PRESS RELEASE - 11th APRIL, 2004

Edition 35.

Cannabis News Items From Around the World

Only 78 legal patients in Canada

Pubdate: Tue, 23 Mar 2004
Source: Ubyssey (CN BC Edu)
Website: http://www.ubyssey.bc.ca/

PRESCRIPTION THE FIRST STEP

Coming to a pharmacy near you: medicinal marijuana. Too bad only 78 people across the country are registered with Health Canada to use the stuff.

But nonetheless, Health Canada is considering the progressive step of making that Flin Flon, Manitoba bud available without a perscription to registered users at local pharmacies.

Will this step prove to be a boon to increase the number of people registered to recieve government-issued pot? It seems that registered users have complained constantly about the quality of the pot, with one user even calling it a "very raunchy, poor quality smoke."

A Health Canada survey estimates that seven per cent of the Canadian population, about 290,000, illegally use marijuana to relieve their symptoms. Getting the stuff into drug stores may not ensure that those who need it will buy it legally from the government, especially considering the legendary BC bud is likely grown in your neighbour's basement.

How the government struggles to grow a plant that is actually a weed, with all the legal hydroponics needed, is hard to fathom. But perhaps we could save the tax dollars being poured into Flin Flon and the BC resources used to bust those illegal, albeit high quality, grow ops to come up with a
solution where pot could be grown locally and legally for medicinal purposes. But then again, government never likes competition.

Currently, registered users are allowed to grow pot themselves or have a representative grow it for them. If the government goes ahead with the plan to have it available in drugstores, there is concern that eventually you will not have the option of growing it yourself. Alas, you'll be stuck with the weak government-issue brand.

There is also the cost issue. While charging and taxing marijuana would be a huge source of revenue for the government-considering there are approximately 1.5 million pot smokers in Canada-will users be willing to pay the extra cost for something that they could easily buy under the table from
the neighbour down the street? Unlike cigarettes or even over the counter medications, pot is
something that is easily grown in one's home, not requiring a multitude of ingredients like, say, a bottle of Tylenol Three.

The system is also subject to abuse. Could one user potentially hit up five or six drug stores in one day, procuring not only enough pot for their ailments but also enough for their friends? Or will pharmacies who carry it be required to install an elaborate and expensive electronic system for
regulating customers?

On the plus side, steps toward decriminalisation has freed up police resources to more pressing issues. About 25,000 possession charges are laid in Canada every year. With marijuana being sold at the local drug store, less charges would be laid. This is a great step against prohibition.
Medical studies constantly reinforce that there are minimal health risks of marijuana use.

Additionally, marijuana made available through a pharmacy would ensure the purity of the plant, preventing the risk of users coming into contact with pot laced with harsher, more addictive drugs.

Hopefully one day in the future the most deliberation in this area will be deciding between 'home-grown' or 'crown.'

WESTERN AUSTRALIA EASES RULES ON CANNABIS

Pubdate: Mon, 22 Mar 2004
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2004 New Zealand Herald
Website: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Author: Greg Ansley

WESTERN AUSTRALIA EASES RULES ON CANNABIS

Western Australia has become the second state to decriminalise cannabis in a bid to reduce the police and courts workload and divert more users to counselling.
Possession of small amounts of cannabis is already decriminalised in South Australia, and in the
Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory - both self-governing, but still subject to federal Parliament.
The new WA laws, which came into effect yesterday, are part of a growing trend to ease prosecutions for cannabis possession, which make up by far the largest drug caseload for Australia's law agencies.
Although no Government has accepted arguments for the legalisation of the drug, numerous reports and studies have recommended its removal from criminal sanctions.
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland still treat cannabis possession as a criminal offence, but give police wide discretion.
The new WA laws provide for fines of up to A$150 ($170) and compulsory drug education classes for people caught with up to 30g of cannabis, or a A$200 fine for growing two plants.
As in South Australia, the far more potent hydroponically grown plants remain illegal, and dealing is still a criminal offence.
In SA, fines of up to A$150 may be imposed on people caught with less than 100g grams or one non-hydroponically grown.
The Liberal Opposition has condemned the new laws and has promised to repeal them when it is returned to power.

VANCOUVER MAYOR HEADS TO OZ FOR DRUG TALK

Pubdate: Mon, 22 Mar 2004
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Vancouver Courier
Contact: editor@vancourier.com
Website: http://www.vancourier.com/
Author: David Carrigg

MAYOR HEADS TO OZ FOR DRUG TALK

Mayor Larry Campbell will head Down Under next month to be a keynote speaker at a conference on harm reduction for drug addicts.

Campbell, who will fly to Melbourne from Vancouver April 19, was asked to address the 15th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm about a year ago, after meeting some association members.

"They were interested in the Vancouver experience," said Campbell, who plans to talk about the process the city had to go through to open a supervised injection site. "I'll talk about the transition from recognizing we had a huge problem to the citizen involvement, political involvement and how we went about solving the concerns of the citizens."

Harm reduction, which seeks to mitigate hazards like overdoses and transmission of Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS through dirty needles, is one of the four pillars of the city's drug policy, implemented in 2001-the others are treatment, education and enforcement.

Aside from the supervised injection site on the 100-block of East Hastings Street, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority operates a life skills centre for addicts and distributes three million free needles a year.

The harm reduction push began under the reign of former mayor Philip Owen, and was a factor in his split with the Non Partisan Association, which controlled the city at the time.

Campbell will also tell the conference that Vancouver's supervised injection site is recording more than 500 user visits a day, and staff have intervened in at least 100 overdoses since the facility opened six months ago.

"We want to show the differences that have taken place," Campbell said. "We know there have been at least 100 interventions and while the health authority may not be able to say that they are lives saved, I think I am more than qualified as a former chief coroner to say people are alive as a
result of this."

Donald MacPherson, the city's drug policy coordinator, will also attend the conference at a cost of $4,500. Campbell's costs for the four-day conference will be covered by the association.

MacPherson has been to two previous harm reduction conferences, in Switzerland and the U.S., and believes Australia is more progressive than Canada when it comes to harm reduction.

Sydney, he said, has had a supervised injection site for three years, and conducts trials where addicts are prescribed free heroin. "They've had success limiting the spread of Hepatitis C and their needle exchanges are more diverse and widespread than ours. They also have a coherent national
drug strategy, which we don't."

Campbell said the key belief Vancouver and Australia have in common when it comes to drug issues is the philosophy that arresting drug users does not solve the problem.

"We both recognize you can't arrest your way out of this and that's an important point," said Campbell, who is curious to see Australia's drug addiction treatment and education policies.

Campbell said he will not have time to travel from Melbourne to Sydney to visit the supervised injection site, but the site's managers will be at the conference.

"We'll compare notes to see what they are doing that is working that we're not [doing] and vice versa," said Campbell, who's hoping to catch a game of Australian Rules Football in Melbourne if he gets a chance.

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority staffers Heather Hay, director of Vancouver region, and Dr. David Marsh, physician leader of addiction services, will also attend the conference.

Vancouver will host the 17th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in 2006.

The conference is being held in Melbourne, Australia, between April 20 and 24.

HEALTH CANADA PLANS PILOT PROJECT TO PUT CERTIFIED MARIJUANA INTO PHARMACIES

Pubdate: Sun, 21 Mar 2004
Source: Canadian Press (Canada Wire)
Copyright: 2004 The Canadian Press (CP)
Deen Beeby, Canadian Press

HEALTH CANADA PLANS PILOT PROJECT TO PUT CERTIFIED MARIJUANA
INTO PHARMACIES

OTTAWA ( CP ) - Health Canada plans to make government-certified marijuana available in pharmacies, a move that could rapidly boost the number of registered medical users.

Officials are organizing a pilot project in British Columbia, modelled on a year-old program in the Netherlands, that would allow medical users to buy marijuana at their local drugstore.

Currently, there are 78 medical users in Canada permitted to buy Health Canada marijuana, which is grown in Flin Flon, Man. The 30-gram bags of dried buds, sold for $150 each, now are sent by courier directly to patients or to their doctors.

But the department is changing the regulations to allow participating pharmacies to stock marijuana for sale to approved patients without a doctor's prescription, similar to regulations governing so-called morning-after pills, emergency contraceptives that can be obtained directly from a pharmacist without the need for a doctor's signature.

A notice of the change is expected to be made public this spring, allowing for drugstore distribution later in the year.

"We're just at the preliminary stages right now," said Robin O'Brien, a consulting pharmacist who is organizing the pilot project for Health Canada. "We're not quite sure how it's going to fit."

Canada would become the second country in the world after the Netherlands to allow the direct sale of medical marijuana in pharmacies. It would also mark the first time community drugstores in Canada could sell a controlled substance that is not an approved drug.

"The difficulty is that marijuana does not have a notice of compliance, so it doesn't have a drug identification number," O'Brien said from Vancouver.

"There's no pharmaceutical company that's going to come forward to take it through the regulatory process because they can't get a patent on it, so it's kind of a limbo drug."

The pilot project is slated for British Columbia because the province's college of pharmacists issued a groundbreaking statement last fall supporting the distribution of medical marijuana in pharmacies, unlike most health-care organizations which have opposed easier access.

"Certainly the climate in British Columbia appears to be more welcoming and supportive," O'Brien said. "This is a relatively safe and non-toxic product."

Although the number of current approved users is small, O'Brien notes that internal surveys for Health Canada have suggested up to seven per cent of the British Columbia population - or about 290,000 people - use marijuana for medical purposes, albeit illegally.

Easier availability of certified marijuana might encourage more medical users to register with the government, rapidly boosting the number taking advantage of legal dope, says O'Brien.

"We're not quite sure how big it could get," she said.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the method of ingestion. Pharmacists have long opposed tobacco products and do not want patients smoking marijuana.

Solutions could include developing a liquid form - a tincture - or TAB Capsules for oral ingestion, or the use of vapourizers that release the essential ingredient THC without burning.

However, some approved users say the Health Canada dope is of such poor quality that wider distribution and novel forms will not necessarily attract more users.

"It is of incredibly poor quality," said Philippe Lucas of Victoria, who is authorized to receive government marijuana. "A very raunchy, poor quality smoke."

Lucas and other users have said the marijuana, which Health Canada says contains about 10 per cent THC, is actually much weaker.

Jari Dvorak, one of the first to receive Health Canada marijuana last fall, says he stopped using the product three months ago because the department has not lived up to its promises to improve the quality.

"I have not seen any evidence of change yet," Dvorak said from Toronto.

A department spokeswoman says tests are under way to improve the marijuana after numerous complaints from users.

"We are taking the concerns of users seriously," said Aggie Adamczyk.

Lucas, who's with the lobby group Canadians for Safe Access, says the move to place government-certified marijuana in pharmacies is a prelude to Health Canada's longer-term goal of controlling all supplies of medical marijuana.

Currently, registered users have the option of growing their own or having someone grow it for them - a privilege they could lose as government dope becomes more widely available.

Health Canada, which has long opposed the use of marijuana for medical purposes, has been forced by a series of court rulings to allow approved patients access to the drug. The department says clinical trials are necessary to demonstrate the efficacy of marijuana.

Some patients report that marijuana alleviates the pain and nausea associated with AIDS and other diseases.

WA OPPOSITION says CANNABIS LAWS `RISK TO YOUTH'

Pubdate: Sun, 21 Mar 2004
Source: Sunday Times (Australia)
Copyright: 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd
Contact: http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/letters/letters.html
Website:http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/
Author: Grahame Armstrong

CANNABIS LAWS `RISK TO YOUTH'

NEW cannabis laws which come into effect tomorrow will increase the risk of physical and mental health problems for young people, Opposition Leader Colin Barnett claims.

Mr Barnett said the changes - making the possession of up to 30g of the drug and the cultivation of up to two plants punishable by fine or an education session - sent the worst possible message to the community that some cannabis was OK.

"There is clear scientific evidence that cannabis use is linked with depression and anxiety in youths and an increased risk of psychotic disorders such as paranoia, manic depression and schizophrenia," he said.

"Physical health impacts include a higher risk of throat, lung, mouth and tongue cancer, reproductive problems and possible impaired educational development in adolescents.

"It is irresponsible in the extreme that, in spite of the mounting evidence of the dangers of this drug, that our State Government could soften penalties for its use and cultivation."

Mr Barnett said that according to a 1992 report carried out by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, one outdoor, non-hydroponic, plant grown with only standard irrigation, fertilisation and weeding activity could produce 448g after 120 days - more than 2.5kg if two plants were harvested three times a year.

"Under Labor's legislation the possession of those two plants will attract no greater penalty than a fine of up to $200," he said.

"To make matters worse the legislation allows for an unlimited number of cautions to be issued for possession and cultivation and only an education session for repeat offenders. "Such a soft approach to law enforcement for the abuse of an illicit drug is a recipe for disaster - and it is our
children and their families who will pay."

Dr Steve Allsop of the Government's drug and alcohol office agreed that cannabis use was harmful.

But the new laws still recognised that cannabis use was illegal and harmful. Dr Allsop said the laws would ensure cannabis was dealt with more as a health issue than a criminal issue. It would result in more people being treated and counselled instead of putting them through the courts.

"No one wants to see an increase in the number of people who start cannabis use but all of us want to see an increase in the number of people who come off cannabis," Dr Allsop said.

OTTAWA POLICE SAY COSTS COULD RISE WITH POT BILL

Pubdate: Mon, 15 Mar 2004
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Webpage:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=3e706eb6-7af6-4e 5d-bec9-441c58a752dd
Copyright: 2004 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: sunletters@png.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Author: Jim Bronskill / Canadian Press

POLICE COSTS COULD RISE WITH POT BILL OTTAWA (CP)

The federal government's plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana could
increase policing costs, not reduce them as many predict, according to internal RCMP notes. The revelation is among several uncertainties and reservations regarding the proposed pot bill spelled out in newly disclosed briefing materials prepared by the national police force. The Mounties take issue with the oft-repeated assertion that the existing pot law is enforced unevenly across Canada, and express concern about some elements of the new legislative package. Several pages of RCMP notes, compiled from May through December of last year, were obtained under the Access to
Information Act.

The latest statistics show police laid a record number of drug-related charges in 2002, with 75 per cent of the 93,000 incidents involving pot. Under the bill currently before Parliament, possessing 15 grams or less of marijuana -- about 15 to 20 joints -- would no longer be a criminal matter but a ticketing offence punishable by a fine of $150 for an adult or $100 for a youth. Some advocates argue the legislative proposals will free up valuable police time for more serious matters, but the Mounties remain to be convinced.
They believe a key factor would be how many of the tickets issued under the new proposals end up being challenged.

UK - CANNABIS ONLINE: CLICK NOW AND IT'S WITH YOU IN 24 HOURS

Pubdate: Sat, 31 Jan 2004
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2004 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: David McCandless
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

CANNABIS ONLINE: CLICK NOW AND IT'S WITH YOU IN 24 HOURS

As the drug is downgraded, police crack down on internet vendors offering supplies by post

It will arrive next day by registered delivery in an unassuming padded envelope, promises the blurb on the British website. Inside, vacuum-sealed, will be 7.5g of AK47 - high-grade Cannabis sativa. "Very strong nice smoke," gushes the sales copy on the site. "Back by popular demand."

On Thursday British drug law underwent its most radical shakeup for decades when cannabis was downgraded to class C. Although simple possession is unlikely to lead to prosecution in most cases, the drug remains illegal and dealing or possession with intent to supply will carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence.

But a Guardian investigation has established that at least five large-scale online cannabis vendors are operating in this country, in competition with more established Dutch sites. As a result, the drug has never been so easy to buy online.

Electronic payment systems, anonymity and ease of-use have led to a boom in illegal web weed outlets. For an increasing number of dealers and users, the internet is now the first port of call for buying and selling cannabis.

The British sites vary in sophistication and scale. Some are glossy and graphic-designed, brazenly selling their wares to all comers. Others are just simple login pages, with passwords for regular customers only.

All offer a selection of cannabis rarely seen outside Amsterdam coffee shops: potent connoisseur varieties including Jack Herer, Charas, and Ketama Gold. Some are so strong they require health warnings. "Caution!" reads the description for super-strong hashish Black Ice available from one retailer. "Extremely experienced smokers only, please."

Each of the sites boasts levels of technological sophistication more associated with mainstream 21st century e-commerce outfits such as Amazon or eBay. Most sites support "one click" ordering and secure digital payment systems such as Paypal and its smaller rival, nochex.com. Minimum orders are typically 7g (0.25oz), maximum 28g. Many are open from 9am until 5pm weekdays and provide customer service via email. Orders placed before 1pm are guaranteed to arrive the next day. They can even be tracked via the Royal Mail website.

The product arrives fresh, potent and perfectly weighed. The prices are not cheap - around UKP 50 for a quarter of an ounce on average - but web forums have been full of customers praising the merchandise.

There are now the first signs of a crackdown by the authorities. On December 22, in the first operation of its kind, police from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit raided one of the leading cannabis e-tailers after a five-month investigation. The site - which before the raid had the internet address www.pepespage.net - had been active for around 18 months. A picture of the cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew, smoking a large joint, adorned the homepage.

The police estimate that the site generated more than 500,000 pounds in revenues. They made three arrests and confiscated several computers in Herefordshire and Sussex.

"All the investigation team have been amazed by the amount of activity that these sites have had and the quantity of orders placed via the internet," said an investigating officer, Matt Cornish of the Herefordshire police.

This sudden show of force has sent ripples through an already fearful market. Since the bust, several leading sites have shut down. One, similar in scale to Pepe's, has taken an extended Christmas break. A promise on its homepage to "reopen fully on December 29" has not been honoured. Forums are swollen with pot smokers bemoaning the loss of their suppliers.

Given the scale and openness of the industry, few seem surprised that the crackdown has been launched.

"Advertising a website in that way, they were asking for it. I would never do that," said Hermes the Hash Trader, a Dutch online dealer with a large customer base in Britain.

Hermes, in his late 20s, is one of several dealers who operate out of email addresses to minimise their chances of being caught.

The former trader and funds administrator has been running his e-business for six months. "I spent months, not to mention thousands of euros, establishing a network of contacts," he said.

His downloadable menu offers 50 varieties of grass and hash. Prices range from 15 to75 pounds for an eighth of an ounce. The minimum order is 50 pounds.

But he confesses to being dogged by constant worries about being busted. "Generally I do enjoy it," he said.

"It's a good job, and usually fun, but it has its downside. It can get very stressful at times."

Customs' seizures are also a constant bugbear. He estimates that one in 50 of his deliveries is intercepted en route to Britain. He does offer refunds for lost orders but only to customers who supply a digital scan of the official Customs and Excise 271 form received if controlled drugs are
discovered in your mail.

Most of his customers come from word of mouth and referrals. Most traders are hard to find and prefer it that way.

Websites are hidden from search engines like Google. Most experts agree that the given the scale and anonymity of the internet, the online drug trade is unstoppable.

"The government is going to learn what the music industry is learning. The net is a wall-buster," the technology journalist and former Wired magazine columnist Jon Katz has said.

"It's not policeable. There are not enough cops in the world to monitor all the communications and digital commerce that's going on."

Forensic experts of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit are examining the computers seized in December for electronic evidence, including the names and email addresses of customers. The unit would not comment on whether this would lead to arrests of those who had used the service.

Most buyers, however, are not put off by the risk of potential intercepted mail or arrest.

"My source got busted but I definitely would buy from an online supplier again," said Sam, 31, a video technician who ordered nearly two ounces from one retailer last year. "I haven't found a new source yet, but I'm looking."

The police insist the downgrading of cannabis to class C will not change their attitude to online cannabis retailers.

"We will target any site engaged in the wholesale supply of controlled drugs," they say. "This is one of our key priorities."

The dealers, however, are hoping it will signal an upturn in business. "There's a fair chance the trade will mushroom when the laws relax," Hermes said. "My plans are to expand until I reach full capacity."

NT MUM QUIZZED OVER DRUG KIDS

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Sat, 03 Apr 2004
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Copyright: 2004 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/283
Author: Edith Bevin

MUM QUIZZED OVER DRUG KIDS

Police last night launched an investigation into allegations a five-year-old girl is using drugs.

The girl may be blood tested for drugs by health authorities.

Police were called in after the Northern Territory News voluntarily handed over photographs of the girl holding a bong.

Her 13-year-old sister was shown smoking a bong while her 13-year-old friend poured herself a glass of sherry.

Community Services assistant secretary Carol Peltola said: ``We have spoken with the family.

``We have forwarded the photos to the police and asked them to investigate.

``We are speaking to a pediatrician about children and drugs and what you should be looking for. Whether we blood test the children will be up to the medical advice.''

The mother of the children yesterday spoke out for the first time.

The Northern Territory News has concealed the family's identity to protect the children.

The mother denied she had allowed her children to use drugs.

But she admitted she had allowed them to go unaccompanied to the home of a neighbour who she knew was a drug user.

``I trusted this lady with my children,'' she said.

``I'm disgusted. I knew she was a user but I didn't think that she and her daughter were going to introduce it to my kids.''

She also admitted she had in the past gone to her neighbour's home to take drugs.

``I very occasionally do take drugs. My children are a little bit aware I take drugs but they're not sitting there when I do,'' she said.

``It's not like a daily thing _ I'm getting too old for things like that.

``Maybe once or twice I would have gone over there and done drugs with her in her house. I don't keep drugs in my house.''

The mother said she and her children were ``set up'' by their neighbour after a fight over a children's CD.

``Everything you see in that picture _ the bong and everything _ belongs to her,'' she said.

She denied she took the photographs. ``Her daughter took them,'' she said.

The 13-year-old sister admitted the photos of her smoking cannabis from a bong were not staged. Neighbours said yesterday the children rarely went to school.

They said the children, including the five-year-old, used obscene language.

Neighbours also claimed they had witnessed evidence of alcohol abuse.

The mother denied she had an alcohol problem.

But she admitted her children did not go to school regularly.

The mother said Family and Community Services first became involved with her family after she called them in because of an abusive ex-partner.

She said she had not had any contact with FACS since last year. ``They were quite happy with the way things were,'' she said. ``I think I'm a good mum. I don't do it easy _ I'm single with three kids. I go through my hard times but I always get back up and back on my feet. My kids are fine.''

The Northern Territory News wishes to point out that the photos of children with drugs were not taken by our staff. They were supplied by a neighbour.

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