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]
Prop. 47 would ease sentences in most possession cases; critics say it removes incentive to get clean A hypothetical: One methamphetamine addict is ordered by a judge to complete drug treatment or face time in prison. Another is offered the chance to enter treatment voluntarily. Which one has a better chance of success? That's the central question in the debate over Proposition 47 on the Nov. 4 ballot. It asks voters to lower six nonviolent crimes - including simple drug possession - to misdemeanors, which are punishable by no more than a year in jail. [continues 1343 words]
To no one's surprise, Alisa Marie McFarlin failed to show up in Yolo County court last week. McFarlin, 33, is a methamphetamine user who has a tattoo on her chest that reads "Johnny's Girl" and often is homeless, wandering the streets of Sacramento and West Sacramento. She has been passing through the courthouse doors since December 2012, when she was arrested at the Cache Creek casino for possession of meth. She was arrested in June 2013 in Davis for loitering and possessing drug paraphernalia, and again on the 4th of July, 2013, in West Sac for meth. [continues 1018 words]
Every one of these lives is an individual gift from God and has to be treated that way. Gov. Christie NEWARK, N.J. - Gov. Christie joined with the pastor of a church here Tuesday to call for lessening the stigma of drug addiction, invoking a friend's death as he sought to frame the issue as a universal problem. Addiction "can and does happen to anyone," Christie said, after treatment providers, family members, and recovering addicts shared their perspectives during a summit at the New Hope Baptist Church that also was led by Pastor Joe A. Carter. [continues 649 words]
North Dakota's Oil Rush Brings Cash and Promise to Reservation, Along With Drug-Fueled Crime ON THE FORT BERTHOLD INDIAN RESERVATION - Tribal police Sgt. Dawn White is racing down a dusty two-lane road - siren blaring, police radio crackling - as she attempts to get to the latest 911 call on a reservation that is a blur of oil rigs and bright-orange gas flares. "Move! C'mon, get out of the fricking way!" White yells as she hits 102 mph and weaves in and out of a line of slow-moving tractor-trailers that stretches for miles. [continues 2856 words]
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval came out in support of legalizing marijuana last week. Below, you'll find some of his expanded comments from an interview with the State Journal in which he endorsed legalizing the drug and using tax revenue from its sale to support drug treatment programs. The comments came soon after Koval said his department must enforce laws against marijuana because the state prohibits it. Asked how he would like Wisconsin to treat the drug, Koval responded: "I would like us to see -- much like we've seen in those pioneering states (Washington and Colorado) -- a discussion of decriminalizing it, regulating it, taxing it, and then using the funds and monies generated .. (for) treatment programs, drug courts and other things that go to the core of our more substantive drug users." [continues 257 words]
Oasis Head Hopes to Be a Pot 'Pioneer' In Alberta Months after launching Alberta's only marijuana-prescribing clinic, Oasis Medical Centre hasn't become some hotbed for old-time hippies in tie-dyed shirts. In fact, the data suggests quite the opposite - users are primarily male professionals in their early 40s suffering from everything from cancer to sleep disorders and long-standing pain. The screening process is rigorous, according to doctor-in-training and Oasis partner Miles Nakaska. Patients first fill out a form online detailing their medical and treatment history - one word answers won't do. Next, it's a face-to-face meeting with him that can span nearly an hour. [continues 887 words]
Reports on Drivers, Training by Firm Fueled Law Enforcement Aggressiveness During the rush to improve homeland security a decade ago, an invitation went out from Congress to a newly retired California highway patrolman named Joe David. A lawmaker asked him to brief the Senate on how highway police could keep "our communities safe from terrorists and drug dealers." David had developed an uncanny talent for finding cocaine and cash in cars and trucks, beginning along the remote highways of the Mojave Desert. His reputation had spread among police officers after he started a training firm in 1989 to teach his homegrown stop-and-seizure techniques. He called it Desert Snow. [continues 5027 words]
Casual Marijuana Users Go to Treatment As Hard- Core Drug Abusers Are Rejected. WASHINGTON - Attorney David West can't pinpoint precisely when he started to sour on the rapid expansion of drug courts - but the karate episode stands out. West, a criminal defense lawyer in the Atlanta area, was representing a client busted in a town north of the city for possession of pot. Faced with the prospect of losing his driver's license and being haunted by a criminal record, the client opted for treatment. [continues 780 words]
The Wednesday op-ed "Drug courts can help reduce recidivism" by Jack D'Aurora certainly offers a step in the right direction. However, it is only a step, not the final destination. I think we need to put up the white flag in the war on drugs. The most practical approach would be the legalization of most, if not all, of the illicit drugs. We have spent billions of dollars and seen innumerable deaths in the attempt to eliminate the supply and dampen the demand with little, if any, success. Production sites simply shift when confronted with possible destruction and demand remains unabated. [continues 172 words]
Methamphetamine use is climbing as desperate heroin addicts search for a cheaper way to get high and avoid a fatal overdose. "Meth has never gone away," said Tom Johnson, who heads a regional drug task force. "We just never gave it enough credit." Local law enforcement saw meth use rise again in mid-2013 when heroin prices ballooned. Heroin can fetch up to $280 per gram; meth sells for as little as $50 to $100 for the same quantity, said La Crosse police Sgt. Andrew Dittman, who heads the department's narcotics unit. [continues 945 words]
It's hard for parents today to know the best way to guide their children through the years of teen and young-adult alcohol and drug experimentation because so much has changed since today's parents were teens. Thirty years ago, a policy change mandated by Congress approving the National Minimum Legal Drinking Act forced the states to change their legal drinking age to 21. Ohio raised the drinking age from 18 to 19 in 1984 and to 21 in 1987, which is similar to what happened across the country. [continues 1408 words]
I respond to Wednesday's op-ed column by Jack D'Aurora regarding the use of drug courts to reduce Ohio's inmate population. D'Aurora pointed out many of the benefits of drug courts, but the need for specialized dockets extends beyond drug-treatment courts. I am proud to say that Franklin County's judges have been proactive in reducing incarceration and recidivism rates through the operation of seven specialized dockets, four of which are drug courts. In the Common Pleas Court, Judge Dana Preisse has operated the Family Drug Court in the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division since 2002 and the Treatment is Essential to Success (TIES) program has operated since 2004, with Judge Stephen McIntosh currently presiding. [continues 484 words]
With Popular Singer-songwriter Ryo Aska Appearing In Court On Drug Charges On Thursday, We Examine The Darker Side Of Substance Abuse Some kid shot up a dose again tonight Pushed back by his other self Even if you were to buy your dream You need self-control No one talks about hopes and dreams All that's there is something better, something new, a better way The name is "Kicks Street" - the city of desire - - Lyrics from "Kicks Street" (1998), Ryo Aska [continues 2703 words]
With heroin use continuing to outstrip Kentucky's ability to treat addicts, Louisville's only no-fee drug recovery facility plans to nearly double its capacity for men. The Healing Place on Friday will announce a two-year, $20 million expansion of its West Market Street men's complex, increasing detox beds from 24 to at least 50 and long-term recovery beds from 250 to 426 - a move officials say is driven primarily by the heroin epidemic. Karyn Hascal, head of the nonprofit organization, said once-rare heroin has "overwhelmed" the facility and now accounts for 90 percent of clients in detox and 60 percent to 70 percent in the recovery program. She said waiting lists had grown so long they stopped keeping them. [continues 737 words]
There's no magic pill to cure the heroin epidemic but judges in Ohio think they may have found an injection that can at least put a big dent in the problem. Now Kentucky lawmakers will look at whether Vivitrol could work in Kentucky, where it hasn't been tried in the legal system. Hocking County, Ohio Municipal Court Judge Frederick Moses will talk to Kentucky lawmakers on Thursday in Lexington about the success he's had in his drug court with Vivitrol to help addicts kick the habit. [continues 797 words]
During the 2014 General Assembly, Kay Godwin and I, co-founders of the Capitol Coalition of Conservative Leaders, and other conservatives even on the religious right supported the use of medical cannabis for intractable seizure disorder. My heart broke for children suffering day and night with more than 300 violent seizures per week that only had one medical choice, and that was to basically be put in a nearly comatose state by prescription drugs. The accounts of parents who had used medical cannabis oil and had amazing success - in some cases taking the seizures down to less than two per week - were encouraging. [continues 521 words]
Legislative Committee Discusses Drugs From A Law Enforcement Perspective WILMINGTON - Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins joined a mix of state representatives, public officials and local law enforcement gathered in Wilmington City Council chambers Tuesday to discuss the state's drug abuse pandemic - and, in particular, heroin. A legislative study committee kicked off the start of a four-hearing series scheduled for various locations across Ohio in Wilmington Tuesday. The meeting was called for the purpose of discussing Ohio's drug problem from a law enforcement perspective. [continues 550 words]
