Brian Guyton might have gotten off easy, even after being caught with drugs and a thick wad of cash, had he not run afoul of a state law that calls for harsher sentences for dealers who sell near places where children gather. Late last month, a Danbury police detective saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand drug deal between Guyton and an unidentified woman at the corner of Kohanza Street and Dogwood Drive, which is less than 1,000 feet from Danbury High School. The detective followed Guyton, 18, to a nearby gas station and searched the vehicle he was riding in for drugs, according to a police report of the incident. [continues 759 words]
Medical marijuana can't get traction in state Legislature KINGSTON -- With the end of New York state's 2013 legislative season came the usual self-back-patting of accomplishments from lawmakers. They praised things like the advent of tax-free zones, the possibility of casinos and legalizing gay marriage. Yet the issue of medical marijuana once again failed to make it into law, even as its medical use gains acceptance throughout the country. Barbara Gallagher, 51, of the Village of Florida is going for her bachelor's degree in English at SUNY New Paltz. [continues 745 words]
Enderby wants to take a stand on drugs. The city is currently investigating whether drug-free zones should be established. "It's a multi-faceted approach. It's not just about putting up a sign," said Mayor Howie Cyr. Drug-free zones were created in Canada 10 years ago as a joint effort between school districts, federal Crown, communities and law enforcement. The goal is to ensure harsher sentences for people trafficking within zones around schools and to deter drug activity from moving into these areas. [continues 200 words]
High Court Of California To Take Up Provider Bans California's experiment with medical marijuana has sparked a hazy version of the old Not-in- My- Backyard syndrome. From Hollister to Antioch, from Scotts Valley to Petaluma, from Seaside to Moraga, city after city has banned medical marijuana dispensaries, sending a message that even the sickest of patients must go elsewhere for that state-permitted dose of prescribed medical weed. But on Tuesday, this fear- and loathing approach to outlawing medical pot providers will face an unprecedented test in the California Supreme Court. The seven justices are to hear arguments on whether local governments can ban the dispensaries in view of the state's 1996 voter- approved law legalizing pot for medical use. [continues 688 words]
The citizens of Colorado and Washington voted in favor of statewide decriminalization of marijuana in November. Other states are now pushing for similar legislation - and we urge Michigan to join in. Yes, the state has made progress by making marijuana available for medical use. But that's not enough. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Program, a state registry program within the Health Professions Division in the Bureau of Health Care Services at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, has been in working for five years now. [continues 402 words]
SPOKANE, Wash. - Young voters helped pass laws legalizing marijuana in Washington and Colorado, but many still won't be able to light up. Most universities have codes of conduct banning marijuana use, and they get millions of dollars from the federal government, which still considers pot illegal. And it's still not clear how the federal government will respond to state legalization off campus as well. With federal money comes a requirement for a drug-free campus, and the threat of expulsion for students using pot in dorms. [continues 262 words]
The war against drugs has lessened in some arenas to a gentle slap on the wrist. That's due, in part, to America filling its prisons and jails with low-level drug dealers and abusers. In the state's correction system, 40 percent of the Class B felony convictions are due to drug dealing. Judges have lately been relying on alternative programs such as drug courts or treatment programs to help reduce the prison population. Since 1988 in Indiana, gathering sites for have youth been such as schools, churches, and parks have been ringed by a 1,000-foot and border known as a drug-free zone in which dealers can get more prison time than, say, if dealing at 1,001 feet away. [continues 330 words]
Federal prosecutors today announced that all of the Colorado medical-marijuana dispensaries targeted for operating near schools have halted marijuana sales as demanded. Prosecutors sent the letters to certain dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools last month, warning them to close or face criminal or civil punishment. It was the most aggressive action yet by federal authorities against businesses that are legal under state law but illegal under federal law. Letters went to 23 dispensaries and to their landlords. Owners of 22 dispensaries have since decided to shutter those targeted locations - either moving or closing for good. A letter to one dispensary was rescinded after it was determined that the school building nearby was not currently being used to educate children, the U.S. Attorney's office said in an announcement. [continues 188 words]
In the ongoing stare-down between state-legal medical-marijuana dispensaries and federal law-enforcement officials, today is the day somebody blinks. Letters sent last month to 23 dispensaries near schools in Colorado gave the businesses until today to either move or shut down. If they do not, the U.S. attorney's office has vowed to take criminal or civil action against the businesses, which are inherently violating federal law but are in compliance with state medical-marijuana law. U.S. Attorney John Walsh has said he is not bluffing. [continues 414 words]
U.S. Attorney John Walsh justifies federal crackdown on medical-marijuana shops U.S. Attorney John Walsh said Thursday evidence that medical marijuana is having a detrimental impact on Colorado kids spurred his decision to crack down on dispensaries near schools. Walsh, in the strongest federal action against dispensaries in Colorado to date, sent letters last week to 23 dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools. The letters ordered the dispensaries to close by Feb. 27 or face potential criminal prosecution or seizure of assets, even though those dispensaries are operating in compliance with state law. [continues 368 words]
