DECRIMINALISATION of drug use in Portugal has not made the country a "paradise" for users or resulted in more children taking drugs, according to the country's drugs chief. Dr Joao Goulao said the policy was part of a comprehensive strategy which has led to reduced drug consumption among adolescents, falling heroin use and a reduced burden on the criminal justice system. Junior Health Minister Roisin Shortall, who is in charge of Ireland's drugs strategy, said she had an "open mind" in relation to Portugal's model. She said she was "particularly interested" in the country's "yellow card" system, which warned users about their behaviour and tried to steer them away from drugs. [continues 391 words]
IN response to Ryle Dwyer's column headlined 'El Chapo -- the Mexican drugs czar whose influence we should all fear' (September 4), it should be noted that drugs did not spawn Mexico's organised crime networks. Just as alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone in the US, it was drug prohibition that created the violent drug-trafficking organisations behind all the killings in Mexico. With alcohol prohibition repealed in the US, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels. [continues 122 words]
ALTHOUGH we should learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others, we persist in following the failed tactics of the US in relation to drugs. Our drug problems, which began in Dublin, have gradually spread throughout the country. Gardai currently estimate there are around 100 heroin users in Tralee. How long will it be before other places witness the gunplay currently blighting the Finglas area of Dublin? Our problems are minor compared to Mexico, but this should be a warning. On coming to power in late 2006 Felipe Calderon vowed to intensify the war on drugs in Mexico. Half a million people there are involved in the drug trade, producing marijuana, opium and amphetamines, as well as trafficking cocaine. The drug trade contributes $5bn annually to the Mexican economy. [continues 1105 words]
That there could be as many as 200 people in Mullingar using heroin is a shock. But to anyone who sits in a regular basis in Mullingar courthouse, it's probably less of a shock than to most people. At every court sitting in Mullingar, there are appearances by people caught in possession of drugs - and by people in possession of drugs with intent to sell them or supply them to others. Discussion on Ireland's drug problem has taken something of a back seat in the wake of our plummeting financial situation, which has, for a year now, dominated the headlines. In fact, one might even have thought that the drugs problem had more or less gone away. [continues 390 words]
The Midland Regional Drugs Task Force (MRDTF) has applied for a mobile needle exchange and is calling for the creation of rehabilitation clinics for the region in 2009. There could be between 150 and 200 people using heroin in Mullingar, Open Door Project's Lead Addiction Counsellor told the Westmeath Examiner this week. "I suspect it is somewhere in the region of 150 heroin users in Mullingar, possibly 150 to 200," said Mr Declan Hughes who works on a daily basis with addicts at the drop-in-centre. [continues 735 words]
LIMERICK'S gang feud yesterday claimed the life of a rugby captain who was gunned down in cold blood after he was mistaken for a big-time drugs importer who had moved into his neighbourhood. Shane Geoghegan, aged 28, described as "one of the brightest and the best" died in a hale of bullets at around 1.30am. It is believed he was struck up to 10 times. Members of the McCarthy/Dundon gang are the main suspects. It is believed they went to kill a drugs importer who supplies the rival Keane/Collopy gang but got the wrong man. [continues 460 words]
SOCIETY needs to make a distinction between drug use and drug misuse and should consider the legal supply of drugs. This call was made by veteran homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry in a speech at a conference on drugs last night. Fr McVerry said adults should take a "long and critical" look at their own drug use, namely alcohol and prescription drugs, such as valium. "It is hypocritical to expect our young people to stay away from drugs, when we adults won't," he told the conference, organised by the Addiction Training Institute. [continues 465 words]
THE minister in charge of the drugs strategy has "serious concerns" about this year's cocaine awareness campaign, which cost in the region of UKP500,000. John Curran conceded he has serious concerns that the state didn't get out the right message on cocaine to young people. "Certainly, I don't feel the campaign really delivered a strong enough message," said Mr Curran. "I'm not sure running a single drug campaign is the way to go, I've serious concerns about it." [continues 257 words]
JOHN CURRAN, the minister in charge of the National Drug Strategy admits that the approach has failed in its objective so far. He wants the use of illegal drugs to be seen as socially unacceptable like drink driving. For too long people tolerated drink driving, but the carnage on our roads served as a wake-up call. The victims were often young people overcome by the influence of alcohol and a sense of bravado. Their deaths were tragic but even more tragic were the deaths of so many innocent people killed by drunken drivers. [continues 391 words]
A NATIONAL hotline to combat drug dealing is to be rolled out across the country from this autumn. The confidential phoneline is aimed at providing "intimidated communities" a safe way to pass on information anonymously about drug dealing in their areas, and indirectly, to gardai. The national programme is based on the success of two local initiatives in Dublin (in Blanchardstown and the north-inner city) which have assisted Garda inquiries, leading to the arrest of suspected dealers. The joint effort by the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST) and the Garda has received funding of E350,000 from the Dormant Accounts Fund and the Department of Justice. [continues 228 words]
CANNABIS is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, according to a major review published by the EU drugs agency. The report said most users cease smoking cannabis by their late 20s or early 30s and that the vast majority did not experience any negative effects. "On every comparison of dangerousness we have considered, cannabis is at or near the bottom in comparison with other psychoactive substances," said author Robin Room, in an analysis contained in a 700-page EU report on cannabis. [continues 346 words]
DRUGS should be legalised because there is a "human right" to use them, according to a new book by an Irish criminal law expert. Paul O'Mahony also said the war on drugs had "failed catastrophically" in Ireland, and across the world. The Trinity College psychologist and criminologist said it was a "scandal" that enormous resources were being used to enforce prohibition. He said this policy had not only failed to lower drug use, but may have contributed to its increase. [continues 221 words]
COCAINE is a "fun" and "feel-good" drug which users take with their friends, research has revealed. But most users say they are suffering financially and many admit cocaine is affecting their relationships. The survey shows cocaine users "greatly underestimate" the health and personal risks from the drug. The research contradicts the perception that drugs are "pushed" on young people, with the vast majority getting cocaine from friends. The survey is being published today to coincide with the launch of the National Drugs Awareness Campaign, which this year is focusing exclusively on cocaine. [continues 206 words]
THE last national drug awareness campaign was riddled with problems and ultimately "fell short" of its objectives, according to an independent review. The publication of the report comes as the Government prepares to launch its latest campaign against the background of a worsening drugs problem and a number of high-profile deaths, including Katy French. In a detailed study, the review said: * the campaign was badly limited by poor funding. * the steering committee "disintegrated" over time. * there was a lack of clarity about who the campaign was aimed at and what its objectives were. [continues 307 words]
A LEADING anti-drugs campaigner has criticised a judge for failing to jail a man who was found in possession of more than =8012,000 worth of cannabis on a day when, in an unrelated case, an inquest was told of the horrific case of a man who tried to beat his brains out after taking cocaine. Neil O'Donohue, 25, of Whitestown Park, Blanchardstown, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he found the cannabis while out walking his dog and was "thinking about" selling it. [continues 346 words]
Cannabis Use Can Trigger Undetected Fatal Heart Conditions, An Inquest Into The Death Of A Fit Young Father From Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) Was Told Yesterday. Cork Coroner's Court heard details of the tragic death of David Kelly, aged 21, from St Theresa's Road in the city, in March 2006. The inquest was told that Mr Kelly, who was very health-conscious, collapsed and died in front of his girlfriend, Stephanie. He was an occasional user of cannabis and a post mortem found tiny traces of the drug in his system. [continues 269 words]
MEXICO'S powerful Sinaloa drug cartel was behind the record 20-ton cocaine shipment that was seized by the US Coast Guard off Panama's Pacific Coast last weekend, officials have said. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has called the seizure, worth nearly $300 million (€225m), the largest ever by the Coast Guard. The drugs were found in containers on a ship that left Guyana and passed through the Panama Canal on March 15 on the way to the Mexican state of Sinaloa, said Panama's top drug prosecutor, Jose Almengor. [continues 140 words]
SENIOR judges yesterday signalled they plan to set up a sentencing database to cross-reference jail terms handed down to major drug dealers after intense criticism they are too lenient. The move follows demands for more consistency in punishments for serious crime from the Director of Public Prosecutions James Hamilton and Justice Minister Michael McDowell. Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan said the judiciary is "looking at the establishment of a sentencing information system along the lines of systems currently being developed in other jurisdictions". [continues 318 words]
Justice Minister Michael McDowell and Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy launched an unprecedented attack on the judiciary yesterday, accusing some judges of being "soft" on criminals. The Tanaiste accused judges of ignoring the will of the people and the Oireachtas by handing down lenient sentences in serious drugs cases. He was also critical of "soft judges" allowing hardened criminals out on bail in the face of strong garda objections. Commissioner Conroy said he supported the views. Five people have died violently since last Friday, including apprentice plumber Anthony Campbell, aged 20, who was shot dead in a Finglas house on Tuesday before gunmen killed their intended target - -- drug lord Martin "Marlo" Hyland. [continues 309 words]
Mexico's newly sworn-in president sent more than 6,500 soldiers, sailors and federal police to violence-plagued Michoacan state to crack down on drug turf wars that have left hundreds dead in a wave of execution-style killings and beheadings. Felipe Calderon took office on December 1 pledging a "battle" against crime, promising more funds for the army and law enforcement and appointing hard-line Interior Minister Francisco Ramirez Acuna to oversee the fight against organised crime. "The battle against organised crime has just begun," Ramirez Acuna said today, as he announced the administration's first major offensive against drug gangs. "We are looking to take back the spaces that organised crime has seized." [continues 595 words]
DRUGS are cheaper than ever across Europe, including Ireland, according to an EU report. The drop in prices is despite the fact that greater quantities of drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, are being seized by police and customs officials. The prices of cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines have dropped in real terms by around 20%, on average across Europe, while the prices of heroin and ecstasy have dropped by almost 50%. That's according to a five-year analysis of the period 1999 to 2004 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the first study of its type. [continues 261 words]
Party pills five times the strength of ecstasy are being sold over the counter because the Government has failed to ban them. The selection of legal, mind-altering drugs, similar to cocaine, ecstasy and speed, are being legally sold over the counter to anyone aged over 18, in at least 13 so-called 'head stores' around the country, as well as stalls outside big music festivals and gigs. Support groups are becoming increasingly concerned about the recent explosion of pep pills because they contain the dangerous substance benzylpiperazine (BZP) which acts as a substitute for MDMA, the banned substance in ecstasy and speed pills. [continues 456 words]
DURING a series of radio interviews this week, Gerry Cameron, a former American police chief, described the current war on drugs as a complete failure. He knows what he is talking about, having spent 17 years in drug enforcement. "We'll spend $69 billion in the United States this year," he said. "We'll arrest over a million and a half people for drugs this year in the United States. Little over half of that will be for marijuana and approximately 80% of that will be charged with simple possession. We've got tremendous police resources being diverted to put people in the penitentiary that have never done a violent act towards any person or their property." While I was at university in Texas from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s the penalty for possession of any amount of marijuana - or cannabis as it is more commonly called here - - was a jail sentence of from two years to life. Yet a survey conducted at the university found that 80% of the senior class smoked marijuana. [continues 1062 words]
NO Irish Government is going to legalise cannabis because it causes cancer, a former Minister of State with responsibility for drugs said yesterday. Fianna Fail MEP Eoin Ryan said the State would end up being sued in the courts if it legalised cannabis, similar to tobacco companies being sued in relation to cigarettes. He was speaking at a conference in Dublin, which also heard calls from a retired US chief of police for an end to the war on drugs and a move towards legalisation. Mr Ryan said: a€oeWhat politician is going to get up and say legalise drugs. The problem is if a minister wanted to legalise cannabis, he would get endless amounts of medical evidence that cannabis is carcinogenic.a€ [continues 382 words]
The prohibition against illicit street drugs should be ended as hard-line legislation against drugs is doomed to failure, a US police chief warned today. Jerry Cameron, a police veteran with 17 years experience, urged the Irish Government not to make the same mistakes the United States has made in its war on drugs. Mr Cameron said there was ample evidence the hard-line crackdown with severe prison sentences for possession of street drugs such as cannabis and heroin in America had failed to deal with the problem. [continues 622 words]
Research commissioned by an Oireachtas committee has reportedly found that 300,000 young Irish people are regular users of cannabis. Reports this morning said the study had found that most of those using cannabis are between the ages of 16 and 25, with 28,000 admitting to being dependent on the drug. Some 5,000 Irish 16-year-olds reportedly admit to using cannabis, twice the EU average. The findings are contained in a study due to published tomorrow by the Oireachtas committee on community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs. [end]
THE number of people seeking treatment for cocaine abuse has doubled, according to new national figures. The data shows that 311 people reported cocaine as their main drug of abuse in 2003, compared to 155 in 2002. A further 2,244 people said cocaine was a secondary problem drug in addition to their main drug of abuse, such as heroin. This compares to 1,716 in 2002 an increase of 30%. The two figures combined show that 2,555 people reported cocaine as one of their problem drugs in 2003, compared to 1,871 in 2002. [continues 353 words]
MORE than eight-in-10 drug users who are on methadone to wean them off heroin continue to use cannabis, and some also use cocaine regularly, according to new research. A study of multi-drug use among methadone-treated patients of the Health Service Executive (HSE), North Dublin, found: Of more than three-quarters of methadone patients with a history of cocaine use, more than one-third had used it within the last month. 12% of methadone users were also using cocaine daily. [continues 59 words]
Teachers today attacked the sale of a "totally unacceptable" book on drug addiction to primary schools. The book, Issues 1, A Child Protection Handbook, provides details of drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin. The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said the material was totally unacceptable for children at primary level. Its general secretary, John Carr, said: "The books contain detailed information on drugs, particularly speed, cocaine, heroin, magic mushrooms, ecstasy, solvents and amphetamines. It's geared totally for an older person and is not suitable for children at a primary school level." [continues 162 words]
PARTISAN campaigners occasionally make outrageous claims to bolster their case. However, when it comes to the issue of drugs, it seems that no statement is too nonsensical. The recent controversies about magic mushrooms and cannabis highlight the fantasy world inhabited by so-called drugs experts. Fine Gael's Health Spokesperson, Dr Liam Twomey, has repeatedly stated that magic mushrooms were rightly considered Class A drugs, along with heroin and cocaine, because they were addictive and could lead to fatal overdose. The expert data flatly contradicts this. The most comprehensive report on mushrooms and their impact was carried out in 2003 by the Coordination Centre for the Assessment and Monitoring of New Drugs (CAM), a Dutch government agency. [continues 172 words]
REGARDING Pat Leahy's thoughtful letter ('Only criminals gain from drugs ban,' Irish Examiner, February 13), the drug war is in large part a war on cannabis, by far the most popular illicit drug. The 'monitoring the future' survey at the University of Michigan in the US reports that lifetime use of cannabis is higher in the US than any European country, yet America is one of the few western countries that uses its criminal justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to Martini. [continues 113 words]
A DISTURBING trend has emerged in relation to recreational drug use in Ireland and the State's response to it. It appears that a new hard-line approach has been adopted towards this issue. The U-turn on caution rather than prosecution for cannabis possession and the prohibition of magic mushrooms represent a step backwards in that it will do little apart from criminalise otherwise law-abiding citizens. Both of these substances are natural; they are plants that grow in the ground. [continues 499 words]
Calling for the decriminalisation of all drugs, as Tony Geoghegan of the Merchant's Quay Project has done, is a controversial measure which will attract considerable criticism. While he maintains that drug users should be treated under our health regime rather than as criminals, his point of view on the broader issue will be undoubtedly considered extreme. Periodically, the question of legalising cannabis for recreational use has occasioned public debate, and continues to do so, but to endeavour to extend societal acceptance to other drugs such as heroin and cocaine is simply not acceptable. [continues 110 words]
THE head of the country's biggest drug centre is calling for the decriminalisation of the use of all drugs - including heroin. The director of the Merchant's Quay Project, Tony Geoghegan, said that labelling addicts as criminals reduces their chances of rehabilitation and introduces them to crime circles. He said he did not want to see drugs legalised, but believed their misuse should no longer be dealt with under the criminal justice system. He said it should be treated as a health and social problem instead. [continues 273 words]
Rocker Sting is campaigning to stop British prime minister Tony Blair from upgrading the legal categorisation of cannabis from a class C to class B drug. The Roxanne hitmaker fears the political leader is planning a high-profile policy u-turn which will see him vow to tackle drug use head-on and reclassify the drug, despite officially downgrading it from class B to its current status in January. Sting, 54, has added his signature to a letter for Blair alongside those of actress Jean Simmons and former Spandau Ballet star Gary Kemp, insisting the reclassification has been a success, saving up to 200,000 hours of police time. The letter reads: "Such a move would simply add to public confusion, inconsistency and the waste of police resources, without delivering any health or social benefits." [end]
Veteran rocker Rod Stewart hopes being honest about his own experiences with drugs will help steer his younger children away from illegal substances. The Maggie May singer, who openly enjoyed a rock 'n' roll lifestyle during the early days of his career, admits his two oldest children - 24-year-old Sean and Kimberley, 26 - have already developed drug and alcohol problems. But he hopes he can convince his younger offspring that over indulgence of drink and drugs ruins their lives by drawing on past friends as examples. [continues 86 words]
I AGREE with teacher and author Julian Cohen on one thing: Ireland’s school drug programmes do not work. Cormac O'Keeffe (Irish Examiner, September 29) identified the problem, even if I don't agree with him about the solution but that's a debate for another day. It is good to see that the penny has finally dropped. Too late for many, it is true. The oft-vilified parents who have consistently opposed the Walk Tall drug programme in primary schools and On My Own Two Feet in post-primary schools can hold their heads high at last. They were right. [continues 151 words]
EIGHT out of 10 people who use cannabis get their drugs from friends or family, new research shows. A national survey found only 4% of cannabis users bought or were given the drug by strangers. "This information contradicts the popular view of the dealer as someone completely unknown to the user," said Dr Des Corrigan, chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD). The NACD research shows that 78% of people who used cannabis recently were either given the drug by family or friends, bought it from a friend or shared the drug among friends. [continues 264 words]
Gangs of criminals in west Dublin have long been engaged in turf wars but they are now turning their weapons on each other, writes Caroline O'Doherty. TOP hospitals tend to become known for expertise in a particular field carefully pioneered and developed. Others have their specialism foisted upon them by the circumstances of the community they serve. At James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown, they're getting very good at gunshot wounds. In a survey last month that told more about the state of the west Dublin suburb than the confusing annual crime statistics ever could, doctors at the hospital recorded a fourfold increase in the number of patients with gunshot injuries in just four years. [continues 1192 words]
REHABILITATION of drug addicts is the new priority of the Government's national drugs strategy, as figures show that the number being treated with methadone has more than doubled. Alcohol will not become part of the strategy, despite calls from community and voluntary groups as well as medical experts that it be included. With more than 7,500 recovering heroin addicts on methadone maintenance, the Government said it needs to provide these people with more than just a substitute drug. "Given the increase on the treatment side, from about 3,500 people to over 7,500, we need to be doing more with those people," said one source. [continues 202 words]
Frontman Kelly Jones has blamed the influence of marijuana on Stereophonics' disappointing fifth album - but promises to quit the drug for future studio recordings. The gravel-voiced singer insists their 2003 disc You Gotta Go There To Come Back suffered from a lack of spontaneity because they were all smoking too much cannabis throughout the recording process. He says: "I was thinking: 'Fking hell.' Making this, we were really stoned. It just sounded so dense." However, the Just Lookin' hitmakers have promised fans their upcoming new album, Language Sex Violence Other?, is much livelier - because they've ditched the drugs. Kelly says: "This one was recorded with a lot more energy." Bassist Richard Jones confirms: "We put the spliff away for this one." [end]
ORGANISED criminals in Ireland know each other and often co-operate in conducting criminal activities, according to a major new report. This makes Ireland virtually unique in Europe and partly explains why foreign nationals are not yet significant players in organised crime here. But the 2004 European Union Organised Crime Report warns that certain ethnic organised crime (OC) groups, such as the Chinese, are becoming increasingly active throughout the EU. Ireland, which has a significant Chinese community, has already seen the involvement of Chinese gangs in areas such as people smuggling, extortion, prostitution and the production of synthetic drugs. [continues 291 words]
CANNABIS could provide an unlikely new weapon in the fight against cancer, new research suggested yesterday. Scientists have discovered the chemical in the drug which gets users 'high' combats cancer-causing viruses. Experiments show the active cannabis ingredient tetrahydrocannibol (THC) can prevent the activation and replication of gamma herpes viruses. Two of these viruses, Kaposis Sarcoma Associated Herpes virus and Epstein- Barr virus, predispose infected individuals to the cancers Kaposis sarcoma, Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease. Gamma herpes viruses are different from the herpes simplex viruses responsible for cold sores and genital herpes. [continues 303 words]
ANTI-DRUG campaigners and medical experts here and abroad yesterday rejected claims that ecstasy was not as dangerous as had been believed. Three British psychologists said ecstasy did not cause long-term health problems contrary to a vast volume of studies. Responding, Grainne Kenny of Europe Against Drugs said: "The studies are there and show ecstasy causes brain damage and depression and those studies have been very carefully done." Dr Jim Donovan of the State Forensic Science Laboratory said ecstasy damaged the production of serotonin the chemical that gives the 'feel good' experience. [continues 207 words]
ANTI-DRUGS activists warned yesterday they may again take to the streets of Dublin as latest figures show heroin use is increasing. Last June, inner-city communities marched in the capital to ensure the ongoing drugs crisis was kept high on the political agenda and more resources were provided to tackle the menace. "The drugs are never going to go away and they must sit up and take note of that," said Bernie Howard, family support co-ordinator in a North inner-city community."What they are giving now would have been great in the 1980s or early 90s, but they are not moving up with the resources." [continues 259 words]
Scientists say they have developed a cannabis-based medicine which relieves chronic pain without any of the "high" normally associated with the drug. They believe the discovery could pave the way for cannabis-based medication to become available by prescription within two years. Much of the controversy surrounding the medicinal use of cannabis has centred on fears that it would be used solely for its mood-altering effects. However, scientists at the University of Massachusetts in the US say their discovery should help authorities to overcome these fears. [continues 415 words]
IRELAND has the highest levels of ecstasy and amphetamine use in western Europe, according to a UN report. The study, Global Illicit Trends 2002, estimates 66,000 (2.4%) people aged 15 and over take ecstasy at least once a year. The report estimates that 72,000 (2.6%) people take amphetamines, commonly known as speed. The UN study found, of the 23 countries in western Europe, Ireland also has the: Joint highest use of cannabis, with Britain. Third highest use of cocaine. [continues 403 words]
A PRO-CANNABIS campaigner who posted the drug to members of the Oireachtas last November is not to be prosecuted. Yesterday Luke Flanagan received a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) confirming that he would not face any charges over the incident. "I knew about this 10 days ago. I'd been waiting for a letter, I got it today," said Mr Flanagan yesterday. "I got a telephone call from the arresting officer, Garda Aidan Kelly, based in Pearse Street. I wrote a letter to the DPP last month seeking written confirmation." [continues 237 words]
HALF of the country's 122,000 students use drugs regularly, according to a survey by the Union of Students of Ireland. As Britain moved to relax the laws in relation to cannabis use, the USI poll showed that one in four Irish students started taking drugs before they were 16, with 14% saying they were dependent and felt they needed help to stop. The most common drug used was cannabis, followed by ecstasy, acid, magic mushrooms, speed and cocaine. The vast majority of students were introduced to drugs by friends, with most of the drugs supplied on campus. [continues 264 words]
CANNABIS with a street value of 2.7m has been seized by gardai after a lorry was stopped and searched in north Co Dublin yesterday. More than 200kg of the resin was packed into the container lorry which was stopped by members of the National Drugs Unit and local gardai following a surveillance operation. A man in his 40s was arrested after the lunchtime seizure in the village of Garristown. It is the second large cannabis find in the area in recent weeks. 2.5m worth was discovered near Ashbourne last month. [continues 121 words]
