For the second consecutive year, some West Virginia officials will attempt to legalize the medical use of marijuana. After an abrupt dismissal of the proposal last year, Delegate Mike Manypenny of Taylor County has introduced a new bill in the West Virginia House of Delegates. House Bill 4498 seeks to legalize physician-supervised use of marijuana by patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, HIV and Glaucoma. Why does this continue to be an issue? If a substance has a unique medical application that can't be replaced by a medication already on the market, it should be exploited to the fullest extent. Especially one that is virtually harmless when compared to other treatments. [continues 677 words]
CHARLESTON - Delegate Mike Manypenny is convinced the Lord put marijuana in his grand scheme of creation to provide mankind with a measure of relief from chronic pain. Trouble is, most folks rolling a joint are smoking it to get high, unless, of course, like one famous politician, they don't inhale. Manypenny says the Bible itself proves that God intended that man use marijuana strictly for medical reasons. And he thinks fellow members in the House of Delegates realize this. A fresh bill put to the chamber Friday would decriminalize pot to some degree, limiting its use strictly for medical reasons. [continues 860 words]
To the Editor: The use of synthetic marijuana is an unintended side-effect of the war on natural marijuana. Consumers are turning to potentially toxic drugs made in China and sold as research chemicals before being repackaged as legal incense. Expanding the drug war will do little other than add to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world. Chinese chemists will tweak formulas to stay one step ahead of the law and two steps ahead of the drug tests. New versions won't be safer. Misguided efforts to protect children from drugs are putting children at great risk. [continues 93 words]
Keyser, W.Va. -- If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and flies like a duck... then it is a duck. Same goes for synthetic marijuana too. That's right if it looks like pot, feels like pot, and is packaged and marketed like pot... it's to be treated by law enforcement as if it is pot... and this is not just my opinion it's the law in West Virginia. According to the law passed in West Virginia last March (H. B. 2505 which passed March 12, 2011 and was in effect thirty days from passage): "Imitation controlled substance" means: (1) A controlled substance which is falsely represented to be a different controlled substance; (2) a drug or substance which is not a controlled substance but which is falsely represented to be a controlled substance; or (3) a controlled substance or other drug or substance or a combination thereof which is shaped, sized, colored, marked, imprinted, numbered, labeled, packaged, distributed or priced so as to cause a reasonable person to believe that it is a controlled substance. I believe the synthetic marijuana being sold in Mineral County would fall under what is described as: (2)... a drug or substance which is not a controlled substance but which is falsely represented to be a controlled substance ... and (3) a controlled substance or other drug or substance or a combination thereof which is sha! ped, sized, colored, marked, imprinted, numbered, labeled, packaged, distributed or priced so as to cause a reasonable person to believe that it is a controlled substance. [continues 1683 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State lawmakers will once again debate a bill designed to curb methamphetamine production in West Virginia. The legislation -- called the Larry Border Act after the late delegate from Wood County -- would require a prescription for cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine. The drug is a key meth-making ingredient. Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, introduced the bill Thursday. "What we're trying to do is eliminate the meth labs," Foster said during a press conference. "There's the toxic issue. [Meth labs] affect our children. They're like bombs." [continues 514 words]
Nearly a century ago, America's historic attempt to ban alcohol was a monumental failure. Prohibition turned millions of Americans into criminals because they visited illegal "speakeasies" for drinks or bought furtive bottles from bootleggers. It created the Mafia as smuggler gangs fought each other over lucrative hooch-hauling. It filled prisons with harmless offenders. It corrupted police and courts as enforcers took payoffs to ignore the booze traffic. Prohibition finally was abandoned as a wasteful mistake. Today, the "war on drugs" fills the same role that Prohibition did. Billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted on undercover police work and overcrowded prisons jammed with petty, pathetic users. Many American families are hurt as youths are jailed, their futures wrecked. The endless crackdown achieves little, because the narcotics flow doesn't diminish. [continues 265 words]
I feel it would be helpful to go into further detail regarding marijuana prohibition, as it has been a topic of the Journal Junction recently. Marijuana has been widely recognized in recent years not as a "demon plant" (whatever that is) but as a heavily misunderstood resource with a variety of uses dating back thousands of years. Its original prohibition was not based on any scientific or medical observation, but was instead purely politically and racially motivated. Fear and manipulation have kept it at bay. [continues 218 words]
Each day, I drive out of the dark hills and into the city of Huntington when I go to class. Each day, I pass trailer park meth labs and flop house apartments as I wriggle out of the trees and on to Marshall's campus. Drugs are ubiquitous; there's no escaping it. The War on Drugs isn't a war, it's one group of people sandbagging for a flood while another group is swimming in the water. They're never going to leave, and it'd be in our best interest as a society to learn to live with it rather than against it. [continues 282 words]
Appalachia is being ravaged by a flood from shady Florida "pill mills" that shell out painkillers to addicts and drug dealers, no questions asked. As our "Pillage" series pointed out, West Virginia leads America in overdose deaths. Police invest vast time and energy prosecuting "pillbillies" and their suppliers. Florida's legislature passed a tough monitoring law to catch illicit clinics -- but Florida's controversial Tea Party governor, Republican Rick Scott, says he will scuttle the project. Scott claims it's an "invasion of privacy" to keep tabs on stooges buying carloads of pills. [continues 352 words]
PRINCETON -- As the nation's "Drug Czar" tours West Virginia today, local officials hope he will be persuaded to include Mercer County in a regional federal organization devoted to fighting drug crimes. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy will be visiting areas of southern West Virginia today. A letter written by U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., sent to Kerlikowske, asked to include Mercer County in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) as well as for resources to help Mercer County law enforcement combat drug trafficking and prescription drug abuse. [continues 805 words]
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana usage in one form or another. Why is West Virginia so far behind? West Virginia has a reputation of being a bunch of fat, laid-back hicks in the eyes of the nation. Everyone has heard at least one West Virginia joke. I, personally, do not see the humor in ridiculing the state I love and grew up in. Though we are one of the economically deprived, do we need to hear it repeatedly in the media or at parties? [continues 306 words]
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Questions linger over Putnam County Schools' new, costly, controversial and relatively rare policy to test middle and high school students for drugs by swabbing their saliva. Some wonder if saliva tests are as effective as urine tests, which school board members had originally planned to implement but nixed in favor of the less-intrusive saliva swab. Experts, though, say saliva tests are just as foolproof as urine tests, if administered correctly. "Lab-based oral fluid testing has been proven to be as good as urine testing for all the drugs," said Dr. Todd Simo, director of medical services for the drug-testing agency HireRight. "The positive rates between the two are almost exactly identical." [continues 1008 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In Tuesday's U.S. election, several attempts to legalize marijuana fell short. By a margin of 3.8 million to 3.3 million, California voters declined to approve pot possession for recreational use. Arizona, Oregon and South Dakota rejected medical marijuana, but two Massachusetts districts gave tentative approval. Regardless, it seems clear that public support is fading for America's police blitz that throws hundreds of thousands of young people into cells for smoking the wrong plant. [continues 377 words]
Some Say the Mountain State Needs to Legalize Marijuana, but Others Fear Taking the Plunge. The country remains in economic instability -- to the point some would say it is literally "going to pot." Traditional forms of revenue from manufacturing and other economic sectors are down in West Virginia and throughout the country. Many states are finding themselves in the red. Jobs are scarce. As the country continues to struggle with a $1 trillion budget deficit, other options are being explored to generate revenue. And those options include the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. California voters in November will decide whether to support Proposition 19, a state rule that would make recreational use of marijuana legal so the state can tax and regulate the drug as it does alcohol and tobacco. [continues 1160 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a Jackson County lawyer, the state bar's Office of Disciplinary Counsel announced. Jessica A. Sullivan, of Jackson County, was suspended by a court order on Sept. 9, according to the news release. Sullivan was arrested in July and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession of precursors with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, and conspiracy to commit a felony, the order states. The court instructed Chief Jackson Circuit Judge Thomas C. Evans III to appoint another attorney to handle Sullivan's cases. Sullivan had previously been indicted by a Jackson County grand jury on drug-related charges in July 2009, October 2009, and June 2010, according to the order. [end]
A West Virginia University student organization is collecting signatures for a petition in support of legalizing marijuana in the country. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy have joined in a movement across college campuses in support of Proposition 19, California's legalization measure being voted on in November. Drew Stromberg, president of WVU's SSDP chapter, said his group has joined a challenge called, "Just Say Now Campus Challenge: Legalize Marijuana." The aim of the challenge is to collect signatures in support of legalization of marijuana, Stromberg said. [continues 297 words]
HUNTINGTON -- New U.S. Attorney R. Booth Goodwin pledged he will contribute and gather additional resources to help Huntington fight what he called an unfortunate reputation as the region's hub for drug trafficking. Goodwin, confirmed as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia in May, praised area law enforcement, prosecutors and community leaders for making great strides in the battle thus far. Now he plans to join in the fight as a partner -- not a white knight - -- and make Huntington's drug problem the focus of his administration. [continues 515 words]
The Cabell County Board of Education needs to educate itself on the downside of student drug testing. Student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation in extracurricular programs. Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to more dangerous prescription narcotics to avoid testing positive. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing. [continues 147 words]
The decades-long war on drugs in the U.S. continues while prisons are becoming overcrowded, the number of drug users is on the rise, and the dollars needed to sustain it are draining federal and state treasuries. It is high time that the nation's drug policies be given a serious look. The most recent data collected by the Office of National Drug Control Policy indicates that more than 20 million Americans were users of illicit drugs in 2008. This statistic alone is a bit troubling, but it appears far worse if one considers that the number is up from 12 million users in 1992. [continues 716 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Since President Richard Nixon launched the "war on drugs" four decades ago, U.S. taxpayers have poured $1 trillion into the crusade that is largely a flop. Narcotics are more rampant in America now than ever. Numerous drug murders and robberies happen daily. U.S. prisons and jails are bursting with 2.5 million inmates, mostly drug-related. America has the world's worst lockup rate, wrecking millions of families at horrible public cost. A recent roadside survey found that one-sixth of drivers tested positive for dope. Prescription pills are a rising menace. [continues 345 words]
A new report on teen substance abuse begins with the ominous title of "A Day in the Life of American Adolescents." True to its theme, the survey shows that drinking and drug use are a common occurrence for many young people in our country. The study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that on any given day in 2008, 563,000 adolescents used marijuana, nearly 37,000 used inhalants, 24,000 used hallucinogens, 16,000 used cocaine and 2,800 used heroin. [continues 307 words]
California has the chance to become the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana this November, allowing Californians to possess up to an ounce or harvest their own garden of marijuana measuring up to 25 square feet. According to a recent poll issued by SurveyUSA, 56 percent of Californians support the legalization of marijuana. Supporters collected nearly 700,000 signatures, far surpassing the 433,971 needed to petition for the bill. The recent legislation is being spearheaded by Richard Lee, founder of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, America's first college dedicated to cannabis trade, which opened its doors in 2007. [continues 708 words]
The rampant problem of prescription drug abuse is showing no signs of slowing down in the region. According to the "2009 Monitoring the Future" survey recently released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan, the problem is now being further agitated by a growing number of youth who may be experimenting with prescription narcotics. The study found slight decreases were reported in the use of cocaine and methamphetamine use among youth -- which is a certainly a positive. However, the report also found that marijuana use among adolescents increased gradually over the past two years after years of declining use; and past year rates of Vicodin and OxyContin abuse increased during the last five years among 10th graders and remained unchanged among 8th and 12th graders. [continues 401 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Each summer, West Virginia State Police helicopters search state hilltops, and tons of prime marijuana plants are seized and destroyed. Thus the state's most valuable agricultural crop -- which could provide enormous tax revenue -- is wasted. Meanwhile, thousands of luckless young West Virginians sit in prison cells on "pot" charges, while taxpayers cough up millions for their keep. When the convicts eventually are released, they are partly unemployable and their lives are permanently marred. This costly police-and-prison "war on pot" is somewhat a reprise of Prohibition, when America foolishly tried to stamp out alcohol. Prohibition created organized crime, causing bootleg murders and payoff corruption -- yet it failed absurdly. [continues 346 words]
The Mountain State is seeking its first statewide strategy for countering the ravages of drug and alcohol addiction. A new report released last week by state officials recommends spending $23.5 million a year in prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery efforts. The plan was requested by Gov. Joe Manchin, who is urging all communities across the Mountain State to get involved in the fight against drug and alcohol addiction. The plan specifically seeks the creation of county prevention partnerships, or one group in each county, to devise local solutions and serve as a channel for state resources, according to an Associated Press report. [continues 311 words]
CHARLESTON -- From initial police investigations all the way through parole, crimes linked to drug and alcohol use cost West Virginia nearly $333 million, according to a report released Thursday. The report, compiled by the Prevention Resource Center for the Gov. Joe Manchin-appointed Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being, tracked costs in the criminal justice system from the 2005 fiscal year through the 2008 fiscal year. The numbers show ballooning costs, with 11 of 12 entities from the courts to police agencies reporting higher costs in 2008 than in 2005. Based on those numbers, the report estimates West Virginia will be spending nearly $500 million on crimes linked to drugs and alcohol by the 2017 fiscal year. [continues 452 words]
Becky Jordon Says The Kanawha County School System Doesn't Need A Prescription Drug-Related Death. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Becky Jordon says the Kanawha County school system doesn't need a prescription drug-related death. Jordon, the school board president, is willing to allow drug dogs into county schools to sniff out students for prescription pills. "We want the drugs out of the school," she said. "We don't need a fatality." Students have grown wise to the tactics of teachers and principals, and hide prescription drugs in their pants, underpants and shoes, Jordon said. [continues 852 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Charleston woman agreed in Kanawha Circuit Court Monday to a judge's suggestion that she have her fallopian tubes tied as part of her probation. Jessica Michelle Butterworth, 21, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana on March 23. At her sentencing hearing, Judge L.D. Egnor suspended a one-to five-year prison sentence in favor of five years of probation. Egnor, a retired Cabell County Circuit judge who has been hearing cases while Judge Paul Zakaib Jr. recovers from an illness, said he had made arrangements for Butterworth to have the sterilizing procedure free of charge. [continues 630 words]
CHARLESTON -- It's on talk radio, the Internet and the Republican Party's priority list: so far, a GOP delegate's attention-grabbing drug testing bill is everywhere but before the Legislature. Berkeley County lawmaker Craig Blair has been promising for over a week to introduce a bill requiring drug testing for people who receive food stamps, unemployment or "welfare," which could refer to several federal programs. With a rollout that includes his own dedicated Web site, mentions in the press and the rare step of an endorsement from the state party's executive committee, the proposal has become like the Mothman of legislation -- everyone's talking about it, but not many people have actually seen it. [continues 655 words]
Long Court Battle Coming Obviously, no schoolteacher should show up for class reeking of whisky, or puffing cigarettes, or stoned on pot. As far as we know, none of these ills afflicts Kanawha County schools seriously. But the school board is so obsessed by the possibility that a teacher might use dope that it is squandering a lot of taxpayer money on the hazard. So far, the board has spent $25,000 - the school taxes from perhaps 1,000 families - for lawyers defending the board's attempt to impose random drug testing on teachers. [continues 376 words]
WILLIAMSON -- "We have declared war on drug dealers and no case will be too small for our attention," Mingo County Prosecuting Attorney C. Michael Sparks said in the wake of the Grand Jury's return of a record-setting 69 felony drug indictments. Fifty-nine of the felony drug indictments returned to Chief Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury Thursday were sealed and suspects have yet to be taken into custody for arraignment on felony drug charges. Besides those true bills, 10 other felony drug indictments are among 22 unsealed indictments contained in the grand jury's report. [continues 1109 words]
Drug Courts One Option In Reducing Prison Overcrowding FAIRMONT -- As in many other states, the prison population in West Virginia is increasing quickly. Although violent crimes are on the decline, the population of West Virginia's prisons is quickly outgrowing the capacity of the state's facilities, according to Joe Thornton, deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, which is the agency that oversees the Division of Corrections. Currently the state has room for 5,000 prisoners in state prisons. However, there are now 6,200 inmates who have been sentenced to terms in state prisons, Thornton said. That means there are 1,200 prisoners who should be confined to state prisons but are instead sitting in regional jails awaiting transfer to prisons when a bed opens up. [continues 906 words]
CHEYENNE - Methamphetamine-related arrests in Laramie County have decreased every year since 2006. The most dramatic drop came last year, when meth-related bookings dropped 52 percent in the county. Some have attributed it to increased law enforcement efforts, along with education and prevention through coalitions and local and state government. But authorities warn that the drug of choice could be shifting in the state to prescription drugs. [end]
Editor: In your editorial, "Cages: Reduce Incarceration," [Jan. 6] you missed an important reason why America abuses its prison system. The United States overzealously cages humans because the prison industry and its unions and lobbyists have worked hard to create a financial gravy train for their own interests, regardless of how it affects the country. While America is in dire need of credible drug law reform, the prison industry spends huge sums to perpetuate the problem at the cost of America's wellbeing. Grotesque conflicts of interest occur when America has private prisons operating for profit. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - For people grappling with substance abuse, basic health care can be fraught with worry: over-the-counter cough medicine can have relapse-triggering amounts of alcohol, and visits to the dentist are hazardous if they include narcotic painkillers. A new outpatient clinic at the University of Charleston, likely the first of its kind in the state, hopes to make those anxious decisions easier when it opens later this month. The vision for the free clinic is a one-stop information center for patients and practitioners, where issues like medication side effects and appropriate pain treatment for recovering addicts can be addressed. [continues 699 words]
Shamefully, America is the world's largest stockade, with more than 2 million Americans locked in prison and jail cells. Per capita, this nation confines six times more of its citizens than Canada does, eight times more than France does, and 12 times more than Japan does. Shamefully, America is the world's largest stockade, with more than 2 million Americans locked in prison and jail cells. Per capita, this nation confines six times more of its citizens than Canada does, eight times more than France does, and 12 times more than Japan does. [continues 447 words]
Lawyers for Metro 911 filed a motion in federal court Tuesday to intervene in a case over random drug testing of school employees, saying that an unsuccessful outcome could limit the emergency operation center's own policy that allows random drug tests. Kanawha Commission President Kent Carper knows there are differences between the existing Metro 911 policy and the Kanawha County schools policy, which is on hold until a legal battle works through the courts. "Each agency ...has different policies. But ours isn't proposed. Ours is in effect right this minute," Carper said. "At the end of the day, the final ruling will affect our policy." [continues 213 words]
HUNTINGTON -- Cabell County will start its adult drug court within weeks, making it one five new drug courts set to open this year in West Virginia, according to the county's Chief Probation Officer Johnny Winkler. The program is funded through state Supreme Court of Appeals. Cabell County's program will target felony offenders whose nonviolent crimes are committed to fuel a drug addiction. For some candidates, the opportunity will be the only alternative to prison. Winkler said repeated arrests and past problems will rule them ineligible for other programs. He hopes drug court provides a structured lifestyle and an opportunity for changed lives. [continues 466 words]
Want To Drug Test Employees? Make It Known From The Start A federal judge in Charleston this week granted an injunction filed by a teachers union to stop the Kanawha County school board from starting a random drug testing program for teachers. Judge Joseph Goodwin said it was his opinion that it violated the Fourth Amendment rights of those teachers. Not that we agree, but if that is the case, then a better solution would be one that is instituted by many employers, and will be followed by many more in the future. [continues 198 words]
Schools' Policy, Similar To County's, Blocked By Judge CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Officials at the Kanawha County courthouse may suspend random drug testing pending the outcome of a federal court challenge. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin issued a temporary injunction to stop the Kanawha County school board from conducting random drug tests of teachers and other school employees. Lawyers for the state's two teachers unions and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union are challenging the drug testing policy, saying it violates the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. [continues 281 words]
Kanawha Board Presented Weak Case, Judge Says Kanawha County teachers and other school employees will not be randomly tested for drugs beginning later this week, a federal judge ruled Monday. CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Kanawha County teachers and other school employees will not be randomly tested for drugs beginning later this week, a federal judge ruled Monday. Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin said lawyers for the Kanawha school board did not provide any evidence to show the county school system has a pervasive drug problem or give a strong reason why he should override school employees' civil liberties. [continues 771 words]
CHARLESTON -- A federal judge on Monday stopped the Kanawha County school system from implementing a new drug testing policy, saying it would force teachers to submit to an unconstitutional and unjustified search. U.S. District Judge Robert Goodwin granted a temporary injunction sought by the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, which argued that the policy was illegal and unnecessary. The policy would have allowed random drug testing of 25 percent of Kanawha County's school employees, including teachers, each year. The Kanawha County Board of Education approved the policy in October and planned to implement it Jan. 1. [continues 280 words]
Charleston, W.Va. -- A federal judge today halted a West Virginia school district's plans to randomly test its teachers for drug use. Nearly all school employees were to be tested under the Kanahwa County School Board's policy, which is similar to a Western North Carolina school system's policy that is also being challenged in court. The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued along with the state teachers' association to stop the West Virginia policy, said a U.S. District Court judge suspended the policy pending a final ruling. [continues 134 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge halted the Kanawha County school system's plan to randomly drug test teachers. U.S. District Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin said the drug testing plan would force teachers to submit to an unconstitutional and unjustified search. He also gave a scathing rebuke of the policy and the school board that approved it. Goodwin said the Kanawha school system's plan to randomly test 25 percent of its teachers and other school personnel each year was made even though it does not appear that there is a pervasive drug problem in the county. [continues 328 words]
A federal judge in West Virginia on Monday dealt a legal setback to random drug testing of teachers, which is also being challenged in a Western North Carolina school system. U.S. District Judge Robert Goodwin granted a temporary injunction sought by a teachers' union preventing the Kanawha County, W.Va., school system from implementing a new drug policy Jan. 1. Goodwin said random testing would force teachers to submit to an unconstitutional and unjustified search. He rejected the school board's argument that the policy was needed because teachers hold safety-sensitive jobs, a stance also taken by the Graham County, N.C., school board. The judge questioned why the Kanawha board didn't also test teachers for tropical diseases. [continues 239 words]
Those who drive to school or participate in certain activities could be tested. RIPLEY - The Board of Education in Jackson County is trying to do its part to keep young adults from abusing drugs. In September, the board budgeted $25,000 for random drug testing. Students in competitive athletic or academic activities or those who drive and park on school grounds are subject to a test. The results are not reported to law enforcement but parents are notified and given information about treatment options. "Its another way the board is taking what we think is proactive action to try to combat the problem of drugs in our county," said Jackson County Schools Superintendent Blaine Hess. Hess won't say if any students have tested positive so far. [end]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Fayette County school board members voted unanimously Monday to support the Kanawha County Board of Education in its bid to randomly drug test teachers and other employees. Fayette board members want to be known as friends of the Kanawha school board in its upcoming federal court case, according to a letter signed by Fayette school board President David Arritt. He addressed the letter to Kanawha school board President Becky Jordon. Kanawha school board member Pete Thaw discussed the letter at a meeting Thursday night. [continues 312 words]
Teachers and their unions could better use their money to work with school board officials to develop a reasonable drug-testing program that assures the public that school employees are drug free. Two West Virginia teachers unions are suing the Kanawha County Board of Education over its plan to randomly drug test school employees. What a fiasco. The West Virginia Education Association, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union, has joined the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia in arguing that the school board's policy would violate employees' rights, waste tax dollars and not improve student safety. [continues 332 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia's largest teachers union has filed a lawsuit challenging random employee drug testing of Kanawha County school employees. The West Virginia Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Friday in Kanawha Circuit Court. A similar lawsuit was filed late last month by another union, the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia. The WVEA argues that the school board's policy violates employees' rights and is a waste of taxpayer dollars that will not improve student safety. School board member Pete Thaw, the most vocal advocate of random drug testing, said he had expected the WVEA to intervene. [end]
West Virginia is not the only state grappling with overcrowded prisons. 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 non-violent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in anti-social behavior. [continues 85 words]
Inside West Virginia
