Despite a Recent Military Offensive, at Least 38 People Have Been Killed in the City's Drug Wars Since Saturday, Nine of Them Decapitated. At least 38 people have been killed in Tijuana since Saturday, nine of them decapitated, in escalating drug-related violence that appears to have left in tatters a Mexican military offensive launched two weeks ago. The killing spree marked the end of the tenure of the city's top law enforcement official. Secretary of Public Security Alberto Capella Ibarra was removed from his post Monday evening after a year marked by upheaval in the police ranks and increasing violence. [continues 500 words]
Anonymous Threats Warn of Unspecified Harm If Teachers Don't Hand Over Their Year-End Bonuses. Outside the gaily painted gates of the Elena Garro Federal Kindergarten, the grown-ups are afraid. If daily drug-related killings haven't sown enough alarm in this gritty border city, parents now confront written messages left near several schools warning of unspecified harm unless teachers hand over their annual year-end bonuses. The threats, printed on posters hung near schools last month, have spread panic among teachers and parents throughout a city rattled by a violent turf war between drug gangs that has killed more than 1,300 people here this year. [continues 488 words]
Mexican President Felipe Calderon Says His Government Has Made Strides in Combating Graft. But Police Corruption Remains a Big Problem in the Battle Against Drug Trafficking. Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday said his government was making strides against corruption but warned that graft remained a threat to the nation's efforts against crime. Calderon, speaking on International Anti-Corruption Day, said 11,500 public servants had been sanctioned for corruption since he took office in December 2006. Fines against them totaled more than $300 million, he said. [continues 372 words]
Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora Says 5,376 People Have Been Killed So Far in 2008, More Than Twice the Toll for the First 11 Months of 2007. In a chilling assessment of Mexico's drug war, the country's top prosecutor said Monday that more than 5,000 people had been killed in drug violence so far this year, more than double the toll for the same period in 2007. Atty. Gen. Eduardo Medina Mora released the figures in a meeting with a small group of journalists. It was the first official toll provided by the government in many months, and was substantially higher than the tallies being kept by Mexican newspapers. [continues 228 words]
Two Journalists Visiting Ciudad Juarez for Three Days Find That Death Is Always Just Around the Corner. Killings in 2008: 1,350, and Counting. The two victims rest at the same 45-degree angle, embraced by seat belts that at this moment seem an odd precaution, given the manner of death. Gunmen had pulled alongside the forest-green Chevy Tahoe on a gritty downtown street and, in broad daylight, pumped 52 shots into where the bodies now lean. [continues 3524 words]
It's the only way for the US to control the demand for drugs, say Andres Rozental and Stanley A. Weiss Despite a surge of military and police forces across the country, the killings continue - more than 5,000 last year. Some regions are terrorized by a wave of kidnappings, assassinations and beheadings. Iraq? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Somalia? In fact, the country - which a recent U.S military study warned could be at risk of "a rapid and sudden collapse" - is none other than Mexico. Two years into President Felipe Calderon's war against the drug cartels, and the cartels' ensuing war with each other, this is a nation at war with itself. To be sure, the government has had its successes. Huge weapons caches have been seized, large tracts of illegal drug crops have been eradicated and an increasing number of cartel kingpins, couriers and foot soldiers have been put behind bars. [continues 465 words]
Re "A Plan B for Colombia," editorial, Nov. 22 Regarding your thoughtful editorial, Plan Colombia could spread both coca production and civil war throughout South America. U.S. tax dollars would be better spent addressing the socioeconomic causes of civil strife in Colombia than applying military force to attack the symptoms. We're not doing the Colombian people any favors by funding civil war. Nor are Americans being protected from drugs. Destroy the Colombian coca crop and production will boom in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Destroy every last plant in South America and domestic methamphetamine production will increase to meet the demand for cocaine-like drugs. Free-market champions in Congress seem incapable of applying basic economics to drug policy. Instead of waging a futile supply-side drug war abroad, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment here at home. Robert Sharpe Washington The writer is a policy analyst at Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
State lawmakers are looking at legislation to create stricter standards for the use of young people as confidential informants. State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, is working with an attorney for the family of Rachel Hoffman to craft the legislation. Hoffman, 23, of Clearwater, was fatally shot in May while helping Tallahassee police with a drug investigation. Hoffman agreed to work with police after she was arrested on drug charges, including possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession with intent to sell Ecstasy. [continues 212 words]
On Election Day, Michigan voters made their state the 13th to allow seriously ill patients to use medical cannabis upon the recommendation of a physician. Now, 71 million people, about 24 percent of Americans, live in one of the 13 states that allow the doctor-advised, medical use of cannabis. However, suffering patients in Illinois still face arrest for relieving their symptoms with an effective treatment option. Illinois should follow suit and pass SB 2865, the Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Pilot Program Act before the Jan. 13 legislative deadline. [continues 141 words]
While no one would begrudge Sheriff Bill Wittman his award for doing his job energetically, the unfortunate truth is that marijuana "eradication" is a myth ("Anti-marijuana campaign earns national honors," Dec. 3). The U.S. government's own National Drug Threat Assessment 2008 reports no decline in marijuana availability despite years of escalating plant seizures and increasing arrests for possession. In fact, the report cites raids on outdoor grows (such as those for which the sheriff is being honored) as one of the factors causing illicit growers to "shift operations indoors," where they "will produce higher-potency marijuana year-round, allowing for an exponential increase in profits derived." [continues 71 words]
The Vatican's No. 2 Official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Calls for a 'Harsh Deterrent' To the Drug Violence That Left More Than 5,000 Dead Last Year. Decrying the violence that Mexicans are enduring, the Vatican has suggested excommunication as a possible punishment for drug traffickers whose war with the government has led to the deaths of thousands of people in the last year. But the Roman Catholic Church's severest form of rebuke would probably have little effect on traffickers and killers who lack a religious conscience, the Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, acknowledged. [continues 471 words]
A new probe of the 2001 downing of a plane carrying West Michigan missionaries in Peru concludes the CIA routinely violated intercept procedures and covered up evidence of its failings. U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra said he will press for renewed criminal investigation into the incident and demand a hearing before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. "We cannot have a community that operates outside the law and covers up what it does and lies to Congress. This is a shootdown that should not have occurred if we had an agency that was working appropriately," said Hoekstra, R-Holland. [continues 511 words]
A new federal probe of the 2001 downing of a plane carrying West Michigan missionaries in Peru concluded the CIA operated outside the law and then lied to Congress and federal officials, according to U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra. "We cannot have a community that operates outside the law and covers up what it does and lies to Congress," Hoekstra said today. Hoekstra said he will press for criminal investigation following release of the report by the Office of Inspector General. [continues 133 words]
We have all heard the arguments: God made marijuana, man made alcohol - who are you going to trust? Who has ever heard of anyone overdosing on marijuana? It doesn't have any adverse affects on society. I would argue that these statements are sheer ignorance, in its purest form. Overall the legalization of marijuana (for public use) is something that should not be entertained. Marijuana is a drug. It is a substance that alters the inhibitions of an individual on a level different than alcohol. [continues 346 words]
Dear Editor, A recent article ("Face Off: Should Marijuana be Legalized? No," Sept. 19) examining marijuana legalization failed to consider the reality of the current situation, which is that despite 70 years of government propaganda and billions of taxpayer dollars wasted this year alone combating conduct that millions of Americans engage in, we are losing the war on marijuana. Notwithstanding Mr. McLaurine's reliance on arguments such as the gateway theory, a supposition that has been repeatedly debunked by scientific studies in recent years, to make his point, he does leave readers with some good advice: Do your own research on the issue and come to your own conclusions. [continues 177 words]
Each October, we observe Red Ribbon Week to honor the sacrifice of DEA Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camerena, who died fighting to stop criminal enterprises from smuggling illegal drugs into the U.S. Each year, we rededicate ourselves to drug prevention programs that help keep our schools and neighborhoods safe and healthy. While we must work to combat all illegal drugs in our state, one drug - methamphetamine - still demands extra efforts. Meth devastates users as well as their family, friends and neighbors. It is the No. 1 problem facing Arizona law enforcement, since it is the proximate cause of more than 70 percent of violent and property crimes. An amazing 65 percent of all child abuse and neglect cases handled in this office cite meth as the major contributing factor. Meth burdens our schools, our health care providers, our businesses and our prisons. [continues 445 words]
The Drug Test Policy Committee of the USD 379 School Board decided by consensus Thursday to recommend the board hire a company to do random testing and set a goal to start drug testing by the start of the second semester. The committee recommends the school board hire Sports Safe, an Iowa based company that does nothing but random drug tests for schools. The committee also revised a policy on how testing will be done. The recommendations will be presented to school board at the December meeting. If approved by the board's January meeting, random drug testing would go into effect at the start of the second semester. [continues 604 words]
Medical marijuana and the stereotypes it derails was the topic of the final Socialist and Marxist Studies Series lectureof the fall semester. University of Southern Maine professor Wendy Chapkis discussed her experiences with garden growers who produced medical marijuana and how her perception of the drug has changed. Chapkis, a professor of gender studies, said she decided to explore the topic after she found out her friend, Valerie Carrel, smoked marijuana to relieve the pain she endured from cancer. Chapkis initially shrugged it off, thinking it was an excuse. [continues 487 words]
Accountability. That's what got him where he is today. Matt Heath graduated from Plymouth County's Drug Court Dec. 10 as one of the first from the program that celebrated it's one year anniversary in October. "This is the best I've felt since I was 14 or 15," the 34-year-old said. "Drugs do bad things to your life." Heath entered drug court in February, a decision he didn't really want to make because of the commitment and changes he new were ahead. [continues 550 words]
West End Dispensary Continues To Operate Unchecked At last Thursday's meeting, the city council voted to close the barn door. The problem, however, is that the "Purple Elephant" escaped last July. The council unanimously adopted an "interim urgency ordinance of the City of Alameda making findings and establishing a 45-day moratorium on the establishment or expansion of medical marijuana dispensaries." The ordinance and the city manager's memorandum that accompanies it infer that city staff will closely investigate every facet of "marijuana medical dispensaries" before allowing one on the Island City. [continues 778 words]
The Camarillo City Council extended a 45-day moratorium on the establishment or operation of medical marijuana clubs to one year. The council unanimously approved extending the original moratorium by 10 months and 15 days, until June 11, 2009. After receiving several requests concerning the operation of medial marijuana dispensaries, or cannabis clubs, along Ventura Boulevard in Old Town, the City Council needed to take some action. The city's municipal code has no law dealing with the issue. The City Council had the option of extending the original moratorium or creating new laws. [continues 97 words]
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office expressed frustration over the continuing problems of medical marijuana clubs Monday night in a lengthy presentation to the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council. Deputy Paul Liskey told the meeting that burglaries are prevalent near dispensaries along with such violations as on-site pot smoking, gambling, and clubs keeping more than the permitted 20 pounds of marijuana in stock. Two dispensaries operate in the unincorporated areas of Hayward near the Castro Valley border and in San Lorenzo. A third, the Compassionate Collective on Mission Blvd., was shut down last year by DEA agents for suspected money-laundering. [continues 414 words]
In line with the unnatural addiction to the growth of grey hairs I have developed over the years since learning that stupidity tends to summon them from my skull, I continually wake up in the mornings and start my day by asking, "Could today provide me with stupidity more painful than yesterdays?" This addiction of mine to such repulsive material is surely a product of habit and without the assured instant gratification from information dispensed by groups such as The Office of National Drug Control Policy, I could never have aged so suddenly to look so wise. [continues 753 words]
An Explosion Of Noisy Youtube Videos Endangers The Sanctity Of A Visionary Herb In a traditional Mazatec vision quest ceremony, before eating the psychoactive herb Salvia Divinorum - Latin for "sage of the seers" - a shaman gives you a series of instructions. First, he explains, the spirit of Salvia Divinorum is a female entity who imparts wisdom and healing visions. You should approach her quietly, reverently. As the Mazatec say, "Her spirit is shy like a deer." For generations, salvia ceremonies have inspired spiritual seekers. Search "Salvia Divinorum" on YouTube, however, and you'll get an entirely different view of the ancient curative plant. Over the past year or so, dozens of homemade salvia "bad trip videos" have been uploaded to the site, capturing teenagers crawling on their hands and knees in dorm rooms, stumbling down stairwells or hiding underneath kitchen tables, all to the amusement of friends and onlookers. [continues 268 words]
A Seal Beach resident is challenging county restrictions on medicinal marijuana. He is suing in Orange County Superior Court for violation of civil, health and safety code violations, as well as breach of contract after Drug Enforcement Agents raided his apartment and confiscated 40 to 50 marijuana plants, according to the Orange County Register. Bruce Benedict, 43, was given a prescription for the controversial drug six years ago because he suffers from Hepatitis C and has had kidney failure twice, he said. When Seal Beach Police officers first confronted the amateur botanist, he showed them paperwork that he claims gives him permission to smoke, grow and distribute medicinal cannabis, according to his lawsuit. [continues 364 words]
Every October St. Tammany Parish students join students across America in celebrating Red Ribbon Week. This week speakers are urging students to remain drug and alcohol free, special projects are ongoing and marches are being held. Students are hearing the message. What we hope is they are listening. Red Ribbon Week is an important tradition in the drug prevention community. It began as a grassroots tribute to a fallen DEA hero, Special Agent Enrique Camarena. The National Red Ribbon Campaign was sparked by the murder of Camarena by drug traffickers. [continues 331 words]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - An Illinois State Police special agent is under investigation for allegedly warning Sangamon County Clerk Joe Aiello to stay away from a cocaine dealer's house that was under surveillance. The agent, Robert M. Jennings, is now facing discipline from the Illinois State Police Merit Board. Aiello, invoking the Fifth Amendment, declined to testify during a board hearing on the matter April 9. On Monday, State Police Director Larry Trent filed a petition in Sangamon County Circuit Court asking a judge to order Aiello to testify. [continues 671 words]
Behind marijuana, cocaine is the most used illegal drug on campus according to an unscientific survey conducted by the Daily Titan this semester. In the wake of a massive drug bust last week at San Diego State, which resulted in the seizure of 50 pounds of marijuana and four pounds of cocaine, the results of the survey carry more meaning than could have been anticipated. The Daily Titan conducted the voluntary survey online during the month of April. The newspaper received 260 usable responses during that time from undergraduate and graduate students and alumni. [continues 700 words]
THE arrest of 157 suspected criminals and drug peddlers in parts of Accra recently marks a watershed in the effort of the security agencies to rid the society of miscreants. The alleged criminals were arrested at their hideouts in a dawn swoop in a joint police/military exercise at Alajo, Avenor, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Abossey Okai, Darkuman, Cable and Wireless, Neoplan Station and La Wireless, all in Accra. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Patrick Timbilla, the exercise had become necessary to rid the country of criminals and drug peddlers. [continues 291 words]
The slogan for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is "COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS ASK US WHY!" This non-profit organization was founded by Jack Cole, a former New Jersey Detective and is comprised of former police officers and government officials. The Criminal Justice Department of Jackson State University sponsored an event involving L.E.A.P called Winning the War on Drugs: Prohibition or Legalization, hosted by Department of Criminal Justice Chair, Dr. Thomas Calhoun on Feb. 21 in room 266 of the Dollye M.E. Robinson Liberal Arts Building. [continues 478 words]
The Sierra Leonean reaction to the cocaine fiasco has been astounding. But for few negative commentaries, most Sierra Leoneans have responded patriotically. What setout to be a drug smuggling deal from Venezuela through Sierra Leone, has become a setup for national unity against illegal drugs and corruption. One fact that cannot be denied is that the territorial rights of Sierra Leone were violated. Who gave the pilot of the Cessna plane the permission to land in Sierra Leone? Who Okayed the flight to take off from Venezuela? [continues 834 words]
THERE have been two drug-related deaths in Moray in the first six months of 2008, Grampian Police have confirmed. Over the entire Grampian area, there have been 24 drug deaths so far this year, the majority of them in Aberdeen City. Over the whole of 2007, five people in Moray lost their lives through drug misuse, out of a Grampian total of 37. Over the last seven years there have been, on average, 39 drug deaths a year in Grampian. The peak was in 2002, when 49 people died, dropping to the lowest annual figure of 23 in 2005. [continues 341 words]
"I Will Bring to Justice Even My Mom If She's Involve in this Drug Deal" President Koroma Vows Sierra Leone's Transport and Aviation Minister, Kemoh Sesay, Foreign minister Zainab Bangura and Information Minister Ibrahim Kargbo have all been commenting on an incident that has overshadowed all government business in Freetown in the last couple of days with some members of the local press putting senior government officials on trial, while acting as prosecution, jury and judge at the same time. [continues 1290 words]
WAREHAM - Local law enforcement officials are still in a haze about Question 2 as it winds its way through the bureaucratic process. There are a number of logistical issues that stand between the ballot initiative that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana and the enforcement of the new policy throughout the commonwealth. In the meantime, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is still a criminal offense, even though some districts are suspending their pursuit of such cases. [continues 564 words]
The decriminalization of marijuana possession is the aim of one of the three statewide ballot measures voters will find on Election Day. If passed, Question 2 would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties. This would be enforced by issuing citations and would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state's Criminal Record Information System (CORI). Offenders 18 or older would be subject a civil penalty of $100, while those under 18 would pay a $100 fine if they successfully complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense. Those who don't could be required to pay a higher penalty - as much as $1,000. [continues 943 words]
Prison staff have been accused of failing in their duty of care by relatives of a sick inmate who died a few days after he was locked up. A month-long inquest into the death of 23-year-old Stephen Brown ended yesterday. Evidence showed other inmates alerted warders to his condition and it took another day for nursing staff to take action. By the time the drug addict collapsed in showers at HMP Doncaster, he was suffering blood poisoning and died later in the town's Royal Infirmary. [continues 422 words]
Dear Editor: Thanks for publishing Jerry Paradis' outstanding Dec. 17 column Doomed to Repeat History. The American led war on drugs was doomed from the very beginning. Regardless of the money put into the anti-drugs program, we cannot nullify the basic supply and demand law of economics. As long as people want to purchase recreational drugs and they are willing to pay a substantial price for them, somebody will produce the drugs and somebody else will get the drugs to the willing buyers. [continues 167 words]
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE -- A purported medicinal marijuana provider has opened, and at least one city official and one resident are expressing concern about the new business. Patient to Patient Collective opened early this month at 2314 Lake Tahoe Blvd. A post on a message board at cannabis.com says the collective is distributing marijuana for medical use. A man who answered the phone at the collective and identified himself as a manager also said the collective is distributing marijuana to medical patients. [continues 871 words]
The following are highlights of an interview with Barack Obama by Gary Nelson, Mail Tribune editorial page editor: Q: You mentioned timber payments to counties in passing in your speech. Do you support those payments? A: What I'd like to do is convene meetings between federal agencies, local and state governments and interested parties, and start hammering out a long-term solution that acknowledges the revenue issues that are at stake for local governments and preserves the natural resources that are so important to Oregon. [continues 513 words]
Would you believe possible side effects of smoking marijuana include memory loss, addiction, and an inability to differentiate between an oven and an icebox? That's what the Chilean government's new anti-drug commercials say. With the aim of preventing adolescents from doing drugs, the National Council for Narcotics Control (CONACE) launched the new campaign Monday. The campaign, "Return to Being Smart," began because the government grew worried over findings that suggest kids do not think there are risks involved in smoking marijuana. [continues 499 words]
Love for her unborn child got Vanessa Roulette to quit cocaine for nearly a year back in 2005. Then the shame of smoking cocaine in front of her young son that got her to give it up again in 2007, hopefully this time for good. And finally, the depth of her caring or other young people prompted her to walk from Winnipeg to the Lake Manitoba First Nation earlier this month. Roulette wanted to spare others the horror that she went through because of her addiction to crack cocaine. She also wanted people who were already hooked to know that they can give up drugs. [continues 779 words]
Cutbacks Force Police Department To Suspend Drug Education Program Forced to choose between providing the city with police protection and educating kids on how to resist using drugs, Police Chief Robert Kubert said he had to choose to man patrols. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, part of the city-funded Cops in Schools Program, has been eliminated because of lack of funding and loss of staff. The city currently has a hiring freeze, and despite retirements, the Police Department has not hired new officers since 2004, Kubert said. [continues 863 words]
There are many questions about which physicians are uncertain. One of them centers on the use of marijuana to treat illnesses. A measure pending in the state Legislature could authorize the use of medical marijuana to relieve symptoms in seriously ill patients. The state would maintain a registry of people with debilitating medical conditions, such as HIV or AIDS, cancer and glaucoma. Photo identification cards would be issued to those on the registry, and they could possess a limited number of marijuana plants and usable marijuana. [continues 333 words]
Re War on drugs is blowing up in our faces, expert warns (the News, February 22): "We couldn't have done a worse job if we tried," says Eugene Oscapella. Unless one considers the possibility it might have all been on purpose, in which case it is all going exactly as planned. Cops have powers they don't deserve, military suppliers are getting rich and the prison industry is growing fast! Prohibition serves police and government in that it usurps basic rights. [continues 317 words]
Re: Cannabis Crusader Calls On Whitehorse (the News, August 29): Your item on Marc Emery's visit to Yukon was entertaining and enlightening for the most part, but most readers would be left feeling a little confused as to the truth regarding cannabis (marijuana, pot, reefer, etc.) because both sides made claims. Emery claimed that pot does not lead to worse driving, that it stimulates the creation of brain cells, ends morning sickness and does not cause lung cancer. The local medical officer, Brendan Handley, refuted those assertions. Neither side cited any science supporting their positions, and therein lies the source of confusion. [continues 357 words]
Re: Appeal Dropped Against Grow-op Gang: For decades we keep getting the PR machine telling us the redcoats are so wonderful, such a "tradition." In reality, what we have is Dudley Do-wrong. "Police also manipulated court documents, arrested people without grounds and failed to follow established rules for processing the accused after arrest." Is anyone actually surprised by this? The more we hear about the RCMP, the more we hear about bending or breaking of rules, all in the name of "Justice." [continues 125 words]
Re: Cannabis Crusader Calls On Whitehorse: The wackos in pot prohibition are the cretins who support a marijuana policy based on utter nonsense. ".persons using this narcotic smoke the dry leaves of the plant, which has the effect of driving them completely insane. The addict loses all sense of moral responsibility. "Addicts to this drug, while under its influence, are immune to pain. While in this condition they become raving maniacs and are liable to kill or indulge in any forms of violence to other persons, using the most savage methods of cruelty without, as said before, any sense of moral responsibility." [continues 88 words]
In regards to the comment by Brendan Hanley, Yukon's medical health officer, that it is "impossible to grow new brain cells," he might wish to read up on the research. A widely reported study done at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon showed that cannabinoids spurred the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in November 2005. The lead researcher concluded that "marijuana appears to be the only illicit drug whose capacity to produce new neurons is correlated with its anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects." [continues 123 words]
WHO MET: Northfield School Board members, Sibley Elementary Principal Scott Sannes, Police Chief Mark Taylor, Officer Paul Haider and four sixth-grade graduates of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program at Sibley Elementary School: Erin Hahn, Meg Etzell, Noah Hile and Mason Lindenfelser. WHAT HAPPENED: Sannes, Taylor and Haider gave a brief introduction to the DARE program at Sibley, and then Hahn, Etzell, Hile and Lindenfelser all read their DARE graduation essays to the school board. WHAT THEY SAID: Taylor thanked the school district for allowing the police department to teach the DARE pilot program in three fifth-grade classrooms at Sibley and expressed the desire to continue and possibly expand DARE in the district's elementary schools. [continues 244 words]
With about 1,800 to 2,000 students in the athletic department alone in CHISD, the implementation of a substance abuse program will be a daunting process. The program will include random drug testing for students in grades 7 to 12 participating in extracurricular activities or those who drive to school. This means with the start of school just weeks ahead, Drug Testing Coordinator, Sabrina Smith will certainly have her work cut out for her. "Each time we have a random test it will be five percent of the student's in the program," she notes. She also adds that she is not sure exactly how many students will be affected overall by the program. [continues 826 words]
