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

Oregon, Alaska Identify Legal Marijuana Users On State-Issued Cards (USA
Today notes voter-approved medical-marijuana initiatives are being
implemented in Oregon and Alaska, just as the federal government has vowed to
loosen research restrictions. Alaska is expected to begin processing registry
cards in June at a cost of $25 per patient. John Benson, co-director of the
March 17 Institute of Medicine study, had a lukewarm response to the proposed
new guidelines for physicians who want to obtain marijuana from NIDA to use
in medical research. Although Benson's report recommended more research,
"it's hard to discern that these guidelines have streamlined existing
procedures.")

Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 19:34:57 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Oregon, Alaska Identify Legal Marijuana Users On
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Dave Fratello
Pubdate: 24 May 1999
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 1999 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Contact: editor@usatoday.com
Address: 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA 22229
Fax: (703) 247-3108
Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nfront.htm
Author: Patrick McMahon, USA Today
Section: Page A-4

OREGON, ALASKA IDENTIFY LEGAL MARIJUANA USERS ON STATE-ISSUED CARDS

Jeanelle Bluhm of Portland, Ore., smokes marijuana to ease the spasms that
come with multiple sclerosis, and now she has a new state ID card to verify
that her doctor recommends it.

Friday, Oregon became the first state to issue ID cards for patients to
prove they are complying with a state law that allows marijuana use by
certain seriously ill patients.

The federal government also announced plans Friday to boost the prospects
of more research on medical marijuana.

"I'm very psyched," says Bluhm, a 47-year-old nurse who worked for passage
of the medical marijuana law enacted by Oregon voters last fall. The Oregon
Health Division issued her ID card No. 00001 on Friday. Her caregiver has
card No. 00002.

"It's been a long time coming," she says. "A lot of my friends said this
would never happen."

Under the state law, patients with cancer, AIDS and HIV, glaucoma,
seizures, spasms, nausea and severe pain may use small amounts of marijuana
with a doctor's recommendation. Oregon is one of five states that have
enacted such measures. The others: California, Alaska, Arizona and
Washington state.

The laminated cards are valid for a year and are intended to make it easier
for state and local law enforcement officials to know who is qualified to
use marijuana under the law.

Possession and sale of marijuana remain federal crimes, although they are
rarely enforced for medical users. And it is illegal for doctors to
prescribe marijuana. That's why the state laws generally say patients must
have a doctor's "recommendation," rather than a prescription.

"This is a great day for patients," says Geoff Sugerman, spokesman for
Oregonians for Medical Rights, the group that pushed the medical marijuana
initiative. "Finally, at least in the state of Oregon, patients can use
marijuana as a medicine without fear of arrest and prosecution."

Of the five states with medical marijuana laws, only Oregon and Alaska have
provisions for ID cards. In Oregon, state officials have processed 35
applications for cards at a fee of $150 apiece. Another 135 are pending
review. Alaska is expected to begin processing ID cards in June at a cost
of $25 per patient, Sugerman says.

Dave Fratello, spokesman for Americans for Medical Rights, based in Santa
Monica, Calif., says the Oregon ID card is evidence that "federal law is
becoming irrelevant on this subject."

"Patients and physicians in states with these new laws have adequate
protection to use marijuana as a medicine if they need to. After all their
bluster, federal officials have proved powerless to stop medical marijuana
from taking root," Fratello says.

Marijuana's effectiveness as medicine remains the topic of considerable
scientific debate.

In March, a report from the highly respected Institute of Medicine, an arm
of the private National Academy of Sciences, found marijuana may be
effective in treating chronic pain, nausea, and AIDS-related weight loss.

The report, commissioned by the White House, was the strongest endorsement
yet of medical marijuana, but the report was less than effusive.
Marijuana's biggest drawback, the report said, was that it must be smoked,
and the report called for more research.

Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new
regulations to make it easier for researchers to get marijuana from the
National Institute on Drug Abuse for use in medical research.

Critics contended that the federal government had deliberately made the
approval process for grants so difficult that no substantial research ever
took place.

Following the report from the Institute of Medicine, White House drug czar
Barry McCaffrey issued a statement saying that his office endorses the
"decision to facilitate further research into the potential medical uses of
marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids."

Groups favoring the legalization of medical marijuana were cautiously
optimistic. "This will not help patients who are currently risking arrest
because they need marijuana right now," says Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana
Policy Project in Washington, D.C.

John Benson, co-director of the Institute of Medicine study, had a lukewarm
response. Although his report recommended more research, "it's hard to
discern that these guidelines have streamlined existing procedures."

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

Don't Kill Your TV Yet! (A news release from P'Town, Inc., a Portland
production and placement agency, says KOIN, Portland's CBS affiliate, is
airing advertisements for Cascade Hemp Supply across the river in Vancouver,
Washington - "medical delivery devices" and all. "Cascade Hemp Supply is the
first hemp retailer to broadcast their wares to a network audience.")

From: ptown1@prodigy.net
Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 12:46:33 +0000
Subject: [cp] Don't Kill Your TV Yet!
To: cp@telelists.com

Portland CBS affiliate KOIN television is the only network in Oregon
carrying a commercial for a hemp store!

Cascade Hemp Supply, located in the Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, Wa.
was allowed airplay of their television commercial promoting their
products. What makes this interesting is that every other network
turned the spot away after seeing the "medical delivery devices"
displayed midway through the spot.

Cascade Hemp Supply is the first hemp retailer to broadcast their
wares to a network audience.

Thus proving that television can also serve as a benefit to the masses
that consume it.

P'Town, Inc.
Production/Placement Agency

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

Changes to assisted suicide law sent to governor (The Associated Press notes
the Oregon house of representatives approved SB 491 Monday by a 42-17 vote.
It was the legislature's third subversion of voters who twice have approved
Oregon's landmark physician-assisted suicide law. The bill now goes to Gov.
John Kitzhaber.)

Newshawk: Portland NORML (http://www.pdxnorml.org/)
Pubdate: Mon, May 24 1999
Source: The Associated Press (OR)
Copyright: 1999 The Associated Press
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Forum: http://forums.oregonlive.com/
Author: Brad Cain, Associated Press

Changes to assisted suicide law sent to governor

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon House gave final approval Monday to a bill to
clarify parts of Oregon's landmark assisted suicide law, which was used by
at least 15 terminally ill people to end their lives last year.

The bill, which now goes to Gov. John Kitzhaber, tightens residency
requirements and seeks to discourage patients from ending their lives in
public places such as beaches.

But the Oregon Catholic Conference and other opponents said the bill doesn't
go far enough to prevent doctors from being forced to aid in such suicides.

Still, the bill was endorsed on a 42-17 vote after a brief discussion that
was in marked contrast to the emotional debates of two years ago, when
lawmakers ultimately decided to send the issue back to voters.

In November 1997, Oregonians for the second time approved the Death with
Dignity Act, the nation's only law allowing doctors to write lethal
prescriptions for terminally ill patients who request it.

Rep. Lane Shetterly, floor manager for the bill to change the law, called it
an attempt to tighten the language but to leave the assisted suicide law intact.

"After voters reaffirmed the Death with Dignity Act, this was a responsible
approach by the Legislature to deal with some remaining cleanup issues," the
Dallas Republican said.

Among other things, the bill establishes a minimum residency requirement, a
step that was taken to avoid the possibility that out-of-staters might flock
to Oregon to take advantage of the suicide law.

The measure requires patients to demonstrate residency by showing an Oregon
driver's license or an Oregon income tax return.

Responding to concerns that people might end their lives on a mountaintop or
other scenic public place, lawmakers included language directing physicians
to encourage patients not to take lethal drugs alone or in a public place.

Further, if a person uses the drugs in a public place, the patient's estate
must cover any related costs, such as emergency medical response.

The bill also clarifies the rights of pharmacists to opt out of filling a
lethal prescription on moral grounds without fear of sanction.

Another part of the bill allows Catholic hospitals and other health care
organizations that oppose assisted suicide to prohibit their doctors from
assisting in suicides on their premises.

But even at those places, the bill allows doctors to respond to questions
about physician-aid-in-dying and to refer patients to other doctors who
would be willing to write a prescription for lethal drugs.

"Our primary objection is that `related activities' can occur on site," said
Catholic Conference spokesman Bob Castagna. "The preparation, the
conversation and the referral can all take place on the grounds of a
Catholic hospital. That should not be permitted."

The bill number is SB491.

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

Letter from B.E. Smith's wife (A list subscriber forwards a heart-rending
letter from Mary Gale Smith about her husband's cultivation conviction in a
federal kangaroo court in Sacramento, California. "I have never been in my
husbands corner 100 percent where this pot issue has been concerned. I do
believe sick people should be allowed to have it, but I have never been
active in supporting it, other than I voted for it. But after seeing the
injustice done to my husband through the federal court in Sacramento, to me,
the issue isn't even the marijuana issue any more, its an issue of justice,
and justice was not done in this case. . . . What my husband did, he did not
just for himself but for people like Todd McCormick and Peter McWilliams, and
he feels he failed them. But he didn't the federal government knew they were
going to railroad him straight into jail. I would like to also add, that
before the trial my husband was offered a plea bargain. They told him if he
would plead guilty, he wouldn't get any jail time, and his response was, NO
COMPROMISE!")

From: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com)
To: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com)
Subject: Letter from B.E. Smith's wife
Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 16:18:49 -0700

This is an e-mail from Mary, B.E. Smith's wife. If this doesn't tear your
heart out, nothing will. In addition to writing to B.E., which I strongly
encourage, please drop a line of encouragement to his wife at
besmith@snowcrest.net

This woman is facing the next ten years without her husband.

Take care,

Peter

***

Dear Friends:

This is Mary Smith, BE's wife. The court room scene for his medicinal
marijuana trial was very hard for everyone involved, except of course the
judge, and prosecutor. They would not let him use proposition 215 as a
defence. In fact, the only defense they would allow at all was some
character witnesses. And because BE had people like David Michels, (San
Francisco Lawyer) and another lawyer named Nicole, a Doctor of Chiropractic
Medicine, a person he had been designated as a care giver from LA,
(Sister Somya), Martin Lederer, Woody Harrelson, even one of the cops that
was in on the bust and the defense had subphoenaed gave BE a good character
reference (whether he intended to or not it came out that way). And because
BE's character references were so good, there were 4 area's in character
reference the defense could use, but because he was getting such good
references, the judge even took out two of those, so what he had left were
two things on character references they would let the defense use. They
shut down everything the defense tried to do, and allowed everything the
prosecution wanted. So of course my husband was found guilty. He is in
Sacramento County Jail.

ADDRESS: B.E. SMITH
Xref: 3577809
Floor 4E
Pod: 3
Cell 14B
651 I Street (as in eye Street)
Sacramento, CA 95841

I don't know how many of you that I know, that this message is going out to,
but I would like to say this. I have never been in my husbands corner 100%
where this pot issue has been concerned. I do believe sick people should be
allowed to have it, but I have never been active in supporting it, other
than I voted for it. But after seeing the injustice done to my husband
through the federal court in Sacramento, to me, the issue isn't even the
marijuana issue any more, its an issue of justice, and justice was not done
in this case. As Woody Harrelson said; not only was justice blindfolded,
she was raped, mutilated, abused, and I can't remember all his exact words
but he said it truly! I am a Christian, and I would say a pretty tradional
christian, so you can imagine how some of my thoughts went on the subject of
marijuanna. And many times my husband tried to explain to me about the war
on drugs, and I have to confess most of the time I never got the message he
was trying to get through to me. But let me tell you it got through to me
in Sacramento this last week. What my husband did, he did not just for
himself but for people like Todd McCormick and Peter McWilliams, and he
feels he failed them. But he didn't the federal government knew they were
going to railroad him straight into jail. I would like to also add, that
before the trial my husband was offered a plea bargain. They told him if
he would plead guilty, he wouldn't get any jail time, and his response was,
NO COMPROMISE! How could he plead guilty to something that with all of his
studying and his lawyers, through federal and state statutes, and
regulations, he was excepted by those laws. How could he plead guilty to
something that legally he could and did do? Some have already said he
should have plea bargained but how could that have helped those that were
coming behind him? It wouldn't have, and he cares very much for sick and
dying people, as well as the healthy. He cares very much for his country and
for all of you out there. He is not perfect, I would never suggest that in
any way, he makes mistakes like all the rest of us, but I can tell you from
living with him, he loves you people, and he wanted to walk point for you.
He has never been in any of this for the money, and for those of you who
know us well you know how true that is! Because we have never had any.
Smile. He gave his time and energy away to I do not know how many people
not just with his traffic classes, but to countless people that called us on
the phone, and alot of them were collect calls. His patience with it
sometimes drove me nuts, I would say, can't we have a life of our own? Or
why don't you go to work like a normal person instead of sitting in the
house working on law stuff, and talking to people on the phone? But his
heart was so in it, it was like to him he had no choice. It was all he
could do. And in my impatience, worry of the rent getting paid on time, I
did not have much compassion or patience with my husband. But I see it now
folks, and I am willing to take over where he left off. Please write him.
Flood him with letters of love and encouragement, and God bless you for
loving and caring for him.

Those of you who believe in praying, please pray for him. We love you all,
Mary Gale Smith

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

Alaska Tightens Medical Marijuana Law / Illinois Close to Allowing Industrial
Hemp Growth (Two news items from Join Together Online note the Alaska
legislature has passed a bill limiting the rights of medical marijuana
patients; and that the Illinois House of Representatives is expected to give
final approval to an industrial hemp cultivation bill.)

From: Mireille Jacobson (MJacobson@sorosny.org)
To: TLC_CANNABIS (TLCCANNABIS@sorosny.org)
Subject: FW: Alaska Tightens Medical Marijuana Law; Ill. Close
to Allowing Industrial Hemp Growth
Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 11:03:20 -0400
Sender: owner-tlc-cannabis@mailhost.soros.org

***

May 24, 1999

Alaska Tightens Medical Marijuana Law

The Alaska legislature passed a bill limiting the right to use medical
marijuana -- a right enabled by a voter-approved ballot initiative,
Reuters reported May 19.

Last November, nearly 60 percent of Alaska's voters approved a statewide
initiative that would give residents the right to use marijuana to ease
the symptoms of certain illnesses. The measure also called for the state
to maintain a registry of medical marijuana users, but did not require
patients to register.

The state legislature, however, recently passed a bill requiring patients
to register with the state authorities in order to use marijuana for
medical purposes. The measure also would limit qualified patients and
health-care providers to possession of one ounce and six plants of
marijuana, and it would require that patients make periodic visits to
doctors' offices to renew their right to use medical marijuana.

State Sen. Loren Leman (R-Anchorage) said the limitations were necessary
in order to prevent recreational marijuana users from exploiting the
voter-approved initiative.

Alaska's constitution allows lawmakers to amend laws passed by ballot
initiatives.

***

May 24, 1999

Ill. Close to Allowing Industrial Hemp Growth

The Illinois House of Representatives is expected to give final approval
to a bill directing the state Department of Agriculture to reverse a law
banning the growth of industrial hemp, UPI reported May 19.

State Reps. Judy Erwin (D-Chicago) and Ron Lawfer (R-Stockton), who
sponsored the bill, said growing hemp in the state would benefit the
environment because it uses three times as much phosphorous as corn and
soybean crops, and it does not require pesticides and insecticides.

The bill, which has been approved by the state Senate, heads to Gov.
George Ryan for final consideration.

***

Find this article useful? You'll find 20,000 more just like it on Join
Together Online (http://www.jointogether.org). Or, get the news via email.
Subscribe for free at http://www.jointogether.org/about/jtodirect/email/
frameset.html. Reproduction or distribution of this information is
encouraged! Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of
Public Health, is a national resource for communities working to reduce
substance abuse and gun violence. For information, send email to
info@jointogether.org.

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

Misinformation Rife In The War On Drugs (A pharmacologist's letter to the
editor of the Standard-Times, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, finds it
objectionable that his son's DARE program claims heroin is an hallucinogen
and the Standard-Times would lead him to believe that marijuana and cocaine
are narcotics. All of these claims are wrong. It's not his opinion, it's
basic pharmacology. Moreover, the displeasure many people experienced over a
jury's recent failure to convict a defendant charged with an LSD-related
offense is just a symptom of society's obsessive compulsion with its own
addiction, this so-called war on drugs.)

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 18:41:10 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US MA: PUB LTE: Misinformation Rife In The War On Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John Smith
Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 1999
Source: Standard-Times (MA)
Copyright: 1999 The Standard-Times
Contact: YourView@S-T.com
Website: http://www.s-t.com/
Author: Frederic Schwartz, DPM, New Bedford

MISINFORMATION RIFE IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

There is too much prejudice and emotion involved in this never-ending
"war on drugs" and not enough reasoned calm. There is a double
standard, and an honest discussion with young people about drugs is
generally not tolerated.

The latest news case involving LSD is a case in point. Setting aside
that the students involved were too young to receive even the legal
drugs of alcohol or cigarettes, we are still left with a case of no
harm done. No teen-agers killed in a drunken car crash. Nobody hurt.

In my pharmacology courses, I learned that the hallucinogenics, of
which LSD and marijuana are best examples, have absolutely no tendency
to physically addict, unlike alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.

My son's DARE program literature tells him that heroin is an
hallucinogen and The Standard-Times led me to believe that marijuana
and cocaine were narcotics. All these examples are wrong. That is not
my opinion, that is basic pharmacology.

The displeasure many people experienced over a jury's failure to
incarcerate is just a symptom of society's obsessive compulsion with
its own addiction, this so-called war on drugs. Let's look at an
example: In Washington, D.C. per capita, $42 gets spent on drug
prevention and treatment and $1,257 gets spent on criminal justice.
This is insane.

I say let's drop the prejudices, misconception and misinformation. Let
everyone talk to each other honestly and straightforwardly without
lies and deception. Take the law enforcement out of it so people can
ask questions or ask for help without fear.

No offense to our police officers, but the people who should be
teaching our kids straightforward information about drugs should be
pharmacology experts; not cops.

Honesty is not the easiest policy, but I have heard it is the best
policy. Let's give it a try instead of looking to throw more young
people in jail.

FREDERIC SCHWARTZ, DPM, New Bedford

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

Quiet Primary In Kentucky (The Associated Press notes Gatewood Galbraith, who
has campaigned in two previous races for the Democratic gubernatorial
nomination on a platform that included legalization of hemp, has registered
as an independent and is expected to file again this summer.)

Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 10:58:45 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US KY: Wire: Quiet Primary In Kentucky
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: EWCHIEF
Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 1999
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 1999 Associated Press
Author: Mark R. Chellgren, Associated Press Writer
Note: Gatewood Galbraith's website is at: http://www.gatewood.com/

QUIET PRIMARY IN KENTUCKY

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) When Kentucky voters decided their state officers
should be allowed to serve more than one term, supporters argued it would
reduce the turmoil of a statehouse turnover every four years.

It has worked beyond expectations.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Paul Patton is unopposed in Tuesday's primary
election and little more than token Republican and independent opposition
loom in the fall.

"Running against nobody, I think I can win that one," Patton joked.

He is the first governor in nearly two centuries eligible for re-election.

The state's first constitution allowed it and James Garrard served two
terms from 1796 to 1804.

Governors were later barred from seeking re-election, but voters changed
the constitution in 1992 to allow succession in constitutional offices
beginning after the 1995 election.

This year, no Republicans filed for any constitutional office except
governor, virtually guaranteeing a second term for the three of four other
Democratic incumbents who are seeking re-election.

As for the governor's race, even GOP leaders acknowledge they are sitting
out this election for all intents and purposes.

Die-hard Republicans some 834,829 registered voters do have some choice:
Peppy Martin and running mate Wanda Cornelius, and the husband-and-wife
slate of David L. Williams and Joanna Williams.

Martin is a publicist who served for a few months as a secretary in the
last Republican administration in Kentucky in 1971 and unsuccessfully
sought the GOP nomination for state representative in 1981.

Martin, who calls herself "a very Kentucky girl," has criticized Patton for
raising the subject of casino gambling and overhauling the state workers'
compensation system. She tried to associate Patton with President Clinton's
efforts to regulate tobacco.

But what drew the most attention to her campaign was the work of some
computer hackers earlier this month. Her Web site was sabotaged and altered
to present bogus positions on gay rights and gun control.

It was by far the most publicity for a candidate who has raised less than
$10,000 and found her running mate only two weeks before the filing
deadline at a Federation of Republican Women meeting. And Cornelius has
said she wouldn't have entered the race if she had known she would have to
resign from the Taylor County school board.

Williams, the other GOP candidate, is a former utility contractor who is
disabled from throat cancer and speaks only with the aid of a mechanical
device. He has spent only $796 on the campaign $500 of that was his filing
fee and has disconnected his telephone and refused interview requests.

As for the fall campaign, Gatewood Galbraith, who has lost two previous
tries for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on a platform that
included legalization for hemp, has registered as an independent and is
expected to file this summer.

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

Senate Votes On Juvenile Crime (Excerpts from an article in the Washington
Post note the U.S. Senate voted 73-25 for S 254, which authorizes $5 billion
over five years for juvenile justice "programs," tightens gun control laws,
allows youths 14 and older to be tried as adults in federal courts, and
authorizes $450 million annually for states to build detention facilities and
"crack down on drugs and gangs.")

Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 14:29:26 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US DC: Senate Votes On Juvenile Crime
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jo-D Harrison Dunbar
Pubdate: Thu, 27 May 1999
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Page: V07
Copyright: 1999 The Washington Post Company
Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

FOR THE RECORD

Roll Call Report Syndicate

Here's how some major bills fared recently in Congress and how local members
of Congress voted. NV means not voting.

[ ...snip... ]

SENATE VOTES JUVENILE CRIME
For: 73 / Against: 25

The Senate passed a bill (S 254) that authorizes $5 billion over five years
for juvenile justice programs and tightens gun control laws. The bill allows
youths 14 and older to be tried as adults in federal courts for certain
serious crimes. It also authorizes $450 million annually to states for
purposes such as building detention facilities and cracking down on drugs
and gangs, and authorizes $435 million for programs to keep juveniles out of
trouble. It orders a study into the role of violent entertainment
programming in juvenile crime. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

MARYLAND
Mikulski (D): YES
Sarbanes (D): YES

VIRGINIA
Robb (D): YES
Warner (R): YES

[ ...snip... ]

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

Government Eases Marijuana Availability For Researchers - Woody Harrelson
Unloads On Pot Trial Judge (Two items in the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
note Friday's announcement that researchers would be allowed access to
government-grown cannabis; and a federal judge's refusal to allow B.E. Smith
in California to try to put on a medical defense.)

From: Mireille Jacobson (MJacobson@sorosny.org)
To: TLC_CANNABIS (TLCCANNABIS@sorosny.org)
Subject: FW: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report on Medical MJ - research
availability and Woddy Harrelson testimony in CA trial
Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 10:07:29 -0400
Sender: owner-tlc-cannabis@mailhost.soros.org

KAISER DAILY HIV/AIDS REPORT
A news service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
http://report.kff.org/aidshiv/

Monday, May 24, 1999

POLITICS & POLICY

#1 MEDICAL MARIJUANA I: GOVERNMENT EASES MARIJUANA AVAILABILITY FOR RESEARCHERS

The Clinton administration Friday announced that it will
sell government-grown marijuana to scientists who want to study
the drug. The Los Angeles Times reports that for most of the
last 20 years, "the production and distribution of marijuana for
clinical research has been restricted under several federal laws
and international agreements, making it all but impossible for
non-federally funded researchers to obtain it" (Cimons, Los
Angeles Times, 5/21). The New York Times reports that Office of
National Drug Control Policy Director Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an
"ardent" opponent of medical marijuana, supported the decision.
The office's chief counsel, Chuck Blanchard, said that "as long
as you are willing to show that it is high-quality research and
also provide your own funding, you can have access to medical
marijuana." Experts expressed hopes that eased access to the
drug could produce alternative delivery systems, such as
inhalers, that "enable patients to benefit without suffering the
toxic effects of smoke" (Stolberg, New York Times, 5/22).
Researchers will submit study proposals to a Public Health
Service medical committee for review (Sisk, New York Daily News,
5/22).

REAX

Medical marijuana and HIV/AIDS advocates hailed the
decision. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National
Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws Foundation, said, "For
the last 22 years, the federal government has had a lock on the
use of whole smoked marijuana for studies - they grow it at the
University of Mississippi. . . . We've been imploring the
government to come up with a system that will allow these studies
to go forward. We want to do the science, but marijuana has
become so politicized" (Los Angeles Times, 5/21). Still, some
charged that the White House's policy shift did not go far
enough. Lindesmith Center Director Ethan Nadelmann said, "It is
a tiny step forward, but far too tiny. It's an implicit
acknowledgment that the government has blocked research into
medical marijuana for explicitly political reasons for the last
two decades" (New York Times, 5/22).

***

#4 MEDICAL MARIJUANA II: WOODY HARRELSON UNLOADS ON POT TRIAL JUDGE

Woody Harrelson's testimony yesterday in the Sacramento
trial of B.E. Smith, a Trinity County medical marijuana activist,
nearly landed the actor in jail. When Harrelson angrily asked
U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell, "How do you sleep at night?"
the judge warned the former "Cheers" star that he might again
find himself behind a bar - in jail - "if he continued to defy
the court." Harrelson testified that Smith is his "good friend
and mentor," and the "last free man in America." Earlier this
week, Harrelson wrote a letter to the editor of the Sacramento
Bee stating, "Apparently in Judge Burrell's courtroom, he is not
content for lady justice to be blind; she must also be deaf,
dumb, bound, gagged, raped and dismembered." Harrelson was the
final witness in Smith's trial - the defendant testified
yesterday that "smoking marijuana has successfully curbed his
abuse of alcohol" - and the jury is continuing deliberations
today (Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 5/21).

***

The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for The Henry J.
Kaiser Family Foundation by National Journal Group Inc.

Copyright 1999 by National Journal Group Inc., 1501 M St., N.W.,
Washington, DC 20005. All rights reserved.

Phone: 202-672-5990
Fax: 202-672-5767
E-mail: report@kff.org

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Patricia Miller
EDITOR: Amy Paulson
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Rosalee Sanchez
STAFF WRITERS: Jeff Dufour, Charmaine Marosi, Allison Morgan,
Adam Pasick

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

Feds Make It Easier To Study Marijuana (The AMA-approved Reuters version)

Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 22:55:13 -0400
To: DRCNet Medical Marijuana Forum (medmj@drcnet.org)
From: Michael Krawitz (miguet@infi.net)
Subject: AMA NEWS: Feds Make It Easier To Study Marijuana (Reuters 5/24)
Sender: owner-medmj@drcnet.org

http://www.ama-assn.org/insight/gen_hlth/med_news/tmp-news/0524-6f.htm

This information sponsored by an unrestricted educational grant from Emory
Healthcare. Visit us!

This content has been medically reviewed by Health Insight Editor and staff

Reuters Health News

Feds Make It Easier To Study Marijuana

NEW YORK, May 24 (Reuters Health) -- New procedures announced by the US
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday will make it easier
for researchers to obtain marijuana for medical research.

"This is really an expansion of existing procedures to help researchers find
out whether indeed there is a medical benefit to marijuana," Campbell
Gardett, a spokesman for HHS, told Reuters Health.

The aim is to provide "research-grade marijuana" for studies, including
projects not funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to
a statement from the NIH.

General Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National
Drug Policy, endorsed the move saying it would "facilitate further research
into the potential medical uses of marijuana and its constituent
cannabinoids."

"This decision underscores the federal government's commitment to ensuring
that the discussion of the medical efficacy and safety of cannabinoids takes
place within the context of medicine and science," the White House Drug
"Czar" added.

McCaffrey said that his office would work "closely with (HHS) to promote
bonafide clinical research and to ensure appropriate medical access to drugs
and substances that are deemed safe and effective for medical use in
treatment."

In an interview with Reuters Health, Chuck Thomas, spokesman for the advocacy
group Marijuana Policy Project, expressed "cautious optimism" about the
guidelines.

However, Thomas said that he was disappointed that the guidelines did not
support access to medical marijuana for single patients with chronic
conditions such as pain or AIDS wasting. According to the guidelines,
"single-patient requests for marijuana raised a number of concerns including
the fact that the single-patient IND (Investigational New Drug) process would
not produce useful scientific information."

In March, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which is part of the National
Academy of Sciences, issued a report on medical marijuana, recommending
short-term use of smoked marijuana for selected patients. Thomas said that
HHS's "callous disregard" for the IOM recommendation meant that individuals
who need marijuana for medical reasons "will continue to live as criminals."

For more information, researchers should contact the Program Administrator,
Drug Supply and Analytical Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001
Executive Blvd., Bethesda, Maryland, 20892.

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

Pot haul questioned (The North Shore News, in British Columbia, says North
Vancouver provincial court Judge Jerome Paradis is considering the legality
of a police roadblock search that led to the arrest of Lions Bay resident
Marcus Richardson, 26, and the seizure of 13 pounds of marijuana in his car.
Compassion Club founder Hilary Black says "the cannabis in question was
destined for the Compassion Club.")

Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 19:03:02 -0800
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
From: "H. Couch" (hcouch@wkpowerlink.com)
Subject: North Shore News - 2 articles

North Shore News (B.C., Canada)
May 24, 1999

http://www.nsnews.com/issues99/w052499/05219901.html

Pot haul questioned

* 13 pounds seized in West Van; judge adjourns case to consider validity of
search of car trunk

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter
dangelo@nsnews.com

A Lions Bay man affiliated with a Vancouver non-profit business that
provides sick people with marijuana was in North Vancouver provincial court
on May 14.

Marcus Richardson, 26, is charged with possessing more than three kilograms of
marijuana for trafficking purposes and possessing a small amount of hashish.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Nov. 25, 1998, Richardson was stopped at 1:30 a.m. in a West Vancouver
Police roadblock on Marine Drive near the Lions Gate Bridge.

Six kilograms (13 lbs.) of marijuana was seized from the trunk of the car
he was driving.

Court proceedings on May 14 involved a voir dire - a trial within a trial
- in which the legal validity of the trunk search was at issue. If the
search is deemed to have been illegal, the seized marijuana will be
excluded from being evidence in the case.

North Vancouver provincial court Judge Jerome Paradis adjourned the case to
June as he considered the voir dire information and judge's decisions in
other drug search cases.

West Vancouver Police Const. John Lo testified that about 10 minutes after
the roadblock was set up, Richardson's car rounded the cloverleaf and
abruptly stopped short of the roadblock. The Volkswagen Jetta than pulled
up to Lo.

Lo testified he could smell marijuana in the car. Richardson and the car
passengers, Richardson's wife Charlene and another man, Ashley Boyd, were
asked to get out.

Lo found tips of marijuana cigarettes in the car's ashtray.

"It was quite full," testified Lo, 24.

Lo did not think the marijuana in the ashtray was enough to account for the
smell from the car.

Lo asked Richardson to open the trunk.

"He (Richardson) said I'm not letting you look in those bags," said Lo.

"He was getting in the way so I had no choice but to handcuff him."

Richardson was handcuffed and put into a police car. The trunk was not locked.

Inside the trunk, Lo found 11 sealed oven bags containing sealed plastic
bags full of marijuana. There were about 10 smaller bags in each oven bag,
said Lo. All of the marijuana has since been destroyed.

A brown knapsack containing $6,000 cash and a scrap piece of paper with
weights and dollar amounts were also in the trunk.

Richardson had a tin in his pocket containing hash oil.

Lo had two years' experience as a West Vancouver Police officer at the
time. He was conducting the roadblock with another junior officer, West
Vancouver Police Const. Susan Chalmers.

Chalmers had worked for the police department for 14 months at the time of
the incident. Richardson's lawyer John Conroy questioned Lo about the
reasons the officer had to search the trunk.

The defence lawyer took issue with whether the officer should have secured
a search warrant and questioned the length of time it took before
Richardson was informed of his Charter rights.

Conroy argued that Lo "flagrantly violated the accused's rights" by not
getting a search warrant in contravention of the Controlled Drug and
Substances Act (CDSA).

Crown lawyer Jay Straith said that, contrary to the defence lawyer's
argument, Lo had reasonable and probable grounds to search the trunk
without a search warrant. Straith said that, from the outset, the incident
was a drug investigation.

Compassion Club founder Hilary Black would not discuss Richardson's case
except to say that "the cannabis in question was destined for the
Compassion Club."

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

Club Has 700 Members (The North Shore News, in British Columbia, says that
for two years, East Vancouver's Compassion Club, a registered non-profit
society, has been quietly selling marijuana to people with terminal illnesses
and serious diseases. Compassion Club founder Hilary Black said the society
has had no problems with the police. "Not that they think that people that
need it medically shouldn't get it," Black said.)

Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 23:22:33 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Canada: Club Has 700 Members
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Herb
Pubdate: May 24, 1999
Source: North Shore News (Canada)
Copyright: 1999 by the North Shore News
Contact: editor@nsnews.com
Website: http://www.nsnews.com/
Author: Anna Marie D'Angelo
Related: http://www.thecompassionclub.org/

Club Has 700 Members

For two years, the Compassion Club in East Vancouver has been quietly
selling marijuana to people with terminal illnesses and serious diseases.

Compassion Club founder Hilary Black said the non-profit society has
had no problems with the police.

"We are completely focused on the medicinal aspects (of marijuana)
only," said Black, who was raised in West Vancouver.

Black said the Compassion Club is a registered non-profit society with
700 members. She said that on doctors' recommendations, sick and dying
people join the Compassion Club. Club members can purchase marijuana
to combat the side effects of prescription drugs, for example.

Black said Compassion Club members are HIV positive, have AIDS, cancer
including leukemia, epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia,
arthritis and chronic pain.

Black said that marijuana can be used to combat prescription drug side
effects such as nausea and appetite loss that results from anti-viral
drugs for HIV and chemotherapy for cancer.

"Generally the only complaint we get is that marijuana is illegal,"
said Black.

"Not that they think that people that need it medically shouldn't get
it."

She said some people don't like the way some marijuana supporters are
trying to change the law.

"It's come to the point where we have had to resort to peaceful civil
disobedience," said Black.

Black said the marijuana dispensed at the Compassion Club is not
treated with pesticides and is carefully checked to make sure there is
no mould. She said that large amounts of marijuana are not kept on the
premises in order to prevent being a target by thieves.

Black said that the marijuana is given to the Compassion Club by a
"few growers." Growers who do not wish to directly deal with the
Compassion Club because of legal concerns connect with people Black
called Compassion Club "friends." These friends collect the marijuana
from growers and store it. The marijuana is then brought to the
Compassion Club in relatively small amounts.

"We don't have 20 pounds of pot here or at our homes because we are in
potentially a high-risk situation," said Black.

The Compassion Club marijuana is sold for less than street-level prices.

Black notes that she and five others operate the cannabis distribution
of the Compassion Club. Black notes that they all get $10 an hour for
their work and "pay taxes."

"I am sure we have been under a fair amount of surveillance. They
(police) must know we are very strict, very bureaucratic, very careful
and very thorough," said Black.

She said that a person can't just walk off the street and buy
marijuana. Potential new members need a doctors' "prescription," an
appointment and must take part in an "intake session."

The Compassion Club operates an alternative wellness centre as well
which includes herbalists, a nutritionist and counsellors.

"We are trying to encourage people to use cannabis holistically," said
Black.

North Vancouver RCMP Const. Shane Tuckey, of the drug section, points
out the Compassion Club marijuana is unregulated and illegal.

Tuckey wonders who decides and ensures proper marijuana dosages and
how potential abuse is controlled.

Tuckey said that some medical people frown on marijuana use because of
its delivery system. Smoking marijuana harms the lungs and is a
concern with pneumonia prone people with illnesses such as AIDs.

But Tuckey, a 20-year police veteran, said police across Canada and
especially in B.C., have a high tolerance for simple possession of
marijuana particularly when dealing with people using it for sickness.

"If I take a joint away from somebody who is dying of leukemia, how
bad is that going to look in court? We would never proceed with that
kind of charge," said Tuckey.

Tuckey said drug enforcement resources are stretched to the limit in
dealing with major cocaine and heroin traffickers along with the many
hydroponic-grow operations linked to organized crime.

Tuckey noted that last year North Vancouver RCMP did not recommend
charges involving about 200 drug seizures of relatively small amounts.
Police call such investigations "no-case seizures."

"A lot of kids out there are just waiting to say, 'Look it's a
medicine and it's legal' and then they are going to try it," said
Tuckey. He warned that decriminalizing marijuana will result in more
pot smoking by teenagers.

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

Hemp B.C., Cannabis Cafe owner set to close (According to the Vancouver
Province, in British Columbia, Shelley Francis, a.k.a. Sister Icee, who
bought the two famous hemporiums from Marc Emery in March 1998, expects to be
out of business by the end of the week. Francis thinks Justice Thomas Melnick
will grant the city an injunction. "I think our days are numbered, but I will
not close Hemp B.C. until a judge orders me to. I will always continue this
fight to decriminalize marijuana. It's one that has to be fought.")

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Canada: Hemp B.C., Cannabis Cafe owner set to close
Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 07:43:09 -0700
Lines: 58
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Vancouver Province (Canada)
Contact: provletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Pubdate: Monday 24 May 1999
Author: Jack Keating, Staff Reporter The Province

Hemp B.C., Cannabis Cafe owner set to close

The owner of Vancouver's first marijuana joint expects to be out of
business by the end of the week.

"I will honour the wishes of the court and I will close Hemp B.C. and the
Cannabis Cafe," Shelley Francis (a.k.a. Sister Icee) said yesterday.

Francis thinks Justice Thomas Melnick will grant the city an injunction
this week to close the two marijuana emporiums in the 300-block West
Hastings.

Lawyers for Francis last week launched a judicial review in B.C. Supreme
Court against city council's refusal to grant Francis a business licence
after a controversial show-cause hearing.

"I'm saddened by the narrow-mindedness of the city council that would
perpetuate this stupidness that has been going on for five years," said
Francis, who bought the two businesses from Marc Emery in March 1998.

She said she has been unfairly targeted by police and city council.

"We are high-profile political activists here, speaking out against unjust
marijuana laws in this country. Those laws criminalize otherwise
hard-working and innocent Canadians."

George Macintosh, a high-profile lawyer retained by the city, argued in
court that council had grounds to deny a licence, and asked for an
injunction to shut the two operations down.

"I guess they've won," said Francis. "I think our days are numbered, but I
will not close Hemp B.C. until a judge orders me to. I will always continue
this fight to decriminalize marijuana. It's one that has to be fought."

Neighbouring merchants said they'll be disappointed to see the end of Hemp
B.C., which was featured in Rolling Stone magazine, the Wall Street Journal
and the New York Times and was supported by the B.C. Civil Liberties
Association and a petition signed by 10,000 people.

"They're very good for the neighbourhood," said Don Vincent, part-owner of
Bassix, a music store.

"It's going to be bad for business down here if they're shut down.

"They've brought down a lot of people between the ages of 18 to 28, which
is also our age-group target. People that are here shopping now are
middle-class kids and young adults with money.

"It became a really happening block. If they leave, it'll bring a lot less
affluent people down here. And it's going to be taken over more by junkies
and pawnshops."

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

U Of T Link To Tobacco Under Fire (The Toronto Star says University of
Toronto President Robert Prichard is under fire in an international medical
journal after his refusal to step down as a director of Imasco, the holding
company for Imperial Tobacco. The current issue of Tobacco Control, a
specialist publication of the British Medical Journal, uses Prichard as an
example of how universities, researchers, and teaching hospitals world-wide
remain gripped by an "institutional addiction" to tobacco money.)

Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 16:37:52 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Canada: U Of T Link To Tobacco Under Fire
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 1999
Source: Toronto Star (Canada)
Copyright: 1999, The Toronto Star
Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com
Website: http://www.thestar.com/
Author: Leslie Papp, Toronto Star Medical Reporter

U OF T LINK TO TOBACCO UNDER FIRE

President's directorship criticized

University of Toronto President Robert Prichard is under fire in an
international medical journal after his refusal to step down as a director
of Imasco, the holding company for Imperial Tobacco.

He's used as an example of how universities, researchers, and teaching
hospitals world-wide remain gripped by an ``institutional addiction'' to
tobacco money.

``Through strategic appointments to boards, the tobacco industry uses people
in key positions to lend respectability to its activities,'' write
scientists at the government-funded Ontario Tobacco Research Unit in
Toronto.

Their work is published in the current issue of Tobacco Control, a
specialist publication of the British Medical Journal.

Hospitals and universities should sever all links with tobacco companies in
light of mounting evidence showing the unethical behaviour of this industry,
according to the authors of the commentary.

These institutions have a duty to improve and protect the public's health,
Joanna Cohen, main author of the study, said in an interview. ``If they have
relationships with tobacco companies, it flies in the face of their
mandate.''

Smoking-related illness kills 30,000 to 40,000 Canadians a year, Cohen said.
``And the tobacco industry is driving this epidemic.''

Labelling the U of T the ``university of tobacco,'' she said it's
particularly close to these companies.

``There's a real incestuous relationship right here in our own backyard,''
Cohen said. ``Not everybody's aware of that, and we don't know the full
extent of this throughout the country.''

Prichard refused to discuss the issue. ``I don't have any comment to make
about it,'' he said in a short interview.

Several members of the faculty of medicine have written Prichard, pleading
that he step down from Imasco's board, but the university president has
refused, said Cohen, a public health scientist. The research unit where she
works was set up by the province in 1993 to study and recommend smoking
control measures.

Other tobacco industry ties to U of T, and its affiliated hospitals, were
outlined in the journal, including: Imasco president and CEO Brian Levitt,
appointed to a board that guides the university's fundraising. Robert
Parker, head of the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council, who sits on
Women's College Hospital's fundraising panel. Hospitals affiliated with the
university accepted $225,000 from Imasco in 1996, and $191,000 in 1995.

``It's really a conflict of interest for these organizations,'' said Cohen.
She and other researchers are preparing to launch a nationwide study into
hospital and university ties to tobacco.

Parker, spokesperson for the tobacco industry, dismissed as ``ridiculous''
the call for a severing of relationships.

``I'm sure it's very morally satisfying to indulge in these attacks, but it
provides no progress whatever,'' Parker said.

He added that scientists would move closer to their goal by figuring out
ways to blunt the public's appetite for tobacco.

``They're looking in the wrong place,'' he said.

But Cohen said the industry can't dodge blame for the harm it causes.

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

Venezuela To Deny U.S. Flight Request (According to the Associated Press,
President Hugo Chavez said Monday that he would deny a request by the United
States to use his country's airspace for anti-narcotics flights, citing
Venezuela's status as a sovereign nation.)

Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 16:42:03 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Venezuela: Wire: Venezuela To Deny Us Flight Request
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: EWCHIEF
Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 1999
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 1999 Associated Press

VENEZUELA TO DENY US FLIGHT REQUEST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) President Hugo Chavez said Monday that he will deny
a request by the United States to use Venezuela's airspace for
anti-narcotics flights in the region.

The United States wants to use Venezuela's airspace for flights from three
new staging centers being set up in Ecuador and the islands of Curacao and
Aruba, which are located off Venezuela's western coast.

The new centers are expected to compensate for the U.S. withdrawal from
Howard Air Force Base in the Panama Canal Zone, which until May 1 had been
used for such reconnaissance flights.

Chavez, speaking Monday night during a nationally broadcast speech, said:
"We cannot accept (the flights) because Venezuela is a sovereign country."

He added that Venezuela is willing to otherwise cooperate with the United
States in the anti-drug fight, and has its own fleet of airplanes that
could assist U.S. authorities.

U.S. officials say they have offered to allow Venezuelan air force
personnel in Aruba and Curacao to ride in any U.S. aircraft that pass over
Venezuelan territory. Information gathered on narcotics trafficking also
would be shared.

Chavez also named five new Cabinet members Monday night. Six cabinet
members have resigned recently to run for seats in a constituent assembly
that will rewrite Venezuela's constitution.

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

Do Not Let The USA Twist Our Arm (A letter to the editor of the Canberra
Times, in Australia, says the government's hostility to the distribution of
heroin to addicts on prescription is not, as they claim, because it sends the
wrong signal to the drug-using community. The wrong signal is to the United
States DEA.)

Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 22:18:20 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: PUB LTE: Do Not Let The USA Twist Our Arm
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Kenneth William Russell
Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 1999
Source: Canberra Times (Australia)
Contact: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
Website: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/
Author: Colin P. Glover

DO NOT LET THE USA TWIST OUR ARM

THE GOVERNMENT'S hostility to the distribution of heroin to addicts on
prescription is not, as they claim, because it sends the wrong signal to the
drug-using community.

The wrong signal is to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), who
have a strong influence in the International Narcotics Control Board.

Soon after Mr Howard returned from a recent visit to the USA, where he had
discussions with the DEA, Dr Michael Wooldridge, Minister for Health, up to
that time supportive of heroin trials, gave a TV interview in which he
recanted, fairly obviously because of the party line.

In turning his coat, he made a very revealing remark about the possible
disaster of losing the Tasmanian poppy industry, a $100 million a year
export business.

My guess is that his concern arose from a threat by the DEA to intercede to
have the Tasmanian product, which goes mainly to Europe for use in
pharmaceuticals, banned from world markets.

Any officially sponsored distribution of heroin is contrary to the DEA
hard-line total prohibition, which pays no heed to harm minimisation, the
continuing failure to block the supply side of the drug business or the huge
cost of drug-related crime and disease and its appalling social
consequences.

We need a study of the costs and benefits of distributing heroin on
prescription, at least until they can be stabilised and rehabilitated.

If we can gain control of the demand side, the supply side will collapse.

Let's solve our own problem and not be a meekly compliant appendage of the
USA.

COLIN P. GLOVER Canberra City

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[End]