Psychologists weigh interrogation ban
Sun, 19 Aug 2007 11:29:11 GMTBy SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - Stung by reports implicating mental health specialists in prisoner abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, the nation's largest group of psychologists is considering banning its members from interrogations of terror suspects.
The American Psychological Association, which is holding its annual meeting in San Francisco, is scheduled to vote Sunday on two competing measures concerning its 148,000 members' participation in military interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. military detention centers.
One measure would bar members from any involvement in interrogations at U.S. detention facilities where foreigners are held. The moratorium would not be backed by sanctions, but it would carry the APA's "moral authority," said psychologist Neil Altman, who wrote the proposed resolution.
The other proposal, which is backed by APA's board of directors, would reaffirm the group's opposition to torture and prohibit members from taking part in more than a dozen specific practices, including forced nakedness, mock executions and simulated drowning.
An APA member who violates the torture resolution could be expelled from the Washington-based organization, which could lead to the loss of the professional's state license to practice, said spokeswoman Rhea Farberman.
The association's vote follows reports that mental health specialists were involved in prisoner abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Among other things, psychiatrists and psychologists are accused of helping interrogators increase prisoners' stress levels by exploiting their fears.
A recently declassified Defense Department report said that since 2002, psychiatrists and psychologists have helped military interrogators develop new techniques to extract information from detainees.
Military interrogation has become a dominant issue at this year's meeting of the APA, which represents most of the nation's psychologists.
Psychologists for an Ethical APA, which supports the moratorium, rallied Friday outside the Moscone Center, where the conference is being held. Supporters wore buttons that read "Do No Harm" and carried signs condemning torture. A person in an orange jumpsuit and black hood stood in the middle of the crowd.
Moratorium backers say psychologists should not assist with interrogations where foreigners are held indefinitely and could be tortured because their involvement discredits the profession.
"We will not be satisfied until we get a resolution that says psychologists cannot be part of interrogations at sites where detainees' human rights are being violated," said New York psychologist Steven Reisner.
Supporters of the moratorium say they want the APA to follow the examples of the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association, which have said their members have no legitimate role in interrogations at detention centers like Guantanamo. The U.S. military has indicated it would favor using psychologists, who are not affected by the other groups' policies.
Critics of the moratorium say the presence of psychologists helps ensure interrogations are not abusive.
APA spokeswoman Farberman said psychologists help interrogators build rapport with detainees, so they don't have to resort to abusive behavior.
"We want to stay engaged in the discussion about appropriate and effective interrogation techniques," Farberman said.
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On the Net:
American Psychological Association:http://www.apa.org/
Psychologists for an Ethical APA:http://www.ethicalapa.com/
N.M. planning medical marijuana program
Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:30:42 GMTBy BARRY MASSEY, Associated Press Writer
SANTA FE, N.M. - Gov. Bill Richardson ordered the state Health Department on Friday to resume planning of a medical marijuana program despite the agency's worries about possible federal prosecution.
However, the governor stopped short of committing to implement a state-licensed production and distribution system for the drug if the potential for federal prosecution remains unchanged.
The department announced earlier this week that it would not implement the law's provisions for the agency to oversee the production and distribution of marijuana to eligible patients. That decision came after Attorney General Gary King warned that the department and its employees could face federal prosecution for implementing the law, which took effect in July.
The distribution and use of marijuana are illegal under federal law, and King has said federal authorities have prosecuted citizens for growing medical marijuana.
On Friday, Richardson directed the department to plan for full implementation of the program, such as preparing the regulations that will permanently govern how it operates.
Under the law, the department is to issue the rules by October, including for licensing marijuana producers and developing a system to distribute the drug to qualified patients.
Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said a decision would be made later whether to implement the production and distribution system if federal prosecution remained possible.
Gallegos said the administration was pursuing possible legal options to allow the state to provide patients with access to medical marijuana, but declined to say what.
The new state law allows the use of marijuana for pain or other symptoms of debilitating illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV-AIDS and certain spinal cord injuries.
New Mexico is the 12th state to legalize marijuana for certain medical uses, but it's the only one calling for state-licensed production and distribution of the drug.
Also Friday, Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, sent a letter to President Bush urging the federal government to allow states like New Mexico to implement medical marijuana programs without fear of federal prosecution.
Such as exception would require Congress to approve legislation changing the law, Gallegos said.
Last month, the U.S. House rejected a proposal — on a 165-262 vote — that would have blocked the Justice Department from taking action against state medical marijuana programs, including New Mexico's.
Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House drug policy office, said it's up to federal prosecutors and the Justice Department to decide what drug cases to prosecute.
"The federal government doesn't spend time prosecuting low-level marijuana possession cases. It's drug traffickers who go to jail and it's drug traffickers who get prosecuted," said Riley. "There is a charade going on here with people who are interested in drug legalization using genuinely sick people as pawns to get sympathy to get their agenda through."
