SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- An American Indian treaty and United States law do not allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Alex White Plume, vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and members of his family planted hemp on their property but it was cut down and confiscated by federal agents. Industrial hemp is related to marijuana and is used to make rope and other products. It has only a trace of the drug in marijuana, but it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States. [continues 349 words]
PIERRE -- The South Dakota Supreme Court was asked Tuesday to throw out the convictions of a woman who was caught near Sioux Falls last year with 53 pounds of marijuana in her car. Sioux Falls lawyer Mike Butler said the evidence should have been suppressed because a state Highway Patrol dog did not give any clear signal that it had detected the odor of marijuana in the car driven by Tam Thi Thu Nguyen, 23, of Renton, Wash. The search was illegal because the trooper had no probable cause to search the car, he said. [continues 634 words]
SIOUX FALLS - A South Dakota student is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union that challenges a provision of federal law that denies financial aid to convicted drug offenders. In its class-action lawsuit, the ACLU says the provision is unconstitutional because it punishes people twice for the same crime and creates a class of people deemed unworthy of receiving federal financial aid for college without a good reason. About 200,000 people nationwide have been denied financial aid since the provision went into effect in 2000, Adam Wolf, a lawyer for the ACLU, said. [continues 94 words]
SIOUX FALLS (AP) -- A South Dakota student is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit planned by the American Civil Liberties Union that challenges a provision of federal law that denies financial aid to convicted drug offenders. In its class-action lawsuit, the ACLU says the provision is unconstitutional because it punishes people twice for the same crime and creates a class of people deemed unworthy of receiving federal financial aid for college without a good reason. "While any non-drug offender, from a murderer to a shoplifter, can receive financial aid, an individual who is caught with any amount of a controlled substance, including a small amount of marijuana, is automatically denied aid by the federal government," the complaint states. [continues 139 words]
There were 389 women in South Dakota's state prison system Wednesday, an all-time high that forced 43 minimum security prisoners into the former Department of Criminal Investigations dormitories in Pierre. And the number is growing. The state Department of Corrections estimates that the average daily number of female prisoners will grow by 20 percent this year. The trend's cause is obvious to many, both in and out of law enforcement: methamphetamine. "We punish meth," South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long said Wednesday. Long wasn't aware of the new corrections statistics, but said he was not surprised by them. "If you use it or distribute it, we don't have a sense of humor about that." [continues 513 words]
An open letter to the people of Yankton County, one of the few counties in this state designated by our federal government as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: The U.S. has been losing a devastating war on drugs, and now our local politicians and administrators are making silly arguments about how good such a misguided bill like HB1147 would be for our youth. These politicians are trying to change the definition of a key word here, but don't be fooled when they talk about children making "mistakes." A crime by any other name is still a crime. [continues 246 words]
He also found himself under arrest for violating restrictions on gathering petition signatures inside Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Newland was arrested Tuesday by Rapid City police officers and booked for failure to vacate. He is scheduled to appear in 7th Circuit Court at 8 a.m. Wednesday. "I'll plead not guilty and ask for a trial as quickly as possible," Newland said Tuesday evening after being released on bond. "My view is that this is just wrong. Anybody can go into those public hallways and talk about anything at anytime. It's owned by the public." [continues 344 words]
A Meth Disaster Looms In Your Own Backyard Editor's Note: Methamphetamine is ripping apart the fabric of our community. From the 5-year old child charged with taking care of her infant brother because her mother is passed out from the drug, to the rental property owner confronted with the cost of cleaning up a meth lab, to the addict in the state pen for a crime he committed while high on the drug, few people remain unaffected. Starting today and running through next week, the Pioneer will examine this growing problem with a series called, "Meth: Everyone's Problem." [continues 1126 words]
Realtors Against Meth (RAM) is sponsoring meth awareness presentations throughout the Northern Hills which will begin this week in Spearfish. SPEARFISH: A community leaders' luncheon will be held in Spearfish at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Northern Hills Holiday Inn and then at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday a parents' and adults' session will be held at the high school. STURGIS: Then on Tuesday, Jan. 17, presentations will begin in Sturgis at 9 a.m. in the Sturgis Middle School and at 1:30 p.m. at the high school. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be a no-host community luncheon at the Sturgis Armory and then at 6:30 p.m. there will be a parents' and community session at the Sturgis Community Center Theater. [continues 1244 words]
Editor's Note: The following is a part of the full story of a mother who lost her daughter to methamphetamine use. Mary Haydal will be in the Northern Hills area to personally share her experiences with adults and children this month. Adults will receive drug education during the presentation, and the children will view a memorial video for Cassie and a two-minute DVD of Cassie taken two weeks before she collapsed from meth use. Haydal's next presentation will be held Jan. 10 at Spearfish High School. ----------------------------------- Last edit: October 7, 2003 -- I can tell you the last beautiful fall day of the year 2000. It was Nov. 4. The weather was crisp. [continues 1909 words]
Editor's Note: The following is a part of the full story of a mother who lost her daughter to methamphetamine use. Mary Haydal will be in the Northern Hills area to personally share her experiences with adults and children this month. Adults will receive drug education during the presentation, and the children will view a memorial video for Cassie and a two-minute DVD of Cassie taken two weeks before she collapsed from meth use. Haydal's next presentation will be held Jan. 10 at Spearfish High School. ----------------------------------- Last edit: October 7, 2003 -- Her hands and feet were turned inward, like the knuckles were turning the hand and the toes were turning the feet toward the center of her. I did not know at the time that this was a sign of permanent brain damage. [continues 1833 words]
Pierre fifth graders will receive DARE courses in 2006. The Pierre City Commission approved funding $2,000 of the $10,000 program using money left over from the 2005 budget during its regular Tuesday evening meeting. A fund-raising effort was started when it was announced that program was going to end due to overtime cuts in the 2006 budget. The hours devoted to the class by Pierre Police Officer Lisa McFarling, who is its instructor, is mostly overtime because McFarling needs to continue her regular patrol duties during the same time as the course is taught. [continues 208 words]
In a world where no one wants to struggle or feel uncomfortable, where instant gratification and a good time are top priorities, a world in which our kids are used to getting what they want when they want it, a world in which our youth are stressed out over looks and popularity and trying to portray an image of maturity long before their developing bodies and brains are ready for it, the perfect stage is set for drug use. Enter John*. [continues 2064 words]
Plans are still in the works to attempt to resurrect the DARE program for Pierre elementary schools. Pierre City Police Commission Larry Weiss met with Ruth Smith, principal of McKinley and Washington schools; Todd Douglas, Pierre School Board member and First National Bank official; Pierre Police Officer Lesa McFarling; Pierre Public Safety Director Al Aden and Deb Gallagher, a parent who is spearheading the private sector's attempt to save the program. Douglas said that he believed he could raise part of the $10,000 needed to keep the program for Drug Abuse Resistance Education if the city could come up with 10-20 percent. [continues 80 words]
HOT SPRINGS - The Hot Springs School District showcased its anti-drug awareness and educational activities throughout the district last week. Each year, the district sponsors a series of Red Ribbon Week activities to focus attention on the destructive effects that drugs have on our students and community. The theme of this year's observation was "The Red Badge of Courage." The elementary and middle school kicked off the celebration with an anti-drug, alcohol message presentation by Duane Reichert on Monday morning entitled, "Backstage with a Rodeo Clown." The elementary students made posters to display in downtown businesses. Classroom doors were decorated and each day of the week students were encouraged to dress up to show that they support being drug free and each student received a drug free awareness bracelet. [continues 284 words]
It's just say no to DARE, as the Pierre Police Department pulls the plug on the popular anti-drug school program. The loss of the program is a direct result of Pierre City Commission's austere budget plans for 2006. The commission wanted the amount of overtime paid by the city cut significantly. According to the director of public safety, Al Aden, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was one of those run by the police department that cost in overtime as well as taking a patrolwoman out of the field. [continues 441 words]
CHEYENNE -- Declaring that methamphetamine abuse and addiction could not be treated simply as a law enforcement problem, community leaders here announced a comprehensive program to reduce meth use, including community education, policing and drug treatment. The Cheyenne Meth Initiative, which kicked off, seeks to make people aware of the extent of meth's grip on Wyoming and the broad-based efforts needed to fight it. D. Reed Eckhardt, editor of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle and president of the board of the Cheyenne Meth Initiative, said many people were in denial that meth affected their communities. He said community education was the only way to let people know the extent of the problem. [continues 278 words]
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., talked with law enforcement officials and other leaders in Rapid City Monday on ways to get a handle on the making of methamphetamine. Herseth said a big issue is finding ways to hamper access to meth ingredients. The goal is to regulate the ingredients so it becomes harder for the people who would make and sell the drug, she said. The U.S. House is scheduled to debate a bill this fall on contamination associated with the cleanup of seized meth labs, Herseth said. Officials told her that more than half of the drug cases in the area involve meth. Herseth also has held meth forums in Sioux Falls and Watertown. [end]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Apartment manager Hollie Jones is finding out firsthand the cost of methamphetamine use in South Dakota. She's paying $8,500 out of a reserve fund to clean up after a methamphetamine lab was discovered in one of the apartments. The tenant, Jeremy West, 25, had passed the apartment's credit and criminal background checks but was arrested along with two others last week for making meth. "I just thought he was a dumb kid that needed a mom and needed someone to mother him a little bit. It turns out he was probably spending most of his money on dope," she said. [continues 590 words]
STURGIS - Though city officials say the 2005 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was relatively mild, law enforcement officials report a much higher number of drug arrests this year. Marking the official end of the 65th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin, Sturgis Police Chief Jim Bush, and S.D. Highway Patrol Trooper Randy Hartley all said misdemeanor and felony drug arrest numbers have been on the rise for the last couple of years. But this year's arrests are attributed to a variety of different factors, including decreased traffic congestion that allows law enforcement officers to get around easier, increased drug detection training for officers, and increased drug use by rally attendees. [continues 211 words]
Inside South Dakota
