Cannabis News Protecting Patients Access to Medical Marijuana
  Drug War Casualties
Posted by CN Staff on May 23, 2002 at 15:32:29 PT
By Radley Balko  
Source: FoxNews.com 

justice Samantha Monroe was 12 years old in 1981 when her parents enrolled her in the Sarasota, Fla., branch of Straight Inc., an aggressive drub rehab center for teens. Barely a teen, Samantha also had no history of drug abuse. But she spent the next two years of her life surviving Straight.

She was beaten, starved and denied toilet privileges for days on end. She describes her "humble pants," a punishment that forced her to wear the same pants for six weeks at a time.

Because she was allowed just one shower a week, the pants often filled with feces, urine and menstrual blood. Often she was confined to her closet for days. She gnawed through her jaw during those "timeout" sessions, hoping she'd bleed to death.

She says that after she was raped by a male counselor, "the wonderful state of Florida paid for and forced me to have an abortion."

There are hundreds of Straight stories like Samantha's. Wes Fager enrolled his son in a Springfield, Va., chapter of Straight on the advice of a high school guidance counselor. Fager didn't see his son again until three months later — after he'd escaped and developed severe mental illness.

Since then, Fager's set out to clear the air on Straight. He has accumulated stories like Samantha's and his son's on a clearinghouse Web site. They are stories of suicides and attempted suicides, rapes, forced abortions, molestations, physical abuse, lawsuits, court testimonies, and extensive documentation of profound psychological abuse at Straight chapters all over the country.

Yet, the Straight model of drug treatment is thriving, with the trend toward "boot camp" style rehab centers growing more and more en vogue and Straight's founders, high-powered Republican boosters Mel and Betty Sembler, wielding enormous influence over U.S. drug policy.

Mel Sembler is currently serving as President Bush's ambassador to Italy, and the Semblers serve on the boards of almost every major domestic anti-drug program. They are longtime close associates of the Bush family, and are behind efforts to defeat medicinal marijuana initiatives all over the country. Despite the horrors that have surfaced about Straight's history, they are proud and unrepentant about the program.

With more and more U.S. states turning to mandatory treatment instead of incarceration for minor drug offenses — with Mel and Betty Sembler continuing to flex political muscle in the power corridors of the drug war — the story of Straight is one worth hearing.

Straight was spun off of a rehab program called The Seed based on the "synanon" method of treatment. Established in 1972, the program lost its funding after a congressional investigation turned up evidence of brainwashing and cult-like mind control tactics. But a Florida congressman named Bill Young persisted. He found advocates in the Semblers and persuaded them to start a similar rehab center in St. Petersburg, which they called "Straight Incorporated."

Despite allegations of abuse from escaped members and pending lawsuits, over the next 15 years Straight won laudatory praise in Republican circles. Luminaries from Nancy Reagan to Princess Diana visited Straight branches and touted their successes (though by most estimates only about 25 percent of Straight "clients" ever completed the program).

But Straight's tactics soon caught up to it in the courts. A college student won a false imprisonment claim of $220,000 in 1983, and another claim cost Straight $721,000 in 1990. A Straight spin-off called Kids of North Jersey lost a $4.5 million claim in 2000. Straight chapters across the country began to shut down, culminating with the last branch in Atlanta closing in 1993.

But the Straight philosophy was far from finished. Many chapters and directors reopened new clinics that employed the same tactics under different names — such as KIDS, Growing Together and SAFE. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited and praised SAFE, despite the fact that a Miami television station reported widespread Straight-like abuse at the facility in a 2000 expose.

Amidst mounting lawsuit losses and bad publicity throughout the 1990's, the umbrella organization Straight Inc. changed its name in 1996 to the Drug Free America Foundation. DFAF thrives today — receiving $400,000 in federal subsidies in 2000 and $320,000 from the Small Business Administration.

"It amazes me that despite the pattern of complaints and abuse allegations, Straight chapters can simply change their names and continue to operate," says Rick Ross, a cult expert and intervention specialist. Ross says there's an unfortunate market for "rehab" centers that take burdensome children off the hands of troubled parents.

Most troubling, however, is the considerable and continuing political clout of Straight Inc.'s founders. Former President Bush once shot a television commercial for DFAF, and designated the Semblers' program as one of his "thousand points of light."

Long a presence in Florida Republican circles, Mel Sembler was tapped as ambassador to Australia in 1989. Today he serves the younger Bush as ambassador to Italy, and he served on the board of the 2000 Republican National Convention.

Betty Sembler co-chaired Jeb Bush's campaign committee. In return, the governor declared Aug. 8, 2000, "Betty Sembler Day" in Florida — due, he said, to her work "protecting children from the dangers of drugs."

She also serves on the board of DARE, the largely failed anti-drug program for elementary school students.

DFAF also worked with then-governor Bush on anti-drug programs in Texas, and today claims to have his ear on national drug policy as well. Indeed, Arizona prosecutor and Sembler favorite Rick Romley was on Bush's short list for drug czar. Though Romley wasn't nominated, Bush did tap staunch drug warrior John Walters. The nomination caused Betty Sembler to remark, ".... we have lacked the leadership and support of the White House ... until now."

"It's really shocking that the Semblers are still lauded and honored after all that's come out about their organization," says cult expert Ross, a self-described Republican.

Last year, a reporter from the Canadian e-zine Cannabis News asked Betty Sembler in person about the horror stories he'd read from Straight survivors. "They should get a life," Sembler replied. "I am proud of everything we have done. There's nothing to apologize for. The legalizers are the ones who should be apologizing."

That's the attitude of the drug war's power duo, who can be unrepentant about the lives their program destroyed because they believe a win-at-all-costs approach is the only way to remove the scourge of drugs from society. Shattered lives, suicides, forced abortions, fractured psyches — all necessary casualties of the drug war, and nothing to apologize for.

Radley Balko is a writer living in Arlington, Va., and publisher of The Agitator.com -- http://www.theagitator.com/

Newshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch II -- http://www.norml.org/
Source: FoxNews.com
Author: Radley Balko
Published: Thursday, May 23, 2002
Copyright: Fox News Network, LLC 2002
Contact: comments@foxnews.com
Website: http://www.foxnews.com/

Related Articles & Web Site:

Bad Ideas, Good Ideas
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12296.shtml

Drugs in Canada - Gone To Pot
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10571.shtml

Straight Inc. Resource Links:
http://www.freedomofmind.com/groups/straight/straight.asp


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Comment #18 posted by dddd on May 25, 2002 at 14:17:23 PT
..Blaming Marijuana for Emotional Problems..
...I knew a person who went to MA.....Marijuana was not his problem...His basic problem was the same as anyone else who claims to be "addicted" to Marijuana...These people have emotional problems,and they abuse Marijuana to escape ...They are not addicts,,They are abusers.....major difference!....dddd

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #17 posted by Nuevo Mexican on May 25, 2002 at 13:33:03 PT
Thanks Freedom Fighter!
This is interesting: From a FAQ at Marijuana Anonymous

Q: What is MA's opinion on the legalization of marijuana?

A: The Tenth Tradition of Marijuana Anonymous states:

"Marijuana Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the MA name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

This tradition protects the integrity of the organization. "Anything that can disrupt our unity, and interfere with our primary purpose of carrying the message to the marijuana addict who still suffers, should be avoided" (Life With Hope, p. 93). Therefore, MA has no opinion about the legalization of marijuana.

Also: Q: How can there be marijuana addicts if marijuana is not addicting?

A: "We who are marijuana addicts know the answer to this question. Marijuana controls our lives! We lose interest in all else; our dreams go up in smoke. Ours is a progressive illness often leading us to addictions to other drugs, including alcohol. Our lives, our thinking, and our desires center around marijuana---scoring it, dealing it, and finding ways to stay high" (Life With Hope, p. xi).

Based on our own experiences, we who seek recovery in MA generally consider ourselves to be marijuana addicts. Whether or not our addiction is psychological, physical, or both, matters little. When it comes to the use of marijuana, we have lost the power of choice. It is strictly up to the individual to decide whether he or she feels addicted to marijuana. MA has no opinion about marijuana itself one way or another. Marijuana Anonymous exists solely to provide a means of recovery to the suffering addict who seeks help.



[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #16 posted by BGreen on May 24, 2002 at 17:14:29 PT
Did anybody see this?
You'd think this would be big news.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #15 posted by freedom fighter on May 24, 2002 at 16:32:14 PT
Nuevo Mexican
Ack, your friend is heading for a divorce court. This is insane for her to think that her hubby would quit drinkin if she would stop toking. Percentage-wise, she is gonna get burn in process.

It's interesting to note that your friend claimed she found a new religion in MA.. According to their creed, noone are suppose to claim "GOD" but they are very tricky when it comes to "GOD". Futhermore, their "12 steps" are very "One World, One God" thing.

I myself are being forced to be "treated" and it is a joke. As a deaf person, like it or not, I am very aware of what is it like to be treated differently than others. Most folks do not mean to do so but that is racism and from what I see in so-called "Treatment" is nothing more than teaching one to be a racist. I do detest all form of racism. One stupid statement that pissed me off is when that writer wrote, "No Pothead wants to be a pothead." That is insane because if it was true, there would be no potsmokers.

Percentage-wise, people who smoke cannabis are able to stop smoking with very few problems in comparision with people who drink whiskey. And most serious form of addiction is called "DRUG WAR" addiction. These folks are so insecured of their soberity that they have to impose it on others. That is immoral and soooo UN-American!

Just my two cheep cents!

ff

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Comment #14 posted by Nuevo Mexican on May 24, 2002 at 13:06:58 PT
And while were on the subject....
I have two close friends who work in the homecare industry, taking care of mentally ill, abused and neglected people, who just joined MA, Marijuana Anonymous (sp) and due to the fact that he started drinking again (after 8 years on the wagon), and that she needs a paid vacation from work, (she'll quit her job when the program ends, as it was just an excuse to get a paid vacation, her mother owns the business and she really just needs to move on with her life). Anyway, she tells my wife she has found her new religion, MA, and can't wait to see us so we can pray together, (I'm praying right now). So this hits me hard, as she loves to smoke cannabis, but her husband insists on the cheap green that hurts her lungs, and won't spring for a vaporizer). She's really in MA due to 1. she wants her husband to quite dringing Tequila, 2. she does need a break from schwagweed 3. she gets paid to go to MA and say she's and addict 4. She will do anything but face the fact that she shouldn't be working for her mother, and she's deep in debt. What is the answer: Blame cannabis! Not your life, your decisions or indecisions, follow the money, (paid for work while in the MA program, who can say no to that?) and lecture me on why I shouldn't be smoking cannabis. Best friends, by the way, reminds me of Germany a bit (wwII) not now of course as Germany seems to be the most enlightened of populations due to their experience with bush-like characters. So when they come to visit, will I smoke in private, or in front of them. Will I be lectured on the evils of Cannabis and its addictive qualities? Anyone here been through this already. I feel their problems are 1. wake and bake syndrome, due to hating their jobs, but are so well paid that they are afraid to make the real changes necessary to be happy). I've been telling them for years, wait til 4:20PM, and stop indulging in the mornings, and reward yourself with your favorite pastimes when the work is done and can really get 'high' not just to help you get through your desperate day. She has compulsive/obsessive qualities to her personality, and it is reflected in her approach to smoking. My suggestion to her is: quite smoking (she stopped for two years without any help from MA, due to surgery she needed) and start a new life without her mothers financial teat. She still wishes her husband could smoke cannabis, and not drink, as he has an anger 'management' problem, but thinks she would smoke if he does. I'm sure they will work this out, but being in the medical field, they embrace the treatment/group approach, which is fine if it works, but she'll admit it is for 'the paid leave, and so her husband quits drinking). She's more fun un-stoned and hes more fun stoned. So I hope they work out the details or they'll be headed for the divorce court. None of this bothered me until she said 'I found my new religion' and am wondering if MA is a decent organization, or just jumping on the treatment gravy-train. I suspect the later. I'm doing a search now to find out, but prefer personal testimonies from people here, as you would know best!

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Comment #13 posted by Lehder on May 24, 2002 at 12:46:18 PT
raindrops...falling on their heads
thank you for your kind words, dddd, and I wholly agree with you again:

I think the "treatment" game is going to be a next major phase in this absurd "WAR"........

And when "treatment" fails, as demonstrated by mandatory urine testing of captured cannabis users, the government will claim that there is but a single remaining remedy: PRISON.

Here are some words form an inspiring article at Common Dreams today:

Our leaders refuse to lead. The most inspiring thing we hear these days is "be very afraid." But we've always waited to be led, every four years choosing someone we expect to define our vision, give substance to our hopes, and protect us from our fears. "If only we could find a real leader," we're saying now, "we could become a force in this country." We can't wait for that, and we don't need to.

A critical shift happened during the Clinton administration. A collective will gathered against the power of Congress and the mainstream press--against, in effect, all the things that we'd always let make our decisions for us. And without taking to the streets or riots or any use of force, that collective will made the decision for the country. Something happened that hasn't yet caught up with our collective consciousness: we stopped waiting to be led....

so it seems that those of us who are awake must speak, must act! We have an obligation! As she found her words and her courage, the power of it multiplied through the group. We despair at the futility of our single raindrop, but forget about the power of rain. http://commondreams.org/views02/0524-06.htm

One can translate this philosophy into actions as one sees fit. I have made it my policy to refuse to excuse the drug-war platitudes and condemnations of cannabis and its users wherever and whenever I hear them. I really do not care if my remarks may seem out of place, contentious or inappropriate to the circumstances. I do not allow aspersions on cannabis to pass unchallenged, nor do I allow even casually expressed support for the drug war to slip by without requiring that the antis defend their very ugly positions. Inevitably, they are humiliated when their bigotry and utter lack of factual support are exposed even if only to their unwilling selves. I let them know that their remarks are as ignorant and bigoted as the ugliest forms of racism. They deserve it.



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Comment #12 posted by dddd on May 24, 2002 at 10:39:12 PT
...Professor Lehder......
...Thank You......I must admit; I am inspired when people respond to my ramblings,,,,especially you!.. ..

.....It is so true,,that the empire is going to attempt to go into the "treatment "game,,,,..We will hear Walters and Hutch in the news,,talking about the new compassionate "treatment" alternative,to the drug war...The whole thing will be portrayed as a 'softening',,,or 'lightening up',,on the victims/casualties of "The War".....BUT,
.........,like some absurdly devious orwellhitlersovietevilempire,,,they will dominate and administrate their new brand of "treatment",for all "drug offenders",,,,,and even those who have undergone the "treatment",will still be doomed to a life of being some sort of second class citizen...any cop who pulls over a Treated" person,will have that fact reflected on his onboard cop car computer.........furthermore...
....Here's the BIG crackpot premonition from the frazzled ,and offbeat 4d...:.. : ::::"Treatment",,will become the new mantra of the anti crowd.!!...as Sheeple get more and more pissed off at the drugpigs,,they will start come out in favor of"treatment", ,,,and the feds will pass bills under names like; "drug treatment act of 2003"...The new laws will be passed and publicized with catch phrases like: ..."Drug law reform.",,or,,"reform of drug laws"............ "Bush Signs Humane Drug Treatment Bill" ......"Drug Offenders Given Second Chance"........"New Law Allows Drug Users To Get Treatment"...like some bizarre horror movie,,the Evil empire will realize that the "treatment" ploy ,,will allow them to further extend,and augment the drug war sham,,and delay any reform or serious public debate........after all,,,here's the kicker:::..People who need "treatment",,must be "sick"....?? ...but when a police state government gets to decide who needs "treatment",for the things they do,, and that same government controls a military/police law enforcement like a legal gestapo,,,,,,and that same government administers,and controls the "treatment programs"... ,,then it's time to Wake Up,and Smell the Mother___#__*&#$%%%%__*son of a #*&$__**# freekin *&%$*&*&^_________#$....

....Yes,,,it all sounds like the predictions of a raving madman,,,,..Maybe I'm really wrong,,and the feds will decide to end Marijuana prohibition by the end of this summer,,,and the shrub will be impeached,,and cheneys pacemaker will go Y2K,,,and abundent herds of millions of Sheeple will stampede into the nations capitol, carrying torches,and pitchforks,,,and a water cannon rubber bullet bean-bag teargas crowd control incident will occur as the news reports that the violent demonstraters were taken away by "crowd control" police..many will be sentenced under new anti-terrorist laws,,information will be limited.......Or,,maybe Harry Browne will get elected somehow.............?..all we got is Hope,,and Truth.......
....I think the "treatment" game is going to be a next major phase in this absurd "WAR"........
...we gotta Keep on keepin' on!...............................dddd


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #11 posted by Lehder on May 24, 2002 at 07:56:19 PT
treatment
"treatment programs",are going to get under way long before Marijuana laws are reformed,,and we are going to end up having "treatment",for people who get caught with Marijuana...

Me,,a seasoned veteran Hippie,,Marijuana smoker for over 30 years...I would have to go and be "treated",by some greenhorn shithead "drug counselor" asshole,who just graduated from some community college drug counselor class ,and passed his dea certification exam test,,,and this 20 something kid,would have the job of "treating",my old seasoned ass!.

You sure have the antis' number, dddd, and what a lot of pathetic, violent ignoramuses they are. "Treatment" will be backed up by JAIL: the victim of "treatment" must agree with the counselor/jailer that marijuana is a dangerous addictive "substance" that is the source of all the victim's difficulties, and the failure to pleasantly and humbly agree with the "counselor" on these and numerous other falsehoods will land the victim in prison for treatment with beatings, lousy food, rape and an infinitude of physical and mental abuses.

(Once again I see Galileo reading a recantation, prepared word for word by the Inquisition, of his conception of the universe. Maybe the threat of torture by that time was mostly a formality, but the length of the script suggests that Galileo spent a good half-hour at least on his knees reading it and stopping to reaffirm it, and I do not wonder about his fate for long had he leapt to his feet like an enraged dddd and screamed "Ignorant Assholes!")

And you're right-on again, dddd, that the "counselors" will certainly be selected from among the pathetic twenty-something cretins who did too poorly on the civil service test to work for the post office. Just imagine Carl Sagan or Steven Jay Gould being compelled by "drug court" under threat of imprisonment to take weekly piss tests and report to high a school graduate - barely - who sits and does her nails or watches TV and takes smoke breaks between "educational" sessions with her captives. It's sickening and demands some serious levelling in this country.

Treatment should be available free for those who seek it voluntarily or at the behest of their families and friends. But "treatment" as conceived by the US government is nothing but a brutal system of persecution designed to manipulate the ignorant with paltry carrots of ego, paycheck and authority over their betters, and ultimately to further exalt and enrich the rich white maniacs who suck the wealth and intelligence from our society in the name of 'war on drugs.'

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #10 posted by letsgetfree on May 24, 2002 at 06:56:51 PT
but hey....
at least those kids weren't on drugs! Now that's bad for ya!

What a truely horrorifying story, this is why we fight the drug war. The world seems more insane by the day.

Oh, also, I think it's amazing that this is coming from Fox?!? Wow maybe will win this war after all!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on May 24, 2002 at 05:30:43 PT:

If this is 'war', then what about the Geneva
Convention?

I have no affection for the UN in general. Their actions around the world as 'peacekeepers' have often fomented much worse instability and strife than what existed before their arrival.

But, if the antis keep calling it a war, then they should be held to the same standards of martial conduct as I was when wearing the 'pickle suit'. Anyone who was in the Service will tell you, there is a little something called the Geneva Convention. It has been icorporated into the UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html

which reads:

Part I Article 1 For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions. This article is without prejudice to any international instrument or national legislation which does or may contain provisions of wider application. (Emphasis mine -k.)

The emphasized portion is directly applicable to the Semblers. They did what they did with taxpayers dollars, thus, they were acting as government functionaries.

Seems to me that the survivors of this North Korean/Chinese style Communist brainwashing system have a legitimate grievence for the World Court to investigate. Which is one of the reasons, albeit certainly not the only one, why Bush wants to keep the US out of the World Court.

There'd be too much Hell to pay if that happened. And Shrubbish like the Semblers know it.



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Comment #8 posted by qqqq on May 24, 2002 at 04:31:20 PT
...You're Right BGreen
...especially when you said;"I think qqqq was right........."...(..ha-ha)..... ..,,seriously, I agree with;"... Addictive personalities tend to be the norm for Americans."... I think there are alot of reasons why this is true,but two of the major factors are...Americans can afford to become addicted,,,and Americans are spoiled....
..Another point I'd like to make about the term "addiction",,is the way that obese people are never refered to as "food addicts"..Kenny boy Lay is not referred to as a "greed addict",(although that might be a good idea for his defense team,,they can claim he was addicted to greed,and money,and was blinded by his addiction,so he should not be held accountable for Stealing Hundreds of Millions..)......
..or,,if you're a daughter of a bush,,you're problems with drugs or alcohol will be seen as "sad" ,or "unfortunate" ...but if your one of us Sheeple,,your drug problem will be seen as "illegal",,and "prosecutable"...


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Comment #7 posted by BGreen on May 24, 2002 at 03:59:38 PT
Addictions
I don't want to offend anybody, but the immediately obvious difference between the Dutch citizens and the Americans is they aren't half the size we are. It was very rare to come across an overweight person, and obese people were almost non-existant. I met a young Rastafarian in Amsterdam who I believe inadvertently had the answer. He said "I have a little room just a 25 minute walk from here (his place of employment.)" I know people who haven't walked 25 minutes in a row their entire adult lives. Fat people in the US get handicapped license plates so they can blubber their way to the grocery store and park close, then they plant themselves on motorized scooters (Walmart has a sign on the front of their scooters which states "Because We Care,)" and purchase their edible "drugs."

I think qqqq was right. Addictive personalities tend to be the norm for Americans. The problem isn't the substance of choice, but the underlying mental disorder that makes us go out of control. We know obesity in children is an epidemic in the US. Every time I see a fat kid in a D.A.R.E. t-shirt I want to strangle them like Homer does Bart Simpson and say, 'How is arresting ME going to help YOU when you can't even JUST SAY NO to your fork?'

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #6 posted by qqqq on May 24, 2002 at 02:16:30 PT
.....Time for Your Treatment!....
......This is the thing about "treatment",,that is quite disturbing.....Again,,here is my scenario for the near future;.....The empire will continue to slowly toss nickels and dimes in "drug treatment"...I think the czar mentioned allocating a few million for "treatment"......But,,the problem is,that the "treatment programs",are going to get under way long before Marijuana laws are reformed,,and we are going to end up having "treatment",for people who get caught with Marijuana...While there may be 1 or 2 percent of Marijuana users who actually need "treatment",,the treatment they need is for problems that are much larger than Marijuana use.......I say this:.Anyone who thinks they have a "Marijuana problem",actually has a mental problem,or an emotional difficulty from which they are trying to escape...If the term;"addict",can apply to Marijuana use,then it can also equally apply to caffeine,or sugar......So..
..The problem is,that "treatment programs",like Straight,,are going to be popping up all around the country.(they already are.),,,,and in order to be an accepted,and approved "treatment program",the feds will be setting national guildlines,and will be encouraging these programs to be run by corporations that are already involved with prisons and law enforcement..Corporations like Wackenhutt,and Marriot,(Marriot has government contracts to supply food to prisons and schools.)....So what we will end up with,is a federally administrated "treatment program",that will require states to sign on to,or they will be threatened with witholding federal funds...We've seen it before,and we will see it again...The empire will make sure that it has these treatment programs in its pocket.,and it's quite likely that they will be run by the ondcp/dea..........Scientologists already run programs like Alanon,and Narconon,and they have numerous government contracts,fundings,and connections. ..

...Treatment,instead of prison is a good thing,,for meth freaks,,junkies,or chronic cocaine users and crackheads......But,,when it comes to "treating",Marijuana users,,that is where we enter the true outer limits of the twilight zone.....I can just imagine having to undergo some court ordered "treatment program",for Marijuana....Me,,a seasoned veteran Hippie,,Marijuana smoker for over 30 years...I would have to go and be "treated",by some greenhorn shithead "drug counselor" asshole,who just graduated from some community college drug counselor class ,and passed his dea certification exam test,,,and this 20 something kid,would have the job of "treating",my old seasoned ass!....People who have a PROBLEM,,,need treatment...people who enjoy,or need to use Marijuana,do not have a PROBLEM,,other than the government prohibition of the Herb!...


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 23, 2002 at 22:11:32 PT
Links is Working Now
This is the link that didn't work when I got the links. I think I have them all now. I hope!

http://www.theagitator.com/2002_05_01_archive.php#85100686

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 23, 2002 at 19:54:43 PT
More Links
Hi Everyone,

There are many links in the article. I went ahead and copied the links for those who use articles easier this way. I missed one for sure because it didn't work for me. I hope I got the rest right and it helps out.

http://thestraights.com/wes-bio.htm

http://thestraights.com/

http://www.thestraights.com/theprogram/suicides.htm

http://thestraights.com/theprogram/suicide-attempts.htm#donald

http://www.theagitator.com/2002_05_01_archive.php#85102166

http://www.usembassy.it/mission/amb/amb-bio-en.htm

http://www.dfaf.org/post/sembler.htm

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/synanon.html

http://www.rickross.com/reference/straight/straight51.html

http://www.rickross.com/groups/straightinc.html

http://www.rickross.com/reference/straight/straight17.html

http://www.rickross.com/reference/straight/straight52.html

http://www.rickross.com/reference/general/general242.html

http://thestraights.com/the-straights/thestraights-fc.htm

http://www.dfaf.org/

http://www.rickross.com/

http://www.usembassy.it/mission/amb/amb-bio-en.htm

http://www.dfaf.org/library/press/sembler_day.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/WorldNewsTonight/wnt010215_DARE_feature.html

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n328/a08.html?1079

http://salt.claretianpubs.org/sjnews/2001/06/sjn0106d.html

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2072.html

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #3 posted by CorvallisEric on May 23, 2002 at 19:27:14 PT
The important news here ...
... is the source. The original on FoxNews has lots of useful links within the article.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53470,00.html


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 23, 2002 at 16:49:22 PT
Ideology
These ideological horrors are brought to you by the save the children crowd. They hide their real agenda behind the children.

That's the attitude of the drug war's power duo, who can be unrepentant about the lives their program destroyed because they believe a win-at-all-costs approach is the only way to remove the scourge of drugs from society. Shattered lives, suicides, forced abortions, fractured psyches — all necessary casualties of the drug war, and nothing to apologize for.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #1 posted by Naaps on May 23, 2002 at 16:30:31 PT
Cannabis Culture Perhaps?
From the article:

Last year, a reporter from the Canadian e-zine Cannabis News asked Betty Sembler in person about the horror stories he'd read from Straight survivors.

Pete Brady did a report on Straight Inc. for Cannabis Culture Magazine.

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2072.html

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