Thousands of stories across the country have captured the plight of Michael Phelps and his recent bong incident. Phelps has apologized for his youthful indiscretion. It seems that his apology was accepted by most Americans, including the corporate sponsors that gave Phelps lucrative contracts for his endorsements. Only one spoiler is making noise. Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland County, S.C., has said he will charge Phelps with a crime if he determines he smoked marijuana. Possession of marijuana in South Carolina is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $570 fine. [continues 440 words]
LANSING -- State officials are proposing overly restrictive rules that would undo the intent of compassionate medical marijuana law that voters approved in November, backers of the new measure claim. At a hearing Monday on proposed rules to govern medical marijuana use, supporters especially objected to requirements that patients and caregivers keep inventories of the marijuana grown for medical use. Some said a tentative rule against public use could mean patients would face prosecution for smoking pot on their front porches, or in their living rooms with the drapes open. [continues 444 words]
America ended Prohibition 75 years ago this past week. The ban on the sale of alcohol unleashed a crime wave, as gangsters fought over the illicit booze trade. It sure didn't stop drinking. People turned to speakeasies and bathtub gin for their daily cocktail. Prohibition -- and the violence, corruption and health hazards that followed -- lives on in its modern version, the so-called War on Drugs. Former law-enforcement officers gathered in Washington to draw the parallels. Their group, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), has called for nothing less than the legalization of drugs. [continues 537 words]
The votes were clear: Michigan residents gave the green light Tuesday to legalize marijuana for the seriously ill and topple some barriers to using embryonic stem cells for medical research. But the implications of both may be anything but. One day after the ballot proposals passed by healthy margins -- 63-37 percent for marijuana and 53-47 for stem cells -- several questions remained Wednesday. Among them: Q: Will easing Michigan's law on embryonic stem cells lead to new jobs and find cures and therapies for juvenile diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and other maladies? [continues 476 words]
Voters will decide whether Michigan will become the 13th state to legalize marijuana use for terminally and seriously ill people -- if a doctor certifies it could ease suffering. The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is backing Proposal 1, estimates that as many as 50,000 state residents could qualify for medical marijuana. They say it could play an important role in treating patients with a variety of illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis. [continues 481 words]
I have worked as a physician certified in the field of addiction medicine for about 25 years. I have treated over 30,000 patients with drug problems. Marijuana is not a safe drug ("Vote yes on Proposal 1 for medical marijuana," Oct. 3). The side effects, both short and long term, are varied and unpredictable. Mentally they include paranoia, confusion, memory and judgment impairment for the short term. Long-term permanent effects include paranoia, memory problems, depression, panic attacks, anxiety disorders, mood swings and impaired cognition. [continues 162 words]
Proposal 1 Offers Relief, Compassion, Safeguards for the Sickest Patients Michigan voters will have the opportunity to protect seriously ill patients from the threat of arrest and jail for using their doctor-recommended medicine. Voting "yes" on Proposal 1 is about compassion, common sense and providing a measure of relief for some of our sickest friends, neighbors and loved ones. Study after study has shown that medical marijuana can be remarkably effective at treating the symptoms of certain debilitating diseases and conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS, as well as countering the side effects of certain treatment regimens themselves. Indeed, medical marijuana often works for patients where conventional drugs fail. [continues 374 words]
Marijuana has proven benefits in limiting pain and reducing the side effects of other medicines used to treat certain illnesses. Proposal 1 would allow the use of marijuana for these limited medical purposes. Voters should say yes to Proposal 1. Proposal 1 would legalize doctor-prescribed marijuana. The Detroit News has reported that upwards of 500,000 Michiganians with "debilitating medical conditions" -- HIV/AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and the like -- will qualify. It can be useful, for example, in controlling nausea during chemotherapy in cancer treatments. [continues 378 words]
Medical Marijuana Use, Government Reform, Stem Cells May Mobilize Voters. Michigan voters will likely decide a red-hot trio of ballot questions in November: a massive overhaul of state government, a plan to ease restrictions on stem cell research, and another that would allow seriously ill people to legally smoke marijuana. In a normal year, the marijuana proposal would trigger the most controversy, experts say. But the other two ballot propositions are laced with such high emotion that the pot proposal may turn out to be the tamest of all. [continues 1339 words]
As if our military didn't have its hands full in Iraq and Afghanistan, the head of the Minuteman Project border security group seems to think they might also make good narcotics cops. Minuteman cofounder Jim Gilchrist suggested in recent radio interviews that the U.S. give Mexico 12 months to corral its criminal drug cartels and rising violence, particularly in border towns like Juarez and Tijuana -- or deploy the U.S. Army to do the job. That's the Minutemen. Their remedies for the drug war next door sound simplistic, but at least they're paying attention. [continues 655 words]
Medical Marijuana Is In, With Stem Cell Research and Government Reform Questions Likely. Michigan voters, who once faced a daunting list of potential ballot questions this November, may decide only a handful of issues after all. The deadline for turning in 380,000-plus petition signatures is only a couple of weeks away and, of the 10 ballot committees that launched campaigns, only a few remain active. Ballot watchers say just two or three are likely to make it to the finish line. [continues 898 words]
Blame government, not kids Why would we test our children? It is the government's fault that drugs are here. The Mexican border is open for the $2 billion dollars a year of dope to enter. Why blame the students or the adults for that matter? When there is money involved, there are NO rules. Bea Scalise New Smyrna Beach, Fla. [end]
Testing makes no sense We're going to institute random drug tests on students, which will cost a pretty penny in itself, not to mention the school district will possibly be defending itself in court over the inevitable legal challenges? The state is also mandating a curriculum that is going to force local districts to compete nationally to find and hire math and science teachers from an already depleted pool. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
The Michigan Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling released Wednesday, said police may use dogs to sniff outside a house for drugs without a search warrant. A Wayne County judge had suppressed evidence and dismissed marijuana charges against Detroiter Jeffrey Jones -- who had been convicted of previous drug charges -- because Jones argued the sniffing was an illegal search. The majority on the appeals panel agreed with prosecutors that police, acting on a tip, may use a trained dog to sniff the front door, and use that information to get a warrant to search inside the house. [end]
I don't see many politicians willing to support this cause and risk their jobs. Even in those few states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, federal law still trumps their decision. Advocates certainly have every right to challenge that, make their case and try to change the laws. But the very real health concerns are what scare people about marijuana, and what other "unknowns" might still lurk behind the cloud of smoke. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
I am not a marijuana user, and I truly believe its use should be legal, at least legal for medical purposes. How can alcohol be legal and medical marijuana not? Alcohol has destroyed more lives than can ever be counted. Cigarettes are the leading cause of cancer. I also keep hearing about the long-term effects of secondhand smoke, and yet no plan to ban either. You can drink all the alcohol you want, and puff cigarettes all day long, but one bag of marijuana can land you in jail. Bryan L. Moore Detroit [end]
Marijuana should be accessible to all who need it for medical purposes prescribed by your doctor ("Michigan to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical use," April 29). Marijuana is not as harmful as those drugs they advertise on TV, where the voice says "you shouldn't use this medication if you have blah blah, or side effects. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin." I haven't heard any side effects on marijuana yet. Samuel Allen Detroit [end]
Medical marijuana is bad medicine. There are many pain relievers available that are more effective with fewer side effects. Marijuana is a mind-altering substance. Do we, as a society, want people driving on our streets, teaching our children, building our homes and bridges, while under the influence of marijuana? I think not. David Clerebout Livonia [end]
As a conservative, I am against the legalization of any drug. Let's take a look at marijuana. From the seed to the smoke, it is not changed, manufactured or even laced with anything. It is not strong enough naturally to hurt you so how can that be a drug? It is a natural plant no different than tobacco and that has nicotine in it. Weed is not addicting, has no long-term effects and only contributes to crime because of its illegality. If marijuana were legal here, there wouldn't be drug lords running its supply from Venezuela and other communist countries. If we can regulate alcohol then we can regulate marijuana. Raymond Dubiel Lake Orion [end]
To paraphrase an old axiom, "Any patient who acts as his own physician has a fool for a physician." Marijuana should not be accessible to the general public for several reasons. First, it has not been studied thoroughly, yet, with respect to its efficacy and side effects. Second, the layperson without any medical training cannot be trusted to use it appropriately or effectively. Third, there are already on the market marijuana pills that can be prescribed by a physician on a case-by-case basis. Pradeep Srivastava Detroit [end]
Not studied thoroughly? Not one single active substance has been studied more. That is why there has never been a government panel that has recommended a continuation of restrictive laws: Shafer Commission, United States, 1972; LeDain Commission, Canada, 1972; National Commission on Ganja, Jamaica, 2001; Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2002; Consumers Union report, U.S., 2007; and others. How about the positions for the medical use of marijuana by the AIDS Action Council, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Bar Association, the American Public Health Association and over 200 other agencies and medical associations? Paul R Pearson Redford Township [end]
I would have to be really sick before I would consume marijuana. Though I am opposed to using it myself, I am all for legalization. To those who want to keep drugs illegal, do you really believe, even with all the laws we have, someone who wants drugs can't get them tonight? The laws are useless. They are only full-employment acts for the law enforcement industry. People who contaminate their bodies with drugs are foolhearty, but I believe the Constitution says something about the right to pursue happiness. David H. Lawrence Holly [end]
State Sen. Thomas George's statement that Michigan's medical marijuana ballot proposal is unnecessary, "because we already have medical marijuana in pill form" is incorrect ("Michigan to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical use," April 29). Marinol, the pill he's referring to, is a synthetic form of THC, one of more than 60 active compounds in marijuana. Like other medications, Marinol doesn't work for everyone. That's why there are many different drugs on the market to treat the same ailment. [continues 146 words]
Mich. to Vote on Legalizing Pot for Medical Use Rochelle Lampkin is a 49-year-old grandmother of 10 who used to picket in front of dope houses in her Detroit neighborhood, chanting "this is wrong, shut it down." Today, she knowingly breaks the law by using marijuana to ease searing eye pain -- a side-effect of the multiple sclerosis that struck her more than 20 years ago. She must use a cane or walker to get around. Lampkin is among the enthusiastic supporters of a proposal that will be on Michigan's fall ballot to legalize marijuana use by the terminally and seriously ill. [continues 1642 words]
Royal Oak Superintendent Thomas Moline needs to educate himself on the downside of student drug testing ("Royal Oak school chief wants drug tests," March 7). Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. More dangerous synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and prescription narcotics are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think drug users don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. [continues 71 words]
Metro Officers, Attorney Face Charges From FBI Drug Investigation Of Motorcycle Gang DETROIT - A former Detroit reserve police officer told members of a notorious motorcycle gang who among them was a snitch. A Hamtramck officer told them which gang members were under surveillance. And a Garden City officer joined the gang and got involved in drug sales. Those are the allegations by federal authorities in a stinging indictment released Thursday. The Metro Detroit police officers were among four indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on drug charges and for lying to federal agents and a grand jury. [continues 500 words]
Studies Show Random Exams Don't Discourage Illegal Narcotics Use The idea that raising the risk that wrongdoing will be caught will deter the wrongdoer is a tempting one, and it's behind a Royal Oak School district proposal to randomly test sixth-graders through 12th-graders for drug use. The program is built on a faulty assumption. Subjecting students to random drug tests won't discourage them from using illegal narcotics, according to a pair of University of Michigan studies. [continues 331 words]
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said his county will see a sharp decrease in the number of officers assigned to drug crime investigations because of cuts in federal money. "Virtually every sheriff's office in the country will feel the effect of these cuts starting in October of this year," Bouchard said in a press release. "In Oakland County, we will go from having seven people assigned to narcotic investigations to two. This is a major set-back for law enforcement and public safety as a whole." [continues 289 words]
Parents of 6th-Graders and Up Would Have to OK Random Checks; Only They Will Get Results. ROYAL OAK -- Voluntary and random drug testing of students as young as 11 years old could begin as soon as September in the Royal Oak School District. Superintendent Thomas Moline said he would take the issue before the school board in May, and if it is approved, he hopes to see it in effect for students in grades six to 12 by the new school year. [continues 608 words]
Supporters Gather Signatures to Ensure the Initiative Will Go Before Public in November. LANSING -- An initiative to legalize marijuana for medical use likely is headed for the November ballot in Michigan, following certification Monday of supporters' petitions by a state elections panel. The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which collected nearly a half-million petition signatures last year, easily surpassed the required 304,101 valid signatures to qualify, the Board of State Canvassers decided on a 3-0 vote. The initiative now goes to the Legislature, which has 40 days to consider it. If lawmakers approve the measure, which is unlikely, Michigan would become the 13th state to allow medical marijuana use. If lawmakers reject the proposal or fail to act within that time frame, it automatically goes on the November ballot. [continues 265 words]
Dear Abby: You were right to tell "Just Saying No" (Jan. 16) that his pot-smoking classmates could be headed for addiction or other problems. I worry that marijuana poses more risks to teens than they - -- or their parents -- recognize. More kids need professional help kicking marijuana than for all other drugs combined. It is not a "harmless" drug. School failure, which you mentioned, could be only the first of many problems daily pot smokers may experience. Researchers have a long way to go in understanding the complexity of brain function, but we know that illicit drug use changes the developing brain. Many young people smoke pot before their brain development is settled, and their chronic use of the drug can affect certain centers in the brain that control emotion and reason. [continues 136 words]
Federal Officials Say 'Extreme Ecstasy' Is a Potent Drug Laced With Methamphetamines. Federal agents are targeting a turbo-charged form of Ecstasy that is gaining in popularity, fearing it will lead to fatal overdoses similar to ones experienced a few years ago caused by heroin mixed with fentanyl. Michigan and nine other states along Canada's border would see the first wave of any such overdoses, and officials are warning that the so-called "extreme Ecstasy," which is mixed with methamphetamines, is becoming a problem. [continues 371 words]
Backers Can Gather Signatures to Put Legislature, Health Care Plans on '08 Ballot. LANSING -- Petition forms calling for a part-time Legislature and mandating universal health care in Michigan won approval Wednesday of a state elections panel, paving the way for circulators to begin gathering signatures next month. Both measures would go on the general election ballot in November of 2008. The Board of State Canvassers voted 4-0 to approve the part-time Legislature petition, which calls for a constitutional amendment that would slash the legislative session schedule from year-round to four months, reduce lawmakers' salaries and limit their benefits. [continues 532 words]
LANSING -- A group that wants to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes has turned in nearly 500,000 signatures to put the issue on the November 2008 ballot. The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care says the 496,000 signatures it gave the secretary of state's office should easily contain 304,101 valid signatures, the minimum required. If approved by voters, the initiative would allow qualified, seriously ill patients to use and grow a limited amount of marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a doctor. Twelve states and five Michigan cities have passed laws allowing the medical use of marijuana. Marijuana is illegal under federal law under all circumstances. [end]
Nolan Finley has good reason to blame drug prohibition for the violence plaguing Detroit streets. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and prohibition have the potential to cause harm. Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the spread of HIV, regulated marijuana sales aimed at separating the hard and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration as a prerequisite. Robert Sharpe [end]
Thank you for Nolan Finley's Oct. 21st column, "Child killings challenge the drug war." I agree that legalizing drugs would take the profits and violence out of the drug trade. In addition, by legalizing drugs, the $100 billion drug industry becomes taxable. This would bring much needed revenue to our cash-strapped government. Finally the civil liberties and privacy we sacrificed in the name of the War on Drugs would be restored. This change is something that libertarians, fiscal conservatives and social liberals could agree on. James Allison Warren [end]
As a retired police detective from Bath Township, Mich., I agree with Nolan Finley. My profession has spent a trillion dollars to arrest 38 million Americans on drug offenses and drugs are now cheaper, stronger and easier for our kids to find and buy. You have a drug problem? See a doctor. Howard J. Wooldridge Education Specialist Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Washington, D.C. [end]
Programs That Put Offenders in Alcohol, Drug Therapy Instead of Jail Forced to Retrench. DETROIT -- A runaway at 12 and a prostitute by 14, Felicia Donahue was desperate for a fresh start. It wasn't until the 30-year-old woman was arrested -- seriously addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol -- that she got the chance. A program at the 36th District Court in Detroit called Project Fresh Start that targets drug-addicted prostitutes put Donahue on the right path. Today she is sober, enrolled in community college and is preparing to move into her own apartment. [continues 758 words]
Take your pick of who to blame for the apparent drug-related execution of Alexus Eppinger, 9, and her five-year-old brother Terrance as they lay sleeping in a Detroit home last week. There are plenty of targets to choose from. Maybe you blame their mother for not having the instincts God gives a goose to protect her children. That's cold, I know, since she was slain, too. I'm sure she loved her babies. But you have to do more than love children; you have to keep them from danger, and putting them to bed in a house known for drug activity is dangerous. [continues 476 words]
The Office of National Drug Control Policy is hosting the fifth regional summit of 2007 in Detroit, which is designed to persuade local educators and politicians to implement across-the-board random, suspicionless student drug testing. The Bush administration is selling a seductive premise: If you test students, they will finally, at long last, "just say no" to illegal drugs (or face being caught by a test). While the simplicity of this theory can be appealing, this unproven policy actually runs counter to well-established principles of how educators and parents can best promote healthy choices among adolescents, particularly those most "at risk." [continues 633 words]
OK, so you're rich and famous and have a drug problem. You relapse and get arrested. What do you do? It seems the latest trend in countering your likely conviction is not hiring a "dream team" of legal defenders but immediately enrolling in a rehab drug program. Lindsay Lohan, the troubled Hollywood starlet, joins a host of other high-profile celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and the son of the former vice president, Al Gore III, who have adopted this novel strategy. [continues 558 words]
DETROIT -- A 17-year veteran narcotics officer is suspected of stealing six kilos, or 13 pounds, of pure cocaine worth at least $2.4 million, authorities said. Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said Thursday the officer, whom she didn't identify, signed out the drugs from the department's evidence room and replaced it last week with imitation cocaine. The officer has been suspended, she said, and the matter has been turned over to the FBI for further investigation. Meanwhile, the department will continue to review whether the officer is suspected in other illegal activities, she said. [continues 204 words]
WASHINGTON -- News that Al Gore's 24-year-old son, Al Gore III, was busted for pot and assorted prescription pills has unleashed a torrent of mirth in certain quarters. Gore-phobes on the Internet apparently view the son's arrest and incarceration as comeuppance for the father's shortcomings. Especially rich was the fact that young Al was driving a Toyota Prius when he was pulled over for going 100 mph -- just as Papa Gore was set to preside over concerts during a 24-hour, seven-continent Live Earth celebration to raise awareness about global warming. [continues 636 words]
In January 2002, in Juneau, Alaska, Joseph Frederick had the sort of idea that makes a teenager seem like one of nature's mistakes. Last week, after five years and the attention of 13 federal judges, Frederick became a footnote in constitutional history. His case illustrated how the multiplication and extension of rights lead to the proliferation of litigation. It also illustrated something agreeable in a disagreeably angry era -- how nine intelligent, conscientious justices can civilly come to strikingly different conclusions about undisputed facts. [continues 691 words]
An initiative that would allow seriously ill Michigan residents to use marijuana as a pain reliever without repercussions will be launched this week, The Coalition for Compassionate Care announced Wednesday. The Ferndale-based, grassroots group plans to collect 550,000 signatures within six months for a citizen's initiative known as the Michigan Medicinal Marijuana Act. It would allow patients to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for relief from pain associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. If 304,101 signatures are validated, the initiative would go to the Michigan Legislature, according to Coalition for Compassionate Care Spokeswoman Dianne Byrum. The act would appear on the November 2008 ballot if lawmakers reject or chose not to vote on it. [continues 211 words]
The Michigan Supreme Court has an opportunity to reconnect the idea of punishment with actual convictions for crimes. The so-called drug war has separated the two -- in violation of an essential feature of Anglo-American law. Under the rules of the drug war, property can be seized from citizens without their being found guilty of a crime. The government gets away with this by calling the seizures "civil" forfeitures. There's nothing civil about them. This week, the state Supreme Court heard arguments about the seizure of more than $180,000 from the rented car of Tamika Smith in 2002. She was headed west on Interstate 94 and was stopped for speeding. She was also driving with a suspended license. [continues 319 words]
Health Officials: Fatalities Highest Ever At 550 Health officials are blaming a spike of deaths linked to the powerful painkiller fentanyl for pushing drug overdose deaths in Wayne County to an all-time high. The county's Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported more than 550 drug deaths in 2006, a 20 percent increase from 2005, when drug overdoses accounted for 457 deaths. "We do believe that at some level the fentanyl issue is here to stay and that there may be other drugs that are corrupting the illegal drug supply," said Dr. Calvin Trent, a clinical psychologist for the Detroit Bureau of Substance Abuse. [continues 259 words]
Hats off to Nolan Finley for highlighting America's failed and colossally expensive "war" on illicit drug use ("Subject drug war to the Iraq war test," Nov. 19.) For nearly 100 years, starting with the passage of America's first federal anti-drug law in 1914, lawmakers have relied on the mantra: "Do drugs, do time." The human and fiscal consequences of this policy have been a disaster. America now spends nearly $50 billion dollars per year targeting, prosecuting and incarcerating illicit drug users. As a result, today there are more illicit drug offenders behind bars -- more than 450,000 by last count than the entire U.S. prison population in 1980. For marijuana alone, law enforcement spends between $7 billion and $10 billion dollars annually targeting users -- primarily low-level offenders, and taxpayers spend more than $1 billion annually to incarcerate them. Yet, illicit drugs remain cheaper and more plentiful than ever. If American lawmakers want to take a serious look at our nation's war strategies, let them begin by reassessing their failed drug war here at home. Paul Armentano Senior Policy Analyst NORML Foundation Washington, D.C. [end]
Drug abuse is bad. But Prohibition just makes the problem worse. Education, prevention and treatment are more effective and less costly. Legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. Treat addiction to harder drugs as the public health problem it is. Greg Francisco Paw Paw [end]
Regarding Nolan Finley's thoughtful Nov. 19th column ("Subject drug war to the Iraq War test"), if harsh penalties deterred illegal drug use, the goal of a "drug-free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding drug treatment. The drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness. With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. [continues 63 words]
