Saturday, 7. September 2002

Topic: - on September 7, 2002 at 12:51:24 AM CEST

national
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
Thursday, September 5, 2002 Page A8 But nearly everybody agreed that pot smokers are not criminals. "It's about time," said Terry Parker, an epileptic who is famous among marijuana activists for winning a court battle two years ago that forced the federal government to legalize marijuana for some sick people. "They spend millions of dollars every year to incarcerate us," he said. "It makes no sense." Dana Hanson, president of the Canadian Medical Association, agreed that people who are caught with marijuana should not get stuck with jail sentences or criminal records.

national
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
The 600-page report issued yesterday concluded that marijuana is not harmful to health and should be readily available to cannabis consumers. "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public-health issue," said the committee's chair, Progressive Conservative Senator Pierre Claude Nolin. "It is certainly less grave than alcohol and tobacco as far is health is concerned.

Headlines
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
Thursday, September 5, 2002 Page A19 Moreover, an amnesty should be declared for all who've been convicted of simple possession. Pending charges for possession would be dropped. Those in prison would be freed. The estimated 600,000 Canadians who now carry a criminal record for possession would have their slates wiped clean. These recommendations, if enacted, would make Canada the only civilized country on Earth to rescind entirely the legal prohibition against marijuana.

world.scmp.com - South China Morning Post online brings you the latest headlines and breaking news from around the world
Published in South China Morning Post - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
It also called for immediate action on permitting eligible medical patients to legally obtain marijuana. ''There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law,'' Senator Pierre Nolin of the Progressive Conservative party said. ''In a free society as ours, it's up to the individual to decide whether to consume cannabis or not.'' The report emerged from months of hearings with Canadian and international experts, police and drug enforcement agencies and ordinary citizens.

HoustonChronicle.com - Canadian Parliament calls for legalizing marijuana
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
Sept. 5, 2002, 12:31AM Canadian Parliament committee calls for legalizing marijuana Associated Press TORONTO -- A parliamentary committee called for legalizing marijuana use among adults, increasing pressure on the government to shift drug laws away from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States. The report by the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended that Canada adopt a system that regulates marijuana the same way as alcohol, and expunge criminal records for marijuana possession. "There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law," said Sen.

Salon.com News | Canadian panel wants legal marijuana
Published in Salon.com - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
Under current law, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada. Last year, the government passed regulations allowing eligible medical patients to grow and possess marijuana, but has yet to create a distribution network. Anti-drug groups in the United States say liberalizing Canadian drug laws would increase access to illegal drugs in the United States. Nolin, chairman of the Senate committee, said the panel concluded no evidence existed that marijuana was a "gateway" drug leading to the use of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Salon.com News | Canadian panel wants legal marijuana
Published in Salon.com - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
A parliamentary committee called for legalizing marijuana use among adults, increasing pressure on the government to shift drug laws away from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States. The report by the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended that Canada adopt a system that regulates marijuana the same way as alcohol, and expunge criminal records for marijuana possession. "There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law," said Sen. Pierre Nolin of the Progressive Conservative party. "In a free society as ours, it's up to the individual to decide whether to consume cannabis or not.

CNN.com - Boy denies killing father; says sex partner did it - September 4, 2002
Published in CNN - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) -- A teenage boy accused of killing his father testified Wednesday that an adult male neighbor with whom he was emotionally and sexually involved was the actual killer, and that he and his brother reluctantly agreed to take the blame after being coached on what to tell authorities. Alex King, 13, and his 14-year-old brother Derek are charged with first-degree murder and arson, accused of beating to death their father, Terry King, in their home, then setting fire to the house in the small Pensacola community of Cantonment. Both are being tried as adults.

CNN.com - Canadian Senate panel urges legalization of pot - September 4, 2002
Published in CNN - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
OTTAWA, Canada (CNN) -- A Canadian Senate committee recommended Wednesday that marijuana be legalized. "Cannabis should be, from here on, in legal and of restricted use, so that Canadians can choose whether to consume or not in security," said Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, a Progressive Conservative Party member from Quebec province. He spoke at a news conference announcing the final report of the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, which he chaired. The government should give amnesty to anyone convicted of marijuana possession under current or past legislation and erase their records, Nolin said.

Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / Marijuana reform group files suit against officials
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
''I had a rally in Framingham Common, but it's just not the same as Stone Park,'' said James Pillsbury, coordinator of the MetroWest chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. ''It's a great name.'' State and local advocates of decriminalizing marijuana are accusing Ashland officials - for the second time in a decade - of violating free speech rights by prior restraint.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- News in brief from the San Joaquin Valley
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
By The Associated PressPublished 10:00 a.m. PDT Wednesday, September 4, 2002 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A 75-year-old woman was attacked after she told a man allegedly on drugs to stop using foul language, police said. The Bakersfield woman's name was not released. She was treated and released from an area hospital after the incident on Sunday, Detective Mary DeGeare said. The woman was punched, kicked and pulled to the ground after she asked a man not to use foul language in front of her, police said.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Judge challenges pot-smoking basketball player to game
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
Judge challenges pot-smoking basketball player to game Published 12:10 a.m. PDT Wednesday, September 4, 2002 SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - The 20-year-old former high school basketball star told the judge he smoked pot because it made him a better player. So the 42-year-old jurist challenged him to a game of one-on-one on a different court. "I thought maybe he was kidding," said defendant Alvaro Alvarez, who accepted the challenge after he was charged with marijuana possession. Superior Court Judge Marc Kelly sentenced Alvarez to attend drug abuse classes for the misdemeanor, then told him to return to court ready for a game.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Canadian government committee wants marijuana legalized
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 5, 2002
Canadian government committee wants marijuana legalized By TOM COHEN, Associated PressPublished 11:27 a.m. PDT Wednesday, September 4, 2002 TORONTO (AP) - A parliamentary committee called for legalizing marijuana use among adults, increasing pressure on the government to shift drug laws away from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States. The report by the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended that Canada adopt a system that regulates marijuana the same way as alcohol, and expunge criminal records for marijuana possession.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Illegal drug use among Americans up, according to survey
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
Illegal drug use among Americans up, according to survey By CONNIE CASS, Associated Press Published 10:35 a.m. PDT Thursday, September 5, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - About 15.9 million people used drugs illegally in the United States last year, representing 7 percent of the population aged 12 or older, according to a government survey that found increases in the use of marijuana, cocaine and pain relievers. The number of people using marijuana for the first time remained about the same, but health officials noted that the number of people who perceived smoking marijuana once or twice a week as risky dropped to 53 percent.

The Globe and Mail: Breaking News
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
By ALLISON DUNFIELD Globe and Mail Update Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper says Wednesday's Senate committee report advocating the legalization of marijuana merely underlines the need to reform the Senate. Mr. Harper said he was concerned about the Senators' view that marijuana should be available for purchase to anyone over the age of 16. "This should once again raise concerns about the need to reform the Senate, the need to have a legislative body that is elected and accountable and acts that way," he said.

national
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 6, 2002
- The annual cost of drug enforcement in Canada is estimated to be between $700-million and $1-billion.

  • Over 90,000 drug-related incidents reported annually by police; more than 75 per cent of these incidents relate to cannabis and over 50 per cent of all drug-related incidents involve possession of cannabis.
  • From 1991 to 2001, the percentage increase in rate per 100,000 people for cannabis-related offences is 91.5 per cent, or nearly double
  • Cannabis was involved in 70 per cent of the approximately 50,000 drug-related charges in 1999.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Peter Schrag: What new era? It's old politics in red, white and blue
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 3, 2002
Peter Schrag: What new era? It's old politics in red, white and blue By Peter Schrag -- Bee ColumnistPublished 11:46 a.m. PDT Wednesday, November 14, 2001 In the days after Sept. 11, the one thing most of us thought we knew for sure was that we'd entered a new era -- the frightening realization that America was no longer immune to the dangers and uncertainties that afflicted the rest of the world. We were in a struggle, unlike any we'd known, that could last indefinitely. The old politics was a thing of the past. Government was, for the moment, trusted again.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Former Libertarian candidate given right to grow pot in Canada
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Sep 3, 2002
Former Libertarian candidate given right to grow pot in Canada Published 2:35 p.m. PDT Sunday, September 1, 2002 VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Steve Kubby, the medical marijuana advocate who ran for governor of California as a Libertarian in 1998, has been granted the right to smoke and grow huge quantities of pot for medical purposes in Canada. Kubby, who fled with his family to Sechelt on British Columbia's southern coast to avoid a jail term in California, said he is "cleaning out our garage to start growing.

Contra Costa Times | 09/02/2002 | Marijuana advocate finds vindication in Canada
Published in BayArea.com - Indexed on Sep 3, 2002
Marijuana advocate finds vindication in Canada ASSOCIATED PRESS VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Steve Kubby, the medical marijuana advocate who ran for governor of California as a Libertarian in 1998, has been granted the right to smoke and grow quantities of pot for medical purposes in Canada. Kubby, who fled with his family to Sechelt on British Columbia's southern coast to avoid a jail term in California, said he is "cleaning out our garage to start growing.

Health
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Sep 3, 2002
Monday, September 2, 2002 Page A13 This column's about what they did for my nausea that day -- which was nothing. They shot me up with four successive drugs, starting with Gravol (a standard dose) and working up to the mightiest antinausea drug in the pharmacopoeia, without effect. I retched continuously until it was simply not possible for my stomach to clench any more; then, thank God, I was able to persuade them to stop helping me, and let me go. My problem soon vanished. The impulse to vomit uncontrollably only returned today, when I sniffed the latest mound of media manure from Health Minister Anne McLellan.

U.S. News: Personnel losses and other problems make the Secret Service's job tougher than ever (9/9/02)
Published in U.S. News & World Report - Indexed on Sep 2, 2002
Protecting the lives of families of top government officials has never been easy. By the same token, living under the controlling, intrusive, often overbearing, and seemingly omnipotent presence of agents can be stifling for political leaders and their families, especially for children. Presidents do what they can to strike a balance between protecting themselves and their families by acceding to the demands of agents, at the same time fighting for the right to have some semblance of a normal life.

Boston Globe Online / Living | Arts / Reassessing the brilliance and belligerence of reggae's Tosh
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Sep 2, 2002
But the bright light of Marley's talent and charisma too often eclipsed other deserving talents, especially those of his gifted Wailers partners, Neville ''Bunny Wailer'' Livingstone and Winston ''Peter Tosh'' MacIntosh. Defiant, uncompromising, and a magnet for controversy, Peter Tosh was a ''Stepping Razor,'' as he sang of himself. The rerelease of seven mid-career solo albums on CD, including his only live album, may give fans a chance to reassess his complicated legacy.

Salon.com News | Baseball strike deadline approaches
Published in Salon.com - Indexed on Sep 1, 2002
Selig appeared briefly at the fourth meeting, only to say hello, union lawyer Michael Weiner said. "I still think we're going to get something done," said Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, the NL player representative. "I just think we're all too close on too much of this to let it fall apart." Owners want to slow spending by high-payroll teams with a luxury tax and in their last formal proposal wanted to increase the amount of locally generated revenue that teams share from 20 percent to 36 percent. Players were at 33.3 percent and want to phase in the increase.

sunspot.net - orioles/baseball
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 31, 2002
There still appeared to be a gap between each side's proposals on increased revenue sharing and a luxury tax plan, but management officials seemed more confident that the remaining differences would be worked out before the union strike date threatens tomorrow's games. "Every time we have a discussion, other than Saturday, the parties have gotten closer," said baseball's chief operating officer Robert DuPuy. "For the last four months, every time we've had a discussion, I would characterize the discussion as getting us closer. I won't quit. Our goal is to get a deal without a single moment of a work stoppage.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- News in brief from the San Joaquin Valley
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 31, 2002
News in brief from the San Joaquin Valley By The Associated PressPublished 9:55 a.m. PDT Friday, August 30, 2002 BALLICO, Calif. (AP) - Merced County authorities have arrested four people on investigation of drug and weapons charges after an early morning raid here. Police threw an explosive to lure seven people, including a 2-year-old boy, out of the home Thursday. Inside, police found a TEC-9 semiautomatic, a 9 mm machine pistol, knives, a hand grenade and eight bags of methamphetamine. Police served a search warrant for Amado Escobedo, Jr., 25, when they received a tip from Livingston police.

ScienceDaily Magazine -- Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood — Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds
Published in Science Daily - Indexed on Aug 31, 2002
Source: University Of South Florida Health Sciences Center (hsc.usf.edu) Date: Posted 8/28/2002 Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood — Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds Tampa, FL (Aug. 27 2002) -- Marijuana may alter immune function in people -- but the jury is still out on whether it hurts or helps the body's ability to fight infection or other diseases, report researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

ScienceDaily Magazine -- Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood — Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds
Published in Science Daily - Indexed on Aug 31, 2002
Click Here! Reprinted from ScienceDaily Magazine ... Source: University Of South Florida Health Sciences Center Date Posted: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 Web Address: www.sciencedaily.com Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood — Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds Tampa, FL (Aug. 27 2002) -- Marijuana may alter immune function in people -- but the jury is still out on whether it hurts or helps the body's ability to fight infection or other diseases, report researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

sunspot.net - sports
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
As baseball moved within two days of another work stoppage, commissioner Bud Selig arrived at major league offices and negotiators worked late into the night to try to avert a planned strike. Players are set to walk out Friday unless there is an agreement for a labor contract. Because of the threat, five of the 12 teams traveling for weekend series pushed back their flights a day, waiting to see if compromises could be reached on the main sticking points: levels for a luxury tax and revenue sharing. "I still think we're going to get something done," Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, the NL player representative, said Wednesday.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Epic voters' guide to land with thud at San Franciscans' doors
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
By MARGIE MASON Associated Press WriterPublished 2:40 p.m. PDT Tuesday, August 27, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A lengthy homework assignment will soon land with a thud at the door of each of the city's 440,000 registered voters - an explanatory guide to November's ballot measures that will run more than 300 pages and could cost as much as $2.8 million. Some of the 19 ballot questions - on everything from $2 billion in new bond measures to policies on the homeless, parental leave, and whether the city should grow its own marijuana - are so complex or sensitive that politicians have ducked them for years.

AP Wire | 08/28/2002 | Selig arrives in N.Y.C. for talks
Published in BayArea.com - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
Reuters/Chip East Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig enters 245 Park Avenue, where Major League Baseball's office is located in New York, on August 28, 2002. NEW YORK - As baseball moved within two days of another work stoppage, commissioner Bud Selig arrived at major league offices and negotiators kept up their talks to try to avert Friday's planned strike. Players are set to walk out unless there is an agreement for a labor contract.

Selig in N.Y. as negotiators talk on -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
Iraqi exiles divided on future Answers for Day of Infamy Plan to ban foreign flights near attack sites killed Bars brace for dry days if baseball strikes Baptist seminary moves into new home Players are set to walk out tomorrow unless there is an agreement for a labor contract. Because of the threat, four of the 12 teams traveling for weekend series pushed back their flights a day, waiting to see if compromises could be reached on the main sticking points: levels for a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

The Village Voice: Features: From Kingston to Brooklyn by Michael Deibert
Published in Village Voice - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
Reggae has always been a genre shaped by the daring and innovation of its producers. Men like Jack Ruby, King Tubby, and Henry "Junjo" Lawes all helped shape the inside-out bass-and-hi-hat sound that became Jamaica's musical calling card throughout the world. One of the most enigmatic and complex of these figures was Clement Dodd.

ABCNEWS.com : Pot Smoking in Youth Tied to More Drug Use Later
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
— WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who first try marijuana early in life may be more likely than others to abuse or become dependent on illegal drugs later on, US government researchers said on Wednesday. They found that 62% of adults ages 26 or older who first started using marijuana before they were 15 had also tried cocaine at some point. More than 9% reported they had used heroin, and more than half had used prescription drugs for recreational purposes.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 30, 2002
Players are set to walk out Friday unless there is an agreement for a labor contract. Because of the threat, five of the 12 teams traveling for weekend series pushed back their flights a day, waiting to see if compromises could be reached on the main sticking points: levels for a luxury tax and revenue sharing. "The same issues are unresolved," Selig said late Wednesday night. "It's been very constructive. Both sides are reaching out, but I can't tell you we're any closer. Only time will tell.

Measure gambles on marijuana
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 29, 2002
LAS VEGAS -- For 30 years, the campaign to legalize marijuana in America has gone nowhere. A few states have approved it for medical purposes. A few have removed criminal penalties for possessing small quantities. But no state has said, in effect, get high at your own risk. Now comes anything-goes Nevada, where prostitution is legal in some places, gambling fuels the economy and voters are among the nation's most independent-minded. After gaining a state-record 110,000 signatures, backers won a place on the November ballot for a measure that would legalize possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Letters to the Editor: Fathers and procreation
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 28, 2002
Re "Father rights, sure, but not Florida's law," Aug. 13: Florida legislators have extremely skewed thinking. A sperm donor is not a father. Why should a woman have to publish her sexual history in the paper before giving her child up for adoption? And what a great legacy for the children to have their questionable conception publicized. If the father had not been a part of the mother's life during the pregnancy, he should have no rights. Florida's new law is a knee-jerk reaction to the Baby Emily case. The father in that case was a convicted rapist. Why should he have any rights to his children?
CNN.com - Canadians march for medical marijuana - August 24, 2002
Published in CNN - Indexed on Aug 25, 2002
TORONTO, Canada (AP) -- Scores of protesters, including some in wheelchairs due to illness, marched peacefully Friday to urge Canada's government to fully implement a medical marijuana program. The demonstrators in downtown Toronto charged that there were lengthy delays in the government providing marijuana to eligible patients with certain diseases or conditions. The new regulations took effect a year ago, but so far none of the marijuana grown by the government has been distributed. Under the program, patients certified as eligible also may grow their own or designate someone to grow it for them.

DallasNews.com | Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas Morning News - Indexed on Aug 25, 2002
By RICARDO SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News CULIACÁN, Sinaloa – Candelario Sánchez Vega and José Luis González swore they were simple farmers. But in the eyes of police here, the automatic weapons and boxes of ammunition they were carrying marked them as gunmen on their way to a hit. That was a nice bust for a harried state police force that has found it difficult to keep up with rampant drug-related crime in Sinaloa, one of the most violent places in Mexico.

Dude, Where's My Pain?
Published in Wired - Indexed on Aug 25, 2002
Researchers have known about the active ingredient THC since 1964, and doctors can prescribe Marinol, a drug made from a synthetic form of it. But while some AIDS and cancer patients take Marinol to control nausea and improve appetite, experts say it's not as effective as marijuana itself because it doesn't absorb easily through the mouth. Also, Marinol costs more than a joint. Drugstore.com offers Marinol in the highest dose available for $14 a pill. Marijuana researchers face other obstacles. "These compounds are very difficult to work with," Rice said.

Dude, Where's My Pain?
Published in Wired - Indexed on Aug 25, 2002
SAN DIEGO -- Turning marijuana into a prescription medicine is a challenge -- and not just because pot is illegal. Patients with cancer and AIDS insist that the nation's most popular recreational drug relieves their pain and nausea, but as they get stoned their motivation often vanishes too. Not to mention that inhaling smoke five times a day can increase sick people's risk of lung cancer and emphysema. In a flurry of new research, scientists are trying to smoke out a solution. They're developing ways to take the high out of marijuana and transfer its legendary powers to an inhaler or a tablet patients put under their tongue.

U.S. seizures of narcotic shrub on the rise
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 25, 2002
Page Khat, a narcotic leaf that has long been popular in East Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the USA, largely because of an influx of immigrants from nations such as Somalia and Yemen, U.S. officials say. In 2001, U.S. Customs officials seized an unprecedented 82,000 pounds, more than double the amount seized five years earlier. Khat seizures still don't compare with those of far more popular drugs such as marijuana. Customs officials seized about 1.5 million pounds of marijuana in 2001.

Headlines
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 24, 2002
Saturday, August 24, 2002 Page A7 Police-intelligence services in Canada have recently increased the monitoring of potential diamond-smuggling activities by terrorists and other criminal organizations. "I can't go into details, but obviously they see the potential for profit. That's what they look at. That's the basis of all criminal activity," Commissioner Zaccardelli said yesterday. "They see a lot of diamonds. If they can get their hands on them, they clearly can make a lot of money. And so they will be as innovative as your imagination can be in terms of trying to get access to it. We have to defend against that.

ScienceDaily Magazine -- Marijuana-Derived Compound Targets Pain, Inflammation
Published in Science Daily - Indexed on Aug 24, 2002
Marijuana-Derived Compound Targets Pain, Inflammation BOSTON — Researchers are developing a marijuana-derived synthetic compound to relieve pain and inflammation without the mood-altering side effects associated with other marijuana based drugs. They say the compound could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Their findings were presented at the 224th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. The compound, called ajulemic acid, has produced encouraging results in animal studies of pain and inflammation.

ScienceDaily Magazine -- Marijuana-Derived Compound Targets Pain, Inflammation
Published in Science Daily - Indexed on Aug 24, 2002
They say the compound could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Their findings were presented at the 224th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. The compound, called ajulemic acid, has produced encouraging results in animal studies of pain and inflammation. It is undergoing tests in a group of people with chronic pain and could be available by prescription within two to three years, the researchers say.

Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / Alleged drug ring leader is arrested
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Aug 24, 2002
man accused of helping lead one of the largest marijuana rings of its time has been returned to Boston to face drug and money-laundering charges after eluding federal agents for 13 years. The US Marshals Service tracked down Richard Booker on Monday in Paris, where he had slipped from the grasp of US authorities in 1994. That time, Booker was arrested by French authorities but released on bail pending an extradition hearing; he fled to Senegal and eventually England, marshals said. ''He was a big player,'' said Timothy Bane, deputy chief US Marshal. ''We worked 13 years to catch this guy and the DEA really wanted him. Our work paid off.

Neighbor convicted in killing of girl -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
U.N. considers face-lift Anti-U.S. feelings rise in South Korea Muslims, Christians wrangle over 9/11 comments Schools urge parents to review child safety Hooters chief checks out airline to see if it can fly David Westerfield, a divorced self-employed engineer, shook slightly as he watched the jury return a verdict that means he will be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole. The penalty phase of the trial begins next week. "I am just in shock," said David Neal, a former brother-in-law of Westerfield. "He thought he was going to get off.

Salon.com News | Man convicted in girl's murder
Published in Salon.com - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
Danielle was last seen Feb. 1, when her father put her to bed. Her nude body was found nearly a month later along a road outside the city, too decomposed to determine the cause of death or whether Danielle had been sexually assaulted. Westerfield, who lived two houses away from Danielle, was placed under surveillance early in the investigation after authorities learned he was at the same bar as Danielle's mother and two of her girlfriends the night the girl vanished. He also left on a long, meandering trip in his motor home early the next day as police and volunteers searched the neighborhood.

CNN.com - Cowboys' Newton sentenced in drug case - August 20, 2002
Published in CNN - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
DALLAS, Texas (Court TV) -- Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on August 14 after pleading guilty to drug charges. Newton, 40, was apprehended with 175 pounds of marijuana in his truck last December. He pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute. Newton also was fined $25,000 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service, lecturing students about the importance of avoiding drugs. By pleading guilty, Newton avoided a possible 20-year sentence and a $1 million fine. He is scheduled to report to prison on October 8.

CNN.com - Survey: Teens say marijuana easy to get - August 20, 2002
Published in CNN - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Few teenagers say they've tried marijuana, but teens say it's easier to buy than cigarettes or beer, according to a national survey. More than one-third of teens polled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 percent in an hour or less. For the first time since the study began in 1996, marijuana edged out cigarettes and beer as the easiest drug for teenagers to buy -- 34 percent said it's the easiest of the three, compared with 31 percent for cigarettes and 14 percent for beer.

sunspot.net - anne arundel co.
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
Four arrested, suspected drugs seized by police Anne Arundel County police said they seized suspected marijuana worth more than $5,000 and arrested four people yesterday when they executed a search-and-seizure warrant on a residence in the 1600 block of Fairhill Drive in Edgewater. Residents Gerald Scott Debronkart, 39; William Bolyard, 32; and Richard Dale Hardesty, 23, were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, police said. Debronkart and Bolyard also were charged with possession with intent to distribute, police said.

Boston.com / Education
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
WASHINGTON - The percentage of students between ages 12 and 17 who perceive that their schools are ''drug free'' has nearly doubled in the last four years to 63 percent, even though students said for the first time that it is easier to get marijuana than cigarettes or beer, according a private national survey released yesterday. Like many drug surveys, the one by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University was filled with good and bad news.

Will Nevada Take Lid Off Pot?
Published in Wired - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
"Is it possible that glittering websites offering what may be very biased perspectives regarding marijuana are having an impact on the decriminalization/legalization movement? Sure," retorts Howard Simon, deputy director of public affairs for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "Is it certain that's the cause? No. There was a widespread decriminalization movement in the 1970s which led to several states reducing penalties associated with marijuana.... It would be hard to argue that had anything to do with the Internet.

USATODAY.com - U.S. seizures of narcotic shrub on the rise
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
U.S. seizures of narcotic shrub on the rise By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY Khat, a narcotic leaf that has long been popular in East Africa and on the Saudi Arabian peninsula, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the USA, largely because of an influx of immigrants from nations such as Somalia and Yemen, U.S. officials say. Two men buy khat, a stimulant popular in Yemen, on Friday, March 3, 2000, in the capital, Sana'a. AP In 2001, U.S. Customs officials seized an unprecedented 82,000 pounds, more than double the amount seized five years earlier. Khat seizures still don't compare with those of far more popular drugs such as marijuana.

YellowTimes.org Article
Published in YellowTimes.org - Indexed on Aug 23, 2002
(YellowTimes.org) – On July 30, 2002, ABC presented John Stoessel's special on the drug war. The next day, former drug official Joe Weiner blasted the report. The U.S. government never comes out with anything creative or visionary about their drug policy, it only reacts. The night before Stoessel's special, Asa Hutchinson, the DEA chief, was on the Donahue show. He was pretty stale in his reaction also. No one from the government admits to any thing wrong in its drug policy. General Barry McCaffrey was also on the Donahue show. He claimed that being the Drug Czar was the most fulfilling duty that he has spent as a public servant.

national
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 22, 2002
Thursday, August 22, 2002 Page A9 Sumner Burstein, a professor of molecular pharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass., said the drug, called ajulemic acid, could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. "We believe that ajulemic acid will replace Aspirin and similar drugs in most applications primarily because of a lack of toxic side effects," he said. "The indications so far are that it's safe and effective." Dr.

Mercury News | 08/22/2002 | Victim's pot use at issue in attack
Published in BayArea.com - Indexed on Aug 22, 2002
Posted on Thu, Aug. 22, 2002 Victim's pot use at issue in attack By Chuck Carroll Mercury News A lawyer for one of two young men charged with attempted murder in the trailer-hitch beating of John Barrymore III and his wife in their Mountain View home in May indicated Wednesday he intends to use Barrymore's marijuana use to raise questions about his memory and truthfulness.

cbc.ca
Published in CBC - Indexed on Aug 22, 2002
If Health Minister Anne McLennan feels "a certain degree of discomfort" over allowing pot to be smoked for medicinal purposes, maybe she should just take a couple of hits and loosen up. Seriously though, I'm certain the "discomfort" she feels is nothing compared to the excruciating pain that terminally ill people and those suffering from acute illnesses feel over not having access to the marijuana that has already been cultivated in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Is her "discomfort" really enough to cause her reluctance? Or are there are other reasons such as a powerful drug lobby or U.S. governmental pressure?

HoustonChronicle.com - Neighbor convicted in death of California girl
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
David Westerfield, a divorced self-employed engineer, was found guilty after a lurid trial in which the defense suggested that the swinging lifestyle of Danielle's parents put her at risk. Prosecutors, however, said drops of the victim's blood on the suspect's jacket was a DNA-backed "smoking gun" that jurors couldn't ignore. Westerfield, 50, faces a possible death sentence that will be determined in a separate penalty phase that will begin next week. He was also convicted of possessing child pornography by a jury that deliberated for nearly 10 days. Danielle was last seen Feb. 1, when her father put her to bed.

From The Globe and Mail — Canada's Most Trusted News Source
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
Ending months of silence and speculation that the federal government may be backing away from its controversial $5.7-million project to grow "medicinal-grade" marijuana, Ms. McLellan made her comments yesterday while speaking to doctors at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Saint John. The doctors have led a powerful lobby against prescribing pot as medicine, arguing it has not been tested for safety or efficacy. As well, sources say, Ms. McLellan has been swayed by concerns from U.S. officials that Canada would be making cannabis more available.

The Globe and Mail: Breaking News
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
Associated Press National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 per cent in an hour or less. For the first time since the study began in 1996, marijuana edged out cigarettes and beer as the easiest drug for teenagers to buy — 34 per cent said it is the easiest of the three, compared with 31 per cent for cigarettes and 14 per cent for beer. Overall, however, 75 per cent of students said they have not smoked marijuana. The annual survey of 1,000 teenagers was being released Tuesday.

Teens get pot easier than beer, smokes -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
August 21, 2002 Teens get pot easier than beer, smokes ASSOCIATED PRESS Teenagers say it's easier to buy marijuana than cigarettes or beer, according to a national survey. More than one-third of teens polled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 percent in an hour or less. For the first time since the study began in 1996, marijuana edged out cigarettes and beer as the easiest drug for teenagers to buy — 34 percent said it is the easiest of the three, compared with 31 percent for cigarettes and 14 percent for beer.

Drugs becoming a rarer sight in schools | csmonitor.com
Published in Christian Science Monitor - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
Once a happening drug marketplace with a captive audience ready to buy, the American high school is shedding its image as a place where drugs are done and drug deals get done. True, teen use of substances like Ecstasy and meth is still cause for concern, especially off school grounds and in the club scene. But in the hallways, bathrooms, and parking lots of high schools, drugs appear to be losing some of their foothold a welcome development for administrators and teachers who have toiled to turn the tide against student drug use.

Arab states struggle with drugs | csmonitor.com
Published in Christian Science Monitor - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
from the August 21, 2002 edition - www.csmonitor.com Arab states struggle with drugs For some Arab states, treatment is emerging as a popular method to battle a rising tide of drug abuse. By Philip Smucker | Special to The Christian Science Monitor WADI EL NATROUN, EGYPT - Mohamed Hassan hasn't forgotten the good life. He had a big salary from an international firm, Procter and Gamble, and was zipping around the deserts of Saudi Arabia in his new Porsche. He eventually left for his homeland of Egypt where, he says now, there were much better drugs.

Arab states struggle with drugs | csmonitor.com
Published in Christian Science Monitor - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
"I made a list and went down that list abusing people by getting them to give me money," he says. "I spent almost $300,000 on drugs before I collapsed financially, physically, socially and above all, spiritually." Mr. Hassan was tossed in jail in Egypt and chained to the stairs where every cop who passed him kicked and spat upon him. It was an awakening both to the lack of existing help for drug abusers and to his own depravity, he says now. "That is where I bottomed out," he says, adding that he spent the next six years in and out of rehabilitation.

ESPNMAG.com - Present Tense
Published in ESPN.com - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
Nobody at Oregon will come right out and say it. Nobody wants to be the one to tell Onterrio Smith it would have been him on the $250,000 Times Square billboard -- if he just could have guaranteed no more screwups before the end of the most important season of his life. Nobody at Oregon will tell the Ducks' best player, maybe the best tailback in college football, that they've run out of fingers to cross, that they absolutely, positively trust him -- sort of. Instead, Oregon played it safe and plastered All-Pac-10 wide receiver Keenan Howry on the prime Broadway real estate.

ABCNEWS.com : Teens Say Buying Dope Is Easy
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
DUI Suspect Faces Jail for Causing Miscarriage Embassy Raid Complicates White House Iraq Plans Crimeblotter: Cops Wonder How Slow A Suspect Can Go W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 20 — Few teenagers say they've tried marijuana, but teens say it's easier to buy than cigarettes or beer, according to a national survey. More than one-third of teens polled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 percent in an hour or less.

Boston.com / Latest News / Washington / Teens say marijuana easier to buy than beer, cigarettes
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
By Greg Toppo, Associated Press, 8/20/2002 16:30 WASHINGTON (AP) Teenagers say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or beer one in three say they can find it in a matter of hours but only 25 percent admit trying it, a national survey finds. When the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse polled 1,000 teens last winter, 27 percent said they could buy marijuana in an hour or less; another 8 percent said it would take a few hours. But for the first time since the study began in 1996, teenagers said it was easier to buy marijuana than cigarettes or beer.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Nevadans to vote on legalizing marijuana
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
"It begins a long-overdue serious debate on the legalization of marijuana," said Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "If it wins in Nevada, my guess is we can probably take it to other states and have them take a serious look at it as well." That is exactly what worries federal law enforcement, already in a fight with several states over the use of marijuana as medicine. "Let's not kid ourselves," White House drug czar John Walters told an anti-drug convention in Las Vegas last month.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Teens report marijuana most accessible, survey says
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 21, 2002
Teens report marijuana most accessible, survey says By GREG TOPPO, AP Education WriterPublished 7:07 a.m. PDT Tuesday, August 20, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - Teenagers say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or beer - one in three say they can find it in a matter of hours - but only 25 percent admit trying it, a national survey finds. When the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse polled 1,000 teens last winter, 27 percent said they could buy marijuana in an hour or less; another 8 percent said it would take a few hours.

The Globe and Mail: Breaking News
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 20, 2002
Associated Press National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 per cent in an hour or less. For the first time since the study began in 1996, marijuana edged out cigarettes and beer as the easiest drug for teenagers to buy — 34 per cent said it is the easiest of the three, compared with 31 per cent for cigarettes and 14 per cent for beer. Overall, however, 75 per cent of students said they have not smoked marijuana. The annual survey of 1,000 teenagers was being released Tuesday.

The Globe and Mail: Breaking News
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 20, 2002
Related Stories Ottawa shelves medicinal pot By ALLISON DUNFIELD Globe and Mail Update Canada's Health Minister rejected reports published Tuesday saying that she has shelved a federal plan to supply marijuana to people for medicinal purposes. "That couldn't be further from the truth," Anne McLellan told CTV Newsnet on Tuesday during a break in Liberal caucus meetings in Chicoutimi, Que. "And in fact, there has been no change in the government's policy." On Monday, during a speech to the Canadian Medical Association, Ms.

Front
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 20, 2002
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 Page A1 Ending months of silence and speculation that the federal government may be backing away from its controversial $5.7-million project to grow "medicinal-grade" marijuana, Ms. McLellan made her comments yesterday while speaking to doctors at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Saint John. The doctors have led a powerful lobby against prescribing pot as medicine, arguing it has not been tested for safety or efficacy. As well, sources say, Ms. McLellan has been swayed by concerns from U.S. officials that Canada would be making cannabis more available.

ABCNEWS.com : Marijuana Helps MS Patients Alleviate Pain, Spasms
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 20, 2002
— By Kathleen Doheny SAN DIEGO (Reuters Health) - Cannabis, or marijuana, is an effective drug that can help patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to reduce debilitating pain and muscle spasms, according to a London researcher who presented his findings Sunday at the 10th World Congress on Pain. "So many of our patients told us they use cannabis," said Dr. M. S. Chong, a neurologist at King's College Hospital, London, that he and his colleagues decided to study its effectiveness and how widespread the use of it is among MS patients.

At FBI, Polygraphs Could Stop Spies -- or Careers (washingtonpost.com)
Published in Washington Post - Indexed on Aug 19, 2002
It seemed like a routine polygraph screening. Mark Mallah and his colleagues, members of an FBI counterintelligence unit in New York, were hooked up to lie detector machines and quizzed about drug use, contacts with foreigners and other subjects deemed vital to their roles in protecting national security. The test turned out to be anything but ordinary for Mallah. The 10-year FBI agent said he was accused of being deceptive on the lie detector examination, prompting a suspension from his job and a full-scale investigation that included 24-hour surveillance and interrogations of family and friends.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Survey indicates marijuana eases MS symptoms
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 19, 2002
Survey indicates marijuana eases MS symptoms By PEGGY PECK, UPI Science NewsPublished 6:09 p.m. PDT Sunday, August 18, 2002 SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18 (UPI) - A survey of multiple sclerosis patients living in England found that 45 percent use marijuana either for relief of disabling leg spasms or to ease MS pain - and use increases as symptoms worsen. Neurologist Dr. M. Sam Chong of King's College Hospital, London, said the "use rate is actually higher than we expected, especially since 18 percent of the patients said they used cannabis in the last month.

National
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 19, 2002
Page A6 Both varieties pack a punch, sources say, with a level of THC, marijuana's key active ingredient, of 10 per cent and up. The strains have been cloned to produce plants in large quantities. To date, Health Canada has been unable to beg, buy or borrow marijuana seeds or plants from any legitimate source -- including the U.S. National Institute on Drug Addiction or the Netherlands. The federal department has instead had to rely on dope seized in drug busts across the country to support its medicinal pot plot in an abandoned Manitoba mineshaft.
ESPN.com: NCF - Prosecutors move to drop charges against CU player
Published in ESPN.com - Indexed on Aug 18, 2002
BOULDER, Colo. -- Prosecutors have exonerated University of Colorado wide receiver Ron Monteilh of supplying marijuana to high school recruits during a party that spawned charges against four football players. Prosecutor Pete Maguire filed a motion to dismiss two felony charges against Monteilh. "We believe he was misidentified,'' Maguire said Friday. District Judge Morris W. Sandstead hasn't ruled on the motion, filed Thursday. "It feels good, but at the same time there's only so much that can be done for my name,'' Monteilh said. Stephan Wall, Monteilh's lawyer, said he expected the move.

DallasNews.com | Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas Morning News - Indexed on Aug 18, 2002
Rapper still loves to play, hates to lose Accident changed D.O.C.'s voice -- and his perspective 08/18/2002 By ROB CLARK / The Dallas Morning News It's D.O.C.'s move. "I'm about to kick this guy's expletive real quick," he snarls. "Don't worry about me." Chess is serious business to this 34-year-old rap legend. The Dallas native is playing a lively match with business partner Vernon Norris in their office at South Side on Lamar, the building where he also lives. D.O.C. jokes around; he takes Ali-like jabs at Mr. Norris with each move. But Mr. Norris gets the upper hand. It's checkmate after only a half hour. D.O.C.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Vietnam sentences one to death, another to life on drug charges
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 18, 2002
Vietnam sentences one to death, another to life on drug charges Published 10:10 p.m. PDT Friday, August 16, 2002 HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A court in northern Vietnam has sentenced one man to death and another to life imprisonment for trafficking large amounts of marijuana to China, official media reported Saturday. Pham Van Que, 42, was sentenced to death and Pham Gia Khung, 35, received a life sentence in the one-day trial Thursday in the northern port city of Haiphong, 65 miles northeast of Hanoi, the Cong An Nhan Dan (People's Police) newspaper said.

Daybook -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 17, 2002
TODAY'S HEADLINERS Social workers assembly — all day — National Association of Social Workers holds its 2002 Delegate Assembly. Location: Hyatt Crystal Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington. Contact: 202/408-8600. Slavery-reparations panel discussion — noon — Heritage Foundation holds a panel discussion, "Are Black Americans Entitled to Slavery Reparations?" Location: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Lehrman Auditorium. Contact: 202/675-1752. PRESIDENT BUSH In Crawford, Texas. ECONOMIC REPORTS 8:30 a.m. — Bureau of the Census releases its New Residential Construction for July.

Tyson goes berserk & threatens to kill his bodyguard
Published in Women.com - Indexed on Aug 17, 2002
advertisement investigate reports that Tyson and his friends were smoking marijuana. "From the time that Mike checked in there was the strong smell of marijuana emanating from his suite," an insider disclosed. "Finally, hotel security notified the police, who came to investigate. But the hotel management refused to press charges and no action was taken." The situation went from bad to worse a few hours later when Tyson got into an argument with one of his bodyguards in front of the hotel. "Around 6:30 p.m.

sport.scmp.com - Latest sports news and stories brought to you by South China Morning Post online
Published in South China Morning Post - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
From Super Bowl to super mug - ex-Dallas Cowboys star Nate Newton will have plenty of time over the next few months to ponder where it all went wrong. The former guard, who helped the Cowboys win three NFL championships during the 1990s, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a botched scheme to transport marijuana. A Dallas district court heard how Newton, 40, and three other defendants were found with a whopping 175 pounds of marijuana after Texas highway police stopped their two vehicles during a journey between Garland and Houston.

smh.com.au - Dope-induced 'munchies' under the microscope
Published in The Sydney Morning Herald - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
SMH Home | Text-only index Dope-induced 'munchies' under the microscope Date: August 15 2002 French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo hopes scientific knowledge gained from marijuana will help the masses curb the "munchies". The company reasons that if smoking pot makes people hungry, a compound that blocks the hunger-inducing effects of marijuana - like its experimental drug Rimonabant - could make a great diet drug. Such a drug could contract waistlines while fattening Sanofi's sales. The National Institutes of Health estimates that a quarter of Americans are officially obese and more than half are overweight.

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Son of Miami Prosecutor Arrested
Published in Guardian Unlimited - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
2:50 am U.s. Proposes Lifting Asset Freezes 2:50 am Ted Turner Settles Gullah Dispute 2:40 am Sept. 11 Families Sue Sudan, Saudis 2:40 am Suit Aims To Keep Harris Off Ballot 2:30 am From the Associated Press Son Of Miami Prosecutor Arrested Friday August 16, 2002 1:40 AM MIAMI (AP) - The 18-year-old son of Miami-Dade County's top prosecutor was arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to carry marijuana onto a flight to Puerto Rico.

ESPN.com: NFL - Newton given 30-month prison sentence
Published in ESPN.com - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday on a federal drug trafficking charge. Newton, who pleaded guilty in April as part of a plea agreement, could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. During the sentencing, Newton took the stand and expressed remorse for his role in the crime. "I know I've done wrong and I know there's a price to be paid,'' said Newton, wearing a large black-and-gray checkered sport coat and black slacks. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the community.'' He refused to comment following the sentencing.

ESPN.com: NFL - Newton given 30-month prison sentence
Published in ESPN.com - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday on a federal drug trafficking charge. Newton, who pleaded guilty in April as part of a plea agreement, could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. During the sentencing, Newton took the stand and expressed remorse for his role in the crime. "I know I've done wrong and I know there's a price to be paid,'' said Newton, wearing a large black-and-gray checkered sport coat and black slacks. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the community.'' He refused to comment following the sentencing.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
Newton, who faces similar charges in Louisiana, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. The 40-year-old Newton has served more than eight months in a detention center in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville since his Dec. 12 arrest. He was released Wednesday but must report to prison Oct. 8. Authorities arrested Newton after they found $10,000 in his red pickup as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of an accompanying Monte Carlo driven by Charles Deaundra Howard.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 16, 2002
Newton, who faces similar charges in Louisiana, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. The 40-year-old Newton has served more than eight months in a detention center in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville since his Dec. 12 arrest. He was released Wednesday but must report to prison Oct. 8. "I know I've done wrong and I know there's a price to be paid," said Newton, wearing a large black-and-gray checkered sport coat and black slacks. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the community.

sunspot.net - sports
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Originally published August 15, 2002 Former Maryland quarterback Shaun Hill moved up to third on the Vikings' depth chart after the team cut backup Spergon Wynn. Wynn struggled in camp and fell on the depth chart behind Hill, a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection last season who signed with Minnesota as a rookie free agent on April 21. Hill completed four of eight passes for 60 yards in the Vikings' first preseason game against the Browns on Saturday. Wynn went 3-for-6 for 20 yards. "This will give Shaun a chance to develop in our system," coach Mike Tice said.

Report: O'Neal Plans To Have Toe Surgery (washingtonpost.com)
Published in Washington Post - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal reportedly could have surgery on his arthritic big toe in the next two weeks and might miss several games this season. Citing sources close to O'Neal, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that Robert Mohr, chief of podiatric surgery at the UCLA Medical Center, is expected to perform the procedure. Healing typically requires three months, the newspaper said, adding that O'Neal has been told he should be able to walk the day of the procedure, could be running in fewer than six weeks and playing by early or mid-November. . . .

Yugoslavia: Church Looking For Apology From UNMIK Police
Published in Radio Free Europe - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Email this article to a friend Yugoslavia: Church Looking For Apology From UNMIK Police By Don Hill The Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo has asked for an apology from United Nations police for an incident at a monastery earlier this month in Gracanica, near the Kosovar capital, Pristina. Police held the 70-year-old prioress for several hours of questioning about marijuana they said was growing on monastery grounds. RFE/RL reports that the plants turned out to be wild hemp.

sunspot.net - health
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
NEW YORK -- French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo hopes scientific knowledge gained from marijuana will help the masses curb the "munchies." The company reasons that if smoking pot makes people hungry, a compound that blocks the hunger-inducing effects of marijuana -- like its experimental drug Rimonabant -- could make a great diet drug. Such a drug could contract waistlines while fattening Sanofi's sales. The National Institutes of Health estimates that a quarter of the country is officially obese and more than half is overweight.

sunspot.net - news
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Originally published May 26, 2002 Dontee D. Stokes, the man charged with shooting a Catholic priest he had accused of sexual assault, tested positive for marijuana last week while under home confinement at his aunt's residence, law enforcement sources said yesterday. Public safety officials gave Stokes the routine drug test Monday, three days after a judge placed him under house arrest while awaiting trial for the shooting two weeks ago of the Rev. Maurice J. Blackwell. Marijuana can stay in the body for as long as 30 days, and it is unclear when Stokes had last used the drug, law enforcement officials said.

HoustonChronicle.com - Ex-Cowboy Newton gets 30 months on drug charge
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Ex-Cowboy Newton gets 30 months on drug charge Associated Press DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Nate Newton was sentenced today to 30 months in prison after being caught with 175 pounds of marijuana in December. Newton, who faces similar charges in Louisiana, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. The 40-year-old Newton has served more than eight months in a detention center in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville since his Dec. 12 arrest. He was released Wednesday but must report to prison Oct. 8.

HoustonChronicle.com - Ex-Cowboy Newton gets 30 months on drug charge
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
Associated Press DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Nate Newton was sentenced today to 30 months in prison after being caught with 175 pounds of marijuana in December. Newton, who faces similar charges in Louisiana, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. The 40-year-old Newton has served more than eight months in a detention center in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville since his Dec. 12 arrest. He was released Wednesday but must report to prison Oct. 8.

HoustonChronicle.com
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
HoustonChronicle.com -- www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Sports Aug. 14, 2002, 6:32PM Ex-Cowboy Newton gets 30 months on drug charge Associated Press DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Nate Newton was sentenced today to 30 months in prison after being caught with 175 pounds of marijuana in December. Newton, who faces similar charges in Louisiana, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine.

HoustonChronicle.com - Drugs get ex-Cowboy Nate Newton 30 months
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
DALLAS - Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton was sentenced to 30 months in prison today on a federal drug trafficking charge. Newton, who pleaded guilty in April as part of a plea agreement, could have faced up to 20 years and a $1 million fine. Newton, 40, has served more than eight months in a detention center in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville since his Dec. 12 arrest. He was released today on his own recognizance but must report to prison Oct. 8. Where he'll serve his sentence hasn't been determined. Newton also was sentenced to three years' parole.

IHT: In London, experiment in relaxing drug laws gets a mixed reaction
Published in International Herald Tribune - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
LONDON At the rundown Stockwell housing project here, the potheads were complaining about the smackheads. "Right down there, I saw a guy injecting a girl into her neck," said James Haind, 28, his indignation wrapped in a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke. Hanging out recently at the project's skateboard park with his friends, their skateboards and their stashes of weed, he offered himself as living proof that marijuana does not lead inevitably to harder drugs. "A sensible, stable person will not turn to heroin," declared Haind, an out-of-work sign painter who estimates that he has been getting high for half his life.

Brothels, blackjack, and ... bongs? Oh my. | csmonitor.com
Published in Christian Science Monitor - Indexed on Aug 15, 2002
It's no accident that the Silver State has become the national focus of this debate. The Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project scoured the political landscape last year for a test state and settled on Nevada because of its well-known libertarian bent, a small population that makes the campaign less expensive, and an electorate who already overwhelmingly approved the medical use of marijuana in two ballot questions. Indeed, there's a real possibility that Nevadans could approve the measure, despite federal drug laws that bar any possession whatsoever.

ABCNEWS.com : Nevada Could Get Into Pot Business
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
The initiative, which would have to be passed again by the state's voters in 2004, would not only legalize possession and private use of up to three ounces of marijuana for persons 21 and older, it would authorize the state to regulate the growth, distribution and sale of the drug, much the way it regulates tobacco and alcohol. The initiative, an amendment to the state constitution, could result in pot being sold in smoke shops, pharmacies or coffee shops, and the state would be authorized to put a tax on marijuana sales, as it does on alcohol and tobacco.

sunspot.net - carroll news
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
County, Mount Airy close to final pact on Town Hall Carroll County will give Mount Airy the deed to its Town Hall, provided the town accepts conditions. The town entered into a 20-year, $1-a-year lease for the three-story brick building in 1992 and has spent about $35,000 on improvements, most to the heating and air-conditioning systems. Town officials are reluctant to pay for more than $150,000 in much-needed renovations for a building Mount Airy does not own. The 70-year-old former bank building recently was appraised at $212,000. If Mount Airy decides to discontinue using the building, ownership would revert to the county.

Wired News
Published in Wired - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
NEW YORK (AP) - French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo hopes scientific knowledge gained from marijuana will help the masses curb the ``munchies.'' The company reasons that if smoking pot makes people hungry, a compound that blocks the hunger-inducing effects of marijuana - like its experimental drug Rimonabant - could make a great diet drug. Such a drug could contract waistlines while fattening Sanofi's sales. The National Institutes of Health estimates that a quarter of the country is officially obese and more than half is overweight.

Austin360.com: AP News Story
Published in Austin American Statesman - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
Cauchon: There's No Pressure to Tighten Drug Laws TORONTO (AP)--Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says he's felt no pressure to back off from possible decriminalization of marijuana despite criticism from the United States. Two committees from the House of Commons and the Senate are looking into the decriminalization of the drug. Recommendations are expected in the fall. I will just like to wait for the recommendations from the two committees and we'll see afterwards,'' Cauchon said Tuesday. I've heard nothing from the United States. I'm working within Canada, within my home government ...

Austin360.com: AP Business Story
Published in Austin American Statesman - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
NEW YORK (AP)--French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo hopes scientific knowledge gained from marijuana will help the masses curb the ``munchies.'' The company reasons that if smoking pot makes people hungry, a compound that blocks the hunger-inducing effects of marijuana _ like its experimental drug Rimonabant--could make a great diet drug. Such a drug could contract waistlines while fattening Sanofi's sales. The National Institutes of Health estimates that a quarter of the country is officially obese and more than half is overweight.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Legal glitch halts pot trial
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
The trouble-plagued marijuana trial of Bryan James Epis may have hit an insurmountable obstacle Thursday -- the defendant has never entered a plea. The charges on which Epis is being tried are contained in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Jan. 30, but there was no arraignment. On Thursday morning, the jury heard opposing attorneys' opening statements and the government began presenting its evidence. After the lunch break, however, defense lawyer J. Tony Serra brought the procedural glitch to the attention of U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Legal gaffe no barrier to pot trial
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
A Sacramento federal judge decided Monday that the marijuana-growing trial of Bryan James Epis will continue, even though he has not entered a plea. U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that the lack of an arraignment did not prejudice Epis because he and his attorneys knew of the grand jury indictment that replaced one with essentially the same charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. Defense lawyers and the prosecutor blamed each other for the procedural mix-up but, without fixing blame, Damrell denied a defense motion to dismiss. "If there ever was a good definition of harmless error, this is it," Damrell found.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Pot trial lawyer asks judge to throw out two charges
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
Pot trial lawyer asks judge to throw out two charges By Denny Walsh -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 a.m. PDT Thursday, July 4, 2002 The government wrapped up its case Wednesday in the marijuana-growing trial of Bryan James Epis, and his lawyer asked the judge to throw out half the charges due to "an utter lack of evidence." The 35-year-old Epis, who helped establish and supply a cannabis buyers' club in Chico, does not deny cultivating marijuana. But he insists he did not profit from the venture and sought only to help sick people with doctors' recommendations, in compliance with California's Compassionate Use Act.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Judge overrules pot jury
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
In an unprecedented action that stunned attorneys on both sides, a Sacramento federal judge tossed out a jury's guilty verdict in a marijuana-growing case and ordered a new trial. Despite the verdict and the government's evidence, "a serious miscarriage of justice may have occurred," U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. found Wednesday in a 21-page order. It is a ruling that has far broader implications than the fate of the two defendants. The judge's findings go to the heart of a practice by U.S. Forest Service investigators and federal prosecutors that targets marginal players in the marijuana trade, defense attorneys said.

CJR - Books - The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin, by Mark Singer
Published in Columbia Journalism Review - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
Books The Art of the Con reveiewed by Anthony Marro Marro has been a reporter for Newsday, Newsweek, The New York Times and The Rutland (Vermont) Herald. He is now the editor of Newsday. Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin, by Mark Singer, Alfred A. Knopf, 381 pp., $25. In the October 7, 1996, issue of The New Yorker, in a piece that could have run under the magazine's "Department of Further Amplification" heading, Mark Singer, a staff writer since 1974, confessed that he had allowed himself to be conned.

Headlines
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
Second child dies after weekend blaze A six-year-old girl who was severely injured in a North York apartment fire late Saturday night died yesterday afternoon in hospital. Dianna Nicole Laurin was being kept alive on life support after the blaze, which also killed her four-year-old sister, Roxanne Balram, and sent her older brother, Matthew Laurin, and her mother, Geeta Ramjattan, to hospital. The fire started in the eighth-floor apartment at 100 Lotherton Pathway shortly before midnight. The Ontario Fire Marshall's office is investigating and has not ruled on the cause of the blaze.

Headlines
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 14, 2002
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 Page A4 "We recognize that there are mounting pressures on the legal-aid system, which, left unchecked, could compromise the very integrity of Canada's justice system," Mr. Cauchon told the Canadian Bar Association's annual convention in London, Ont. "If the system is broken, we'll have to fix it altogether." He said he intends to provoke "an open and frank discussion with my colleagues in order to fix the problem once and for all. It is a priority this fall. To my mind, we have to come up with concrete solutions, let's say next year.

Business 2.0 - Magazine Article - Is iToke Just a Pipe Dream?
Published in Business 2.0 - Indexed on Aug 13, 2002
Is iToke Just a Pipe Dream? The marijuana e-tailer has yet to sell a single bag of pot. Its co-founder is undaunted. By Guy Middleton, November 2000 Issue Internet retailers often go up in smoke spending money to market themselves. But a small company called iToke has spent almost nothing to build a tremendous brand for itself. The only problem is, it hasn't generated any smoke whatsoever, and for a marijuana delivery company, this is a problem.

iToke.co.uk, which went live in March, is the brainchild of two Seattle natives, Mike Tucker and Tim Freccia.

CBSNews.com: Print This Story
Published in CBS News - Indexed on Aug 13, 2002
The jury of six men and six women deliberating charges against David Westerfield in the abduction and slaying of his neighbor, 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, is to resume its work on Tuesday. The panel began its work on Thursday and took the weekend off continuing Monday without coming to a resolution. Westerfield, 50, is accused of abducting Danielle the night of Feb. 1 after her father had put her to bed. The girl's nude and decomposing body was found on Feb. 27, dumped along a rural road east of San Diego. Investigators were unable to determine the cause of her death.

Scientists Develop Car Parts From Hemp, Grass
Published in National Geographic News - Indexed on Aug 13, 2002
Researchers in Australia and England are working on developing materials from plants like hemp and elephant grass to replace plastic and metal-based car components. Scientists say the materials are biodegradable and can increase fuel efficiency since they weigh about 30 percent less than currently used materials. "The lighter the car, the less fuel you need to propel it," explains Alan Crosky of the School of Material Science and Engineering in the University of New South Wales in Australia. Use, Then Bury Crosky and his partners have been developing tough material from hemp, the reedy, less controversial cousin of the marijuana plant.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Success may keep teens' courts open
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 13, 2002
By Cameron Jahn -- Bee Staff Writer - (Published August 12, 2002) One of the largest and most successful peer court programs in the state will run out of funding next year, but officials say its 95 percent success rate may help keep it in business. Since 1997, more than 300 underage offenders have passed through Sacramento Youth Peer Court, in which the prosecutors, defense attorneys, bailiffs, clerks and jury members are their high school-age peers. Decisions by the teen volunteers are legally binding. Participants must obey the sentences handed down in Judge James I.

The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Success may keep teens' courts open
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 13, 2002
By Cameron Jahn -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 a.m. PDT Monday, August 12, 2002 One of the largest and most successful peer court programs in the state will run out of funding next year, but officials say its 95 percent success rate may help keep it in business. Since 1997, more than 300 underage offenders have passed through Sacramento Youth Peer Court, in which the prosecutors, defense attorneys, bailiffs, clerks and jury members are their high school-age peers. Decisions by the teen volunteers are legally binding. Participants must obey the sentences handed down in Judge James I.

BBC NEWS | Health | US city prepares "joint" initiative
Published in BBC News - Indexed on Aug 12, 2002
"When he smokes the medical marijuana, it makes all the other medications work in his body," she says. "It takes away some of the depression and the mood swings he gets when he is in pain." Until a year ago, Dennis Peron had his own cannabis farm that supplied many of the pot clubs now shut down by the DEA. He was also the author of Proposition 215 and says that since the DEA got heavy-handed, the black market for the drug has skyrocketed and many people are being ripped off. "The black market says $4,000 for a pound of marijuana, but when I grew it, it cost me $200 for a pound," Mr Peron says.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 12, 2002
OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) A judge rejected two arguments by prosecutors trying to justify a search of the home of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire in which a large bag of marijuana was found. Judge John Lowe said Monday there was no legal justification for the search that turned up marijuana behind an attic access door in Stoudamire's home. Lowe also ruled there was no express or implied consent to search the home just because Stoudamire had installed an alarm system. A police officer, responding to a burglar alarm at Stoudamire's home in suburban Lake Oswego on Feb. 23, found the front door ajar.

Headlines
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 11, 2002
Saturday, August 10, 2002 Page D6 Vancouver journalist and marijuana fancier Brian Preston sets himself an enticing task: As a book project, he is to toke his way through 12 countries, sampling the local grass and hash. "A global gourmet-ganja holiday," is how he puts it. But that's not how it turns out, at least in the beginning. He wanders Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, looking for dope or -- afflicted by tourista -- the nearest latrine. For this reader, hard content about marijuana is thin, and most of the people he encounters are not very interesting.

NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 11, 2002
Thursday September 7, 2000; 11:35 PM EDT Dope-Smoking Al Gore Flunked Out of Grad School Vice President Al Gore flunked out of a leading Tennessee graduate school at a time when he was a heavy marijuana user, according to academic records and the account of a former friend whom the Gore campaign tried to suppress. "In 1971, Gore enrolled in Vanderbilt Divinity School where, according to Bill Turque, author of 'Inventing Al Gore,' he received F's in five of the eight classes he took over the course of three semesters. Not surprisingly, Gore did not receive a degree from the divinity school," reported the Boston Globe Thursday.

Around the Nation -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 11, 2002
Oil wells in disrepair on national reserve FAIRBANKS — The state says the federal government has not properly maintained abandoned oil wells in the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. More than 100 wells are scattered throughout the reserve. The wells were drilled on behalf of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Geological Survey between 1944 and 1981 in what was once known as the Naval Petroleum Reserve. Two of the wells have released crude oil and gas into the environment. State officials fear more leaks will occur if the wells are not repaired. ARKANSAS Clinton exhibit to open Nov.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
Clackamas County Circuit Judge John Lowe said in a written opinion that he could find "no precedent in this state for upholding such a search of a private residence." Lowe on Tuesday rejected the two strongest arguments prosecutors made for the search, ruling there was no legal justification without a warrant and that Stoudamire had not given consent for police to enter his suburban Lake Oswego home after two neighbors reported his front door was ajar and a burglar alarm was beeping inside an hour after Stoudamire left for a game. Police found the bag of marijuana behind an attic door while searching the house for intruders.

CBS.SportsLine.com -
Published in CBS SportsLine.com - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
Clackamas County Circuit Judge John Lowe ruled that marijuana found at Stoudamire's suburban Lake Oswego house after police were called to investigate a burglar alarm could not be used as evidence. A prosecutor said he would appeal the ruling. Police found a large bag of marijuana behind an attic door while searching the house for intruders after two neighbors reported Stoudamire's front door was ajar and the alarm was beeping inside an hour after Stoudamire left for a game Feb. 23. Lowe said he could find "no precedent in this state for upholding such a search of a private residence.

More Reefer Madness - 97.04
Published in The Atlantic Monthly - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
IGHT years ago Douglas Lamar Gray bought a pound of marijuana in a room at the Econo Lodge in Decatur, Alabama. He planned to keep a few ounces for himself and sell the rest to some friends. Gray was a Vietnam veteran with an artificial leg. As a young man, he'd been convicted of a number of petty crimes, none serious enough to warrant a prison sentence. He had stayed out of trouble for a good thirteen years. He now owned a business called Gray's Roofing and Remodeling Service. He had a home, a wife, and a two-year-old son.

The War on Crime by James Vorenberg - 72.05
Published in The Atlantic Monthly - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
Five years ago the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice--generally known as the Crime Commission- reported the results of its two-year examination of crime and made more than 200 specific recommendations to overhaul our system of criminal justice. The Commission, for which I served as executive director, had been appointed by President Johnson in 1965, partly in response to Senator Barry Goldwater's introduction of "crime in the streets" as an issue in the 1964 presidential election. But as we met in the White House to accept the President's thanks for our report, politics seemed remote.

Federal Offense - 94.06
Published in The Atlantic Monthly - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
The politics of crime control is, therefore, sometimes a simple matter of arithmetic. There are, of course, more crime victims than criminal defendants, particularly among the voting public, so there are likely to be more conservatives than liberals on the subject of crime--many more. Polling data indicate that nearly 80 percent of the American public supports the death penalty in the absence of an alternative such as life without parole, and this in turn suggests that nearly 80 percent of Americans fear being murdered more than they fear being convicted of murder.

Marijuana and the Law - 94.09
Published in The Atlantic Monthly - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
During the 1980s criminal penalties for marijuana offenses were made much tougher, at both the state and federal levels. More resources were devoted to their enforcement. And punishments more severe than those administered during the "reefer madness" of the 1930s became routine. As a result there may be more people in prison today for violating marijuana laws than at any other time in the nation's history. Mark Young is one of those prisoners. In May of 1991 Young was arrested at his Indianapolis home for brokering the sale of 700 pounds of marijuana grown on a farm in nearby Morgan County.

sunspot.net - orioles/baseball
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
CHICAGO - Apparently weary of accusations of widespread steroid abuse, major-league baseball players yesterday dropped their longstanding opposition to random testing for the performance-enhancing drugs. Donald Fehr, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, proposed that testing of major-leaguers could begin next year. The offer was made during ongoing talks to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expired last November. The union's offer stopped short of the extensive testing sought by owners, and negotiations will continue on testing and larger economic issues.

D.C. Marijuana Petitions Fall Short (washingtonpost.com)
Published in Washington Post - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
Subscribe to The Post The District's summer of disputed signatures spread to a new forum yesterday as a local medical marijuana advocacy group found itself butting heads with the same agency that voted last month to keep Mayor Anthony A. Williams off the Democratic primary ballot when his nominating petitions were found to be plagued with irregularities. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, though acknowledging the possibility that its staff members made mistakes in examining the signatures, told representatives from the Marijuana Policy Project that they had failed to gather enough valid signatures to put the issue before voters.

USATODAY.com - Van Dam jurors adjourn for the weekend with no verdict
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
Van Dam jurors adjourn for the weekend with no verdict SAN DIEGO (APOnline) Jurors went home without reaching a verdict Friday in the case of a man charged with killing his 7-year-old neighbor, Danielle van Dam, after prosecutors said the "smoking gun" was the victim's blood found on the suspect's jacket. David Westerfield, a 50-year-old self-employed engineer, is charged with kidnapping, murder and possession of child pornography. He could face the death penalty if convicted of killing the second-grader who lived two doors away. Danielle was last seen on Feb.

Chicago Tribune: Nevada blazes trail for legal marijuana
Published in Chicago Tribune - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
In November, Nevada voters will decide whether to become the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, for quantities of 3 ounces or less, for adults 21 and older. If the measure passes this fall and again in November 2004 as required for amendments to the state constitution, Nevada also would tax marijuana and establish a system for distributing the drug--possibly selling it in smoke shops, pharmacies or coffeehouses.

Chicago Tribune | Nevada blazes trail for legal marijuana
Published in Chicago Tribune - Indexed on Aug 10, 2002
The state, long a haven for prostitution, then legalized the sex trade in 13 of its 17 counties. And at a time when the rest of America considered gambling taboo and confined it mainly to illegal backroom parlors, Nevada enshrined it in gaudy casinos. In November, Nevada voters will decide whether to become the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, for quantities of 3 ounces or less, for adults 21 and older.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
Defendant David Westerfield, right, and defense attorney Laura Schaefer listen during rebuttal closing arguments in Westerfield's trial on Thursday morning, Aug. 8, 2002, in a courtroom in San Diego. AP Photo/Dan Trevan Van Dam jury finishes first day By BEN FOX, Associated PressPublished 11:05 a.m. PDT Thursday, August 8, 2002 SAN DIEGO (AP) - Jurors went home without reaching a verdict Thursday in the case of a man charged with killing his 7-year-old neighbor, Danielle van Dam, after prosecutors said the "smoking gun" was the victim's blood found on the suspect's jacket.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
Jury begins deliberating in San Diego kidnap-murder case Associated PressPublished 10:21 a.m. PDT Thursday, August 8, 2002 SAN DIEGO - The two-month trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam wrapped up Thursday, with a judge handing the case over to jurors. Following more than two days of closing arguments, the Superior Court jury began deliberating the charges against David Westerfield, the 50-year-old self-employed engineer who lived two doors away from the second-grader. Westerfield is charged with kidnapping, murder and possession of child pornography.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - In an effort to continue quelling drug use, a top commander has extended a six-month order that bans base personnel from attending rave parties. Col. Robert M. Worley II, 30th Space Wing commander, extended the order that expired last month to continue through July 31, 2003, when there will be another review. "While this type of order is unprecedented, it is important to remember that it is just one more tool we are using to aggressively fight drug abuse and to send the clear message that drug use is not tolerated and is not consistent with military service," Worley said.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
This story is taken from 24-Hour News: National News at sacbee.com. Van Dam jury finishes first day By BEN FOX, Associated Press - (Published August 8, 2002) SAN DIEGO (AP) - Jurors went home without reaching a verdict Thursday in the case of a man charged with killing his 7-year-old neighbor, Danielle van Dam, after prosecutors said the "smoking gun" was the victim's blood found on the suspect's jacket. David Westerfield, a 50-year-old self-employed engineer, is charged with kidnapping, murder and possession of child pornography. He could face the death penalty if convicted of killing the second-grader who lived two doors away.

The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, weather, Report on B
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
Friday, August 9, 2002 Page A7 The action came a week after undercover police officers with Labrador retrievers netted seven kilograms of marijuana on the ferry run between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. In an effort to thwart the next police search on ferries, several party members used a special solution that left THC oil residue on the car decks located below the passenger levels, Mr. Emery said. As well, volunteers sprinkled marijuana-laced cayenne pepper around. "The heartbreaking part was grinding up an ounce of pot and mixing it with cayenne pepper and realizing that it will never get smoked.

STRATFOR.com : Mexico: Bloody Battle for Baja Drug Trade Ahead
Published in Strategic Forecasting - Indexed on Aug 9, 2002
Three unidentified people were found dead, their bodies bound with electrical tape, in different parts of Tijuana on March 20. Though the deaths have not been directly connected, they bear the markings of drug-related killings and could be a sign of an expanding battle for control of the lucrative Baja California drug franchise. The recent arrest of Tijuana drug cartel ringleader Benjamin Arellano Felix and the death of his brother, enforcer Ramon Arellano Felix, have opened the door for Mexico's largest drug trade organizations to move into the lucrative Tijuana-San Diego drug transit corridor.

FOXNews.com
Published in Fox News - Indexed on Aug 8, 2002
"I think there's a beginning of a sea change in attitudes on the progressive side," said Kristina Wilfore, executive director of the liberal-backed Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. This year’s ballots are likely to carry twice as many liberal as conservative ideas, including allowing marijuana for medical uses in South Dakota and Arizona, money for after-school programs in California -- an initiative sponsored by actor and traditionally GOP supporter Arnold Schwarzenegger -- and an increase in Oregon's minimum wage.

Albania: Drug Trafficking Changing Routs
Published in Radio Free Europe - Indexed on Aug 8, 2002
Email this article to a friend Albania: Drug Trafficking Changing Routs By Alban Bala Albanian police have detected a new drug-trafficking route linking Albania to Kosovo. Recent drug seizures and arrests along the new Kosovo channel have revealed suspected ties between criminal rings and the Albanian government, and have the international community urging Tirana to distance itself from all corrupt dealings.

Tirana, 28 February 2002 (RFE/RL) -- This week, Albanian police in the port city of Vlore seized 350 kilograms of soft drugs ("soft" implies marijuana, hashish or any mild hallucinogens like ecstasy) bound for Italy.

fe.DARE.text
Published in Reason - Indexed on Aug 8, 2002
DRUG PREVENTION PLACEBO How DARE wastes time, money, and police By Jeff Elliott The October 1994 government flyer seemed like sweet vindication to the thousands of parents, police, and teachers who supported the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, better known by the acronym DARE. "The D.A.R.E. Program: A Review of Prevalence, User Satisfaction, and Effectiveness," the headline on the single page boasted, describing a new study of the drug-education program. More happy news followed. "Not only is DARE widespread and popular, but demand for it is high," read the flyer. DARE's "...

Kathleen Parker
Published in Jewish World Review - Indexed on Aug 6, 2002
I hadn't dreamt of Jeannie in a long time, but there she was on "Larry King Live" a few nights ago, discussing her 35-year-old son's death from a heroin overdose. Barbara Eden of the enviable flat tummy has gone from grantor of grown men's wishes to poster girl for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. First the qualifiers and disclaimers: Eden is a lovely woman whose heart is in the right place. She has suffered a tragic loss and wants to help others. She noted repeatedly on King's show that she's no expert and was offering only her own point of view. Which was wrong in at least one important way.

Two tapes showing alleged police brutality may tell very different tales.
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 6, 2002
But do the videotapes tell the same story or two different stories? The Inglewood amateur tape shows police officer Jeremy Morse, a three-year veteran of the force, hoisting and slamming a handcuffed 16-year-old, Donovan Jackson, onto the trunk of a police car and then punching him in the face before the other officers with him intervened. The Oklahoma tape shows two officers kicking and striking an unarmed man with their tactical batons during an arrest. The officers, Greg Driskill and E.J.

CNNSI.com - SI Online - Don Banks - Inside the NFL - SI's Don Banks: Training Camp Notebook - Monday August 05, 2002 01:17 AM
Published in CNN Sports Illustrated - Indexed on Aug 6, 2002
Observations and musings from a just-completed first swing around NFL camps and the opening weekend of the league's preseason... I thought so on the first day of Washington's training camp in Carlisle, Pa., and I think so even more now: Danny Wuerffel is going to win the Redskins' starting quarterback competition. Count on it. After Washington's 38-7 American Bowl rout of San Francisco in Osaka, Japan, be prepared for the Redskins bandwagon to start filling fast. Let's all remember: It was just a preseason game. Washington didn't look all that impressive when the 49ers first-team defense was in the game.

U.S. News: Tests on trial: Jobs and reputations ride on unproven drug screens (8/12/02)
Published in U.S. News & World Report - Indexed on Aug 6, 2002
NEWS YOU CAN USE Robitussin and diet pills can give a false reading for amphetamines. Ibuprofen and various antibiotics can appear to be marijuana. Kidney infection and diabetes can cause you to test positive for cocaine. Migraine medications and anti-depressants can look like LSD More tips for test takers Dunson can be forgiven for believing drug test results were the gospel truth. The tests are often heralded as infallible, and many private and government employers, along with school principals and judges, put their faith in them. Half of major U.S.

In the war on drugs, honesty is the best policy
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Aug 6, 2002
IHADN'T DREAMT of Jeannie in a long time, but there she was on Larry King Live a few nights ago, discussing her 35-year-old son's death from a heroin overdose. Barbara Eden of the enviable flat tummy has gone from grantor of grown men's wishes to poster girl for the Drug Enforcement Administration. First the qualifiers and disclaimers: Ms. Eden is a lovely woman whose heart is in the right place. She has suffered a tragic loss and wants to help others. She noted repeatedly on Mr. King's show that she's no expert and was offering only her own point of view. Which was wrong in at least one important way.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
R.E. Graswich: Scoop on school: Catholic order reportedly seeks capital university By R.E. Graswich -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 a.m. PDT Monday, August 5, 2002 School in session: A conservative Catholic order, Legion of Christ, is stepping up its campaign to build a university in Sacramento. Plans are still preliminary, but the Legionaries have been busy, meeting with community leaders and deep-pocketed folks who might lend a hand. "They could have something specific to say by the end of summer.

Ask the Expert
Published in Mental Health InfoSource - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
Q. I am 25 years old and was diagnosed 3 years ago with bipolar disorder. I take medications: Neurontin 100 mg and Seroquel 100 mg every day at bedtime. I still recreationally use marijuana and drink alcohol. I have spoken to my psychiatrist about this matter but he just says not to use such drugs. I was hoping that you would be able to explain to me exactly what are the effects of such usage on the body and brain regarding my diagnosis and medications? A.

Reason
Published in Reason - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
March 2002 One Toke over the Line The feds vs. medical pot By Sara Rimensnyder Last May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the feds could shut down six California co-ops that were distributing medical marijuana in accordance with state law. Back in 1996, Golden State voters had overwhelmingly passed Proposition 215, allowing patients with a doctor’s recommendation to use pot for serious medical conditions such as chronic pain and severe nausea. In effect, the nation’s highest court decided that state laws legalizing cannabis for medical use weren’t worth a dime bag.

Reason
Published in Reason - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
April 2002 Pot Stops British drug reform By Jacob Sullum According to FBI figures released last fall, American police arrested more than 734,000 people for marijuana violations in 2000 -- a new record. About nine out of 10 arrests were for possession, and the other category, sale/manufacture, included cultivation for personal use. In the United States, then, it’s clearly not true that no one gets arrested for smoking pot anymore. But it looks like that will soon be the case in Britain, home of Europe’s harshest drug laws.

Reason
Published in Reason - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
May 2002 Free Will Helping drug war victims By Jacob Sullum "A lot of people tell me I give them hope," says Will Foster, "because I did have 93 years in prison, and now I’m free." Arrested in 1995 for growing marijuana in the basement of his Tulsa home, Foster received a sentence so onerous that it attracted international attention. (See "Pot of Trouble," May 1997.) Now he spends much of his time trying to help people in similar situations. Foster was sentenced to 93 years even though there was no evidence he sold marijuana, which he used to treat the symptoms of his rheumatoid arthritis.

NewsMax.com: Late Night Liners
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
Today the bull on Wall Street tested positive for mad cow disease! Things are getting so bad that today I saw Warren Buffet driving a Kia. The economy is headed south, people are out of work, and we're at war &#0150 today George Bush Senior woke up still thinking he was president. It was 125 degrees today in Death Valley. It was so hot that officials there are afraid it will take away from tourism – as opposed to calling it Death Valley! At what point do you change your mind about going to Death Valley? I mean it could be 150, it's still Death Valley! As a matter of fact, they say it's been so hot that cactuses are actually wilting.

NewsMax.com: Late Night Liners
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
(Applause at the opening of the show) Wow! You all must have heard that the stock market went up today! I called my brokerage house today – and now it's a bagel shop. That's not a good sign. Things are so bad that today on Hollywood Boulevard I saw a pimp driving a Razor scooter. And Alan Greenspan, bless his heart, held a press conference yesterday. He said that the economy is picking up momentum – you see, that's what happens when it goes downhill. It just keeps rolling and rolling. You realize the healthiest company right now – Kmart!

NewsMax.com: Late Night Liners
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
According to the New York Times, the marijuana used today is 10 to 20 times more potent than what was used in the '60s. My question is what Times reporter did this phony story? Yeah, chief, I'll be out for a while, we really need to research this. Today the American Lung Association announced that L.A. has the worst air pollution in the country. I guess that's the reason why the Portland Trailblazers choked the other night. The air is so bad here that Mexico is now complaining about second-hand smoke. A man in Idaho is facing five years in jail for running his truck into a hair salon after getting upset over a haircut he received there.

NewsMax.com: Late Night Liners
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
The latest from Afghanistan is that the armed forces believe that al-Qaeda may have been tipped off about Operation Anaconda. That or they heard about it on CNN! Down in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, we are sending the Taliban prisoners reading glasses and hot tea. Reading glasses and hot tea? Who are we holding there, Angela Lansbury? Special Prosecutor Robert Ray released his independent report and &#0150 I'm not making this up &#0150 he concluded in his report that Bill Clinton lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Around the Nation -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
Police test out sidewalk scooters ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department is undecided about buying new high-tech sidewalk scooters after a test run. Six of the battery-powered, two-wheel Segway Human Transporters, which can top out at 15 mph, were lent to the department to patrol downtown during the spring and summer. They will be returned to the company this month. Chief Richard Pennington, who will decide whether to make a purchase, has not had a chance to evaluate the vehicles' performance, police spokesman John Quigley said. Atlanta is the first city to give the high-tech scooters a broad tryout, according to Segway officials.

Rex Murphy's Point of View - Drugs and Olympics
Published in CBC - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
home shop · help · contact · search Drugs and Olympics Feb 17, 1998 REX MURPHY: I'm assuming that most of the passion has drained out of the snowboarding and marijuana collision at the Winter Olympics. Given the nature of marijuana, I'm a bit surprised as many people got as uptight as they did. I mean if the pot lobby can't keep their cool, then what is the point of recreational hemp? Personally, I'm in favour of pot in all areas of sports. Not, I will add, for the sake of the drug, but I'm in favour of anything that chips away at the relentless and Siamese association of beer and the sporting life.

Scientific American: Healing Haze?
Published in Scientific American - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
MEDICAL MARIJUANA poses dilemmas for politicians, but scientists see tremendous therapuetic promise in the drug's derivatives and synthetic forms. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision against California’s cannabis clubs has revived arguments over the legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. But no matter what the politics, researchers are continuing to develop synthetics of the drug that can be taken as a pill or absorbed through a patch. For the past 15 years Marinol—a synthetic pill made by Unimed Pharmaceuticals—has been the only available (and legal) alternative to marijuana.

NewsMax.com: Late Night Liners
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
Fifteen more prisoners from Afghanistan have been taken by cargo plane to Cuba. You know, the immigrants in this country are seeing this and laughing – they can fit 15 of themselves in a Geo Metro hatchback! Great Britain is defending the United States in our treatment of the prisoners. Today they said, "Hey, the prisoners have toothbrushes – we don't even have those!" The Packers got beat over the weekend. Did you see Brett Favre, he got upset, so upset that he threw his helmet – and it was interecepted by the Rams. There is a scam going around.

The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, weather, Report on B
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 5, 2002
He doesn't look stoned, or even sick. Dressed in a crisp blue suit and talking a mile a minute, he could pass for an over-caffeinated stockbroker. If anything, the trim, 56-year-old Californian looks the picture of health. He says that's because he has been smoking pot every day for more than 20 years. Shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer, an old college friend, Richard Marin (also known as Cheech of the pot-smoking Cheech and Chong comedy duo) suggested he try marijuana to ease his discomfort. It worked. Mr. Kubby says cannabis prevents his blood pressure from skyrocketing and keeps his tumours from spreading.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 4, 2002
In the end, Bill Simon is left scrambling to answer questions about fraud committed by his family's investment firm against a convicted drug smuggler in a fiasco of epic proportions. Though the Republican gubernatorial candidate was not personally charged with wrongdoing, he was a leader in the family firm that was slapped by jurors with more than $78 million in damages last week. The guilty verdicts against William E. Simon & Sons in white-collar crimes against former business partner Paul Edward Hindelang marked a sour end to a relationship that began with dreams of striking it rich in a rapidly changing field.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 4, 2002
A hoped-for bonanza is now a major headache. By Jim Sanders -- Bee Capitol Bureau - (Published August 4, 2002) In the end, Bill Simon is left scrambling to answer questions about fraud committed by his family's investment firm against a convicted drug smuggler in a fiasco of epic proportions. Though the Republican gubernatorial candidate was not personally charged with wrongdoing, he was a leader in the family firm that was slapped by jurors with more than $78 million in damages last week. The guilty verdicts against William E.

Williams stages basketball camp CLINTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. Former NBA star Jayson Williams, who is charged in the Feb. 14 shooting death of a limousine driver, led a basket
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 4, 2002
Williams stages basketball camp CLINTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. Former NBA star Jayson Williams, who is charged in the Feb. 14 shooting death of a limousine driver, led a basketball camp for 160 kids this week. Both the principal and superintendent said they had no problem with Williams using North Hunterdon/Voorhees Regional High School. Williams, 34, is accused of recklessly handling a 12-gauge shotgun when it fired, killing Costas Christofi, 55. Authorities say the former New Jersey Nets player tampered with evidence and witnesses to make the shooting look self-inflicted.

Scientific American: Healing Haze?
Published in Scientific American - Indexed on Aug 4, 2002
next ' MEDICAL MARIJUANA poses dilemmas for politicians, but scientists see tremendous therapuetic promise in the drug's derivatives and synthetic forms. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision against California’s cannabis clubs has revived arguments over the legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. But no matter what the politics, researchers are continuing to develop synthetics of the drug that can be taken as a pill or absorbed through a patch. For the past 15 years Marinol—a synthetic pill made by Unimed Pharmaceuticals—has been the only available (and legal) alternative to marijuana.

Scientific American: Cannabis-like Brain Chemical Blocks Out Bad Memories
Published in Scientific American - Indexed on Aug 4, 2002
Some memories, particularly those evoking fear or pain, are best forgotten. But just how the brain squelches unpleasant recollections is unclear. Now findings published today in the journal Nature suggest that natural chemicals similar to the active ingredient in marijuana help mice wipe out traumatic memories. Giovanni Marsicano and Carsten T. Wotjak of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany and their colleagues trained mice to associate a tone with receiving a shock. Once the actual shock was removed, normal mice eventually forgot their previous experience and came to realize that they need not be afraid of the sound anymore.

A small Canadian company is using the 1994 NAFTA treaty to sue the U.S. government, claiming restrictions on hemp-containing foods have devastated their business.
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 3, 2002
A small Canadian company is using the 1994 NAFTA treaty to sue the U.S. government, claiming restrictions on hemp-containing foods have devastated their business. "Under international law they actually have the obligation to compensate the people whose business they're taking," said Todd Weiler, the lawyer representing Kenex, the company bringing the suit. In 1999, U.S. Customs agents impounded a shipment of Kenex hemp birdseed and issued recalls on other shipments by the company.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 3, 2002
News in brief from California's North Coast By The Associated PressPublished 2:35 p.m. PDT Friday, August 2, 2002 SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Sonoma County's local health insurance provider will shut down Oct. 31, leaving about 78,000 people without health insurance. Health Plan of the Redwoods opted Thursday to close, saying it was losing $2 million a month. All of the company's 220 employees will lose their jobs, but the plan to liquidate must be approved by a bankruptcy judge. Health insurance experts say the health plan's closing means insurance premiums and co-payments will likely rise by 20 percent to 30 percent.

Contra Costa Times | 08/02/2002 | GOP knew nothing of Simon suit
Published in BayArea.com - Indexed on Aug 3, 2002
As a $78 million fraud verdict against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon's investment firm reverberated through California politics Thursday, Simon faced renewed questions about the legitimacy of a candidacy built on business acumen and character. Gov. Gray Davis' campaign debuted a blitz of television ads attacking Simon's business record and vowed to keep them on the air for months. Many political analysts looked at the damage and concluded that the Simon campaign may not recover.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 3, 2002
Court rules student's artwork not a threat to police Published 9:35 a.m. PDT Thursday, August 1, 2002 CHICO, Calif. (AP) - A Pleasant Valley High School student's art class painting that showed him shooting a police officer who had cited him for possessing marijuana did not constitute a criminal threat, a state appeals court has ruled. The youth, identified in court papers only as Ryan D., never showed his painting to Chico Police Sgt. Lori MacPhail, the state Court of Appeals in Sacramento said Tuesday. The court said that paintings are ambiguous as a statement of intent and that the artwork didn't amount to a threat.

The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, weather, Report on B
Published in The Globe and Mail - Indexed on Aug 3, 2002
Friday, August 2, 2002 Page A5 Twice, a drug-sniffing Labrador retriever sat down next to a car after scenting marijuana from the trunk, Staff Sergeant Douglas Bruce of West Vancouver police said yesterday. "When the dogs smell the odour of a controlled substance, they simply sit down," Staff Sgt. Bruce said. "We went on the ferry with the intent of not alarming anybody to our being there. "It was a very covert operation," he said. Staff Sgt. Bruce hailed this week's Operation High Seas as a success, but John Dixon, president of the B.C.

Pravda.RU:
Published in Pravda - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
The mystique of opium was also grasped by the mid-19th century French symbolist and poet Charles Baudelaire. He continued the aristo-nihilistic-revolutionary-conservative tradi-tion of dope indulgence via the water pipe, i.e., the Pakistan huka. Similar to the lonely albatross, Baudelaire observes the decaying France in which the steamroller of coming liberalism and democratism mercilessly crushes all esthetics and all poetics. When studying the escapism of postmodernity, it is impos-sible to circumvent the leftist subculture and its pseudo-intel-lectual sycophants of 1968.

Pravda.RU The Right Stuff (Drugs and Democracy)
Published in Pravda - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
17:53 2002-08-01 THE RIGHT STUFF (DRUGS AND DEMOCRACY) Morphine is said to be good for people subject to severe depressions, or even pessimism. Although the drug first surfaced in a laboratory at the end of the last century, its basis, opium, had been used earlier by many aristocratic and reac-tionary thinkers. A young and secretive German romantic, No-valis, enjoyed eating and smoking opium juice, probably be-cause he had always yearned to alleviate his nostalgia for death. Probably in order to write his poem Sehnsucht nach dem Tode. Early poets of Romanticism rejected the philosophy of rational-ism and historical optimism.

Innocent plea for Arizona's Wade TUCSON, Ariz. Arizona wide receiver Bobby Wade pleaded innocent to three misdemeanor charges stemming from a fight outside a Scottsdale
Published in USA TODAY - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
Innocent plea for Arizona's Wade TUCSON, Ariz. Arizona wide receiver Bobby Wade pleaded innocent to three misdemeanor charges stemming from a fight outside a Scottsdale nightclub. Wade's court appearance Wednesday negated an arrest warrant issued after the 21-year-old Phoenix native failed to show up for a court date July 25. Scottsdale police used pepper spray to subdue Wade during the June 23 incident and officers said they later found a loaded handgun in his vehicle. Wade has led Arizona in receiving the past two seasons. Last year, he caught 62 passes for 882 yards and eight touchdowns all career highs.

Scientific American: Cannabis-like Brain Chemical Blocks Out Bad Memories
Published in Scientific American - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
Some memories, particularly those evoking fear or pain, are best forgotten. But just how the brain squelches unpleasant recollections is unclear. Now findings published today in the journal Nature suggest that natural chemicals similar to the active ingredient in marijuana help mice wipe out traumatic memories. Giovanni Marsicano and Carsten T. Wotjak of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany and their colleagues trained mice to associate a tone with receiving a shock. Once the actual shock was removed, normal mice eventually forgot their previous experience and came to realize that they need not be afraid of the sound anymore.

NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
Thurday, August 1, 2002 Simon Company Hit by Jury Fraud Award The already bitter California gubernatorial race got even nastier yesterday when it was revealed that a company owned by GOP candidate Bill Simon was found liable for fraud and socked with a whopping $87 million in damages by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury. A lawsuit filed in December of 2000, and brought against William E. Simon & Sons and a partner, B-R Investors by convicted drug lord Paul Edward Hindelang charged that after buying the plaintiff's company, Pacific Coin, the defendants acted in a reckless manner which resulted in the company's failure.

NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story
Published in NewsMax - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff For the story behind the story... Thurday, August 1, 2002 Simon Company Hit by Jury Fraud Award The already bitter California gubernatorial race got even nastier yesterday when it was revealed that a company owned by GOP candidate Bill Simon was found liable for fraud and socked with a whopping $87 million in damages by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury. A lawsuit filed in December of 2000, and brought against William E.

Voters in one of the nation's most progressive cities will confront a unique ballot question in November. Should the city of San Francisco grow marijuana?
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 2, 2002
Voters in one of the nation's most progressive cities will confront a unique ballot question in November. Should the city of San Francisco grow marijuana? The ballot measure is not the brain child of fringe radicals. It comes directly from the city's Board of Supervisors. The San Francisco initiative is the latest skirmish in a growing fight between the federal government, which opposes allowing for medical uses of marijuana, and some states and cities, which want to carve out new ways of dealing with marijuana.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 1, 2002
ATASCADERO, Calif. (AP) - With the ink barely dry on the city's General Plan amendments, environmental groups filed a lawsuit against Atascadero to block them. The Environmental Defense Center announced Wednesday that the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo challenges General Plan amendments that control land use and other aspects of urban life, such as traffic planning. The amendments allow as many as 7,000 new residents over in the next two decades. The city currently has 26,411 residents.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Aug 1, 2002
News in brief from the San Joaquin Valley By The Associated PressPublished 12:40 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 31, 2002 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - Kern County officials are grappling with a federal proposal that would protect thousands of acres of forest land and riverfront property southeast of Lake Isabella. Environmentalists say the plan would give wilderness status to 48,000 acres of forest land and protect it from logging, off-road vehicles and bicyclists. Nearly 29 miles of the lower Kern River would also be declared "wild and scenic" and earn more protection under the proposal.

OpinionJournal - Featured Article Responses
Published in Opinion Journal - Indexed on Aug 1, 2002
Don't Go Halfway Mike Goman - Littleton, Colo. I agree with the chief. Confiscatory taxes on harmful activities are sanctioned to cut the government in on the misdeeds of others. Smoking is no longer a victimless activity--the manifestations of tobacco abuse are borne by all taxpayers. Make cigarettes illegal and stop killing our citizens. Forget these misguided half steps. No One Can Claim They Didn't Know the Dangers John Anderson - Providence, R.I.

Marijuana advocates' low-key progress resisting the war on drugs has suddenly gone national.
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Aug 1, 2002
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law NORML, the people behind the effort to legalize marijuana have traded in their tie-dye, Birkenstocks and braids for neckties, wingtips and a haircut. (Most of them, anyway.) And they currently are in the midst of a mellow campaign to get their issue on the nation's radar screen — in part by taking it off the nation's radar screen. Image Is Everything Keith Stroup, NORML's executive director, is spearheading a local-level campaign that some skeptics believe is a cover for his organization's ultimate goal of legalization.

New Scientist
Published in New Scientist - Indexed on Aug 1, 2002
The body's own versions of the active ingredient of cannabis could help extinguish unwanted memories, work in mice suggests. Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years, and people with certain psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia are more likely to smoke pot than healthy people. The active chemical in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, binds to the brain's cannabinoid receptors, which are known to be linked to pain sensations, emotion and movement. And in the past decade, researchers have identified chemicals made within the brain that are similar to THC.

Can America win its everlasting "War on Drugs"? Despite tough police practices, drugs remain a fixture in America. Other countries are experimenting with legalizing some
Published in ABC News.com - Indexed on Jul 31, 2002
The number may be higher, because how many people honestly answer the question, "Have you used an illicit drug in the past month?" What should America do about this? So far, our approach has been to go to war a war that police departments fight every day. A war that U.S. politicians tackle in a different way than their European counterparts. And a war that is not going away. Asa Hutchinson, President Bush's choice to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, travels the world telling Americans that we're winning the drug war. "Overall drug use in the United States has been reduced by 50 percent over the last 20 years," he says.

Financial Review - No constructive dismissal of customs officer on drug charges
Published in Australian Financial Review - Indexed on Jul 31, 2002
The customs officer (the applicant) was employed in the Passenger Processing Section at Sydney International Airport. He had worked with the Australian Customs Services (the employer) for 14 years. He was charged with three offences relating to the cultivation, possession and supply of marijuana. He admitted his involvement in the domestic cultivation and use of marijuana. According to public service procedure, the applicant was interviewed to consider his suspension from active duty. A delegated officer conducted the interview (the Regional Director), accompanied by the Human Resources Manager.

Deroy Murdock on War on Drugs, A War On Ourselves on National Review Online
Published in National Review Online - Indexed on Jul 31, 2002
Airing tonight at 10:00 P.M. Eastern, 9:00 P.M. Central time, War on Drugs, A War On Ourselves spends an hour asking if government efforts to stamp out drug use are even worse than the drugs themselves. Stossel largely avoids the libertarian argument (which I embrace) that adults should have the cognitive liberty to alter their minds in whatever way they choose, so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others or endanger them by, say, driving while stoned. In fact, Stossel repeatedly says, "There's no question that drugs hurt people.

Boston Globe Online / West Weekly / Police say children led astray
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Jul 30, 2002
olice say a 33-year-old Marlborough resident gave marijuana and showed pornography to several neighborhood children, 11 to 13 years old, during numerous visits they made to his apartment over the past two months, according to court records. Daniel P. Barry, of 6-C Witherbee Terrace, pleaded not guilty July 17 in Marlborough District Court to three counts of distributing obscene material to a child, and charges of drug possession with intent to distribute, and contributing to the delinquency of a child. He was released on personal recognizance.

Tempestuous Spencer's other side; Driver is committed to anti-drug campaign
Published in Baltimore Sun - Indexed on Jul 28, 2002
Race car driver Jimmy Spencer is best known for his nickname, "Mr. Excitement," and his motto, "Jimmy Spencer never forgets." It means other drivers will pay for actions that negatively affect him on the racetrack. He is not exactly the first guy you would pick out of a crowd to speak about parenting and what it takes to be successful at raising children. But he's doing just that during this Winston Cup season, which continues tomorrow in Long Pond, Pa., with the Pennsylvania 500. Yesterday, he qualified 35th and Bill Elliott won the pole.

Boston Globe Online / Nation | World / Backers again seek medicinal marijuana
Published in Boston Globe - Indexed on Jul 26, 2002
WASHINGTON - By their own admission, the medicinal marijuana advocates who gathered yesterday in a basement room of the Capitol made up a bizarre partnership. They agreed that their cause - getting the federal government to stop meddling in states' laws on the use of marijuana for medical purposes - was pretty much hopeless right now. But a former aide to President Reagan and several members of Congress said the time had come to push the matter with a reluctant legislature.

Around the Nation -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Jul 26, 2002
Kidnapped missionary to write book WICHITA — A missionary held hostage in the Philippines for more than a year before a June rescue operation that killed her husband plans to write a book, her publicist said. Gracia Burnham's book will be published next spring by Tyndale House Publishers, publicist Nancy Guthrie said. No financial terms were disclosed. "I want to tell the real story of our captivity — about our ordeal, about how it affected our relationship with each other and with God," Mrs. Burnham said, adding that the book will also discuss the political issues.

Inside Politics -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Jul 26, 2002
The White House's drug czar urged Nevada residents yesterday to reject a state ballot initiative legalizing possession of up to three ounces of marijuana, saying the measure would lead to more drug use. "I don't think Las Vegas and Nevada want to become the center for drug tourism," said John P. Walters, the head of the federal Office of Drug Control Policy. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement collected more than 60,000 signatures needed to put the initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot, the Associated Press reports.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Jul 25, 2002
Editorial: Patients with pot State moves slowly on medical marijuana Sacramento BeePublished 2:15 a.m. PDT Wednesday, July 24, 2002 The California Supreme Court last week usefully tidied up one small corner of the medical marijuana mess. It ruled that state voters meant what they said in 1996 when they legalized pot use by seriously ill people who've got authorization from their doctors. Now, with the court having done its job, it falls to Gov. Gray Davis finally to clean up the rest of the confusion about implementing the notoriously fuzzy Proposition 215, the medical marijuana measure.

HoustonChronicle.com - San Francisco may grow its own medical marijuana
Published in Houston Chronicle - Indexed on Jul 25, 2002
Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Frustrated by the government's determination to shut down medical marijuana clubs, San Francisco is thinking about growing its own. The Board of Supervisors voted late Monday to put a measure on the November ballot that would have city officials explore the possibility of growing marijuana on publicly owned lots and distributing it to ill patients. Supporters said the program could double as job training for the unemployed. "I don't think it would be all that dramatic a venture," said Supervisor Mark Leno, who proposed the idea with three colleagues.

Daybook -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Jul 24, 2002
TODAY'S HEADLINERS Homeland security markup — 9:30 a.m. — The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee holds a markup of the National Homeland Security and Combating Terrorism Act of 2002. Location: 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202/224-2627. Cyber-terrorism hearing — 10 a.m. — The House Government Reform government efficiency, financial management and intergovernmental relations subcommittee oversight holds a hearing on "Cyber-terrorism: Is the Nation's Critical Infrastructure Adequately Protected?" Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. Contact: 202/225-5074. PRESIDENT BUSH To be announced. ECONOMIC REPORTS 9 a.m.

Inside the Beltway -- The Washington Times
Published in Washington Times - Indexed on Jul 24, 2002
"Honestly, I don't know who should be more embarrassed: Jerry Springer, for associating himself with the most ethically-challenged senator in Washington, or Robert Torricelli, for taking campaign cash from a man who's best known for his borderline-pornographic-definitely-sleazy-freak-show television program — a program that has brought such classic episodes as 'I'm Pregnant by a Transsexual,' 'I'm a Breeder for the Klan,' and 'Honey, I'm Really a Guy!' into American living rooms.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Jul 24, 2002
This story is taken from AP State Wire News at sacbee.com. San Francisco may get into pot-growing business

  • (Published July 23, 2002) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Voters here will decide whether the city should get into the marijuana growing business. Under a new ballot measure, which goes to voters in November, city officials would explore growing pot and distributing it to seriously ill patients who have permission from their doctors. Supporters said such a program on city-owned land could double as agriculture job training for the unemployed.

AP Wire | 07/23/2002 | San Francisco may grow its own pot
Published in BayArea.com - Indexed on Jul 24, 2002
San Francisco may grow its own pot By KIM CURTIS Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO - Frustrated by the government's determination to shut down medical marijuana clubs, San Francisco is thinking about growing its own. The Board of Supervisors voted late Monday to put a measure on the November ballot that would have city officials explore the possibility of growing marijuana on publicly owned lots and distributing it to ill patients. Supporters said the program could double as job training for the unemployed. "I don't think it would be all that dramatic a venture," said Supervisor Mark Leno, who proposed the idea with three colleagues.

An online information service of The Sacramento Bee -- 24-hour local, state, national and world news, plus politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment coverag
Published in Sacramento Bee - Indexed on Jul 24, 2002
San Francisco may get into pot-growing business Published 10:29 a.m. PDT Tuesday, July 23, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Voters here will decide whether the city should get into the marijuana growing business. Under a new ballot measure, which goes to voters in November, city officials would explore growing pot and distributing it to seriously ill patients who have permission from their doctors. Supporters said such a program on city-owned land could double as agriculture job training for the unemployed.

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