Fw: The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #116

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The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #116

>

> The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #116 - Nov. 12, 1999

> A Publication of the Drug Reform Coordination Network

>

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> This issue can be also be read on our web site at

> <http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html>.

>

> ================

>

> TABLE OF CONTENTS

>

> 1. Hypocrisy II: More Special Treatment for Politicians'

> Families

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#hypocrisyII

>

> 2. Youth Violence Subcommittee Holds Field Hearing on

> Heroin Upsurge

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#fieldhearing

>

> 3. Reformers Express Concern to Bolivian Government Over

> Illegal Arrest of Leonilda Vargas

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#bolivialetter

>

> 4. In Memoriam: Gil Puder

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#gilpuder

>

> 5. New Mexico: Governor Holds Forum on Legalization, Top

> Cop Resigns, Republican Chairman Acknowledges Authoring

> Private Pro-Decriminalization Paper in 1997

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#newmexico

>

> 6. " Judge Judy " on Drug Users and Their Families: " Let 'Em

> Die "

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#judgejudy

>

> 7. Student Conference Report

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#ssdp

>

> 8. DEA Lifts Hemp Seed Embargo

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#embargolifted

>

> 9. Mc and McCormick to Plead Guilty

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#guiltyplea

>

> 10. Drug Education: New Publication From The Lindesmith

> Center

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#drugedpamphlet

>

> 11. Needle Exchange Forum: Newark, New Jersey, 11/20

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#nepforum

>

> 12. New Report on Injection-Related AIDS Finds Prevention

> Neglected in Large States and Major Cities

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#dogwoodreport

>

> 13. Guest Editorial: U.S. Senate Should Pass Forfeiture

> Reform Bill

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#editorial

>

> ================

>

> 1. Hypocrisy II: More Special Treatment for Politicians'

> Families

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#hypocrisyII

>

> While the furor over presidential candidate W. Bush's

> alleged past cocaine use has temporarily abated, another

> prominent Republican has come under scrutiny for apparent

> inconsistencies between his public policies and family

> preferences.

>

> The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported this week that

> Grams, 21-year old son of U.S. Senator Rod Grams, was driven

> home and released by Anoka Chief Deputy Beberg, after

> ten bags of marijuana were found in the car he was driving.

> In addition to having marijuana, Grams was driving without a

> license and was on probation for drinking and driving.

>

> Beberg said he pulled over Grams after receiving a

> call from the Senator, who said he " learned he might be in

> trouble, and asked the authorities to find him. " Beberg,

> who is also the Mayor of Anoka, told the Tribune their was

> no special treament: " Just because it's Rod Grams' kid

> doesn't mean that I would back away from it. But there was

> nothing I could arrest him for. "

>

> There did seem to be sufficient grounds to arrest Grams' 17-

> year old passenger, however, who was charged with marijuana

> possession and spent over a month in a juvenile detention

> center. Nine of the ten bags were being carried by the

> passenger, but one was found under Grams' seat.

>

> Marijuana aside, Grams' possible violation of his parole --

> terms of which included a judge's order not to possess

> alcohol or other mood-altering substances -- could have

> netted him at least three months in jail. Beberg told the

> Tribune there were beer cans in the car, but they were full

> and unopened, including the one at Grams' feet. A worker at

> the car rental agency, however, said that five or six

> empties were found under the seat.

>

> Senator Grams told the Tribune, " My son has struggled with

> addiction and behavioral problems for years and has received

> treatment for these problems... It is my primary duty as his

> father to set aside my disappointment and see to it that he

> gets treatment and continues to get help for his problems. "

>

> But while Grams was no doubt relieved to have his son at

> home and receiving treatment, he has taken a strong interest

> in seeing other drug users lose their homes entirely and get

> sent to prison. In 1997, for example, Grams championed

> legislation requiring eviction of public housing tenants

> upon discovery of any amount of any illegal drug, on or off

> housing grounds (http://drcnet.org/rapid/1997/5-8-1.html).

> In January of this year, he cosponsored legislation to lower

> the quantities of powder cocaine that invoke five and ten-

> year mandatory minimum sentences, and last week he supported

> a similar amendment that passed the Senate.

>

> Erlinder, a professor of constitutional law and

> criminal justice at College of Law, told

> the Tribune, " It has all the appearances of a case of clear-

> cut preferential treatment " and " It would be easy to find

> thousands of African-Americans, Hispanics and working-class

> white males who are in prison for exactly the circumstances

> that occurred in this case. " Neal Melton, executive

> director of the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and

> Training Board, which licenses peace officers, told the

> Tribune, " Normally, you'd arrest everyone in the car.

> They'd all be questioned separately, then booked on the

> appropriate charges. "

>

> Preferential treatment for family of members of Congress is

> nothing new. The November-December, 1998 issue of

> Newsbriefs summarized known cases, including the son Rep.

> Dan Burton, arrested twice on marijuana charges (see

> http://www.ndsn.org/NOVDEC98/PUBLIC.html).

>

> ================

>

> 2. Youth Violence Subcommittee Holds Field Hearing on Heroin

> Upsurge

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#fieldhearing

>

> Ted Bridges, Drug Policy Foundation, bridges@...

>

> This Monday (11/15), the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on

> Youth Violence traveled to the New Castle County police

> headquarters in New Castle, Delaware to hold a hearing on

> resurgence of heroin use. Only two senators on the

> subcommittee were present at the hearing -- Senator ph

> Biden (D-DE) and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PE), although

> Specter departed during the first panel of witnesses leaving

> Biden to chair the hearing.

>

> In testimony, a New Castle police officer and a paramedic

> offered anecdotal evidence as to the increasing prevalence

> of heroin arrests and overdoses in the Delaware area.

> R. , Acting Special agent in Charge of the

> Philadelphia Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency,

> testified that the Pennsylvania/Delaware region has been

> flooded with inexpensive and highly pure South American

> heroin, which is marketed with such street names as " TURBO, "

> READY TO DIE, " and " LANDROVER. "

>

> Senators Biden and Specter stressed that a greater share of

> the government's drug control budget must be devoted to

> demand reduction. " It is long-past due that we devote at

> least 50% of the resources to the demand side, " said

> Specter.

>

> The Senators' ideas for cutting back demand include

> reauthorizing and strengthening the drug court program -- a

> network of state and local special courts that offer non-

> violent drug offenders an alternative to prison if they

> participate in a program of coerced abstinence through a

> combination of treatment, drug testing, punitive sanctions,

> and case management. To this end, both senators endorsed

> S.1808, a pending Specter-sponsored bill entitled, " The Drug

> Court Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 1999. "

>

> Biden also called upon Congress to fulfill a commitment it

> made in 1992 under the Pharmacotherapy Development Act to

> provide $1 billion over ten years to the National Institute

> on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Medication Development Program, which

> researches new drugs that can be used to treat opioid

> addiction. Funds were authorized for the program by

> Congress in 1993 and 1995 but were never appropriated.

>

> Witness Dr. Alan Leshner who heads the Medication

> Development Program was critical of the government's level

> of support. " In spite of all the rhetoric, we really don't

> have enough funding for treatment. "

>

> Specter, while supportive of the drug court approach, said

> he was not convinced of the power of medications to treat

> addiction. He quizzed Dr. Leshner about the Human Genome

> Project and informed the doctor that he would find better

> results curing drug addiction from a genetic angle.

> Specter's lesson in human physiology had no merit, however,

> according to another researcher from the Medical Development

> Division of NIDA who asked to remain anonymous. " [The Human

> Genome Project] is a long way off. Even when it's complete,

> what can you do for addiction with that information? You

> would still have to chemically alter the genome for there to

> be any effect. "

>

> Biden outlined other proposals for curbing heroin use in a

> report entitled, " HEROIN: Increased Use, Deadly

> Consequences. " In the report, Biden endorses the bill

> S.324, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 1999, which is

> specifically targeted at increasing the availability of an

> anti-heroin addiction drug known as Buprenorphine. Biden

> also recommends incentives for private companies to develop

> opioid addiction medications. He suggests that

> pharmaceutical companies be allowed to extend their patents

> on their anti-addiction medications, and that the

> Food and Drug Administration's approval process be

> expedited.

>

> By the end, the event began to take on the flavor of a town

> hall meeting more than a hearing. At one point, Biden asked

> panel members, " Why the heck won't these kids listen to me? "

> In response, spirited audience members shouted, " They're

> right here! Why don't you ask them yourself? " Two

> recovering heroin addicts from a local methadone clinic were

> ushered up to the witness table. Said one gaunt-faced youth

> to Biden: " The reason someone would listen to us and not to

> you is because we've been there. Yours is just textbook

> knowledge. "

>

> ================

>

> 3. Reformers Express Concern to Bolivian Government Over

> Illegal Arrest of Leonilda Vargas

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#bolivialetter

>

> Last week, DRCNet reported that Leonilda Zurita Vargas,

> Bolivian activist who had recently participated in political

> demonstrations and press events in the United States,

> including events organized by drug policy reform groups, had

> been illegally arrested and jailed on returning to Bolivia

> (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/update11-12-99.html#leonilda).

> Parties who had worked with Leonilda sent the following

> letter of concern to the President of Bolivia this week:

>

> November 18, 1999

>

> Dear President Banzer:

>

> We are writing to express our concern regarding the illegal

> arrest and detention on November 10, 1999, of Leonilda

> Zurita, the executive director of the Tropico Federation of

> Bolivia, on her return from the United States. Having

> collaborated with Zurita during her recent visit to

> Washington, we encourage you to ensure that Zurita, other

> activists, and all Bolivians receive the full human rights

> protections granted in Bolivia under its own legal system

> and international treaties it has signed.

>

> In the United States, Zurita was collaborating this month

> with a wide range of U.S. non-governmental organizations in

> Washington, DC to raise awareness of economic conditions,

> human rights violations and the negative impact of U.S.

> international drug control policy. Upon her return November

> 10, she was arrested by police waiting for her at the

> Cochabamba airport with an arrest warrant dating from

> February.

>

> Her arrest was based on a case in which she and several

> other union leaders were charged with causing damage to

> property in the amount of $38. While we are not in a

> position to judge the merits of the original case, we find

> her recent detention troubling for several reasons. The

> timing of her arrest suggests that it was politically

> motivated and linked to her activities in the United States.

> Jailing her for 24 hours was a harsh response to a

> relatively minor charge, and was illegal under Bolivian law.

> The warrant for her arrest only gave the police the right to

> take her to make a statement, not to lock her up for 24

> hours. In any case, the legality of the warrant is

> questionable because the documentation failed to specify the

> charge against her. Additionally, Zurita easily obtained an

> exit visa for her trip to the United States though exit

> visas are seldom granted to individuals with pending legal

> problems. A police officer at the Sacaba Police Station

> informed the Andean Information Network, based in

> Cochabamba, that the arrest was based on orders from

> authorities. These facts suggest her arrest may actually

> have been prompted by her political activity in the United

> States where her speech and conduct are protected by law.

>

> We are greatly alarmed by the detention of Leonilda Zurita

> in violation of her basic rights and urge you to guarantee

> strict adherence to Bolivian legal procedures in her case.

> We urge you to express respect for freedom of speech and

> other basic human rights in Bolivia by assuring that these

> proceedings are not a reprisal for Zurita's political views.

>

> Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> E. Sterling, Esq., President

> The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation

>

> Coletta Youngers, Senior Associate

> Washington Office on Latin America

>

> Jelsma, Coordinator

> Drugs & Democracy Programme, Transnational Institute

>

> Borden, Executive Director

> Drug Reform Coordination Network

>

> Barbara Gerlach and Cristina Espinel, Co-Chairs

> Colombia Human Rights Committee

>

> Grahame , Director

> Rights Action/Guatemala Partners

>

> Sanho Tree, Director of Drug Policy Project

> Institute for Policy Studies

>

> A. White, President

> Center for International Policy

>

> S. Gelacek, Esq., Vice-Chairman and Commissioner

> U.S. Sentencing Commission, 1990-1998

>

> Smyth

> Freelance Journalist

>

> Harry Belafonte

> Entertainer

>

> Danny Glover

> Entertainer

>

> Reverend Bernard Keels

> United Methodist Church, Baltimore, land

>

> cc: Ambassador Romero, Acting Assistant Secretary of

> State for Inter-American Affairs

> Harold Koh, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy,

> Human Rights and Labor

> General Barry McCaffrey, Director of Office of National

> Drug Control Policy

> Ambassador Marcelo Monasterios, Bolivian

> Ambassador to the United States

> Honorable Walter Guteiras, Vice Minister of Human Rights

> Dr. Edgar Moreno, Minister of Justice

> Honorable Gerardo do, President of the Human Rights

> Commission of the Chamber of Deputies

>

> ================

>

> 4. In Memoriam: Gil Puder

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#gilpuder

>

> We are deeply saddened to report the untimely death of Gil

> Puder, a decorated 18-year veteran of the Vancouver, Canada

> police force and a strong and energetic advocate of drug

> policy reform. Gil broke ranks with the prohibitionist

> establishment two years ago and became one of the few law

> enforcement professionals in North America to speak out

> against the drug war, successfully standing up to pressure

> from officials who wanted him to stop.

>

> Gil backed up his public stance with encouragement and

> support to drug reform organizations. He proudly displayed

> a DRCNet " stopthedrugwar.org " bumper sticker on his police

> station locker, for example, and was pleased to find that

> the rank-and-file officers, unlike their top-cop politician

> bosses, didn't seem to have a problem with it.

>

> Many reformers first heard him speak at the Drug Policy

> Foundation conference in Washington last May, and were

> impressed and heartened to have such a strong ally. Though

> at the time he seemed the picture of health, Gil passed away

> last Friday at age 40, after a brief bout with cancer,

> leaving a wife, two young sons, and numerous family and

> extended family.

>

> Eugene Oscapella of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy

> wrote, " Those who knew Gil saw his courage in standing up to

> the entrenched prohibitionist policies of senior police

> ranks and government. We have lost an intelligent and

> outspoken advocate of humane drug policy reform. We have

> also lost a gentleman whose strength of character would

> almost certainly have led him to become a highly principled

> holder of public office. " A former police academy student

> of his wrote, " Gil filled many roles and did them with flair

> and style. "

>

> Gil's book, " Crossfire: A Street Cop's Stand Against

> Violence, Corruption and the War on Drugs, " is scheduled for

> publication by and McIntyre next year. We reprint

> below an editorial of his, published less than a week before

> his passing.

>

> Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the British

> Columbia/Yukon Cancer Society, <http://www.bc.cancer.ca/>.

> Correspondence to the Puder family can be addressed care of

> Vancouver City Police, 2120 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC,

> V5Z 4M6, Canada.

>

> THERE'S MORE TO DRUGS THAN 'JUST SAY NO'

>

> by Gil Puder

>

> published Sunday, Nov. 7, 1999, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

>

> The Republican governor of New Mexico, ,

> recently made an astounding public statement. He said

> America's war on drugs is a multibillion-dollar failure,

> that it has unjustifiably jailed thousands of people while

> lying about the dangers of marijuana, and that many illegal

> drugs should be legalized and strictly regulated.

>

> is now the highest-ranking elected official in the

> United States to say, in effect, " The emperor has no

> clothes. " I've spent my career in law enforcement, and I

> believe is absolutely right.

>

> In 1984 an armed heroin addict robbed a bank. I fired a

> fatal round that cost that man his life. Two years later,

> another junkie with a gun took the life of my friend, Sgt.

> Larry Young. More recently, I had to tell a woman that her

> son had died from a drug overdose. The experience was

> devastating -- not only for her, but for me, as well. I

> don't dislike the drug problem; I hate it.

>

> Yet, while the governments of both our countries spend

> billions of our tax dollars every year fighting the so-

> called war on drugs, the shameful truth is, it hasn't

> worked. It never will. I don't want to lose another friend

> or bring more mothers the same bad news. It's time for all

> of us to wake up.

>

> When I deliver this message to local business leaders at

> Seattle Downtown Rotary Club's luncheon on Nov. 17, I expect

> many to be apprehensive. But perhaps the need for a change

> in policy will begin to sink in when my co-speaker, Dr.

> Alonzo Plough, director of Public Health-Seattle and King

> County, outlines the increasing gravity of the situation.

>

> With some 10,000 addicts, King County has one of the worst

> heroin problems in America, and it's getting worse. Last

> year, according to data compiled by the state Division of

> Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, more people died in King County

> from heroin-involved overdoses than died in motor vehicle

> crashes.

>

> Who am I to be talking about your problems? Someone who

> recognizes we've got plenty of our own in Canada. In my

> city, Vancouver, B.C., residents are dying from drug

> overdoses at the rate of about four a week. An injection-

> drug HIV epidemic has drawn international attention to our

> neighborhood known as the Downtown Eastside. I know that

> good neighbors should tend to their own problems first, but

> this is a common problem, and I believe good friends should

> look for shared solutions.

>

> Your neighborhoods and mine are under siege. Being a street

> cop, witnessing the tragedy firsthand, I've become convinced

> that drug prohibition -- not drugs themselves -- are driving

> the HIV epidemic and the systemic crime that has swamped our

> criminal justice systems. Unfortunately, this is nearly

> impossible to admit if you're a politician who built your

> " law and order " image by vilifying drugs and demonizing

> addicts as the epitome of moral decay.

>

> Yet " rabid junkie " stereotypes are seldom reality --

> certainly not the housewife addicted to prescription

> painkillers or the 14-year-old boy shot at a Vancouver-area

> high school.

>

> People who have heavily invested in the status quo chant

> mantras of zero tolerance mandatory minimum sentences while

> both the supply and demand for drugs increases and jails

> burst at the seams. For 80 years, we've waged the war on

> drugs with a central focus -- criminal sanctions. Anyone

> who thinks we're winning has their eyes closed, or simply

> doesn't want to see.

>

> I know there's no silver bullet for this monster, but there

> are more effective solutions.

>

> First, we must accept reality: Drugs, including alcohol and

> tobacco, are here today. Not all drug users are abusers,

> and not all abusers become addicts. Once we acknowledge

> these fundamental truths, the responsible approach for

> dealing with drugs becomes clear -- shift most of our

> resources away from interdiction and punishment toward

> treatment and education.

>

> Next, we must understand that drug addiction is, above all,

> a medical and public health issue. Like alcoholism, it is a

> form of disease that an be successfully treated to reduce

> harm to society.

>

> Crime must be punished; violent crime and crimes against

> children must be punished severely. But we could

> dramatically reduce drug-related crime and its horrendous

> human and financial costs by decriminalizing and strictly

> regulating drug use.

>

> The benefits of such reform would be immediate. Windfall

> savings on criminal justice dollars could be plowed into

> health care and rehabilitation, which are the only methods

> proven to correct substance abuse.

>

> Not every drug should be treated the same. The sale or

> distribution to children, as well as trafficking,

> importation and exporting, should remain crimes, with

> perhaps even stronger penalties. By focusing law

> enforcement on these areas, police efforts might actually

> make a difference.

>

> Finally, the messages we send our children should be based

> on facts, loving concern and useful guidance, and not on

> fear, threats and propaganda. Watching a televised

> documentary on drug abuse, including disturbing images of a

> man killed by his father, my 9-year-old son listened to

> addicts explain the disorder ruining their lives. Not once

> did he ask his father, the cop, why these criminals weren't

> in jail. His advice to me was, " Dad, these people are

> sick. " Untainted by a lifetime of misinformation, our kids

> understand this problem better than many adults.

>

> This is the message we should be sending: Drug abuse is

> unhealthy and wrong. We can't stop adults from getting

> drugs -- we only fooled ourselves in thinking that we could.

> We'll teach you how devastating drugs can be. If you make

> the wrong choice, we'll help you make better ones. But if

> you choose to use drugs, we will not allow you to harm

> others, or to make them available to children, and we'll

> punish you severely if you do so.

>

> That's a message that makes a lot more sense than " just say

> no. " And, it's a message our children are far more likely

> to believe.

>

> ================

>

> 5. New Mexico: Governor Holds Forum on Legalization -- Top

> Cop Resigns, Republican Chairman Acknowledges Authoring

> Private Pro-Decriminalization Paper in 1997

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#newmexico

>

> Governor received a standing ovation from more

> than 300 New Mexicans as he strode to the microphone to

> reiterate his stance on the need to end the drug war and

> legalize drugs. The forum, hosted by the New Mexico Drug

> Policy Foundation, also featured California Superior Court

> Judge Gray and Debra Small of the Lindesmith Center in

> New York.

>

> , who has captured the attention of both the national

> and New Mexico media ever since coming out for drug

> legalization several months ago, cited massive corruption,

> access to drugs by children, crime, violence and the

> strengthening of multi-national criminal organizations as

> proof that the drug war is " a massive failure. "

>

> Judge Gray, also a Republican, spoke eloquently about the

> cases that have come before him over his eighteen-year

> career on the bench. He, like , told of his strong

> disdain for the use of dangerous drugs, but went on to

> describe both the human and economic costs of a failed

> prohibitionist policy.

>

> The forum followed an all-day conference that featured drug

> policy reformers from New Mexico and beyond. Speakers

> included Stroup of NORML, several members of the Drug

> Policy Forum of Texas, Zeese of Common Sense for Drug

> Policy, Adam J. of DRCNet and others.

>

> On the morning of the forum (11/16) Darren White, 's

> secretary of public safety, tendered his resignation from a

> post that he had held for five years, citing strong

> disagreement with the governor's stance on drugs. Last

> month, White told reporters that 's call for

> legalization was hurting the morale of the state's law

> enforcement officers.

>

> " My cabinet members are certainly free to disagree with me, "

> told reporters. " There was certainly no pressure on

> Darren to resign. This is entirely his decision. "

>

> The following morning, the New Mexico media reported that

> Dendahl, state chair of the Republican Party, had

> acknowledged privately going on record in support of the

> governor's assertion that the drug war is unwinnable and

> must be reevaluated. In 1997, Dendahl quietly authored an

> article titled " Whither the War on Drugs?, " for a private

> conservative group of which he is a member. Dendahl wrote

> in that paper, " I have come to agree with those who advocate

> decriminalization of drug use. However, there are some

> caveats with that agreement. " Still, Dendahl defended

> White, saying he has been taking hits from all sides, and

> that " The governor got ahead of his disciples " (see

> http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/1call11-18-99.htm).

>

> Steve Bunch, President of the New Mexico Drug Policy

> Foundation, which has now sponsored two governor's forums on

> drug policy, told The Week Online that the response across

> the state has been very positive.

>

> " Most of the politicians in this state have been slow to

> embrace the governor's position, and in truth, the governor

> has been far out in front of even many reform-minded people

> in calling for outright legalization. The people of New

> Mexico, however, seem to be very willing to discuss the

> issue, and there is a lot of support for the idea of ending

> the drug war as we know it. "

>

> But media coverage and forums will only go so far, says

> Bunch, unless that support is organized into a force for

> change.

>

> " When the governor first came out on this issue, he said

> that he wanted to de-stigmatize the debate and to make it

> safe for people who are holding office or running for office

> to speak the truth. Our job at the New Mexico Drug Policy

> Foundation is to educate and organize citizens in order to

> make that a reality. "

>

> IF YOU ARE IN NEW MEXICO OR HAVE FRIENDS OR FAMILY IN THE

> STATE: Sign-up at http://www.newmexicodrugpolicy.org or

> call the New Mexico Drug Policy Foundation at (505) 344-

> 1932.

>

> ================

>

> 6. " Judge Judy " on Drug Users and Their Families: " Let 'Em

> Die "

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#judgejudy

>

> Fox Network TV's " Judge " Judy Sheindlin shocked an

> Australian luncheon audience this week on the subject of

> syringe exchange, which she called a " liberal indulgence. "

> " Give em dirty needles and let 'em die, " she said.

>

> It is estimated that there are nearly one million injection

> drug users in the United States. The use of shared and

> infected syringes has led to an epidemic of HIV/AIDS and

> hepatitis among this population, their sexual partners and

> their children. Nearly every major medical organization in

> the world, including the World Health Organization and the

> American Medical Association have endorsed the practice of

> providing sterile syringes to users.

>

> Cylar is Executive Director of Housing Works, an AIDS

> services and harm reduction agency in New York City. Cylar

> told The Week Online that what Sheinman is advocating is the

> willful murder of millions of people.

>

> " I assume that she means that if one of her children was

> unfortunate enough to get themselves addicted to drugs, or

> to sleep with someone who at one time injected drugs, that

> she is advocating that her child is not worth saving... even

> that we ought, as a society, to cause her death. The

> population at risk here numbers in the millions, including

> untold numbers of children yet unborn. She is advocating

> genocide. "

>

> CONTACT: Fox Network (national),

>

> To get the address of your local Fox affiliate, visit

> <http://www.fox.com>. Look for your local listings of the

> time and station that airs Judge Judy in your area by

> entering your zip code at <http://www.gist.com>.

>

> Judge Judy Sheindlin's website can be found online at

> <http://www.judgejudy.com>. We didn't see an e-mail address

> or general purpose web contact form. You can send her

> feedback toll-free at 1-888-800-JUDY (5839), or write to

> P.O. Box 949, Hollywood, CA 90078.

>

> There are additional articles on syringe exchange below. To

> learn much more about this important life-saving measure,

> visit DRCNet's Syringe Exchange Resources Online at

> http://www.projectsero.org and the North American Syringe

> Exchange Network at http://www.nasen.org on the web.

>

> ================

>

> 7. Student Conference Report

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#ssdp

>

> (Steve Silverman provides a more detailed report on this

> month's student drug policy conference.)

>

> On November 7, more than 215 student leaders representing 50

> colleges from 22 states gathered at Washington

> University for the first national conference of Students for

> Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Student Leaders in Drug Policy

> and Justice. The students in attendance embodied a wide

> diversity of backgrounds and political philosophies, but all

> agreed on one unassailable point: The drug war has failed.

>

> The conference was hosted by the GWU SSDP group and was

> sponsored by the Drug Reform Coordination Network, the Drug

> Policy Foundation, the NAACP, the Criminal Justice Policy

> Foundation and the Balcom Group.

>

> Kris Lotlikar, who was elected the first national director

> of SSDP during the conference, described the meeting's

> significance. " This was the first national gathering of

> student leaders who challenge the wisdom of drug

> prohibition, " he told The Week Online. " We college students

> grew up during the 80's and are the ones whom the current

> drug war was supposed to protect, yet there is not a single

> drug-free high school in this country. We know the drug war

> is a failure and we came here to learn how to end it. "

>

> The plenary sessions presented an array of drug policy

> experts and anti-drug war activists whose testimony

> continuously reminded the students why they were there. Gus

> told the story of his daughter Kemba, whose 24-year

> prison sentence has become a symbol of the injustice of

> mandatory minimum sentencing. discussed the

> disproportionate racial impact of a drug policy in which

> African Americans, who comprise 12% of the population and a

> proportional percentage of drug users, make up 35% of those

> arrested, 55% of those convicted and 74% of those

> incarcerated for drug offenses. " Prisons, " exclaimed,

> " are slave ships that don't move. "

>

> Lynn Paltrow, a long-time advocate for women's civil and

> reproductive rights, explained how prosecutors have

> conspired with hospital employees to criminally persecute

> poor, drug-addicted pregnant women.

>

> These plenary sessions reinforced the inhumane consequences

> of the drug war in the students' minds. With that

> motivation the students moved to the workshop sessions where

> they got practical advice on topics including organizational

> leadership development, working with student governments,

> media skills and lobbying.

>

> Saturday featured keynote speakers Ethan Nadelmann, Director

> of The Lindesmith Center, and Harvey Silverglate, famed

> civil rights and criminal defense attorney from Boston, as

> well as more workshops, meetings and many discussions.

>

> Like many of the students in attendance, Gralnick of

> The Washington University missed his Friday classes

> to attend the first day of the conference.

>

> " As I see it, I still went to class. The lectures and

> workshops were very intensive. And unlike my regular class

> time, I didn't see anyone falling asleep or goofing off.

> Everyone who was there wants to be here and we we're all

> paying serious attention because we've got a lot of work to

> do. The students are asking a ton of questions. It's all

> very interactive. "

>

> Sara , who drove up the coast for two days with three

> of her classmates from Louisiana State University, recalls

> the tone of the weekend as a sense of impending change. " I

> just can't fully explain the atmosphere of the conference.

> I remember the constant feeling of chills running up and

> down my spine. It's like knowing that there is a big storm

> creeping up on the horizon and we, the students, are the

> ones who are at the center of it. "

>

> Sterling, President of the Criminal Justice Policy

> Foundation, who spoke at the conference, also sees the

> nascent student movement in drug policy as potentially

> earth-rattling. " The pressure to change drug policy is

> building like the pressure of a geological fault. Like an

> earthquake, nobody can predict the exact moment when the

> fault will crack, but one can confidently predict that

> within so many years it will crack. As with an earthquake,

> there will be a moment -- a flashpoint where the pressure

> snaps. "

>

> (Find our more about Students for Sensible Drug Policy at

> http://www.ssdp.org on the web.)

>

> ================

>

> 8. DEA Lifts Hemp Seed Embargo

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#embargolifted

>

> (courtesy NORML Foundation, http://www.norml.org)

>

> Nov. 18, 1999, Pain Court, Ontario: In a major victory for

> the hemp industry, the Drug Enforcement Agency has lifted a

> recent hemp seed embargo and is now allowing sterilized

> seeds from Canada into the United States. In August, the

> DEA instructed U.S. Customs to stop the importation of all

> hemp seed products into the U.S. The first seizure was a

> 53,000 pound load of sterilized birdseed imported by Kenex

> Ltd. That shipment remains in Customs' storage, pending an

> agreement between Kenex and the DEA.

>

> Since THC is considered a controlled substance under US

> federal law, the DEA initially took a hard line stance on

> seeds containing as low as 14 parts per million THC. US

> Customs has now been instructed to allow shipments of hemp

> seed products containing trace amounts of THC to enter the

> country.

>

> " The DEA tried to expand their jurisdiction by a twisted

> interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act, but their

> attempt to change the rules threatened to destroy the

> Canadian farmers and industries who invested in this

> remarkable crop and totally violated the NAFTA treaty, " said

> Don Wirtshafter of the Ohio Hempery. " In the end, the DEA

> had to back down due to industry pressure and high level

> complaints from the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

> Hopefully, now the hemp industry can pick up the pieces and

> recover from this low blow. " " We got the zero tolerance

> policy reversed, and basically got the DEA to abide by US

> law, " said Laprise, Kenex owner. " We accomplished our

> goal and are looking forward to doing a bigger business in

> the future. "

>

> (Visit http://www.drcnet.org/wol/110.html#hempwar and

> http://www.hempembargo.com for further information.)

>

> ================

>

> 9. Mc and McCormick to Plead Guilty

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#guiltyplea

>

> Last week, we reported that a judge had ruled to not allow

> Mc and Todd McCormick to mention medical

> marijuana in their upcoming federal trials

> (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/update11-12-99.html).

>

> In light of this, Mc and McCormick have decided to

> plead guilty to federal charges against them in exchange for

> more lenient sentencing. The pleas will be entered on

> Friday, November 18, 1999, in the courtroom of Judge

> King, Roybal Federal Building, Los Angeles at 2:00pm.

>

> " We had no place else to go, " said defendant

> Mc. " We couldn't present our medical marijuana

> defense, so we would be automatically found guilty, taken

> into custody on the spot, and begin serving a mandatory 10-

> year sentence. By pleading guilty, we take the crime out of

> the mandatory-minimum category and permit the judge to use

> compassion in his sentencing. We believe Judge King will do

> just that. "

>

> The medical condition of the defendants can be presented to

> the judge at a sentencing hearing to be held in

> approximately two months. The precise wording of the

> charges is still being negotiated.

>

> DRCNet will be posting a letter-writing alert on behalf on

> Mc and McCormick, if they and their attorneys feel

> it will be helpful.

>

> ================

>

> 10. Drug Education: New Publication From The Lindesmith

> Center

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#drugedpamphlet

>

> The Lindesmith Center has recently published Safety First:

> A Reality-Based Approach to Teens, Drugs, and Drug

> Education, by Marsha Rosenbaum. In this 17-page pamphlet,

> Dr. Rosenbaum, medical sociologist, parent, and director of

> the Lindesmith Center's west coast office, critiques school-

> based drug education. She suggests an approach which

> focuses on safety and is grounded in the reality of teenage

> life today.

>

> If you would like to receive a complimentary copy, please

> contact the Lindesmith Center-West at tc-west@...

> or . The pamphlet can be found online at

> <http://www.lindesmith.org/library/safetyfirst.pdf>.

>

> To learn much more about drug education, visit

> <http://www.lindesmith.org/library/focal20.html>.

>

> ================

>

> 11. Needle Exchange Forum: Newark, New Jersey, 11/20

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#nepforum

>

> NEEDLE EXCHANGE

> It's Time to Give it a Chance

> Because Every Life is Worth Saving

>

> An informational forum sponsored by:

> The City of Newark Municipal Council's HIV/AIDS Committee

> The New Jersey Campaign to Save Lives Now!

>

> " ... some areas of the state reported a higher proportion of

> HIV-infected drug users than anywhere else in the developed

> world. "

>

> " The Council has before stated its position that it is the

> moral responsibility of the government to pursue those

> interventions which can be demonstrated to save the citizens

> of our state the cost of the HIV epidemic and the lives

> which are at risk from it. "

>

> - New Jersey Governor's Advisory Council on AIDS, June 1999

>

> WHEN: November 20th, 1999, 9:00am - 4:00pm

> WHERE: Newark City Hall, 920 Broad Street, Newark, NJ

>

> Dedicated to the memory of Senator Wynona M. Lipman

>

> Goals:

>

> 1. To present the latest statistics on the rates of HIV

> infection in the state of New Jersey;

>

> 2. To examine needle exchange as an effective tool to deal

> with this public health emergency;

>

> 3. To invite the public to express their ideas and views on

> needle exchange; and

>

> 4. To urge the municipal city council as well as other

> legislators to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS,

> specifically by supporting legislation to implement a pilot

> needle exchange program in New Jersey.

>

> Speakers include Councilman Quintana, City of Newark

> Municipal Council, Assemblyman Alfred Steele, NJ State

> Legislature, , NJ AIDS Education and

> Training Center, Dr. Paone, NY Beth Israel Medical

> Center, Councilman Rev. Colon, Jersey City

> Municipal Council, Rev. Clinton Reynolds, Bethel AME Church,

> Paterson, Riki s, Executive Director, Hyacinth

> Foundation, Debra , Newark NAACP, Dr. ,

> UMDNJ, and Alma Candelas, New York State Dept. of Health.

>

> A continental breakfast and a box lunch will be available

> for participants.

>

> For information, call or .

>

> ================

>

> 12. New Report on Injection-Related AIDS Finds Prevention

> Neglected in Large States and Major Cities

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#dogwoodreport

>

> PRINCETON, NJ: Drug-injection-related AIDS continues to

> spread in the absence of syringe exchange programs. Many

> states and cities with the highest rates of injection-

> related AIDS do not have these programs, according to a new

> analysis by the Dogwood Center.

>

> " Four of the top ten states with IV-drug-use-related AIDS do

> not allow needle exchange programs. None of the states

> provide adequate needle exchange, " said Dawn Day, Ph.D.,

> Director of the Dogwood Center, the study's author.

>

> The study is based on a special analysis of the most recent

> data -- through 1998 -- obtained from the Centers for

> Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Injection-related

> AIDS cases include persons who inject drugs and their sexual

> partners. According to the CDC, half of all new AIDS cases

> start with sharing syringes.

>

> " New York, which leads the nation, historically has had the

> largest concentration of heroin users. Needle exchange

> programs in New York City have reduced the per capita HIV

> rate. But the number of exchange programs is completely

> inadequate to stop the spread of HIV, " said Day.

>

> The spread of HIV through shared syringes has increased for

> two reasons. First, the price of heroin has fallen and

> purity increased, making addiction more rapid and less

> expensive. Second, medical advances in AIDS treatment mean

> persons who inject drugs and are infected with HIV/AIDS are

> living longer and continuing to share needles.

>

> " For effective AIDS prevention, substantial expansion and

> federal funding, of needle exchange programs are urgently

> needed, " said Day.

>

> The full report with additional key material about each

> state is available on the Dogwood Center web site at

> <http://www.dogwoodcenter.org/report.html>. For information

> on requesting Dogwood Center publications in print, call

> or e-mail dday99@....

>

> ================

>

> 13. Guest Editorial: U.S. Senate Should Pass Forfeiture

> Reform Bill

> http://www.drcnet.org/wol/116.html#editorial

>

> by Mike Tidwell

>

> In the war on drugs, law enforcement bodies ranging from the

> U.S. Justice Department to rural sheriffs' offices have

> themselves become terribly addicted to an intoxicating

> substance. It's not crack or heroin they're strung out on.

> It's the money and property these enforcement groups seize

> each year from thousands of Americans under the often false

> assertion that the wealth is connected to the drug trade.

>

> In truth, these seizures have as much to do with padding

> department budgets as with keeping streets safe. And they

> trample fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Constitution

> in the process.

>

> Rep. Henry Hyde ® of Illinois wants to rehabilitate our

> law-and-order officials. Mr. Hyde, no dove on crime issues,

> led the fight in Congress in June for passage of the Civil

> Asset Forfeiture Reform Act. The bill, now under debate in

> the Senate, would help prevent police and others from such

> acts as wrongfully seizing entire homes on little more than

> hearsay of drug involvement. It would stop the confiscation

> of cash and automobiles on suspicions of narcotics sales

> that are never proven and the taking of boats on discovery

> of a couple of marijuana joints brought on board by a guest

> without the owner's knowledge.

>

> As outrageous as these seizures are, they happen regularly

> in America under anti-narcotics statutes gone awry.

> Innocent people suffer great pain and loss without ever

> being accused of a crime.

>

> Yet this desperately needed reform bill is in trouble in the

> Senate. Ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee -

> ph Biden (D) of Delaware and Strom Thurman ® of South

> Carolina -- have vowed to kill it. They claim it would rob

> anti-drug efforts of a tool that hobbles dealers by taking

> their ill-gotten gains.

>

> But in truth, the Hyde bill permits civil forfeitures and

> recognizes their importance in the drug war while simply

> adding safeguards for the innocent. Currently, persons

> whose property or money is seized must prove their innocence

> at their own expense -- and without necessarily being

> charged of any crime. The Hyde bill would simply place the

> burden where it belongs: on prosecutors to provide clear and

> convincing proof that seized wealth is involved in

> wrongdoing whenever such seizures are challenged in court.

>

> So reasonable is the Hyde bill that it passed the House by a

> vote of 375-47, and was cosponsored by key ideological

> opponents in the Clinton impeachment battle. This unlikely

> coalition of supporters also includes consumer and trade

> organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union and the

> National Rifle Association.

>

> Nonetheless, the Senate Judiciary Committee threatens to

> derail the bill, thanks primarily to intense pressure from

> the Justice Department and the International Association of

> Chiefs of Police. They say the reform bill would allow

> dealers to file frivolous claims of innocence, hobbling

> prosecution efforts. But, as one House Judiciary Committee

> spokesman explained, this is highly unlikely given that any

> court challenge would expose a real dealer to legal

> " discovery " procedures that can be overwhelmingly damaging

> to guilty parties with something to hide.

>

> Yet the Senate objections persist, suggesting that it's the

> seized wealth itself -- which departments are routinely

> allowed to keep -- that is the real issue. Enforcement

> groups, frankly, are showing signs of addiction. Last year,

> the Justice Department seized $449 million, dramatically up

> from $27 million in 1985. In 1990, when the agency was

> falling short of its forfeiture projections, then-Attorney

> General Thornburgh candidly warned federal

> prosecutors: Every effort must be made to increase

> forfeiture income.

>

> Kessler, a trial lawyer who once headed the asset

> forfeiture unit of the Bronx district attorney's office,

> recently told the Associated Press: " Forfeiture laws have

> run amok. The focus is no longer on combating crime... It's

> on fundraising. "

>

> It's time to break this dependency and stop eroding the

> rights of innocent citizens and debasing the Constitution.

> The Senate Judiciary Committee should send the Hyde bill to

> the Senate floor where most observers agree it would pass

> easily. Few bills in recent memory have enjoyed so much

> support from so many Americans for so just a cause.

>

> (Mike Tidwell writes for the DKT Liberty Project in

> Washington, DC and is author of " In the Shadow of the White

> House, " a book about drug addiction in the nation's capital.

> The Liberty Project can be found on the world wide web at

> <http://www.libertyproject.org>.)

>

> -----------------------------------------------------------

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>

> Articles of a purely educational nature in The Week Online

> appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise

> noted.

>

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