Police Report 60 Arrests At Otherwise Peaceful Event Most of them were not yet born when John Lennon wrote a song about a man named John Sinclair and his legendary marijuana bust, but nearly 30 years later, thousands of people rallied in Boston yesterday for the legalization of a drug that remains extraordinarily popular - and controversial. On the surface, the ninth annual Freedom Rally, or Hempday, looked like a gathering of mostly white, and obviously young Americans who wanted to rebel in the shadow of the State House. Many cruised the crowd in search of a little help from their friends who might have a joint - an illegal marijuana cigarette. [continues 1000 words]
Libertarian candidate Steve Kubby's presence certainly would have livened up the stuffy first three gubernatorial debates between Republican Dan Lungren and Democrat Gray Davis. Mr. Kubby is hopeful that he might be included in the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15. In an editorial board meeting with us this week, he charged that two major candidates "basically agree on everything" and that debate organizers are "driving people away" by not opening up to third-party candidates. Mr. Kubby also differs from the other candidates in being an entrepreneur, not a politician. He publishes Alpine World Magazine. [continues 645 words]
Thailand and the United States signed a long-awaited agreement to set up an International Law Enforcement Academy. The school will promote cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan and US Ambassador William Itoh said it was another step in the worldwide fight against crime. The US will finance the academy, to be built in an outer suburb of Bangkok. It will provide training in mutual legal assistance and work for cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the United States and Asia. The main curricula will be the fight against drugs, smuggling of women and children, terrorism and economic crimes. - --- Checked-by: Don Beck [end]
COLVILLE, Wash. -- I am writing in response to "19 Mexicans slain; drug feud is blamed" (News, Sept. 18). I feel great sadness for the families and friends of the men, women and children of El Sauzal, Mexico, who were brutality murdered by alleged members of a drug cartel. Unfortunately, this terrible waste of human life will only continue, and not just in Mexico but on our own streets, until the tremendous profits are removed from the black market that now controls so-called illegal drugs. Until our nation's drug policies take a turn toward reality, this sort of insane waste will occur again and again. [continues 4 words]
Santa Clara County to install machine that bypasses bondsmen Ah, modern life. You have your ATM kiosks, your ticket kiosks, your espresso kiosks and -- in the heart of Silicon Valley -- your bail-yourself-out kiosk. Starting Wednesday, Santa Clara County will be the first major jail in the country with a bail-dispensing machine. With a swipe of a credit card, eligible defendants will be able to get out of the clink within moments of being booked instead of waiting hours or even days for a relative or bail bondsman to arrive with the necessary cash. Only one other place in the nation so far -- tiny San Luis Obispo County -- has installed such convenience machines. But the private company that sells the kiosks expects them to become as ubiquitous as ATMs. [continues 883 words]
2,000 march, urge lawmakers to give priority to education SAN LEANDRO -- About 2,000 students from throughout the Bay Area cut classes to march and rally Thursday, protesting that the state spends more to lock up young people than to educate them. Teens from Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland, San Francisco and Daly City, among others, took part in the march. The protesters gathered at a San Leandro BART station, started marching about 10 a.m. and then walked to the Alameda County juvenile hall before circling back. [continues 299 words]
On September 18th you reprinted a New York Times editorial about Rep. Henry Hyde's misguided bill to allow the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) to punish any physician who prescribes lethal doses of drugs with the intent of assisting in a patient's suicide. Rep Hyde initiated it in response to the passage of an Oregon citizens' initiative to allow physician-aided death in certain specific situations. This bill is an example of how the House Judiciary Committee has begun to use the DEA to thwart citizen-made law of individual states. [continues 140 words]
EUREKA -- Humboldt County authorities said Wednesday preliminary drug tests show Earth First! activist David Chain had smoked marijuana sometime before he was killed by a falling tree while protesting logging operations by Pacific Lumber Co. Traces of marijuana linger in the body for 30 days or more, said Coroner Frank Jager, so it's possible that Chain hadn't smoked pot for several days or even weeks before the Sept. 17 accident. Despite the positive test, Jager said that he isn't yet able to determine whether the Austin, Texas, man smoked marijuana on the day of his death. [continues 154 words]
Now Mexican investigators say his fortune is even heftier. Mexican federal prosecutors disclosed Friday that they are investigating 289 bank accounts in Mexico, the United States and Europe controlled by Salinas or his accountants, with deposits totaling $119 million. Those funds are separate from the Swiss accounts, the investigators said. The Mexican government also had seized an account in Britain holding $23.5 million. In addition, investigations have turned up 123 properties authorities say belonged to Salinas, from homes to horse ranches, including 37 outside Mexico. [continues 417 words]
The latest, if minor, tobacco settlement between state lawyers and a small part of the tobacco industry might seem as if it would bode well for a more encompassing agreement between the two sides, that this baby step might lead to a big one. But people involved, including the attorney general, say that yesterday's $2 million settlement with the smallest of five tobacco companies - U.S. Tobacco - does not serve as a blueprint for a bigger deal with major companies. [continues 942 words]
VINITA, Okla.--A judge dismissed a driving-under-the-influence case Friday against a black man who was busted with what turned out to a bag of organically grown herbs. District Judge Harry Wyatt dismissed the case against George Singleton in the midst of the trial, saying prosecutors hadn't presented enough evidence for the jury. Among other things, blood tests showed no evidence of any intoxicating substance in Singleton's blood. The only prosecution witness was a trooper who wrote in his report that Singleton was unsteady on his feet and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech when he was pulled over. [continues 209 words]
Some young people in B.C. are smoking a wild weed that's toxic enough to land them in a hospital bed. At least one teenage boy was taken to Kelowna General Hospital after smoking stinkweed, an indigenous plant that grows in the warmer regions of North America. He got sick and spent a night in hospital last week. `Some of this plant is being circulated', said John Waters of the Ministry of Children and Families. `Some is on the street. We don't know where he picked it up.' [continues 170 words]
