CLEVELAND -- A federal drug enforcement agent has pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment that accuses him of framing 17 people during controlled drug buys through an informant.

Lee Michael Lucas, 41, of Cleveland appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver on charges, including obstruction of justice and violating civil rights. Lucas allegedly used a drug informant in 2005 to make controlled drug buys and then put false information in his reports on the transactions

He was released on personal bond, and has a Jan. 6 trial date.

The informant pleaded guilty in 2007 to related charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

[end]

Columbus -- Ohioans favor casino gambling and marijuana used for medical purposes, but they oppose lowering the drinking age, abolishing the death penalty and legalizing gay marriage.

That's according to the latest Ohio poll released by the University of Cincinnati May 8. The university's Institute for Policy Research polled 818 Ohioans in April on a variety of social issues.

A total of 60 percent of respondents said they favored making casino-style gambling legal in Ohio.

That result is comparable to past Ohio Polls, but does not mean voters will back specific casino issues on the ballot, said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the institute.

[continues 139 words]

Kaitlyn Carroll's rationalization (An Argument Against the Legalization of Weed, Apr. 24, 2009) to continue cannabis (marijuana) prohibition is ignorant. Does Carroll even realize She's admitting desires to cage responsible adult humans for using the relatively safe, socially acceptable, God-given plant?

Perhaps it's time for Carroll to stop thinking of cannabis as a "drug," and start thinking of it as a plant. Plant, as in, Christ God Our Father, The Ecologician, indicates He created all seed bearing plants saying they are all good on literally the very 1st page of the Bible.

A sane and moral argument to continue caging humans for using the plant cannabis doesn't exist. Caging humans for using cannabis can only be rationalized based upon personality traits associated with bigotry, racism or discrimination.

Stan White

[end]

Cincinnati's Worldwide Marijuana March was held in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse May 3.

A smoky assembly of spectators, activists, vendors and dealers gathered to share their thoughts and opinions on the illegality of marijuana.

I'm not going to rant about the absurdity of some of the activities, such as "coolest sign contest" or the lighting of a 4-ft joint (which subsequently broke, inviting a horde of sticky fingers pinching as much of the apparently legal substance as they could into their decorative-fanny packs).

[continues 529 words]

If the U.S. government were to legalize marijuana, I believe that it would help financially stabilize our economy. The U.S. government is making about $7.7 billion from the sale of cigarettes alone. Imagine how much our government could add to this by legalizing the production and sale of marijuana.

Drug reporter Bruce Mirken states, "The alcohol poisoning death rate in the United States is shockingly high, consistently between 300 and 400 a year. It's zero for pot." This proves that alcohol, which is legal for anyone over the age of 21, is far more dangerous than marijuana. Legalizing marijuana does not mean that the government would have no control over the sale and use. I believe that there should be regulations such as an age limit to buy, and strict DUI laws.

[continues 324 words]

I found the article, "Finance the Bailout: Legalize Marijuana," from April 7, 2009, which suggested an interesting technique for the government to earn revenue. I would agree with the idea that taxing illegal drugs would be economically beneficial to the erratic American economy.

Marijuana has been proven to be useful in the medical field and does not have addictive components like harder drugs that can be quite damaging and dangerous. However, cigarettes contain nicotine, which is an addictive drug, and other contaminants within cigarettes cause cancer and other serious medical issues. Alcohol is another drug that is also more damaging to the body than marijuana, and is responsible for increased blood pressure, liver damage, and alcohol poisoning when consumed in copious amounts. Nonetheless, alcohol, like marijuana, in small amounts can have medicinal purposes, and is not harmful in moderation.

[continues 178 words]

Just a couple thoughts for the author of this article. Kaitlyn, I believe is her name.

First, "weed" isn't the preferred nomenclature. Cannabis, or marijuana, would do just fine, and would make you sound much less pretentious.

Next, 10 Billion dollars (you can check that) is what the Drug Enforcement Agency spent last year on the prohibition of marijuana. Not heroin, or cocaine, just "weed". Ask yourself this: are adults, who partake in their homes; worth those kind of tax dollars?

[continues 293 words]

A lot of states have already approved the use of medical marijuana. Like, six of them, I think. Six out of 54 or something like that. It used to be that if they found three seeds in your glove compartment you were looking at life in prison. Now it's like ibuprofen in an easy-open sack. I use it for my sciatica. It's working on the sciatica, but now I think I'm getting bong elbow. Maybe I should be taking a larger dose. That's the hard part, getting the dosage right. I can never remember how much I smoked yesterday. Still, instead of waking up every night with a sharp, raw nerve pain, I wake up with the munchies. Usually, Sue has made some of her famous special brownies so there's always something to snack on, but a lot of the time, they just make me hungrier. I wonder if medical marijuana can lower my cholesterol, too? I'll volunteer for that study.

[continues 404 words]

I was reading the piece about all the doom and gloom that would accompany legalization of "weed" (cannabis,hemp,marijuana). The thing the writer left out, was the fact that illegal or not, weed is currently sold everywhere. And it is sold to anyone with cash, by criminals.

In reading this piece, a person would get the idea that our authorities, were incapable of controlling a legal substance. In that case we are in dire need of some new and capable authorities. Or does the writer believe that the drug trade is better left in the hands of street gangs, cartels, and even the Taliban? Yes, there are many reasons to hate drugs, but "prohibition" is not working, and current policies only enrich the criminals. To continue on this course, is to condone the deaths of all who die for a failed policy.

Jerry D. Lape

[end]

In the past days I have read many opinions on the topic of legalization marijuana. "Finance the bailout; Legalize weed" was an article [editorial] in the Guardian on April 7th, 2009, in which the author talked about how the legalization of marijuana could be an opportunity to lower enforcement costs but raise money by taxing the drug. I agree, but I was thinking about how taxing a plant would be possible. Since marijuana grows from a seed it is not possible to be monopolized, therefore the decriminalization needs stricter regulations.

[continues 251 words]

Upon reading the article "Finance the bailout: Legalize Weed" I found that I very much agree with everything said. Our country could do a plethora of things with 6.2 billion dollars, not to mention how many things we could also do with the money that would be saved by cutting down on the cost of law enforcement, persecution, etc.

Anyone who would argue 6.2 billion dollars not helping our government is misguided, how would it not? Along with that, if they opened up special factories/warehouses for the production and distribution of marijuana, a myriad of jobs would become available. I also read a comment on a response that I completely agree with, stating that they would rather legalize it and require an ID to purchase it rather than having kids risk their lives by going to street corners and buying marijuana off of shady drug dealers. One could argue that this situation could be avoided if they just did not buy and/or do drugs, and this is a noteworthy point, but one must consider that kids will be kids and some people just do not know any better.

[continues 87 words]

In fact, weed is a gateway drug that is getting more and more popular in our communities. Marijuana use is increasing everyday and many people get caught with it all the time. However, I do believe legalizing the drug will ultimately help society and the economy.

I agree with what Daniel Cwiakala on the statement made which said, "There is no way that simply using money gained by the legalization of weed will save our economy." Of course the sales only from marijuana will not get our country out of dept but it will help. Even if the profit of weed distribution is 6.2 billion dollars a year that is 6.2 billion dollars we would not have had without this upcoming change of law. Each year more money will be made from each sale so more tax revenue will go to the government to help our struggling economy. No, weed legalization alone will not completely clear debt in The United States but overall it will help our country and our beloved America needs all the help we can get.

[continues 208 words]

Upon reading the article entitled "Finance the bailout: Legalize weed," published April 7, 2009, I immediately had problems with the arguments the author provides.

The first assertion I found inaccurate was the statement that "...Marijuana is non-addictive." While marijuana may not be physically addictive, as other illegal drugs are, the use of this illicit substance, according the U.S. Surgeon General, can have acute mental and biological repercussions. Psychological impacts include the deterioration of short-term memory and a diminished capacity to take in and retain new information; physical consequences consist of the degeneration of lung performance (comparable to that observed in tobacco smokers), reduced virility in both males and females, weakened immune response, and considerable energy loss. Additionally, use in adolescents, which is currently on the rise, can lead to behavioral problems and deterioration of relationships; these problems are assumedly similarly present, if not more so, in the adult population that habitually utilizes the substance.

[continues 326 words]

Hashing Out The History Of 420 And The Marijuana Subculture

This Monday, April 20th, marijuana enthusiasts around the globe will collectively burn in celebration of the day that has become unofficially recognized the world over as the most important date on the pot smoker's calendar. And though most people think of April 20th as special because of this attributed holiday status, it isn't really the day that's important, it's the numbers making up the date: 420. The number 420 has been associated with the marijuana subculture for years and doesn't just refer to the twentieth day or April, but is used as a general term for all aspects of marijuana usage. But what significance does the number 420 hold? Where did it come from and why is it so important to the marijuana subculture?

[continues 764 words]

If you knew anyone who started smoking pot anytime from the 60s to roughly the end of American occupation in Vietnam, then you could assume fairly accurately where they stood politically, that they wore patchouli, and had cued up Dark Side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz at least once after it came out. But in contemporary culture, the tendency to get torched has chiefly found its way into intellectual circles, much as opium and its derivative laudanum had in the Romantic and Victorian era political and literary radicals. We've come a long way from a "reefer madness" society, and pot being merely a left-wing counterculture, and yet the topic remains a contentious issue throughout America.

[continues 539 words]

Legalizing weed would be a better use of resources for all levels of government. Even though Marijuana is non-addictive, according to health experts, it is illegal to make, sell, produce or use. If legal, the drug could be a source of tax revenue, reduce law enforcement costs and provide a healthier alternative.

A legal marijuana market would generate between 2.4 billion dollars and 6.2 billion dollars in tax revenues, depending on the tax rates, according to the article "Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States". These revenues could be distributed to the state and federal governments. It would also generate billions of dollars in government savings.

[continues 238 words]

In 1996, California and Arizona became the first of 13 states to legalize marijuana use for medical reasons. But the federal government, under both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, was consistently hostile toward what Washington viewed as an attempt to undermine national drug policy.

Over the years, individuals with a handful of pot plants or small quantities of cannabis -- and the state-mandated physician's approval - -- have been raided by federal agents. So have dispensaries or co-ops that grew or procured marijuana for documented patients and that operated with the implicit consent of local law-enforcement officials.

[continues 107 words]

I've written several columns in the past few years about my dismay at the number of drug abuse arrests I see in the City Police log book.

Well, I'm here to tell you that things haven't gotten any better as the economy has deteriorated. In fact, things are taking a noticeable turn for the worse.

Recent examples in the Gem City include foolhardy addicts brazenly breaking into drug stores to steal cough medicine for codeine; stories of those looking for drugs traveling to Toronto; addicts pulled over on typical traffic stops and police finding hard drugs, including heroin, in the vehicle; a makeshift meth lab right outside the city; and child abuse directly related to parents who are drug users.

[continues 538 words]

Ohio's county prosecutors are recommending major changes to state drug laws, including the elimination of mandatory prison sentences for trafficking and possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, except in the most serious cases.

The prosecutors also want to reduce several other non-drug crimes to misdemeanors from felonies, including assaulting a school teacher, administrator or school bus operator without physical harm; injuring a police dog or horse; illegal use of food stamps; and unauthorized use of a cable television or telecommunication device.

[continues 527 words]

Trace Amounts Now Bring Misdemeanors

People busted with drug residue in pipes and syringes in Cleveland are no longer automatically charged as felons, bringing the city's policies in line with other urban areas throughout the state.

Until two weeks ago, drug abusers faced felony possession charges if caught with trace amounts of drugs in a crack pipe or heroin syringe. They now face misdemeanor charges, which allows them to seek treatment through the Greater Cleveland Drug Court.

City officials announced the policy change in November, but it took about four months to implement it because the courts and prosecutor's office had to prepare for the change.

[continues 272 words]