Maptalk-Digest Tuesday, December 11 2001 Volume 01 : Number 326
FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
From: Harry Bego <>
FW: MAP: FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
From: "" <>
Listmembers: DRCNet Needs Your Support
From: David Borden <>
Fw: Did anyone catch this? - HCI Deals with Aftermath of Drug Controversy
From: "jini" <>
Fwd: [narconews] EFF on NY Supreme Court Ruling's Precedent for Online Spee
From: "kim hanna" <>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subj: FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
From: Harry Bego <>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 11:44:20 +0100
FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
EU Countries Soften Cannabis Policy
by our Dutch Affairs editor Carin Tiggeloven,
7 December 2001
National drugs policies within the European Union do not differ as much as
you might think - at least not in implementation. This past week, experts
and officials from around the EU met in the central Dutch city of Utrecht to
exchange views at the European City Conference on Cannabis policy. The main
conclusion: all European cities are having to contend with similar problems.
It was only natural to hold the conference in the Netherlands, one would
have thought. After all, the Netherlands has passed legislation aimed at
decriminalizing soft drugs such as hashish and marijuana. But The
Netherlands is no longer leading the way when it comes to legalising drugs.
It's having to deal with the downside of its liberal policies, as Steven van
Hoogstraten, the Director of Drugs policy at the Dutch Justice Ministry,
pointed out.
"There are risks involved in the use of cannabis, even though we do not know
precisely what these risks are. Cannabis is still an illegal substance in
The Netherlands and we have obligations in the shape of international
conventions in this respect."
Coffeeshops
Nevertheless, the use of cannabis is allowed in the Netherlands. Coffeeshops
are permitted to sell soft drugs, but only under strict conditions. And
there's the rub: the shops are allowed to sell cannabis, but purchasing soft
drugs is still illegal and trading or growing cannabis remains a punishable
offence. Steven van Hoogstraten acknowledges there are ambiguities.
"The results of our policy can be called acceptable. But from a government
perspective, the situation is simply not satisfactory. On the one hand, we
forbid something, on the other we tolerate it. This is difficult to explain
to people."
The Netherlands is still a frontrunner in Europe. But other European
countries are catching up. Belgium's federal government is preparing
legislation aimed at legalizing soft drugs. It's an indirect effect of the
liberal policies of its northern neighbour: many Belgian youths buy their
dope across the Dutch border but cause problems in their own country.
Health Issue
France used to be vehemently opposed to the Dutch liberal approach, but it's
now relaxing its tough drugs laws, too. In recent years, the French
government has treated drugs-related problems as "health matters", with the
emphasis on prevention and the treatment of addicts.
Portugal is about to go a step further than the Netherlands: in July, it
passed a law decriminalising the use of all drugs and it's now turning a
blind eye to the limited use of soft and hard drugs. Danila Ballota of the
European Drugs Monitoring Centre in Lisbon, explains the new Portuguese law.
"A person who is caught in possession of a limited amount of drugs will not
be treated as a criminal but will be dealt with in an administrative way."
This applies to both cannabis and heroin, where limited users will get off
with a reprimand.
Drugs-Related Problems
Official policies may differ among EU member states, but in practice these
countries often act in the same way. All have to deal with drugs-related
problems such as rising crime rates. This has led to a plethora of aid
programmes ranging from the free distribution of drugs to tolerating
cannabis abuse. There's only one EU country that doesn't believe in
legalisation: it's Sweden and Malou Lindholm, representing the city of
Goethenborg, explains why.
"In the 1960s, Sweden was actually the first country to adopt a drug liberal
policy, well before the Netherlands. We didn't single out cannabis, we even
allowed prescriptions of hard drugs for addicts. The results were
devastating. The number of people starting to abuse drugs or becoming
addicts just sky-rocketed."
If it's up to Sweden, there will be no change to its current tough policy on
drugs. This puts a major obstacle in the way of a common European policy on
drugs. But it also means that there remains a lot to talk about. A follow-up
conference is scheduled for February in Brussels.
- --
------------------------------
Subj: FW: MAP: FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
From: "" <>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 10:34:08 -0500
Wow I find this amazing.
he states there are risks with marijuana but we don't know what they are. After how long with a liberal policy and they
do not know the risks?
Seems they must be damn small or pety.
Actually the risk is the government getting involved and hurting people.
Cheers
Tom
Original Message:
- -----------------
From: Harry Bego
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 11:44:20 +0100
To:
Subject: MAP: FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
FWD: Radio Netherlands on Utrecht Cannabis Conference
EU Countries Soften Cannabis Policy
by our Dutch Affairs editor Carin Tiggeloven,
7 December 2001
National drugs policies within the European Union do not differ as much as
you might think - at least not in implementation. This past week, experts
and officials from around the EU met in the central Dutch city of Utrecht to
exchange views at the European City Conference on Cannabis policy. The main
conclusion: all European cities are having to contend with similar problems.
It was only natural to hold the conference in the Netherlands, one would
have thought. After all, the Netherlands has passed legislation aimed at
decriminalizing soft drugs such as hashish and marijuana. But The
Netherlands is no longer leading the way when it comes to legalising drugs.
It's having to deal with the downside of its liberal policies, as Steven van
Hoogstraten, the Director of Drugs policy at the Dutch Justice Ministry,
pointed out.
"There are risks involved in the use of cannabis, even though we do not know
precisely what these risks are. Cannabis is still an illegal substance in
The Netherlands and we have obligations in the shape of international
conventions in this respect."
Coffeeshops
Nevertheless, the use of cannabis is allowed in the Netherlands. Coffeeshops
are permitted to sell soft drugs, but only under strict conditions. And
there's the rub: the shops are allowed to sell cannabis, but purchasing soft
drugs is still illegal and trading or growing cannabis remains a punishable
offence. Steven van Hoogstraten acknowledges there are ambiguities.
"The results of our policy can be called acceptable. But from a government
perspective, the situation is simply not satisfactory. On the one hand, we
forbid something, on the other we tolerate it. This is difficult to explain
to people."
The Netherlands is still a frontrunner in Europe. But other European
countries are catching up. Belgium's federal government is preparing
legislation aimed at legalizing soft drugs. It's an indirect effect of the
liberal policies of its northern neighbour: many Belgian youths buy their
dope across the Dutch border but cause problems in their own country.
Health Issue
France used to be vehemently opposed to the Dutch liberal approach, but it's
now relaxing its tough drugs laws, too. In recent years, the French
government has treated drugs-related problems as "health matters", with the
emphasis on prevention and the treatment of addicts.
Portugal is about to go a step further than the Netherlands: in July, it
passed a law decriminalising the use of all drugs and it's now turning a
blind eye to the limited use of soft and hard drugs. Danila Ballota of the
European Drugs Monitoring Centre in Lisbon, explains the new Portuguese law.
"A person who is caught in possession of a limited amount of drugs will not
be treated as a criminal but will be dealt with in an administrative way."
This applies to both cannabis and heroin, where limited users will get off
with a reprimand.
Drugs-Related Problems
Official policies may differ among EU member states, but in practice these
countries often act in the same way. All have to deal with drugs-related
problems such as rising crime rates. This has led to a plethora of aid
programmes ranging from the free distribution of drugs to tolerating
cannabis abuse. There's only one EU country that doesn't believe in
legalisation: it's Sweden and Malou Lindholm, representing the city of
Goethenborg, explains why.
"In the 1960s, Sweden was actually the first country to adopt a drug liberal
policy, well before the Netherlands. We didn't single out cannabis, we even
allowed prescriptions of hard drugs for addicts. The results were
devastating. The number of people starting to abuse drugs or becoming
addicts just sky-rocketed."
If it's up to Sweden, there will be no change to its current tough policy on
drugs. This puts a major obstacle in the way of a common European policy on
drugs. But it also means that there remains a lot to talk about. A follow-up
conference is scheduled for February in Brussels.
- --
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
------------------------------
Subj: Listmembers: DRCNet Needs Your Support
From: David Borden <>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 10:54:25 -0500
Dear friends:
I am sending this post because DRCNet needs your support as we approach the
end of the year 2001. Our prospects for next year's funding are excellent,
but we are, to be honest, having a fairly serious cash crunch right now, as
are many nonprofits in the wake of September 11th, and we are having
trouble paying our bills.
One of our many expenses is our dedicated server, which among other things
hosts our online discussion groups, our 22,600+ member Week Online
subscriber list, and our massive posting of the 91,000-page New Jersey
Racial Profiling Archive. And one of the consequences of this cash crunch
is that we had to stop our work on the Higher Education Act Reform Campaign
as of the middle of October, other than the occasional e-mail alert.
Your support can help bring this highly promision effort back sooner, and
help us continue the rest of our work. And make no mistake, listmember
support is crucial, as it is members who provide most of our non-deductible
lobbying funds, which support the HEA campaign, our write-to-Congress web
sites and more.
So please, if you are able to help with a donation, large or small, take a
few minutes and visit http://www.drcnet.org/donate/ to make an
encryption-secured donation by credit card or PayPal -- if you want, sign
up to donate monthly and never have to think about it again -- or use our
form to print out and mail in with your check or money order, or just send
those to: DRCNet, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036. We are also now
set up to accept contributions of stock -- our brokerage is Ameritrade,
account #772973012, company name Drug Reform Coordination Network, Inc.
Please note that contributions to the Drug Reform Coordination Network are
not tax-deductible. If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to
support our educational work, make your check payable to DRCNet Foundation,
same address (and let us know this if you're contributing by credit card or
are giving stock).
Last but not least, if you're not receiving DRCNet's weekly newsletter, The
Week Online with DRCNet, an in-depth report on drug policy, or our
occasional action alerts, please visit us at http://www.stopthedrugwar.org
to check them out and sign up.
Thank you for being a part of our cause.
Sincerely,
David Borden, Executive Director
Drug Reform Coordination Network
http://www.stopthedrugwar.org
------------------------------
Subj: Fw: Did anyone catch this? - HCI Deals with Aftermath of Drug Controversy
From: "jini" <>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 17:42:55 -0600
- ----- Original Message -----
From:"PublishersWeekly.com"
<>
To: "Jennifer L.G. Wallace" <>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2001 5:07 PM
Subject: PW NewsLine for December 10, 2001
>
> ========================================
> PW NewsLine
> http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com
> December 10, 2001
> ========================================
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> HCI Deals with Aftermath of Drug Controversy
> Welch Watch: How Much Warner Must Sell, The Latest
> With 24x7 Purchase, SkillSoft Looks to Make Fuller Commitment to Books
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> HCI Deals with Aftermath of Drug Controversy
>
> HCI president Peter Vegso, head of the Florida recovery publisher best
> known for its Chicken Soup series, confirms reports, circulating since
> May, that the house let 13 employees go in the spring after they tested
> positive for drugs. Many of the employees worked in the company's
> warehouse, while a few had jobs in the front-office; some had been with
> the company for nearly a decade. Most of the positions have since been
> filled.
>
> In the months after the firings, HCI has been weathering a letter
> campaign from what is likely a disgruntled former employee or group of
> former employees. Several months ago a missive was sent to the house's
> authors; soon after a similar one came to editors at Counselor, the
> recovery magazine owned by the publisher. A few days ago, PW received
> the letter.
>
> Written on HCI stationery and containing an HCI return address, the
> letter attacks the house by calling it "the self-help publisher that
> can't help their own employees." The letter spoofs a press release -
> after running through a list of allegations, it suggests that, "for more
> information, contact Peter Vegso."
>
> Among the charges: That the house's policy statement does not mention
> the kind of drug testing the house used to fire employees, and that
> those let go were not given the chance to stay on with the company even
> if they agreed to seek treatment.
>
> Vegso says the testing was covered in the policy statement and that,
> indeed, termination was the only option given. He did say that the
> employees were given treatment options and invited to re-apply if they
> were given a clean bill of health.
>
> There is some debate as to the reason the screening was initiated. Some
> sources indicate pressure from the house's insurance company, but Vegso
> says he had heard rumblings that employees were doing and possibly even
> selling drugs on the job. He says he had been told that one manager had
> become abusive to employees.
>
> "When I heard that, I thought, 'I guess our random testing isn't
> helping.' So we tested the whole company. When the positives came up,
> there was no question what to do with the employees," he says.
>
> HCI has a drug-free-policy but had previously engaged only in spot
> testing. All employees sign an agreement consenting to possible testing,
> though the letter-writer maintains they didn't agree to the kind of
> widespread testing done here.
>
> Vegso says he's not sure how the letters might be affecting HCI's
> business. "I don't think we've lost any authors because of them but it's
> hard to quantify. It takes a long time to build a company and only a few
> lies to bring it down." Some authors, he says, have called up thanking
> the house for its policy.
>
> Despite the irony pointed out in the letter, Vegso says a drug-free
> workplace is consistent with the house's attitude toward addiction. "We
> don't turn our backs on everyone. I have people here who are recovering.
> But these people had to be terminated. I don't feel badly one way or the
> other but I do feel badly that someone would let this fester so much
> they'd want to start this terrorism campaign."-Steven Zeitchik
>
------------------------------
Subj: Fwd: [narconews] EFF on NY Supreme Court Ruling's Precedent for Online Speech
From: "kim hanna" <>
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 14:00:16
December 11, 2001
Please Distribute Widely
Dear Colleagues,
I'll say it again and again and again: While other "press freedom"
organizations in the United States ran from the Banamex billionaire attack
on us, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) stood tall and won the day.
EFF legal director Cindy Cohn and Narco News counsel Tom Lesser have
released the following statement to the press, which appears on the EFF
website:
http://www.eff.org/Censorship/SLAPP/Forum_shopping/BNM_v_Narco_News/20
The text of the EFF media release appears below.
EFF has also posted a copy of the judge's decision in .tiff format.
Don't forget to sign the Victory Guestbook at NYC Indymedia (linked from
page one of Narco News):
http://www.narconews.com/
from somewhere in a country called América,
Al Giordano
Publisher
The Narco News Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com/
Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2001
Contact:
Cindy Cohn
Legal Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
+1 415-436-9333 x 108
Thomas Lesser
Attorney forNarconews.com
Lesser, Newman, Souweine & Nasser
+1 413 584-7331
NY Supreme Court Rules Online Coverage Protected Speech
Praises Electronic Frontier Foundation Court Brief
San Francisco - The Supreme Court of New York agreed with the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) today that online journalists have the same First
Amendment protections as offline journalists.
The court dismissed a case seeking to holdNarconews.com liable for
defamation for its coverage of claims that the president of the Banamex, the
Bank of Mexico, was engaging in the drug trade.
"This court finds that Narco News is a media defendant and is entitled to
heightened protection under the First Amendment," the decision states.
"We're pleased that the court flatly rejected attempts to treat Internet
reporters differently than reporters in the real world," said EFF Legal
Director Cindy Cohn.
The EFF had filed an amicus brief in support ofNarconews.com in the case
brought by Banamex, referred to by the court decision.
"Banamex attempted to squash Narco News Bulletin's right to freely report
public interest news," commented Thomas Lesser, attorney forNarconews.com.
"By ruling that bare allegations alone cannot support a defamation lawsuit,
the judge properly dismissed the case outright, recognizing that defamation
lawsuits by their nature chill First Amendment rights."
Documents related to theNarconews.com case:
http://www.eff.org/Cases/BNM_v_Narco_News/
Narco News Legal Defense Page:
http://www.narconews.com/warroom.html
The Narco News Bulletin:
http://www.narconews.com/
About EFF:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties
organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in
1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to
support free expression, privacy, and openness in the information society.
EFF is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the
most-linked-to websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/
Subscribe, gratis, for free alerts of Narco News reports:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/narconews
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
------------------------------
End of Maptalk-Digest V01 #326
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