The problem of drugs with teachers and staff at our public schools is huge. The majority of the teachers recognize this and that is why they voted to accept the policy of random testing. Teachers by definition do not make life choices for the money and would not, could not make this choice for a few dollars more. Administrators and staff should also be tested. I did my student teaching at two different high schools and taught until retirement at an intermediate school. At one school the pakalolo smoke made at least one classroom look like Beijing on a good day. [continues 118 words]
Dear teachers: As United Public Workers union members, we accepted drug testing along with our pay raise. The testing has begun. It's time to honor your contract. Phillip Heyenga Kailua [end]
The Teachers Union Claims That It Is Trying to Formulate Legal Means of Drug Testing Hawaii's public school teachers union is seeking the dismissal of a state complaint alleging that it breached a contract by failing to start a drug testing program on June 30. The Hawaii State Teachers Association claims that Gov. Linda Lingle and her chief negotiator, Marie Laderta, lacked standing when they asked the Hawaii Labor Relations Board to order the union to set up random and reasonable-suspicion drug and alcohol tests of teachers as was required under a contract ratified in May 2007. [continues 394 words]
Important jobs that concern people in service-oriented occupations have been establishing mandatory drug tests. Observing the actions of our legislators and government, they, too, should have mandatory drug tests for all of them. Legislators have been caught for DUI and other things that it merits having them all tested since the ramifications of their actions affect all of us. So, come on governor and the rest of the legislators and politicians, you are not above the laws, get that cup and fill 'er up! Pearl City [end]
It seems anyone can say that their civil rights to privacy have been violated when drug testing is imposed on them (Star-Bulletin, July 19). Maybe one can explain the true meaning of civil rights. What does it reveal to the extent that it's private of that person and not to anyone else? One should have no qualms about drug testing. Drug testing is important to make sure that the teachers do not have drugs controlling their behavior and our children are not affected. A couple of teachers were exposed in the local news media, but there could be many others who weren't. I'm not a teacher, but I would not be afraid to take any drug tests. I think all teachers who do not use drugs wouldn't mind taking this drug test. The Hawaii State Teachers Association should be open and sincere instead of hiding behind the statement that their civil right to privacy has been invaded. Francis K. Ibara Kahului [end]
Once again the local papers are abuzz with letters regarding the drug testing of teachers. When I was an employee of the Department of Education, I wrote several letters to this paper and other publications stating that I support drug testing and have always been and will always be willing to submit to a random test at any time in any place. If you don't have anything to hide, then you shouldn't be afraid of the testing. In response to letters which claim that the civil rights of teachers are being violated, I must ask what about the civil rights of our children in school? Don't they have the right to be taught by a teacher who is drug free? Don't they have a right to be told by a teacher that drugs are bad and know for a fact that the teacher practices what he or she preaches? Don't parents have the right to know that their children's classrooms aren't being used to move drugs and that their children aren't being exposed to dangerous people associated with drugs? [continues 58 words]
The Hawaii State Teachers Association doesn't believe that teaching is an important job, and it doesn't care much about the status of the profession of teaching. At least, these are my conclusions based on HSTA's recent objection to random drug testing, to which it agreed a year ago. Many people will view HSTA's objection as an attempt to hide something - -- even though the great majority of teachers have nothing to hide. In this regard, HSTA is acting like a typical trade union by trying to protect its most incompetent members. [continues 121 words]
Rescinding Raises In The New Contract Is An Option For The Lingle Administration The Hawaii State Teachers Association breached its contract by refusing to implement a drug testing program for public school teachers on June 30, the Lingle administration alleges in a complaint filed yesterday. The state wants the Hawaii Labor Relations Board to order the union to set up random and reasonable-suspicion drug and alcohol tests of teachers as was required by a contract ratified in May 2007, said Marie Laderta, the state's chief negotiator. [continues 349 words]
So many teenagers get caught up in drugs. Why? I recently discovered some of my past friends have started taking drugs. This shocked me. Some of these kids were my closest friends. How could they have gone from straight "A" students to druggies? It really saddens me to know they have taken that path. There are many reasons for teens taking drugs. One is peer pressure. Sometimes we want to be a part of the "cool" crowd. Most "popular" groups involve kids wearing skimpy clothes (this I see a lot of), nonstop gossip among the girls and of course the element of being rebels. I have girl classmates who wear way-too-short shorts and much-too-tight shirts to impress guys or feel "beautiful." Rebels often ignore their parents' and school's rules and guidelines and sometimes wear near-identical "nonconformist" clothing. This often leads to teenagers not caring about school. [continues 394 words]
The Issue The deadline to implement a program testing public school teachers for substance abuse passed with no plan in place. The state Department of Education appears to be creating an unnecessary bureaucracy and expense to carry out random drug testing for public school teachers. The department already conducts testing for bus drivers, physical therapists who work with deaf and blind students and auto mechanics instructors, and while testing teachers could involve larger numbers, the estimated cost of more than $500,000 a year seems excessive. [continues 208 words]
Yesterday Marked A Deadline To Implement The Testing Of Teachers Pay raises for 13,000 public school teachers could be rescinded after the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association failed to reach an agreement on a mandatory drug-testing program that was part of a new two-year, $120 million contract ratified last year. Yesterday marked a deadline to have a drug-testing program in place. Aside from working out the details of testing, education officials and Gov. Linda Lingle also have argued over who should pay for the program, estimated to cost more than $500,000 a year. [continues 516 words]
KAILUA-KONA - The Hawaii County Council is moving ahead with plans to accept federal funds for its controversial marijuana eradication program. In a preliminary vote last week, the council agreed 6-2 to accept a $282,000 Drug Enforcement Administration grant for the police department's marijuana eradication program. The council will vote on the measure a second time, but that vote is considered a mere formality. The council last week also voted to amend its operating budget for the fiscal year to include a $159,000 state grant for marijuana eradication. [continues 258 words]
Tom Phillips Tells How An Attempted Drug Raid Turned Deadly WAILUKU ; Maui police officers fired shots at a car to try to stop a fleeing George Brittain Jr. from ramming a Makawao warehouse door being held partially open by three police officers, Maui Police Chief Tom Phillips said. Brittain, who was found later near the car at a residence two miles away from the shooting, died from a loss of blood, police said. "By the time they got to the scene, Brittain was dead," Phillips said. [continues 491 words]
The Man Hits Three Officers With His Car As He Flees During A Drug Search MAKAWAO, Maui) A 38-year-old Maui man died from gunshot wounds yesterday after his fleeing car struck three police officers who fired at him. The gunfire rocked this tiny Upcountry community. The police officers were executing a narcotics search warrant at a residence at 241 Hoomaha Road at 6 a.m., when a suspect driving a car hit the three officers, said Lt. Wallace Tom. The officers drew their weapons and fired, he said. [continues 508 words]
Regarding your March 28 editorial "Keep up good work fighting crystal meth": How should Hawaii respond to illicit crystal methamphetamine use? During the crack epidemic of the eighties, New York City chose the "zero tolerance" approach, opting to arrest and incarcerate as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. Simply put, the younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing to their older brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that crack was bad news (see www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/187490.txt). This is not to say nothing can be done about meth. Access to drug treatment is critical for the current generation of meth users. Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives. Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. [end]
National and state studies indicate that use of crystal meth has declined significantly. Encouraging figures gathered nationally and in Hawaii indicate a downturn in the use of crystal methamphetamine, described as a crisis only a few years ago. Government and nonprofit agencies should accelerate what has proven successful to achieve further decline in the use of the dangerous drug. According to a report this month by Quest Diagnostics' Drug Testing Index, workplace screenings conducted on the mainland last year showed more than a 50 percent decline in the percentage of positive tests over a two-year period, from 28 testing positive for meth in 2004-05 to 14 percent in 2006-07. Quest Diagnostic is the nation's largest diagnostic tester. [continues 184 words]
Binge-Drinking Trend A Surprise Crystal methamphetamine use in Hawaii is continuing to decline after reaching a peak in 2005, said Keith Yamamoto, chief of the state Health Department's Alcohol and Drug Division. Marijuana is still the preferred illicit drug in Hawaii for adolescents, with alcohol running second, he said. Jeffrie Wagner, executive director of the Bobby Benson Center for adolescents, agreed that there has been a decline in the use of crystal meth, but he noted, "When the law cracks down on one drug, the drug users just switch to another." [continues 628 words]
THE ISSUE A state facility for patients to grow marijuana for medical purposes has been proposed by a state legislator from Maui. A state legislator from Maui has proposed a facility where patients using marijuana for medical purposes could grow their own under state protection. While well-intended, such a facility would invite a raid by the Bush administration's Department of Justice and probably would be unnecessary under a more compassionate federal government. Rep. Joe Bertram would authorize the state Department of Health to create a facility on his island where a patient or caregiver would be given space to grow as many as 98 plants at a time. Such a facility would wave a red flag to federal zealots who stubbornly regard marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical value. [continues 162 words]
One safeguard that could be employed to protect children whose parents are on welfare is to conduct random drug tests on household members. Having received welfare in a transitional time of my life when my children were very young, I deeply appreciate the boost it gave me to become a productive citizen. However, I am also aware that people use welfare to conduct their lives irresponsibly. Military personnel are drug tested. And the state deems it appropriate to drug test teachers. If welfare recipients are drug free and making an effort to become financially secure, that is good. But should our welfare system tax money be given to people who use drugs? Kaaawa [end]
Educators Dispute That Pay Raises Are Tied To Drug Testing A group of public school teachers called on Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday to retract her statement that implied that there will be no teacher pay raises if mandatory drug testing is not implemented. American Civil Liberty Union officials joined teachers in delivering a letter to the Governor's Office that said Lingle was "legally inaccurate" in a statement after a Jan. 24 Board of Education vote against funding the drug testing. The testing was included in the contract signed last year. [continues 428 words]
The Issue Several State Legislators Vowed to Tighten the Clamps on Parents Who Use Drugs Because of the Death of a 2-Year-Old Child. The adage that bad facts make bad law is being demonstrated in state legislation premised on the notion that the drug problems of a Makiki woman resulted in the tragic death of her 2-year-old son. Changes in government response to abusive or neglectful parental care might be needed but not because of an incident that is being incorrectly construed. [continues 252 words]
Although marijuana for medical purposes is legal in Hawaii, patients authorized to use the plant are being hassled by law enforcement agencies and others, said Maui Rep. Joe Bertram III. The major problem is patient access to marijuana, a gray area in the seven-year-old law, Bertram (D, Makena-Kihei) said yesterday, announcing legislation to "tighten it up with better management." One of his measures (House Bill 2678), being heard today by the House Health Committee, would authorize the state Department of Health to develop a secure growing facility on Maui for medical marijuana. A facilitator would make space available to patients or caregivers for a total of as many as 98 plants at one time. [continues 476 words]
Drug confiscations have increased at a Maui public high school since a dog stopped randomly visiting the campus to sniff for substances, an area superintendent told the Board of Education yesterday in arguing to make the pilot project permanent. So far this school year, there have been 19 drug offenses at Lahainaluna High, compared with two during the same time in the previous year, said Ron Okamura, superintendent of the Hana-Lahaina-Lanai-Molokai complex. "I came away very impressed with what I saw," Okamura said of the overwhelming support he heard from parents and students about the dog program. "It has served a purpose as a deterrent." [continues 324 words]
The Issue The California Supreme Court has ruled that employers may fire workers for using doctor-prescribed marijuana for medical purposes. THE latest threat to ailing people who use doctor-recommended marijuana to ease their pain comes from a strange ruling by the California Supreme Court. The court ruled that employers may fire workers for using marijuana for medical purposes, which will prompt legislation to undo the ruling's damage. As one of 11 states that have legalized medical use of cannabis, Hawaii should enact similar workplace protections. [continues 233 words]
THE ISSUE The Board of Education has rejected a $400,000 allocation to pay for drug testing of teachers. A new round in an escalating battle over money for drug testing public school teachers pits the Board of Education against Gov. Linda Lingle with the current teachers contract possibly at stake. In December, the governor got into it with the Department of Education, refusing its budget request for more than $500,000 to pay for testing. Last week, the BOE took a turn, voting down a motion to set aside $400,000. Board members argued that if the governor wants the drug tests that she insisted be a non-negotiable part of the contract, she should not have rejected the funding request. [continues 163 words]
The state Board of Education voted last night not to fund a plan to drug test public school teachers, casting doubts as to whether the program will be able to start by a June 30 deadline required in a new contract. Board members voted 7-0 to reject a motion calling for some $400,000 to pay for the random and reasonable-suspicion drug tests each year of as many as 3,250 teachers, or one in four employees. [continues 361 words]
Gov. Linda Lingle threatened yesterday to repeal a contract awarding pay raises for thousands of public school teachers if the Department of Education fails to comply with a provision mandating random drug tests of instructors in the next school year. Her comments came a day after the Board of Education unanimously voted against funding the drug tests and blasted Lingle's administration for rejecting a request by education officials for more than $500,000 to cover some of its expenses. "We cannot effectuate this contract unless the conditions are carried out," Lingle said about the drug program, which the state added as a non-negotiable item in contract talks with the teachers union last year. "This was agreed to by both sides." [continues 452 words]
The state will open its child welfare records to police in a move sparked by the Jan. 17 death of 23-month-old Cyrus Belt. Formerly confidential files on neglect, violence and substance abuse within families will be shared with the goal of protecting vulnerable children in the future, according to the announcement yesterday by the state Department of Human Services. Department Director Lillian Koller said Belt's death "dramatically underscored the importance of protecting our children from harm." "By creating a closer working relationship between our state agency and the county police departments, we can collectively make better informed decisions about whether to place a child in emergency foster care," said Koller in a news release. [continues 359 words]
I recently heard about a young man who died at 18 of drugs and alcohol. They said, "He died peacefully in his sleep." When someone dies peacefully in their sleep, he is elderly, but when an adolescent dies that way, he has been screaming for help and it is a tragedy. I understand that people honored his life and claimed that it was his path to die at 18 years young. Why would it be his path to die so young? [continues 672 words]
The Governor's Office Has Denied a Budget Request to Pay for Teachers' Drug Tests. THE state administration, which insisted on a non-negotiable provision for drug tests of public school teachers in their current contract, now refuses to provide the $523,723 needed to conduct the tests. Gov. Linda Lingle's team contends the Department of Education already has enough money to absorb the cost of random and reasonable-suspicion drug tests for teachers, and for a $300,000 program to have dogs detect drugs on campuses. That might be, but the push for testing came from the governor's office and it should be willing to pay for it. [continues 160 words]
Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping people sitting on their bottoms, doing drugs, while I work. Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Bart Canada, Honolulu [end]
On Nov. 16, a Star-Bulletin editorial declared, "Judge should halt DEA ban on hemp crops." The editors wisely noted that hemp is different from its distant cousin, marijuana, in that hemp contains only trace elements of the mind-altering chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. The federal court case was brought by two North Dakota farmers, one a long-time state legislator, who sued the Drug Enforcement Agency for preventing them from growing industrial hemp. North Dakota law authorizes industrial hemp production, as the state saw Canadian farmers across the boarder reap the financial benefits of growing this valuable crop for commercial and industrial use. [continues 433 words]
It seems that the state administration is helping to perpetuate the low status of teachers in our society. They claim that the drug-testing of teachers is necessary to protect children from "poor judgment" and other effects of drug use, but they do not propose the same thing for pediatricians, nor family court lawyers and judges, not to mention the Department of Education administration and the state administration itself, whose "good judgment" affects far more children than any teacher. You cannot treat teachers with such disrespect then expect to attract and keep the best and brightest to educate our keiki. Robin Uyeshiro, Kailua [end]
THE ISSUE A federal judge is expected to rule this month on whether to reject a lawsuit allowing the growing of industrial hemp. Hawaii farmers who have long wanted to become part of the fledgling industrial hemp industry should look to North Dakota for leadership. Two farmers, backed by that state's agriculture commissioner, are asking a federal judge to keep the Drug Enforcement Administration from stopping them from growing the distant cousin of marijuana. Farmers Wayne Hauge and Dave Monson, who is a state legislator, received their state licenses last year to grow hemp under rules conforming with legislation enacted in 1999. However, federal law classifies hemp as a controlled substance and the DEA has fought mightily against the cultivation of hemp under the mistaken impression that people can get high on it. [continues 172 words]
The ACLU of Hawaii Intends to File Suit on Behalf of Teachers A civil rights group says it has been contacted by more than 200 teachers who are interested in being part of a federal lawsuit challenging a new policy that calls for random drug tests for public school teachers. Carlie Ware, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's Drug Law Reform Project, said the organization is interviewing potential plaintiffs and aims to file the lawsuit by January. "The men and women who teach in the classrooms of Hawaii's public schools are demoralized by the governor's decision to spend hundreds of dollars to drug test one teacher while they barely have enough money to provide students with textbooks and school supplies," Ware said. [continues 214 words]
It's unbelievable that the members of the state Board of Education fail to understand that public schools must be drug free by not allowing trained dogs to detect drugs without limitations (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 23). Once entering state property all vehicles, purses, bags, lockers, backpacks should be subject to search. Any illegal substances found on any administrator, teacher, student or employee should be cause for immediate termination and expulsion. Maybe then, in a safe, drug-free environment, children may actually learn something. Pauline Arellano Mililani [end]
Regarding the Oct. 21 letter on drug-testing teachers that suggested parents also undergo drug testing: There is a difference between the parents and teachers of school-age children. The parents are not receiving a pay check from the government (except for those on government aid). If the teachers do not wish to be tested for drugs, there are many jobs doing other things or teaching in other states. The parents who are on any form of government assistance should be tested also. If they don't want to be tested, they don't need to take the money. Christopher Murphy, Wahiawa [end]
A lot of letter writers are adamantly in favor of random drug testing of teachers. These same writers of course are in favor of locker searches and drug-sniffing dogs in high schools. Their reasons are rock solid: "for the safety of our children." They don't want teachers who are high or drunk in contact with their children. No one wants a teacher all spaced out, glassy eyed or reeking of alcohol. These teachers should be tested so they can be arrested and expelled. Even if they find only one among the 13,500 teachers, it would be worth it. [continues 124 words]
Drug detection programs in our public schools are a necessary evil ("Drug-dog program could start next year," Star-Bulletin, Oct. 8). We should not encourage development of bad behaviors in the false name of freedom of speech or protection from unreasonable search. While a student has an expectation of privacy inside a wall locker (which is his only to use - not his personal property), he certainly does not have an expectation of privacy in the halls. If a dog alerts on a particular locker while in the hall, that constitutes probable cause. [continues 97 words]
Officials Are Unsure If The Searches Are Legal, But Plan To Use Them Statewide If They Are By Alexandre Da Silva Education officials want $300,000 from the Legislature to launch a statewide drug-sniffing dog program as early as next year in case they win public support for the initiative. The state Board of Education approved the money last week to roll out a drug-dog program listed in the Education Department's $48 million supplemental budget request for the 2008-09 fiscal year. [continues 580 words]
Being one of four dissenting Board of Education members who voted against the searching of student lockers "with or without reason or cause," I was thankful and thrilled that the policy was recommitted back to committee (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 5). Jon Van Dyke's compelling arguments against this unconstitutional act was a major factor in its demise. The BOE wants to create a safe environment for our students, but should not send the wrong messages of suspicion and accusations. Dealing with the growing use of drugs must start at home with caring and involved parents. This must start way before the child sets foot onto school grounds. The BOE has the responsibility, under our state Constitution, to educate our children. Let's do this by positive and not negative messages of mistrust. Lei Ahu Isa Member Hawaii Board of Education [end]
So now the ACLU is getting involved in the teachers' union's fight against drug testing (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 5). I really have to wonder what it is that these people have to hide. Educators talk about "zero tolerance" when it comes to drugs in our schools and yet here we are in the midst of a crisis with drug abuse in schools and the very people we entrust with our children are refusing to walk the walk. Consider that there were six drug-related arrests of school teachers/personnel in the span of six months. Six months! And those were only the ones who got caught! And we have schools resisting locker searches and drug-sniffing canines. Kids are carrying marijuana, crystal meth and even cocaine onto our campuses. Anyone who says different A) is in denial, B) doesn't work in a school, or C) is completely and utterly out of touch with reality! Why doesn't the ACLU fight to protect our children instead of drug-using and drug-selling criminals who have slithered into our educational system? Shawn Lathrop Waikolua, Hawaii [end]
The state Board of Education could not agree last night on whether to let school administrators open students' lockers to look for contraband whenever they want, remove some of the students' clothing during searches and expand a drug-sniffing dog program to improve safety on campuses. After more than three hours of debate, board members deferred a vote to adopt sweeping revisions to the 6-year-old student misconduct code. The changes would still need to go to public hearings and receive Gov. Linda Lingle's signature before taking effect. [continues 384 words]
Testing Became an Issue After a Series of Drug-Related Arrests Saying they have the support of more than 150 public school teachers, the American Civil Liberties Union threatened yesterday to sue the state if it does not cancel plans to randomly test teachers for drugs by next month. In a letter, the organization gave Gov. Linda Lingle until Nov. 15 to suspend the program set to begin June 30. The ACLU does not oppose the reasonable-suspicion testing portion of the policy, which would also cover librarians, counselors and curriculum coordinators. [continues 391 words]
THE ISSUE The Board of Education has postponed a vote on rules to govern school safety and student conduct. BALANCING a need for safety with the privacy and rights of children, teachers and other staff at Hawaii's public schools is proving to be a difficult task. On one front, the Board of Education, which has been grappling for months to produce a new set of rules for student conduct, put off a decision this week on the proposals. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is poised to file a lawsuit challenging the legality of random drug tests for teachers. [continues 368 words]
As concerns the intended searches of student lockers and the random drug testing of teachers, I would like for the Drug Enforcement Administration to tell us exactly why marijuana is a dangerous drug. I understand the parents would want the drug testing of the teachers in the hopes of preventing their children from being negatively influenced. However, which drugs are we going to test for -- aspirin, cough drops and vitamins? Searching student lockers might catch some drugs. But there is such a thing as an illegal search when there in not enough probable cause. "Probable cause" is defined as "that which causes reasonable and prudent men, not legal technicians, to act." [continues 134 words]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii wants to prevent the state from testing public school teachers for drugs next school year, charging that the program would be ineffective and costly and would violate privacy rights. ACLU officials say they will soon file a lawsuit against the state on behalf of teachers who contend they were forced to agree to random and reasonable-suspicion drug testing to get a pay hike under a new two-year contract signed in the spring. [continues 472 words]
Federal and state officials arrested and charged five people in a large-scale marijuana-growing operation on Kauai. Officials seized about 6,000 marijuana plants in the dense jungle at the foot of Mount Waialeale, which is state land. With an estimated street value of $5.9 million, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo called the case "the largest outdoor marijuana growing operation ever prosecuted" in Hawaii. The investigation, called Operation Green Stream, captured the five suspects on videotape allegedly harvesting, cultivating and smoking the marijuana. [continues 483 words]
The Issue A State School Board Committee Has Reversed Its Earlier Support for Random Searches of Students' Lockers Using Drug-Sniffing Dogs. By a one-vote margin, a state Board of Education committee has backed away from allowing random searches of student lockers using drug-sniffing dogs. The decision is based on concern for students' privacy but should not be regarded as abiding by constitutional restrictions. Extending students' privacy rights to their lockers is respectful but not required by law. The policy may be reviewed in the future. [continues 408 words]
I write in response to Rich Figel's story on overhauling drug policy ("Addicted to Life," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 5). To tackle this problem head-on, we need to start at the top. I work for MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), an organization that recently won a landmark lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Agency that seeks a license to grow marijuana for Food and Drug Administration IND (Investigational New Drug) trials to determine medical value. There's one more step in the approval process. Reps. John Olver (D-Mass.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) are co-sponsoring a congressional sign-on letter urging the DEA to accept the recommended ruling. We urge your readers to visit www.maps.org to find out how they can help. Terri Thatcher Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Ben Lomond, Calif. [end]
