cannabisnews.com: Officials Across U.S. Describe Drug Woes
Officials Across U.S. Describe Drug Woes
Posted by CN Staff on July 05, 2005 at 21:43:55 PT
By Kate Zernike
Source: New York Times
USA -- Local officials from across the country yesterday declared methamphetamine the nation's leading law enforcement scourge - a more insidious drug problem than cocaine - and blamed it for crowding jails and fueling increases in theft and violence, as well as for a host of social welfare problems.Officials from the National Association of Counties, releasing results from a survey of 500 local officials nationwide, argued that Washington's focus on terrorism and domestic security had diverted money and attention from the methamphetamine problem in the states.
They pleaded with lawmakers to restore financing for an $804 million drug-fighting program that the group said had been proposed for elimination in the 2006 federal budget, and said the Bush administration had focused its drug-fighting efforts too much on marijuana and not enough on methamphetamine."This is a national problem that requires national leadership," Angelo Kyle, the president of the association and a member of the Board of Commissioners in Lake County, Ill., north of Chicago, said at a news conference in Washington that was called to draw attention to the problem.While methamphetamine has begun to move into some cities, it has particularly devastated rural areas in the last several years. It is cheap and easy to make using chemicals commonly found in cold medicine or on farms, and makeshift production laboratories have sprung up in barns and houses. Officials said yesterday that they had even discovered small portable laboratories in suitcases. The ingredients are highly toxic and highly flammable, often resulting in serious explosions. And the drug itself, which is smoked, inhaled or injected, is extremely addictive, producing a high that lasts several hours and leading to binges that often last days or even weeks.Of 500 law enforcement agencies in 45 states, 87 percent reported increases in methamphetamine-related arrests in the last three years, and 62 percent reported increases in laboratory seizures. Fifty-eight percent said methamphetamine was their largest drug problem. Nineteen percent said cocaine was, 17 percent said marijuana and 3 percent said heroin.The problem is seen as particularly bad in the Southwest, where 76 percent of counties surveyed said methamphetamine was their largest drug problem; in the Pacific Northwest, where 75 percent of those surveyed said it was; and in the Upper Midwest, where 67 percent of county officials declared methamphetamine their worst drug problem. Seventy percent of counties reported increases in robberies and burglaries because of methamphetamine; 62 percent reported increases in domestic violence; 53 percent reported an increase in assaults; and 27 reported an increase in identity theft.Half the counties surveyed said one in five inmates were in jail because of methamphetamine crimes. Many counties reported that half their jail populations were incarcerated because of methamphetamine.The officials said that reports of child abuse had increased as well, with many children neglected while their parents binged and then slept off the high for several days."Meth abuse is ruining lives and families and filling our jails," said Bill Hansell, president-elect of the association and a commissioner from Umatilla County, Ore., which has led that state in laboratory seizures.The officials called yesterday for the restoration of the federal Justice Assistance Program, the $804 million program that helped finance drug-fighting efforts between different jurisdictions. "With the elimination of that program, that really stifles us from being able to combat this epidemic drug," Mr. Kyle said.The officials also called for more money for treatment and said the Bush administration should shift its antidrug efforts, which have emphasized preventing marijuana use among teenagers."We're not saying that that's misplaced or that they shouldn't be doing this," said Larry Naake, executive director of the association, "but we think that there is now an epidemic that needs to get their attention because it's just as serious, if not more serious, because of the overall consequences of it."Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Kate ZernikePublished: July 6, 2005Copyright: 2005 The New York Times Company Contact: letters nytimes.com Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ CannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml
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Comment #39 posted by ekim on July 07, 2005 at 19:49:32 PT
hey jose # 34 people can go see A LIVE LEAP EVENT
Please if anyone goes to a event let us know how it went or how it is going at the time.
See www.leap.cc/howard and help him on his horse ride.
Jul 13 05 WRPI Radio interviews Jack Cole 07:45 AM Jack Cole Troy NY USA Jul 9 05 NAACP Annual Convention 08:00 AM Peter Christ Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
Members of the NAACP welcome LEAP Speakers Peter Christ and Garry Jones with LEAP volunteer Cliff Thornton (Director www.Efficacy-online.org) to this year's NAACP Annual Convention. Peter Christ a nationally recognized expert on America's drug policies, will be discussing the relationship of drug prohibition to crime, the impact of America's drug policies and the resulting devastation to the inner cities, mandatory minimums and the racially biased aspect of America's failed war on drugs. Location: Milwaukee Convention Center. Jul 10 05 SCENE Music Festival 03:00 PM Alison Myrden St. Catharines Ontario Canada
Speaker Alison Myrden is a welcomed guest at this year's SCENE Music Festival. Alison will be talking to visitors about the failure of drug prohibition, the relationship of America and Canada in regards to marijuana and LEAP's mission to end the failed war on drugs. Location: Market Square. Visit http://www.scenemusicfestival.com/news.asp for more information about the festival Jul 13 05 WRPI Radio interviews Jack Cole 07:45 AM Jack Cole Troy NY USA
Executive Director Jack Cole will discuss the unintended consequences of the war on drugs with Judith Brink on her Indy Media Radio Call-in Talk show on WRPI 91.5 FM, in Troy, New York at 7:45 a.m. Listen live at www.wrpi.org. Jul 13 05 Toronto Compassion Centre Fundraiser 06:30 PM Alison Myrden Toronto Ontario Canada
Speaker Alison Myrden will be an honored guest and emcee for this year's Toronto Compassion Centre Fundraiser. The fundraiser is to raise funds for Canada's citizens with AIDS and to bring attention to methods of harm reduction that have been proven to be successful. Location: Yuks Yuks Comedy Club, 224 Richmond St. Jul 17 05 National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice 07:00 AM Jack Cole Dallas Texas USA
Members of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice welcome Executive Director Jack Cole and other LEAP members to this year's convention. LEAP will be hosting an exhibit booth and discussing LEAP's mission and why America should end the failed war on drugs. Location: Adam's Mark Hotel Jul 20 05 Lodi Optimist Club 12:00 PM Howard Wooldridge Lodi Wisconsin USA
Ever the optimist is Board Member Howard Wooldridge when he meets for lunch with members of the Lodi Optimist Club. Howard will be discussing his cross country journey with his horse Misty and their quest to end America's failed war on drugs. Howard will also be discussing specific issues such as methamphetamine production in rural areas, marijuana coming in from Canada and a host of other drug prohibition related issues. Follow Howard on his journey at http://www.LEAP.cc/Howard Jul 22 05 "Seminars at Steamboat: Dialogues on Public Policy" 05:00 PM John Kane Steamboat Springs Colorado USA
Speaker Judge John Kane will participate in "Seminars at Steamboat: Dialogues on Public Policy" to discuss the the war on drugs and its effects on the criminal justice system. Judge Kane, one of LEAP's newest speakers, is a senior judge of the U.S. District Court in Denver. In its third year and growing in popularity each year, the event will be held at Centennial Hall. As the date gets closer, visit http://www.steamboatpilot.com/ for more information. Jul 24 05 National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) 29th Annual Tr 09:30 AM Jason Fisher Atlanta Georgia USA
Speakers Jason Fisher and Garry Jones are welcomed guests to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) 29th Annual Training Conference and Exhibition. This year's event is expected to draw approximately 3,000 visitors, giving LEAP some good exposure and the opportunity to explain LEAP's mission and why America's war on drugs is a complete failure. Location: Marriott Marquis International.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #38 posted by jose melendez on July 07, 2005 at 11:39:45 PT
spiritual, sacramental, organic and ... wholesale
Here is the best I can do for now . . .http://store.yahoo.com/ryocigarette/amspiror15ca.html
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 11:21:08 PT
Jose
That's a good idea but I wouldn't have the energy to do it. Remember young man I'm old! LOL!
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Comment #36 posted by jose melendez on July 07, 2005 at 11:03:11 PT
what about growing your own?
Is your climate suited to growing your own nicotine plants?Tobacco Seeds and Growing Instructionshttp://www.ecoseeds.com/tobacco.html The truth about tobaccohttp://www.erowid.org/plants/tobacco/tobacco.shtml
STATEMENT BY
DAVID A. KESSLER, M.D.
COMMISSIONER OF FOOD AND DRUGS
on
THE CONTROL AND MANIPULATION
OF NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 21, 1994http://free.freespeech.org/transgenicos/transgenicos/perolas/y-1/kessler.htm
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 10:15:56 PT
Jose
I even think buying from the Indian tribes won't help because it's the tax in the states they want. They have hit people with many thousands of dollars in taxes who have bought on line. It's not something I want to risk. It's easier to pay the increased tax then to get hit with a high tax bill on down the road.
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Comment #34 posted by jose Melendez on July 07, 2005 at 10:02:53 PT
FoM, afterburner
FoM: Could you not just grow the tobacco and perhaps vaporize it, or at least buy from Indian tribes that don't poison the stuff? It would seem you could benefit even if it cost more than the Polonium laced, filtered defective drug delivery devices marketed to you like so much breakfast cereal. Heck, I'm tempted to start a bunch of organic tobacco hydroponics operations as reverse stings against the HIDTA remnants here in Florida, I'd bet I could bank from those undercover videos, especially if I can get the producers of COPS in on the action. I now have a battery of attorneys aware and ready to help me fight back in court on several levels.Thanks, afterburner. I actually baited the former DEA guy with a carefully worded trap in that letter, hoping to catch him in another straw man argument, as my friend Keith from Miami DEA attempted when I called him on drug war fraud before a former judge in Jacksonville. If only I had had a laptop in front of me, or thought to make him swear under oath before Her Honor and interrogated him further, I'd have won that argument right then and there.Listen to the following NPR story:'Shadow in the City' Subject Speaks Hear the story of "Joey O'Shea", a 20 year veteran of the drug war who, like LEAP.cc's Jack Cole, realizes now he was doing wrong, and is willing to speak out about that fact.Day to Day, July 6, 2005 · The life of an undercover cop who spent 23 years on the front lines of America's drug war is depicted in a new book by writer Charles Bowden titled A Shadow in the City. In this segment, the officer himself talks to Alex Chadwick about his life as a drug warrior.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4731706also: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4730103Unfortunately the London bombings seem to have interrupted the next installment in the series, just as with the 10 September debate that former DEA chief Asa Hutchinson lost to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. The transcripts and video would have likely been big news the next morning, were it not for formerly CIA funded Osama Bin Laden's operation.Why our prosecutors and attorneys general don't already have war profiteers in irons and behind bars is beyond me, but not beyond my capabilities to achieve . . .
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 07:59:07 PT
afterburner
I did a search and found out they will hit us with a tax if we buy online. I guess paying the increased tax is what we will have to do.
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Comment #32 posted by afterburner on July 07, 2005 at 06:11:29 PT
Good LTE, Jose, Way to Go
Exposed: What People Really Need To Be Protected From
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1035/a09.html
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Comment #31 posted by afterburner on July 07, 2005 at 06:00:53 PT
Comment #20, Don't Give 'em Ideas, FoM
Oops, too late.When the cost of cigarettes went too high in Ontario, smuggling increased. Then, the government backed off on the taxes, and the price dropped.
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Comment #30 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 20:36:51 PT
grin
Oops, that's 'made public.' Mad public will be the result when drug warriors are fully exposed as criminals . . .Wage peace, all!
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Comment #29 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 20:34:06 PT
I'm learning
Thanks, FoM, I know I'm not always politically correct, but I do try to be honest and fair to all.BTW, one of my political reps mailed me a letter indicating contact has already been made with the Justice Department on my behalf concerning the allegations of felony fraud I mad public to DOJ, NPR and (many) others.The dam is cracked already . . .
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 20:27:12 PT
Jose
I think you are a really nice person. Thanks for everything you do.
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Comment #27 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 20:23:04 PT
oops
I meant comment #25, not #23 . . . gosh darned clumsy fingers . . .
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Comment #26 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 20:20:37 PT
proof: drug warriors are crooks and liars
Re: comment#23Um . . . don't most addicted people start with Polonium 210 laced cigarettes, at around 8-12 years of age? - - -Bears repeating, unless you are a sheriff in Lubbock, Texas or employed by ONDCP: According to the 1999 MTF, rates of heroin use remained relatively stable and low since the late 1970s. After 1991, however, use began to rise among 10th- and 12th-graders, and after 1993, among 8th-graders. In 1999, prevalence of heroin use was comparable for all three grade levels. Although past year prevalence rates for heroin use remained relatively low in 1999, these rates are about two to three times higher than those reported in 1991.http://www.councilonalcoholism.net/heroin.htmHeroin use by 12th graders increased in 2000. Heroin was used by 1.1% of seniors in 1999 and by 1.5% of them in 2000. This is the highest reported use of heroin since the survey began in 1975.http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/mtf.html - - -Like Lubbock? see also:Roachs' Run:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n279/a11.htmlCan you say mantra? Another Drug 'Warrior' Sticks to Script, Omits Truths:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1000/a09.htmlExposed: What People Really Need To Be Protected From http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1035/a09.html
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 19:42:20 PT
Related News Article from KCBD.com
Marijuana: The Gateway To Meth Addiction in Lubbock County
*** July 6, 2005
Texas -- Lobbyists are calling on Congress for laws to cure what they call "an epidemic" in our country...methamphetamine use. The request comes after a nationwide survey found meth-related arrests increase 87% in three years. Those findings are raising questions about the meth problem in Lubbock.Lubbock County DPS interviewed 100 meth addicts, 99 of them said the first drug they tried was marijuana and the addiction grew from there. J.D. Brown, a detox program director, deals with drug users everyday. "We ask questions, when was the first time, what was the first drug. Marijuana and alcohol are at the top of the list and it usually begins at age 11 or 12," says Brown. Marijuana is the most used narcotic in the nation with over 15 million users and the most used in Lubbock. Brown says users will start with marijuana and then try other drugs that their friends will ask them to try. A third of the users in rehab use marijuana and another drug. Another third are addicted to methamphetamine. The good news is, meth manufacturing in Lubbock is on the decline. In 2003, LPD and DPS made 56 meth lab busts. That number significantly decreased to 17 in 2004 and so far this year, only seven labs have been destroyed. Brown says the only way to stop the drug problem is to eliminate the demand. "If we help the addicts, there will not be a demand."Law enforcement credits the lower meth labs to new city and state laws that restrict consumer buying of pseudoephedrine as well as public education on how to identify meth labs. Video: http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=3563530
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Comment #24 posted by charmed quark on July 06, 2005 at 15:05:28 PT
Harm reduction is the only way
I remember the first meth epidemic in the 70's. Then cocaine became the fad. The government started demonizing cocaine and so it morphed into crack. They spend billions destroying parts of South America trying to eradicate the plant. I told many people that these drugs were fads and were cyclical and crack would die out. And even if they were able to reduce the supply, people would just turn to synthetic drugs like crystal meth. And sure enough, here we are and no better off.It's the same with narcotics. Control the heroin market and people will just make synthetics. What's the point?And especially for cannabis, which grows like a weed.Instead we need to practice reducing the harm drugs do to our society. Of course, with that philosophy, we should legalize cannabis as it might switch some people away from hard drugs. it's worked well in the Netherlands.-CQ
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 14:05:22 PT
In Canada, Marijuana Grows Like, Well, a Weed
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 7:30 p.m. ET
All Things Considered, July 6, 2005 · Some would call marijuana British Columbia's largest export to the United States. The border patrol and local sheriffs have recently stumbled across massive shipments in cars, trucks -- even a kayak. And now the Canadian government is considering whether to decriminalize recreational use of the drug.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4732092
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 13:36:31 PT
An Off Topic Question
Because of the increase in the tax I mentioned does anyone know if it's legal to buy cigarettes online? This so much cheaper then here anymore.http://cigarettesamerica.com/index.html
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 12:42:15 PT
Article from Focus on the Family
Meth Crisis 'Disastrous' for U.S.Excerpt from Article:Even though marijuana is far and away the most abused drug in America, Murray said the violent and toxic nature of meth makes it a front-line concern. http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0037099.cfm
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 12:31:14 PT
Off Topic
I am beginning to think that the powers that be want to make people who have vices go totally broke. Now a cartoon of cigarettes is almost more expensive then pot! They raised the tax 70 more cents per pack in our state. Why can they keep raising taxes like this and no one seems to care? Soon they will raise taxes on foods that contribute to some people becoming overweight.
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Comment #19 posted by b4daylight on July 06, 2005 at 12:02:41 PT
"Hope"
Comment #12 posted by Hope on July 06, 2005 at 10:17:05 PTI think the gov. is too ignorant to be afraid. I just think they did not take them seriously. What pisses me off no matter how many things go wrong with our government no one is accountable for anything.Look at Tenet he resigns two weeks before he his at fault for not doing his job correct. Then gets a presidental medal from Bush. Typical government push their own agenda whether good or bad, and if something major happens along the way spin and react to make them look good in the voters eye. Then exploit the event to your benefit, after you spun and reacted to show it’s not your fault. Americans buys this hook line and sinker. After all Bush gave the Taliban 40 million dollar six months before 9/11, and we reelect him.
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Comment #18 posted by runruff on July 06, 2005 at 11:55:09 PT:
a cool website.
www.virtualtoke.com, check it out.namaste
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Comment #17 posted by cloud7 on July 06, 2005 at 11:47:41 PT
Business sells too many matches...Off to Jail!
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/11958740.htmIt's no longer enough to only sell legal items at a shop, you now have to discern the buyer's intent when you sell them. Not a mind reader? Go to jail! If it asks you for registration, this login worked from www.bugmenot.comemail: observe evmealn.uspassword: bugbaby12
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Comment #16 posted by afterburner on July 06, 2005 at 11:06:21 PT
RE Comment #13
"The harder the Prohibition, the harder the drugs." --one of our Cnews regularsThe War on Cannabis destroys hope.Jesse Jackson once said, "Children are shooting dope [meaning heroin] in their veins because parents forgot to shoot hope in their brains."Save the children: legalize cannabis for adults. Let's get it out of the schools and into the stores.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 10:44:35 PT
kaptinemo
You're very welcome!
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Comment #14 posted by kaptinemo on July 06, 2005 at 10:39:30 PT:
Thank you, FoM
For that link. Guess what? It looks almost as if Mr. Radulich has been spending some time here, as the articles and quotes he uses are the very articles, links, etc. that we have been posting here FOR YEARS. In fact, one paragraph looks like a cut and paste of Charles Whitebread's The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htmRadulich's article: *The records of the time reflect an undercurrent of racist beliefs that informed their collective decision making process. Probably the best single statement was the statement of a proponent of Texas first marijuana law. He said on the floor of the Texas Senate, and I quote, "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what makes them crazy." Or, as the proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, (and imagine this on the floor of the state legislature) and I quote, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona."*From Whitebread's article:*Probably the best single statement was the statement of a proponent of Texas first marijuana law. He said on the floor of the Texas Senate, and I quote, "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what makes them crazy." Or, as the proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, (and imagine this on the floor of the state legislature) and I quote, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona."*I don't see any footnotes attributing this quote to the proper source anywhere. Nothing like having an eidetic memory; a head full of facts and quotes and sources...and who made them.
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Comment #13 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 10:38:37 PT
govt: marijuana arrests increase youth heroin use
According to the 1999 MTF, rates of heroin use remained relatively stable and low since the late 1970s. After 1991, however, use began to rise among 10th- and 12th-graders, and after 1993, among 8th-graders. In 1999, prevalence of heroin use was comparable for all three grade levels. Although past year prevalence rates for heroin use remained relatively low in 1999, these rates are about two to three times higher than those reported in 1991. http://www.councilonalcoholism.net/heroin.htm Heroin use by 12th graders increased in 2000. Heroin was used by 1.1% of seniors in 1999 and by 1.5% of them in 2000. This is the highest reported use of heroin since the survey began in 1975.http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/mtf.html
Prohibition II: meth is today's bathtub gin
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on July 06, 2005 at 10:17:05 PT
B4daylight, "6 fbi agents assigned to Al Quida
I look at this two ways. One view is they treat us like fools with their "shell game".The second view is that they might really be that afraid. That misplaced fear is something the propagandists, hypnotists, who peddle hysteria, can pat themselves on the back about.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 09:52:36 PT
Editorial
Poisoning The Well With Good IntentionsEditorial by Mark RadulichWednesday, July 06, 2005In America, drug addiction is the only disease we treat as an intolerable crime. Part of that comes from the unfortunate belief that drug addiction is not a disease but rather a symptomatic trait of weak and depraved people. However, most people who actually have family or friends that have suffered through drug addiction may have come to the realization that the issue is just a bit more complex than simply the province of depravity.Complete Article: http://www.legendgames.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/UN0000430.txt
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 09:39:32 PT
kaptinemo
Thank you. It seems more and more that as we the people seem to have a voice in how we feel about our government the more we will be threatened with being silenced or jailed or something. All we see on the tv news is about pretty white girls getting abducted and killed by a lunatic. When it comes to more then one case like Live 8's message was about we barely see or hear anything. I don't know how our country won't totally lose it and rebel.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 09:33:12 PT
Related News Article from Fox News
Local Officials Want Feds Help Fighting Meth Epidemic Wednesday, July 06, 2005By Todd Zwillich
An organization representing local officials said Tuesday that the White House is not paying enough attention to a growing methamphetamine epidemic. The localities say they need more help from the federal government to combat methamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that has spread throughout the country through distribution from home laboratories.Fifty-eight percent of local law enforcement agencies in a National Association of Counties (NACo) survey released Tuesday call methamphetamine their most serious drug problem. Cocaine is named the No. 1 problem by 19 percent, while marijuana is named by 17 percent.Marijuana Policy vs. Methamphetamine PolicyBut the organization was critical of President Bush’s drug policy, which has focused heavily on preventing marijuana use in children and adolescents. The strategy includes widespread media campaigns against marijuana and a focus on school-based drug testing.The administration should focus on methamphetamine “as much as they do marijuana,” Larry E. Naake, the group’s executive director, told reporters.“We think that there now is an epidemic that needs to get their attention,” he said.“Our message to the administration is that there is also an additional drug epidemic that is occurring in this country,” said Angelo D. Kyle, the NACo president and a county board member from Lake County, Ill.Officials complained that the rising use of methamphetamine – also known as “meth” -- is increasingly responsible for child neglect cases and arrests for domestic violence. Overdoses with the drug, as well as poisonings and burn injuries from manufacturing labs, are putting increased pressure on rural and county hospitals, they say.Forty percent of 303 counties in 13 states surveyed by the group reported an increase in neglected children placed outside the home by child welfare departments because of methamphetamine use.The 2006 federal budget cuts $804 million in federal grants that localities used to police methamphetamines and other drugs. The White House budget states that the funds, called the Justice Assistance Program, “do not have a record of demonstrating results.”“It’s causing us a tremendous problem,” Naake said of the cuts. The group wants Congress to spend more money on methamphetamine law enforcement and treatment programs for localities.
Complete Article: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,161629,00.html
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Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on July 06, 2005 at 09:33:03 PT:
FoM, think of it this way
Soldiers are trained to kill the enemy, not arrest them. The same thing Stick was trained to do, the same I was, and every member of CNEWS who ever (proudly!) wore the 'pickle suit'. Yet, soldiers, sailors, air force personnel and Marines are increasingly being tasked with jobs that are outside of their purview. This inevitably causes them to rub up against areas that are off limits to the military - like domestic law enforcement - for good reason. Reasons that, when ignored, result in tragedies like Esequiel Hernendez's. The military HAS NO BUSINESS ENGAGING IN CIVILIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT.For a look at what a possible future might look like with military law enforcement leading to military dictatorship, take a look at this, written by a real military officer:The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/OriginsOfAmericanMilitaryCoup2012.htmland keep in mind this won a presigious military essay award.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 07:50:47 PT
kaptinemo
Since I don't understand military things what does the article mean? It doesn't mean that the military will patrol around the USA does it? If you say yes then will we be in a state of national martial law? I really am glad I don't live in an area that is near a big city or I'm afraid I couldn't take it.
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on July 06, 2005 at 07:31:56 PT:
Partly related: Military Expands Homeland Efforts
from the Washington Post:
http://tinyurl.com/ch4ayI urge all concerned about the nature of the slide towards despotism here in the US to recall that it was a weakening of the Posse Comitatus Act which allowed the US military to be brought into the War on (Some) Drugs - and led directly to the death of Esequiel Hernandez in 1997, killed by US Marines while on 'anti-drug' patrol on the Mex border:http://www.dpft.org/hernandez/gallery/And some people want to expand this, given what's already happened? I have no problem with using the military as a means of protecting our borders, but when it comes to 'mission creep', the results have proven to be deadly to US citizens like Hernandez. Bad enough when terrorists take American lives; worse when Uncle does it himself...
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 07:22:25 PT
News Brief from CNW
Commercial Marijuana Research Gets Green Light VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC, July 6 /CNW/ - PhytoCan Pharmaceuticals is developing the first certified organic cannabis based medicines. The BC company is producing products in adherence to the new federal government national organic standards. Health Canada has conditionally approved PhytoCan Pharmaceuticals Inc. to conduct scientific research into cannabis based medicines using Island Harvest(TM) certified organic cannabis. "In the past 3 years, Island Harvest has developed the cannabis strains we require." states Operations Manager Wendy Little. Health Canada recently announced "Health Canada recognizes the need for research into marihuana to determine the safety and efficacy of its use. The Government of Canada will continue to support this research." Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Blatherwick comments, "PhytoCan's application to do research into these areas is highly supportable." PhytoCan president Eric Nash states "We are pleased to announce, with two years of consultations with Health Canada, the approval of our research and product development." PhytoCan is using exclusive patented technology to produce standardized organic cannabis medicines. After second phase of research, a product will be ready for clinical trials.http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2005/06/c8953.html
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on July 06, 2005 at 06:45:46 PT:
A tacit admission they're 'fighting' the wrong
battle.*"The officials also called for more money for treatment and said the Bush administration should shift its antidrug efforts, which have emphasized preventing marijuana use among teenagers. "We're not saying that that's misplaced or that they shouldn't be doing this," said Larry Naake, executive director of the association, "but we think that there is now an epidemic that needs to get their attention because it's just as serious, if not more serious, because of the overall consequences of it."*Free translation: "We've wasted all this money and time 'fighting' cannabis consumption, when REAL criminals have been cooking and selling meth, which is far more dangerous than any cannabist ever could possibly be."Cannabis production does not involve harmful, volatile, dangerously explosive chemicals; meth does. (It always cracks me up to see the goons dressed in disposable chemsuits when entering a grow-op; I was Chemical Corps and know just how friggin' USELESS those suits are against the truly dangerous stuff like organophosphates like Roundup and volatiles like those used in meth-making. The only real protection is a butyl rubber suit - damned uncomfortable in the best of conditions and brutally hot in summer - and a self-contained breather apparatus. But it looks oh-so-brave of them to get all done up like that. Suf-ferrrrr, you idiots; I can't help but laugh!) Cannabists are not likely to shoot at cops; paranoid meth tweakers can and have done so. I could go on, but you get the picture. It's a matter of degree. Well, it's 'guns or butter' time. They can choose to chase and jail us or they can choose to chase and jail meth tweakers, but they can no longer afford to do both. And you heard it (albeit, obliquely) 'from the horse's mouth'.
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 06, 2005 at 04:17:07 PT
Sad Truth Is...
... If marijuana were legalized for adult use, most people wouldn't even mess with Meth. But because it's so easy to test positive for weed weeks after you use it, people will take whatever they can to evade coming up positive - unfortunately including meth.If they want to do something about illegal drugs, at least make marijuana legal. The system the way it is now, no telling what new truly dangerous drug will come after meth and be of course perpetuated by the Cannabis black market.
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Comment #2 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on July 06, 2005 at 00:25:46 PT
Wrong war
"Seventy percent of counties reported increases in robberies and burglaries because of methamphetamine".
I have never heard anyone say anything like this about cannabis, and the feds go after the mello and sick people proving they are out of touch with what is best for everyone.I was reading about the drug war at the Mexico/American border and it sounds like the Al Capone days being repeated all over again. Talk about out of control, that is a shoot out violent war. Many people have been killed down there just this year. The drug enforcers, the feds trained to combat drugs being smuggled into the U.S. have now switched sides and are working with the smugglers. It's all out lawlessness just like in the alcohol prohibition days. It's a mess.
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Comment #1 posted by b4daylight on July 05, 2005 at 22:54:50 PT
overdue
Bush needs to spend all his time on cannabis because it is a way to support his agenda on how cannabis should be illegal. Without a constant propaganda his agenda is doomed, why do you think he is targeting kids?Remember before 9-11 there were 2300 fbi agents on the drug war!Yet there were only 6 fbi agents assigned to Al Quida.The article below is from 1997
it is three parts which is reccomended ahead of it's time article.http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1997-12-18/feature2.html
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1997-12-18/news/feature4_8.html
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1997-12-18/news/feature4_8.htmland yet we still focus on Cannabis?Part of the problem with the drugged war is the misconception in that what we are doing is beneficial. We mislead our kids and leave them with out a government to trust. We incarcerate everyone who won't use just the drugs we want them to use.We lack creativity in the solving the problem because we deny to ourselves we are creating more problems than we started with.We have the inabilities to decrease funding even when something is corrupt let alone not working.We use morals and beliefs to determine laws rather than science, and furthermore block science in reporting their findings or clinical trials.We won't listen or view other countries responses to the same problems. We won't admit failure.We treat a health issue of addiction as a criminal issue.
Meth
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