Coca Production Up Last Year, UN Reports
News2020.com
June 21st 2008

In an annual report released Wednesday, Coca Cultivation in the Andean Region, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found itself "surprised and shocked" to announce that the amount of land devoted to coca growing in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru had risen to more than 181,000 hectares, or more than 700 square miles. That is a 16% increase over 2006 figures and the highest level of cultivation since 2001.

Colombia, which remains the region's largest coca and cocaine producer despite a seven-year, $5 billion dollar US effort to wipe out the crop, had the most dramatic increase, jumping up 27%. Cultivation increased 5% in Bolivia, where a coca-friendly government is de facto allowing small increases, and 4% in Peru, where a non-coca-friendly government is in constant low-level conflict with coca growers.

"The increase in coca cultivation in Colombia is a surprise and shock: a surprise because it comes at a time when the Colombian government is trying so hard to eradicate coca; a shock because of the magnitude of cultivation," said UNODC executive director Antonio Maria Costa. "But this bad news must be put in perspective," he added in desperate search of a silver lining. "Just like in Afghanistan, where most opium is grown in provinces with a heavy Taliban presence, in Colombia most coca is grown in areas controlled by insurgents", Costa said, noting that half of all cocaine production and a third of all cultivation occurs in just 10 of the country's 195 municipalities.

But despite the increase in coca cultivation, cocaine production remained stable. Last year, global potential production of cocaine was 994 metric tons, according to the UNODC, while in 2006, it was 984 metric tons. The UNODC pointed to lower yields as a result of pressure from massive aerial eradication, which caused farmers to seek out peripheral lands and resort to smaller, more dispersed coca patches.

"In the past few years, the Colombian government destroyed large-scale coca farming by means of massive aerial eradication, which unsettled armed groups and drug traffickers alike. In the future, with the FARC in disarray, it may become easier to control coca cultivation," Costa predicted rosily.

Last year, Colombia's drug police, working with US funds and US contractors, sprayed herbicide on 160,000 hectares of coca and manually eradicated another 50,000 hectares. But as in the past, Colombia's coca growing peasants, faced with few alternatives, have adapted rapidly, negating the gains of the eradicators.

While Congress has gone along with the $5 billion experiment to eradicate coca in Colombia in the last year of the Clinton administration and throughout the Bush presidency, the clamor is rising on Capitol Hill for a shift in emphasis in US aid. Currently, the aid goes 80% to security forces and 20% for development assistance. Solons can rightly ask just what they've been getting for all that money.

Argentine Courts Throw Out Drug Possession Charges
Stop The Drug War
June 14th 2008

In April, judges in Argentine federal courts in the province of Buenos Aires threw out drug possession charges against two young men arrested at a 2007 electronic music festival, saying they were unconstitutional. Last week, more Argentine courts weighed in, with a group of judges echoing that ruling as they considered the case of a young man arrested for marijuana possession.

The judges dismissed the charges, saying that criminalizing drug possession without showing harm to others violated the Argentine constitution. "Criminalization will only apply in cases where the possession of narcotics for personal consumption represents a danger for the public health of others," the judges announced, according to a report from the Associated Press.

For the past several years, the Argentine government has been working on a rewrite of the country's drug laws, but judges there are not waiting for the legislature to do its work. Their rulings are winning the support of constitutional scholars and are in line with the attitudes of the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Anibal Fernandez, the minister of justice, security, and health, has publicly denounced the country's drug laws as a "catastrophe."

"This criterion fits in well with the laws of more civilized nations," Daniel Sabsay, an Argentine constitutional scholar, told Buenos Aires's Clarin newspaper. "I believe that with this, the sense of a broadening of freedom is respected."

Cocaine use rises after three years of decline
News2020.com
June 9th 2008

COCAINE use among young people in Britain is on the rise after three years of decline, a survey showed last week. More than one fifth of 16 to 24 year-olds admitted using the drug once a month in the latest figures for 2005/2006 compared 17/2 per cent in 2003/2004, according to the European Union’s drugs agency. Meanwhile, cannabis use in the UK has fallen from 46.9 per cent in 2003/2004 to 41.2 per cent.

Beer sales fall flat in British pubs
News2020.com
June 9th 2008

Beer sales in pubs are at their lowest level since for decades, brewers said last week. Seven million fewer pints are now being sold in Britain per day compared to the beer market’s 1979 peak- a drop of22 per cent according to the British Beer and Pub Association. In pubs beer sales have fallen 49 per cent since 1979 but supermarket and off-licence sales have increased over the same period, lessening the decline. One of the reasons is the move towards drinking at home. Another is the increasing popularity of wine. But Britons are drinking up to a third more than they realise. This is because wine and beer are getting stronger and glasses are larger. The Office of National Statistics recalculated alcohol levels so a glass of wine now equals two units and a half pint of beer could equal two units. The average man drinks almost 20 units a week, up from 16 under previous measurements. Women who thought they drank 6.5. units actually drink nine.

Brazil Appeals Court Rules Drug Possession Not a Crime
News2020.com
May 31st 2008

At the end of March, a Brazilian appeals court in São Paulo declared that possession of drugs for personal use is not a criminal offense. Several lower courts had previously ruled in the same way, but the ruling from the São Paulo Justice Court's 6th Criminal Chamber marked the first time an appeals court there had found Brazil's drug law unconstitutional as it pertains to simple drug possession.

The ruling came in the case of Ronaldo Lopes, who was arrested with 7.7 grams of cocaine in three separate bags on the night before Carnival began in 2007. Lopes acknowledged that the drugs were his and said they were for his personal use. Lopes was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison as a drug trafficker. But the appeals court judges threw out the trafficking charge since it was based on an anonymous complaint. It then threw out the possession charge, saying it was unconstitutional.

In his opinion in the case, Judge José Henrique Rodrigues Torres said the law criminalizing drug possession for personal use was invalid because it violated the constitutional principles of harm (there is no harm to third parties), privacy (it is a personal choice), and equality (possessing alcohol is not a crime). "One cannot admit any state intervention, mainly repressive and of penal character, in the realm of personal choice, especially when it comes to legislating morality," he said.

The ruling applies only to Lopes, but can be used as a precedent in other court proceedings. There is no word yet on whether the Brazilian government will appeal.

The ruling comes nearly two years after Brazil changed its drug laws to depenalize -- but not decriminalize -- drug possession for personal use. Under that law, drug possession is still a criminal offense, but penalties are limited to fines, fees, education, and community service.

In his opinion, Torres cited earlier decisions by now retired Judge Maria Lúcia Karam, who told the Chronicle this week the appeals court decision was "praiseworthy" and "significant."

"The praiseworthy ruling by a Court of Appeals in São Paulo, proclaiming the unconstitutionality of the Brazilian law that criminalizes drug possession for personal use, is a remarkable moment in Brazil's judicial history," she said. "This is a decision of great significance. This is the first time a Brazilian appeals court has clearly stated that a law that criminalizes drug possession for personal use contradicts the Constitution and the international declarations of human rights. This is the first time that a Brazilian appeals court has clearly stated that drug possession for personal use is a behavior that matters only to the individual, to his or her privacy, and to his or her personal choices. This is the first time that a Brazilian appeals court has clearly stated that the state is not authorized to interfere within this sphere of privacy. This is the first time that a Brazilian appeals court has clearly stated that the individual shall be free to be and to do whatever he or she wants, while behaving in such a way that does not affect any rights of others," Karam said.

The decision should reverberate through the Brazilian courts, said Karam. "This is a real precedent, and it should encourage other Brazilian courts and judges to also accomplish their main mission, that is to guarantee liberty and all other fundamental rights of individuals, to actually respect the Constitution and the international declarations of human rights," she said.

"This is good news," agreed Luiz Paulo Guanabara, head of the Brazilian drug reform group Psicotropicus. "The 2006 drug law reform did away with prison sentences for people possessing illicit drugs for personal use, but under that law, drug users were still criminals who could be penalized by community service or fines and fees. This is an advance," he said.

"Amazing," said Martín Arangurí Soto, a graduate student in political science in São Paulo and Drug War Chronicle's Spanish and Portuguese translator. "The Justice Court of São Paulo is a very conservative court. It was among the ones that banned the marijuana marches at the beginning of this month," he noted. "Does this mean the marijuana march is on next year? They won't be able to argue that it is an 'apology for drug use,' because possessing for personal use is not a crime anymore."

Drug law reform is a work in process in Brazil, said Guanabara. "This is a timely decision because the new law is not carved in stone and must be amended to fit social reality. Now we have the chance to quit unjustly criminalizing people for consuming this or that substance or carrying illicit drugs for personal use."

One of the remaining issues to be resolved is what quantity of drugs is considered personal use, said Guanabara. "There is no set quantity to distinguish users from dealers," he explained. "This ruling is notable because the defendant was caught carrying more than seven grams of cocaine. If he had lived in a slum and been detained with that same amount he would have been considered a drug dealer and subjected to the same penalties as someone caught with 10 kilos of cocaine, which is one of the more irrational aspects of our drug laws."

Beyond the impact the ruling could have on the lives of drug users, it also shows how far Brazil has come, said Guanabara. "The drug policy discussion has reached the mainstream in Brazil," he said. "When Psicotropicus was created just a few years ago, the topic was taboo and people who spoke in favor of drug policy reform were regarded as lunatics or advocates against the 'indisputable' crime of possessing, using or selling the forbidden drugs."

LSD Inventor Albert Hofmann Dead at Age 102 RIP........
Dylan Tweney
Wiredscience
May 1st 2008

Albert Hofmann, the pioneering Swiss chemist and advocate of psychedelics who discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD, died Tuesday. He was 102.
Hofmann reportedly died of a heart attack at his home in Basel, Switzerland.
Hofmann's most famous discovery happened on April 16, 1943. He was researching the synthesis of a lysergic acid compound, LSD-25, when he inadvertently absorbed a bit through his fingertips. Intrigued by the effect it had on his perception, Hofmann decided further exploration was warranted. Three days later, on April 19, he ingested 250 micrograms of LSD, embarking on the first full-fledged acid trip. That day became known among LSD fans as "bicycle day" because Hofmann began experiencing the drug's intense effects on his bicycle trip home from the lab.

In his autobiography, LSD, My Problem Child, Hofmann remembered his discovery this way:
"In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."

The experience led Hofmann to begin experimenting with other hallucinogens and he became an advocate of their use, in both the arenas of psychoanalysis and personal growth. He was critical of LSD's casual use by the counterculture during the '60s, accusing rank amateurs of hijacking the drug he still refers to as "medicine for the soul" without understanding either its positive or negative effects.
In a celebration of Hofmann's 100th birthday in 2006, Hofmann told the crowd of well-wishers -- which included 2,000 researchers, scientists, artists and historians -- that "LSD wanted to tell me something. It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation."

Hofmann was also the first scientist to synthesize psilocybin, the active ingredient in psilocybin mushrooms, in 1958.

It takes time to cut through the haze, but a clearer picture does emerge.
News2020.com
April 8th 2008

Gordon Brown wants to take a tough stand on drugs, starting with the regrading of marijuana as a class B drug. Almost as if it was imitating the effects of the drug itself, the debate surrounding the reclassification of cannabis has become increasingly hazy of late. The Government's drug advisory body is expected to recommend it keeps its current class C status, ranking it alongside painkillers and stress medication, rather than return it to class B with the likes of amphetamines.

That would once again require police to arrest anyone found in possession of the drug rather than simply caution them.

Gordon Brown, though, wants to upgrade it – a move he believes would send out a clear message that smoking dope is damaging to health and socially unacceptable.

Opinions on the matter are deeply divided, even among the agencies working with drug users, and mental health charities.

It takes time to cut through the haze, but after a careful study of the facts, a clearer picture does emerge.

The new report – commissioned amid fears about the growing availability of stronger "skunk" strains of cannabis – cites one important piece of evidence.

Significant new research from Keele University has severely dented the theory that cannabis use can cause schizophrenia. It has found that far from cases of the illness increasing in line with growing cannabis use in the UK in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, they have actually fallen. The same goes for incidences of psychosis.

Concerns of a link, however, remain, with a growing consensus that the drug seems to trigger or exacerbate the condition in a relatively small number of cases. There is also no doubt that its long-term usage increases the risk of lung cancer, high blood pressure and infertility.

The other great fear about former home secretary David Blunkett's downgrading of the drug in 2004, that it would lead to an explosion in use, also appears to have been unfounded.

Official research suggests cannabis use has actually fallen slightly over the last four years. Although that is probably unrelated to Mr Blunkett's decision, the reclassification has certainly not led to increased problems.

John Arthur, of Crew 2000, an advice and support group for Edinburgh's young drug users, is convinced that keeping cannabis class C is the right decision.

"Cannabis must be the most researched drug in terms of mental health problems," he said.

"There're around three million regular users of cannabis in the UK and if there were associated mental health problems you would think it would come through a lot more.

"There's absolutely no doubt that it can make existing problems worse, but it's completely dose dependent and will pass when the drug is out of the system. There's no evidence that's been produced to show it actually causes mental illness.

"Cannabis is like any other drug, including nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. All of them have an impact on mental health.

"There's always been strong cannabis around, but people don't tend to use the same amount, in the same way they don't use the same amounts of stronger types of alcohol. They only use the amount it takes to get them where they want to go."

Others working in the field remain concerned about the growing perception of cannabis as a "soft drug", an idea clearly reinforced by the C grading.

Chris Denmark, a research officer at Action on Alcohol and Drug Edinburgh, said many younger users were ignorant of the drug's dangers.

"A lot of people don't even view cannabis as a drug – it's become almost accepted," he said. "We've got really quite a young population smoking hash and that's been going on for a few years now. There has been two recent surveys of Scottish schools and there are kids under the age of 16 smoking it. I do think it's a dangerous drug. Calling it a 'soft drug' is a bit of a misnomer. Over the last few years there has been more and more evidence of a lot of potential problems being stored up by using cannabis."

One of the ironies of the debate is that it will have no impact on the approach of police in Scotland.

Gordon Meldrum, deputy director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said: "When cannabis was reclassified, the Scottish Police Service effectively made no change and the day-to-day reality is that there has been no change in policing style or stance.

"We still treat people found on the street with cannabis in exactly the same way. We still see cannabis as a dangerous drug and a number of recent studies have confirmed that. Cannabis is still viewed very much as a gateway drug – it's still the first drug that children and young people will try. We've a focus on cocaine and heroin, but we've never taken our eye off the ball as far as cannabis is concerned."

Given the latest medical research and drug use studies, it is hard to resist the logic that cannabis should be graded class C. Smoking dope is certainly a lot less dangerous than taking amphetamines, so from a clinical point of view C does make sense. The argument, though, is also about the broader message, as the Prime Minister points out, sending out signals to young people at some level about the dangers and acceptability of drugs.

But is there not as much danger of sending out confused signals about other drugs if we are to artificially raise the status of cannabis? Should drug laws encourage people to think amphetamines are no more dangerous than cannabis when they clearly are?

Our approach to drugs as a nation needs to be based on honesty and facts if the important warnings about their inherent dangers are to carry any weight with an increasingly savvy generation of drug users.

'discrimination by nationality'
News2020.com
April 5th 2008

A district court judge in the Dutch border city of Maastricht Tuesday overturned a municipal ordinance ordering coffee shops to refuse to serve foreign clients, according to reports compiled by NIS News. The city had imposed the ban as an experimental measure in 2005, in part to appease the neighboring Belgian, French and German governments, who complain that their citizens go to Holland to score, and in part to appease conservative Justice Minister Peit Hein Donner.
One coffee shop was shut down for three months in 2006 because it did not follow the ban on foreigners. But it reopened three months later.
In the meantime, a legal challenge to the ordinance wound through the courts. Now, a Dutch judge has ruled that because the sale of marijuana is legal in practice under Dutch law, ordinances barring foreigners from partaking in that legal activity amount to discrimination by nationality, which is banned by the Dutch constitution unless there are objective, reasonable grounds to justify it. The judge held that no such grounds exist in the present case.
As a Dutch city bordering neighboring countries where marijuana policies are not so relaxed, Maastricht has been the locus of numerous battles over marijuana sales. Just three weeks ago, courts ruled against its bid to set up coffee houses on a designated strip on the city's outskirts to mitigate congestion from foreign "drug tourists."

Ohio SWAT Officer Who Killed Young Mother in Drug Raid Gets Charged With Misdemeanors, Faces Eight Months at Most
StoptheDrugWar
March22nd 2008

Back in January, Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, a member of the Lima, Ohio, SWAT team shot and killed Tarika Wilson , 26, and shot and maimed her infant son, Sincere Wilson, as she held him in her arms as he and other SWAT team members executed a drug search warrant at the home Wilson shared with her boyfriend. The boyfriend was the object of the raid.

'graphic appearing on Lima SWAT team web site, removed after shooting Police have presented no evidence that Wilson acted in a threatening manner as the SWAT team burst into her home'

On Monday, prosecutors charged Chavalia with two misdemeanors -- negligent homicide in the death of Wilson and negligent assault in the wounding of her child -- that could see him spend a maximum of eight months in prison if convicted on both counts. Wilson's relatives and activists, many of whom allege a pattern of discriminatory policing by the Lima police, were outraged.

The shooting itself touched off heated city council meetings and protest marches. Many citizens and civil rights leaders, including national figures like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, had called for police and local elected officials to be held accountable. Those calls grew louder after Chavalia's charges were announced.

"Any time a man shoots through a baby and kills an unarmed woman, and is charged with two misdemeanors, I think it would be an understatement to say that that's unacceptable," said Jason Upthegrove, Lima NAACP president, in an interview with the Associated Press .

Upthegrove said the charges should have been more serious. He added that the Lima NAACP will ask the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate whether the case has been handled fairly.

"No one's above the law, even if he serves it," said Ivory Austin II, brother of Tarika Wilson. "Don't separate the police from the people. We are all equal in the society. Treat the police like you would treat the common man," he told the AP.

Lima Police Chief Greg Garlock said there was continued sadness over the shooting. "It's a sad day for us that one of our officers was indicted," Garlock said.

Vatican Updates List of Deadly Sins, Adds Drug-Taking, Drug-Selling
News2020.com
March 15th 2008

In an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano this week, the head of the Holy See's Apostolic Penitentiary announced that the Church had updated its list of mortal sins, and that drug-taking and -selling had made the list. The sale and use of drugs is sinful because they "weaken the mind and obscure intelligence," said Bishop Archbishop Gianfranco Gorotti.

Drugs aren't the only thing on the Vatican's mind. Along with drug-taking and -selling, the other new-fangled deadly sins are: polluting the environment; human experimentation, including cloning; excessive wealth; creating or deepening social injustice; abortion; and pedophilia.

The original seven deadly sins -- lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride -- were focused on individual behavior, but the modern version is aimed at the social context, said Gorotti. "While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization," he said.

Within the seven sins, drugs was not in the top tier. The greatest danger for modern man was the seductive allure of bioethics, according to Gorotti. "You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting your neighbor's wife, but also by ruining the environment, carrying out morally debatable scientific experiments, or allowing genetic manipulations which alter DNA or compromise embryos," he said.

"punishable by up to 21 years in prison"
News2020.com
March 10th 2008

Norwegian police have made a number of marijuana grow operation arrests this year, according to the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten . Gardens busted on Krakeroy Island, near Fredrikstad, and Kongsberg in Buskerud over the weekend were just the latest indications that cannabis cultivation is taking off in the land of the Norse.

Those two raids were the fourth in a week, and the 14th and 15th in recent months in southern Norway. Other garden busts have occurred in Telemark, Buskerud, Hedmark, and Ostfold counties. Many of the busts have involved Vietnamese growers, according to police.

Police believe many of the grow ops are linked, and the national crime unit, Kripos, has been called in to aid local investigators. "We've noticed that many of these cases bear similarities," said Kripos spokesman Atle Roll-Mathiesen. "We've gotten involved, to look at the links between them."

Scandinavian countries generally have tough drug policies, and Norway's drug laws are no exception. While small-time drug possession, including marijuana possession, is charged under a relatively lenient section of the Norwegian criminal code, drug cultivation or trafficking offenses, including those involving marijuana, are serious crimes punishable by up to 21 years in prison.

In Memoriam: Judge Eleanor Schockett of LEAP

Jack Cole of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition wrote the following memorial for one of LEAP's most active leaders, Judge Eleanor Schockett. We reprint it from the LEAP web site .

I am very sad to have to report that Judge Eleanor Levingston Schockett died Saturday, January 12, 2008, at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.

Eleanor was a close friend, a colleague, and an unbeatable advocate for sensible thinking in a world that is desperately in need of such people.

I had the pleasure of spending several weeks in the company of Judge Schockett over the last four years. Eleanor joined LEAP by email, July 2, 2003 saying:

"I retired from the circuit bench Dec.31, 2002. (I served two six-year terms). I was referred to this organization by John Chase of the November organization. My interest in this subject dates back to 1958 when I wrote my senior paper at Tulane Law School on the administration of the drug laws in the United States. Matters have only gotten worse in the intervening years as I observed when in the Criminal Division of the Court. The main reason I did not take senior judge status is that I wanted to have my civil rights back, so I could speak out on political as well as judicial issues. I am in full agreement with your mission statement and would like to do whatever I can to contribute to a more responsible drug policy."

It wasn't very long before we realized we must recruit her as a member of the LEAP Board of Directors. Eleanor sat through what seemed at the time to be endless hours of board meetings as we shaped our organization. Her advice was always clear and concise. On many occasions she saved us from making major mistakes.

In those four years, Eleanor never turned down a venue arranged to present LEAP's goal to end drug prohibition. She was absolutely tireless. I had the honor of traveling with Eleanor and retired Detective Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard, Eddie Ellison, to New Zealand. In two-weeks we made 90 presentations in that country. Then we were off to a week at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

My wife accompanied us on that trip and became another of Eleanor's many friends. Eleanor visited us at our home in Medford, Massachusetts many times.

Eleanor fought cancer for the last year, but after a regime of chemotherapy thought she had beaten it. She never complained about her own plight. She told me how ridiculous it was that doctors in North Carolina would charge her $105 per pill to alleviate the nausea caused by her chemo treatment when a simple marijuana cigarette would have accomplished the same thing -- without the side effects. She said that just made her more determined to work to end prohibition of all drugs.

Judge Schockett traveled to New Orleans last December to join 1,200 of us at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference. She spoke on one of the panels and helped us plan our strategy for our continued struggle.

We will all miss her wonderful sense of humor and her biting wit. She was never shy about stating her views on drug policy or about standing up for people in need. When I think of all I have learned from Eleanor and all the ways she has touched my life I feel very sad to have lost her, and that with only this relatively short amount of time with her. I can not imagine how her family feels after knowing Eleanor for a lifetime. Without her LEAP will not be the same. But I can almost hear Eleanor repeating Joe Hill's famous words as he faced his imminent death, "Don't waste any time in mourning. Organize." We will miss her....

DALLAS - Many Texans busted for misdemeanor marijuana possession still are being jailed despite a new state law that allows police to issue a citation instead of making an arrest, according to a newspaper report.
Texas lawmakers hoped to ease jail crowding with the new legislation, which took effect Sept. 1, but some local prosecutors worry what message getting a mere ticket for pot might send. "It may ... lead some people to believe that drug use is no more serious than double parking," Collin County prosecutor Greg Davis said in today's editions of The Dallas Morning News.
The Travis County Sheriff's Department is the only law enforcement agency in the state known to be taking advantage of the new legislation, according to the newspaper.
Prosecutors in Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties said they have no plans to set up a system dealing with citations for misdemeanor possession, which is less than 4 ounces of marijuana.
In addition to easing crowding, the new law also would theoretically keep officers on the street instead of making runs to jail for nonviolent offenders.
The Dallas County Jail has a history of being understaffed and crowded, which has led, in part, to repeated failed state inspections.
But Dallas County officials worry that because the misdemeanors still could result in a case for prosecution, citations raise issues like making sure suspects appear in court and that no one is misidentified. Full Offence.....

U. S. Drug Czar John Walters is essentially the head cheerleader for the drug war bureaucracy. Like all bureaucrats, his goal is the continuation and expansion of his bureaucracy. All bureaucracies want more power and more money. The drug-war bureaucracy is no exception.Marijuana is the linch pin of the drug war bureaucracy. Without marijuana prohibition funding for the so-called war on drugs would be reduced substantially.
There are not enough heroin, cocaine and meth addicts to justify their huge budgets.The only way to achieve victory in the so called drug war is to
re-legalize all of our now illegal drugs so they can be sold in licensed, regulated and taxed businesses.Victory is not the goal of the drug war. Victory in the drug war would mean that the drug war bureaucracy is out of business.
Victory in the drug-war would mean that our robust prison building industry would come to a screeching halt. Victory in the drug-war would mean that thousands of so-called drug warriors would be looking for a job or working at quickie marts.

Irish Labor Party Debates Cannabis Legalization
News2020.com
November 24th 2007

The Irish Labor Party discussed whether to decriminalize or legalize cannabis at its annual convention last Friday, but deferred the matter to its National Executive for further discussion. Putting cannabis on the party agenda was the handiwork of party whip Emmet Stagg, who has long been a proponent of legalization. Emmet Stagg Ireland has some of the highest cannabis use rates in Europe, Stagg noted. He does not wish to encourage cannabis use, he said; only to regularize a drug that is readily available across the country. Leaving the weed illegal creates criminality and drives young people into the hands of drug dealers, he said. "I'm advocating its control, standardization, legitimization and taxation. I am recognizing the fact it is freely available," Stagg said. "Everywhere you go it is available from criminals," he said.

But after contentious debate, the party voted to defer a decision on adopting legalization or decriminalization as part of the platform. By a narrow margin, and following the lead of former party leader Pat Rabbitte, delegates voted to refer the matter to the National Executive for further discussion. While Rabbitte urged caution at the conference, he did say that policymakers need to be thinking outside the box when it comes to cannabis. Labor is the third largest political party in Ireland. It is currently in the opposition.

2007 AMERICAN MARIJUANA MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS!!

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http://www.myspace.com/drmooch

BEST REGGAE SONG
‘ SWEET SENSEI' BY FREESOUND
http://www.myspace.com/freesound

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‘ SMOKE THAT WEED' BY NICE PETER
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‘ I SMOKE' BY ODDBALLAZ
http:// www.myspace.com/oddballaz

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — A U.S. Department of Justice assessment released last week reports that marijuana "eradication" campaigns such as California's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) are driving producers to move to indoor sites, including suburban homes, confirming longstanding criticisms of the effort.

Although CAMP has seen a 1,200 percent increase in plant seizures in the past decade and is poised to set a record again this year, the National Drug Threat Assessment 2008, released Nov. 8 and available at http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs25/25921/25921p.pdf , states that marijuana production operations in the Pacific region (including northern California, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada mountains) "are extensive, widespread, becoming more sophisticated, and increasing in size," while "marijuana availability is widespread."

Further, the report adds, "Federal, state, and local law enforcement reporting indicates that vigorous outdoor cannabis eradication efforts have caused major marijuana producers, particularly Caucasian groups, to relocate indoors, even in leading outdoor grow states such as California and Tennessee." The report specifically cites suburban homes as one type of site used for such operations, and predicts that the trend will continue: "DTOs [drug trafficking organizations] and criminal groups ... will adapt to the increasing law enforcement pressure and improved detection capabilities associated with outdoor grow sites and will most likely shift operations indoors ... [T]he groups will produce higher-potency marijuana year-round, allowing for an exponential increase in profits derived."

"The Department of Justice has confirmed everything we've been saying about CAMP all year," said Bruce Mirken, San Francisco-based director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. "If you want criminal gangs moving in next door to grow marijuana, if you want to make those criminals unbelievably rich, and if you want to guarantee that marijuana becomes more potent, current policies are working perfectly. If you think that's crazy, then it's time for California to regulate marijuana production just like we regulate wine."

With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

Search for new uses for heroin and marijuana
Medical Science News
November 2nd 2007

The world's leading expert on the opium poppy has joined forces with researchers working on another infamous drug-producing plant - cannabis - in hopes of finding new uses for the much-maligned sources of heroin and marijuana.

Peter Facchini, professor of Biological Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Plant Biotechnology, has received a $650,000 NSERC Strategic Project Grant to create new varieties of opium poppy and cannabis that can be used for medicinal and industrial purposes, but will have no value as illicit drugs. And his work is taking him where few Canadians have gone before: Deep underground into the country's ultra high-security medicinal marijuana growth facility. "It's certainly unusual for a plant biochemist to work in a copper mine hundreds of metres underground," Facchini said. "This is a really great project that involves two of the world's most important medicinal plants and is clearly unique in the plant biology field."

Facchini and a new team of U of C postdoctoral researchers have teamed up with Saskatoon-based Prairie Plant Systems Inc., the National Research Council - Plant Biotechnology Institute, the Alberta Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan to create and study mutant varieties of opium poppy and cannabis in an unused portion of a copper and zinc mine near Flin Flon, Manitoba. Prairie Plant Systems produces medicinal marijuana under contract with Health Canada in this state-of-the-art facility.

Despite awareness of the importance of crop diversification for the long-term success of agriculture in Canada, few plants are cultivated for the production of high-value bioproducts. Opium poppy accumulates the alkaloids morphine, codeine and thebaine, and cannabis produces psychoactive cannabinoids and is used as a source of high-quality fiber and oil. The domestic market for codeine, morphine and oxycodone, which is derived from thebaine, is in excess of $1.6 billion annually, all of which is currently imported. "Canada is well-positioned to support the development of new crops cultivated for the production of valuable bioproducts, such as pharmaceuticals and fibers," says Facchini. The research will identify novel genes for use in the metabolic engineering of opium poppy to accumulate high-value pharmaceutical alkaloids and to block cannabinoid production in cannabis. The latter will allow for a safe, legal, made-in-Canada cannabis crop that will have virtually none of the mind-altering chemical of marijuana but can be grown for hemp fibre, oil and food.

"The overall theme of this work is to modify plants to make them more useful as crops and chemical factories," Facchini said. "Alberta is quickly becoming a leader in this area, especially in the area of biofuels. The immense potential of plants as sources of high-value bioproducts for the agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors also needs attention."

The Biosecure Underground Growth Chamber is in a mine owned by Hudson Bay Smelting & Mining Co. Ltd. Facchini says it is a superb venue for his research. "It's not what you would picture an old mine shaft to be. It's clean and well-lit, it's kept at a constant temperature and it's one of the most secure places in the country," he says. "It gives a whole new meaning to 'mining our data.'"

The Hague - The Amsterdam prosecutor's office called for a four-month prison sentence on Thursday for a Frenchman who killed and cut up his dog after eating hallucinatory magic mushrooms. Jeremy Venzin, 29, "ate hallucinogenic mushrooms and smoked cannabis nearly every day in the two weeks prior to the incident," according to a psychiatric study. Police found Venzin in his van on July 13, his motionless nude body covered in the blood of his furry companion. The vehicle was parked along one of the canals in the centre of the Dutch city. He had slit the dog's throat and then skinned it before cutting it open to pull out the organs. He told police officers that he had killed the dog to liberate it from the demons that were living inside it and that the end of the world was near. During testimony Venzin denied he had made those statements. Judgement is expected on November 8

Karen Tandy Resigns As DEA Chief
Stop the Drug War
October 29th 2007

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) head Karen Tandy is resigning, an agency spokesman announced Monday. Tandy, who was the first woman to hold the top job in federal drug law enforcement, served four years as director. She will leave to take a position as a senior vice president with Motorola. Karen Tandy "It just doesn't get any better than this -- leading 11,000 extraordinarily gifted people in DEA around the world who sacrifice everything to live our dangerous mission 24-7, every day of the year, in order to protect America's children and communities," Tandy said in a statement announcing her resignation . "I will forever remain grateful to President Bush for this opportunity."

During Tandy's tenure, the DEA took credit for combating the growth of clandestine methamphetamine labs, which have declined by nearly two-thirds in four years. But the primary reason for the decline in home-cooked meth is the result of laws restricting easy access to precursor materials, both at the state and federal level. The decline in home meth labs has also resulted in meth of higher quality produced in Mexican super lab being imported into the US in greater quantities.

Tandy also expanded the DEA's presence in Afghanistan, now home to 93% of the world's opium supply. While the agency claims successes, including "historic extraditions of Taliban-connected drug lords," the poppy crop this year is 34% larger than last year, and the trade continues unabated.

But Tandy's most lasting legacy will probably be her leadership of the DEA as the agency cranked up its futile war against medical marijuana patients, producers, and dispensaries in California. Under Tandy's tenure, the DEA has conducted dozens of raids against operations legal under California law, in spite of the expressed opposition of state and local officials in many cases. The operations have been so unpopular in California that DEA raiders routinely have to call on local law enforcement to provide protection against outraged citizens protesting their raids. Tandy, a former associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, will serve as Motorola's top spokesperson for public policy, focusing mostly on global telecom policy, trade and regulation.

Britain's North Wales Police Back Chief's Call for Drug Legalization
StoptheDrugWar
October 21st 2007

Last week, we reported on North Wales police chief Richard Brunstom's call to legalize drugs in a paper he released in response to a call from the Home Office for input on the direction the country's drug policy should take. Since then, Brunstrom's remarks have ignited a firestorm of controversy, but his force has stood behind him. On Monday, the North Wales Police Authority approved plans to send Brunstrom's paper on to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The North Wales Police Authority passed three of Brunstrom's recommendations:

• That the Authority submits a response to the current Home Office consultation on drugs strategy.
• That the Authority submits a response to the forthcoming Welsh Assembly Government consultation on the all Wales substance misuse strategy.
• That the Authority urges the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its replacement with a Misuse of Substances Act, based upon a new 'hierarchy of harm' that includes alcohol and nicotine.

Independent legalization cover (courtesy Transform) While Brunstrom's stand has excited criticism, he has also picked up at least one prominent supporter. Lord Ramsbotham, the former chief inspector of prisons, told The Independent Brunstom's prescription was on the money. "The present regime has failed in every way. If you look at prohibition of alcohol in the US, it failed. The Chief Constable's suggestions must be considered seriously. We've got to stop the dealers who cause so much misery for society."

He added: "I used to reckon that 80 percent of those people received into prison were misusing a substance of some kind when they came in. The amount of acquisitive crime connected to drug abuse is immense. That is why there needs to be a new approach."

A fourth Brunstrom recommendation, that the Police Authority affiliate with the Transform Drug Policy Foundation , a leading British drug reform group, is on hold pending discussions between Transform and the authority. Transform is nonetheless quite pleased with the results so far.

"It is hugely significant that the call for a legal regulation and control of drugs has now been publicly supported by the North Wales police authority, and they are to be congratulated in taking a bold stand in this urgent and vital debate," said Transform executive director Danny Kushlick. "There are many high profile individuals who support this position, but this sort of institutional support really puts the debate center stage. We hope to see other police authorities following their lead, and we look forward to the Police Authority affiliating to Transform in the near future. The Government have tried their best to avoid this debate in the current drug strategy consultation and review process, not engaging with any policy alternatives despite the obvious failings of the current approach that the North Wales police highlight so clearly," Kushlick continued. "The call from the North Wales Police Authority makes the continued evasion from meaningful debate impossible: the Government must now engage with the significant and growing body of mainstream opinion calling for pragmatic moves away from prohibition towards evidence based regulatory alternatives."

While Transform is pleased, neither the government nor the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is smiling. In response to a question from a North Wales parliamentarian this week, Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said that strict enforcement of the drug laws was needed.

The ACPO, for its part, suggested that Brunstrom's ideas were a "counsel of despair." ACPO president Ken Jones issued a statement saying Brunstrom's views were "his personal views, to which he is entitled," and that ACPO disagreed. "ACPO does not agree with the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or the legalisation of drugs -- this is arguably a counsel of despair," Jones said. "The reduction of harm caused by drugs to our neighborhoods is a priority for chief officers across the UK. According to the Drug Harm Index it has been reducing since 2001. This is a complex pernicious global problem. Moving to total legalization would, in our view, greatly exacerbate the harm to people in this country, not reduce it. It simply does not make sense to legitimize dangerous narcotic substances which would then have the potential to ruin even more lives and our neighborhoods."

But it is ACPO and its fellow prohibitionists who are on a path to nowhere, Brunstrom retorted. Three million people take illegal drugs in Britain, he noted, while 2.5 million are alcoholics and 9.5 million addicted to nicotine. "This is a real counsel of despair if one chooses to look at the evidence. Seizures of drugs in the UK are less than 1%. In 2003 the UK stopped 10% of heroin coming in and only 15% of cocaine."

Meanwhile, as the debate continues, so does Britain's drug war. The Home Office announced Thursday that the number of drug offenses police reported in the second quarter of this year was up 14% over the same period last year. That's another 55,000 drug arrests for the British police, courts, and prisons to deal with.

A pot-filled parody of Harry Potter that started out as a spoof on rabble.ca's discussion forum, babble, is now a published novel that has grabbed international media attention. Dana Larsen posted drafts of each chapter of Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone, on babble over the course of six months, from December 2006 to June 2007, to the amused and delighted feedback of other forum participants. He also posted it on the Cannabis Culture forums.

“I wanted to motivate myself by having an audience that was reading it,” says Larsen. “If I put it on the forum and people said they liked it, it would motivate me to write the next chapter. I had a good response, and people wanted to know what would happen. That helped my creative juices to get going.” As the novel progressed, Larsen got together with marijuana activist and publisher of Cannabis Culture, Marc Emery, and illustrator Gary Wintle to turn his written sketches into a finished book. The book will be published in full-colour, soft-cover magazine format and released in October.
When he approached mainstream publishers with his manuscript, they liked it but were afraid of being sued for copyright infringement. Larsen isn't worried, though. J.K. Rowling's people haven't been in touch, “nor would I expect them to be. I'd be very surprised if they contacted me for any reason. We haven't done anything illegal. Parody is allowed.”

The national and international media coverage he received after just one e-mail press release pleases Larson, but doesn't surprise him. “Harry Potter is so popular and marijuana is popular,” he reasons.
The fact that it is being published by controversial marijuana activist Marc Emery doesn't hurt either. Emery faces extradition to the U.S. for distributing marijuana seeds by mail across the border.
The novel itself combines the humourous adventures of Hairy Pothead with consciousness-raising about marijuana. “I wanted to entertain and amuse people before anything else,” says Larsen. “It's hard to talk about marijuana without it being political due to the nature of the prohibition against it. After reading my book, I hope you have a lot of information about cannabis and hemp in your mind that wasn't there before.”

As the nominated federal NDP candidate for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country Larsen hopes that marijuana activism will become less controversial and more common in politics. “At one point, it was a big deal to be gay, but now it's not a big deal. For most people, it's not a big deal if you smoke pot. But in the political arena, you won't find many MPs or MLAs who say, 'Sure, I smoke pot and I enjoy it.' I'd like to see that transition, like the gay rights movement, for the marijuana rights movement as well.”
The book launch for Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone will be held this Saturday at the Vancouver Seed Bank, starting at 2 p.m. Michelle Langlois is on the staff of rabble.ca and writes from Toronto, Canada.

UTRECHT, 03/10/07 - The strength of the cannabis sold in the tolerated Dutch drugs bars known as 'coffee shops' has decreased. The level of THC, the main constituent, has dropped from 17.5 percent in 2006 to 16 percent in 2007, according to figures presented by the Trimbos Institute yesterday.
Since 1999, Trimbos has carried out research for the Health Ministry into the strength of cannabis products sold in the 'coffee shops'. Until 2004, the THC content increased substantially, to more than 20 percent. "Since then, a swing has taken place."The THC level is nevertheless still many times that of cannabis that grows naturally, which generally has values of 2 to 5 percent. The strength of the Dutch 'weed' is so high due to sophisticated cultivation techniques and equipment, which is freely available in shops.
For the first time since the measurements started in 1999, the price of cannabis has gone up. The price was even 20 percent higher than last year. The price of imported hash also rose.

The average price of one gram of cannabis is now 7.30 euros. "The higher price and the drop in THC content are probably the result of the intensified efforts of the police to trace cannabis growers. The decrease in supply leads to a higher purchase price for the coffee shops," Trimbos explained.
Another striking result is the substantial drop in the THC content of imported hash. This decreased from 18.7 percent in 2006 to 13.3 percent in 2007. There was also a slight price rise, from 7.30 to 7.70 euros on average.
"It is possible that climatic conditions in the country of origin, in most cases Morocco, led to a poorer harvest, resulting in lower hashish proceeds. Another possibility is that the more stringent policies in Morocco in relation to hashish have led to reduced income and fewer exports."

Recipes for illegal drugs and the possession of equipment to make them will be banned under proposed South Australian government legislation.
SA Attorney-General Michael Atkinson on Tuesday introduced legislation to parliament that banned the possession of drug-related recipes and equipment without a reasonable excuse. Mr Atkinson said under the legislation people would have to prove why they have equipment used in the hydroponic cultivation of cannabis or face a maximum two years jail or a $10,000 fine.
The laws would also apply to equipment for clandestine drug laboratories and drug recipes, including those to make "hash cookies" and alike that involved marijuana, he said, Full Ban...

Civil Guard recovered the drugs in two operations in Almonte and Isla Cristina. There were two important drug hauls in Huelva province on Wednesday, where Civil Guard seized a total four tons of cannabis resin in separate operations in Almonte and Isla Cristina. Seven people are in custody, according to the report in Huelva Información. Officers recovered more than two and a half tons of the drug in the first operation on the Playa del Hoyo, in Isla Cristina, early on Wednesday. No arrests were made on that occasion.
The arrests came in Almonte when officers on surveillance swooped on the Playa Castilla, after earlier that day, the remains of a boat were found on the shore and the drugs were found buried in the dunes. The suspects are four from Ukraine, another from Lithuania, and two Spaniards.

A pro-cannabis lobby group says an ingredient in cannabis may prevent mad cow disease. The National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml) says a French study shows cannabidiol may be effective in preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as mad cow disease. Scientists at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France found cannabidiol - a non-psychoactive ingredient - may prevent the development of prion diseases, the most well known of which is BSE.
Researchers found cannabidiol inhibited the accumulation of prion proteins in infected mice and sheep.
Norml spokesman Chris Fowlie said the discovery added to the scientific evidence supporting Green MP Metiria Turei's bill to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis. "[It] should be supported by any MP with a clear head. Unfortunately most politicians act like mad cows whenever cannabis is mentioned," Mr Fowlie said.

Czech Marijuana Users to Get Lesser Penalties
Pravo
Sept:16th 2007

Czech deputies responsible for writing an amendment to the penal code are proposing much lesser sentences for pot smokers, mushroom eaters, and possibly, marijuana growers, the Czech daily Pravo reported August 27. There is a possibility the amendment will include no penalty for growing small amounts of marijuana for personal use, the paper said.

Current Czech drug laws make no distinction between marijuana and so-called hard drugs. Under that law, anyone producing illicit drugs is subject to five years in prison. But while the law makes no distinction, judicial practice does. In most cases, the possession of "quantities lesser than great" (in the case of marijuana, up to 20 cigarettes) is handled as an administrative offense, not a criminal one.

The proposed amendment would completely remove the possibility of a five-year sentence for simple marijuana possession, making the maximum sentence one year. The maximum sentence for small-time growing would most probably be six months.

Berlin (dpa) - Claudia H has become the first German to be allowed legal access to cannabis to treat the multiple sclerosis she has been suffering from for 14 years.
Strict conditions apply to the permit, which came into effect in late August, and the treatment has to be conducted under the supervision of a doctor. Despite the widespread evidence that cannabis can help MS patients, as well as cancer and HIV/AIDS sufferers, counter their pain and assist in curbing weight-loss, German doctors are not allowed to prescribe it.
A synthetic alternative is available in the form of Dronabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis, but the state health insurance will not pay the costs, and 60 capsules can cost up to 2,000 dollars.Many patients resort to illegal sources for the drug, enduring the hassle of negotiating the drug-dealers' milieu and running the risk of brushes with the law, Full Approval...

From the ground, the pine forests near the North Carolina line appear unremarkable - rows of trees that eventually will be chopped down to make way for a housing development.
But hidden among the trees, easily visible only from the air, is a bumper crop of what some experts consider South Carolina's most lucrative harvest: marijuana.
More than 30,000 marijuana plants were seized in two July busts just south of Charlotte, N.C., bringing the total amount of pot seized this year to 38,000 plants. That's nearly three times the number confiscated across South Carolina in all of 2005, and nearly as many as were seized statewide last year.
State and federal authorities, and experts in marijuana policies, say that what appears to be a bumper crop of the illicit plants this year is due to two factors: bolder and more sophisticated marijuana growers producing more of the drug, and law enforcement getting better at finding the grow operations, Full Crop....

'eight years to life under New York's Rockefeller laws'
StoptheDrugWar
August 29th 2007

Former New York Rockefeller drug law victim turned reformer Veronica Flournoy died last week of lung cancer in a Florida hospice. Flournoy, 39, a heavy drug user in her younger years, was snagged in an undercover drug operation and sentenced to eight years to life under New York's draconian Rockefeller laws. Flournoy served her minimum sentence, then collected her two young children and tried to begin life anew with her family. But the lung cancer, which appeared while she was in prison and which prison doctors told her not to worry about, left her with little time.Prison opened Flournoy's eyes to the injustice of the drug war, and she never forgot her fellow prisoners. Flournoy participated in rallies designed to pressure polticians to undo the Rockefeller laws and even consented to using her terminal illness in a move to heighten the pressure. She appeared in a February public service announcement sponsored by the William Moses Kunstler Fund aimed at Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) and other state politicians who have been slow to act on vows to reform the state's harsh drug laws.

The coroner has found a cannabis-affected driver caused a car accident last year which killed seven people at Donald in Victoria's north-west.
The coroner found the driver of a car failed to give way to a van. The car driver, Max Purdue, was found to have recently used cannabis which would have affected his judgment. The coroner said Purdue's lack of judgement was the primary cause of the accident. He also recommended the State Government continue its education campaign about the risk of driving under the influence of drugs.
Kevin Millard's parents died in the accident and he says he is glad his father, who was driving the van, has had his part in the accident cleared up. "Life's hard but each day gets a little bit easier, you learn to deal with things," he said. He says the collision should never have happened.
"I'd just like to get the message across that drugs and driving are very, very dangerous," he says. Mr Millard says people need to understand the consequences of drug-driving.

VALE - Like other marijuana fields found in Oregon this month, a big pot harvest on public land discovered Tuesday by an Oregon Army National Guard aircraft in remote Malheur County may be part of a larger Mexican national growing operation.
The Malheur County case involves 15,000 pot plants cultivated in the southwest corner of the county near the border of Harney County, approximately 150 miles southwest of Ontario and Vale. The big grow was first spotted Tuesday from the air during an “eradication flight” by the Oregon Army National Guard, and then authorities Wednesday traveled on foot to the site of the grow.
“It has the earmarkings of what has begun to be referred to as Mexican national grows,” Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said Thursday.
Authorities determined some of the plants had been harvested, others were drying, and around 15,000 plants were still in the ground. The pot grow was located near White Horse Creek Basin. The exact location of the grow is not being released. A man from Central California was arrested Wednesday near the area of the pot field for unlawful manufacture of marijuana. That man, Sergio Lopez, 26, is lodged in the Malheur County Jail and he is also being held for federal immigration authorities, Bentz confirmed Thursday. At least two additional suspects in the case are at large, Bentz confirmed. Authorities believe a stolen dump truck, that later caught on fire, was used by suspects connected to the marijuana grow operation who were attempting to leave the area, Bentz said. Marijuana was not inside the truck, the sheriff confirmed. Before Lopez was arrested he hitchhiked until he was picked up by a citizen. He had also called police, Bentz said, because he was “lost.” Full Flight....

But for more than a decade the Cairns father-of-two, who turns 60 tomorrow, presided over one of Australia's most sophisticated marijuana-growing cartels. The former bank manager and grazier was yesterday sentenced in Cairns Supreme Court to 13½ years' jail for his role as head of the multi-million-dollar syndicate. Justice Stanley Jones, in sentencing, said Lane was "second to none" in the organisation.
"You were responsible for marketing of the drug, distribution of profits, conversion of cash into gold, (and the) keeping of accounts," Justice Jones said.
Lane and four other syndicate members were yesterday sentenced after a three-year joint police and Australian Crime Commission investigation traced the syndicate to Europe and across Australia.
Officers at the time of the arrests in May 30, 2006, said it was one of the biggest and longest-running drug operations found in several decades. Chiefs earn $300,000 per crop. The syndicate used helicopters to ferry men and supplies into remote bush camps on an outback cattle station, near Chillagoe, producing tonnes of high-grade cannabis every year.
Syndicate chiefs earned up to $300,000 each crop, paid in cash and gold bullion, with most of them burying it in secret caches including down a mine shaft at Mt Mulligan.
They used drug mules, paying up to $30,000 a trip, to travel to Amsterdam and bring back thousands of high-potency cannabis seeds.
Crop-sitters were paid $3000 a week and set up elaborate camps with tents, gas fridges, irrigation systems and cryovac machines to package the finished product. Helicopters, semi-trailers Helicopters would then carry the marijuana, worth between $3 million and $4 million a crop, to waiting semi-trailers which transported it down a network of inland roads and into the Sydney and Melbourne markets between 1995 and 2006. Lane, unshaven and his shirt crumpled, waved goodbye to his family as he was led away. Helicopter pilot Peter Pantovich - former manager of the Bolwarra Station, 75km southwest of Chillagoe - was sentenced to eight years for his role.

What are the sex effects of marijuana?
Sexuality.about.com
August 14th 2007

Marijuana comes from the hemp plant called cannabis sativa, and has long been considered to have aphrodisiac qualities and various sex effects, both positive and negative. Mention of the sex effects of marijuana can be found in the Arabian Nights , and is recognized in Ayurveda medicine . Marijuana has also been associated with the practice of Tantra .
As you read the pros and cons of marijuana and sex below, keep in mind that drug effects are rarely simple, and there is no true “wonder drug” that will give you every benefit without any drawback (or vice versa). Also, because sex is more than just a physiological process, drugs may impact your psychological and social experience of sex in unpredictable ways.

Does marijuana make sex better?

• At lower doses, marijuana may alter how you sense and perceive sexual stimuli in ways that enhance sex. People report that their awareness of touch is heightened, and their perception of time can change. So things "feel" better, and sex seems to go on longer as well.
• For men, marijuana may shift attention away from their usual focus on the penis. In one survey of 800 men, 83 percent found that marijuana enhanced sexual pleasure, but this was unrelated to their erections or ejaculatory control.
• In another study, 75 percent of men said that marijuana increased sexual pleasure and satisfaction, 68 percent reported that it enhanced their orgasm, and 39 percent found that it increased the duration of intercourse.
• Women are even more likely than men to report enhanced sexual desire with marijuana use. In one study, 90 percent of women reported that marijuana increased feelings of sexual pleasure and satisfaction to varying degrees, and 40 percent of women reported that marijuana increased the quality of their orgasm. Full Orgasm....

The World's biggest factory for processing hemp - claimed to be the “green” building material of the future - is being planned for a Suffolk town at a cost of £3.6 million. When running at full capacity the plant will employ 35 people and enable operator, Hemcore Limited, the UK's only commercial hemp processing company, to process 50,000 tonnes of hemp straw a year. The new facility is to be installed in an existing building at the Halesworth Business Centre. Hemcore said last night that a site was selected in eastern England to ensure it was close to the majority of existing hemp growers. “This is also an area where the growing base is expected to expand rapidly as the demand for hemp products continues to increase,” said Mike Duckett, Managing Director. Installation is due to begin in January 2008 with commissioning of the new plant due to start in May.
It is expected to be fully operational in the summer of next year, with production increasing over a four year period until full capacity is
reached. Currently, 4,500 tonnes of hemp are processed at Hemcore's existing facility in Maldon. This will be closed down when the new factory becomes operational.
Mr Duckett said: “Our new facility is great news for the environment and the region's farmers, more and more of whom are already reaping the benefits of growing hemp.”
Use of hemp-based products would help the UK to reduce its carbon emissions. Emerging markets included plastics reinforcement, nutrition,
clothing and horticulture, he added. David Sillett, rural development manager at the East of England Development Agency, said the project would contribute to the adoption of more sustainable construction methods, while creating additional employment and benefiting farmers.
Hemp, which grows up to four metres high, is tolerant of both drought and heavy rain and does not require pesticides.
Environment Minister, Phil Woolas, said: “This new investment in Suffolk will provide many benefits - for local jobs, the economy, and for those farmers who will have the oppor