America's epidemic of heroin and prescription-pain-reliever addiction has become a major issue in the 2016 election. The epidemic is worse than ever: Deaths from overdoses of opioids - the drug category that includes heroin and prescription analgesics such as Vicodin - reached an all-time high in 2014, rising 14 percent in a single year. But because drug policy has long been a political and cultural football, myths about opioid addiction abound. Here are some of the most dangerous - and how they do harm. [continues 1540 words]
America' s epidemic of heroin and prescription pain reliever addiction has become a major issue in the 2016 elections. It's worse than ever: Deaths from overdoses of opioids (the drug category that includes heroin and prescription analgesics such as Vicodin) reached an all-time high in 2014, rising 14 percent in a single year. But because drug policy has long been a political and cultural football, myths about opioid addiction abound. Here are some of the most dangerous- and how they do harm. [continues 1494 words]
Possession of Up to 20 Grams Would Be a Civil Citation TAMPA - Despite concerns it does not do enough to deter repeat offenders, the Tampa City Council on Thursday voted for a new law that lowers the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana to a civil citation. Council members voted 6-1 to adopt the law, which gives city police the option to issue a civil citation for possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana, roughly three quarters of an ounce. [continues 798 words]
A Four-Pillar Plan The supervised injection facility for heroin users proposed as part of Ithaca's new municipal drug policy garnered lots of media attention, but not much in the way of praise from local law enforcement leaders. Tompkins County Sheriff Kenneth Lansing said his department was not consulted in the development of the drug plan. "We all know that people that are doing things they shouldn't be doing are paranoid, and I'm just not sure how safe they're going to feel going to a facility that's going to allow them to do this," Lansing said about the injection facility. "There are hurdles with the legality to look at. Nothing against the mayor; I think he's doing a hell of a job, no doubt about it, and the plan has some great ideas. I just can't accept [the injection facility], and I can't support it." [continues 581 words]
On Feb. 23, the night before Mayor Svante Myrick officially announced the city's new drug plan, there was a panel discussion on the history of municipal drug policy. Ithaca resident Herebeorht Howland-Bolton, 26, surprised the audience of about 150 people gathered at Cinemapolis when he spoke up during the question-and-answer period. He told the audience he had overdosed just four hours earlier in his apartment on the Commons. His girlfriend, Janice, 20, who asked that her last name not be printed in this article, found him unresponsive on the floor and called 911. [continues 1717 words]
New Jersey's Fiscal Year 2017 budget should prioritize reversing our state's recent expansion of the failed "War on Drugs" and the intentional use of collective violence on drug using populations. Despite talking points of "reclaiming lives from addiction" and "reducing prison populations" the state has endured a 30 percent increase of drug possession arrests in the last few years. The current proposed budget calls for $64 million to expand the Drug Court program, an additional $127 million to increase provider rates for substance use treatment and retrofitting Mid-State Prison as a monolithic treatment center. [continues 597 words]
Pilot Study in Tampa Will Mean Citations for 20 Grams or Less TAMPA - While Tampa pushes ahead with civil citations for possession of small amounts of marijuana, a plan to give the same break to juveniles caught with the drug also is in the works. Under a planned yearlong pilot program, juveniles found in possession of small amounts of marijuana, 20 grams or less, no longer will be arrested but will instead be cited and required to attend a drug treatment program. [continues 1285 words]
Tampa City Council is playing with fire with a plan to decriminalize marijuana use. Don't be surprised if local drug abuse explodes if the council approves the measure to issue only civil citations for possession of 20 grams or less of pot Passage of the ordinance seems assured. The council voted 6-0 Thursday to hold an initial public hearing March 3 on the measure, which would go into effect after a second public hearing. Only Councilman Charlie Miranda seems skeptical. [continues 1137 words]
ZARANJ, Afghanistan - Shortly after sunrise, an Afghan special operations helicopter descended on two vehicles racing through the empty deserts of southern Afghanistan, traversing what has become a superhighway for smugglers and insurgents. Intelligence showed that the men were transporting a huge cache of drugs and weapons from Helmand Province to Nimruz Province, a hub for all things illegal and a way station on the global opium trail. Hovering above, the troops fired tracer rounds into the sandy earth beside the vehicles, which skidded to a stop. [continues 1375 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada will soon decide the fate of the mandatory one-year jail sentence for trafficking certain drugs. The mandatory minimum has come under fire by civil liberty groups for constituting cruel and unusual punishment, arbitrary imprisonment and restricting security of the person contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The case at issue concerns Ryan Joseph Lloyd, a drug addict in his mid-20s, who lived in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. He was found in possession of less than 10 grams of three drugs, enough to be charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. He was eventually convicted and faced no less than 12 months in jail because he had a prior conviction for trafficking within the last 10 years. The British Columbia Court of Appeal sentenced him to 18 months. The appeal of this sentence has reached our top court, in part because it sparked debate over how our courts deal with markers of disadvantage, including addiction, poverty and race. [continues 630 words]
WASHINGTON - On the stump, Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina regularly recount struggles within their own families over drug addiction. A viral video of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaking about the overdose death of a close friend gave his campaign a boost in the Granite State. But even as they strike powerful emotional chords about the toll of drug abuse, a review of candidates' statements and policy outlines shows that few offer concrete proposals to combat the national scourge of opiate addiction. [continues 1108 words]
EARLIER this month, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida opened up on a subject he had once chided reporters for asking about: his daughter, Noelle, who, he said, "was addicted to drugs." In a video released by the campaign, Mr. Bush speaks plainly about his daughter's struggle, her time in jail and drug court, and her recovery. "I can look in people's eyes and I know that they've gone through the same thing that Columba and I have," he said, referring to his wife. [continues 874 words]
Citing and releasing those caught with small amounts is a good idea, William R. Kelly writes As someone who studies the effectiveness of criminal justice policies, I rarely can applaud a specific policy in Texas. But I could do just that for a new pilot program taking shape in Dallas. The Dallas City Council is considering a program of ticketing rather than arresting individuals caught in possession of 4 ounces or less of marijuana. The procedure, known as cite and release, involves the police issuing a ticket to the offender, much like the procedure used for traffic violations. The ticket is a promise to appear in court on a particular date and time. [continues 580 words]
Those Caught With A Small Amount Would Face Citations Instead Of Jail TAMPA - Close to 1,900 arrests made by Tampa police last year included charges of possession of small amounts of marijuana. The crime is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison or probation and a $1,000 file. Offenders can also lose their driver's license for two years, making it tough to hang onto a job. A conviction comes with the lifelong stigma of a criminal record, a bar to jobs in law enforcement and the armed services, and eligibility for public housing and some college scholarships. [continues 678 words]
As much marijuana as I admit to smoking almost daily. I still loudly proclaim to anyone I am not addicted to marijuana and, as far as I know, no one is; because marijuana is not addictive, but Facebook is. Ibogaine is a cure for addiction (period), it not only works on drugs like heroin, meth, cocaine but addictive behavior like gambling too from what I've been told. Some say it's the best cure for tobacco use as well. Facebook has suspended my Facebook account for one week starting last Sunday 1/2/2016, and ending on Saturday 1/9/2016. I'm suffering big time cyber pains in Facebook jail. As you know I've been to real jail and in real jail people are there who are drug addicts and they suffer physically for lack of their substance it's called withdrawal. It's a horrible experience to be in a cell with a person suffering from withdrawal, the smells, and the dry heaves, the agony is horrible to witness. I admit to being highly addicted to Facebook and I'm going thru severe Facebook withdrawal right now, I'm not dry heaving or throwing up but......ugggh. As much marijuana as I admit to smoking almost daily. I still loudly proclaim to anyone I am not addicted to marijuana and as far as I know no-one is; because marijuana is not addictive but Facebook is. [continues 920 words]
Rhetoric is heating up about a proposal to change the state's civil asset forfeiture process. Lawmakers return in February to the Capitol, where the issue is expected to be debated. The leading voice for change is Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City. He has filed Senate Bill 838, which would make dramatic changes to a law that allows law enforcement to seize property and cash suspected of being used in a crime. The current process does not require a conviction. [continues 448 words]
As I sat with a client I'll call Grace in Baltimore County District Court in Essex, I watched case after case go before the judge. It was mostly less serious crimes: theft, possession of paraphernalia, driving without a license and trespassing. But all the cases, except for most of the traffic cases, had elements of mental illness and addiction, like the mother who was experiencing homelessness and hadn't been getting her children to school on a regular basis. She had prior arrests of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and theft. [continues 714 words]
HOOKSETT, N.H. - Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush called drug addiction one of America's "soft underbellies" and said the fight against it should be a "national calling." His speech at a New Hampshire forum came on the same day he published an online essay detailing his daughter's struggle with prescription-medicine abuse. Bush, a former Florida governor, favors expanding so-called drug courts rather than sentencing first offenders to jail. He said his daughter Noelle's graduation from one such programs was as much a milestone in her life as her community college commencement. [continues 419 words]
City Police to Offer Aid, Not Arrest, for Low-Level Offenders The Baltimore Police Department, working with a local nonprofit organization, is planning an experimental program that would divert low-level drug offenders to treatment and support services while allowing them to avoid arrest. The program, known as Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, is part of a shift in Maryland and across the nation from the arrest-and-convict strategy that has dominated drug policies for a half-century. "Criminalizing individuals with addiction is not the answer," said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's health commissioner, who is working with police on the new program. "We must treat addiction as a disease and not a crime or a moral failing. LEAD is an innovative, evidence-based strategy that diverts people with addiction away from arrest and incarceration and instead gives them the medical treatment they need." [continues 1168 words]
2016 Candidates Asked to Address Drug Abuse Crisis MANCHESTER, N.H. - Zach Brewster had a long history of addiction and was dealing drugs after flunking out of college. One night he injected a cocktail of cocaine and heroin and stopped breathing. He was taken by ambulance to the emergency room of the suburban hospital that employed his parents, where they were told their son might not survive the night. When he pulled through, his parents thought the scare might make him serious about recovery. [continues 996 words]
