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November 05 TRANSFORM NEWS "Lemmy - Motorhead "I have never had heroin but since I moved to London in 1967, I have mixed with junkies on a casual and almost daily basis. I hate the idea even as I say it, but the only way to treat heroin is to legalise it." Source: Speech at the Welsh Assembly 03.11.05
----- Welcome all to Transform’s November newsletter. The end of Transform’s year continues it’s international feel, with Danny (Director) jetting off to the Drug Policy Alliance conference in LA at the start of the month, and Steve (Information Officer) just arriving back from a conference in Seattle, organised by the King County Bar association. It is great that Transform now has achieved the level of credibility and international profile not only to be invited to these conferences, but also to speak and facilitate and at them. More on these events to follow. Various NGO coalitions across the world are now actively preparing for 2008-9, when the UN’s ten-year 1998 drug strategy (to eliminate drugs from the world) will be reviewed. This will be a key tipping point in the debate over the future of global prohibition. Back in the UK, the media rumours suggest that the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs have decided not to re-reclassify cannabis (as we rather thought), but this hasn’t yet been made public, and of course the Home secretary is free to ignore them and do it anyway if he’s so minded. In the Transform office we’ve been stupidly busy with a massive fundraising and publicity mailing, so are all covered in paper cuts, but have succeeded in turning out a very fine annual report – see for yourselves as its available online or as a hard copy to those interested. We also have our new publicity and campaigning leaflet hot off the press so get in touch and we’ll send you some copies We have four pretty weighty documents for you this month – on methamphetamine, khat and opium, as well as the usual round up of British and international news stories.
-Please keep your comments, ideas, media contact and stories coming. e-mail: info@tdpf.org.uk , -Pass this onto your friends; subscribers can join by visiting:http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Contact.htm -All previous newsletters are viewable on our website should you have missed them or only just signed up: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Newsletter.htm -Make a donation – as ever we need financial support to maintain the organisation…set up a regular donation online here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/index_online_giving_links.htm Thanks for reading! Until next month, Fran Kellett Transform
Contents
* Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) & cannabis ---- 2. INTERNATIONAL NEWS ---- *Canada in midst of fiery legalization debate ----3. WHAT TRANSFORM HAS BEEN UP TO----- *Transform in LA! *Become a Trustee!
** Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs – cannabis decision imminent Another press leak makes it look increasingly likely that, as predicted by Transform, the Advisory Council will not be calling for a reversal of last years decision to reclassify cannabis. http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_LatestNews_20_11_05_cannabis_%20reclassification_announcement.htm Transform’s briefing on reclassification http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_Cannabis_Reclassification_Revisited.htm
----- ** Lemmy from Motorhead (!) joins supporters of legalisation Lemmy, the hard drinking lead singer of notorious heavy metal band Motorhead (the self proclaimed ‘loudest band in the world’) has become a surprising addition to the growing list of supporters of legalised and regulated heroin distribution. Read the article about Lemmy’s speech to the Welsh Assembly recently when he advocated legalised and prescribed heroin, to the apparent surprise of the Tory Member of the Welsh Assembly who invited him…..: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=126503&speeches=1 (Transform have compiled an archive of quotes in support of reform from a variety of public figures which will be going online before Christmas…watch this space) --- ** Methamphetamine – the next ‘drug menace’ Methamphetamine, a powerful, addictive and long lasting amphetamine derivative that has caused huge problems in the US and Canada is threatening to break into the UK drug scene and is worrying the Government. Whilst the drug has fuelled the latest bout of drug hysteria and panic in the US, the problems associated with it, in particular its illegal production and use, are very real. The drug has had a low profile in the UK up until now, despite dire predictions of a coming epidemic every year or so in the media, it is beginning to show up amongst problem users presenting for treatment. The ACMD have produced a useful and informative document on the drug for the government at their request. The drug is currently a class B in the UK and the ACMD have not recommended this be changed. Read the ACMD report here (pdf): http://www.drugs.gov.uk/publication-search/acmd/ACMD-Meth-Report-November-2005?view=Binary Erowid methamphetamine archive http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/meth/meth.shtml
---- ** Khat in Britain – an in depth study. Officials are getting worried about khat, (a plant containing the stimulant drug cathinone - usually chewed) and the Government along with various MPs have been making noises about prohibiting it. Currently the drug is unclassified (although it is a schedule 1 – equivalent of class A in the US). Khat is legally available in some ‘head shops’ but has not taken off in the recreational drug scene outside of its traditional use by (mainly) men in the Yemeni/Somali community. The Home Office has produced an in depth survey of khat users in Britain and compared their use, habits and any problems to that experienced in their country of origin. The introduction (at least) makes for interesting reading: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr4705.pdf Erowid Khat archive
** Multiple Sclerosis sufferers to benefit from Sativex Sativex, a pharmaceutical preparation of a key active ingredient of cannabis, has finally been given the green light to be imported from Canada into the UK to help alleviate various medical conditions including Multiple Sclerosis. It appears that various hoops will still need to be jumped through to get hold of it and it is not yet openly available. Bizarrely Sativex is actually produced in the UK by a UK company, before being exported to Canada in the first place. DOH! Read more here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-1873841,00.html Read what the MS Society have to say: http://www.mssociety.org.uk/news_events/news/press_releases/import_sativex.html
** And finally: School drugs mix-up angers mother The mother of a schoolgirl was left "gobsmacked" that police left a bag of speed in her daughter's schoolbag. Kia Butterfield, 10, discovered the bag of amphetamines at home after an anti-drugs day organised by her school. Her mother Amanda said: "You don't expect your daughter to go to school and come home with drugs in her bag." Lincolnshire Police are investigating how the mix-up happened but said an officer neglected to collect the drugs after a sniffer dog demonstration. Police collected the drug and apologised to the family on Wednesday, she said. The drug awareness session was held at Butlins near Skegness as part of the Frank's Party drug education programme. The family from Wainfleet told BBC News they are shocked at what happened and want to make sure security arrangements are tightened so the mistake does not happen again. Mrs Butterfield, 33, said: "I am pleased Kia is sensible and did the right thing by handing the drugs over to her father - and the police did the job to get the message across. "But I am very annoyed it did happen." She added her two younger children aged one and three were running around the house at the time and might have thought the bag of speed was sweets. 'Training exercise' Ch Supt Dave Wheeler for Lincolnshire police said: "When the packages were being hidden two packages were inadvertently placed in the girls bag and when the dog found the drugs only one package was retrieved. "It was a training exercise for the dog and education for the children but what happened shouldn't have happened." He said a review is under way but steps have already been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again. Peter Beveridge, head of Wainfleet Magdalen Primary School, said 35 pupils were at the event and added that the incident "should not detract from the drugs awareness message". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4428372.stm
---Useful links to UK drug news--
http://www.drinkanddrugs.net - Drink & Drug News http://www.thehempire.com - Cannabis news (and wider drug issues), quality free monthly news email and great website. The best and most up to date of the cannabis oriented sites. http://www.dailydose.net - excellent daily/weekly round up of news (free subscription) , links and a peerless searchable UK drug news archive. www.crew2000.co.uk and www.palad.org.uk - affiliates to Transform and well worth a look to see related campaigns around the country. www.ldan.org.uk - London Drug and Alcohol Network.
---- 2. INTERNATIONAL NEWS ---- ** Canada in midst of fiery legalization debate However the reform advocates, drawn from a coalition of public health, criminal justice and user group aren’t thinking of a free market driven business, rather “the study proposes that a regulatory body that isn’t motivated by profit oversee the making and selling of the substances”. Some of the most progressive thinking on drugs anywhere in the world is now happening in Canada, with Vancouver leading the way, being the first city whose official drug prevention strategy calls for the legal regulation of all drugs under a public health model. Read more here: http://umanitoba.ca/manitoban/2005-2006/1123/1408.legalities.of.legalized.drugs.php Find out more about Canada’s drug law reform movement: Keeping the Door Open (KDO) http://www.keepingthedooropen.com/ Canadian Drug Policy Foundation
---- **Report from the UN on Opium cultivation in Afghanistan. A heartfelt, if slightly naive preface from Antonio Maria Costas – the executive director of the UNODC. There has been a 21% decline in opium production in 2005, but in order to achieve this over $173 million dollars has been spent in just three of the six main opium producing areas encouraging farmers to change to alternative crops and in eradication. Many facts and figures and explanation of interesting aspects of opium production and farmers are in the report which you can read here: http://www.unodc.org/pdf/afg/afg_survey_2005.pdf Meanwhile Tony Blair has admitted that attempts to squash the Afghan opium market have failed so far. (No great surprise there Tony – your own report from your own strategy unit says that such interventions are a waste of time and can never succeed). Read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4493596.stm For a more independent analysis visit the Afghanistan page, with a series of detailed reports, at the Transnational Institute drugs and democracy web site:
----- **A losing battle on drugs in Colombia? "The better we get at catching them, the more creative they get," said Mark Styron, supervisor of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Heroin Group in Bogota. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/breaking_news/13147586.htm
**Cost of the drugs business The turn-over of the international drug business is reliably estimated to exceed five hundred thousand million, or five hundred billion, dollars -- $500,000,000,000 -- a sum very far above the annual budgets of more than half of the world's nations. Source: The Anti-Drug Expert Workshop held recently in Rome. (from Liafax – see below) and Just showing how tempting the financial incentive is due to illegal nature of some drugs: “In the wake of a four-months investigation by the DEA, Adan Castillo, head of Guatemala's anti-drug forces, has been arrested in the US on charges of attempted importation and distribution of cocaine in the US. With him were arrested his second in command and a high police functionary.“ From the anti prohibitionist league (aligned with the European Radical party) http://www.antiprohibitionist.org/
---- ** International Links November focus: Erowid: http://www.erowid.org/ “Erowid is a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and related issues. (They) imagine a world where people treat psychoactives with respect and awareness; where people work together to collect and share knowledge in ways that strengthen their understanding of themselves and provide insight into the complex choices faced by individuals and societies alike. (They) believe that truth, accuracy, and integrity in publishing information about psychoactives will lead to healthier and more balanced choices, behaviors, and policies around all psychoactive medications, entheogens, herbs, and recreational drugs. Erowid's vision is to facilitate and create resources that are part of the evolution towards this goal”. Erowid’s website provides information on the effects of different drugs (positive, neutral & negative), their history & origin, the length of the experience, law, dosage and their chemical make up.
ENCOD – the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies. Check out their ‘latest bulletin’ here: http://www.encod.org/newsletter.htm . This page contains all their bulletins, including their most recent. - Keeping the Door Open – A coalition of key stakeholders in Canada examining options for the post-prohibition world. (organisers of the Vancouver conference Transform recently attended) http://www.keepingthedooropen.com -King County Bar Association Drugs Project A bunch of high flying US lawyers campaigning for an end to the drugs war. They have produced a set of excellent reports on options for a new legal framework, and have signed up an impressive list of professional bodies to the cause. Transform’s Steve Rolles recently attended a conference they organised in Seattle – full report next month. -Transnational Institute Drugs and Democracy Project An independent Dutch based organisation that has produced the most thorough analysis of international drug policy issues currently available. They have particular expertise on the workings of the UN drug agencies and have range of detailed (downloadable) policy analysis documents on key issues. -The Media Awareness Project or MAPS An archive of drugs stories in the media collected from its network of ‘news hawks’ around the world, including the UK: “a worldwide network dedicated to drug policy reform”. -Drug Policy Alliance – The leading US drug policy reform organisation http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm
----3. WHAT TRANSFORM HAS BEEN UP TO----- **Transform in LA (Seattle report next month) Report from Danny Kushlick, Transform director From the 10th to 13th November, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and more specifically the Westin Long Beach hotel was full of drug policy experts. I had been invited (and subsidised) by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) to attend and speak at their annual conference. The attendees were from all over the world, and are listed here: http://www.drugpolicy.org/events/dpa2005/ The contents of the conference were wide ranging and looked at specific drugs (marijuana, Ayahuasca, methamphetamine, MDMA etc), harm reduction, reform, prohibition, African Americans and the war on drugs, Europe, the UK, Hemp, Hepatitis C - the list goes on. For full details view the program here: http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/DPA_Conference_2005_Program.pdf I felt the DPA who hosted the event were able to mobilise huge numbers of people - due to their huge networks, their level of campaign organisation was superb. http://www.drugpolicy.org For specifics on the conference see here: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/111705conference.cfm It was a great conference, if a little centred on marijuana (as it seems is the American way). It was very interesting to note how the issue of race is far more important in the US debate, which in terms of the way prohibition operates in the States is much more openly racist in its nature than in Europe. New alliances were built and plans developed for future international collaboration on a range of policy and campaigning projects. Transform are looking forward to moving increasingly into the international policy arena - helped in large part by our recent high level policy work and publications including the 'After the War on Drugs' report - which has gone down very well internationally. A few attendees really impressed me, so I thought you might like to look ‘em up: LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) were awesome http://www.leap.cc/ Sanho Tree - http://www.ips-dc.org/bios.htm#Sanho%20Tree He’s written a couple of fantastic articles in the American ‘Sojourners’ magazine: http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&mode=author&authorid=2119&issue=soj0305&article=030510 Eric Sterling - http://www.cjpf.org/about/ericbio.html
**Publications: *Our shiny new Annual Report has arrived! And boy if you like annual reports, you’ll love this one…(WARNING: *Transform showing off content*) A pdf version is available here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/AboutUs_AnnualReport.htm .
Take a look and get your orders in if you want multiple printed copies. Its very good, even though I say so myself… (feedback is welcome of course). -“After the War on Drugs - Options for Control” – now also available in Spanish and Portuguese! Transform’s groundbreaking report examines the key themes in the drug policy reform debate, detailing how legal regulation of drug markets will operate and providing a roadmap and time line for reform. The report can be downloaded as a pdf from: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_AftertheWaronDrugsReport.htm For printed copies please contact info@tdpf.org.uk or 0117 941 5810
Parliamentarians guide to drug policy **Transform is currently seeking funding to produce a ‘Parliamentarians guide to drug policy’ – to inform the debate, empower reformers in Parliament, and provide the basis for future training programmes Transform will be running for policy makers. ----- **Funding As ever we urgently need funding….Ideas, contacts and suggestions are always welcome, and please - if you haven’t already - sign up online to make a regular donation to the organisation. It really can make a difference. http://www.tdpf.org.uk/support_Transform.htm Our secure online donation page administered by the Charities Aid Foundation. Donations can be one off or regular, large or small. Please give generously - we need your support. (Transform relies solely on donations from individuals and charitable trusts to maintain its work) ----- *Transform in the Media* As ever we have been working closely with various media, but with Danny & Steve jet setting around North America, we’ve had a comparatively quiet month, in England at least. Transform has been mentioned in various Canadian media and you can listen to Steve on Canadian Radio here: **Trustees Wanted Transform are looking for highly experienced individuals to join our Board of Trustees, one of whom will be prepared to step up to the position of Chair.
*Write to your MP/councillor and ask them their views on the current drug policy. Ask their opinion on the ‘War on Drugs’, the fact that it isn’t working and what they think should be done. They have a duty to reply, and then you can begin a dialogue. Remember always to be polite however much you may disagree with them! Book a visit to their surgery - you can meet with them and discuss any issue that you fancy. Its really easy! One of our volunteers visited his MP recently, who just happened to be Charles Clarke – the Home Secretary! The meeting was very positive, and various Transform materials were passed on. Transform provided a detailed briefing and training before the visit. Call us for help. Do you know who your MP is?! They may have changed since the election. Find out here: http://www.locata.co.uk/commons
**Try writing/e-mailing your local paper or a national paper. Look out for drug related stories in newspapers (and other publications) and respond in the letters pages. Here’s evidence to show it works: we promise ‘DJ Welch’ is not a put up job, he wrote to the Observer of his own volition: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1451131,00.html
The internet gives you the opportunity to engage the drug law reform debate as never before. There are literally thousands of online forums, discussion groups, and media feedback opportunities where you can get involved and inject a little common sense into the debate. Here’s a starter for ten: NEW discussion forum on the Government drugs site : http://www.drugs.gov.uk/talking-shop/forum/ And your bonus questions: The Daily Mail; a long time bastion of reactionary Drug War thinking has recently begun to open up to more progressive policy ideas. Whether you like the paper or not the fact is that it is highly influential in Whitehall and read by millions of floating voters. Many news stories and opinion pieces offer an opportunity to add comments at the end – so if you see a drug story that you think doesn’t tell the whole story – let them know! http://www.dailymail.co.ukThey work for You: A brilliant independent website doing what Hansard should be doing – ie providing easy access to parliamentary debate and publications. Searchable by MP or by key words you can add your own comments to any comment made by anyone in the house. There are frequent debates on drug issues (you can set up an email alert on any individual or key word) so do a search, find some incoherent warblings from some misinformed MP - and set them straight! http://theyworkforyou.com/ *Guardian Talk – a good place to start – there’s usually a few good drug policy threads and if you cant find any – start one! http://www.guardian.co.uk/index/talk/0,3109,162311,00.html *For more help with raising awareness through the media see below and the ‘What you can do page’ on the TDPF site here; http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Parliament_WhatYouCanDo.htm For further advice please call the Transform office on 0117 941 5810. Send in your media tips, suggestions for web activism warnings, successes and failures - we’ll include them here.
---- Please pass this newsletter onto your friends - subscribers can join by visiting: For other ideas and more details on what you can do see : For more information and analysis: www.tdpf.org.uk Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a registered charity no: 1100518
The organisations, agencies, and information linked from www.tdpf.org.uk represent a variety of viewpoints from across the drug policy field. Transform is not responsible for the contents of sites linked on this newsletter, and does not automatically endorse linked information. Any suggested additions or corrections please email info@tdpf.org.uk If you have received this mail in error, or if would like to unsubscribe from the list, just click reply/e-mail info@tdpf.org.uk with ‘unsubscribe me‘ as the subject. Fran Kellett
Transform Drug Policy Foundation email: fran@tdpf.org.uk
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