For the last five years, current and hopeful UI students caught toking up in their dorms, in a back alley, or at a Dave Matthews Band concert could've lost their student aid - and 2,367 of them from Iowa did. The Hawkeye state ranked 12th in the nation in terms of students denied financial aid because of a drug conviction, according to a report released by the Department of Education at the request of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. However, the student group and others say the accuracy of the numbers - - which come from prospective students in the United States and internationally - could be much higher because students can be deterred from applying or will simply lie on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. [continues 313 words]
Johnson County is not the only jurisdiction grappling with overcrowded jails. Throughout the nation, states facing budget shortfalls are pursuing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A study conducted by the RAND Corporation found that every additional dollar invested in substance-abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.48 in societal costs. There is far more at stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the promoter of family values that some would have us believe. Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction, and delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society as a whole does too. Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in antisocial behavior. [continues 88 words]
You can murder, rape, steal or forge a check and still get federal financial aid for college. But if you get convicted for having a marijuana joint in your pocket, the federal government may deny you bucks for higher education. In all its wisdom, Congress made a drug conviction the one offense that disqualifies someone from receiving aid. Congress should remove the restriction. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 200,000 people, including 2,367 Iowans, have been turned down for federal financial aid since application forms included a question about drug convictions. Iowa is above the national average for the percentage of people losing college aid. [continues 141 words]
The tornado damage to the venerable Johnson County Courthouse did harm to a historic Iowa City structure but also added another reason for pursuing the proposed "justice center," which would incorporate a new courthouse and jail. While the courthouse should be restored and we support building a new facility, more creative options need to also be explored to solve the county's law-enforcement problem. Instead of hauling all offenders off to jail without regard for their crimes, Johnson County officials should seek more appropriate solutions. [continues 409 words]
Clark Lindgren, Biology, Is Conducting Research On Lizards To Further Investigate How Nerves In The Brain Communicate And Discovered That Endocannabanoid Occurs Naturally In The Human Body Clark Lindgren, Biology, took a circuitous scientific route to teaching and researching biology-first studying physics, then physiology, then neurobiology and finally joining the Grinnell Biology department in 1992. Now his career has taken another unexpected turn. His most recent research concerns a chemical dear to many college students: cannabis. This year, Lindgren is on his third sabbatical and is researching an area so new that he and his student research assistant, Zach Newman '08, have had to construct their own equipment. [continues 690 words]
Dr. Steve Gleason died as a result of drug addiction. My daughter, Angela Fatino, also died as a result of drug addiction. Both deaths were determined to be suicide with a handgun. Last year Angela's photographs were published in the Register - not as a scare tactic, but rather as a picture of the reality of drug addiction in Iowa. The death of Gleason has forced us once again to face this devastating reality. Ironically, Angela had a dream of becoming a doctor. [continues 68 words]
There's no set protocol, but it's best to work in pairs at all times, they say, and that wasn't done in a recent Dallas County case. Brian Rink remembers the first time he saw stacks of seized cash on the job with the Cass County sheriff's office. "It's exciting, no doubt about it," said Rink, the office's chief deputy. "What amazes me is that we are only getting a small percentage of what is going through the state." [continues 792 words]
Kermit Dahlen is on a mission to dispel one of the biggest myths about meth. "There's a belief out there that people don't get well. People do get well from meth addiction," said Dahlen, president and CEO of Jackson Recovery Centers. "Statewide in Iowa our methamphetamine addicts have a better outcome than any other drug of primary choice," he said. "In the state of Iowa we have implemented some very evidenced-based best practices for meth addicts. We had to learn quickly." A total of 82 percent of Jackson Recovery's patients have remained sober six months post treatment, according to Janelle Tomoson, program director for the Women and Children's Center. "That compares to a statewide average of 50 percent." [continues 673 words]
Officials Say About 34% Of Prisoners Have Had Psychiatric Diagnoses Oakdale, Ia. -- More than one-third of the 8,800 inmates in Iowa's prison system have been diagnosed as mentally ill, a much higher figure than previously reported, state officials said Friday. About 34 percent of all Iowa prisoners have had psychiatric diagnoses, compared with previous estimates of 16 percent to 18 percent, said Corrections Director Gary Maynard. This means there are almost 3,000 inmates who fit that category, he told the Iowa Board of Corrections. [continues 329 words]
Prescriptions For People The Physicians Never Met Went Through A Small Pharmacy In Dubuque Cedar Rapids, Ia. -- The physician sitting at the defendant's table looked like he could be a kindly colleague of TV's Marcus Welby, M.D. He had neatly trimmed gray hair, a conservative sport coat and silver-framed bifocals. He identified himself as Edward Schwab, a 71-year-old osteopath from Shreveport, La. He was in federal court late last month to admit that he also was a drug dealer, one of numerous doctors who helped run one of the biggest Internet pill-distribution rings ever busted. [continues 919 words]
Control over criminal evidence at the embattled Dallas County sheriff's office has been turned over to police in West Des Moines, where an employee stole seized drugs and cash last year. A Dallas County deputy has charged that a portion of the nearly $800,000 in suspected drug money discovered during a traffic stop last month disappeared before it could be counted. Deputies said the cash was stashed in a car driven by a California man pulled over March 15 near De Soto. The driver received only a ticket for over-tinted windows, and allegedly claimed that the money was not his. [continues 258 words]
President Bush has proposed an initiative to increase by 50 percent the number of random drug tests in high schools. Currently, only 600 schools nationwide perform "suspicionless" drug tests, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which has spent $8 million to promote and support this testing since 2002. While we appreciate that drugs are bad, this policy is misguided for many reasons and should be abandoned. Given that low participation to date can be credited more to reticent high schools than a lack of funding, much of the $15 million requested will likely go into promotional efforts, as the feds try to coax more schools into the program. [continues 459 words]
System Would Help Spot Cases Of 'Doctor-Shopping' Iowans' prescription orders would be tracked on a statewide computer system under a plan approved Thursday in the Iowa House. The proposal, which passed the Senate last week, was approved on a 99-0 vote in the House. Its goal is to help doctors and pharmacists spot patients who are trying to dupe them into approving prescriptions for narcotics or other addictive drugs. The plan nearly foundered in a Senate committee last month amid concerns about patient privacy. But it was resuscitated after lawmakers limited access to the database by police and state regulators. Under the new plan, only doctors and pharmacists could have regular access to the information. [continues 443 words]
The Dallas County Official Is On Vacation While State Officials Check Into Reports Of Missing Money Dallas County officials said Wednesday that they don't know when Sheriff Brian Gilbert will return from his self-imposed vacation, which began last week as state officials launched an investigation into an alleged missing packet of money confiscated by his department. Meanwhile, an attorney involved in the case declined to say on Wednesday how long the investigation would last or whether Gilbert could return to work while the investigation remained open. [continues 440 words]
Three people, including a teenager, have been charged with causing heroin deaths as part of an eastern Iowa investigation into heroin trafficking. A 17-year-old boy is accused of giving high-potency heroin to two people, one of whom died and another who came close to dying, according to charges unsealed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. The teen, identified only as "L.M.", later bragged about the strength of his heroin, said Assistant U.S. Attorney C.J. Williams. [continues 167 words]
The lawyer for Anthony Anania's alleged killer says other people had a motive for killing him. A popular south-side teenager whose shooting death baffled neighbors and relatives last summer was a large-scale marijuana dealer known for having significant quantities of drugs and cash, a lawyer for his accused killer has alleged. Anthony Anania, 19, was found critically injured in May behind the wheel of his car, which had collided with a tree in the 700 block of Southeast Park Avenue. He was taken to a hospital, where police learned he had been shot. [continues 447 words]
The driver of a car with Illinois license plates that authorities say was stopped in Dallas County with more than $781,000 hidden in secret compartments was driven by a California man who was not charged with a crime. Deputy Scott Faiferlick issued a warning ticket for tinted windows to [Name redacted], 30, of Stockton, Calif. Faiferlick said he then noticed the car had fresh paint and smelled of body putty. Court documents show the deputy became suspicious when [Name redacted] and a female passenger told conflicting stories. [continues 310 words]
An investigation into money missing from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office will include an audit of about $2 million seized in drug cases and traffic stops over the past five years, a state agent in charge of the investigation said today. John Quinn of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said state auditors will look at so-called "disclaimer" money taken from people who give up their right to it, as well as cash from criminals that has been awarded by a judge. An undetermined amount of money is missing from more than $780,000 that sheriff's officials found hidden in a car during a March 15 traffic stop on Interstate Highway 80 near the DeSoto. [end]
Some money seized from a traffic stop was reported missing, court documents say. State agents are investigating the Dallas County sheriff's office after some money seized during a traffic stop came up missing three days later. Dallas County Sheriff Brian Gilbert's rural Adel house was searched Thursday by state investigators, who took a personal computer, compact discs, sales receipts from places such as the Rec Room Plus and Travel World, and a note on yellow sticky paper, according to documents filed Thursday in Dallas County District Court. [continues 885 words]
From Muscatine County Attorney's Office Deadly Force Investigation Report February 8, 2006 Muscatine, Iowa Released March 30, 2006, by the Muscatine County Attorney's Office Gary R. Allison, Muscatine County Attorney On February 8, 2006, law enforcement officers of the Muscatine County Drug Task Force and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement participated in the controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Jay LaRue. Following a successful purchase of approximately one half ounce of methamphetamine by an undercover officer from LaRue, officers allowed LaRue to leave the area of the transaction in his vehicle. An attempt was then made to have a marked law enforcement vehicle effect a traffic stop of LaRue's vehicle. Before this could occur, LaRue began driving away at a high rate of speed. [continues 3203 words]
Investigators Say Some Of The $781,000 Seized From A California Man Is Now Missing The state has expanded a criminal investigation into allegations of missing money at the Dallas County Sheriff's Department to cover about $2 million seized in drug cases over the past five years, a state agent said Monday. The probe has so far focused on more than $781,000 in alleged hidden cash taken from an out-of-state driver who was stopped near De Soto last month. [continues 797 words]
Zoey Montgomery was 8 years old when she got on her hands and knees to look for a missing television remote under her family's couch and found bags of drugs instead. She knew her mother was the reason the marijuana was there in the room where she and her little brother played. It's the kind of story that Zoey, now 10, knows only her friend Toddy Svoboda -- and other children of addicts -- could truly understand. It was those shared stories of methamphetamine-addicted mothers leaving them for long periods, of caring for themselves too often, too young, and of being sent to live with grandparents when things went badly that led the two Fort Dodge girls to start a support group for children of addicts. They started out planning to call it Kids of Meth Heads, but were soon persuaded by other adults in their lives that it might go off better as Kids Supporting Kids of Addicted Parents. [continues 969 words]
Luis Flores was given probation for aiding and abetting, but now faces the loss of his home. A Des Moines man who served as the lookout while a relative collected more than 40 pounds of marijuana from a shipping business fears that he will lose his home over unpaid taxes on drugs he never saw. Luis R. Flores, 40, has cleared probation and will walk away with no criminal record from a favor he did for his cousin, Felix Calderon, in July 2004. [continues 452 words]
Senate OKs Plan To Curb 'Doctor-Shopping' For Drugs Legislative supporters of a computerized system to help detect abusers of prescription drugs invoked the memory of Dr. Stephen Gleason, a prominent physician and former top aide to Gov. Tom Vilsack who committed suicide Saturday. The proposed prescription-drug monitoring program is aimed at curbing "doctor-shopping," whereby people get multiple doctors to write prescriptions for the same drugs. "We know of some celebrities that have been doing it, and they were lucky that someone helped them. We know of a friend and a colleague today who wasn't as lucky . . . who took his own life because he wasn't able to deal with his addictions," said Sen. Jack Hatch, a Des Moines Democrat, in urging fellow senators to support House File 722. [continues 235 words]
If you're one of those folks who think this state doesn't get enough attention, Sunday must have been a dream day. Two big national stories out of Iowa. All kinds of attention on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, the networks and the New York Times. First there was the mumps deal. It got great placement -- sandwiched between Iran's nuke show and the ongoing guest worker/immigration drama. It started with a map of the Midwest -- Iowa was all lit up. [continues 375 words]
The government cannot deprive anyone of "liberty" without your consent. If you feel the statute involved in any criminal case being tried before you is unfair, or that it infringes on the defendant's God-given inalienable or Constitutional rights, you can affirm that the offending statute is really no law at all and that the violation of it is no crime; for no man is bound to obey an unjust command. In other words, if the defendant has disobeyed some man-made criminal statute, and the statute is unjust, the defendant has in substance, committed no crime. Jurors, having ruled then on the justice of the law involved and finding it opposed in whole or in part to their own natural concept of what is basically right, are bound to hold for the acquittal of said defendant. [continues 146 words]
A system to detect abusers of prescription drugs makes the cut. Catfish and sex offenders had something in common Thursday in the Iowa Legislature -- bills on both went belly-up. In the House, lawmakers cast aside a resolution designating the channel catfish as the state fish of Iowa. They also threw overboard a proposed law setting minimum 25-year prison sentences for certain first-time child sex offenders. Supporters of the anti-crime bill, approved by the Senate despite criticism from county prosecutors, expect it to be revived in some form as lawmakers continue to work on sex offender issues. [continues 665 words]
Some Judges Use Too Much Discretion, Are Too Lenient, Critics Say In the first 13 months since federal judges were handed more freedom in sentencing, punishment disparities have developed among courthouses nationwide, new data show. Federal prosecutors and judges in Iowa downplay the meaning of the statistics, but defense attorneys say the numbers reinforce what they have always believed: Varying judicial temperaments, combined with harsher prosecution in Iowa's northern half, can create widely different sentences for similar crimes. "There are some judges who are far less likely to" depart from federal sentencing guidelines, said Alfredo Parrish, a defense attorney who has represented alleged criminals in both of Iowa's federal districts. "Everybody knows it." [continues 1049 words]
K-9 units searched the Fort Madison High and Fort Madison Middle School for drugs on Wednesday. According to Christine Niggemeyer, the liaison coordinator between the Iowa State Penitentiary, the Fort Madison Police Department and the Fort Madison school system, the dogs spent a half hour in the morning at the high school before moving on to the middle school. Search teams used the dogs to sniff lockers and the trunks of cars in the parking lots. However, no drugs were found according to Niggemeyer. Rather, the dogs had several "hits," which she said indicated that drugs had been present recently. [continues 56 words]
It's unfortunate that Dr. Stephen Gleason relapsed into substance abuse and surrendered his medical license ("Licensing Board Files Charges Against Gleason," Feb.16). However, it's also unfortunate that it took hitting rock bottom and two years for his license to be surrendered. Where were the state Medical Board and legal authorities? Gleason's history (25 years) and behavior were clearly known to his colleagues, pharmacists, peers -- even the governor's office. The medical profession is a very tight "union" that believes it should police itself. We (the public) don't know if a patient has been maltreated or misdiagnosed. Because these situations are usually handled by insurance companies, internal investigations and out-of-court settlements, they are rarely publicized. If there is a lesson to be learned, it's that professionals -- be they doctors, lawyers and other people we hold in very high regard -- need to be highly scrutinized, thoroughly investigated by impartial experts and, if guilty, severely punished. - -- John Chambers Des Moines [end]
If you live or work downtown, you've probably come across a street person asking for money. What to do? You don't want to be an enabler. You don't want to feed a drug or alcohol problem. But you don't want to be like my friend Spike, who says, "Sorry, pal, I got no spare change but I have some advice. Get a job." Or maybe you do want to be like Spike, who's never been caught saying, "The measure of a civilized society is how it cares for its less fortunate members." [continues 744 words]
Dave Zimmer's comments were off base regarding what Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek hopes to accomplish by lowering penalties for marijuana possession. In his March 2 letter, Zimmer made an unsubstantiated generalization that likely coincides more with his personal beliefs than with those who serve in law enforcement. His statement that, "an overwhelming number of law-enforcement officers in this state do not agree with Pulkrabek's stance" couldn't be further from the truth. Most of the law-enforcement personnel I've discussed this topic with feel the time and money spent on individuals charged with possessing a small amount of marijuana are better spent attacking the other end of the illicit-drug spectrum. Most elected officials simply don't have the nerve to make those opinions public. [continues 76 words]
ATLANTIC, IA -- Cass County authorities say they-released two Mexican immigrants found with 95 pounds of marijuana because the county did not want to pay their medical bills and federal immigration official did not have room for them. Natlvidad Valdovlno, 59, and Javier Ruiz, 49, were stopped Monday on Interstate 80 in Iowa after the Cass County Sheriff's Office received a complaint that a vehicle was being driven erratically. Deputies found open containers in the men's van and said one of the men was intoxicated. They searched the van and found drugs but also noticed both men had cuts, scrapes and bruises and needed medical attention. Cass County Sheriff Bill Sage said the charges were dropped because the county did not want to cover the medical costs. [continues 103 words]
The president's messenger got a lukewarm reception in Iowa. While law enforcement officials and legislators were happy to receive kudos Tuesday from national drug czar John Walters for Iowa's efforts to combat methamphetamine, many disliked the federal budget news that he brought to the Statehouse. The Bush administration, Walters confirmed, will be shifting more federal money earmarked for battling meth and other drugs to homeland security efforts. However, states will still be able to make choices as to how some of that money will be used, Walters said. [continues 548 words]
We have more problems than we deserve and more solutions than we've tried. One reason? The way we treat those who offer solutions. Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek is a case in point. Given the shrinking county budget, what with federal program cuts and tax waivers (TIFs), we're lucky Pulkrabek has the smarts and political courage he does. His increased use of electronic monitoring saved the county 882 jail days. Mental health and substance diversion programs also help. But the partisan flack started to fly at his suggestion the legislature re-think penalties for alcohol and drug abuse. [continues 597 words]
A former West Des Moines police technician was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for stealing $37,000 in forfeited drug money over the four years he worked in the evidence room. Charles Edward Graham, 43, pleaded guilty of first-degree theft in January after three months of questions about the integrity of the city's police investigations. Court records show Graham, of Cumming, was arrested after two Crimestoppers telephone tips that alleged an "alcohol, drugs and gambling addiction." Documents show Graham has denied that he stole drugs from police custody. He has acknowledged a gambling problem, however, and has borrowed money to repay the $37,000 in cash he says he took from the department. [continues 183 words]
Abuse of prescription drugs and illegal black markets for their sale are harmful to individuals and society as a whole. A proposal in the Iowa Legislature would take up the state Board of Pharmacy's recommendation for a statewide prescription-drug monitoring program. Similar legislation died in the Iowa Senate last year; we hope the result will be different this time around. The proposal would set up a computerized system that would require pharmacies to automatically track purchases of specific addictive prescription drugs; health professionals and state officials would make up a committee determining the drugs on the list. The data would include the buyers, the drugs they purchased, and the doctors who wrote the prescriptions. Doctors and pharmacists would be allowed to view the system at any time, and patients would be allowed to examine their own files. Twenty-two other states have enacted similar systems, and they are reported to have had positive results. [continues 318 words]
As the executive director of the world's largest organization of police, judges, and other criminal-justice professionals who oppose the policy of drug Prohibition, I'd like to echo Lia Anthony ("Commendable stand," Feb. 28). Regardless of how we choose to assess the potential health benefits and/or risk attached to marijuana use, having the criminal-justice system as the primary arm of public response is bad policy. Using police and the criminal courts to punish marijuana users leaves cops short on needed manpower and resources needed to deal with street level crimes against persons and/or property. [continues 182 words]
DES MOINES -- Mayor Wayne Holliday and other officials in the Northeast Iowa town of Hazelton didnt set out to change the world when they took aim at methamphetamine labs in 2002. But at Statehouse ceremony Tuesday, Hazelton was credited with delivering the first punch in a three-year struggle to knock out Iowas homegrown meth trade. "We did it to clean up our town, said Holliday, who has been mayor of Hazelton, population 950, for 10 years. At the time we done it, we were told we couldnt do it. We said, Yes we can." [continues 526 words]
It's not often Iowa gets a pat on the back for taking the lead on a national problem, but that will be the case this morning. John Walters, the nation's drug czar, plans to pay a visit to the Statehouse to thank state leaders for passing the most aggressive measure in the country to combat the spread of methamphetamine. In 10 months' time, the state's law restricting the sale of the highly addictive drug's main ingredient has achieved the most dramatic decline in meth production of virtually anywhere. [continues 260 words]
As the June 6 Johnson County primary elections approach, the race to succeed retiring County Attorney J. Patrick White has two Democratic candidates pitted against each other. Monday marked the first day for prospective county officials to file affidavits of candidacy in the Democratic and Republican primaries, which will determine who will vie for seats in the November general election. Because no Republican is expected to run for county attorney, the Democratic primary will likely decide who will become the county's top prosecutor. [continues 374 words]
The number of Iowa children who were victims of abuse hit an all-time high last year, but fewer of them suffered repeat abuse in the state child welfare system, according to new statistics. On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Human Services made public numbers from last year that show: A 57 percent drop in the number of children exposed to methamphetamine-making. Child welfare officials say they believe the trend reflects a state law that has restricted the sale of certain cold medications that contain a key ingredient for making meth. [continues 399 words]
Drug Free Youth in Touch, or D.F.Y.I.T., wants to show its middle and high school-age members that there's more to life than drugs. That's why its eighth annual youth conference Friday focused on four other important topics they wanted to know more about. "We wanted to give them the opportunity to learn more things that they might not necessarily learn about in school. We want them to be more aware of things that are going on around them," said Katy Embree, a prevention specialist at the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, and D.F.Y.I.T. coordinator. [continues 337 words]
John Grim is tired of staying quiet about his pain and the medicine he takes to control it. He's fed up with the stigma surrounding the thousands of patients like him who use narcotics for legitimate reasons. And he's outraged that state regulators want to set up a computer database that would track every prescription he fills. "I'm worried about scrutiny from people who have no business snooping into my medical issues," he says. Grim is sitting at a cafe table near his home in Des Moines. He leans forward onto his forearms, grimacing as he shifts weight off his ruined back. "Do I look like a junkie to you?" he asks. [continues 506 words]
John Grim's pain-control physician, Dr. Richard Rosenquist of University Hospitals in Iowa City, said Grim is one of more than 1,000 patients in his clinic who are treated with long-term prescriptions for narcotics. Rosenquist said researchers are working on less-addictive alternatives to the drugs, with mixed success. Some new techniques, such as electronic stimulation, help some patients. But the doctor doesn't foresee a broad replacement for narcotics coming soon. Rosenquist understands Grim's concerns about his privacy being invaded if the state sets up a centralized computer system to monitor Iowans' prescription orders. But the doctor said he believes such a system would help control the real problem of patients who "doctor shop" to buy excessive amounts of drugs. "It would be very helpful to know when somebody who's illegitimately using opioid drugs is getting them from more than one doctor," he said. [continues 87 words]
The case of a 13-year-old runaway from Minneapolis who was kidnapped and brought to eastern Iowa has led to investigations of child prostitution and heroin trafficking, rare crimes in rural America. "I think it's an important and compelling case for people to know about," Assistant U.S. Attorney C.J. Williams said of child sex charges against Demont Cortez Bowie, 26, an alleged one-time Minneapolis gang member who had moved to Wellman, Ia. The Bowie investigation was a window into a drug ring connected to a rash of heroin deaths and overdoses in eastern Iowa, law enforcement officers said. After a woman who overdosed on heroin last March in Wellman said she got the drug from Bowie, "We started asking questions about (Bowie's) drug activity," Washington County investigator Mike Clark said. [continues 1371 words]
Republican reactionaries are a peculiar lot. They decry drug abuse but oppose a tobacco tax. They want harsh penalties, like Rush Limbaugh, except for themselves. They will fund incarceration rates that civilized nations find barbaric, with our great-grandchildren's money, while cutting spending for beat cops and programs that actually tackle crime causes and provide alternatives. Dogma masquerades as purpose in public policy; if it doesn't work, just do much more of the same. Now they are singing full-throated and with their usual unison against common-sense proposals made to the Legislature by Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek. Personally, I would rather see my law-enforcement tax dollars used to track and incarcerate the sociopaths preying on our communities than stigmatizing those whose only infractions in a lifetime might be simple possession. To those who say that would be sending the wrong message, I would ask what message we send by criminalizing the behavior of large swaths of otherwise law-abiding, productive citizens? Whatever might be the message we are sending now, there are an awful lot of people it hasn't reached. [continues 63 words]
You'd be surprised how easy it is to con a doctor into believing that you need narcotics for pain, Joe Leonetti says. He should know. Before he became sober last June, the Des Moines man supplemented his methamphetamine habit with OxyContin, Vicodin and other powerful prescription drugs. He says he obtained many of the pills by going to emergency rooms or medical clinics and spinning a tale of back pain or other hard-to-diagnose ailments. "It's really, really simple," he says. [continues 548 words]
I applaud the Iowa senators who support increased penalties for marijuana possession. The Register criticized increased penalties and supported weaker penalties ("Rethink Jail Terms for Small Amounts of Pot," Feb. 18 editorial). The editorial supported Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek's proposal that would weaken Iowa's drug laws pertaining to marijuana possession. The Register fails to understand that an overwhelming number of law-enforcement officers in this state do not agree with Pulkrabek's stance. The sheriff is only one man with one opinion. [continues 80 words]
We owe Gloria Walker sincere thanks for her courage in telling the truth about marijuana in our culture ("Lay off marijuana," Feb. 27). Medical studies have documented health benefits derived from the cannabinoids found in marijuana, beyond the widely known applications of treating glaucoma and providing relief from pain and nausea for the dying. MS, asthma, epilepsy, menstrual cramps, migraines, alcoholism, and depression, to name a few, are all conditions that respond to the beneficial medicinal effects of marijuana. Marijuana has been used in gynecological medicine for centuries around the world. In the early part of the last century, tincture of cannabis were sold in pharmacies in this country. [continues 198 words]
Inside Iowa
