HIGHLIGHT: It is known as the "hug drug." And the use of ecstasy is rising faster than any other illegal drug. Some users say the drug can't hurt them, but these kids at the Phoenix Academy in rehab had those very same notions as well. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is known as the "hug drug." And the use of ecstasy is rising faster than any other illegal drug. Some users say the drug can hurt them. But in tonight's Cover Story, CNN's Eileen O'Connor talks to teens who say they learned the hard way. [continues 641 words]
Note: After a Supreme Court decision, distributors of medical marijuana fear a federal shutdown. Sales were strong at 7494 Santa Monica Boulevard last week. Prices were neatly posted; customers paid by credit card; computers tracked inventory; a Better Business Bureau plaque gleamed behind the counter. On the lounge TV, a video showed Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca praising the place: "A great success...things are done properly and people who need services are getting those services." But the success and services of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center and similar medical-marijuana distributors across the country could soon be history. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court in a unanimous decision declared that illness is no excuse for legalizing marijuana--not even to ease the suffering of patients with cancer, AIDS or other life-threatening diseases. The folks on Santa Monica Boulevard, however respectable, are committing a federal crime as they collect baggies of Maude's Mighty Moss ("large and luscious reddish green buds, easy to break and roll," $18 a gram) and Adobe ("compressed green bud, fresh and tasty, with seeds and stems," $4 a gram). [continues 504 words]
NOTRE DAME, Indiana (CNN) -- President Bush urged graduates of Notre Dame University Sunday to use their idealism in the war against poverty and make a commitment to public service. Wearing a blue gown, the president told the 2,500 graduating students to "revive the spirit of citizenship" and "marshal the compassion of our people" in meeting the nation's needs. Bush praised his predecessor when he said the nation has won one battle in the war on poverty: ending welfare dependency. "That is a tribute to the Republicans and Democrats who agreed on reform, and to the president who signed it, President Bill Clinton." [continues 423 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In Tarrytown, New York, teen-agers learn to how to avoid drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Denver nurses visit pregnant women at risk of substance abuse. A Seattle-based program uses dinosaur puppets to help youngsters with behavior problems. These projects, cited by the government as among the nation's best hope for fighting addictions, were honored Thursday by the nation's acting drug policy director and the Health and Human Services Department. "The federal seal of approval ... is a message to communities that they should insist upon and work toward the same level of excellence in substance abuse prevention," HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said. "As a nation, we can settle for no less." [continues 231 words]
SAN YSIDRO, California (AP) -- A beat-up Honda Accord lurches in stop-and-go traffic at one of the largest border crossings from Mexico. As it stands yards from the inspection booths -- but technically inside the United States -- an inspector with a large black Labrador walks toward the car. The dog suddenly stops sniffing, and sits. Careful not to agitate the driver, the inspector points the car toward a covered parking lot, where a huge recreational vehicle with a metal arch idles. Without even peeking through the window, inspectors soon will know there are several bags of drugs hidden in the car. [continues 767 words]
ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS with Judy Woodruff. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Drug use is rising, and the president tapped a take-no-prisoners veteran of the drug wars to turn the tide: John Walters, chief of staff to the nation's first drug czar, Bill Bennett. He favors deterrence in the schools and punishment on the streets, a return to policies Mr. Bush said worked well for his father, but that the Clinton White House had turned away from. [continues 325 words]
Just a short time ago, President Bush nominated John Walters as his drug policy director. What does this mean for the drug war in America? LEON HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush is beefing up his troops in the so-called war on drugs. Just a short time ago, Mr. Bush nominated John Walters as his drug policy director. Walters was a deputy in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy during the first Bush administration. Among other things, Walters is known for taking a hard line against drug offenders. But some critics are concerned that if confirmed, Walters will not put enough emphasis on treatment. Well, as for the White House, officials say the war on drugs needs to be fought on a variety of fronts. But it could be a tough battle ahead on that. [continues 1301 words]
RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNNfn ANCHOR, MARKET CALL: In the Academy award-winning movie, "Traffic," Michael Douglas, who plays the frustrated drug czar, says the fight against drugs is not just a war on drugs-- it's also a war on our children. That's the framework in which we will discuss today's tough call. Republican Congressman, Mark Souder sponsored the passage of a bill in 1998 to attack the drug use of college students. The law is being enforced for the first time by the Bush administration this year. That law, in effect, makes any college student convicted of possession or selling drugs ineligible for financial aid for a maximum of two years. Repeat offenders could lose their eligibility, permanently. Many opponents claim the law is unfair, especially since no other criminal conviction carries the same penalty. So, is this law a fair tool in fighting drug use? [continues 1336 words]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Administration sources tell CNN that Rep. Asa Hutchinson, an Arkansas Republican, will be named head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The third-term congressman currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee. He has long been considered a friend of the DEA because he supports legislation calling for stricter anti-drug enforcement. Hutchinson's office had no comment. Hutchinson, 50, is the brother of Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas, and was a U.S. attorney in northwest Arkansas from 1982 until 1985. He is in his third term in the House. [continues 177 words]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Bush administration sources confirmed Monday that John Walters will be appointed the new U.S. drug czar this week. Walters will replace Barry McCaffrey as head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It has been widely reported that Walters was among the top candidates for the job. Walters was a top deputy to William Bennett, drug czar in the administration of the president's father, George Bush. He favors severe prison sentences for violent felons, marijuana smugglers and repeat offenders, but he views first-time drug users more leniently. [continues 78 words]
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators in Peru are sorting out details in the crash of a U.S. missionary plane. The plane was mistaken for a drug trafficker's and was shot down Friday by the Peruvian air force, killing an American missionary and her daughter. The military was working with information from a CIA surveillance plane. Veronica Bowers and her seven-month-old daughter died in that incident. She and her husband were working for the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. [continues 718 words]
THE POINT With Greta Van Susteren. An American woman and her infant are killed. A tragic incident as the war on drugs hits a sour note. (Begin Video Clip) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will wait to see all the facts before I reach any conclusions about blame. (End Video Clip) ANNOUNCER: Tonight, new questions about how the U.S. is fighting the war. (Begin Video Clip) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really can't control drugs by stopping the flow in. What you have to do, I think, is come up with a plan: a controlled, regulated legalization of drugs. [continues 3866 words]
Andy Messing of the National Defense Council Foundation and David Boaz of the Cato Institute debate the efficacy of supply-side anti-drug efforts. ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST: ... carrying a family of American missionaries. CIA contract employees on a U.S. surveillance plane mistakenly targeted the missionary aircraft as possibly carrying drugs and drug dealers. The family's mother and an infant daughter died in the crash, but surviving were the father, a son and the pilot. The badly wounded pilot today saying the tragedy will always haunt him. [continues 3545 words]
A former CIA narcotics officer explains how the CIA operated in Peru to try to stem the flow of drugs. He believes the drug problem ultimately needs to be controlled from the demand side. STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to spend a little more time now discussing that news from Peru, which is raising questions about the war on drugs and just how far authorities should go in their effort to stem the drug trade. Joining us now from Los Angeles to discuss these issues is Kenneth Bucchi, a former CIA narcotics officer. [continues 912 words]
Activists gather in Washington to fight for the legalization of marijuana. Why has one prominent office holder joined the fight for legalization? ANNOUNCER: Tonight: Activists gather in Washington to fight for the legalization of marijuana. Should pot be legal, and why has one prominent office holder joined the fight for legalization? From Washington, CROSSFIRE. On the left, Bill Press; on the right, Robert Novak. In the CROSSFIRE: Republican Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico; and Robert Maginnis, Family Research Council vice president. [continues 4203 words]
BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- Colombia's state prosecutor is investigating the disappearance and possible murder of at least 32 peasants by far-right paramilitaries in the remote locality of Naya, local television said on Sunday. Investigators have so far confirmed six killings by the paramilitary outlaws, who have accused local peasants in the dirt-poor area of southwestern Colombia of collaborating with leftist rebels, RCN television said. The channel showed images of the body of a adolescent woman being exhumed from a shallow grave. Her throat had been cut and her hands cut off, RCN said. [continues 396 words]
City Targets Illegal Prescription Drug Trade CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- Nearly every day, in every city and state in the United States, prescription drugs are being diverted from their legal use. "Thirty percent of the overall drug problem in America is prescription drugs," said Sgt. Kerry Rowland of the Cincinnati Police Department. As commander of America's only full-time drug diversion unit, Rowland should know. For 10years, law enforcement officials said, it has set a national standard, tracking almost 22,000 bogus prescriptions and keeping a steady inventory o what drug sells for how much on the street. [continues 364 words]
BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- Colombia's largest leftist guerrilla group warned on Wednesday it would attack American civilian "mercenaries" who take part in military operations in the South American nation's long-running war. The 17,000-member FARC, Latin America's most powerful and oldest surviving rebel army, has in the past declared U.S. military personnel deployed in Colombia "military targets." But in an interview posted on the rebels' Web site, FARC spokesman Carlos Antonio Lozada said the threat extended to U.S. "mercenaries" hired for military operations in Colombia. [continues 288 words]
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNNfn ANCHOR, STREET SWEEP: The Supreme Court is now considering a case that will determine whether marijuana should be legally prescribed for medical purposes. A final ruling is expected by June. Right now, eight states allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes. Some patients and doctors say marijuana helps combat symptoms of various ailments, and is much cheaper and more effective than other types of treatments. Joining us right now from Washington to discuss the issue, and the economic impact of medical marijuana, Chuck Thomas, he's communication's director of Marijuana Policy Project, advocating its medical use. And, Congressman Bob Barr, Republican from Georgia who says cannabis should be banned. [continues 1084 words]
Dea Agent: Traffic Will Slow With Education Editor's note: The drug issue is a multifaceted one, as the film "Traffic" illustrates so vividly. Following is the opinion of one foot soldier in the international drug wars. (CNN) -- The Oscar-nominated film "Traffic" weaves together diverse stories about the war against drugs. One tale, featuring federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents trying to keep drugs out of the United States, gives viewers a from-the-trenches look. Before he shot a single frame, director Steven Soderbergh and members of his production team interviewed Special Agent Vince Rice, a 10-year veteran of the DEA who works in San Diego, California. [continues 502 words]
LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Several significant dispatches today from America's so-called war on drugs. First, the feeling on the street is, the war's a dismal failure. A new survey by the Pew Center for the People and the Press finds nearly three-quarters of Americans say it is a losing battle. And the same number say they have little hope it will ever succeed because drug demand remains so high, that it'll be impossible to stop drugs use. [continues 1675 words]
The Movie "Traffic" Is Winning Awards And Rave Reviews For Its Realistic Look At The Illegal Drug Trade. Much Of That Praise Is Coming From Some Of The Toughest Critics, Law Enforcement Agents Directly Involved In The War On Drugs. LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The movie "Traffic" is winning awards and rave reviews for its realistic look at the illegal drug trade. Much of that praise is coming from some of the toughest critics, law enforcement agents directly involved in the war on drugs. [continues 677 words]
The Bush administration announced Monday it plans to expand Plan Colombia to include Colombia's neighbors in the Andes. "You cannot deal with Colombia in isolation, as if it was the sole country in America or the Western Hemisphere," said William Brownfield, deputy assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs. "We need a more regional approach to address the issues, the crises that are emanating from Colombia today." CNN reported last week that the administration plans to extend Plan Colombia to other Andean countries. [continues 388 words]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Bush administration is in the process of designing an expansion of Plan Colombia, into a regional-wide plan for Colombia's neighbors in the Andes, US, Colombian and other Latin American officials tell CNN. As the US assists Colombia with its counter-narcotics efforts, Colombia's neighbors in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia are worried that rebels will begin drug cultivation across Colombia's borders. The neighboring economies are fragile, and poor citizens living in squalor along the border would see an incentive to join the rebels with drug production. [continues 740 words]
A drug reform bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana passed its first hurdle Tuesday by gaining the approval of a committee in the New Mexico Legislature. If ultimately passed by the state's House and Senate, the bill, proposed by maverick Gov. Gary Johnson, would make New Mexico one of a handful of U.S. states to punish adult possession of an ounce or less of marijuana with a fine rather than jail time. The marijuana provision is part of a package of measures aimed at treating drug problems more like health issues than criminal matters, an approach Johnson believes will be more successful in reducing abuse than the U.S. "war on drugs." [continues 275 words]
Attorney General John Ashcroft, who has declared a renewed war on drugs as a top priority, promised his Mexican counterpart to find ways to work together during a meeting at the Justice Department early Tuesday. Taking a page from President Bush's visit to Mexico, Ashcroft emphasized his meeting with Rafael Macedo de la Concha marked the first visit by an attorney general from another nation. Relations between the United States and Mexico are crucial to law enforcement efforts to cope with drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal immigration, and border safety. [continues 337 words]
BOBBIE BATTISTA, HOST: Do drug addicts like Robert Downey, Jr. belong in a hospital or in prison? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARRY MCCAFFREY, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL DRUG POLICY: We're still looking at a U.S. society in which 6 percent of us last month using illegal drugs. (END VIDEO CLIP) BATTISTA: The U.S. spends more than $19 billion a year fighting the war on drugs trying to keep them out of this country. And yet... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC STERLING, POLICY ANALYST: The availability of drugs for teenagers has never been easier. The prices of drugs on the street are as low as ever. The purity is greater than ever. We're failing. [continues 6081 words]
BOBBIE BATTISTA, HOST: Do drug addicts like Robert Downey, Jr. belong in a hospital or in prison? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARRY MCCAFFREY, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL DRUG POLICY: We're still looking at a U.S. society in which 6 percent of us last month using illegal drugs. (END VIDEO CLIP) BATTISTA: The U.S. spends more than $19 billion a year fighting the war on drugs trying to keep them out of this country. And yet... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC STERLING, POLICY ANALYST: The availability of drugs for teenagers has never been easier. The prices of drugs on the street are as low as ever. The purity is greater than ever. We're failing. [continues 6082 words]
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) BEATLES (singing): Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies. (END AUDIO CLIP) BILL PRESS, CO-HOST: I remember those days, and I must admit: I did inhale. TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST: Sadly, America has been living with the consequences ever since. PRESS: Welcome to the future of television! Welcome to THE SPIN ROOM on CNN. I'm Bill Press, thanks for joining us. [continues 4427 words]
Is the Drug War a Lost Cause? GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Tonight on THE POINT, the Oscar-nominated film "Traffic." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TRAFFIC") MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: Where the hell are the drugs? Where are they? (END VIDEO CLIP) VAN SUSTEREN: Just how close is it to reality? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC STERLING, CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY FOUNDATION: The availability of drugs to teenagers has never been easier. The prices of drugs in the street are as low as ever. The purity is greater than ever. [continues 3932 words]
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) BEATLES (singing): Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies. (END AUDIO CLIP) BILL PRESS, CO-HOST: I remember those days, and I must admit: I did inhale. TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST: Sadly, America has been living with the consequences ever since. PRESS: Welcome to the future of television! Welcome to THE SPIN ROOM on CNN. I'm Bill Press, thanks for joining us. [continues 4428 words]
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Today, we're going to take a look at drug use among children and a popular school program designed to curb it. DARE, short for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is now taught in more than three-quarters of the nation's schools. But leaders of the program admit it's not working. So it's back to the drawing board. And joining me to talk about this is Nancy Kaufman, the vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program is funding a new abuse prevention curriculum. [continues 965 words]
CARLSON: When we return, is your teenager funding international terrorism? If he does drugs, yes. That's the new message from the federal government broadcast in Super Bowl ads last night. Is it fair? We'll ask the head of the DEA. Back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I help blow up buildings. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My life, my body. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not like I was hurting anybody else. (END VIDEO CLIP) CARLSON: That's what tens of millions of football watchers saw last night when the Super Bowl went to a commercial break, new ads produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. It cost $3.5 million to run. [continues 1688 words]
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Now, some crimes become legal under certain conditions. Marijuana is illegal, of course, in most countries, but some doctors recommend using the drug for medicinal purposes, and in some countries, it is legal to use marijuana to relieve symptoms of a wide range of illnesses from AIDS to cancer to glaucoma. Britain's ITN reports on a former police officer who's now looking for the drug. UNIDENTIFIED ITN REPORTER (voice-over): Kate Bradley used to bust drug dealers as an undercover police officer; now she seeks them out on the street, in order to supply her with cannabis she smokes to ease the pain of multiple sclerosis. The former West Midland's police constable smokes cannabis 4 times a day to relieve the pain in her legs and arms and torso. Despite her years of service upholding the law -- mostly as an undercover operative in Hampton -- she now despairs it being labeled a criminal herself. [continues 116 words]
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Robert Downey Jr. out in California is making an appearance before the court there. Of course, he is up on drug charges that stem from his arrest, like, last Thanksgiving in Palm Springs at a hotel, resort hotel there. He is appearing before the court at Indio, California. CNN following up on this case. We understood that there is some discussion under way this afternoon for a bit a postponement. Robert Downey Jr.'s lawyers wanted to take a look at additional material coming from the trial, wanted to get further analysis of drugs found at the hotel location where Robert Downey Jr. was arrested. [continues 1114 words]
Dr. Paul Earley Shares Discusses Alcohol And Drug Addiction. JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us here on the set in Atlanta to talk more about drug addiction and how to cope with it is Dr. Paul Earley, who is with the Ridgeview Institute here in Atlanta. Dr. Earley, talk to us a little bit about the difficulty of being Robert Downey Jr.; facing the amount of attention that Paul Vercammen was just telling us about, and, I mean, he has repeated trouble with drugs and with the law. What kind of additional pressure does this put on him in recovery? [continues 545 words]
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: You might say Washington never looked so pretty. Well, as you've just been hearing and you've been seeing, the president-elect has been at the Lincoln Memorial. He arrived here in Washington last night. He has just wrapped up his part in a gala kick-off in his inauguration coming on Saturday. Earlier today, he sat down for an interview with our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley. And Candy is joining us. Candy, tell us about. [continues 3237 words]
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the indictment Friday of three "rave" party organizers, marking the first time the federal "crack house" law has been used for prosecuting organizers of such events. "Raves" are large dance parties often associated with the drug MDMA, commonly called ecstasy. The indictments were returned against Robert J. Brunet and James D. Estobinal of Louisiana and Brian J. Brunett of Tampa. Florida as a result of "Operation Rave Review," a joint investigation conducted the DEA and the New Orleans Police Department. [continues 85 words]
BENJAMIN, Utah (AP) -- James Warren "Flaming Eagle" Mooney says he has seen people who use the peyote cactus freed from drug addiction and mental illness. Now the mystical medicine he administers to his followers could cost Mooney his own freedom. On October 10, sheriff's deputies raided Mooney's home and his adjoining church, seizing a ceremonial pipe, a computer and 33 pounds of peyote. Mooney was charged with a dozen counts of drug trafficking and one count of racketeering. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. [continues 708 words]
The Drug War's Good Guys, Bad Guys And Fall Guys (CNN) -- Steven Soderbergh's latest film, "Traffic," is being heralded as an indictment of America's ineffectual war on drugs. Using natural lighting, hand-held cameras, various film processes, and three separate dramatic stories Soderbergh also has fashioned a blistering, thought-provoking modern masterpiece. The film is based on "Traffik," a 1989 British Channel 4 miniseries that traced a drug route from Pakistan through Europe and into Great Britain. Screenwriter Stephen Gaghan has placed the action in Mexico and the United States, but otherwise has stuck to the main structure of the original. Using a large ensemble cast, Soderbergh has created a deeply layered, complex story that offers no solution for ending the war on drugs. In fact, he makes a strong case that the government's drug policies are riddled with good intentions that ultimately lead to hypocrisy, lies and failure. [continues 425 words]
COSSACK: Are we more likely to pity a fallen star than lackluster dealers and users? Would you send Downey to jail? To rehab? Or both? Welcome to TALKBACK LIVE. I'm Roger Cossack in for Bobbie Battista. Well, is one junkie pretty much like another? What's the difference between Robert Downey, Jr. and the user on the sidewalk? Before we get into this let's talk with CNN correspondent Paul Vercammen about Downey's growing rap sheet. Well, Paul, you were in the courtroom this morning. You saw Robert Downey in the courtroom. Tell us a little bit about what happened in the courtroom, and tell us about Robert Downey's history. [continues 6652 words]
(Program Aired December 27, 2000 - 7:30 p.m. ET) MARY MATALIN, CO-HOST: Tonight actor Robert Downey Jr. arraigned on felony drug charges. If convicted, should he be sent to prison, to drug treatment, or should he just be left alone? On the left, Bill Press. On the right, Mary Matalin. In the CROSSFIRE, in Miami, Florida criminal defense attorney Roy Black; and in West Palm Beach, Florida, Jeanine Pirro, district attorney of Westchester County, New York. [continues 4469 words]
Antley Arrested Twice In Months Before Death PASADENA, Calif. - A pattern of troubling behavior preceded jockey Chris Antley's violent death, police reports show. Antley was arrested twice on drug and alcohol charges, and his pregnant wife claimed he threatened her in the months before he was found dead, the reports said. The two-time Kentucky Derby winner suffered from depression and had problems with drugs and alcohol, which were evident in the reports that Pasadena police released Wednesday at the request of news organizations. [continues 717 words]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. officials have seized about seven tons of cocaine and arrested 11 people in two separate incidents involving speedboat smugglers off the coast of Mexico and Colombia, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday. The seizures represent about 10 percent of all the cocaine -- 125,000 pounds -- confiscated by the Coast Guard in 1999, said Lt. Commander Jeff Robertson of the Coast Guard. "In just one week we had about 10 percent of what we seized all of last year. Last year was the largest year ever, and it looks like this year is going to be busy again," Robertson said. [continues 346 words]
Supreme Court says truck drivers with drug histories can get reinstated WASHINGTON (AP) - Courts can enforce an arbitration award that requires an employer to reinstate a truck driver who has twice tested positive for drug use, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. The justices ruled unanimously that a West Virginia coal company must reinstate a truck driver who tested positive for marijuana use two times. Under a union contract, the case had been submitted to an arbitrator who decided the employee should be reinstated after serving a suspension and undergoing drug treatment.The company, Eastern Associated Coal Corp., had argued that the order must be overturned because it violated a public policy against performing safety-sensitive jobs under the influence of illegal drugs. [continues 361 words]
SAN CRISTOBAL, Mexico (AP) -- Only days before his historic inauguration as president, Vicente Fox said America should deal with its drug habit and pledged to join the United States and Canada in what he called "NAFTA-plus." In an interview with The Associated Press before he takes office on Friday, Fox said the United States is too quick to write off Mexico as a corrupt haven for drug smugglers -- and too reluctant to look in the mirror. "The United States year after year blames us. Why?" Fox asked. "Who lets the drugs into the United States? Who is doing gigantic business in the United States, then sends down millions of dollars that corrupt Mexican police officers and government officials?" [continues 624 words]
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombia recalled its ambassador to Venezuela "for consultation" Friday, two days after a Colombian guerrilla leader gave a speech on the floor of the Venezuelan congress. The decision reflects rising friction between the two Andean countries over Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' alleged sympathy for Colombian insurgents and his criticism of Plan Colombia -- a U.S.-backed anti-drug plan being carried out by Colombian President Andres Pastrana. In a statement, Colombia's foreign ministry said it was recalling Ambassador German Bula in order to "evaluate the current state of relations between the two countries." [continues 246 words]
SAN MATEO, California (AP) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has approved a program that will allow a northern California county to give away government-grown marijuana to 60 AIDS patients in a study to assess drug's potential health benefits. The 12-week study in San Mateo County could begin as early as January, county supervisor Mike Nevin said. The DEA approved it Wednesday. "What we could end up with is scientific proof that this is a medicine that should be prescribed by doctors," Nevin said. [continues 156 words]
LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) -- Bolivia blamed "drug terrorists" for the shooting death of a policeman on Thursday in the coca growing Chapare region, where eradication efforts are nearly complete. Police officer Abad Espinoza Quinteros was "shot in the face and head" at 6:30 a.m. (1030 GMT) in the Ismael Montes region about 370 miles (600 kilometers) east of La Paz when his patrol was on its way to root out coca plants in the troubled lowland area. "We're on the right path for the defense of all Bolivians, we're fighting the drug traffickers and this violence will not turn us back," Government Minister Guillermo Fortun said. [continues 168 words]
BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- The lead soldier in the U.S. war on drugs, departing White House drug policy coordinator Gen. Barry McCaffrey, says Marxist rebels are behind "a giant increase" in Colombia's cocaine production and are now a dominant force in the narcotics trade. "I am absolutely unabashed in telling you that the principal organizing entity of cocaine production in the world is the FARC," said McCaffrey, referring to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. McCaffrey, who has served as U.S. President Bill Clinton's director of national drug control policy since March 1996, spoke to foreign journalists on his arrival in Colombia late Sunday for a two-day fact-finding visit. [continues 616 words]
