Rules are needed for growing medical pot and not vegetables in homes because the plant is a controlled substance that's "highly divertable" to other uses, a health official told a Federal Court hearing in Vancouver on Wednesday. The court is being asked to determine if the federal government's law governing licensed growers of medical marijuana is constitutional. A group of users who have a doctor's OK to use pot for medical reasons is arguing the new law, implementation of which was delayed last year because of this challenge, will force them to buy from large commercial producers with federal licences instead of growing their own or having someone grow it for them. [continues 221 words]
Ivan Speed is not a model citizen. Since growing up in the Alemany housing projects, Speed has spent his adulthood running the streets in San Francisco, racking up the kind of record -- assault, theft, drugs, guns -- that would earn even a fallen choir boy the title of "career criminal." Not that anyone in the Marina has anything to fear from the likes of Speed. His crime spree as of late has been contained to the Tenderloin, where his alleged misdeeds -- stealing $25, swiping a phone, selling $50 worth of crack cocaine -- are seemingly trivial, especially considering these daily occurrences often take place in full view of rollerbag-dragging tourists who wandered a block too far from their Union Square hotel. [continues 834 words]
In Baltimore City, approximately 20,000 people were arrested for drug-related offenses annually in 2012 and 2013; nearly three quarters for simple possession. And while there has been a great deal of discussion over the last few years regarding the incarceration of individuals for drug crimes, particularly in minority communities, the fact is that most drug cases in Baltimore do not result in confinement, except for those unfortunate enough not to have the funds to post bail while awaiting trial. [continues 773 words]
Today, a rare consensus has emerged in favor of reforming our federal drug sentencing laws. This presents a historic opportunity to improve the fairness of our criminal justice system. But unless we act quickly, we risk letting the moment pass. The Justice Department has sought to be an early innovator on this front. A year and a half ago, I launched the Smart on Crime initiative- a comprehensive effort to reorient the federal government's approach to criminal justice. It focused on reducing the use of draconian mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenses and deepening our investment in rehabilitation and reentry programs that can reduce the likelihood of recidivism. [continues 638 words]
The Episcopal Church is investigating whether Bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook "misrepresented" her struggles with alcohol to the church. She is charged with texting while drunk driving and killing Thomas Palermo, a husband, father and friend in midlife who was peddling in his own bicycle lane when he was struck, a good man who will be missed and mourned for years to come. There's no need for an investigation: Given her documented issues with alcohol, it's almost certain she lied just to survive; that is what alcoholics and addicts do. Though Ms. Cook hasn't publicly admitted to being either, her attorney has said she's in treatment for alcohol use and she's attended Alcoholics Anonymous in the past, the judge in her first DUI case said she had a "problem," and her church leaders have talked about her "disease of alcoholism." She may well have lied for many years about the horrible grip alcohol had on her life, as many people do - not because they are bad people but because they are trying to save their lives from totally unraveling and protect their access to the substance for which their brain rages in its cravings. [continues 593 words]
After denying Laura Liscio was arrested in court attire, Peel officers concede it's true Peel police admit they were wrong about the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Toronto lawyer in Brampton court last week but refuse to reveal details about the false claims. In a Wednesday press release, Peel Regional Police said it regretted publishing "misinformation" in a news release Friday. The Friday release took aim at reports on the details of a Toronto lawyer's arrest in a Brampton courthouse, denying that police handcuffed criminal lawyer Laura Liscio in her court attire and saying she was escorted to an unmarked police vehicle by plainclothes officers. [continues 459 words]
OTTAWA - Non-violent drug addicts who break the law will again have the option of rehab instead of jail time as federal funding revives the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court. Ottawa finally committed to renewing funding for the court, offering $1.2 million over the next three years, the provincial government confirmed Friday. The court stopped accepting new clients last spring because Ottawa had not agreed to extend the funding beyond the end of March. "This successful program addresses the root cause of criminal behaviour to give participants the supports and strategies they need to live a productive and positive lifestyle," Manitoba Justice Minister James Allum said in a news release. [continues 414 words]
CHILLICOTHE - For most parents, their worst nightmare is burying their child. Marshall Frankel lives that nightmare daily. Frankel lost his daughter, Michelle Frankel, and his son, Benjamin Frankel, within months last year to overdoses involving heroin, with Michelle passing away in April and Benjamin in June. "Even though it is happening, there's nothing you can do," Frankel said. "The biggest problem is that it is all over the U.S., not just Chillicothe." Michelle, 26, and Benjamin, 32, join the list of 27 other people whom Ross County lost to drug overdoses in 2014. Of the overdoses, 19 involved heroin - an increase almost five times that of 2013, when 22 people died of overdoses and four involved heroin. [continues 1647 words]
Editor: I absolutely support marijuana legalization. The first thing is to legalize medicinal use, which would allow doctors to be able to prescribe as needed, and for patients to be able to have this option. Decriminalization should be the next step. We should take a look at what other states are doing and see what will work best for Wyoming. We need to quit throwing people in prison for using marijuana. Abuses of this drug should be done through drug court and treatment options. Michelle Irwin, Green River [end]
HIS lawyer made every effort to keep him from spending time behind bars, even likening the case to drug trafficking charges faced by a former Queensland Origin star, but ultimately [name redacted], 19, was denied bail. Defence lawyer Travis George represented [name redacted] in Maryborough Magistrates Court and told magistrate John Smith his client was "crapping himself" at the prospect of spending time in jail. "He's never been in prison before," Mr George said. "He's just had 24 hours straight in the watchhouse. He's petrified of going to jail." [continues 213 words]
Superior Court has received nearly 10,000 petitions to reduce felonies to misdemeanors; more in wings Alisa Griego still had two weeks to serve on her sentence. She had spent half a year in a county jail for stealing from a store, one of a handful of convictions in a past filled with unhealthy relationships and drug addiction. But when she appeared before a judge late last month, she was told her felony conviction was now a misdemeanor, that she'd served her time. She was out of custody by the next morning, one of more than a dozen offenders in San Diego County who have been resentenced and released in the wake of Proposition 47. [continues 1655 words]
No New Clients Until Feds Confirm Funding OTTAWA - The federal government is going to renew funding for the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court, but the province won't start admitting new clients to the program again until it gets more details from Ottawa on what the new agreement will entail. Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay's spokeswoman recently confirmed agreements to help fund six provincial drug treatment courts will be renewed after they expire at the end of March. "The drug treatment court (DTC) model is a valuable alternative to the correctional system for drug-addicted offenders," said Clarissa Lamb in an emailed statement. "Through the collaboration and co-operation between health and court authorities, positive outcomes for the drug-addicted offender are being achieved." [continues 483 words]
After the historic marijuana midterms, a seven-hundred-day battle for the Golden State begins. As the dust settles from the historic marijuana midterm election of 2014, a few things have become clear: Namely, Californians will vote on ending cannabis prohibition in 2016. But change is far from inevitable. The decisive cannabis-legalization victories in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, DC, on November 4 continued the trend established by voters in Colorado and Washington in 2012. The hat trick in this year's midterm election also guarantees that the most experienced, successful groups - Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) - will work to legalize pot in California in 2016. [continues 846 words]
KABUL - Afghan opium cultivation and production again reached historic highs in 2014, UN officials reported Wednesday. And in a sign of how deeply entwined drug trafficking and the Afghan political system have become, the officials said protracted elections this year were at least part of the cause. "With the presidential election ongoing there was a huge demand of funding," said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, a senior official with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. "And that funding is not available in the licit economy, and that money has to come from somewhere, so they turned to the illicit economy." [continues 260 words]
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan opium cultivation again rose to historic levels in 2014, United Nations officials reported on Wednesday. And in a sign of how deeply entwined drug trafficking and the Afghan political system have become, the officials said the protracted elections this year were at least part of the cause. "With the presidential election ongoing, there was a huge demand of funding," said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, a senior official with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "And that funding is not available in the licit economy, and that money has to come from somewhere, so they turned to the illicit economy." [continues 973 words]
Most mistakes that voters make at the ballot box don't become evident for years. That's not the case with Proposition 47, however. The very week that voters in California approved the measure with 59 percent of the vote, thousands of prisoners statewide were either released or in the process of having their charges reduced. Felony crimes became misdemeanors for some theft and drug cases, which will eventually affect more than 4,000 prisoners. What were voters thinking? Well, maybe they fell for the deceptive title on the ballot for Proposition 47: "The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act." We're not sure how that biased title got approved, but it's inaccurate. [continues 304 words]
Lawmakers Face Variety of Upcoming Issues About Medicinal Use CARSON CITY - Medical marijuana dispensaries are on the verge of becoming a reality in Nevada but that doesn't mean the smoke has cleared on a number of pressing issues related to the medicinal use of the drug. From concerns about what some argue is Nevada's indefensible standard for driving under the influence of marijuana to whether college students should be able to use medicinal marijuana on campus, a whole array of issues will likely come forward for debate in the 2015 session of the Nevada Legislature. [continues 701 words]
The War on Drugs is a failure. But by legalizing marijuana for adults' everyday use, Oregon would merely compound that failure. Measure 91 on the Nov. 4 ballot would make Oregon the third state, behind Washington and Colorado, to allow recreational marijuana use. Supporters of the measure make tempting claims: Law enforcement could concentrate on real crime instead of marijuana. Pot is no worse than alcohol, if that. Marijuana would be brought into the mainstream and regulated instead of being the purview of drug cartels and criminals. Regulation would keep marijuana out of the hands of children and youth. Prohibition did not work for alcohol, and it has not worked for marijuana. Besides, adults should be free to make their own choices. [continues 723 words]
It astounds me how many people use marijuana or do not use marijuana and are for this measure as the polls say. The world's social accepted behavior does not make it right. For some reason the minority in our nation are swaying public opinion, but the entire nation has to deal with the consequences. Tolerance knows no boundaries. But when their behavior affects my quality of life, it is time for the silent majority to vote and say enough is enough. [continues 167 words]
In his first major public address, the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court called for the repeal of mandatory minimum drug sentences. The case put forth Thursday by Ralph Gants, a former federal prosecutor for more than eight years, is a compelling one. He noted the "disparate impact" of mandatory minimum drug sentences on racial and ethnic minorities. In fiscal 2013, 450 defendants got such mandatory minimums. And while minorities represented 32 percent of all convicted offenders, they represented 75 percent of those convicted of mandatory drug offenses. [continues 131 words]
