Hemp News No. 2

Compiled by Paul Stanford (treefreeeco@igc.org)

RTw  02/20/93 1806  CLINTON URGES U.S.-CENTRAL AMERICAN UNITY IN DRUG WAR

    BELIZE CITY, Belize, Feb 20, Reuter - President Bill Clinton called on
Saturday for unity and cooperation with Central American countries in the fight
against drugs.
     In a letter to five Central American leaders attending a drug summit here,
Clinton said, "Only working together -- sharing information and knowledge,
cooperating in the application of the law and working to reduce demand -- can
our countries effectively combat this threat."
     Clinton offered no specifics in his letter, but has said previously that,
in contrast to the Bush administration's focus on eradicating drug supplies, he
would put more emphasis on reducing demand.
     The drug summit, which began on Friday in this former British colony, was
attended by the leaders of Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras.
     They signed a declaration on Saturday calling for a joint commission, to be
created in the next 90 days, to coordinate the region's battle against the
growing drug plague.
     According to regional law enforcement agencies, Central America has become
a major transit point for drugs shipped to the United States and Europe.
Estimates are that at least 300 tonnes of cocaine and thousands of tonnes of
marijuana are shipped annually through the region.
     The declaration made no mention of the need for economic aid to combat
drug-trafficking, but said that poverty in the region must be eradicated to
mount an effective campaign.
     Belize Prime Minister George Price told reporters: "There's a limit to what
we can do alone...Together, we can coordinate efforts."
  REUTER AB LJG JE


UPn  02/21/93 0928  Police question American professor over marijuana

   OSAKA, Japan (UPI) -- Police and customs officials have questioned a former
American guest professor at the University of Kyoto over a package mailed to him
containing marijuana, officials said Sunday.
   Police seized five marijuana cigarettes from the Kyoto home of Michael
Moerman on Jan. 29.
   Customs officials said they will file a complaint with the Osaka District
Public Prosecutor's Office against Moerman, 58, a professor of anthropology at
the University of California who was working at the University of Kyoto's
research institute for cultural sciences.
   The marijuana was mailed from Los Angeles inside a hollowed-out book, police
said. Moerman told them he used to smoke marijuana in the United States and had
asked a friend to mail some to him.
   Japanese customs officials inspected mail addressed to Moerman at the Osaka
Central Post office and found 27.5 grams of vinyl-wrapped marijuana with a
street value of $960 in a hollow inside the book.
   Moerman was on a one year visit to the university in Japan's ancient capital
and was to have continued his studies until March, but resigned as guest
professor early this month.

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