HEALTH: San Francisco Gives Cards To Patients Who Have A Doctor's Note, $25. SAN FRANCISCO - With $25 and a doctor's note, sick people can get an official city ID card entitling them to use medicinal marijuana, San Francisco's maverick district attorney proudly announced Friday. "This represents another stone in the foundation we're building to make people recognize that cannabis is a legitimate medicinal agent," Terence Hallinan said. "I'm not really worried we won't be able to work things out with the federal government." [continues 343 words]
The House judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider HR 2987, dubbed the "Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act," today, although it is possible it will be postponed (as it has been before) because of growing opposition to two provisions of the bill that would do serious damage to venerable constitutional protections for individual citizens. As written, the bill would weaken Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech. Under current law, law enforcement agencies with a proper warrant can enter your house and search it when you are not present, but they must inform you that they have done so. HR 2987 would allow them to search houses without informing the occupants or owners. [continues 216 words]
A federal judge in San Francisco has cleared the way for an Oakland club to distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes, saying the government hasn't proven why seriously ill patients should be denied the drug. Monday's decision will allow the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative to provide cannabis to members who face imminent harm from a serious medical condition and have found that legal alternatives to marijuana don't work or cause intolerable side effects. "We believe this is the tip of the iceberg," said John Entwhistle, a spokesman for Californians for Compassionate Use, the group that wrote the state's medical marijuana initiative, known as Proposition 215. "We think at least the feds are starting to recognize the strength and reality of the medical necessity of using marijuana as medicine, at least for certain conditions." Justice Department spokeswoman Gretchen Michael said officials were reviewing the decision by U.S. District Court Charles R. Breyer. She had no further comment. [end]
First there were the British officials who searched, whenever they chose, the homes and businesses of the American colonists. The helpless fury these searches caused led to our Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights. That amendment requires that law-enforcement agents, to obtain a search warrant, must show that there is probable cause that a crime has been or will be committed. They must also list in the warrant the specific persons or things to be searched. Then the imperious J. Edgar Hoover authorized what were called "black-bag jobs" - secret, warrantless searches by FBI agents in the name of national security. [continues 482 words]
The cancer risk from cigarettes has been widely publicized for years, and its addictiveness has been obvious even longer. Those who ignored the U.S. surgeon general's warnings and anti-smoking advertisements have no one to blame but themselves if they are diagnosed with lung cancer or other respiratory illnesses. The tobacco industry lied to protect its financial interests. If anyone is to blame for tobacco-related deaths besides the individual, it would have to be the FDA, DEA or whichever alphabetic government agency regulates products for consumer safety. They are the people who have allowed tobacco products to be on the market despite evidence they are carcinogenic and harmful to respiratory health. But if our government tried to add tobacco to the list of dangerous and illegal drugs, it would lead to a house cleaning of our incumbent government officials on Election Day. And if tobacco is not on the list, then why is cannabis? tobacco causes more deaths than all other illegal drugs than all other illegal drugs combined, while cannabis is practically harmless Lionel De Leon - Garden Grove [end]
Those who ignored the U.S. surgeon general's warnings and anti-smoking advertisements have no one to blame but themselves if they are diagnosed with lung cancer or other respiratory illnesses. The tobacco industry lied to protect its financial interests. If anyone is to blame for tobacco-related deaths besides the individual, it would have to be the FDA, DEA or whichever alphabetic government agency regulates products for consumer safety. They are the people who have allowed tobacco products to be on the market despite evidence they are carcinogenic and harmful to respiratory health. [continues 67 words]
Letter writer W. D. Allen Sr. should seek out more information before commenting on a subject he obviously is terribly misinformed about (McWilliams had option for alternative medicine, Letters, June 30). Peter McWilliams' use of marijuana was not for the "ethical relief of pain." McWilliams used marijuana to suppress nausea brought about by taking the "cocktail" of prescription drugs necessary to sustain his life while suffering from AIDS and cancer. Without marijuana he would vomit up his prescriptions within a short period of time after taking them, rendering them virtually ineffective. The use of Marinol is effective about a third of the time, at best, but still would not help much in allowing his life-saving drugs to help keep down his "viral load". [continues 60 words]
Peter McWilliams' use of marijuana was not for the "ethical relief of pain." McWilliams used marijuana to suppress nausea brought about by taking the "cocktail" of prescription drugs necessary to sustain his life while suffering from AIDS and cancer. Without marijuana he would vomit up his prescriptions within a short period of time after taking them, rendering them virtually ineffective. The use of Marinol is effective about a third of the time, at best, but still would not help much in allowing his life-saving drugs to help keep down his "viral load". [continues 58 words]
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Congress' quick passage of emergency aid for Colombian government last week was the lack of debate that it triggered. A caution here and there, but by and large Democrats and Republicans were united in the belief that America should draw itself more deeply into a violent drug war taking place in South American jungles. By modern congressional standards, the $1.3 billion aid package isn't that large. But it well be used to provide training and helicopters for the Colombian military and police forces. They are in a long-running and exceedingly violent war against left-wing insurgents who finance their operations with drug profits. [continues 291 words]
Regarding "Let judge know your feelings on McWilliams," Letters, June 28: We are certainly saddened at the death of anyone, including Peter McWilliams. But it's hardly reasonable for letter writer Diane Fallon to expect us to believe he died from lack of marijuana. Her statement, "He is now dead because a judge forbade him to smoke marijuana ..." is hardly logical. It is more likely McWilliams died from AIDS. Fallon doesn't help make the case for smoking marijuana. Any doctor could have prescribed marinol, an extract of marijuana, for the ethical relief of pain for McWilliams. Sure, I'll write the judge, as she suggests. I'll tell him we already have the benefit of marijuana to relieve pain which does not require smoking it. But then the judge probably already knows that. W. D. Allen Sr. Placentia [end]
An Orange County Register Olympic Special Report OLYMPICS: The USOC cooperated in a controversial Australian project, contributing funding and test subjects, to determine parameters for EPO testing. COLORADO SPRINGS - The United States Olympic Committee provided Olympic-caliber athletes for an Australian drug-testing project this year that included blood testing to determine potential differences between African American, Asian and other ethnic groups. USOC also endorsed the Australian Institute of Sport program that gave Australian athletes a potentially fatal performance-enhancing drug banned by the International Olympic Committee. [continues 2567 words]
Although I never met Peter McWilliams ["The death of Peter McWilliams," Opinion,June 22], the news of his death both saddened and angered me. In 1994 I contacted Peter about writing an endorsement for my company's first book. Peter had written a best selling years earlier on a similar topic and was gracious enough to fulfill my request. He was also generous with his time. He is now dead because a judge forbade him to smoke marijuana as a condition of his release from jail pending trial. He suffered from AIDS and marijuana relieved his nausea. He died choking on his own vomit. For those who would like to express their opinions directly to Judge George King regarding his hand in the death of Peter McWilliams, here's where to write: District Judge, Western Division, Roybal Federal Building, Rm 650, 225 East Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 Diane Fallon - Irvine [end]
The Senate fended off efforts Wednesday to scale back President Clinton's package of anti-narcotics assistance to Colombia. Senators demonstrated strong support for the plan, which contains $934 million for Colombia, as they worked toward passage of a foreign aid bill for the fiscal year that begins Oct.1. The bulk of the money would go toward training special counter-narcotics battalions in the Colombian military and for dozens of American-made helicopters used for transporting troops and drug surveillance. It would help the Colombian military combat left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups that are protecting drug traffickers. [continues 76 words]
BEIJING - Hoping to slow the flow of tons of high-grade heroin through China and into the United States, U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey and high-ranking Chinese law enforcement officials agreed Monday to share evidence and intelligence on crime and drugs. The crime-fighting accord, the first drug-related legal-assistance agreement between the United States and China, is a signal of warming relations. It was reached on the first stop of an eight-day Asia tour by McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. McCaffrey also will visit the southern Chinese city of Kunming and Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. [continues 169 words]
South Africa plans to grow hemp commercially to help impoverished rural people, even though the plant is illegal. [end]
Peter McWilliams is dead Age? Fifty. Profession? Author, poet, publisher. Particular focus of interest? The federal judge in California (George King) would decide in a few weeks how long a sentence to hand down, and whether to send McWilliams to prison or let him serve his sentence at home. What was his offense? He collaborated in growing marijuana plants. What was his defense? Well, the judge wouldn't allow him to plead his defense to the jury. If given a chance, the defense would have argued that under Proposition 215, passed into California constitutional law in 1996, infirm Californians who got medical relief from marijuana were permitted to use it. The judge also forbade any mention that McWilliams suffered from AIDS and cancer and got relief from the marijuana. [continues 412 words]
Prejudice: Mayor Giuliani Calls The Report By Civil-rights Group 'Politicized.' Police Recruiting Also Was Criticized. WASHINGTON - The New York Police Department widely uses improper racial profiling to stop and question blacks and Hispanics, contributing to turbulent racial tensions that can escalate into "tragic and unnecessary" incidents like the police shooting of unarmed Amadou Diallo, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found Friday. New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani called the conclusion a "politicized report that bears no relation to reality.' [continues 382 words]
Government: Mccaffrey Is Criticized For Not Filling Deputy Director Posts And For His 'Military-Oriented' Leadership Style. WASHINGTON - An independent review of the White House drug czar's office has found an understaffed and troubled bureaucracy led by a director who is a "high-pressure and military-oriented" leader, driving many career professionals to quit. A 53-page report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, obtained by the Boston Globe, was mandated by a House and Senate conference committee, which was concerned about reports of problems in employee retention and the management style at the Office of National Drug Control Policy. [continues 566 words]
Colombian drug lords have created a flashy new web page, http://www.extradicion.org in an apparent attempt to turn public opinion against plans by President Andres Pastrana to extradite more drug suspects. the page has angry diatribes against U.S. "imperialism" and interviews with inmates. [end]
AUSTIN, Texas - Cash-strapped district attorneys along the Texas-Mexico border will stop prosecuting federal marijuana cases beginning July 1, a spokesman for the group said Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Justice refers cases in which smugglers are caught at border checkpoints with 250 pounds or less of marijuana to state courts. Local officials say they are overwhelmed. "This partnership has gone one way for too long," said Jaime Esparza, district attorney for El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson counties and head of Southwest Border Prosecutors. [continues 122 words]
