-------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking For A Few Good Dudes (Boulder Weekly runs an interesting feature
article about the Green Panthers, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, who are
waiting for the collapse of the prohibitionist regime and the consequent
establishment of a "stoner homeland" stetching from 10 miles south of
Portland to "due north" of San Francisco. Terry Mitchell, a founding member
of the Panthers, says statistics show there has been a steady flow of bud
smokers moving to the Pacific Northwest since the 1960s to escape draconian
laws elsewhere. Mitchell believes the recent increase in arrests has
exacerbated this trend. "According to our sources . . . the migration has
sped up considerably over the past five years due to the Drug War. With
property seizures being the way they are, they have fewer things to move
anyway.")
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1998 16:12:14 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CO: Looking For A Few Good Dudes
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: tresor@uswest.net (Eric Kennedy)
Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 1998
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Contact: bweditor@tesser.com
Website: http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Author: Cletus Nelson
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD DUDES
Potheads Taking Up Arms In The War On Drugs
The tactics used by activists to voice their dissent against the
prohibition of marijuana have changed very little since the 1960s. Despite
the fact that the drive to legalize cannabis began in an environment that
spawned such violent, armed groups as the Weather Underground and the
Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), today's hemp advocates are firm adherents
to the peaceful protest. Each year a myriad of non-threatening marches,
candle-light vigils, demonstrations, and sit-ins are held in the hope of
ending the herb's illegal status. Although the tireless efforts of these
many tie-dyed warriors are to be commended, the war against America's pot
smokers keeps escalating.
Casualties of war
The government's own statistics betray this fact. Consider the FBI's 1995
Uniform Crime Report, which shows a record 600,000 Americans arrested on
marijuana charges. Of these, 86 percent were charged with the simple
possession of a substance that has caused far fewer fatalities-zero, to be
exact-than alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, or aspirin. Will
Foster is a living example of a victim of the hysterical anti-pot crusade
popular among politicians. The father of three and a successful owner of
his own software company sits in an Oklahoma prison after being handed a
93-year sentence for the "crime" of growing a few plants to help assuage
his painful arthritic condition. High Times magazine reports that over 25
percent of the 1,630,000 prisoners in America's prisons and jails are doing
time for drug crimes, with the majority of these non-violent offenders
serving sentences for growing or possessing marijuana.
"In 1994, at least 25 marijuana users were killed by police officers or
died while in custody," hemp activist Ed Rosenthal notes in Why Marijuana
Should be Legal. This statistic alone gives evidence that these laws which
were originally intended to protect the health of the public have long
since strayed from their dubious goal. As the criminal prohibition of a
herb that has yet to be linked to a single death continues, those who
aren't arrested (or dead) often live in constant fear of anonymous tips,
urine tests, asset forfeiture, and other components of the "zero tolerance"
juggernaut that continues to victimize law-abiding citizens.
When a militia ... isn't a militia
Today, many a casual smoker must fearfully wonder if a paramilitary team of
black clad "no-knock ninjas" brandishing semi-automatic weapons will break
down their door in a dramatic pre-dawn raid. Out of this miasma of fear,
oppression and intolerance emerge the Green Panthers.
Shifting their focus from protest to resistance, the Panthers - referred to
as the "fanged mouthpiece" of the hemp movement - are adjusting their tactics
to a drug policy they predict will one day devolve into outright bloodshed
on the cannabis using community. They openly reject the posture of
non-violence and pacifism adopted by their ideological peers and have given
up trying to "change the system." This loosely based cadre of activists is
boldly choosing to move in a different direction.
Fiercely asserting their Second Amendment right to bear arms, the Panthers
represent an interesting social phenomenon: They are the first marijuana
group preparing to openly espouse armed rebellion against federal drug
policy. Their strong defensive position is not unlike today's burgeoning
patriot movement. But although the two may share a common mistrust of the
federal government and a firm belief in the right to own and bear arms.
Terry Mitchell, one of the founding members of the Panthers, finds the
comparison inaccurate. "We found, with very few exceptions, [members of]
the militia movement think the drug war is a good idea," he scoffs. The
Waco siege, a rallying cry for militia groups, registers little with these
new-model pot heads who have a strident dislike of drug war supporters. "As
a group the Panthers have very little sympathy for them [Branch Davidians]
because they were anti-drugees-Heaven's Gate, too," Mitchell says.
Opinions such as these have not endeared him to local patriot groups and he
says they have threatened his life on four different occasions. However,
they aren't dealing with your typical bong-toking peacenik. "I can shoot
the asshole out of a rat at a thousand miles and you can print that," snaps
the native Texan.
Pipe bombers?
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, these hard-liners are mainly recognized
by drug policy activists for their incendiary publication Revolutionary
Times.
However, if events occur as they predict, they may be the forward guard in
a revolution among the nation's tokers. The Panthers foresee a time when
stoners will be forced to take up arms for their right to use the holy herb.
"The actual dynamics of an armed struggle haven't formed up yet," says the
47-year-old activist. Articulate, well-read, and politically astute,
Mitchell is emblematic of a growing segment of society who at one time
"played by the rules," but now views the Washington establishment as
corrupt, and any attempts to change the system futile. Far from a backwoods
political neophyte, the ex-'60s radical carries extensive experience with
the Libertarian party of Texas and in 1988 served as Interim-Director for
the Washington, D.C. office of the National Association to Reform Marijuana
Laws (NORML).
The Panther finds no ethical dilemma in activists arming themselves. "We
think an armed society is a polite society," he says in his rich Texas
twang which crackles over the phone like machine-gun fire. Mitchell
believes the virulent anti-gun stance found among the modern left is
unrealistic in the post-Waco 1990s. "That actually is some hangover
politics from the '60s," he observes. Above all, Mitchell says the Panthers
hope to sound a much needed wake-up call to those who still believe these
pernicious laws can be reformed. "What we're trying to convey to the pot
movement is that the system isn't the one we grew up with ... the Tenth
Amendment is a myth," he says bitterly.
Birth of a movement
The genesis of the Panther weltanschaung began ironically in the backyard
of the nation's most powerful drug war hawks. Some eight years ago, a small
core of firebrands gathered in Washington, D.C., hoping to provide a "new
wrinkle" to end the senseless criminalization and harassment of America's
estimated 10,000,000 pot smokers. Seeking to provide tools, strategy and
political focus to other groups across the nation, they began to study the
tactics used by fellow dissidents with other agendas. "We had to get out of
the narrow focus of the pot movement," Mitchell says. Analyzing the methods
of such successful political factions as Aids Coalition to Unleash Power
(ACT-UP), Queer Nation, and Earth First!, Panther experts came to an
interesting conclusion: The entrenched powers had quickly learned how to
nullify these confrontational tactics, which the Panthers are convinced
have become obsolete. "Our enemies learn real fast-you try these methods of
direct action now and you'll get zilch," he says heatedly.
Their continued studies led the Panthers to come upon what Mitchell calls
an "endgame strategy": secession. "Once the U.S. starts to rumble like the
old Soviet Union did, that is when our people have the biggest opportunity
in our cultural history," Mitchell says enthusiastically. He envisions a
day when a repressive federal government will declare martial law, and the
nation will be plunged into civil war-not unlike the post-Cold War
conflicts that arose in many nations, such as the former Yugoslavia. When
this time comes, the Panthers plan to be prepared. The armed pot smokers
and their supporters hope to stake out a coastal strip of land 20 miles
from the Pacific Ocean beginning due north of San Francisco and extending
ten miles south of Portland. If they succeed, they will create what they
call the first "Stoner Homeland." The nation will be based on libertarian
values, community-based government and the Gross National Product will be
high quality marijuana, and the many other products which can be produced
with the versatile Cannabis sativa plant. Mitchell is a fatalist who is
convinced this is the only choice left for the pot community. "If we don't
win, nothing is lost. We were marked for extermination anyway," he says.
A trend toward secession
Today's post-modern mindset may find such an idea laughable, but a number
of similar movements already dot the national landscape. The Nation of
Islam, the Aryan Nations, and the well-publicized Republic of Texas are the
most visible examples of the many divergent factions who view secession
within America's borders as the only antidote to an oppressive federal
government.
The national Libertarian party has noted this growing trend; their 1998
platform includes a plank calling for the "right to political secession-by
political entities, private groups, or individuals." The Panther's
designated homeland was chosen for a number of reasons other than the
high-quality buds indigenous to the region. Mitchell's previous experience
with NORML and the Libertarian party gave him insight into the
marijuana-sympathetic demographics of the Pacific Northwest. While
examining databases for both organizations, he found that the majority of
the nation's libertarians and card-carrying members of the pot legalization
lobby reside in this small section of the country. There is already a
steady flow of bud smokers who have been relocating to the Pacific
Northwest since the 1960s to escape draconian marijuana laws in their
respective states. Terry believes the recent increase in arrests has
exacerbated this trend. "According to our sources in the areas, the
migration has sped up considerably over the past five years due to the Drug
War-with property seizures being the way they are, they have fewer things
to move anyway," he comments.
The new prospective country already has its own set of by-laws based on the
U.S. Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and other landmark
documents. "Some of the best forward thinking minds came up with the
by-laws," he says. Will the armed Panthers expect resistance from the
government when they declare their sovereignty? Mitchell doesn't expect it
to be an obstacle. "When our roadblocks go up on the highways and our
voices start coming over the radios and televisions ... we expect most of
the cops and National Guard will have left their non-paying jobs and there
won't be much trouble with them," he says optimistically. Those who choose
to remain and possibly obstruct the new homeland will be promptly asked to
leave.
"This will probably not be pretty," Mitchell says. "But it is a political
imperative. This calls for leadership that has nerves of steel and an iron
determination not to be stopped," he adds.
Currently, the Panthers believe the first step in achieving their homeland
is providing vital intelligence to other dissident groups who stand opposed
to the War on Pot. Their efforts include their unique "diagram of the war
on drugs." Posted on their website, the chart tracks major anti-drug policy
from the United Nations Office of Drug Control Policy in Vienna, Austria
all the way down to what they term "snitch groups," like the Girl Scouts of
America and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Mitchell says the
schematic that alleges the United Nation micro-manages US anti-narcotic
policy was originally met with skepticism by the reform community. However,
Terry points out that Global Days, a series of demonstrations held
worldwide in June to protest the UN's role in drug prohibition, was
directly influenced by their efforts. "A lot of people thought we had made
it up-now we're starting to see a real focus," he says.
The information war
Gleaning information from teachers, scientists, police officers, military
veterans, prisoners and others, the Panthers publish Revolutionary Times
(formerly the Revolutionary Toker), providing excellent coverage of the
drug war. The small periodical scooped Time magazine and their
non-mainstream competition last year when it reported on experiments
conducted on behalf of law enforcement in the use of allegedly "non-lethal"
weapons, such as infra-sound technology. Their publishing house, Panther
Press, sells important survival materials for the '90s pot smoker. Like a
pot-focused Paladin Press, the Panthers distribute publications on building
resistance groups, surviving police encounters, "guerrilla growing," cold
weather survival, and other vital resources for renegade bud smokers. They
also furnish free legal referrals for busted potheads, and their POW
support project raises the awareness of the prison population by sending
free copies of Revolutionary Times to inmates.
On toward a "stoner homeland"
These many activities lend credibility to a group of activists who appear
to take themselves and their mission seriously. Could we one day see a
stoner homeland enriched by hemp-related commerce flying their own flag-a
white field bearing a large green pot leaf? Mitchell hopes that if enough
people get involved, America's "last outcasts" will join them in fighting
for their "light at the end of the tunnel." "I believe that the odds for
the pot culture are better now than they ever have been for the formation
of an independent Homeland," he says. Mitchell grimly foretells a day when
many will be faced with the choice of joining the Panthers or death. "It's
either gonna be a stoner homeland or a stoner last stand," he warns.
Find more information on The Green Panthers at www.green-panthers.com, or
at the DRCNet site at www.stopthedrugwar.org.
***
[Ed. note - From perusing the web site previously, the editor suspects
Boulder Weekly is engaging in a little agitprop itself. The correct URL
is www.greenpanthers.org.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pastrana Cools To Coca Policy (The Miami Herald says Colombian President
Andres Pastrana distanced himself from US drug policy on Thursday,
asserting that US-financed aerial eradication of coca "has not worked"
and is simply pushing peasants deeper into the Amazon jungle.)
Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 07:35:42 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US FL: Pastrana Cools To Coca Policy
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Explorer [mailto:owner-mapnews@mapinc.org]
Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 1998
Source: Miami Herald (FL)
Contact: heralded@herald.com
Copyright: (c) 1998 The Miami Herald
Website: http://www.herald.com/
Author: TIM JOHNSON, Herald Staff Writer
PASTRANA COOLS TO COCA POLICY
BOGOTA, Colombia -- President Andres Pastrana marked his distance from U.S.
anti-drug policy on Thursday, asserting that U.S.-financed aerial
eradication of coca ``has not worked'' and is simply pushing peasants deeper
into the Amazon jungle.
Pastrana called on Washington to spend more on development to lure
coca-growing farmers out of the drug trade and less on forcible eradication.
Turning a deaf ear to Pastrana, the U.S. House appeared within hours of
approving an omnibus spending bill that included nearly $160 million in
aid --including 40 helicopters -- to beef up Colombia's drug eradication
program.
In far-ranging remarks at a breakfast with foreign correspondents, Pastrana
provided details of upcoming peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC), the hemisphere's largest and oldest insurgency. The
talks began Nov. 7 in a huge region of jungle that will be cleared of almost
all military and police presence. The peace negotiations will last through
Feb. 7.
Sounding optimistic about the talks, the first with FARC leaders since 1992,
Pastrana said, ``I believe there is a desire on the part of the guerrillas
to make peace.''
Pastrana affirmed that the legendary leader of the FARC, Manuel Marulanda,
says the insurgency is willing to end its practice of protecting coca
fields, for which it is believed to earn hundreds of millions of dollars a
year.
U.S. officials say 70 percent of FARC units are involved in the cocaine
trade, through protecting coca fields or processing laboratories.
`Get the resources'
``They have said, `We are willing to eradicate the crops,' '' Pastrana said.
``We said, `Let's start now' and they said, `Sure. Get the resources and we
are willing to do it.' ''
Pastrana, a conservative former mayor of Bogota who came to office Aug. 7,
has made seeking peace with Colombia's two major guerrilla groups a top
priority. The two groups have grown in strength and now present a threat to
the country's stability.
Emphasizing environmental and development concerns, Pastrana said he is
opposed to a U.S. counter-narcotics policy with an overarching focus on the
use of fumigation planes to drop herbicide on coca fields in the eastern
savannas and jungles.
Washington has pushed aggressive spraying, and by Sept. 30, aircraft had
fumigated 131,232 acres of coca, more than in all of 1997.
`Environment being destroyed'
Pastrana said peasant farmers are pushing and expanding their coca fields
deeper into the Amazon basin, outpacing the aerial spraying, and unwilling
to quit planting coca unless the government launches massive spending to
develop the region, making other crops profitable.
`The figures that we are seeing clearly demonstrate to us that it [aerial
fumigation] has not worked,'' Pastrana said. ``When we go in the last four
years from 40,000 to 80,000 hectares [98,840 to 197,680 acres] of coca,
something bad is happening. And if you add to this . . . that the
environment is being destroyed, clearly we have to look for an absolutely
different policy.''
McCaffrey defends spraying
White House drug policy director Barry McCaffrey, speaking in a telephone
interview, said aerial spraying must remain a tool that Colombia uses to
fight coca.
``Sixty percent of all the drugs that enter the United States start from or
pass through Colombia,'' McCaffrey said. ``There has to be a continued
willingness to confront this threat to the hemisphere, and aerial
eradication has to be a part of it.''
On Capitol Hill, new aid for Colombia under the spending bill includes $40
million for 34 UH-1H helicopters, $96 million for six Black Hawk
helicopters, $6 million to protect jungle anti-narcotics bases, $2 million
to rebuild the Miraflores jungle base overrun by FARC rebels Aug. 3-4, and
at least $15.2 million in other assistance.
Rebel cooperation expected
While not rejecting fumigation aid, Pastrana made clear that he believes
FARC leaders will collaborate with his administration in replacing coca with
other crops if enough money can be raised to bring roads and development to
Colombia's vast Amazon and Orinoco regions.
``The guerrillas have said they are interested, so we are going to work with
them and we will design [eradication] plans with them to see what results we
get,'' he said.
Pastrana said soldiers in the five townships comprising the
16,266-square-mile demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Caqueta and Meta states had
begun leaving the region Thursday. Only a few army administrative personnel
will remain at an army base in San Vicente del Caguan, 180 miles south of
Bogota, where the peace talks will unfold over three months.
Civil units to supplant police
Since police also must leave the region, elected mayors in the DMZ will
deputize civilians to enforce the law, said Victor G. Ricardo, Pastrana's
envoy to the peace talks.
No agenda has been established for the peace talks, Pastrana said. Nor has
any arrangement been made to meet a FARC demand to swap imprisoned
guerrillas held by the government for captured soldiers and police in the
hands of rebels.
The FARC retains some 245 police and soldiers, while Colombian prisons hold
about 705 guerrillas, some of them from insurgencies other than the FARC.
``We are going to arrive at the peace table. We will see what happens. This
is what's most important. In 90 days, we will know if this desire [for peace
by the guerrillas] exists,'' Pastrana said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue No. 63 (The Drug Reform Coordination
Network's original summary of drug policy news and calls for action,
including - The Reformer's Calendar is back; Why DRCNet?; Federal judge
orders Oakland cannabis buyers' club shut down - city to consider providing
marijuana to patients; Oregon poll - reform positions hold lead; Pain went up
sharply among Oregon's dying in late 1997; Swiss okay controlled heroin
distribution; Oklahoma police chief threatens harassment of man who opposes
the drug war; Marijuana ranks fourth largest cash crop in America despite
prohibition; Social concern a sign of teen drug use? Ask Orrin Hatch; Car
seizure law upheld in Oakland; "Driving while black" lawsuit grows; Web
news - URL for University of North Dakota hemp study; and an editorial,
Put people before ideology)
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 11:53:10 -0400
To: drc-natl@drcnet.org
From: DRCNet (drcnet@drcnet.org)
Subject: The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #63
Sender: owner-drc-natl@drcnet.org
The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #63 -- October 16, 1998
A Publication of the Drug Reform Coordination Network
-------- PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE --------
(To sign off this list, mailto: listproc@drcnet.org with the
line "signoff drc-natl" in the body of the message, or
mailto:lists@drcnet.org for assistance. To subscribe to
this list, visit http://www.drcnet.org/signup.html.)
(This issue can be also be read on our web site at
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html. Check out the DRCNN
weekly radio segment at http://www.drcnet.org/drcnn/.)
PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the
contents of The Week Online is hereby granted. We ask that
any use of these materials include proper credit and, where
appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If
your publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet
requests checks payable to the organization. If your
publication does not pay for materials, you are free to use
the materials gratis. In all cases, we request notification
for our records, including physical copies where material
has appeared in print. Contact: Drug Reform Coordination
Network, 2000 P St., NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20036,
(202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail
drcnet@drcnet.org. Thank you.
The Reformer's Calendar is back! Check out the new
graphical look at http://www.drcnet.org/calendar/,
designed by our newest staff member, Kris Lotlikar. Please
help us make the Calendar comprehensive by sending us events
announcements -- not only of drug policy events, but also
notable events from related areas like criminal justice,
AIDS, human rights, civil liberties, Latin America, etc. --
e-mail them to calendar@drcnet.org. YOU can be a crucial
part of the Network, just by participating.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Why DRCNet?
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#whydrcnet
2. Federal Judge Orders Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Club Shut
Down -- City to Consider Providing Marijuana to Patients
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#oaklandcbc
3. Oregon Poll: Reform Positions Hold Lead
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#oregonvotes
4. Pain Went Up Sharply Among Oregon's Dying in Late 1997
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#deapain
5. Swiss Okay Controlled Heroin Distribution
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#swissheroin
6. Oklahoma Police Chief Threatens Harassment of Man Who
Opposes the Drug War
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#freespeech
7. Marijuana Ranks Fourth Largest Cash Crop in America
Despite Prohibition
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#normlreport
8. Social Concern a Sign of Teen Drug Use? Ask Orrin Hatch
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#socialconcern
9. Car Seizure Law Upheld in Oakland
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#forfeiture
10. "Driving While Black" Lawsuit Grows
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#aclu-dwb
11. Web News
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#webnews
12. EDITORIAL: Put People Before Ideology
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/063.html#editorial
***
1. Why DRCNet?
DRCNet readers are often people who believe in many good
causes and support, or are in some kind of contact with,
many nonprofit organizations working on those issues. Many
of us receive frequent pleas from good organizations,
whether by e-mail as in our case, or by mail to our homes.
Some will respond to requests from all groups in whose work
they believe. But most of us have to pick and choose. How
do we pick which groups we will support financially, which
groups to which we pledge our loyalty and our commitment to
action?
A good reason to support drug policy reform groups is that
the number of people supporting our cause, whether at the
major donor level or the member level, is still small
compared with the numbers of people and level of resources
available to most other issues. This is not to say that
other issues don't need and merit your support. But in the
drug issue you are in a position to make a big difference,
because at this early stage you are one of the few.
For example, earlier this year, contributions from members
added up to more than we expected, helping DRCNet to climb
out of the debt in which it had ended 1997, and paving the
way for us to be able to hire our webmaster, Karynn Fish,
and our membership coordinator, Kris Lotlikar, both of whom
have done wonders to enhance the scope and professionalism
of our operation.
But while major gifts have increased, member donations
during this second half of the year have not kept pace with
the excellent support you provided during the first half.
Your contribution to DRCNet this month, be it $10 virtual
membership, $35 to become a full member and receive a copy
of Shattered Lives: Portraits from America's Drug War, $100
to become a Friend or a monthly donation by credit card to
continue to fuel DRCNet's work on a regular basis, in a real
way will determine how many of our strategic goals we will
be able to accomplish this year and early next year. Will
we be able to continue to develop our soon to be announced
web site on needle exchange, intended to be the most
comprehensive source of policy-related information on that
topic? Will we be able to continually work the net to
increase our hit rates and bring in more and more new
subscribers and supporters for the movement, or promote this
newsletter to the media and our radio segment to stations,
carrying the reform voice even further?
We have a corps of talented young people who have interned
or volunteered here, and who are willing to work here part-
time if only we can set aside the $80 or $100 a week that
they are earning on their current jobs, and their help can
produce much added value for the organization and the cause
if we can make that happen. This is an amount of money that
your small contributions can easily add up to, if only a few
more of you decide to take that step and bring DRCNet into
your family of organizations that you support one or more
times a year.
Hence, you have a role in deciding how many strides DRCNet
and the movement can take this year, through what you
decide to put into the organization. To donate, use our
form at https://www.drcnet.org/cgi-shl/drcreg.cgi (encrypted
transmission, especially for credit card donations), or
http://www.drcnet.org/cgi-shl/drcreg.cgi (no encryption,
recommended you print it out and mail in with a check), or
just send your check or money order to: DRCNet, 2000 P St.,
NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20036. Please note that
contributions to DRCNet are not tax-deductible, and please
consider signing up to make a monthly contribution by credit
card. If you wish to contribute beyond the basic membership
dues and are looking to make a deductible gift, you can
support our educational work through a tax-deductible
donation to the DRCNet Foundation.
You can also help DRCNet by joining the 578 supporters who
have enrolled in the eyegive online fundraising program and
who are collectively earning DRCNet over $30 on the typical
day, over $9,000 per year! If you don't know about eyegive,
visit http://www.eyegive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1060 on the
web to find out. If you've signed up but haven't kept up,
you can make it easy by selecting http://www.eyegive.com as
your browser's home page. You can earn valuable dollars for
the cause, just by pointing and clicking on the eyegive home
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And yes, we have gotten checks from them, in the right
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Whether or not you choose to support DRCNet at this time, we
are glad to have you among our readers.
***
2. Federal Judge Orders Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Club Shut
Down -- City to Consider Providing Marijuana to Patients
Oct. 13, 1998: In what was called a surprise ruling, Federal
District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Oakland's Cannabis
Buyers' Club is not entitled to a jury trial on the issue of
medical necessity, thus clearing the way for federal
marshals to shut the club down as early as Friday evening,
October 16. The club is charged with violating a previous
injunction against distributing cannabis to its registered
patients. Breyer ruled that patients would not face the
requisite "imminent harm" necessary to the medical necessity
defense.
"This decision will have a devastating impact on our
patients," warned OCBC director Jeff Jones, "closing the
Cooperative will force patients with AIDS, cancer and other
debilitating diseases to turn to street dealers for the
medicine they need."
Or perhaps not.
On Tuesday, October 20, the Oakland City Council will meet
to determine whether or not to declare a state of medical
emergency in reaction to the expected federal shutdown.
They will also discuss possible courses of action, up to and
including distributing marijuana themselves.
Council member Nate Miley spoke with The Week Online.
WOL: The council has been very supportive of the Oakland
club. Can we assume that you are all comfortable with how
it's been run?
Councilman Miley: "The club has been very well run and
operated. It's run like a clinic. It's been investigated by
our staff, law enforcement, insurance, our attorneys. They
check the patients who come in there to make sure their
certified, they turn away those who are not. We're very
comfortable working with Jeff and the club and we're glad to
stand by them in the face of this.
WOL: But this week the federal government, in the person of
Judge Breyer, essentially overruled the express intent of
both the city of Oakland and the people of California. What
is your gut reaction to that?
Miley: Well, people are angry. People have talked to me,
both members of the council and ordinary citizens who are
dismayed. They just don't understand why the federal
government would push so hard to shut down an operation that
has been run so professionally. We see the need for the
drug, we've got patients who testified, documentation that
shows the legitimacy of cannabis as medicine. We've also
got a proposition that our voters have voted on. That's
democracy. We've got a local government that is trying to
come up with guidelines to implement a law, and it's
dismaying, it's unfathomable that this is the response of
the federal government.
WOL: So assuming that the club is shut down, and the
council cannot keep it open in the face of the federal
response, what then?
Miley: Well, I think that if all else fails, then the city
council will discuss the possibility of having the city
distribute cannabis to the patients. We are committed to
this in that these are our citizens, and they've
demonstrated, clearly I believe, a need for this medicine.
WOL: Are there people in the city government who would be
willing to risk arrest and federal charges to do that?
Miley: Yes. I think that there are people in the city
government who are willing to risk arrest once we have tried
every means, every legal means and the only other
alternative is arrest and civil disobedience. If it takes
us going that far then I believe that some of us will.
(Please call Congress and the White House and tell them to
stop blocking the will of the voters and to cease their
campaign against the medical marijuana cooperatives. See
our alert at http://www.drcnet.org/rapid/1998/10-14.html for
the details.)
***
3. Oregon Poll: Reform Positions Hold Lead
- Bear Wilner
With campaigns across the nation entering the homestretch,
Oregon's No on 57 and Yes on 67 forces began their radio and
television advertising efforts this week. These ads are
supported by money from Americans for Medical Rights (Yes on
67) and Citizens for Sensible Law Enforcement (No on 57).
While the opposing side has certainly been fighting hard
on the rhetorical front, their financial resources for
political activity have proven far smaller than those
available to Oregon's anti-drug-war coalition.
Even before the ads began running, however, reformers were
buoyed by results from a new poll. This statewide survey,
released on October 11, was conducted for Portland's
Oregonian newspaper and KATU-TV under the supervision of
experienced local pollster Tim Hibbetts. It found that 54%
of voters are opposed to Measure 57, which would
recriminalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana,
with 38% backing the proposed law. Measure 67, which would
permit the medicinal use of marijuana within certain
boundaries, was favored by 59% of voters, with 37% against.
State medical marijuana campaigns with web sites:
AMR-affiliated:
Alaska -- http://www.alaskalife.net/AKMR
Washington -- http://www.eventure.com/i692
Oregon -- http://www.teleport.com/~omr
Colorado -- http://www.medicalmarijuana.com
Other initiatives:
District of Columbia -- http://www.actupdc.org
Florida (petitioning) -- http://www.medicalrights.org)
***
4. Pain Went Up Sharply Among Oregon's Dying in Late 1997
A statewide study found that family members of patients
dying in Oregon hospitals reported a sharp increase in the
level of pain suffered by their loved ones during November
and December 1997.
The study's lead investigator, Susan Tolle, an expert in
end-of-life care at Oregon Health Sciences University, told
the Associated Press, "What made it happen? Is it still
happening? We don't know." Tolle suggested it could have
been heightened expectations about pain control from the
publicity surrounding the political campaign over assisted
suicide, nurses or pharmacists concerned about providing
parge doses of pain medication and possibly hastening death,
or doctors' fears from a threat by the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) to punish doctors who aid in suicide.
The DEA's threat was leveled a week after Oregon voters
voted to keep a state law permitting physician-assisted
suicide in early November.
Skip Baker, President of the American Society for Action on
Pain (http://www.actiononpain.org), told the Week Online
that he believes the DEA is at the root of the problem: "I
would say that it's the DEA that has doctors terrified of
providing pain medication, not only to the dying, but to
patients living with long-term chronic pain. I get letters
almost daily from patients who are contemplating suicide
because they can't get adequate pain medication from their
doctors, and in many of the cases their say it's their fear
of the DEA that keeps them from providing their medicine."
Ann Jackson, head of the Oregon Hospice Association, also
believes there is a connection between the DEA threat and
the increase of reported pain, telling the Associated Press,
"I think that it's very likely that there's a connection
here."
(Last July, DRCNet forwarded an alert on a federal bill that
pstensibly was to allow the DEA to revoke the controlled
substances licenses of physicians who prescribe controlled
substances for assisted suicide, archived on our web site at
http://www.drcnet.org/rapid/1998/7-30.html. In actuality
the bill would have set unrealistic limits on pain
prescription quantities, the exceeding of which would trigger
DEA scrutiny. A wide array of medical organizations opposed
the bill, and their efforts under the umbrella group
Coalition for Effective Pain Management, succeeded in
educating enough Senators and Representatives on the issue to
prevent the bill's passage this year. Another fight is
anticipated next year, and DRCNet plans to let our readers
know how they can help get the DEA out of our doctors'
offices. We also hope to provide a report on the Coalition's
efforts next week.)
***
5. Swiss Okay Controlled Heroin Distribution
The upper house of the Swiss Parliament this week (10/9)
approved a plan which will allow doctors to prescribe heroin
to long-term addicts. The plan, which passed by a vote of
30-4, comes on the heels of a successful three-year trial in
which 1,100 Swiss heroin addicts were offered regular access
to the opiate in a clinical setting.
The results of the Swiss trial showed that among enrollees,
homelessness and crime fell significantly, employment rose,
drug use stabilized or declined, and many participants
voluntarily entered treatment. (You can find the Swiss
Report online at http://www.lindesmith.org/presumm.html.)
Opiate maintenance is a promising addition to currently
accepted modalities for dealing with addiction, but it is
also politically controversial. Soon after the results of
the Swiss trial were released, the Australian government
indicated that it was interested in launching a similar
experiment. Just days before approving that protocol,
however, Australian Prime Minister Howard nixed the plan.
It was later revealed in the Australian press that the U.S.
State Department had threatened to have the United Nations
Office of Drug Control Policy shut down Tasmania's legal
opiate industry if the plan went ahead. (See
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/004.html#blackmail for further
background.)
But despite the pressure being applied by the U.S., at least
three nations (Germany, The Netherlands and Great Britain)
are currently in various stages of discussion or action with
regard to heroin maintenance. Proposals have also been
presented in Canada. In September, a conference on opiate
maintenance was held at the New York Academy of Medicine
that was attended by over 125 people from more than a dozen
countries.
Ty Trippet, spokesman for The Lindesmith Center, a drug
policy think tank in New York, told The Week Online, "This
action by the Swiss reaffirms that governments can, in fact,
deal rationally with issues such as opiate maintenance. The
evidence is clear that stripped of political and moralist
rhetoric, there is a case to be made for a whole range of
modalities in dealing with addiction. The Swiss Parliament
acted out of concern for their citizens, and after three
years of clinical experience during their trials, there is
every reason to believe that they have voted responsibly."
Switzerland itself faced an internal challenge to its
burgeoning harm reductionist drug policy in September of
1997 when a group calling itself "Youth Against Drugs"
placed a referendum on the ballot which would have sent the
country back to a punitive, rather than a public health
approach to substance use. That referendum was defeated at
the polls, however, by a margin of 71% to 29%, giving Swiss
officials the political leeway they needed to move forward.
The current plan is expected to take effect this Saturday
and estimates are that at least 2,000 Swiss citizens will
soon be receiving heroin legally.
***
6. Oklahoma Police Chief Threatens Harassment of Man Who
Opposes the Drug War
Chet Olsen of Oklahoma City doesn't believe that escalating
the drug war is an effective or rational policy. Mr. Olsen,
in fact, wrote a letter which was printed in the September 3
edition of the Woods County Enterprise, a local newspaper,
urging the town of Waynoka to reconsider its planned
purchase of a drug dog. His letter sparked some interest,
apparently, and the debate raged for some weeks on the
letters page of that publication. Until October 8, that is,
when John Fuqua, the chief of police in Waynoka, let it be
known what could happen to those citizens who are not fully
behind the War effort.
Chief Fuqua's letter to the editor included the following
statement:
"Also a couple of my friends who work for the Oklahoma
Bureau of Narcotics in Oklahoma City were so impressed with
(Olsen's) letter that they told me they were going to
contact Mr. Olsen and visit with him about his concerns."
Michael Camfield of the Oklahoma ACLU told The Week Online
"This reference is an egregious violation of the First
Amendment. The idea that Americans have an inalienable
right to espouse views which are not held by those in power
is the very essence of the freedom of speech. The chilling
effect of this type of threat goes beyond the individual and
impacts the community at large. How can the people of that
town feel free to express their views if they believe, if in
fact they've been told that the chief of police will have
officers 'visit with them' if he disagrees with their
positions?"
The Week Online contacted Chief Fuqua, who said, "(Olsen)
called me after the letter ran and he was all bent. The guy
obviously can't take a joke."
(Ed. - Fuqua may have been joking, but if so, it is not
dissimilar to joking about bombs in an airport.)
***
7. Marijuana Ranks Fourth Largest Cash Crop in America
Despite Prohibition
(reprinted from the NORML Weekly News, http://www.norml.org)
October 15, 1998, Washington, D.C.: Marijuana remains the
fourth largest cash crop in America despite law enforcement
spending approximately $10 billion annually to enforce
prohibition, a new report from The NORML Foundation
concluded. Nationally, only corn, soybeans, and hay rank as
more profitable cash crops to American farmers.
"These findings clearly illustrate the failure and futility
of marijuana prohibition," charged Allen St. Pierre,
executive director of The NORML Foundation. "Marijuana
should be legally controlled like any other legitimate cash
crop."
The report, entitled "1998 Marijuana Crop Report: An
Evaluation of Marijuana Production, Value, and Eradication
Efforts in the United States," estimates that farmers
harvested 8.7 million marijuana plants in 1997 worth $15.1
billion dollars to growers and $25.2 billion on the
retail market. The report used marijuana's wholesale value
to compare it to other cash crops.
"Had the author's calculated marijuana's total value to
growers by street market prices, marijuana would decidedly
rank as America's number one cash crop," St. Pierre said.
Marijuana stands as the largest revenue producing crop in
Alabama, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine,
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. It
ranks as one of the top five cash crops in 29 others.
Increases in state and federal spending since 1980 to
reduce marijuana cultivation demonstrated little effect in
limiting overall production.
The report bases its findings on Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) marijuana eradication statistics, a
survey of state police eradication self-appraisals, and
published marijuana price reports. Authors calculated
marijuana weight and yield estimates based on a
conservative ten ounce per plant model. Had the authors
accepted the government's one pound per plant standard,
1997's marijuana crop would have been worth $26.3 billion to
growers and $43.8 billion on the street.
The report also found that law enforcement eradicated over
237 million ditchweed plants in 1997 compared to only four
million cultivated marijuana plants. Ditchweed, otherwise
known as feral hemp, is non-psychoactive and has no retail
value or market value to farmers. Nevertheless, it
comprises more than 98 percent of all the marijuana
eradicated annually by law enforcement.
The NORML Foundation is a nonprofit educational, research,
and legal foundation that explores alternatives to marijuana
prohibition. Its sister organization, The National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML),
published previous marijuana crop reports between 1982 and
1992.
Hard copies of the report are available upon request from
The NORML Foundation. An electronic version of the report
is available online from the NORML website at
http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml#story1.
***
8. Social Concern a Sign of Teen Drug Use? Ask Orrin Hatch
A 66-page booklet called "How Parents Can Help Children Live
Marijuana Free," was published earlier this year by the Salt
Lake Education Foundation. The pamphlet features a forward
by Utah Senator and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee Orrin Hatch. Included in the book is a list of
warning signs for parents to be aware of which might
indicate that their child is a marijuana user.
In the forward, Hatch urges parents to "carefully study this
book... and look for the warning signs of any children who
are using marijuana or drugs of any kind."
Among the "warning signs" of marijuana use, the book lists
"excessive preoccupation with social causes, race relations,
environmental issues, etc."
Feminism might also be suspect, as the pamphlet, on page 51,
expresses longing for those happy days of yore when "teenage
sons helped their fathers work the family farm" and "teenage
girls helped prepare family meals, sew clothes and care for
younger siblings."
The booklet was distributed to parents of children in the
Salt Lake City school district.
A spokesman for Senator Hatch's office in Washington told
The Week Online that Walt Plum, one of the book's co-
authors, was an old friend of the Senator's who had asked
him to write the forward which appeared in the format of a
"letter to parents." Hatch's office could not confirm
whether or not Hatch had actually read the pamphlet.
***
9. Car Seizure Law Upheld in Oakland
An Alameda County judge this week (10/8) rejected a
challenge of an Oakland ordinance which allows the city to
confiscate the cars of alleged drug buyers and people who do
business with prostitutes.
The case involved a woman whose car was seized after a
friend of her husband attempted to buy drugs while using the
vehicle. The woman was not present at the time of the man's
arrest.
The challenge, mounted by the American Civil Liberties Union
of Northern California in July, charged that the ordinance
violated the spirit of California law, which they said
implied that only the state should be able to seize
vehicles. Superior Court Judge Henry Needham Jr. disagreed.
Oakland Deputy City Attorney Marcia Meyers told The Week
Online that community support for the new law was so strong
that the proceeding had to be moved to a larger courtroom to
accommodate spectators. Those spectators were thrilled with
the decision.
"You've got to understand that in parts of Oakland, entire
blocks have become open air drug bazaars. For people living
in those communities, it's impossible to let their kids out
of doors, or even to be assured of their own safety" Meyers
said. "It's at the point where one block will be known for
heroin, another for meth, another for crack... and with the
prostitution, why should an elementary school kid have to be
confronted with someone bargaining for, or even having sex
on his block. It's quite apparent that arresting a whole
bunch of low-level dealers hasn't impacted these communities
one bit. By creating this pressure on the consumers of
these goods, on the demand side, we have seen some results."
Individuals who have their cars seized have only ten days to
file a claim with the city for a hearing, otherwise their
cars automatically become property of the city. The fee for
filing the claim with the court is $193.
Tom Gordon, executive director of Forfeiture Endangers
Americans' Rights (FEAR) told The Week Online "Over 80% of
the Americans who have property seized are never charged
with criminal conduct. Most of these laws are simply an
excuse for governments to take possession of private
property. There are plenty of laws on the books to punish
people for wrongdoing."
"Another troubling aspect of these laws is the fact that a
person has a very short time to respond. Usually, as in the
Oakland ordinance, they have ten days before they lose all
rights to their property. Add to that the fact that once
they do respond, they will have to hire a lawyer, out of
their own pockets, to represent them, and that the burden of
proof is on the citizen rather than on the government, and
you begin to understand why 90% of forfeitures are never
contested. The government not only wants your property,
they want it without having to justify their actions."
Meyers told the San Francisco Chronicle that her office has
been inundated with calls from other cities who would like
to pass similar ordinances. And being that the decision
might well clear the way those cities, Oakland's chief of
police, Joseph Samuels, warned in the Chronicle that "(this
law) will be coming to a neighborhood near you."
(You can find FEAR online at http://www.fear.org.)
***
10. "Driving While Black" Lawsuit Grows
Seven new plaintiffs have joined the American Civil
Liberties Union's lawsuit against the Maryland State Police
for race-based selection of African American motorists for
traffic stops, and the U.S. Department of Justice has filed
a Friend of the Court brief in support of the plaintiffs.
Read more about it on the ACLU web site at
http://www.aclu.org/news/n100898a.html, and check out the
rest of the ACLU's redesigned web site, including their new
drug policy section.
***
11. Web News
A report, conducted by the University of North Dakota on the
potential of industrial hemp as a cash crop can now be found
online at http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/ndsu/aer402.html.
***
12. EDITORIAL: Put People Before Ideology
This week in Switzerland, the upper house of Parliament
voted 30-4 to allow doctors to prescribe heroin to their
addicted patients. The measure comes on the heels of a
successful three-year experiment in which 1,100 Swiss
addicts were given access to the drug under clinical
supervision. The experiment was, by all accounts, a
success.
A success, that is, if you define that term by measures such
as a decrease in crime, an increase in employment, stable
lives, greater numbers of people voluntarily entering
treatment, reduced rates of disease, increased overall
health, a near-total elimination of homelessness and lower
overall economic costs to the state. And oh, not a single
overdose fatality.
In the eyes of American drug warriors, however, the
experiment was a harrowing failure. Driven by both an
ideological fanaticism that demands abstinence from every
individual at any cost, and by the dollars which flow from
their increasingly punitive and expansive war effort, they
see no virtue in any process that undermines either. In
fact, within weeks of the end of the three-year trial, the
U.S. Senate held hearings with the title, "Legalization and
the Failure of the Swiss Heroin Experiment."
Fortunately, the good citizens of that country were
listening to the facts, and had little interest in political
bluster from across the pond. Within weeks of the release
of the heroin maintenance report, Swiss voters, by a 71-29%
margin, told their government to move forward with just this
type of drug policy, one that puts people over ideology.
And in the aftermath, governments across the world have
begun debating, in some cases even undertaking, their own
trials. And now, in Switzerland, the only nation in the
world with scientifically-controlled data on the impact of
allowing addicts access to heroin, the upper house of
Parliament has given doctors a green light to make this an
option for their patients.
The U.S. State Department, which has gone so far in the
recent past as to blackmail Australia out of starting its
own maintenance experiment, has yet to comment on the new
Swiss law. But it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?
Because despite the best efforts of American "diplomacy,"
the rest of the world is finding its own definitions of
success. And with greater frequency, they are definitions
borne of humanity and pragmatism. These definitions of
success do not require the state to drive people underground
and to treat a whole segment of its society like animals,
putting them in cages, for their failure to live up to the
State's dictates on the composition of their bodily
chemistry.
It's over, of course. The drug war is crumbling around the
U.S., which try as it might will not long be able to ignore
the results attained in other trials and by other reforms in
civilized nations around the globe. And if it seems that
drug policy reform is the farthest thing from anyone's mind
in Washington, D.C., where oral sex is far more interesting,
and easy to pontificate about, than the complexities of the
global economy or the failure of our drug policy, don't
worry. It will happen. Because very soon the American
public will have plenty to compare it with. And when that
happens, American politicians will find that their
definition of success doesn't ring true with their
constituents either.
Adam J. Smith
Associate Director
***
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[End]
to the 1998 Daily News index for October 15-21