1996 Weekly News Releases

Every Portland NORML weekly news release features the NORML weekly bulletin plus, in the tradition of Hemp News, considerable other drug-policy news not covered by the home office.

January 11, 1996. NORML: Canadian Hemp Activist, Businessman Busted By Vancouver Police; American Farm Bureau Supports Industrial Hemp Research; US Representative Criticizes Hempilation Protest Rally; College Freshman Survey Shows Renewed Support For Marijuana Legalization; Bipartisan Committee Set To Analyze Violent Crime In America, Issues First Report. Portland NORML: Adult Prohibition Increases Kids' Usage; Compassionate Oregonians Meet In Portland; More On The National Farm Bureau's Hemp Endorsement; 'Prison-Building Binge Starts To Lose Its Appeal Even For Conservatives.'


January 18, 1996. NORML: US Supreme Court To Review Double Jeopardy Case; Exiting Drug Czar Takes 'Pot' Shot At New Hemp Shoe; Florida Schools To Consider Drug Testing Students; Clinton Administration Close To Naming New Drug Czar; San Francisco DA Refuses To Charge Drug Offenses Under The Three Strikes Law; NORML Chapter To Run Month Long Hemp Exhibit. Portland NORML: 'High On Lies - The Phony 'Teen Drug Crisis' Hides The Deadly Truths Of The 'War On Drugs'' (Extra!).


January 25, 1996. NORML: Circuit Judge's Dissent In Urinalysis Case Could Spur Supreme Court Review; Activists Intending To Sell Marijuana At The Super Bowl Gain National Exposure; Defense Fund Established To Aid Man Charged With Marijuana Trafficking; NORML Deputy Director To Publicly Debate Lee Brown, Finally!; National Review Advocates Legalizing Drugs; NORML Chapter Debuts Hemp Store - Grand Opening To Take Place This Week; USA Today Sunday Supplement To Feature Story On Marijuana. Portland NORML: We're From The Government And We're Here To Help You; 'Higher Times' On CNN; 'Hemp Revolution' At Cinema 21; Stop Prisoner Rape; If You Can't Keep Drugs Out Of A Prison, How Can You Keep Them Out Of A Free Society?; Federal Drug Offenders Update.


February 1, 1996. NORML: NORML Targets Republican Task Force - Urges Panel To Lift Ban On Medical Cannabis, Reconsider Decriminalization Of Marijuana; Washington State Senators Introduce Legislation To Allow Research Of Medical Marijuana; Pot Charges Against Legal Marijuana User Dismissed; Trial Date Set In Johann Moore Case; Washington Human Rights Group Criticizes Incoming Drug Czar; CNN Marijuana Special Slated To Air On February 11. Portland NORML: Body Count; 'Firing Line' Schedules War-On-Drugs Debate; 'Corporate Heads - High In High Places'; First Casualty Is The Truth As General Takes Over Drug War; Mexico's Finest At Work.


February 8, 1996. NORML: Actor Woody Harrelson Endorses Industrial Hemp - Hemp Bill Passes Colorado Senate Agriculture Committee! Circuit Court Ruling Allows For Religious Defense In Marijuana Cases; Iowa Supreme Court 'Just Says No' To Controversial License Suspension Law; Medical Marijuana Patients To Rally On State Capitol Steps. Portland NORML: Body Count; If It's Important To Oregonians, Don't Look For It In The Oregonian; Initiative Filed For Compassionate Oregonians Voters' Effort (COVE); Superbowl Update; Media Waking Up To The Drug War.


February 15, 1996. NORML: Update - Judge Drops Charges Against Medical Marijuana User Todd McCormick; Medical Marijuana Sentence Reduction Bill Introduced In California; Hemp Legislation Gathers Steam With Vermont Legislators; Wait Till Next Year - Hawaii House Agriculture Committee Postpones Voting On Hemp Cultivation Bill Until 1997. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland NORML Meeting February 28; Charity Doesn't Begin At Home; Multnomah County Prosecutor Moves To Dismiss Felony Drug Charge Due To Medical Necessity; Drug Laws Create Greatest Racial Sentencing Disparities In California; Dutch Post Their Side Of Story; Des Moines Register Calls For Re-Examination Of Drug Policy; The Secret To Pat Buchanan's Success; Marijuana-Related Emergency-Room Admissions; Obesity Kills 300,000 (Pot 0); The History Of The Non-Medical Use Of Drugs In The United States.


February 22, 1996. NORML: Law Enforcement Raids Cincinnati Buyers Club; Missouri Medical Marijuana Bill Unanimously Passes Senate Public Health Committee; Hemp Businessman Sentenced To More Than 8 Years In Prison; America Online Poll Reports That 91 Percent Of Americans Favor Marijuana Decriminalization; Public Hemp Display Under Attack From Local Residents; Man Held In Texas Jail Begins Hunger Strike To Protest Incarceration For Marijuana Possession; Marin County Police Chief Supports Medical Marijuana Initiative; Marijuana Reformers Demonstrate In New Zealand. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland NORML Meeting February 28; How To Stop A Railroad With Three Minutes' Oratory?; Career Opportunities; Zychik Chronicle; Double Standard?; Post-Debate Spin Session; Who's Introducing What To Whom?; More News From Australia; 'Paper Without Trees'; CNN 'Higher Times' Online; ...In Which Case...; USA Weekend Misfires; Drug, Crime Data On Web; Biggest Disappointment Of The Week (JAMA); Legal In Texas?; William F. Buckley - 'Misfire On Drug Policy.'


February 29, 1996. NORML: NORML Issues Principles Of Responsible Cannabis Use; Vermont House Of Representatives Approves Hemp Cultivation Legislation; Hemp To Be Planted On American Indian Soil; Illinois Supreme Court Finds Cannabis Tax Stamps Unconstitutional; California Medical Marijuana Initiative Heads Toward November State Ballot; Cincinnati Buyers Club Founder Takes Offensive Following Police Raid. Portland NORML: Portland Hemp Fest; Body Count; Let's Do The Numbers; That Must Be Some Computer; Lock 'Em Up And Throw Away The Budget; 'Oh, Cannabis'; The Most Addictive Drug; More JAMA Flak; Drinking To Forget; Penultimate Parting Shot; The Last Word; War Of Attrition.


March 7, 1996: NORML: NORML Testifies Before Congress; New Drug Czar Sworn In. Portland NORML: Body Count; Multnomah County Jail Bonds And Levy; FIJA Banished; 'Hempfest At The Opera'; Dr. Dean Edell; Cannabis Patient Registry; Big Toys For Big Boys; What's Going On Here? Mexican Interdiction And Price Trends; The Evidence Mounts; Who You Gonna Call? US Justice Department Vs. Crack Dealers; This Week's Debunking (DNA Damage); Ugly Americans.


March 14, 1996: NORML: Oakland City Council Issues Resolution Supporting Medical Marijuana; Twice As Many Defendants Imprisoned For Marijuana Possession Under California 'Three Strikes' Law Than For Violent Crimes; Vocal Medical Marijuana Activist, User Busted Following Television Appearance; Washington State Activists File 1996 Hemp Initiative; Bill To Eliminate Arizona Tax Stamp Legislation Pulled For Time Being. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland NORML Meeting March 27; Call For Petitioners; Big Hitters (Portland NORML Softball And Bowling Teams); Multnomah County Jail Bonds And Levy II; The Candidates Weigh In; 'Report Tallies State's Drug, Alcohol Toll'; A Major Victory; 'The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition'; 60 Minutes Spotlights Nullification; Zychik Chronicle; 'Mendocino Supervisor - Legalize Pot.'


March 21, 1996: NORML: Industrial Hemp Planted On American Indian Soil; DC NORML, Virginia Activists Thwart Prohibitionist Movement In Virginia; Update - Charges Dismissed Against North Carolina Medical Marijuana Patient; Medical Marijuana Patient, Quadriplegic Found Guilty Of Trafficking Charges. Portland NORML: Body Count; Marijuana Task Force To Lose Funding; Sandee Burbank Loses Daughter; Two More Co-Sign HR 2618; Please Help; Correlation Not Causation; 'Industrial Fiber Hemp'; 'WSU Gets $70,000 To Study Marijuana Growing'; Prisons Increase Crime; Prohibition Corrupts, The Drug War Corrupts Absolutely; From The Mouths Of Drug Warriors; The Myth Of Peer Pressure?; Book Report; The Ostrich Files.


March 28, 1996: NORML: Federal Medical Marijuana Bill Attracts Bi-Partisan Support; Funding For Study On Medical Marijuana Allocated In Washington State Budget; Domestic Hemp Cultivation Bill Heads To Colorado Senate; Washington State Medical Marijuana Patient Found Guilty Of Drug Possession And Manufacture Charges; Rally For Medical Marijuana To Be Held This Saturday. Portland NORML: Body Count; Marijuana Task Force II; Portland Public Schools - $3 Million For DARE; Prison Litigation Reform Act; The Next Black Market - Clothing; Career Opportunities; 'The Grass Menagerie' (The New Yorker); 'Time For Needle Exchange' (San Francisco Chronicle); Marijuana - The Forgotten Medicine.


April 4, 1996: NORML: Colorado Senate Gives Green Light To Domestic Hemp Cultivation; District Attorney To Take No Further Action In Medical Marijuana Distribution Case; California Reports Record Numbers Of Marijuana Prisoners; Prosecutors Seek Frequent-Flier Miles Of Man Convicted Of Marijuana Trafficking. Portland NORML: Body Count; Let's Do The Numbers; Oregon Prison Population Forecast; Marijuana Task Force III; Slanted Reporting; Slanted Justice; Portland NORML Meeting April 24; 'Free Planet 4:20 Fest'; Washington Governor Lowry Signs Medical Marijuana Bill; Scotland Decriminalizes Small Quantities Of Cannabis; Judge Flips On Drug Decision Amid Pressure; Fiscal Conservatism Yields Social Liberalism; 'The House That Hemp Built'; Yanquis, Go Home; Pointing Fingers; Law Of Unintended Consequences; DARE On Dateline; Cannabis Buyers' Clubs On 48 Hours.


April 11, 1996: NORML: Missouri Hemp Bill Heard Before Senate Agriculture Committee; Vermont Hemp Bill Meets Unexpected Opposition In Senate; Tax Stamp Legislation Under Fire In Arizona; Teacher To Sue After Losing His Job Over 20 Year Old Pot Charge; Health Committee's Recommendations To Decriminalize Marijuana Scrapped After Political Backlash. Portland NORML: Body Count; Marijuana Task Force IV; Wickersham Commission Revisited; How The District Attorney Sees It; The Oregonian - Treatment Doesn't Work After All; Prison Smoking Ban - A Lesson For Prohibitionists; Dateline Postpones DARE Show.


April 18, 1996: NORML: DEAth In Colorado; Hemp Cultivation Killed by House Agriculture Committee; Medical Marijuana Initiative Enters Last Week - Activists Expect To Have Necessary Number Of Signatures; California Assembly Committee Votes For Tougher Pot Penalties; Assemblyman Vasconcellos To Introduce Medical Marijuana Bill For Second Year In A Row; Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Civil Forfeiture. Portland NORML: Portland NORML Meeting April 24; Hood River Hemp Fest June 15; OCTA Petitioner Alert; Marijuana Task Force - Direct Action Request; Body Count; Crime Down In Portland - Bad News For Jail Bonds?; Illegal Drug Users - Helping Make America Strong; Let's Do The Numbers; Counterproductive Media Reports; So How Much Marijuana Is Growing In Oregon?; Missouri Says 'Show Me' To Industrial Hemp; Dr. Dean Edell Confirms Marijuana's Medicinal Value; Drug Czar Makes Separate Peace?; Meanwhile, Back At The Front.


April 25, 1996: NORML: Medical Marijuana Initiative Heads For California Ballot; Vermont Senate Approves Hemp Legislation, However, State Still A Long Ways Away From Cultivation; Cincinnati Buyers Club Founder To Face Felony Drug Charges; Woody Harrelson Withholds Taxes To Protest Industrial Hemp Prohibition. Portland NORML: Body Count; The Oregonian - 'Illegal Drug Use Increasing Significantly'; Drug Policy Reform On The Table In Oregon?; Two Local Candidates Seek Portland NORML Endorsement; Driving More Risky Than Drugs, Guns; FDA Loosens Rules On New Cancer Drugs; Washington Residents Favor Medical Marijuana; Scott Imler Responds To 48 Hours; Dutch Dilemma - Drugs 'R' Us?; DEA Chief's Comments Spark Uproar.


May 2, 1996. NORML: White House Unveils New Drug Strategy; Update - Judge Suspends Sentence Against Quadriplegic Who Used Marijuana As Medicine; NORML Chapter's Marijuana Measure To Be Placed On City Ballot; Update - Cincinnati Buyers Club Founder Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Pot Charges. Portland NORML: Body Count; Urine Testing Gets More Expensive; 'Kitzhaber Blasts Mannix Initiative On Prison Terms'; Philippine Death Penalty For Pot Gets Results; Cambodia Signals Determination; 'The Return Of Reefer Madness' (The Progressive); Correction - Bumper Crop Was In 1982; Excerpt From Woody Harrelson's Letter To The IRS; Sheriff Plugs Drug Legalization On KVIE-TV; 'Indicted On Three Counts Of Compassion' (Everybody's News); Find The Drug Pusher In This Picture.


May 9, 1996. NORML: Federal Judge Speaks Out Against Drug War - Endorses Program To Stop Arresting Marijuana Consumers; Federal Medical Marijuana Bill Attracts Additional Sponsors; Navajo Hemp Crop Under Fire From Feds; Drug Czar Admits Most People Who Experiment With Drugs 'Walk Away' Without Problems. Portland NORML: Body Count; Religion And Drugs In The May Atlantic Monthly; Hawaii Passes Hemp Resolution; Mother's Day Reminder; Oakland OKs Medical Marijuana; Denmark To Allow Cannabis Coffee Shops?; Methamphetamine - What's To Be Done?; The Question For Candidates.


May 16, 1996. NORML: Hawaii State Legislature Passes Hemp Resolution; California Secretary Of State Issues Raw Count For Medical Marijuana Petition; Oregon Marijuana Initiative Approaches Required Number Of Signatures To Be Placed On Ballot; Railroad Accident Data Shows Few Benefits From Random Drug Testing; Drug Czar Critical Of Amount Of Money Spent Fighting Drugs - Calls Record Setting FY 1997 Budget Lean; Dealers Caught Close To Churches To Face Stiffer Penalties. Portland NORML: Body Count; Suspected Drug Smugglers Go Free; The Economist - Prohibition Has 'Collapsed'; Tobacco Causes Crime?; Peril Of Prohibitionist Taxes; Correction (Sort of) Re - 'Ancient Americans Wove Hemp'; HR 2618 - US Representative Slaughter, D-NY, Makes 17; South Australian Director Of Public Prosecutions Seeks Reform; Judge Hoisted On Own Petard; Corruption At Portland FBI Office; US Justice Department - Big Government Keeps Getting Bigger; McCaffrey Endorses Drug Treatment?; Prozac Kills 2,394 (Pot 0); Pollution Kills 'Hundreds' Of Oregonians (Pot 0).


May 23, 1996. NORML: Federal Representative Continues Probe Into Potential Misuse Of Federal Power At Anti-NORML Demonstration; Modified Hemp Measure Becomes Law In Vermont; South Australia's Director Of Public Prosecutions Recommends The State Grow Cannabis; Correction (OCTA Signatures Total Just 31,000). Portland NORML: Body Count; May 21 Election Results; Comparative Morbidity Rates For Licit And Illicit Drugs; Portland Cannabis Buyers' Club Update; June 22 Portland Hemp Fest Update; Reach Out And Touch Your Congressional Delegation; Gingrich Tells Portland Audience Clinton 'Soft On Drugs'; Dole - Let Them Go Homeless; Los Angeles Judge Spann Suggests Reform; Judge Hatter Continues Protest Of US Sentencing Laws; From Prison, Philadelphia Ex-Cops Call Offenses Routine.


May 30, 1996. NORML: Marijuana Reform Debate In Full Force In Canadian Federal Government; Black Motorists Subject To Stops And Searches On I-95 More Often Than Whites; Repeat Felony Marijuana Possession Penalties Reduced In Missouri; Dennis Peron Leaves Cannabis Buyers Club; City Commission Urges Citizens To Just say No To NORML Ballot Proposal. Portland NORML: Body Count; Australian Forensic Expert Says Cannabis Could Be Good For Driving; Cigarette Prohibition And Increased Use - Correlation or Causation?; DARE Officer With Stolen Meth Gets Probation; Marijuana Task Force 1995 Annual Report - A Critical Review; 'Marijuana Merits Medical Use' (Contra Costa Times); 'Push To Put Pot On Ballot' (San Francisco Examiner); Drug Courts - The New Trend; Piecework Peace Officers; Re-Evaluating The US Drug War; Hemp Education Day Aug. 5 In Olympia; Actuarial Thoughts On A Ton Of Cocaine; News Of The World - Fiji (1); News Of The World - Cambodia (2); News Of The World - South Africa (3); News Of The World - United Kingdom (4); News Of The World - Australia (5); News Of The World - Columbia (6); News Of The World - Russia (7).


June 6, 1996. NORML: 'Cheers' Star Plants Hemp In Kentucky ... And Pays The Price - Harrelson Hopes To Challenge Federal Law By Act Of Civil Disobedience; Majority Of Police Chiefs Admit That War On Drugs Is Unsuccessful; Small Town Mayor Claims She Was Unaware That Growing Marijuana Was Illegal; Charges Dropped Against California Medical Marijuana User. Portland NORML: Body Count; What Multnomah County Voters Bought - But Weren't Sold; OCTA Signature Count Apology; Escort Services Thriving Industry In Portland Area; Portland Public Schools - $22,000 For DARE; Comparative Addictiveness Of Licit And Illicit Drugs; Alaskans For Christian Tolerance; 'Smoke And Mirrors - The War On Drugs And The Politics Of Failure'; 'Canadian Facing Execution Over Drug Charges'; 'War On Drugs Kills US Marine'; 'Maverick Italian Politician To Face Drugs Trial'; 'War On Drugs Floods Hospitals'; Defend Chronic Pain Treatment; Marijuana Task Force, 1995 Annual Report Follow-Up.


June 13, 1996. NORML: Medical Marijuana Initiative Qualifies For November Ballot; Victorian Politicians Reject Marijuana Decriminalization; Environmentalists Voice Concern Over State's Decision To Spray Marijuana With Pesticides; Medical Marijuana User, Activist To Be Arraigned On Felony Marijuana Charge; Supreme Court Rules On Traffic Stops; Chicago Bulls Coach Attributes Team's Success To Hemp. Portland NORML: Body Count; Let's Do The Numbers; Portland Hemp Fest June 22 At Holladay Park; Hemp In The News; 'Harsh Toke' (Willamette Week); Portland NORML Joins DRCNet; Family Values And Lifetime Exposure To Marijuana; Black Eye In Tucson - Officer Killed In Robbery.


June 20, 1996. NORML: University Of Mississippi Denies Assertion Of California Narcotics Officers - Researcher Calls Claim Of Over 10,000 Studies Documenting The Harmful Effects Of Marijuana Groundless; DEA Agent Specializes In Stopping Medical Marijuana Efforts; Conference Gathers Experts To Explore Marijuana's Medicinal Value; Legal Medical Marijuana Patients, Proponents Speak Before American Nurses Association. Portland NORML: Body Count; Drug Czar Visits Portland; Freedom Of The (Government) Press; Anti-Gang Task Force Commits Eugene's First Gang Murder; 'Report Tallies State's Drug, Alcohol Toll' Follow-Up.


June 27, 1996. NORML: American Medical Association Shelves Report Drafted By NORML Board Member - 'Harm Reduction' Placed On Back Burner For Now; Canadian Marijuana Reform Debate Yields Few Results; Supreme Court Upholds Civil Forfeiture In Drug Cases; Federal Government Unveils New Plan To Target Drug Use Among Adolescents; California High Court Rules That Judges Are Not Mandated To Impose 'Three Strikes' Law; Florida To Adopt Standards Regarding Hair Testing; Canadians Nationwide Set To Celebrate Cannabis Day On July 1. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland Hemp Fest Report; Multnomah County Deletes Drug Prosecutor; Oregon Launches $1 Billion Prison-Building Campaign; Oregon Parks Plundered For Drug War; Average Sentences 3.5 Years For Manslaughter, 6.5 Years For Drugs; Wormscan Files Posted; More News On Forfeiture Decisions; More On California's Three-Strikes Decision; Federal Judges Affirm Mandatory Minimums; The Economist Reports On America's Drug War; China Marks International Day Against Drug Abuse With 222 Executions; 'Drug Warriors And Their Prey'; Prisoners Switch From Cannabis To Beat Urine Tests; Full Text Of New York Times Article, 'AMA Shelves Report Urging Decriminalization Of Drugs.'


July 4, 1996. NORML: Release deferred until July 8 (see below). Portland NORML: Body Count; 'Drug Policy Ignites Debate In Montgomery County' (Washington Post); United Methodist Church Conference Endorses Medical Marijuana Initiative; Farm Bureau News - 'Hemp Could Be A Promising New Ag Commodity'; Orange County Register Endorses Medical Marijuana Initiative; Drug Czar Revises 'Gateway' Theory; Reward Deficiency Syndrome In American Scientist; Police Infallibility And Roadside Stops; The Carroll O'Connor Story; 'Dole's Golden Chance To End The Drug War'; 'US Funds Drug Treatment Experiment'; 'In This Drug War, The Bad Guys Won' (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).


July 8, 1996. NORML: License Suspension In Drug Cases Upheld By Ohio Supreme Court; American Farm Bureau Pens Article In Support Of Hemp; California Congressman Signs On To Federal Medical Marijuana Bill; Religious Organization Endorses California Medical Marijuana Proposal.


July 11, 1996. NORML: Update - Teacher Under Fire For Hemp Presentation; High Court Strikes Down Pennsylvania Rulings Requiring 'Exigent Circumstances' To Justify Warrantless Searches Of Automobiles; Washington Activists Gear Up For November Election. Portland NORML: Body Count; Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Of 1997 Comes Up Short; Cultivation In Ohio Now A $100 Misdemeanor; Washington State Initiative Results; McCaffrey Calls For 1,500 More Officers; Narcotics Court Judge Busted For Pot; Luxembourg Decriminalizes Cannabis; Swiss Heroin Maintenance Programs Reduce Harm; Drug Education Falls Short; 'Ailing Woman Fights To Ease Pain Of Others' (Brownie Mary In The New York Times); Wiretapping Rises Sharply Under Clinton; Texas Border Ranchers Decry Drug Smugglers; Prison Guard Charged With Drug Possession; Former FBI Worker Convicted As Dealer - Sold Crack To Undercover Cop After Losing Job.


July 18, 1996. NORML: USA Today Endorses Access To Medical Marijuana; NORML Chapter Places Advertising Billboards On Buses; Man Sentenced To Probation After Killing Individual He Suspected Sold His Son Marijuana; Law That Allows Citizens To Sue Drug Dealers For Damages Moves Forward In California; PBS Special To Focus On Human Rights Violations And The Drug War. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland NORML Meeting July 24; Butt Man Vs. Reefer Man; Portland's Old Town Drug-Free Zone - Send In The Feds; Civil Rights In Portland Contingent On Drug Laws; Save Our City (Nightclub); The Myth Of Gang Related Crack Distribution?; 'Partnership To Re-edit TV Commercials'; Tylenol Kills 33 Children (Pot 0); Pregnant Women Imprisoned For Drug Use?; Widow Of Slain Oxnard Officer Plans To Sue City.


July 25, 1996. NORML: Conservative California Readership Strongly Supports Medical Marijuana Initiative; Welfare Reform Bill Amended To Deny Convicted Drug Users Federal Benefits; Thousands Expected To Gather On Washington State Capitol In Support Of Marijuana Legalization; Anti-Drug Ad Called Homophobic By Gay Watchdog Group. Portland NORML: Body Count; Did OCTA '97 Really Raise $58,085 And Spend $67,260?; OCTA '99 Organizing Meetings; The 1996 Northwest Hemp & Music Festival; Fully Inform Juries; 'Cannabis Matters'; Hemp News Archived; Drug Task Forces Produce Mixed Results; 'Confessions Of A Narc'; DEA Chemist Allegedly Filed False Reports; US Agent Leaked 'Narco-tapes' On Colombia's Samper; 'Donny The Punk' Dies; Columnist Robert Scheer On Michael Irvin; Molinari Inhaled; Drug Czar Suggests 'Amnesty' For Former Pot Smokers (Why Not Current Ones?); 'LA Logs Record Amount Of Marijuana Seized.'


August 1, 1996. NORML: Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Research Program May Breathe New Life From Assembly Measure; Update - Welfare Reform Bill Amendment Altered To Deny Federal Benefits To Those Convicted On Felony Drug Charges Only; California Law Enforcement Must Procure A Warrant Before Using Heat Scanning Devices; Update - Partnership For A Drug Free America Agrees To Modify Ad. Portland NORML: Body Count; Final Count - 56,042 Signatures For OCTA '97; Final Count - Portland Hemp Fest; OCTA '99 Organizing Meetings; Portland Cannabis Buyers Club Finds A Home; Another Reason The Marbeled Murrelet Is Disappearing From Paciific Coastal Forests; Last Call - 1996 Northwest Hemp & Music Festival; Scottish Judge Calls For Open Debate; Is Effective Drug Education Incompatible With Prohibition?; Six Months For One Joint; Weeding Through The Hype - The Truth About Adolescent Marijuana Use.


August 4, 1996. An informal, slap-dash (but possibly useful) collection of news articles and e-mail related to the Aug. 4 police raid on the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers' Club.


August 8, 1996. NORML: San Francisco Buyers' Club Raided, Closed By State Authorities; Buyers' Club Raid Spurs Resolution To Declare Medical Marijuana Emergency Issue; (Meanwhile) Oakland City Council Passes Resolution To Ensure Local Law Enforcement Do Not Arrest Medical Marijuana Users. Portland NORML: Body Count; 'Measure May Put Bonds In A Bind'; 'Golden Harvest'; Kushner Resigns; City Nightclub Update; Open Season On Oregon Drug Traffickers - Oops, Great-Grandfathers; Oregon FAMM Meeting Sept. 3; Oregon Forfeiture Case Drops The Ball?; Two California Medical Societies Endorse Proposition 215; Republicans For Proposition 215; 'Why Sick Seek Marijuana As Medicine'; 'Long Vistas Of Hemp, But No High In Sight'; Minnesota Court Overturns Drug Conviction - Search Of Purse Ruled Improper; CIA Probes Mena Airport Drug, Arms Allegations.


August 15, 1996. NORML: Law Enforcement Bust Cannabis Buyers' Club In Key West Florida Founder, One Other Arrested On Felony Marijuana Charges; Two State Medical Associations Endorse Proposition 215; (Meanwhile) Judge Orders Changes In 'Misleading' Ballot Argument Against Proposition 215; Michigan City Residents Vote 'No' To Local Measure To Decriminalize Marijuana; Scottish Senior Judge Says Cannabis Decriminalization Should Be Considered; Small Town Mayor Indicted On Marijuana Charges After Allegedly Growing Marijuana For 'Educational' Purposes. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland Cannabis Buyers Club Update; OCTA Update; OCTA Seeks Full-Time Fundraiser; New OCTA News Group Needs Moderator; The Latest 'Legalization' Poll - For What It's Worth; Have You Lobbied Your US Rep For HR 2618 This Month?; New Study - War On Drugs Increases Violent Crime; Not About Hemp, But About Propaganda; Clinton Reverses Pursuit Of 'Most Wanted' Drug Banker; Overheard On Usenet - 'Drug Testing - Helpful Info'; Cochran To ABA - Drug War A Race War; World Health Organization - Drug War Blocks Access To 'Essential' Morphine For Pain.


August 22, 1996. NORML: Latest Edition Of Household Survey Fuels Election Year Rhetoric - NORML Responds To Calls To Escalate The Drug War; Study To Determine Whether Marijuana Helps Individuals Suffering From AIDS Wasting Syndrome Rejected By National Institutes Of Health; Swiss State To Legalize Marijuana; Board Strikes Down Proposal To Declare Medical Marijuana 'Emergency'; (Meanwhile) San Francisco Church Sponsors Medical Marijuana Giveaway. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland NORML Meeting Aug. 28; National Household Survey On Drug Abuse - More Commentary; Prison Population Climbs To 1.6 Million Nationwide, Up 13.7 Percent In Oregon; CIA Sponsored 1980s Crack Trade To Fund Contras; Former Pot Smoker Newt Gingrich Seeks Death Penalty For Drug Sellers; Malaysian Death Penalty For Drug Possession Gets Results; Marinol 'Proven' To Reduce Memory Loss In Alzheimer's Patients; Chocolate May Mimic Marijuana In Brain, Study Suggests; Dutch Cities Opening Their Own Marijuana Shops; Irish Have High Hopes For Cannabis, Fuel Of The Future; Traverse City NORML Charges Election Violations; Colorado Judge Threatens Juror; Drugs In Sport Should Be Legalized, Says Scientist; Living With Pain - Taboos Keep Helpful Narcotics From Sufferers; Anheuser-Busch - This Lawsuit's For You; Lamm - Pot Made Campfire 'Interesting'; New X-Ray Gun Detects Concealed Weapons And Drugs; Boulder Church Members Under Fire.


August 29, 1996. NORML: State Looks Into Filing Tax Violations Against Marijuana Club Proprietors; Governor Signs Law Reinvigorating State Medical Marijuana Research Program; Cincinnati Buyers' Club Founder Pleads Guilty To Reduced Marijuana Charges; NORML Chapter Files Complaint After Voters Strike Down Ballot Proposal To Decriminalize Marijuana; Dutch Cities Get Into The Marijuana Business; Dole Calls For Larger Military Presence In Drug War; America's Prison Population More Than Doubles In A Decade. Portland NORML: Body Count; Let's Do The Numbers; Overheard On 'The McLaughlin Group' On PBS August 16; Overheard On CNN; Boxer Urges CIA-Drugs Probe; Jury Power (From 'Smoke & Mirrors'); Jamaica May Cultivate Hemp For Industry; Mexico Close To Stamping Out Marijuana; Libertarian Candidate Harry Browne Opposes War On Drugs; 'What Price Corruption'; Marijuana 'Kingpen' On Death Row?; 'Marijuana Smoking Makes Its Way Back To Campaign' (Ian Shoales); 'DARE, Not.'


September 5, 1996. NORML: Drug Czar Says He Welcomes NORML's Participation In Drug Debate; Senate Holds Special Hearing On Teen Drug Use; California Re-Enacts Temporary 'Smoke A Joint, Lose Your License' Bill; Marijuana Activists Arrested On Trespassing Charges After Being Banned From Attending Public Rally; Juror Held In Contempt After Refusing To Convict Drug Offender. Portland NORML: Body Count; Overheard On NPR (Somebody Please Tell The Drug Czar); Clifford Schaffer On Drug Education; Oregon And Multnomah County Arrests For Drug Offenses, 1986-1995 - 13.80 Percent Of Multnomah County's Estimated 1995 Illegal Drug Consumers Busted; Luxembourg Becoming Unexpected Ally Of Dutch Drug Policy; 'Child Molestors Should Start Smoking Pot' (Zychik Chronicle); CASA Survey Of Teens To Reveal Widespread Use And Sale Of Drugs At America's High Schools; 'The Big Lie' (More On Benson & Rasmussen); Jury Rights Day; Singapore Trafficker Hanged For 2 Kilos Of Cannabis; Wichita Hemp Activist Gets 11 Months For .09 Of Gram; Brazilians Sing Praise Of Miracle Cure - Marijuana; Waters Calls On Reno, CIA And Congress For Investigation.


September 12, 1996. NORML: Califano Attacks Attitudes Of Baby-Boomer Parents Regarding Adolescent Marijuana Use; Libertarian Presidential Candidate Attacks Dole Proposals To Increase Drug War; Virginia County To Force Convicted Drug Offenders To Name Their Suppliers; Anti-Drug Group Returns Donation After NORML Chapter Files Complaint Alleging Campaign Finance Violations; Case Of Medical Marijuana Activist To Be Heard September 30. Portland NORML: Body Count; The Nation's Correctional Population Reaches 5.4 Million; Illegal Drug Users - Helping Make America Strong; Drug Czar Dispenses Medical Opinions To Arizonans Regarding Proposition 200; NORML Posts New Medical Marijuana Web Pages; Medical Marijuana On 'Cybil'; Television Madness; Drug Czar Calls Cigarettes, Alcohol Abuse 'Gateway Behavior'; US Code Leads To Disparate Sentences For Women; Ottawa Lawyer Urges An End To 'Chemical McCarthyism'; 'Staff On Addict Watch'; Turin Drugs Motion Stirs Up Controversy In Italy; Haryana Alcohol Prohibition Yields Unexpected Consequences; Hemp Production Leads To Increase In Crime (And Laughs); Talk Is Cheap - Call Now, Pay Never; 'Epidemic Of Drug-Related Murders Plagues Tijuana'; Canadian Reform Advocates Cite Major Support; 'Currency King George Soros - Rich Ally For Drug Dissidents'; BC Drugs Speed To US Via 'Midnight Express'.


September 19, 1996. NORML: Los Angeles Cannabis Buyers' Club Busted; (Meanwhile) Alternative Therapies Group Distributes Medical Marijuana To San Francisco's Sick; Washington State Supreme Court To Tackle Medical Marijuana Issue; California Polls Show Voters Strongly Favor Medical Marijuana Initiative; Los Angeles County AIDS Commission Rebukes US Drug Czar, Endorses Proposition 215; Sheriff May Have Violated Election Laws While Opposing NORML Ballot Initiative; Mass/Cann NORML Rally Expected To Draw More Than 50,000. Portland NORML: Body Count; 'Bootcamp Fails Grad'; 'Drug Use By Young Is Tragedy Not Football'; It Takes A Village To Raise A Mob; Authorities Press Fox Broadcasting To Keep 'America's Most Wanted'; 'Review Of Human Studies On Medical Use Of Marijuana'; British Columbian Prisons Fight AIDS; Guatemala To Investigate Former DEA Agent's Charges; 'Probation Department To Try New Skin Patch Drug Test'; 'Company Drug Test Illegal, Agency Finds.'


September 26, 1996. NORML: Government Marijuana Researcher Speaks Favorably About Marijuana's Medical Utility; House Holds Hearing On Adolescent Drug Use; Marijuana Medicine And Hemp Exposition To Take Place This Weekend; Mass/Cann NORML Rally Draws At Least 50,000. Portland NORML: Body Count; OCTA Ballot Title Certified - Petitioning To Start Soon; African-Americans React To CIA-Cocaine Allegations; New Book - 'Drug War Politics, The Price Of Denial'; Canada's Prohibitory Tax On Cigarettes Spurs 'Forbidden Fruit' Response?; National Household Survey On Drug Abuse - Smoke And Mirrors?; Illegal Drugs Kill 42 Dutch Out Of 15 Million In 1991 (Compared To 39 Oregonians Out Of 3 Million); Jury Nullification Increasing; Coca Czar Protests United States' War On Drugs; 'Getting Over Getting Stoned' (Garry Trudeau In Time); Ad Hominem In Action; 'The Politics Of Heroin' Revised And Reissued; 'Drug Warriors And Their Prey' Excerpt On Death Squads; Anti-Drug Chief, Three Aides Found Slain In Mexico; Trafficker Says INS Buses Transported Cocaine; Inside Report On Los Angeles CBC Raid; Kriho Trial To Be Mockery Of Justice; Prison AIDS Rate Climbs To 14 Percent; A Drug Policy Driven By Racism Won't Be Successful; Oil Companies Say They Help In Colombia's Drug War; 'Smoking Out Dole's Line On Marijuana' (Robert Scheer In LA Times).


October 3, 1996. NORML: Political Cartoonist Supports Proposition 215, Angers State Attorney General; Supreme Court To Rule On Drug Testing Of Political Candidates; Ohio High School Cracks Down On Hemp. Portland NORML: Body Count; 'A View From The Front Lines Of The Drug War'; 'An Open Letter To The Nation's Drug Czar'; THC Stimulates Blood Flow Through Cerebral Arterioles; Jerry Brown Says Save A Forest, Plant A Weed; Ohio Inmates' Illegal-Drug Use Exceeds At-Large Rate; Snohomish County May Ax DARE; The Benefits Of Proposition 215 - The Pot Initiative (Grinspoon & Bakalar); Man Faces Prison For Ameliorating Fibromyalgia Syndrome With Marijuana; Cary Grant Introduced Timothy Leary To LSD?; Christiana Celebrates 25th Birthday; Trafficker Says National Guard Transported Cocaine; More From Alfred McCoy ('The CIA & The Politics Of Narcotics').


October 10, 1996. NORML: Multiple Sclerosis Patient To Travel To Washington For Medical Marijuana - Husband To Push Wheelchair For 250-Mile Walk; NORML Chapter Challenges Harassment Of Students With Hemp Jewelry; Dole Aide Reportedly Used Pot In College; Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Aims For 1998 Election. Portland NORML: Body Count; OCTA Update; Portland CBC Folds?; E-mail List For Oregon Hempsters; US Supreme Court Allows Roadblocks For Drugs; San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club Founder Arrested; San Francisco Examiner Endorses Proposition 215 With A Strong Editorial; Marijuana Policy Project Posts Report On States' Medicinal Marijuana Laws; New Evidence Backs CIA-Contra-Cocaine Allegations; 'Contras, Crack, The CIA' (The Nation); Letter To The Los Angeles Times; One Drug Agent's Decade-Long Battle (Salon); 'Drug Agent Faces Arrest In Case Of Peeping Tom'; Endorsements Roll In For Proposition 215; 'Clinton, FDA Criticized For Limiting Sale Of Drug Tests'; 'Turned On By Politics - Meet Arizona's Happiest Taxpayers' (New York Times).


October 17, 1996. NORML: Marijuana Arrests For 1995 Most Ever - FBI Data Confirm Clinton's Marijuana War To Be Toughest Yet; DEA Herbicide Under Fire From Hawaii Residents - Locals Complain Of Nausea, Other Ailments Due To Spraying; Drug Tax Ruled Unconstitutional By Texas Appeals Court; Drug Enforcement Administration Attacks California Medical Marijuana Measure. Portland NORML: Body Count; Harm Reduction Presentation In Hood River; Medical Marijuana Featured In Alpine World; Families Against Mandatory Minimums Monthly Meeting; Portland Cannabis Buyers Club Shuts Down; European Commissioner Praises Dutch Drugs Policy; 'Survey Lays Bare Society Of Everyday Drug Abuse'; Police Corruption Blights Poor, Small Chicago Suburb; US Jury Convicts Mexican On Drug Charges; 'Mexican Drug Cartel Chief Convicted In US'; 'Mexico Drug Wars Advance Within Sight Of US Border'; 'Legalize It!' (Mother Jones - FDA Blocks Herbal Medicine).


October 24, 1996. NORML: American Nurses Association Reviews Medical Marijuana; Man Faces Prison Term For Using Marijuana To Ease Pain; Clinton Proposes Drug Testing Teenage Applicants For Driver's Licenses; California Man Fired From Job After Charged With Growing Marijuana. Portland NORML: Body Count; Mom Sells Daughters For Cocaine - Media Blame Cocaine; 'Addiction To Work Can Be As Damaging As Drug Use'; New Los Angeles Times Poll - Proposition 215's Lead Increasing; 'Survey - Congress Hopefuls Lean To Drug Prevention' (USA Today); 100 Italian MPs Move To Regulate Soft Drugs; Seattle Dares To Evaluate DARE's Effectiveness; Hemp Voters Guide; New MPP Pages; 'Lighten Up, Cops! Yes On Medical Marijuana'; 'Caribbean Nations Find Little Profit In Aiding US Drug War' (New York Times); 'Yes On Prop. 215 - A Mission Of Mercy' (Dennis Peron In The San Francisco Examiner); 'Dole Backs The Big Lie In Drug War' (Robert Scheer In The Los Angeles Times); CADCA Survey Reveals That Congressional Candidates Support Different Drug Strategy Than Presidential Candidates; 2 Letters, Pro And Con, On The Laura Kriho 'Juror Rights' Trial; Dennis Peron On Cover Of People Magazine; 'Drugs Seep Into Texas Despite Kingpin's Fall' (Los Angeles Times,); 'Border Drug War' (San Diego Union-Tribune).


October 31, 1996. NORML: Making The Case For Medical Marijuana. Portland NORML: Body Count; Mom Convicted Of Sex Abuse Blames 'Drugs'; Letter To The Editor; 'Use Of Marijuana By Eighth-Graders Triples In Oregon'; Help To Fully Inform Jurors; Universal Hemp Opens In Bellevue, Wash.; 'Family Physicians Oppose Three California Ballot Propositions, Support One'; 'Drug Czar Warns Doctors That US Would Prosecute'; Poll - Californians Don't See Prop. 215 Reforms Extending To 'Recreational' Consumers; More On The CIA-Cocaine-Contra Scandal; California Narcotic Officers Association Continues Lies; Woody Harrelson May Do Time In Hemp Rap; 'Lost History - The Kerry-Weld Cocaine War' (The Consortium); Scottish Police Seek Wealth In Drugs.


November 7, 1996. NORML: California, Arizona Voters Approve Initiatives In Favor Of Medical Marijuana. Portland NORML: Body Count; More Details About Propositions 200 And 215; 65 Percent Support Arizona's New Drug Policy; Oregon Election Results May Impact Drug Policy - 25 Percent Of State Budget For Corrections; Trail Blazers' Isaiah Rider Busted For Pot Again; Class Action Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Announced; Proposition 215 Boosters Include California Attorney General Dan Lungren; Gary Webb Answers Questions About His Mercury News Series; Ralph Seeley Gives The Lie To NBC Nightly News; Doctor's Orders - Treat Alcohol And Tobacco Addiction Before Illicit Drug Use; Is Interdiction Working Yet?; Billion Dollar Border Interdiction Effort Nets $291 Million In Drugs; What Happens When Police Control Drug Policy; Pot Improves One Man's Memory; Battle Plan Of The Drug Warriors; National Guard Snoops Through US Mail In 24 States; Eugene Hemp Demonstrator Arrested At Free Speech Site; Medical Marijuana Day November 16 In Olympia; Todd McCormick Charges Dismissed; Annual Employee Drug Testing Statistics Released By APL; Money Talks, Drug Warriors Walk; Brazil Rejects US Anti-Drug Money; Texas Professor Pushes Petition For Medical Pot; Woody Harrelson Urges Judge To Void Anti-Hemp Law; An Informed Legal Opinion On Proposition 215.


November 14, 1996. NORML: Drug Czar Holds Meeting With California Law Enforcement To Discuss New State Medical Marijuana Law; Medical Marijuana Supporters Plan 'Effective, Responsible' Procedures, Legislation To Implement Proposition 215; Arizona Governor May Veto Voter Approved Initiative; Buyers' Club Activists Plead 'Morally Not Guilty' At Arraignment. Portland NORML: Body Count; 'FDA Might Allow Some Uses Of Thalidomide'; Ashland's HEALER Hemp Club Online; New York County Lawyers' Association Releases Major Study On Drug Policy; Automatic State FOI Letter Generator Now Available; Smoking And Alcoholism May Have Brain Link; Lungren Lays Down The Law (We'll See); 'The Forbidden Cure'; Drug Czar Holds Meeting To Undermine California Medicinal Marijuana Victory; 'Marijuana - Internet Delivers'; Drug War Strategy In San Francisco - Speed Up Treatment, City Health Chief Says.


November 21, 1996. NORML: Office Of National Drug Control Policy Restates Opposition To Medical Marijuana Initiatives; (Meanwhile) Drug Czar's Office Refuses NORML Meeting; Supreme Court Overturns Ohio Traffic Stop Decision; German State Plans To Sell Marijuana Over The Counter. Portland NORML: Body Count; Correction On Corrections; 23 Percent Of Portlanders' Cars Prowled, 5 Percent Of Portlanders Burglarized; California Medical Association Says It's Time To Study Medical Benefits Of Marijuana; 'Patients Get Their Marijuana From Uncle Sam'; 'US Drug Czar Calls State Marijuana Measure 'Tragedy''; A Physician Writes To The Wall Street Journal; How Many Americans Die From Drugs?; NORML's Latest Letter To General McCaffrey; JAMA Criticizes Crack/Cocaine Racial Sentencing Disparities; 'Less Disparity Urged In Cocaine Sentencing'; 'Drugs Are Bad - The Drug War Is Worse'; Snohomish County Cuts DARE; 'Seattle Dares To Seek DARE Alternatives'; Drug Reform Coordination Network Publishes New Edition Of The Activist Guide; 'US Study Suggests Smokers May Be Smarter'; 'Prop. 215 Backer's Idea Of 'Caregivers' Draws Opposition Of Erstwhile Ally'; 'German State Plans To Legalise Sale Of Cannabis'; February 7 Court Date Set For NBA Trailblazer; 'Rx - Marijuana' (Dan Baum In The Nation); If You Can't Enforce A Prohibition On Rhino Horns, How About Marijuana?; 'Looking To Cure A Political Addiction'; Dutch Will Not Accept EU Intervention On Drugs; 'Drug Czar' Barry McCaffrey's Thugs Assault Marijuana Policy Project At News Conference; More Abuse From The Authorities; A Strategy To Think About.


November 28, 1996. NORML: (Nov. 26) US Senate To Hold Hearing Regarding Medical Marijuana Initiatives. Portland NORML: Body Count; Portland Ranked 174th Most Dangerous City Out Of 202; 'Interview - Sandee Burbank'; Help To Fully Inform Jurors; Israeli Doctors Seek To Avert Brain Damage With Marijuana Component; Ohio Discovers It Has Already Legislated Medical Marijuana; Lawmakers Move Quickly To Fix Marijuana Defense Oversight; California Prison Spending Hurts Schools And Black Students, Report Says; Los Angeles Seizures Of Marijuana Soar In 1996; 'Drugs Threaten To Destabilise Central Europe - US'; 'If Marijuana Is Medicine, Rebels Will Look Elsewhere'; 'Group Says Alcohol-Related Deaths Rising'; Only 2.8 Percent Of Federal Prisoners Violent; 'Team Wants Fired Coach Back'; 'Rivers Becoming Drug Free'; 'Chinese Witness In Drug Case Gains Freedom After Seven Years'; Bleach, Methadone Given To French Prisoners; The Downside To Moral Crusades; US Drug Money For Colombia Linked To Army Killings; Death Of A 'Crimefighter'; 'The Other Prohibition - The Cigarette Crisis In Post War Germany'; Magazine Ranks Cities For Safety; 'Drive To Widen Medical Pot Law'; 'No On 215' Financing Questioned; A Doctor Writes To The Drug Czar; Editorial - US Hypocrisy On Pot; 'US Drug Chief Lauds Thais, Slams Burmese'; 'Essay - The Lost War'; Soros Responds To Rosenthal; 'Getting Real About The War On (Some) Drugs'; 'Venezuelan General Indicted In CIA Scheme.'


December 5, 1996 NORML: Rhetoric Mounts Over Medical Marijuana Issue. Portland NORML: Body Count; Synopsis Of Orrin Hatch's December 2 US Senate Judiciary Hearing On California And Arizona's Successful Medical-Marijuana Initiatives, Teen Who Informed Police About Parents' Use Of Cannabis Sues City Of Searsport, Maine, For Rights Violation; 'Fed Dope Bureau Censors Drug Info'; US Government Now Grows, Gives Away Cannabis To Eight Medical-Marijuana Patients; Washington State Medical Marijuana Study Nears End; Orange County Sheriff Vows To Turn Over Patients, Doctors For DEA Prosecution; 10th Amendment Safeguards Proposition 215; Scott Imler Of Los Angeles Cannabis Buyers Club Urges Bong Boycott; Noriega Will Get To Appeal Case Wednesday; Ibogaine - The End Of Addiction; 'Drug Smugglers Frustrate Interpol Sleuths'; 'Iowa Group Studying Industrial Hemp As Crop'; Domestic Violence Victims At Higher Risk For Substance Abuse; Fired Northwest Airlines Worker Sues, Wins $400,000; 'Military Seeks Balance In Delicate Mission - The Drug War.'

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