There's another war that seems to never end - the drug war. The July 27 Register carried an article regarding a recent marijuana study published in the prestigious medical journal the Lancet ("Study Links Pot Use To High Risk of Psychosis"). The story says scientists have now found that the use of pot causes long-term psychosis. The researchers admit that other factors might be involved, and they are not sure marijuana is causing the problem. Who would have thought being labeled a criminal by the rest of society would cause long-term psychosis? In the last paragraph of the article, it says several of the researchers were paid by drug companies to attend meetings related to marijuana. I wonder if they had a motive in trying to make marijuana look bad, considering it's a top competitor against their pharmaceutical poisons? Carl Olsen Des Moines [end]
I'm writing about Beau Elliot's thoughtful column, "Wicked Wacky" (July 3). Obviously, the so-called conservative Supreme Court justices felt high-school students should not have freedom of speech when they talk or write about our sacred war on drugs. "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" brings into question one of America's most sacred institutions: our war on drugs. Without our sacred war on drugs, America would not be the most incarcerated nation is the history of human civilization. Then we would need far fewer law-enforcement personnel, far fewer prison and jail guards, and no prison or jail builders. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
In this wonderfully wacky corner of the universe called America, the hits just keep on coming, don't they. No wonder (there's that word again) we're so black-and-blue. Take the Supreme Court. The good justices (five of them, anyway - the usual suspects) recently decided that the Constitution's freedom of speech does not cover a high-school student unfurling a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" (on a public sidewalk, not on school grounds). On the other hand, the same five usual-suspect justices ruled that the campaign-finance law attempting to regulate corporate and labor-union campaign donations (among others) infringes on their freedom of speech. [continues 673 words]
Court Extends Government Control Of Expression In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court famously declared that students do not "shed their constitutional right to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." Maybe they don't shed them completely, but the Supreme Court has in subsequent rulings made it clear that the memorable quote from Tinker vs. Des Moines means less than it was thought to mean at the time. It means even less following Monday's ruling in an Alaska student-speech case. [continues 473 words]
FOREST CITY - As the picture of a pitted, shriveled brain flashed onto the screen, Delbert Sankey looked out at the Forest City High School freshman and asked them to look at the photo. He paused for a moment, letting the photo sink into the students' minds. "My brain looks worse than that," Sankey said. "A mashed-up mush brain." Sankey is a recovering drug addict. In and out of state prisons for 18 years, he has been clean for two years, is going to college, writing a book and talking to young people about the horrors of drug use every chance he can get. [continues 1012 words]
Encouraging Statistics Belie Region's Struggles Against Addictive, Ruinous Meth LAURENS, Iowa -- Methamphetamine has claimed every tooth in Dennis Patten's head, which is why his face is caving into his jaw and why just about everything south of his neck is falling apart. The squat Patten is a 28-year veteran of Iowa's drug wars, 25 of them spent as an addict, and the last three as an uncertain just-say-no convert torn by gnawing cravings for the drugs that have crippled him. [continues 1286 words]
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who introduced the Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act in the U.S. Senate this week, spoke with law enforcement and drug treatment professionals in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines Saturday about his ideas for tackling methamphetamine abuse. The idea behind Harkin's bill is that every dollar spent on treatment and prevention of meth abuse will ultimately lead to a $7 savings. His goal is to increase family and jail-based treatment and break down barriers to getting people help. [continues 78 words]
In Iowa City, marijuana reigns supreme. An analysis by The Daily Iowan shows that approximately 60 percent of all drug arrests in Iowa City in the past five years were for possession of marijuana. But the marijuana-related arrests have led to a host of other problems, and the effects of the high rates are evident throughout Iowa City, officials said. "[Sixty percent] does not sound high to me; I would not have been surprised if you had told me it had been a little higher," Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said, adding it's easy to recognize and cite people for possessing the drug. "The classic Cheech and Chong: They roll down the window and a cloud of smoke comes out. It doesn't take long to recognize the smell of burnt marijuana." [continues 838 words]
Treating abusers costs half as much as sending them to prison, but federal funding for such programs ends soon. Iowa could become a leader in the nation in treating methamphetamine addiction if the government invests more money in programs and research here, treatment advocates told Sen. Tom Harkin in Des Moines on Saturday. Meth addiction is still a problem here, with about 6,000 Iowans entering treatment programs each year, state health officials said. Although new laws have limited access to cold medication and anhydrous ammonia used in meth manufacturing, a new and stronger version of meth called "ice" is being imported into Iowa. [continues 497 words]
Carl, I read the article in Cityview [We the People, "Still burning," April 19]. Looks great! We're still living in the days of Prohibition. It's funny that alcohol is legal. They can dish it out, but they sure can't take it. Iowa won't let me get a license or register my vehicles because of child support debts. (My daughter requires expensive operations at $5,000 a pop). It's hard to keep up. Texas garnishes my wages automatically no matter where I live. Iowa chooses not to work with me and acts like a hysterical child. [continues 56 words]
Sean J. Miller's article in Cityview raises an interesting question [We the People, "Still burning," April 19]. Why is Carl Olsen of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church forbidden by law in the United States of America to use sacramental marijuana in his religious practices? Shiva is the Lord of Marijuana for many practitioners of the Hindu religion. Rastafarians consider Cannabis Sativa, the Tree of Life... the sacred plant that has manifested as the holiest of holy signs marking the end of tribulations and the beginning of the City of God here on earth. [continues 134 words]
One reason to re-legalize cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned [We the People, "Still burning," April 19], is because it would be biblically and spiritually correct since Christ God Our Father (The Ecologician) indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
A Des Moines Man Is Fighting for the Right to Use Marijuana in Religious Services Carl Olsen is the last member of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church. The church, which blends Christianity with ceremonial marijuana smoking, had thousands of members in the '70s and early '80s, Olsen says. "The members would get together [and] smoke marijuana. It causes an intensification of the spirit. It causes a deeper understanding between people, and when you put that into a group setting it's magnified," Olsen says. "Everyone thought we were protected by religious freedom." [continues 630 words]
Sixth-graders at Westridge Elementary School showed they know the damage drugs can cause at a DARE graduation ceremony on Friday. DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a national program that teaches students the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Friday's ceremony concluded 10 weeks of DARE sessions at Westridge. "This is kind of a final culmination of all their work," said West Des Moines police officer Scott Davis, who met with the kids once a week to teach them about drugs and how to resist taking them. "It teaches the kids a lot about peer pressure and how to identify it," Davis said. [continues 251 words]
Stacked on the table are pages and pages of pharmacy logs that track the purchase of a key ingredient used to make methamphetamine. The stack -- two months worth of pseudoephedrine logs from nearly 20 Scott County pharmacies -- takes Scott County Sheriff's Deputy Rob Jackson four months to enter into a database and cross check. A recent check of the records netted five warrants against people for buying more than the legal limit of 7,500 milligrams of pseudoephedrine in a 30-day period, a serious misdemeanor. [continues 802 words]
Losing family members, friends and opportunities are all reasons for teens not to drink or do drugs, the members of Teens Against Alcohol and Drugs say. In April, they hope to put their message on the air with a 30-second commercial. "We tried to reach everybody," said Jeannea Williams, 17, a City High senior. "Everybody can be affected by drinking and smoking." The group, also known as T.A.A.D., has been working to communicate its anti-drug message since spring 2006. Sponsored by MECCA Services in Iowa City and funded with a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, T.A.A.D. is a community-wide effort to stop teen drug and alcohol use, said Marilyn Wright, MECCA's community relations manager. Currently, the group consists of about 10 students, all from City High. [continues 219 words]
Advocates Joining 12 Other States Permitting Use Of Medical Marijuana There are a number of drug law reform issues in the 2006 Iowa Democratic Party State Platform, particularly regarding marijuana. I don't expect Iowa legislators will be so bold as to support decriminalization of marijuana like Dennis Kucinich (http://www.decriminalizemarijuana.info/), but it is certainly within expectation that Iowa will show the same courage as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and do something to protect people who use marijuana as medicine. [continues 262 words]
People, Politics, Politicians & Public Issues States' Rights, Preferred Medical Options And A Presidential Bid Converge The New Mexico legislature, in a move that may have surprised Governor Bill Richardson, delivered a bill permitting the use of medical marijuana. Richardson, a spoken advocate at the onset of his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, promised to sign the legislation. Two major states which follow Iowa's caucuses, Texas and California (February 5th - 3 weeks following Iowa), already recognized the medical value of marijuana. [continues 407 words]
School Officials React to Supreme Court Case on Student Banner. In an Alaska case that was argued Monday before the Supreme Court, justices probed an issue that could have significant student free speech rights in U.S. schools. At issue is where the line should be between a school's expectations for appropriate speech and the student's right of self expression. Whichever way the court decides, Justice Stephen Breyer said, there will be serious ramifications. On the one hand, Breyer said a ruling that favors the student could mean "we'll suddenly see people testing limits all over the place in the high schools." On the other hand, however, the liberal justice added that a ruling favoring the school could "really limit people's rights on free speech. That's what I'm struggling with." [continues 653 words]
Heroin, already considered dangerous by treatment counselors and police, becomes even more dangerous when it is mixed with other substances. The second substance, often added by drug dealers to boost the amount of the drug available for sale, can range from baby powder to children's Tylenol to rat poison or Fentanyl, a powerful narcotic. At best, the substance used to "cut" the heroin could cause an infection, at worse, death. Davenport police Thursday night responded to three people from Tipton, Iowa, a husband and wife, ages 50 and 49, and their son, 26, found in a drug-induced stupor in the 2300 block of Boies Avenue. Taken to Genesis Medical Systems, West Campus, where they responded to treatment, they admitted to using heroin. [continues 314 words]
I'm writing about Tristan Abott's thoughtful oped: "Humans warring with substances" (2-20-07). Since it is common knowledge that many marijuana users use toilet paper rolls to smoke their evil weed, we must criminalize toilet paper. For our own good and protection, of course. Kirk Muse [end]
I just read an article by Yi-Hsuan Lee and am so angry/confused I feel the need to write. Not only is smoking fun and allows me to think in other ways not possible without the drug, but I often study or take tests while "under the effects" as you say. I am a student at Georgetown Universtiy, a biology major and Chinese minor and got a 3.1 my first semester. My grades are even better this semester, and I can't stand it how people say just because some people can't study and smoke, its impossible to study while on the drug. [continues 127 words]
It's time for credible drug law reform (Humans warring with substances, Feb 20, 2007) and at the very minimum, that includes re-legalizing cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana). Another reason to stop caging cannibas users that doesn't get mentioned is because it is biblically correc since Christ God Our Father. The Ecologician indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Stan White [end]
Getting tough on crime has been tough on Iowa taxpayers. It costs an average of $23,367 per year to keep an inmate incarcerated in an Iowa prison. If that isn't bad enough, growth of Iowa's prison population over the next five years is expected to outpace that of all but one surrounding Midwest state -- South Dakota - -- a new study has found. Iowa's nine prisons held about 8,800 convicts at the end of last year. By the end of 2011, the prison population is expected to grow to more than 10,000. [continues 362 words]
Methamphetamine is one of the most deadly, addictive, and rapidly spreading drugs the United States has ever known. Unlike heroin or crack, it is not a problem confined mostly to big, far-away cities. Meth has spread its ugly tentacles into rural and urban communities all across Iowa, and the destruction it is leaving in its path - human, financial, and environmental - is staggering. Thankfully, Iowa has taken some successful and concrete steps to fight meth. Former Governor Tom Vilsack signed the nation's toughest law restricting the sale of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in producing the drug. This signaled an aggressive new phase in Iowa's fight against methamphetamine. [continues 486 words]
There is a song that says, "Before you learn to fly, learn to fall." However, it never says how we can start flying up rather than falling. The key to success might be the ability to see yourself clearly. Julie Barnes, coordinator of the University of Northern Iowa's Substance Abuse Services program, wants to take this chance to introduce a new service online for UNI students, E-Toke (electronic THC Online Knowledge Experience), a brief survey on marijuana use. It takes only 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey, and personalized feedback is given in the following areas: Dollar amount and percentage of income spent on pot, how your use of pot compares to other UNI students and to college students nationally, what negative consequences your marijuana use might have, an assessment of your readiness and ability to reduce usage, amount and frequency of marijuana use, amount of time under the influence compared to time spent studying, etc. [continues 939 words]
There's these things called "blunts." They're cheap cigars, essentially, and the most popular brands are Swisher and Philly. They can be bought at gas stations and most other places that sell tobacco, are usually sold singularly or in packs of five and sometimes come in a variety of fruit flavors. Oftentimes, people buy the blunts, remove all or some of their tobacco and then they replace the tobacco with marijuana. They then smoke the marijuana blunts to get high. [continues 1019 words]
Some on the left seem absolutely determined to fritter away the new Democratic majority in the Iowa Legislature. First, there is the idea of gutting the Iowa right-to-work law via this so-called "fair-share" notion. Not much was said during the campaign about forcing nonunion workers to pay fees to unions in their workplace. Jobs, health care, education and Iraq were the issues that carried the day. But the labor movement has decided to make exemptions and exceptions in the right-to-work law a focal point of this session. It has scared the bejeebers out of the business community, with the result that a job-hungry state is now turning off potential employers. (So much for helping working families find better-paying jobs.) [continues 489 words]
Something in Iowa has gone dreadfully awry. At the least, something is dreadfully different than it used to be, and Iowa is a lesser place because of it. The change isn't immediately apparent. It has occurred so gradually that nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening. Perhaps that's the way it is with profound change. Everything seems normal until you look back over the decades and realize how different things are. So it is with the way we keep putting more and more of our fellow Iowans behind bars for major portions of their lives. A look back reveals how out of character that is for Iowa. [continues 662 words]
A Cedar Rapids couple were sentenced each to 15 years in federal prison for their involvement in a heroin overdose that led to an Ottumwa man's death in 2004. The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Iowa announced Friday that Nick, 31, and Michelle Howeash, 27, were both sentenced after pleading guilty on Aug. 10 to distributing heroin in the Cedar Rapids area. An unsealed federal indictment shows the couple purchased $100 worth of the drug from a number of sources in Cedar Rapids and on Dec. 31, 2004, drove to Ottumwa, where they met a friend. [continues 322 words]
Sioux City Police Officer Brad Downing has received the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Chairman's Award for 2006 in recognition of his drug enforcement efforts. Downing was recognized for both his personal and team efforts, as well as the leadership he provided, "in some of the most significant narcotics trafficking cases, not only in Sioux City but within the entire Siouxland area," Sgt. Kevin Heineman said Wednesday. "While investigating a crack cocaine distribution operation in the Sioux City area, Task Force Officer Downing was responsible for the arrest of 39 suspects, seizure of 324 grams of crack cocaine and seizure of $16,828," Heineman said. "Officer Downing's efforts over the past two years, while assigned to the Tri-State Drug Task Force, have had a direct and dramatic effect on local as well as regional drug trafficking affecting the Siouxland area and beyond." [continues 67 words]
Will The Final Cost Be Tallied In Lives Lost Or Freedoms Surrendered On November 21st of last year, police in Atlanta violently broke down the door of a 92-year-old woman's house. They did so without knocking, and without announcing their presence. The woman, Kathryn Johnston, opened fire upon the officers, presumably unaware that they were the police. The police then returned fire, fatally wounding Johnston. The police were using a no-knock warrant, a somewhat controversial type of permission that is designed to give police more leverage in fighting the all-important War on Drugs. (The idea is that it's better to risk shooting up an old lady than it is to allow dope addicts a chance to flush their pot after cops knock on their door). [continues 1015 words]
The good news: Fewer teens drank alcohol or used illegal drugs in the past year. The bad news: Many reported taking cold or cough medicines to get high. The worst news: Many also abuse prescription painkillers and stimulants. Nearly 10 percent of high school seniors surveyed admitted using excessive doses of Vicodin, a painkiller. These are among the findings in a recent study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. It seems high school students are getting the message that using illegal drugs is a bad idea. But a 2005 study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found fewer than half of teens surveyed thought there was "great risk" in experimenting with prescription drugs. [continues 84 words]
An administrative review has exonerated three Rock Island police officers after an early October incident when one of them was shot in the ankle while running down an alleged drug dealer, Rock Island Police Chief John Wright said. Kevin Young, 39, of Rock Island, is being held on $1.5 million bond at the Rock Island County Jail. He is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and faces other felony charges. Three of the officers involved in the Oct. 7 incident were placed on leave while reasons for discharging their firearms were reviewed, Wright said, noting the review was standard procedure and "there were no accusations of misconduct on the part of the officers involved." [continues 190 words]
The week of October 23-27, 2006, Mid-Prairie Elementary Schools will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is a week set aside each year in October to focus on drug prevention activities. The theme this year is "Show Good Character by Being Drug Free" for the elementary students. Mid-Prairie Elementary Schools will be participating in the following activities during Red Ribbon Week: Monday, October 23 - "Show Good Character by Being Drug Free" slogan of the day and theme of the week. Each student will receive a red ribbon with the slogan on it. They may wear them all week. [continues 246 words]
A chemical that will keep methamphetamine makers from using anhydrous ammonia as a raw material for the drug will be added to the popular nitrogen fertilizer, state officials said Monday. Marvin Van Haaften, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, said the chemical, known as calcium nitrate, can be added to each of the 26,000 tanks used for application of anhydrous ammonia in Iowa. Calcium nitrate renders the anhydrous ammonia useless as a seedstock for methamphetamine, Van Haaften said. "This is a big deal," Van Haaften said. Ninety percent of meth used in Iowa is imported from Mexico, so the chemical additive won.t have an impact on that, he said, but it will be a serious barrier for Iowa-based meth makers. [end]
Fertilizer Additive Makes It Useless To Meth Cookers DES MOINES -- Gov. Tom Vilsack has a message for people who want to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine -- don't bother. Vilsack and other public officials unveiled a new additive to the fertilizer anhydrous ammonia that renders it useless to meth-makers who would steal it from farms and use it to cook the illegal drug. "It is an important day for safer communities and safer children in our state," Vilsack said at a news conference on the steps of the State Capitol with a tank of anhydrous ammonia as a backdrop. [continues 457 words]
A chemical that will prevent methamphetamine makers from using anhydrous ammonia as a raw material for the drug will be added to the widely used nitrogen fertilizer, state officials said Monday. Marvin Van Haaften, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, said the chemical, known as calcium nitrate, can be added to each of the 26,000 tanks used in Iowa for the application of anhydrous ammonia. The discovery of the inhibitor has national and international implications because of the widespread use of methamphetamine, he said. [continues 339 words]
DES MOINES -- Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has a message for people who want to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine: Don't bother. Vilsack and other public officials unveiled a new additive to the fertilizer known as anhydrous ammonia that renders it useless to meth makers who might steal it from farms and use it to cook the illegal drug. "It is an important day for safer communities and safer children in our state," Vilsack said at a news conference held on the steps of the Capitol with a tank of anhydrous ammonia as a backdrop. [continues 458 words]
If you found out one of your best friends was selling marijuana, would it change your opinion of your friend or the marijuana? It sounds like some people in little Wilton, Iowa, are struggling with the news that their mayor, Dick Summy, has been arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana. It's a pretty serious deal for the 56-year-old. Trafficking is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Violating the state's tax-stamp law is a Class D felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years. And Sean McCullough, a supervisor for the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Narcotics Enforcement Division, said Monday that more charges could be coming. [continues 437 words]
The mayor of Wilton has been jailed on drug trafficking charges following a yearlong investigation by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement that revealed inter-county dealing in marijuana. Richard Summy, 56, was arrested in Iowa City on Thursday morning on a warrant from Polk County. He remains in the Polk County Jail on felony charges of conspiracy to deliver marijuana and drug tax stamp violation. Summy has served as mayor of Wilton, a southeastern Iowa city north of Muscatine, for the past three years, City Councilman Ted Glenney said. [continues 390 words]
The war on drugs has claimed many unnoticed casualties, including thousands of current and potential college students. Because of a little-known federal law, many college students are stripped of or denied federal aid because of a drug conviction every year. Added in 1998 to the Higher Education Act by Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN), the drug provision made it impossible for students with prior drug convictions to receive any financial aid. The provision had destroyed or at least delayed the educational goals of more than 150,000 would-be students. Due to much lobbying by students, the law was scaled back earlier this year to include only those convicted while attending college. [continues 624 words]
WILTON -- The arrest of Wilton Mayor Dick Summy on Thursday was the culmination of a year-long investigation, authorities said. Sean McCullough, supervisor for the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Narcotics Enforcement Division, said Summy, 56, was arrested Thursday morning at the Iowa League of Cities meeting in Coralville on charges of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, marijuana and violation of the state's drug tax stamp law. Summy is being held in the Polk County Jail on $19,500 bond. His initial appearance is scheduled for this morning. McCullough said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible. [continues 279 words]
I saw an article in the "American Association for Cancer Research" journal noting how "Cannabinoids Induce Apoptosis of Pancreatic Tumor Cells...," describing how THC-9 (the active chemical in marijuana) worked to kill cancer cells. In fact, from my previous research on the subject, some 10 cancers have already been shown to be sensitive to treatment with cannabis products - most in studies from overseas, owing to the "drug-war" mentality in this country. The first findings about how marijuana can cure cancer were in Virginia in 1974 (breast cancer was one of the first ones found treatable with marijuana) and the U.S. government did its best to keep this secret. [continues 147 words]
He ordered drugs for patients without conducting proper examinations or keeping adequate records A Council Bluffs doctor accused of loosely prescribing narcotics has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and to stop ordering such drugs for chronic-pain patients. Dr. Scott Blair was charged in February by the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses physicians. The board said that he prescribed addictive drugs to several patients without giving them proper examinations, that he ignored possible signs of abuse, and that he failed to keep adequate records. [continues 372 words]
Lab busts are down, but the amount of methamphetamine being seized by the South Central Iowa Drug Task Force (SCIDTF) is rising. Only 60 grams of the illegal drug were seized in 2004. The drug task force confiscated 160 grams in 2005. So far this year, the amount of meth seized stands at 1,600 grams -- abut 4 pounds. These figure were released Thursday during drug awareness press conference sponsored by the South Central Iowa Drug Task Force and area law enforcement agencies. [continues 727 words]
The struggle to wage an effective war on drugs will continue after government officials recently discovered that their recent $1.4 billion antidrug campaign failed to lure teenagers away from the illegal substances. However, a different federal study reported that illicit drug use had fallen among those between the ages of 12 and 17 - the demographic group much of the media campaign targeted. The Government Accountability Office announced Aug. 25 that the failed campaign, which has aired since 1998, did not help reduce drug use. In some cases, the program may have actually persuaded youths that the use of illegal drugs is considered normal. [continues 454 words]
There was a reason to celebrate last Tuesday. Many local organizations -- including police departments, county and city offices, media outlets, schools and businesses -- were honored with an award from the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, the Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America for the work they've done to stem the flow of illegal drug use and sales in the Gateway area. But the work is far from over, because while meth labs numbers are decreasing in the state, Iowa still has a high number of drug-affected child abuse cases and the state is above the national average for meth use and binge drinking. And although the number of meth lab incidents is down, the state is seeing more foreign meth or meth imported from other countries to fill the void of what was being produced in the U.S. Locally, several members of the New Directions Board of Directors expressed concerns about the challenges facing the Gateway area in the fight against drugs. [continues 238 words]
Mel Gibson's relapse was a public humiliation. Robin Williams, who "found himself drinking again" after 20 years of sobriety, according to a statement released last week, had a private one. Both are back in treatment as some of their legion of followers "tsk-tsk," shake their heads and conclude that two more stars have failed. But such relapses are fairly common during the lifelong struggle against what science considers the chronic disease of alcoholism. A relapse into renewed drinking, experts say, is no more a treatment failure than is a second heart attack in a cardiovascular disease patient. [continues 829 words]
Fran Koontz and Bill Piper both gave evidence in their July 30 articles on how and why the United States is continuing to lose the war on drugs year after year ("Save Money; Cut Sentences for Nonviolent Offenders" and "Rethink Tactics of Drug War?"). The reasons included prisons overcrowded with nonviolent offenders; killings and robberies that are drug-related; corruption of our law-enforcement agencies; and billions and billions of taxpayers' dollars spent every year to enforce anti-drug laws that don't appear to be solving the problems. [continues 122 words]
Inside Iowa
