WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks changed the way we thought about airport security, led to the passage of the Patriot Act in the United States and resulted in the creation of a new cabinet-level department by the Bush administration. Will terrorism also force America to kick its drug habit? Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Robert Charles calls for a drastic bolstering of the war on drugs, in his terse but informative Narcotics and Terrorism. Charles, who wrote the book before his State Department nomination last year, makes the case that illegal drugs and terrorism are tightly linked. The book features forewords by former first lady Nancy Reagan, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and former attorney general Edwin Meese. [continues 658 words]
Medical-marijuana advocates are celebrating the expected approval of a marijuana-based pain reliever in Britain but remain cautious about any impact the move will have on marijuana-policy reform in the United States. With a Republican-controlled Congress and White House, the chances that the drug, called Sativex, will earn quick U.S. approval are slim, said Steve Fox, a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, a pro-medical-marijuana group. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who introduced H.R. 2233, the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, said he does not expect British approval of the drug to help passage of his bill. [continues 570 words]
