cannabisnews.com: DEA Chief Discusses Drug War





DEA Chief Discusses Drug War
Posted by CN Staff on June 14, 2002 at 18:46:34 PT
By Cassio Furtado, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Source: Akron Beacon Journal
The Drug Enforcement Administration is expanding its operations in the Netherlands to curb that country's exports of the fashionable but illegal drug Ecstasy, DEA Director Asa Hutchinson said Friday.At the same time, the DEA is reducing its presence in Thailand, whose role in world heroin traffic is declining, Hutchinson said. Both moves are part of the DEA chief's efforts to do more with less as Washington focuses its attention on the war on terrorism and away from its longstanding war on drugs.
By shifting resources wisely, Hutchinson believes he can offset losses such as the reassignment to counterterrorism duties last month of 400 FBI agents who had been investigating drug dealers."More responsibility falls on our shoulders," he said.Eighty percent of all Ecstasy used in the United States comes from the Netherlands and arrives in mail packages and false-bottomed suitcases in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Miami.Often it arrives disguised as vitamins. The small size of Ecstasy tablets makes them easier to smuggle than marijuana. DEA Ecstasy seizures have gone up from 750,000 tablets in 1998 to more than 9 million in 2000."We know about what is going on," said Harry de Wit, a spokesman for the Dutch Embassy in Washington. But the Netherlands is often criticized for its soft approach to drug use.Its light jail sentences and strategic geographic location have made it a safe haven for Ecstasy producers.Hutchinson will fly to Holland next week to confer with Dutch justice and health officials. Until recently, his agency had only three personnel in the country. He declined to say how many will be added, but noted that Thailand had 34."Threats change," Hutchinson said.The growing use of Ecstasy is cause for alarm, experts in drug use say."It's definitely becoming a major issue of health concern. If it continues its rate of increase, it will definitely become a health crisis," said Steven Martin, a senior scientist with the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies at the University of Delaware. "We went from virtually nothing to a relatively noticeable percentage of youth experimenting with the drug."Within 20 minutes of taking Ecstasy, users feel a "rush" and a fluttery sensation in the stomach, followed by euphoria that lasts from four to six hours. After that, users usually become depressed, forgetful and extremely tired. One tablet can be made for about $1 and sells from $20 to $40 in the U.S. market. Ecstasy is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties.Dessa Bergen-Cico, director of Syracuse University's Substance Abuse Prevention and Health Enhancement Office, said studies show 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans under 23 have tried Ecstasy, a distant third behind alcohol and marijuana use."There's room for growth," Bergen-Cico said. "But there's also room for prevention."Tests on animals have found that Ecstasy permanently reduces levels of serotonin, the chemical in the brain partly responsible for mood changes. It also damages the brain and memory, but the major short-term risk is that its stimulant effects can lead to dehydration, seizures and kidney and heart failure.Knight Ridder Newspapers correspondent Jessica Guynn contributed to this report. Source: Beacon Journal, The (OH)Author: Cassio Furtado, Knight Ridder NewspapersPublished: Friday, June 14, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Beacon Journal Publishing Co.Contact: vop thebeaconjournal.comWebsite: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/Related Articles: Go To Holland Before It's Too Late http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12873.shtmlDutch Voters Turn To The Righthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12865.shtmlAmsterdam's Smokin' Coffee Shops http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8031.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by BGreen on June 25, 2002 at 00:09:26 PT
Yeah
Christians can be really nice people. My wife and I feel the best way to witness is just to live your life the way you believe a Christian should. People see something different and may get curious and ask questions. Mean people suck, no matter what they call themselves, but the most prevalent directive from God in the New Testament is to love. I don't see the love in John Ashcroft, nor do any of you, so I don't think he's a Christian. He doesn't radiate love. Mother Theresa? Now she had Christ-like written all over her. That's why I bristle at mass condemnation of Christians, but I also understand why people are so mad. I spend a lot of prayer time asking God "why?". 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on June 24, 2002 at 22:38:03 PT
BGreen
I thought you might appreciate this. I just got a phone call and it was a young boy who wanted to order a special bible he saw on tv and called me instead by mistake. I told him I was sorry but he had the wrong number. He then said oh I'm so sorry did I wake you? I said no and I hoped he was able to get the bible he wanted. He said oh bless your soul and goodbye. That was so pleasant I just wanted to share it with you and anyone that might find it nice.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on June 24, 2002 at 21:53:37 PT
BGreen
White collar crime is really the worst crime, except for murder or violating a child, because it has so many victims. My husband was employed by a trucking company a few years ago that one day closed it doors and didn't pay over 250 drivers the money they owed them. They opened up across the street a few weeks later under a new name and went on about hiring new drivers because they declared bankrupcy on the main company. It is done more often then I care to think about.
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Comment #12 posted by BGreen on June 24, 2002 at 21:23:04 PT
Frontline
I watched Frontline on PBS the other day, and the whole focus was on Enron, the way that companies manipulate the stock market with lies, and the way Congress has passed laws to protect the "big-wigs."The saddest thing was the remark that Enron's way of doing business wasn't an anomaly, rather, it is pretty common practice. That, along with the way the stock market and value of the dollar are falling, plus the lack of faith the average investor has in stock brokers after hearing many of them publicly recommended stocks they were privately trashing, to me spells a big economic problem.The really saddest thing is that none of these crooks get punished. Texas law allows the Enron executives to keep their multi-million dollar houses, even if they file bankruptcy.It makes me so mad.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on June 24, 2002 at 20:52:31 PT
BGreen
Each day I think about the news and what it will bring. Since 9-11 we've had hopeful news but more depressing news of how they are planning on controlling us and the masses in general. We watched a program on the Discovery Channel about Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, the FBI and J Edgar Hoover last night. What it all said to me is all that matters is how to stay in power and hate who you want and do whatever you want to try to destroy people that you don't like. It made me angry. It was basically on how to trip up Martin Luther King by secretly taping him when he had women in his room. Immorality is something I don't like. I believe we should be moral people but my definition of moral is nothing like what their definition of moral is and was. If I decide to try a mind expanding substance I will hurt no one but myself and it should be my right to do it. You can do all kinds of crazy things that can get you killed but not consume a substance.Immorality to me is when a person hurts another person. That's wrong and yet white collar crime goes on and on and many lives are really hurt by the greed of those that have control of the wheel. That's immoral.
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Comment #10 posted by BGreen on June 24, 2002 at 20:26:41 PT
I wish
I see those stupid "drugs = terrorism" commercials on Nick at Nite all the time. I tend to watch old sitcoms more than anything else.Walter's is saying that those ads are the only ones in recent history that have worked, because they evaluated them first.It still doesn't explain how I support terrorism by planting a seed in my backyard or basement, but what do I know?I suffer from motivational syndrome. I smoke cannabis and walk out in front of thousands of applauding fans. I smoke cannabis before I record the music that some of you may even have in your collection. I smoke cannabis before I write songs that actually touch people.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 24, 2002 at 18:59:02 PT
BGreen
That's what I say too. I thought they gave up trying to link drugs and terrorism because of the failed drug ads.Why not diamonds or oil?
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Comment #8 posted by BGreen on June 24, 2002 at 18:47:09 PT
Oh, my!
What can I say?
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 24, 2002 at 18:39:49 PT
DEA Museum 
Coming in September 2002....
http://www.dea.gov/deamuseum/home.htm
 
 Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists & You 
 
 The DEA Museum will open a powerful new exhibit on September 10, 2002 that traces the historic and contemporary connections between global drug trafficking and terrorism. Starting with the horrific events of September 11, 2001 and moving back in time to the ancient Silk Road, this exhibit, entitled Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists and You will present the visitor with a global and historical overview of this deadly connection. The visitor will have many opportunities to explore the often-symbiotic relationships that exist between terrorist groups and drug trafficking cartels and the personal impact those connections have on the visitor.
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Comment #6 posted by Dan B on June 15, 2002 at 09:56:26 PT
Poll: See How The NUmbers Have Shifted
Legalize it for medicinal use and regulate the sell to responsible adults for recreational use. 43 % 
 
Legalize it for medicinal use and decriminalize and require no jail time for recreational marijuana offenses. 15 % 
 
Legalize it for medicinal use, but keep recreational use illegal. 8 % 
 
Keep it illegal. 34 % 
 Total Votes: 1112
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Comment #5 posted by p4me on June 14, 2002 at 22:11:47 PT
Government blahblahblah
I am starting to think that Ashcroft, Hutchinson, and Walters are similar in many regards. For one thing you can tell when they are lying because their lips are moving.1,2
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Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on June 14, 2002 at 20:12:50 PT
Vote update
Legalize it for medicinal use and regulate the sell to responsible adults for recreational use. 39 % Legalize it for medicinal use and decriminalize and require no jail time for recreational marijuana offenses. 15 % Legalize it for medicinal use, but keep recreational use illegal. 9 % Keep it illegal. 37 % 
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Comment #3 posted by cltrldmg on June 14, 2002 at 19:46:48 PT
Ashcroft, marijuana and terrorism
Bit towards the end is interesting:http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,738011,00.html
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 14, 2002 at 19:11:05 PT
Thanks JR
Current Poll Results
What do YOU think the government should do about Marijuana? 
(876 votes)
(SJWolfe, 6/10/02) 
 
Legalize it for medicinal use and regulate the sell to responsible adults for recreational use. 32 % 
 
Legalize it for medicinal use and decriminalize and require no jail time for recreational marijuana offenses. 17 % 
 
Legalize it for medicinal use, but keep recreational use illegal. 10 % 
 
Keep it illegal. 41 % 
 Total Votes: 876
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on June 14, 2002 at 19:03:58 PT
Yet another poll!
http://www.e-thepeople.com/a-national/Poll, What do YOU think the government should do about Marijuana? (lower righthand corner)
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