cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- October 28, 2003





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- October 28, 2003
Posted by CN Staff on October 28, 2003 at 09:41:03 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
 Special News Release: Marijuana Arrests For 2002 Near Record High Despite Feds' War On Terror, FBI Report Reveals October 28, 2003 - Washington, DC, USAPot Smokers Arrested In America At A Rate Of One Every 45 Seconds.
Washington, DC: Police arrested an estimated 697,082 persons for marijuana violations in 2002, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released yesterday afternoon. The total is among the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States."These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said Keith Stroup, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), who noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 45 seconds in America. "This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that should be dedicated toward combating serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."Of those charged with marijuana violations, 88 percent - some 613,986 Americans - were charged with possession only. The remaining 83,095 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses - even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use.The total number of marijuana arrests far exceeded the total number of arrests for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.Since 1992, approximately six million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming combined. Nearly 90 percent of these total arrests were for simple possession, not cultivation or sale. During much of this period arrests for cocaine and heroin have declined sharply, indicating that increased enforcement of marijuana laws is being achieved at the expense of enforcing laws against the possession and trafficking of more dangerous drugs."Marijuana legalization would remove this behemoth financial burden from the criminal justice system, freeing up criminal justice resources to target other more serious crimes, and allowing law enforcement to focus on the highest echelons of hard-drug trafficking enterprises rather than on minor marijuana offenders who present no threat to public safety," Stroup said.YEAR   -- MARIJUANA ARRESTS2002    -- 697,0822001    -- 723,6272000    -- 734,4981999    -- 704,8121998    -- 682,8851997    -- 695,2001996    -- 641,6421995    -- 588,9631994    -- 499,1221993    -- 380,689For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5799Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: October 28, 2003Copyright: 2003 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Oct. 22, 2003 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17653.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Oct. 16, 2003 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17598.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Oct. 8, 2003 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17519.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 05, 2003 at 15:07:25 PT
NORML Press Release: November 4, 2003
Presidential Candidates Fess Up To Prior Pot Use
Dean And Edwards Admit Using Pot, But Would Do Little To Change Present Laws; Kucinich Calls For DecriminalizationNovember 4, 2003 - Boston, MA, USABoston, MA: Presidential candidates John Edwards (D-NC), John Kerry (D-MA) and former Vermont governor Howard Dean each admitted that they had previously smoked marijuana in response to an e-mailed question during last night's "America Rocks the Vote" debate, which aired live on CNN. Their responses drew a rousing ovation from the audience.NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said that the candidates' admissions illustrate the fact that millions of successful, hard-working Americans smoke pot recreationally, and that they should not be treated like criminals."The real question is not whether a candidate has smoked marijuana nearly half of the adult population, including many high ranking politicians such as former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich admit that they have but whether or not that candidate believes that otherwise law abiding Americans should be arrested and jailed for engaging in the same behavior that they once did," Stroup said.Among the three candidates who said they had smoked pot, none are on record in support of decriminalizing the possession of marijuana for adults, and only one Kerry has spoken firmly in support of the use of medicinal cannabis by seriously ill patients. Edwards has previously said that it would be "irresponsible" to demand the Justice Department cease arresting patients who use medical marijuana in compliance with state laws, while Dean vigorously opposed passage of a 2002 proposed Vermont law that would have legalized the use of marijuana for qualified patients.Also speaking at last night's debate, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich said that he had never tried marijuana, but added that if elected President, he'd "decriminalize it." Kucinich has previously promised to sign an executive order allowing for the medicinal use of marijuana, and is a strong critic of current Administration's "war" on drugs.Candidates Wesley Clark, Al Sharpton and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) also denied ever having smoked marijuana, while former Illinois Sen. Carol Mosley Braun declined to answer the question. Representative Dick Gephardt (D-MO) did not attend the debate.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup of NORML at (202) 483-5500. To learn more about the candidates' positions on marijuana-related issues, please visit:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5722DL: http://wnorml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5810
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 03, 2003 at 14:17:12 PT
NORML Articles Updated October 30th, 2003
Pot Constituents Offer Novel Approach To Anti-Cancer Therapy, Medical Journal SaysOctober 30, 2003 http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5806*
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*NORML Encourages Jamaican Parliament To Adopt Marijuana DecriminalizationOctober 30, 2003 - Washington, DC, USAhttp://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5805*
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*British MPs Vote To Ease Pot Possession LawsImpending Policy Is Similar To That Of 12 U.S. States Which No Longer Jail Minor Marijuana OffendersOctober 30, 2003 - London, United Kingdomhttp://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5804
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Comment #5 posted by Patrick on October 29, 2003 at 07:04:20 PT
Is this # surprising?
No one here should be surprised by this number of arrests. After all, our rulers do have a prison business to run and lest we forget to mention, pharmecutical profits to maintain.What is surprising is the number of times I hear Walters and other narco pigs say that marijuana arresting isn't really a priority. Yeah right....The total number of marijuana arrests far exceeded the total number of arrests for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Yep it's hard to argue with their own statistics showing arrests for marijuana possesion isn't a priority. I guess 697,082 people just walked into the police station to surrender their bag of weed in 2002 and begged for treatment.
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Comment #4 posted by CorvallisEric on October 29, 2003 at 03:52:21 PT
Had Enough (comment #3)
Interesting. Threat #1 is cocaine. Threat #2 is heroin. "Worried the most" (is that honorable mention?) is club drugs. No further mention of marijuana besides being "rampant" behind tobacco and alcohol. Serious gripes about alcohol. Wouldn't John Walters love to know?Just say N2O (nitrous oxide) but beware of real hazards including death. NO is nitric oxide, produced within the body from Viagra and its new competitors.
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on October 28, 2003 at 23:01:35 PT
Anti-drug message falls on few ears
Saw this article of intrest, looked like it would fit hereAnti-drug message falls on few ears
By Naomi Dillon Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, October 28, 2003 A teen sporting a "Just Say No" T-shirt may indeed espouse the slogan adopted by the Drug Abuse Resistance Education campaign. Or he or she could be mocking it, said Mark Henry, the director of the North Central Narcotics Task Force, a collaborative effort between the state police and local law enforcement agencies in Kane, McHenry and DeKalb counties. "Nitrous oxide," he said, giving new meaning to the last two letters of DARE's catch phrase. On Monday, Henry unveiled these and other little known trivia about drugs, their effects and how the public combats them.Unfortunately, much of it was dispersed on only a few ears, as the third installment of Carpentersville's "Coffee with the Chief" drew a disappointingly meager crowd. "I was hoping to see more people tonight," said Police Chief Robert Lowen, who borrowed the idea of such informal gatherings from Elgin. "Especially parents, they really need to hear this."Much of the information was probably things the average resident didn't know.For example, two of the three most prevalent drugs in the United States are legal: tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana is the other rampant drug.Henry said someone is killed in an alcohol-related accident every 32 minutes. Between the hours of 1 and 6 a.m., one in seven drivers is drunk. As a former state trooper who was struck by a drunk driver while sitting in his marked car, Henry said he believes the incidence of intoxicated driving might be even higher. Among illicit drugs, cocaine, both powder and crack, is the No. 1 threat in the U.S., he saidPositioned in the center of the country, close to major transportation routes on ground and water, Chicago has served as an important distribution hub for centuries. It's no different for drug dealers, Henry said."It's a good place to bring products and shoot it out," he said, "and Carpentersville isn't too far away from Chicago." Because of its location, Chicago has the distinction of boasting all four types of heroin - the second-biggest threat in the war against drugs, Henry said."Heroin is making a huge comeback," Henry said. "Especially among suburban kids. They'll drive into the city all the time to buy some."But the drugs that have law enforcement agencies worried the most are so-called club drugs or rave drugs. Encompassing substances from GHB to Ecstasy, these drugs are manufactured and often come in pill forms, perpetuating the belief that they are harmless. But they are anything but, Henry said. "They all look the same," he said. "Nobody knows what they're taking. You think you're buying a Dodge and you're getting a Mitsubishi."At the end of the session, Lowen again expressed regret that more people didn't attend. "I guess, I'll take it as a sign that we have no problems in Carpentersville," Lowen said.http://www.dailyherald.com/mchenry/main_story.asp?intID=3792263Vote, WE THE PEOPLE demand it.
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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on October 28, 2003 at 18:52:13 PT
697 Thousand arrest over laughing grass 
What a tragedy. It was not worthy of reporting by the NYT. Here is what they said about the UCR for 2002- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/28/national/28CRIM.html You know what is strange? The stupid newspaper cannot even put up the Internet link to the PDF file. Just how sorry can they be?
2002 Uniform Crime Report released October 27,2003
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Comment #1 posted by pokesmotter on October 28, 2003 at 17:18:16 PT:
good stuff
the uniform crime report has been a great source of statistics for me. i have used it in multiple speeches and in i am also using it in this paper i am currently writing for english class. 88% for possession only?? that is truly unjust.
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