Last Thursday, President Barack Obama took questions submitted online in video and text format in the spirit of his State of the Union address two days earlier. The President has conducted these in previous years, but this year's town hall was a bit different. The most popular video this year was one from retired deputy sheriff MacKenzie Allen, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). He took his time to ask the president whether there should come a time for us to discuss the possibility of legalization, regulation and control of all drugs in hopes of an alternative to the current system of zero-tolerance prohibition. Where the President would've laughed this question off to the anxious-to-please audience in D.C. in years past, this year he chose to air and answer Mr. Allen's question. [continues 603 words]
Re: Loss of police liaison officer will hurt the youth in school system (Alberni Valley Times, Jan. 22) Good intentions are no substitute for effective drug education. Independent evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) have found the program to be ineffective or counterproductive. DARE's scare tactics do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like methamphetamine are relatively harmless as well. This is a recipe for disaster. [continues 136 words]
Following the leave of Port Alberni's RCMP school liaison officer, it has been decided that the position would be nixed and that position would now be turned to crime prevention. The RCMP has taken a uniform member, who is trained, to complete the Drug Abuse Resistance Program in schools. Students who are used to seeing Cst. Theresa Thomson in classrooms will now be introduced to Cst. Shelley Schedewitz, who has recently been trained in the DARE program. The primary focus was to ensure our commitment to the school district and the DARE program," Staff Sgt. Kevin Murray said. "There is some additional time throughout her work week which will allow for facilitation of community policing or crime prevention work if necessary." [continues 401 words]
Some people may remember seeing police officers in the school for demonstrations. When I was younger, we had a bike safety day, and we learned how to properly use helmets and hand signals. It was active, hands-on and an excuse to get out of regular class. As we got older, police involvement took an authoritative role, and for some, those early memories may make a difference. School liaison officers aren't only police on duty, they are a personality and a face to the community. Parents and children have come to know their faces and can grow and learn from lessons and interactions, and they work to enhance safety and security in schools. [continues 443 words]
Editor: The problem with police-inflicted "education" is that it consists of lies and fear-mongering and is very short on factual information. As a federally licensed medical marijuana user who is also married to one, I will come right out and say that this is nothing more than a government-sponsored hate-crime no less virulent than revisionist Holocaust denial. If cops went into schools preaching one religion over another, there would be a public outcry. But cops go into schools and scare kids into joining their abstinence cult, and it is funded by taxpayers! [continues 595 words]
Emilio Padilla tried it for about a month. It wasn't a great experience. The synthetic marijuana commonly known by the brand name "Spice" is not yet illegal, but Emilio, a 16-year-old junior at Flagstaff High School, is done with it. He'd heard a few things about the herb blend officially marketed as incense and smoked like marijuana. "That it gets you high, and it has catnip," he said. "And you can't get drug-tested for it," added another student, who wanted to remain anonymous. [continues 545 words]
Some LMS Students Complete Program LAUREL - Some middle school students say they gained a lot from taking part in the city's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program. A group of sixth graders at Laurel Middle School recently celebrated their completion of the nationally-recognized D.A.R.E. Program. "It was an excellent program. It was a fun way to be educated about drugs," said 11-year-old Amaria Cooley. "It made me know I don't want to do drugs." [continues 789 words]
Now that Arizona has become the 15th state to approve the use of medical marijuana, Valley school leaders say it will likely fall in the prescription-drug category, and any abuses will be handled the same as other prescription medications. Some districts are talking with California schools to see how they have handled the issue. It was the first state to approve a medical-marijuana law, in 1996. Medical marijuana will be yet another challenge to schools as they urge students to stay away from drugs, especially since prescription-drug abuse is most common among young people. [continues 895 words]
Camarena, the man we honor each year with Red Ribbon Week, was working in Mexico, fighting a Mexican drug cartel. The cartel won. A quarter-century later, they're still winning. They're winning because Americans have to have their drugs. And as long as there's a demand, the drug lords will find a way to make a fortune meeting it. It's been 25 years since I became a teacher. I've seen lots of attempts at substance abuse prevention. [continues 478 words]
Ciudad Juarez - A rusting seesaw is sinking even further into the marsh on the edge of the world's most dangerous city. A year ago, only a few of the relentlessly identical brick houses in the area were abandoned, burned out or turned into crack dens. Now, whole swaths of them are empty-or converted into lairs for the drug-dealing street gangs that control the terrain and tag it: PFK, WEST SIDE. The MK 18 gang has apparently taken over a row of houses leading down to an open sewer. [continues 3797 words]
School districts are discussing the best ways to incorporate medical marijuana into their substance-abuse policies and drug-abuse campaigns. Now that Arizona has become the 15th state to approve the use of medical marijuana, several district administrators say it will likely fall in the prescription-drug category, and any abuses will be handled the same as other prescription medications. As discussions begin and committees are formed on how to handle the new law, administrators say they are talking with California school districts to see how they have handled the issue and their concerns and risk factors. California was the first state to approve a medical-marijuana law in 1996. [continues 819 words]
The Senate rejected yesterday a controversial House bill that seeks to legalize marijuana in the CNMI for medical and recreational use, but the bill's author said he plans to introduce a separate "medical marijuana" legislation. House Bill 17-47 was killed on a 7-0 vote during a Senate session held at the Northern Marianas College campus on Rota yesterday afternoon. Sen. Luis Crisostimo (D-Saipan), who supports marijuana use for medical purpose, abstained from voting. Sen. Henry San Nicolas (Cov-Tinian) was the only one absent among nine senators. [continues 740 words]
The Chilliwack RCMP has said no more to a drug education program at local schools. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (DARE) operated by the Mounties has been cancelled because the RCMP says it needs officers on the street instead of in the classroom. Last year the program operated at just half its normal levels, but even that cut-back service taxed the RCMP. "We're experiencing some capacity issues with some of the crime issues and files that we're dealing with in town," said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop. "We have to do the best we can with the resources that we have." [continues 427 words]
Editor, The importance of parental involvement in reducing adolescent drug use cannot be overstated ["There's no denying substance abuse problems," The Chief, Nov. 12]. School-based extracurricular activities also have been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're most likely to get into trouble. In order for drug prevention efforts to effectively reduce harm, they must be reality-based. The most popular drug and the one most closely associated with violent behaviour is often overlooked by parents. [continues 143 words]
The Smithers RCMP have announced that they are now aware of a small group of people in Smithers who have "openly flaunted their association with Lower Mainland/Upper Fraser Valley organized crime gang known as the Duhre Group," the police said in a statement on Wednesday. The RCMP made the announcement while also pointing out emerging drug trafficking trends in the area. According to the RCMP, police have made an increased number of drug busts, including seizures of cocaine and ecstasy. [continues 298 words]
BRICK - Crime is up, the number of cops is down, and that has led to changes in the police department of what was America's safest city. A special unit of police officers with an extensive arrest record was disbanded earlier this month to put more officers in the ranks for routine patrols. The four-man Selective Enforcement Team was given the job of gang suppression throughout the township. The squad was formed about a year ago to combat rising drug- and gang-related crimes, Police Chief N. Rick Bergquist said. [continues 1362 words]
Put a police officer in the middle of a classroom of elementary students and you're bound to get some interesting questions. This is something Cst. Jeffrey Bond knows firsthand. In 2009, Bond taught the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to students at Malakwa Elementary and this year he's at Parkview. "I've had a few questions asked of me in the past that were kind of, 'Wow, I wasn't expecting that,'" says Bond with laugh. "One question that always seems to come up is what is the worst drug. And they list off every drug that's out there and I say, the worst drug that I think is the one you're addicted to. and their eyes light up and it's, 'oh, I never thought of it that way.'" [continues 619 words]
Of the training courses Moffat County Sheriff's Office deputy Ryan Hess has taken, he said the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was the hardest. "Seriously," Hess said of the two-week course. "We had 10-hour days, and a minimum of six or seven hours of homework every night." Hess and officers Tony Gianetti, Mike Edwards and Norm Rimmer of the Craig Police Department are local law enforcement representatives of the DARE program. On Thursday, Hess and Gianetti met with East Elementary School fifth-graders to begin teaching the DARE curriculum. The curriculum will be taught to fifth-graders throughout the Moffat County School District in one-hour, weekly classes spread over 10 weeks. [continues 490 words]
Not only is the gateway theory discredited by government studies, cannabis (marijuana) prohibition causes increased hard drug addiction rates. Responsible adults who use the relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis often purchase it from people who also sell other substances including hard drugs, which increases the likelihood of hard drug addiction rates. Re-legalizing cannabis will eliminate that gateway effect. Another reason cannabis prohibition increases hard drug addiction rates is DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) telling lies, half-truths and propaganda regarding the plant. How many people heard DARE say cannabis was very bad and then realized it's not nearly as bad as claimed and think other substances must not be so bad either only to become addicted to honest hard drugs? [continues 138 words]
Township In Talks With School Officials To Fill Void Left By Police Program Cuts Two police programs that cater to thousands of Edison youngsters every year have become victims of this year's budget tightening. Township officials said their need to save money and consolidate services, and to put more police officers on the road, resulted in their axing both the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and the popular Junior Police Academy. "We honestly believe [these programs] are beneficial for the students," said Bill Stephens, management specialist for the township. "We will work on coming up with cost-efficient ways so that we can continue to work with the youths." [continues 642 words]
