Fire reveals $1.25m drug operation
AAP
May 31st 2005:

Cannabis worth more than $1 million was found after a house fire on the New South Wales south coast.Police found about 500 cannabis plants in a hydroponic set-up, with an estimated street value of $1.25 million.They said the fire was believed to have originated from the house's illegally modified power meter box.Emergency services were called to the blaze at Albion Park Rail, on the Princes Highway, about 9.45pm yesterday.

'Charged'
Yumasun
May 30th 2005:

>Serafin Perez the third, 56, 5229 W. 5th Lane, before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with misconduct involving weapons and three counts of taking the identity of another, and intent to supply marijuana more news>
>Eric Randolph Walker, 51, 4350 Somerton Ave., Somerton, before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with two counts of aggravated driving while under the influence of marijuana,more news>
>Paul James Meeker, 40, 2556 E. Glade Ave., before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with theft of means of transportation and possession of two kilos of marijuana, more news>
>Luis Medina Jr., 28, 4201 E. Highway 85 , No. 98, before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with criminal damage per domestic violence and culitivation of marijuana, more news>
>Fred Gary Johnson, 61, 7910 Strand Ave., before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with possession of marijuana for sale, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, child abuse and two counts of misconduct involving weapons.
>Kelly Kallas, 80, 8910 Strand Ave., before Yuma Justice of the Peace pro tem David Cooper with possession of marijuana for sale, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, misconduct involving weapons and child abuse, Nicenews.

'not against the law to buy seeds'

Observer
Tony Thompson,
May 29th, 2005

An explosion in the amount of cannabis grown in people's homes has alarmed senior police officers, with some forces reporting a sixfold increase in seizures. Home-grown cannabis now accounts for more than half of all consumption in the UK.
While cultivating cannabis is illegal, it is not against the law to buy seeds and growing equipment and business is booming. Small-scale kits cost about £350, while a packet of 10 'mid-range' seeds is around £65. A typical user would expect to recoup this with the first crop. The number of outlets selling seeds and paraphernalia has gone from 50, five years ago, to more than 2,000. In the past month officers from the Metropolitan Police seized more than 10,000 cannabis plants. Figures to be released next month are expected to show that the total amount of herbal cannabis seized in the past year - which includes home-grown plants - has nearly doubled to 950,000 kilos. Full Home-Grown.....

'Flat Earth Society'
Telegraph
May 28th 2005:

An attempt to effectively legalise the use of cannabis for the relief of chronic pain was rejected by the Court of Appeal today.Three judges ruled that the Class C drug could not be used out of necessity to alleviate severe pain even if the user was under duress. Cannabis cannot be used out of necessity
The court had been told that cannabis was more effective than conventional forms of pain relief and did not have the potentially serious and life-threatening side-effects of alternative treatments.
Lord Justice Mance, sitting with Mr Justice Newman and Mr Justice Fulford, said the general prohibition on cannabis in the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act showed that any benefits perceived or suggested for individual patients were regarded, Full Severe Pain.................

"Mum it's OK''
The Age, Aus:
May 27th 2005:

A Bali court has sentenced Australian Schapelle Corby to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 4.1kgs of marijuana into Indonesia. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence. Corby, 27, broke down in tears as the panel of three judges in the Denpasar District Court said the charges against her of smuggling marijuana had been "convincingly'' proven. Soon after, they formally declared her guilty and passed sentence. "Twenty years?,'' said Corby, who was standing to hear the verdict from chief judge Linton Sirait.
She immediately turned to distressed mother Rosleigh Rose and appeared to shout: "Mum it's OK''. As the courtroom descended into chaos, Corby then hugged her interpreter and pushed through police to get to her mother and father Michael Corby. She kissed other members of her family and was then led away by police through a crush of media to a waiting vehicle, which rushed her back to Kerobokan prison. Corby backer, Gold Coast businessman Ron Bakir, said she would appeal.
"This is a massive injustice,'' he told reporters, crying. Full Injustice..................

'Cops not guilty'
AAP
May 26th 2005

4 Victorian detectives accused of stealing cannabis worth $100,000 in a fake drug bust and giving it to a criminal to sell have been found not guilty.Detective Sergeant Glenn Saunders, 44, Detective Sergeant David John Waters, 44, Detective Senior Constable Peter John Alexander, 37, and Detective Senior Constable Stephen Russell Campbell, 35, were all found not guilty today in the Victorian County Court of charges of theft and conspiracy to traffic cannabis.
During the three-week trial, Crown Prosecutor Colin Hillman, SC, told the court Det-Sgt Saunders was tipped off by a criminal that he was meeting a drug dealer to buy $100,000 worth of cannabis at the car park of St Kilda Marina on May 10, 1999. More Tears................

'left in the backseat'
AP:
May 24th 2005:

Police say two employees at a car rental company assisted vice and narcotics officers in the seizure of more than 111 pounds of marijuana. Authorities said a 34-year-old man was arrested -- his name was withheld until formal charges are filed. Birmingham Police spokesman Lt. Henry Irby said the marijuana was found in a car that was leased in March but was never returned. He said two workers from Enterprise Rent-A-Car reclaimed the vehicle in west Birmingham yesterday morning. After returning to their office, the employees called police after finding the pot in the vehicle. Irby said the suspect was arrested when he showed up at the business, saying he needed to recover an item he left in the backseat. Police said the marijuana has an estimated street value of about $150,000.

Street prices to rise in Phillipines?
Max Johnson
May 23rd 2005:

Monday, Seized during the raid were 1.085-million fully grown marijuana plants and 316,600 marijuana seedlings which were subsequently torched. The raiding team also confiscated 300 kilos of dried marijuana leaves and 500 grams of dried marijuana seeds which the DDB valued at P7.5 million and P12,000, respectively. In another raid, Bumanglag said his men uprooted some 16,000 fully grown marijuana plants valued at about P3.2 million in a four-hectare plantation.

1,000 "clones,"
The Province
Zoe Busie
May 23rd 2005:

A Kelowna-area marijuana grow-op bust provides one of the strongest links yet between the Hells Angels and the illegal pot industry, police say. RCMP raided a rural home belonging to full-patch member Bruce Skreptak early this month and discovered a large grow-op. "This is a pretty good indicator of their direct involvement at the very ground level in the . . . marijuana trade," said Insp. Andy Richards of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., a multi-force agency targeting organized crime. "We don't often see links this strong. Typically, most members of the Hells Angels that are involved in the grow industry are several steps removed from the hands-on business, especially from the grow houses." More Targeting......................

'begging for a pardon'
7 news
Elaine Hardman AP
May 22nd 2005:

Accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has taken the unusual step of begging for a pardon from the Indonesian president before her verdict has been handed down. Lawyers for the Gold Coast beauty student will take delivery of her letter begging President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to set her free. As Ms Corby's judgment day nears, her business backer Ron Bakir has apologised to the Indonesian prosecutors for accusing them of offering to take a bribe in return for a lighter sentence. Corby, 27, faces a life sentence if found guilty this Friday in the Denpasar District Court of trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Bali. She maintains the drugs were planted in her bodyboard bag by baggage handlers. Corby has made a desperate plea to Dr Yudhoyono, vowing she is innocent and begging him to set her free. "I cry myself to sleep each night wondering why this happened to me," Corby wrote in a letter published in The Sunday Telegraph. Full Pardon...

'A stop to drug tourism'
New Scotman
Wendel Broere
May 21st 2005

Holland is planning to pilot a scheme to prevent tourists buying cannabis joints in coffee shops.
Soft drugs are banned in the Netherlands but under its policy of tolerance, people are allowed to have up to 5g of cannabis in their possession. Government-regulated coffee shops can hold a stock of up to 500g. This policy has made the country, and Amsterdam in particular, a centre for "drug tourism". However, Ivo Hommes, a justice ministry spokesman, said: "We are developing a system whereby people not registered in the Netherlands will not be allowed into coffee shops." A pilot project will start up in Maastricht, on the southern tip of the Netherlands. Full Ban...............

'we just won't tolerate it'.
Icsurreyonline
Sarah Cooper
May 20th 2005


The top officer behind the crackdown has made it clear his zero tolerance policy applies to all drugs - and there will be no kid-glove treatment for anybody caught with "softer" drugs, including cannabis. Santi Gil, district inspector for Tandridge,who is known to like a drink after work, has warned anyone stopped with a class C drug, such as cannabis, will be treated in the same way as someone caught with a class A drug, like Ecstasy. "I don't agree with a soft approach to class C drugs because they are the ones that get dealt to children. "Class A drugs are a priority for Surrey Police, but I don't agree with any drug dealing. "At the end of the day if we get intelligence on any class of drugs, we won't tolerate it."Since March officers have acted upon information about drugs factories and users across the district. Officers have made 12 arrests after the raids, with eight made in the last two weeks in early-morning swoops. So far cannabis factories have been discovered in Roffes Lane, Caterham, and Farningham Road, Caterham, and cultivating equipment was found in Pendell Road, Bletchingley. Full Intolerance...

.'Big Brother has no business here in America'.
Bill Piper is director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance.
May 19th 2005:

Five years for anyone who passes a marijuana joint at a party to someone who, at some point in his or her life, has been in drug treatment; Ten years for mothers with substance abuse problems who commit certain drug offenses at home (even if their children are not at home at the time); Five years for any person with substance abuse problems who begs a friend in drug treatment to find them some drugs. These sentences would put non-violent drug offenders behind bars for as long as rapists, and they include none of the drug treatment touted in the bill's name. At a time when everyone from the conservative American Enterprise Institute to the liberal Sentencing Project is slamming the war on drugs as an abject failure, Sensenbrenner is trying to escalate it, and to force all Americans to become its foot soldiers. Instead of enacting new mandatory minimums, federal policymakers should look toward the states. A growing number have reformed their drug sentencing laws, including Arizona, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, New York and Texas, and they have proved it is possible to both save money and improve public safety.
Simply put, there is no way H.R. 1528 can be fixed. The only policy proposal in recent years that comes close to being as totalitarian asA this bill is Operations TIPS, the Ashcroft initiative that would have encouraged -- but not required -- citizens to spy on one another. Congress rightfully rejected that initiative and they should do the same with H.R. 1528. Big Brother has no business here in America. Full Story...........

.

'cannabis and opiates in his system',
BBC
May 18th 2005:

The car was found on its roof at the bottom of the quarry
The driver of a car, which plunged into a quarry killing the four occupants, had cannabis and opiates in his system, an inquest in south Wales has heard. But the coroner said that he could not be certain that the drugs had impaired the driving of 47-year-old Jack Magee. Mr Magee, of Aberbeeg, Blaenau Gwent, was driving a BMW with Alex Williams, Karl Devlin, and Shane Powell inside. The four men died of head and upper body injuries and the coroner recorded, Full Misadventure.

'Poll on legalisation'
Trouw
May 18th 2005:

According to a poll for the newspaper "Trouw" every second citizen of the Netherlands is in favour of complete legalisation of cannabis. Further 15 per cent prefer the current policy of tolerance. Only one third supports a more severe policy on cannabis. In addition, the poll shows that 20 out of 30 mayors of the biggest Dutch cities support complete legalisation. Currently, the cultivation of cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, however, possession and purchase of small amounts and the sale in coffee- shops are tolerated. "The drug policy is very schizophrenic. It is like telling a baker that he is allowed to sell bread but not allowed to buy flour," Gerd Leers, the mayor of Maastricht said.

Cannabis, Brandy and Ecstasy,
News and Star
May 17th 2005:

A man plunged more than 200ft to his death from a West Cumbrian fellside after taking cannabis and ecstasy, an inquest heard. Simon John White, 26, fell off a ridge on Yewbarrow during a late night walk with two friends.The medical records assistant sustained multiple injuries and died before mountain rescuers could reach him. West Cumbria Coroner John Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing how Mr White, from Anstey, Leicestershire, slipped as the “poorly equipped” trio made their way down the fell. The Whitehaven inquest heard statements from both Christian Newby and Craig Bodsworth, who were with Mr White on a camping weekend last October. Mr Newby said the three of them had taken ecstasy before they decided to climb Yewbarrow, at about 6pm on October 29. They had been smoking cannabis joints, and got through a further five as they scaled the 2,058ft mountain. They also shared a bottle of brandy, Full Story......

'Cops tackle drivers on drugs'
Telegraph-Journal
Mia Urquhart
May 16th 2005:

Saint John police want to train regional officers to recognize those driving under influence of marijuana, Officers come across a horrific automobile accident that claimed the lives of two teenagers and leaves a third clinging to life. Blood tests eventually reveal that the teenage driver of the vehicle has one of the highest levels of THC, the active chemical in marijuana, experts had ever found in anyone's system. Police in British Columbia hadn't requested a blood test from the young driver because they hadn't seen any sign of impairment. Last summer, the youth was found not guilty of impaired driving causing death. Such drug-related tragedies happen more often than most people realize, Full Story.................

'Legalize drugs'
Bradenton Herald
May 16th 2005:

If tolerant drug policies created more drug use, the Netherlands would have much higher drug usage rates than the United States. They do not. In fact, the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at much lower rates than Americans do. See the Web site: www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm. And if tolerant drug policies caused more overall crime, especially violent crime, the Dutch would have much higher crime rates than the U. S. They do not. The Dutch murder rate is less than one-third the U.S. per capita murder rate and their rate of incarceration is about one-seventh the U.S. incarceration rate. In the Netherlands, marijuana is sold to adults without criminal sanctions in coffee shops. In the United States, marijuana is sold by criminals who often sell other, much more dangerous drugs, and who often offer free samples of the more dangerous drugs to their marijuana customers - thus the gateway effect. Legalize, regulate and control the sale of marijuana and we close the gateway.
Kirk Muse.

'6,575 kg of marijuana'
India
May 15th 2005:

Imphal, May 15 : Indian paramilitary troopers and customs officials seized a huge haul of marijuana worth Rs.16.5 million ($380,000) in the northeastern state of Manipur, suggesting a possible link between separatists and drug syndicates, officials said Sunday. "This is the biggest ever haul of drugs in Manipur in recent times," an official statement said. No one was arrested. Around 6,575 kg of marijuana were recovered Saturday by a joint team of Assam Rifles and customs officials from village Sanakeithel, about 30 km north of Manipur's capital Imphal, the statement said. Police and customs officials believe the marijuana consignment originated in Myanmar and was smuggled into Manipur for transportation to other parts of India and abroad. "There is an organized racket involved in smuggling various forms of drugs from Myanmar," a senior police official said. "There are reports of drugs from this region finding its way to the Middle East and even to European countries with a big ring involved in the trade." Intelligence officials, More Smuggling.............

"I do not smoke cannabis.
Sunday Telegraph:
May 14th 2005:

Mark Lewis-Francis has lost his sprint silver medal after testing positive for cannabis at the European Indoor Championships in March. Lewis-Francis, 22, who anchored the British 100m relay team as they won gold medals at the Olympics in Athens, blamed passive smoking in an explanation that was accepted by UK Athletics. He escaped a possible two-year ban and was warned about his conduct. It was the second time that Lewis-Francis has had to forfeit a silver medal. After the 2003 World Championships, where he was a member of Britain's 4 x 100m relay squad, six British sprinters had to return their medals when it was announced that Dwain Chambers had tested positive for the designer steroid THG. Lewis-Francis, who waived his right to a disciplinary hearing, kept his head down yesterday but issued a statement saying: "I do not smoke cannabis. Full Relay............

'insurgents and terrorists'
Susanna Loof
AP.
May 13th 2005:

VIENNA, (AP) - A U.N. drug body warned Thursday that Iraq is emerging as a transit point for drugs, with traffickers working with insurgents and terrorists, and called on the international community to tackle the problem before it's too late. Drug traffickers from Afghanistan have begun crossing Iraq to get to Jordan, the exit point for Asia and Europe, said Hamid Ghodse, the president of the International Narcotics Control Board. Afghanistan is the world's main source of opium and its derivative heroin. Ghodse said traffickers cooperate with terrorist and insurgents, thereby worsening the situation in Iraq. He urged the international community and Iraqi leaders to act before the trafficking route becomes entrenched. All efforts to support Iraq must give due focus to the drug problem, he said. Read Full Tale..............

'12,000 plants'
Channel 10
Kerry McQuone
May 12th 2005

During a Monday flyover, investigators make a major discovery in Caswell county, North Carolina. Nine hundred tiny plastic cups full of marijuana seedlings. Well over 12,000 plants are going into evidence and that means 30 million dollars in drug money.
Inside the plastic cups there are 20 to 50 marijuana seedlings and investigators say the people who grow them spread them out -- once they get bigger they don't keep it all in the same place. "Q:You had all these tiny little cups but -- how much space would that take up? Captain Keith McKinney:Possibly a couple of acres."And they can be tall. This is Captain Keith McKinney standing next to a full grown plant several years ago, it reaches well past his head. This time investigators haven't found the people who planted these drugs yet, but they say marijuana is more serious now than it used to be.

'Marijuana use gains momentum'
'The Record'
May 11th 2005:

Albany: By endorsing the idea, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno gave the possibility of legally using marijuana for medicinal reasons in New York a big boost Tuesday. "The Legislature needs to enact a medicinal marijuana law that allows the drug to be used in tightly controlled instances with a doctor's supervision and that is compassionate toward patients who are desperate to ease their pain," Bruno said after appearing at an event with talk show host and medicinal marijuana proponent Montel Williams. "As a cancer survivor, I understand how difficult it is to live day to day with a painful, life-threatening illness." Bruno was diagnosed with and successfully treated for prostate cancer. Williams was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999. He said marijuana is the only drug that provides relief from the excruciating pain in his legs and feet, and helps control the tremors and spasms that accompany the debilitating neurological disease that has no cure. "Because I don't condone, Read On...............

'Captain Ahab'
National Review
Rich Lowry
May 10th 2005:

As the nation's "drug czar," John Walters is supposed to be saving us from the ravages of hard drugs like heroin and cocaine. At least that was the original sales pitch for the "war on drugs" in the 1980s. But the war has evolved into largely a fight against marijuana, which no one has ever claimed is a hard drug. Walters is nonetheless committed, Ahab-like, to arresting every marijuana smoker in the country whom law enforcement can lay its hands on. It used to be that drug warriors denied that marijuana was much of a focus for them, because they understandably liked people to think they were cracking down on genuinely dangerous, highly addictive drugs. No more. We are waging a war on pot, a substance less addictive and harmful than tobacco and alcohol, which presumably friends of Walters enjoy all the time with no fear of being forced to make a court appearance. According to a new report by the Sentencing Project, in a trend Walters heartily Full Tale.....................

News: Drugs: Where do they come from?
Webteam on May 9th, 2005
Manchester Uni:

The international drugs trade is worth about 8% of total international trade, and the UK is a large market for both exporters and importers of drugs. As domestic production of drugs is severely limited, the UK drugs trade relies on imports from other countries. Whilst this seemingly makes little impact to the average user in Britain, the drugs traffic chain stretches across the globe. The drugs we buy in Britain directly influence other developing economies, fuelling a dependence on the narcotics trade. Student Direct looks into the drugs trafficking routes into Britain and where the drugs on our streets have come from.
CANNABIS
While more and more people seem to be growing their cannabis at home these days, much of it is still imported from North Africa. The cannabis is usually smuggled across the Mediterranean to Spain where it travels by road into France and then arrives by boat into Britain.
It is estimated that Morocco actually provides 80 percent of Britain's cannabis. The Rif mountain range - stretching across Morocco's northern coastline - conceals the production of over 3,080 tons of raw cannabis per year and an estimated 27 percent of arable land in this area is dedicated to cannabis cultivation. The centre of this production has always been the province of Chefchaouen where 50 percent of Morocco's cannabis is produced. The cannabis fields here are well hidden and cannot be seen from the roads as it is The Full Study.....................

'Cops say it can be as addictive as crack cocaine'
Who writes this Crap ?
Cops' heat seeking copters swoop on cannabis factories
May 9th 2005

POLICE helicopters fitted with thermal heat seeking equipment are being used to hunt down Britain's secret skunk cannabis farms.
A People investigation can reveal that plantations of the highly addictive and dangerous drug are sprouting up in thousands of homes across the country.
Airborne cops make rooftop sweeps of residential streets to pinpoint heat from the superstrong 1000w lights under which the plants are grown. A police spokesman said: "We use use thermal imaging cameras which detect heat sources - and as a result direct us straight to where cannabis is being grown. "Skunk houses can glow like a kid in a Ready Brek advert." Police forces across Britain have seen a dramatic rise in numbers of skunk farms. Our reporter joined a raid which closed down Ten skunk factories run by the same gang in a single afternoon.
Det Insp Dave McKelvey, who led the swoop, said: "We're not talking about a few hippies growing a bit of pot. These are organised criminals prepared to invest money in cultivation on a commercial scale for big profits." Two Vietnamese men - thought to be illegal immigrants - were arrested at one address we visited in East London. One turned up in a car packed with compost. He claimed that it was soil for the garden - despite having only a tiny patio. Det Insp McKelvey believes that illegal immigrants and asylum seekers are recruited by the "Mr Bigs" who earn fortunes producing skunk.
The gang bosses rent strings of homes in residential streets, each packed with up to 1,000 cannabis plants. One East London gang is thought by police to produce a yield worth £3million a year.
A kilo of skunk fetches £2800 on the streets, sold under names such as Jack Frost, Northern Lights, White Rhino and Bubblegum. The row upon row of plants are cultivated with elaborate watering and lighting systems.
They use up huge amounts of electricity - perhaps 20 times what an ordinary house might use - so crooks avoid paying bills by bypassing the meter. Energy firms calculate that up to £100million of electricity is being stolen for drug growing. British Gas has even formed a special team to liaise with police after detecting an upsurge in electricity for the rows of dazzling sodium lights. Skunk is a potent hybrid version of cannabis which can cause devastating mental health problems including psychosis. Cops say it can be as addictive as crack cocaine. Det Insp McKelvey said: "A lot of younger teenagers are getting hooked on skunk rather than hard drugs like crack and heroin and will commit street crime to feed their habit." Cops hope their helicopter swoops will help beat the drugs trade. But with police figures showing a three-fold rise in those caught with cannabis since it was downgraded in 2004, they're set for a long war. One that can never be won...Still keeps the man in a job.

Shanmugam Murugesuto be executed on Friday

John Aglionby in Singapore
Sunday May 8, 2005
The Observer

The Canton meeting room at Singapore's drab Furama Hotel is an unlikely venue for history to be made. But on Friday night this bland setting hosted an unprecedented event for the tightly controlled island republic. Organisers of a three-hour vigil for Shanmugam Murugesu, who is likely to be executed on Friday for possession of 1 kilo of marijuana, said it was the nation's first public gathering organised solely by citizens demanding a change to the law. 'There's never been an event like this in Singapore,' said Sinapan Samydorai, the president of non-governmental organisation Think Centre. Many of the participants in the vigil, which comprised artistic performances and speeches, said they were there for reasons beyond the immediate one of seeking to change the mandatory death penalty for people caught with at least 500g of marijuana or 2g of heroin. 'Tonight's not necessarily so much about changing the government's mind,' explained one actor. 'It's about telling ordinary people you can say no to the authorities. You can voice your opinions.' Full Story.......................

'as the country's narcotics nerve center'
Adnan El-Ghoul
Daily Star
Friday, May 06, 2005

The Bekaa gears up for cannabis crops farmers rush to replant their fields with marijuana: This is Baalbek, the city of the sun, where ancient Romans engraved images of opium poppies on the walls of their temples. Nowadays, following the recent Syrian troop withdrawal, local farmers are hoping the area can once again return to its former glory as the country's narcotics nerve center. Despite missing the planting season this year, farmers in the Bekaa Valley are rushing to replace their chickpeas, lentils, wheat and barley - many of which have already sprouted - with fresh cannabis seeds hoping to obtain a successful hashish harvest next September and October. Many farmers say growing hashish is their only hope of rescuing their family from poverty, and are fed up with hearing "empty promises" that new technologies will bring them success and prosperity. Full Grow.........................

'traffickers can be executed'
BBC:
May 6th 2005

Ms Corby's case has been closely followed in Australia Indonesian prosecutors have wrapped up their case against Australian woman Schapelle Corby, who is on trial for smuggling drugs to Bali.
Prosecutors told the court in Denpasar that the 27-year-old beauty therapist had been caught red-handed, and should therefore be sentenced to life in jail. Ms Corby was arrested in October after 4.1kg (9lbs) of marijuana were found in her bags at Bali airport. Under Indonesia's tough anti-drug laws, convicted traffickers can be executed. But Ms Corby's case has attracted widespread public interest in Australia, and the Canberra government has urged Indonesian prosecutors not to ask for the death penalty. Friday's hearing lasted just 15 minutes, with the prosecution reading a statement rejecting arguments made by Ms Corby's defence team proclaiming her innocence. More..........

MAY 5th 2005

'Cannabricks' could solve housing crisis'
Cape Times: May 4th 2005

A Cape Town housing innovator who believes the use of hemp could be the answer to South Africa's growing housing problem has not ruled out Constitutional Court litigation to compel the government to revise its dagga legislation. "There is a strong possibility we will initiate litigation, hopefully this year," said André du Plessis. He said a march, calling for an end to the prohibition of the industrial use of cannabis or hemp in housing and agriculture, would be staged in Cape Town on Saturday. Activists in the city are joining those in about 180 cities across 37 countries in highlighting the many uses of cannabis. Du Plessis said South Africa was grappling with a huge housing backlog, with cost being the biggest prohibitive factor. He proposes building low-cost houses using hemp."The solution must be safe, fireproof and bio-friendly and it should trigger sustainable development and wealth creation from the grass roots up," Du Plessis said in a statement. More..................

'I used to like Quaaludes'
May 3rd 2005:

Robert Plant has rubbished rumours about his supposed legendary drug intake during the band's 1970s heyday.The Stairway to Heaven singer admits to enjoying marijuana and sedatives, but claims he never took hallucinogenic drugs to the extent people assumed. He says, "I smoked quite a bit of dope and I used to like Quaaludes (potent sedatives legal in America until the 1980s)."I have three Quaaludes from 1977 still in a jar somewhere, but I know they'll be poison now. I call them Tom, Dick and Harry. 'The Great Escape' "It was a treat to take half a Quaalude and then ride in on the elevator to see if I could still be standing up when it stopped because my knees would buckle joyously. It improves the giggle."

'drug paraphernalia'
Greg Auman
May 3rd 2005:

Tampa - Senior linebacker Devon Davis and sophomore defensive tackle Curtis Chance, held out of spring practice because of off-field problems, will not return to South Florida's football team in the fall, coach Jim Leavitt said Monday. The two players were arrested in July, along with linebacker Torrean James, who left the program in August. They were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Chance, a Dixie Hollins graduate, and Davis agreed to plea agreements resulting in probation, but will no longer be part of USF's program. "Devon and Curtis will take their future endeavors in another direction, and I wish them luck," Leavitt said. Full Misdemeanor............

'Professor Neil McKeganey meets John Walters'
The Herald
May 2nd 2005

A LEADING researcher into drug misuse has been invited to Washington by George W Bush's drugs czar to discuss the health dangers of cannabis. Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the centre for drugs misuse research at Glasgow University, will meet a team of mental health experts, scientists and high-ranking US government officials to discuss an emerging body of research that identifies links between cannabis use and mental-health disorders among teenagers. Mr McKeganey points to a "clear distance" between the US government's approach to cannabis misuse and those of Westminster and the Scottish Executive, and warns that the possible dangers of the drug, including depression and schizophrenia, could be overlooked in Britain should research and policy continue to focus on the "more dramatic impacts" of heroin and cocaine use. The academic will attend the high-profile conference in Washington tomorrow at the invitation of John Walters, director of the national drug control policy. Among those speaking will be the parents of a 15-year-old cannabis user who committed suicide. Full Tale......................

'cannabis use and accidents'
Bbc.
May 1st 2005

Heavy cannabis users are 10 times more likely to be injured, or to injure others, in car accidents, researchers have found. The scientists from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, say their study is the first proof that there is a link between using cannabis and accidents. Previously, there was only laboratory research and post mortem evidence to suggest a connection.
UK experts said the Addiction study showed more education was needed. Doctors had believed there was a link between cannabis use and accidents for some time, but had been unable to prove a connection. More Post Mortem.............

"We don't want you in our community."
May 1st 2005:
Jennifer Saltman

The City of Port Coquitlam wants to send a clear message to marijuana grow operators: "We don't want you in our community." The city is planning to draft a new grow operations bylaw to include more stringent measures to deal with the illegal operations that are springing up in the city. "It's a fairly significant addition to the bylaw," said Nancy Gomerich, the city's director of corporate services, at a protective services committee meeting Thursday morning. Coun. Greg Moore, who chairs the committee, called it one of the most important bylaws council will see this year. In November, the finance and intergovernmental committee passed a resolution to revise the bylaw to include ways to recover costs, More of.......