
container.

The heroin was in condoms bound with tape and stuffed in a duffel bag
inside one of the melon boxes.

Revenue Canada said this is the largest seizure of heroin made by
customs officers this year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Halton Drug Raid A Bust (Columnist Andrew Dreschel
In 'The Hamilton Spectator' In Ontario Says Halton Police Spent About $6,000
To Mount The Recently Disclosed Drug Sting At Oakville's
General Wolfe High School, But The Total Street Value Of The Marijuana,
Hashish And Magic Mushrooms Seized In The Two-Month Covert Investigation
Is Only About $1,000 - Not Much Bhang For The Buck)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 22:04:13 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Canada: Halton Drug Raid A Bust
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Hamilton Spectator (Canada)
Section: Local News A1 / Front Page
Author: Andrew Dreschel
Contact: letters@spectator.southam.ca
Website: http://www.southam.com/hamiltonspectator/
Pubdate: Fri 29 May 1998

HALTON DRUG RAID A BUST

High school sting only netted $1,000 in pot, hash and mushrooms

It cost Halton police about $6,000 to mount the recently disclosed drug
sting at Oakville's General Wolfe High School.

But the total street value of the marijuana, hashish and magic mushrooms
seized in the two-month covert investigation is only about $1,000.

Pardon the pun, but that's not much bhang for the buck, particularly since
the operation raises troubling questions about the invasion of young
people's privacy and rights.

Police say the single biggest drug purchase made by the undercover cop, who
posed as a student, was $125. The average buy was about $20.

In the war against drugs, that's the equivalent of shooting a spit ball
into the face of a hurricane, especially when you consider the measly
seizures were spread out among 14 students.

Despite the penny ante nature of the haul, police believe the operation
scored big.

They not only laid trafficking charges against 14 teenagers, they think
they've got an effective deterrent on their hands. The idea is to make all
school dealers worry that their next sale might be to a narc.

Too bad the price tag for the initiative includes using deceit and
deception in an institution that's supposed to instill positive social
values as well as educate the young.

Neither Halton police nor the Halton District School Board, whose
co-operation made the sting possible, are apologizing for the aggressive
investigation.

``Not everyone agrees with what we did, but we can live with that,'' says
police spokesman Sergeant Frank Phillips.

``We're making the public and students aware that trafficking is going on
and that people are going to have to be accountable for their actions.''

Tom Adams, principal of both General Wolfe and White Oaks high school, says
as many as 10 parents have called to express their support for the sting,
and the majority of his students feel the same way.

He says negative reaction from a small number of students who personally
know some of those charged is already softening.

Adams acknowledges he had some moral qualms about allowing secret police
surveillance in his school. But he believes the vast majority of students
who aren't doing anything wrong have nothing to fear.

There's no question that drug use by students is a troubling issue for
police, parents and school officials who are justifiably worried it may be
hampering learning and contributing to crimes such as break and enters.

But the use of undercover officers in school is no less disturbing than
bringing drug-sniffing dogs into schools, another aggressive tactic used by
Halton police.

Police and school officials may have the very best of intentions, but we
don't judge people by their intentions, we judge them by their actions. And
these kind of actions demean all students by treating them with less
respect than adults.

Imagine the outcry if it came to light that other publicly funded
institutions were employing the same heavy-handed tactics. Imagine
undercover cops masquerading as employees in hospitals, universities,
colleges and government offices.

Picture your reaction if you found out your private sector boss is
permitting undercover operatives to scope out potential drug action in your
workplace.

Would you still take the view that if you've done nothing wrong, you've
nothing to fear? If so, ask yourself how you feel about urine tests in the
workplace. If you've done nothing wrong, why would you object to them, either?

It's always easier to sacrifice someone else's privacy and rights than our
own. Maybe that's why some people don't think twice about the ethics of
sending an undercover cop into a high school.

After all, doesn't the end justify the means?

As a matter of fact, it doesn't. It's the other way around. The means
always justify the end, for adults and teenage students alike.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Re - Halton Drug Raid A Bust (Letter Sent To The Editor
Of 'The Hamilton Spectator' Praises Andrew Dreschel's Column,
Noting A Survey By The Canadian Centre For Substance Abuse
Suggests That Nonusers Of 'Drugs' Cite Health Concerns
Rather Than The Threat Of Legal Sanctions In Deciding To Abstain)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 13:37:24 -0400
From: Carey Ker (carey.ker@utoronto.ca)
Subject: Sent: Halton drug raid a bust
To: mattalk@islandnet.com

To the editors,

Re: Halton drug raid a bust, May 29, 1998 by Andrew Dreschel

It's funny how the old adage "the more things change, the
more things stay the same" seems to reflect our society's
methodology for dealing with drug use amongst teenagers. For
my money, we haven't progressed very far if the best that we
can offer our children is a good swift metaphorical kick
from a baton-wielding cop intoning our kids to "just say no
to drugs or else!"

I remember the same rationale being applied to the "drug
problem" when I was in high school some thirty years ago.
The most my class-mates ever got out of that was a healthy
disrespect for anything remotely resembling conformity to
some politician's grand notion of "what's best for the
kids."


Why use the full force of the law when it of little proven
deterrence? This only suggests to me that our society's
decision-makers excel at displaying a paucity of good
rigorous thought and an intellectual vacuum when it comes to
determining how to resolve this teenage drugs usage
conundrum. The Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse
(http://www.ccsa.ca) suggests that that nonusers of drugs
cite health concerns rather than the threat of legal
sanctions in deciding to abstain from drugs. Legal sanctions
certainly haven't had any effect on the more than 3 million
Canadians that consume cannabis. Do we really expect to jail
all these citizens?

Would it not make more sense to be inclusive with our
children when it comes to discussing a solution to teenage
drug usage? Would society not be a better place if we all
co-operated rather than setting up this division between the
police and our youth? Is it not time for our state-enforced
"Berlin (drugs) Wall" to come crashing down? A society
populated with "narcs" was not what my parent's generation
fought so valiantly for in World War 2 and it is not a
legacy that I wish to leave to my children.

Bravo Andrew Dreschel for your insight!

Respectfully,
Carey Ker

(the usual snip-snip!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Re - Halton Drug Raid A Bust (Another Letter Sent To The Editor
Of 'The Hamilton Spectator' Also Applauds Dreschel's Column,
Noting There Is Little Evidence Scattered Arrests Of This Sort
Have Any Long Term Effect On Drug Consumption, And May Be
Counterproductive In Creating Resentment Against
The Dominant Culture's Hypocrisy)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 11:41:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Kelly T. Conlon" (conlonkt@mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA)
To: mattalk@islandnet.com
Subject: RE: Halton drug raid a bust (fwd)

-- Forwarded message --
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 11:40:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Kelly T. Conlon" (conlonkt@mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA)
To: letters@spectator.southam.ca
Subject: RE: Halton drug raid a bust

To the editors,

I am in agreement with the sentiments expressed by Andrew Dreschel
concerning the arrest of Oakville area high school students for dealing
drugs, and wish to add some further comments below:

One of the sorry truths of our current war on drugs is that police rarely
catch so-called drug "kingpins". That is because the lucrative profits of
the drug trade create and sustain a sophisticated criminal enterprise.
Instead, our police officers are content to catch low level dealers in the
vain hope that this will "send the right message" to young people.

No one wants drugs in our high schools. However, after decades of trying
to arrest our way out of the drug problem, there is little evidence that
scattered arrests of this sort have any long term effect whatsoever on
patterns of drug consumption, and may in fact be counter productive. It
simply drives the trade of drugs further underground and breeds resentment
among young people towards a culture which glorifies alcohol and tobacco.
This is the wrong message.

Kelly T. Conlon
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Re - Halton Drug Raid A Bust (Local Correspondent Notes Halton Police
Had Their PR Machine On The Radio The Other Day,
Justifying Their Undercover Operation)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 11:27:29 -0400
From: Carey Ker (carey.ker@utoronto.ca)
Subject: Re: Canada: Halton drug raid a bust
To: Matt Elrod (creator@islandnet.com)
cc: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com

Just out of interest -- The Halton Police had their PR
machine on the radio the other day, justifying this
operation. They wanted to let students know that this kind
of behavior would jeopardize their chances of entering
Amerikkka. Sheessh!

Cheers,
Carey
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Drugs Were Smuggled In Clothes - Cops ('Toronto Sun'
Notes Bathtub Smack Has Arrived In Toronto From Afghani Smugglers,
Who Saturated Women's Clothing With High-Grade Heroin
Before Putting It In The Mail - Once It Arrived, The Clothes Were Washed
In Bathtubs And The Crystallized Heroin Collected From The Tubs)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Drugs were smuggled in clothes: Cops
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 16:14:40 -0700
Lines: 39
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Toronto Sun
Contact: editor@sunpub.com
Pubdate: Friday, May 29, 1998

Drugs were smuggled in clothes: Cops

By GEORGE CHRISTOPOULOS, TORONTO SUN

An Afghani smuggling ring saturated women's clothing in high-grade
heroin before putting it in the mail, say the cops who busted the
operation early yesterday.

The police officers who arrested five "Operation Khyber" suspects
during simultaneous raids at six Toronto residences said they may
issue warrants for several other alleged dealers.

The suspects are all refugees or landed immigrants from Afghanistan,
Det.-Sgt. Dave Brownell said.

Brownell said about one kilo of the 90% pure heroin, some marijuana
and cash was seized after a five-month undercover sting.

"The greatest danger is if this drug becomes readily available on the
street ... the criminal activity and human misery will be enormous,"
Brownell said.

He said the potent heroin was refined in Afghanistan -- the world's
second-largest grower of opium poppies -- then saturated in clothing
before it was packaged and sent to Toronto, Montreal and New York.

Police said the accused persuaded Toronto-area women to accept the
mailed packages at their residences. The clothes are washed in
bathtubs and the "crystallized heroin" collected from the tub.

Charged with drug conspiracy and trafficking offences are Masood Jan,
27, of Jameson Ave., Khalilullab Hotaki, 27, of Dawes Rd., Mohammed
Wali Rafiqi, of St. Dennis Dr., and Nazir Wali, 23, and Salem John,
both of Grenoble Dr.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Health Officials Trying To Kill Critical Parts Of Drug Report ('The Toronto Star'
Says It Has Learned That Top Canadian Health Officials
Are Trying To Suppress Parts Of A Secret Report Criticizing
Health Canada's Study Of A Drug That Increases Milk Production In Cows)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 10:51:36 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Canada: Health Officials Trying To Kill
Critical Parts Of Drug Report
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: Toronto Star (Canada)
Page: A6
Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com
Website: http://www.thestar.com/
Author: Laura Eggertson

HEALTH OFFICIALS TRYING TO KILL CRITICAL PARTS OF DRUG REPORT

Scientists Raise Concerns Over Milk Hormone

OTTAWA - Top federal health officials are trying to suppress parts of a
secret report criticizing the department's study of a drug that increases
milk production in cows, The Star has learned.

Health Canada commissioned the internal report in January to review its
study on whether milk from treated cows is safe for people to drink.

The four scientists who wrote the internal report conclude that earlier
Health Canada reviewers didn't ask the U.S. manufacturer for enough data.

Senior Health Canada officials have directed the report's authors to kill
sections that name names and accuse the original drug reviewers of not
being as thorough as the Food and Drugs Act requires.

The controversy surrounding the drug, one of the world's first
genetically-engineered products, has split scientists and poisoned the
atmosphere in the department's health protection branch.

Several scientists have publicly accused their managers of threatening
their jobs and pressuring them into approving drugs they consider unsafe in
order to please industry.

The hormone, called rBST, or recombinant bovine somatropin, is the subject
of an international debate over the possible long-term health risks of
genetically-engineered products, including links to cancer.

Missouri-based Monsanto Inc. manufactures the controversial drug, to be
sold in Canada under the trademark Nutrilac. When injected with the
hormone, the company says cows produce 10 to 15 per cent more milk.

The United States approved the drug four years ago, but the European Union
has banned such hormones. It has yet to be formally approved in Canada.

The Senate agriculture committee will hold hearings on the rBST controversy
beginning next Thursday. Several Progressive Conservative senators have
been pushing for a moratorium on the drug until further studies can be done.

Health Canada's official line is that milk from hormone-treated cows does
not pose any safety risks for people. The department says it is still
reviewing the drug's effects on cows.

But the report makes clear just how divided the department is over the drug.

``Records indicate that the manufacturer of this product did not subject it
to any of the normally required long-term toxicology experimentation and
tests for human safety, nor at any time did the chief of human safety
division, Dr. M. S. Yong, appear to have asked for these tests from this or
any other manufacturer of rBST submissions,'' the report says.

Yong and two of his superiors have written memos this month directing the
report's authors to kill sections that name names and accuse the original
drug reviewers of not being as thorough as the Food and Drugs Act requires.

Yong's memo also dismisses the team's scientific concerns and accuses
members of being biased. Yong had signed off on the majority of the reports
ruling that milk from rBST-treated cows is safe to drink.

``There is no reason for more exhaustive and longer toxicological studies
in laboratory animals just because rBST is a hormone. This statement
reflects the team's prejudice against hormones in general and rBST in
particular,'' Yong writes.

Four senators have asked for a copy of the report and have been refused, as
was The Star.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

At What Point Will You Surrender? (Letter To The Editor
Of 'The Calgary Sun' Responds To The Editor's Parenthetical Remark
Regarding The Drug War)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: PUB LTE: At what point will you surrender?
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 08:11:25 -0700
Lines: 14
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Calgary Sun
Contact: callet@sunpub.com
Pubdate: May 29, 1998
Comment: Parenthetical remarks by the Sun editor
Link to editor's 'No surrender' comment
At what point will you surrender? Five years from now? Fifty years from now? Never? Don't you agree the war on drugs is worse than drugs themselves? Of course you do, it's the only sensible conclusion. So, why not surrender? Kirk Nechamkin (No, we don't agree with your conclusion.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Helicopter Giants Battle Over Colombian Drug Missions ('Defense Daily' Version
Of A Previously Reported Story About How Military Suppliers Influence
How The War On Some Drugs Will Be Carried Out)
Link to earlier story
Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 01:05:55 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US: Helicopter Giants Battle Over Colombian Drug Missions Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David) Source: Defense Daily Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998 Section: Pg. 4 Author: Chuck Steele HELICOPTER GIANTS BATTLE OVER COLOMBIAN DRUG MISSIONS While Congress and the State Department quarrel over the release of $36 million to equip the Colombian National Police (CNP) with three UH-60L Black Hawk utility helicopters, Sikorsky [UTX]--the manufacturer of the UH-60--and Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] are scuffling over the appropriate mix of helicopters needed to fly counter-drug operations in the beleaguered nation.
Link to earlier story
Though the issues related to helicopter support for the CNP's counter-drug operations were supposed to have been resolved late last year, the State Department's current reluctance to spend the $36 million Congress earmarked for the CNP has led to another round of acrimonious debate. On Capitol Hill, a vocal and powerful segment of Congress is adamant that the money be spent on the purchase of the three Black Hawks and all that has been deemed necessary for their support. Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations, sent Thomas Pickering, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, a letter late last month both imploring him to provide the CNP with Black Hawks and warning him of serious consequences should the administration refuse. In the letter Gilman plainly urged Pickering to provide the CNP with helicopters that are more capable than Colombia's Bell UH-1s. "It makes no sense to merely upgrade 40-year-old equipment that is already grounded or not operating, and which cannot survive crashes or ground fire as well as the Black Hawk," he wrote. Additionally, Gilman warned Pickering and the Clinton administration that the $36 million would have no other use if it is not to be expended on the Black Hawks. According to Gilman, "[i]f the Administration continues to block the delivery of Black Hawk helicopters, I will exercise my option to hold the obligation of any State Department reprogramming requests dealing with $36 million provided in the FY 1998 foreign operations appropriations bill."
Link to earlier story
One Congressional source is confident that the impasse will be resolved in favor of fielding the Black Hawks--because he believes the UH-60s are the best equipment for the task. "When you have a limited number of good men who are trained and capable of flying in hostile combat conditions, fighting our fight for our kids, we ought to give them the best equipment we can," the source said. Despite Hueys having played a major role in shutting down a right-wing paramilitary drug production lab recently--the lab was believed to be capable of producing 70 tons of cocaine annually--there are many that feel that in any configuration the single engined UH-1 lacks the power and durability to afford the CNP an adequately broad range of operations. Though not opposed to fielding Hueys, particularly in the improved Huey II configuration, many people close to the issue contend there are too many missions that tax the Hueys to the edge of their performance envelopes. The Huey II is the product of a combined Bell and AlliedSignal [ALD] effort that upgrades the UH-1Hs engine from the problematic T-53-L-13B configuration to that of the T-53-L-703. The Huey II also derives better performance from corresponding upgrades to the transmission, gearbox, rotor blades, tail boom and drive system. Once modified the Huey II improves its maximum weight from 9,500 to 10,500 pounds and provides an increase of 400 shaft horsepower (shp) to 1,800shp. In contrast the UH-60L is equipped with two General Electric [GE] T700-701C engines that provide 1,890shp each and can operate at a maximum weight of 22,000 pounds. However, procuring the more powerful Black Hawk is also a more expensive proposition than purchasing the upgrade kits for the Hueys--a point Bell has seized upon in an attempt to reap benefits from the latest governmental impasse. Recently a briefing document with the heading of "Huey II the 7-to-1 advantage" was obtained by sister publication Helicopter News. In that document Bell advocated the procurement of seven Huey IIs for each of the three UH-60s sought by the CNP and the leadership of the House Committee on International Relations. Bell contends that both the Huey II and the Black Hawk are capable of flying the same counter-drug missions. Furthermore, Bell promotes the procurement of 21 Huey IIs as being the more cost effective solution to the problems faced by the CNP. According to Bell, Huey IIs offer a 7:1 advantage in procurement costs and a 5:1 advantage in operating costs (figures disputed by Sikorsky). Concluding "[i]t all adds up. The Huey II meets all operational requirements at one-seventh the cost of the Black Hawk." Sikorsky and other sources close to Congress, however, see major differences in the capabilities of the two aircraft. According to a Sikorsky response to Bell's 7:1 document, "Bell Helicopter's attention to the issue of price in its competition with Sikorsky is the only tactic available to them, since the topics associated with function/performance all favor the BLACK HAWK. Further, when lower price delivers equipment with limited capabilities such as the Huey II--equipment that is incapable of meeting the scope of CNP mission requirements--then Bell's argument is one of false economy." One contention of Sikorsky's is that Bell is said to have attempted to "limit" debate by giving consideration only to operations requiring Hover In Ground Effect (HIGE) takeoffs. "If Hover Out Of Ground Effect (HOGE) takeoffs are considered, both the UH-1H and the upgraded Huey II lose a substantial portion of their useful load (fuel + payload capability). The BLACK HAWK will also have a lower useful load capability, but it still retains enough payload and fuel capability to do the mission," Sikorsky said. As an example, Sikorsky maintains that in operations requiring HOGE takeoffs the Huey II would only be able to fly seven troops a distance of 120 nautical miles, while the UH-60 could carry twice as many troops the same distance. A further contention of Sikorsky's, and an important consideration for those hearing the debate on Capitol Hill, is that the UH-60 provides greater crashworthiness and ballistic protection. According to Sikorsky, "[a]n upgraded Huey II helicopter still suffers from the same combat deficiencies inherent in the original UH-1 discovered in Vietnam at a high cost in human lives. These deficiencies led to the US Army's fielding of the BLACK HAWK to replace the UH-1." Specifically, Sikorsky touts the UH-60's crashworthiness by citing that it provides crashworthy seats for the CNP whereas Huey II does not and that the Black Hawk is "survivable" in crashes with impact occurring at 50 ft/sec as opposed to 35 ft/sec for the UH-1. Additionally, Sikorsky lauds the ballistic resistance of the UH-60. According to Sikorsky, "[b]oth the UH-1 and Huey II are incapable of providing the levels of battlefield survivability that the BLACK HAWK offers in the hostile environment in which the CNP perform their drug interdiction mission. The BLACK HAWK is the first US Army production helicopter designed from its inception to minimize ballistic vulnerability. The designed-in ballistic survivability has been optimized and proven through extensive testing and actual combat damage." In a "vulnerable area comparison," provided by Sikorsky, the UH-60 is shown to be 100 percent less vulnerable than the UH-1 to 7.62mm munitions, 94 percent less vulnerable to 12.7mm threats and 82 percent less vulnerable to threats posed by weapons firing projectiles as large as 23mm. In the estimation of one Capitol Hill source, the survivability of the UH-60 is its most endearing quality--particularly as 40 percent of CNP helicopter missions are said to draw ground fire. For now, the debate is likely to amount to little more than posturing between Bell and Sikorsky, as sources close to both Congress and Sikorsky consider the most plausible course of action being the fielding of the three Black Hawks. However, even if the State Department opts to give the CNP the three UH-60s they are asking for, the debate is likely to resurface in the near future. Bell, it would seem, is correct in stating that three UH-60s will not be enough to meet the needs of the CNP. Both Sikorsky and the CNP have stated that six Black Hawks would be far better for the war on drugs than three.
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Peru, US Building Anti-Drug Military Training Center (Cable News Network
Says The Base Being Built In Northwestern Peru To Combat Drug Traffickers
Using Jungle Waterways Is Part Of A $60 Million, Five-Year Program
Agreed Upon By The Two Countries In 1996)

Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 00:59:58 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Peru: Peru, U.S. Building Anti-Drug Military Training Center
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: CNN
Contact: cnn.feedback@cnn.com
Website: http://www.cnn.com/

PERU, U.S. BUILDING ANTI-DRUG MILITARY TRAINING CENTER

LIMA (May 29) XINHUA - Peru and the United States are building an anti-drug
military training center in northwestern Peru to combat drug traffickers
using jungle waterways, press reports said Friday.

Located in the Amazon jungle of Iquitos, Loreto Department, the center will
offer training to Peruvian police forces and marine infantry troops.

Training will focus on controlling waterways as more drug traffickers resort
to the use of a complicated network of jungle rivers after effective
interdiction in the air by the Peruvian Air Force.

The center will house 140 students and may acquire a regional character in
the future. It is being built under a 60-million U.S. dollar, five-year
program agreed upon by the two countries in 1996.

The U.S. side builds the center and provides investment and military
instructors for it, the reports said.

Copyright (c) 1998 Cable News Network, Inc. A Time Warner Company
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Families And Friends For Drug Law Reform - New Web Site
(URL Posted For Australian Harm Reduction Group
Featured In The April 3, 1997 Portland NORML Weekly News Release)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 11:17:23 -0500
From: cheechwz@mindspring.com (A H Clements)
Subject: HT: forward: FFDLR New Web Site
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

Forwarded from Brian McConnell (brianmc@fir.canberra.edu.au) of Families
& Friends for Drug Law Reform (FFDLR) in Australia

***

We are proud to advise that Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform has a
new web site. Its address is

http://www.ffdlr.org.au.

Our thanks go to ADCA (special thanks to Frank Qinlan) and Netinfo for
their assistance in this project.

Please check it out. Feedback and comments are welcome.
Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform
PO Box 36
HIGGINS ACT 2615

Telephone 61 + (0)2 6254 2961
Email brianmc@fir.canberra.edu.au

committed to preventing the tragedy that arises from illicit drug use
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Moore's Claims Naive If Not Worse (Letter To The Editor
Of 'The Canberra Times' From A Member Of 'Australian Pharmacists
Against Drug Use' Stands Up For Salvation Army Prohibitionist Brian Watters
And Against ACT Health Minister Michael Moore, Who Attacked
The Prime Minister's Decision To Appoint Watters Head Of The Australian
National Council On Drugs)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 16:30:40 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Australia: Moore's Claims Naive If Not Worse
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Source: Canberra Times (Australia)
Contact: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
Website: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998

MOORE'S CLAIMS NAIVE IF NOT WORSE

IT NO LONGER surprises me to read the latest claims of Michael Moore as he
constantly endeavours to further dismantle our existing drug laws.

However, this time he has even surpassed himself by a cowardly attack on a
most respected Salvation Army Officer, Mr Brian Watters. As reported in
your paper of May 25, he accuses Mr Watters' stance as "putting our
children at risk".

On the contrary, Mr Moore, Mr Watters is doing just the opposite, as his
underlying concern is to prevent drug abuse further escalating in our
community, especially among the young.

Mr Watters realises the best method of reducing drugs use is to attack
demand for on the three fronts effective education, rehabilitation and law
enforcement.

Mr Moore's mischievous claims that our regulatory controls are not working
with illicit drugs and should be even further eroded are naive to say the
least.

JOHN MALOUF
Australian Pharmacists Against Drug Use, Kiama, NSW
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The $500 Million Drug Gang ('The Herald Sun' Describes An Australian Group
Who Organized The World's Biggest-Known Illegal Amphetamine Business,
With Laboratories In Queensland And Victoria, Supplied With Chemicals
And Equipment Smuggled In From China)

Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 21:52:51 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Australia: The $500m Drug Gang
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Contact: hseditor@ozemail.com.au
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Author: Keith Moor

THE $500M DRUG GANG

VICTORIAN truckies and bikies were the major buyers of drugs from an
Australian gang running the world's biggest-known amphetamine operation.

The gang churned out "speed" worth almost $500 million from hi-tech
laboratories in Queensland and Victoria.

Most of the chemicals and equipment used to make enormous batches of pure
amphetamine were smuggled in from China.

Detectives busted the syndicate just days before members were due to ditch
their life of crime and invest the massive proceeds in legitimate businesses.

They had elaborate money laundering schemes in train and some had
well-advanced plans to set up a merchant bank.

Syndicate leader and expert amphetamine "cook" Allan Barrow intended
fleeing to China, where he had invested in expensive residential property
and planned to set up a glass factory in Shanghai.

Barrow, 45, was yesterday jailed for 20 years after the Queensland Supreme
Court in Brisbane was told he had perfected the art of producing
amphetamine powder.

Investigators who raided the gang's laboratory in the inner Brisbane suburb
of Newstead were stunned to discover 178kg of pure amphetamine - with a
street value of $284million - laid out on long tables.

Interpol and Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence records seen by the
Herald Sun reveal the haul was the world's second-biggest, behind 280kg
seized at the port of Ramsgate in England on July 7, 1995.

But records kept by Barrow and his Victorian partner-in-crime, Donald
Vinall, reveal a further 127kg was made and sold from gang labs in 1994-95,
making their operation the biggest detected.

The snowy-white powder produced by Barrow - who learned the craft after
being asked for help by the operator of a Melbourne drugs lab - was the
most highly prized type of amphetamine.

Genuine amphetamine is so hard to make that most speed sold on the street
is actually methamphetamine, a relative of the real thing.

Even most of the genuine amphetamine sold is amphetamine sulphate.

Amphetamine phosphate is prized by users because it is highly soluble in
water - making it much easier to prepare for injection than inferior and
more common forms of amphetamine.

Crown prosecutor Peter Ridgeway told the Queensland court amphetamine in
Australia was usually cut down to about 5 per cent pure for sale at street
level at $80 a gram, giving the 305kg of pure amphetamine produced by
Barrow and Vinall a potential street value of $488million.

"That is the magnitude of this operation," Mr Ridgeway said.

"This is the largest amount of amphetamine on record to the knowledge of
any worldwide law enforcement agency."

The arrests of various gang members, including Barrow and Vinall, 40, were
engineered by a joint task force code-named Operation Chinook. This
comprised officers from the Victorian and Queensland police forces and the
Melbourne and Brisbane offices of the National Crime Authority.

Barrow's first amphetamine-making experience was in Victoria, in
partnership with former truck driver Garry David Maguire at Maguire's home
in Woodstock Rd, Wallan East.

The Wallan East lab equipment was moved to Queensland in mid-1994 after
Maguire became worried the lab was about to be discovered.

Task force investigators were able to establish the gang had organised
numerous distributors in Melbourne, particularly within motorcycle gangs
and the trucking industry.

Vinall, who was born in Yallourn and worked in the transport industry for
15 years, told the task force that Melbourne Hells Angels gang member Sonny
Otene was a major buyer, and truckies from Victoria and Queensland were the
other big customers.

"Nine out of 10 drivers I know take drugs," Vinall said in a statement to
the NCA.

Det-Insp. Ross Barnett, the chief investigator in the Brisbane NCA office
said during the investigation that Otene bought bulk pure amphetamine on
behalf of motorcycle gangs.

"Amphetamine is the favored drug of outlaw motorcycle gangs, both for
personal use and more importantly, to cut and on-sell to make money," said
Det-Insp. Barnett, who is now with the Queensland Crimes Commission.

"Vinall and Maguire had made a business arrangement to provide pure
amphetamine to Otene, who had a ready market through the Hells Angels. The
only pressure the Angels was putting on them was they wanted to have a
continuous supply."

The NCA's Melbourne operations manager, Robert McAllan, said much of the
amphetamine produced by the gang at its two Queensland labs ended up in
Victoria.

"The bikies were taking a fair slice of the production and Maguire and
Vinall both had extensive contacts in the Victorian trucking industry," he
said.

Victorian task force members raided Otene's luxury home in Yan Yean Rd,
Yarrambat, on October 17, 1994, and seized 15kg of pure amphetamine powder
with a street value of $24 million.

Otene, 47, was found guilty at trial in the Victorian County Court last
year to one charge of possessing and two of trafficking amphetamines. He
was jailed for nine years, with a minimum of seven.

Vinall, of Raby Bay, Queensland, pleaded guilty to trafficking amphetamines
and on September 13, 1995, was sentenced to 12 years' jail with a
recommendation of parole after five years because he agreed to give
evidence against other gang members.

Maguire, 60, of Wallan Rd, Whittlesea, has pleaded guilty to one count each
of possessing and trafficking amphetamines. He is due to be sentenced in
the County Court on June 29.

A judge will sentence Maguire only in respect of the charges to which he
has pleaded guilty.

Barrow, of Boyd St, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, pleaded guilty to charges
arising out of an amphetamine lab at Doggett St, in the inner Brisbane
suburb of Newstead, and not guilty to charges in relation to another lab at
Dayboro on Brisbane's north-western outskirts.

A Queensland Supreme Court jury this week found Barrow guilty of producing
amphetamines at both labs in 1994-95 and Justice John Helman yesterday
sentenced him to 20 years for each of three charges and 15 years on the
fourth charge.

Justice Helman ordered the sentences be served at the same time.

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[End]

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