DRUG BUSTS

ITALY MOVES TOWARDS SANER DRUG POLICY

RICHARD OWEN, TIMES, UK - Boosted by its overwhelming victory in the
referendum on devolution yesterday, the centre-left Government of Romano
Prodi has moved to dismantle yet another legacy of the Berlusconi era by
overturning its "zero tolerance" drugs policy. The change will restore
the distinction between "hard" and "soft" drugs, and will increase the
amount of cannabis a person can possess without being arrested as a
suspected dealer. . .

Livia Turco, the Minister of Health and a member of the former Communist
Democrats of the Left, said today that she would act immediately on the
amount of cannabis permitted, an administrative measure that does not
require parliamentary approval. She said the amount of cannabis allowed
for personal use - 500mg - would be doubled. Nearly 10 per cent of
Italians smoke cannabis regularly, according to a recent survey. A third
of Italian teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 say they have smoked
it at least once.

Paolo Ferrero, the Welfare Minister, who is a Communist, said he would
ask Parliament to repeal the "zero tolerance" policy and re-establish
the distinction between hard and soft drugs. The emphasis would be on
"prevention rather than punishment" and "treatment and rehabilitation
rather than repression".

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2245854,00.html




MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT RULES POT USED WEEKS AGO CAN PROVE DUI

DETROIT NEWS - Motorists can be prosecuted for driving under the
influence of drugs if they test positive for any trace of marijuana,
even weeks after they smoked it, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled.
In a 4-3 vote, the court ruled that motorists can be prosecuted for
driving under the influence of drugs if they test positive for any trace
of marijuana, including a metabolized remnant that experts say can stay
in a person's system for weeks after the smoke. "They are automatically
guilty even though they are no longer impaired by it," said Tim Beck,
executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which wants the drug legalized, taxed
and regulated for adult use as alcohol is. "It's not based on common
sense or justice."

Officers still need probable cause to believe a crime was being
committed before they can request a blood test, but motorists who refuse
could be found guilty of a civil infraction and lose their license. . .

Justice Michael Cavanagh called the ruling unconstitutionally vague. He
cited expert testimony that noted the substance can be detected in a
person's system for up to four weeks after being ingested -- long after
its effects have worn off.

"Plainly, there is no rational reason to charge a person who passively
inhaled marijuana smoke at a rock concert a month ago," Cavanagh wrote
in a dissent joined by Justices Elizabeth Weaver and Marilyn Kelly.
"Now, if a person has ever actively or passively ingested marijuana and
drives, he drives not knowing if he is breaking the law, because if any
amount of 11 carboxy-THC can be detected -- no matter when it was
previously ingested -- he is committing a crime.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/METRO/606230342/1003