Denis Fleming's Dec. 5 Forum article on incoming Attorney General Greg Stumbo's plans for fighting drugs was anything but reassuring. Obviously, Stumbo and Fleming (the deputy attorney general-designate) are not well read in the criminal justice literature, or they are more concerned with their political images than with the health and welfare of Kentuckians. Their plan calls for expanding the tried and true failures of the past with a blind eye to what research shows us actually works. [continues 479 words]
Editorial In 1996, voters in California voted to legalize the medical use of marijuana. But they soon were reminded of the limits of their power to extend compassion to sick people. Federal law prohibits use of marijuana even for that reason, and the federal government has operated as though Proposition 215 didn't exist. Last week, however, a federal appeals court said the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration have overstepped their constitutional powers. So the final say on medical marijuana in California should lie, amazingly, with Californians. [continues 476 words]
What does your family do on Saturday mornings? Chores? Grocery shopping? Sleep in? A few families may spend the morning in a team shopping effort with the children searching out such items as iodine, hydrogen peroxide, distilled water, coffee filters, Draino and camp-stove fuel. Later, the parents will use these items, and others, to make up a batch of methamphetamine. The children exposed to the chemicals in these labs may eventually suffer from breathing problems, seizures and learning disabilities. If their parents are caught processing 'meth,' the children will automatically be removed from their custody and put into foster care. [continues 919 words]
Just For Today The holidays can be treacherous times for those in recovery. Loneliness and emptiness are common feelings for a lot of people during the Christmas season, but when your life hangs in the balance if you choose to get high, those feelings can be deadly. For a lot of us, it's easy to look back at everything we've lost and not see everything we have. If we're alone, it seems that all we see are couples and families, smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves. If we're financially strapped, all we notice are the people pushing shopping carts full of presents out to their nice cars. If we're just getting into recovery, every bar catches our eye, the men and women going inside seeming so jovial and good-spirited. [continues 585 words]
Last time he was in trouble in federal court, former Prichard police Officer Larry David Bailey Jr. was acquitted on extortion charges. On Tuesday, Bailey left U.S. District Judge Charles Butler Jr.'s courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, with a year and a half left to serve on the 28-month term Butler handed him for possessing cocaine with an intent to distribute it. Bailey, 31, will get a 10-month credit for having been in jail since February, shortly after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. He pleaded guilty in March. [continues 259 words]
Drug a Factor in Half of Longmont-Area Child-Welfare Cases In two decades of handling methamphetamine-related cases, Longmont police Sgt. Tim Lewis has seen children left home alone for days, living in cars and playing around hypodermic needles. He's even worked on a triple homicide, in which a meth-addled Wyoming woman killed her three children because she was convinced they were clones. So when police responded Sunday to the stabbing of two Longmont boys, allegedly at the hands of their mother's boyfriend while he was high on meth, Lewis said the case unfortunately seemed perfectly in line with the culture of meth. [continues 300 words]
HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM? St. Clair County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Roy Mullins and his K-9 partner, Barry, check and search cars for drugs at county high schools on a regular basis. Mullins said he feels crystal meth is the biggest threat to young people right now. (Kellie Long/The Daily Home) Every time police officers arrest a drug dealer, every time they raid a crystal meth lab, every time they seize a car, cash and dope shipment, they win another battle in the war against drugs. [continues 1217 words]
Daniel Sneider (Opinion, Dec. 18) accurately points out the strategic error in shifting the thrust of our ill-conceived "war on terror" to Iraq long before consolidating whatever gains might have been enabled by military action in Afghanistan. Even before launching an attack on the Taliban and Al-Qaida in late 2001, the Bush administration had blundered conceptually in announcing a "war on terror" in simplistic (and polarizing) rhetoric. Our problems with the Muslim world have more to do with its resentment of decades of exploitation at the hands of the West. While it is true that exploitation was facilitated by the feudal nature of Islam itself, we will not solve the basic problem by capturing or killing a few men -- any more than we "solved" our (self-created) problem with the Colombian cocaine trade by killing the heads of the cartels. That our troubles in both Colombia and Afghanistan are linked to illegal drug markets dependent on our stubborn persistence in a failing domestic policy seems to have escaped any notice by pundits -- but perhaps I'm expecting too much. Tom O'Connell, Redwood Shores [end]
MIAMI - Two brothers who helped found the Cali cartel resumed running their billion-dollar drug operation from inside their Colombian prison cells, federal authorities said Monday in announcing their indictments. The 12-year investigation into the drug trafficking and money- laundering operations of Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela was one of the largest in U.S. history, U.S. Attorney Marcos Jimenez said. The brothers and nine associates were named in federal indictments that were unsealed Monday. The brothers have been incarcerated for their leadership of the Cali cartel since the summer of 1995, after a far-reaching investigation by U.S. and Colombian officials. [continues 83 words]
PARENTS of high school students in Oklahoma, take heed: If you haven't been paying much attention to your child's activities, a new survey suggests you should. The survey of Oklahoma students in grades 9-12 showed that about half -- 51 percent of the males, 49 percent of the females -- said they have already had sex. Of those, 15.6 percent, or nearly one in six, said they have had more than four partners. That get your attention? Try this: Nearly 6 percent said they had sex before age 13! [continues 235 words]
Trailer Includes Children's Shampoo, Clean Clothes, Gifts BROOMFIELD - Law enforcement officers in the Denver area have come up with a plan that treats children as children, even when they're evacuated from homes contaminated by the chemicals of methamphetamine labs. It's a trailer, with shower stalls, children's shampoo, bright pictures of animals, gifts and clean clothes, and it's expected to be in service by the first of the year. The problem has developed as teams such as the North Metro Drug Task Force raid more and more labs. This year, teams have uncovered 62 labs, from which 15 children were taken. Last year, they handled 97 labs. Overall, they say, children are found living in and around about one-third of the labs uncovered. [continues 120 words]
Medical marijuana advocates are celebrating more than just a little stash under the Christmas tree this week, as a recent ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals may have ended federal prosecution of many prescription pot users in California. In a major victory for backers of Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana use in 1996 by a large majority of state voters, the three-judge panel ruled on December 17 that federal agents lacked the authority to bust two users in the case Raich v. Ashcroft. [continues 709 words]
Call Me Ishmael. Just Give Me The Damn Audit! You probably wouldn't understand the psychology of a reporter. Well, maybe if you think of a fisherman. His fish story is better if the line snapped the first time, then he hooked himself in the seat of his pants, then he fell out of the boat, cut his finger, there was blood, and finally he landed the fish. That proves he's a hero for having won a contest with one of nature's lower life forms. [continues 1617 words]
MIAMI -- The mother of four was a "mule" -- a smuggler who swallowed capsules of cocaine to bring the lucrative powder into the United States. She admitted as much when she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into Miami International Airport. But a Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday that the mother's arrest, even with her 2-year-old daughter in tow, and her subsequent conviction and imprisonment, were not good enough reasons for the woman to lose custody of her children. [continues 433 words]
I'm writing about your outstanding editorial of Dec. 7th: "'Noble Experiment' Ultimately A Failure." I'd like to add that Alcohol Prohibition was terminated in 1933 not because they decided that alcohol was not so bad after all, but because of the crime and corruption that prohibition caused. Alcohol prohibition corrupted all levels of our government from the cops on the beat to the highest levels of our administration. Just as our drug prohibition policies are doing today. [continues 92 words]
The streets in western Barbour County are cleaner-at least for now. We're not talking about new beautification efforts, either. We're talking about the suspected drug dealers rounded up in a recent sweep headed by the Barbour/Bullock County Drug Task Force. The eight-month operation ended with the arrest of at least 12 suspected drug dealers. Many were allegedly caught on tape selling drugs to undercover agents. We commend Det. Stephen Hanners of the Drug Task Force, along with agents Lonnie Adams, David Dubose and Michael Saad. The community owes them a debt of gratitude for enduring the stress and long hours such an operation demands. [continues 113 words]
ORANGE - Town children soon will be introduced to a new DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer. Officer Heather Chambers, 26, has been appointed to the position, becoming a member of the Investigative Services Unit (ISU). Police Chief Joseph Dooley said Chambers gave up a promotion to sergeant to take the DARE job, a lateral move for her. "She decided she had too much to offer and too much to do before she became a sergeant," Dooley said. "I think it was a bold decision on her part. She chose to do something special for the department and community at this time. I know her day [for promotion] will come." [continues 983 words]
WASHINGTON -- Former vice president Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, maintained a public silence over the weekend about the arrest of their 21-year-old son on a charge of possessing marijuana. Police in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Md., arrested Albert Gore III and two passengers Friday night after officers said that they noticed someone driving a car without headlights about 11:30 p.m. The Montgomery County police department said in a statement that despite frigid temperatures, officers found that all of the windows and the sunroof of the dark-colored Cadillac were open. Police said the officers smelled marijuana and searched the car. They found a marijuana cigarette under the front console and a baggie containing suspected marijuana in a cardboard cigarette box under the front passenger seat, police said. Police said officers smelled marijuana coming from inside a crushed soft drink can. [continues 314 words]
The Anti-Defamation League recently honored two local leaders for their achievements in civil and human rights during the organization's 2003 Civil Rights Award Luncheon held at the Warwick Hotel. Tattered Cover Book Store owner Joyce Meskis and lawyer and former state Sen. Penfield Tate were the 2003 honorees. Meskis was recognized as a champion of First Amendment rights, specifically for her recent victory in the Tattered Cover v. City of Thornton, in which the Colorado Supreme Court supported her refusal to release a customer's book-purchase records to the North Metro Drug Task Force, which was investigating a bookstore patron. [continues 217 words]
Describing Gerald Eugene Bennett as a methamphetamine "cook," officials used his guilty plea to attempted murder Monday to alert the public about proliferating meth labs in Mobile County and to warn would-be manufacturers to stay out of the business. Four years ago there were no meth lab busts in Mobile County, according to Capt. Bruce Lee of the Sheriff's Department. This year, he said, there were about 100. One of them involved Bennett, 38, who opened fire with a .25-caliber gun when his Theodore home was raided in May 2002. He shot Mobile County Deputy Roy Cuthkelvin, according to federal court testimony. [continues 392 words]
A new DARE program, targeting students when they become especially susceptible to trying drugs and alcohol, is being introduced next month to seventh-graders in Columbus Public Schools and Franklin County Catholic schools. The revamped Drug Abuse Resistance Education program comes five months after the city of Columbus discontinued DARE, a fixture in fifth-grade classrooms since 1989. This time, DARE will be taught by eight deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. The program is being funded by a $158,414 grant from the Ohio Attorney General's office. [continues 498 words]
Does anybody except the Palm Beach County prosecutor give a rat's patoot whether Rush Limbaugh went "doctor hunting" for drugs? I can't figure out how society is better served or protected by looking into this matter. I could understand the prosecutor's zeal if some person or persons were harmed by Rush's action. However, as near as I can tell, Rush hurt only himself, has taken the necessary steps to ameliorate his addiction problem and there appear to be no victims. [continues 99 words]
There's No Evidence That Restricting Cold Medicine Will Curb Methamphetamine Manufacturing. Methamphetamine is a serious problem in Iowa, and ideas to combat it are welcome. But some ideas would create more problems than solutions. Such is the case with a proposal to crack down on the sale of cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine. This common ingredient in over-the-counter remedies like Sudafed and NyQuil is necessary in manufacturing meth. Marvin Van Haaften, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, has proposed classifying pseudoephedrine as a Schedule V drug in Iowa, which would require tracking its sale. Van Haaften said taking away a buyer's anonymity would make already-paranoid meth users think twice about purchasing cold medicine. [continues 198 words]
A new DARE program, targeting students when they become especially susceptible to trying drugs and alcohol, is being introduced next month to seventh-graders in Columbus Public Schools and Franklin County Catholic schools. The revamped Drug Abuse Resistance Education program comes five months after the city of Columbus discontinued DARE, a fixture in fifth-grade classrooms since 1989. This time, DARE will be taught by eight deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. The program is being funded by a $158,414 grant from the Ohio Attorney General's office. [continues 444 words]
MIAMI --Swallowing capsules to smuggle cocaine into the country was not enough reason for a woman to lose custody over her four children, an appeals court ruled. The 3rd District Court of Appeal overturned a Department of Children & Families motion to have the mother's parental rights terminated because of "egregious conduct," which had been granted by Circuit Judge Scott M. Bernstein. The five-page opinion said despite the woman having had her 2-year-old daughter with her when she was arrested at Miami International Airport, "the Department did not produce competent, substantial evidence of specific harm to the children." The woman was identified only as P.S. in the proceedings. [continues 159 words]
To the editor: For the U.S. Supreme Court to decide how long it takes to flush contraband down a toilet is to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic. With due respect, the only solution to rid the country of the scum the Delta Democrat Times talks about is to take away their profit by undercutting the street price in state drug stores and make users take responsibility for their behavior. Meet them halfway by using part of the revenue to offer free, open-ended treatment to all who ask. But those who decline such help can live in the gutter until they either die or decide to accept help. [continues 75 words]
Editor: The Dec. 6 Gazette reports that Troy Johnston of Cross Lanes was arrested after he bought "acetone, peroxide, cold pills and heating materials" at Wal-Mart. That is, he bought nail polish remover, an antiseptic, a cold medication and maybe a hot plate. Wal-Mart employees reported him to Nitro police, who arrested him before he reached his car for "attempting to operate a clandestine drug lab." As near as I can tell, Mr. Johnston stands accused of a felony because he might use his purchases to create an illegal drug. I wonder where this stops. Should we arrest gardeners who purchase ammonium nitrate fertilizers because they might make bombs with it? Should we arrest gun buyers because they might use their guns illegally? [continues 126 words]
Rick Waller recently responded to a letter of mine. The subject was the Boyce case, which was overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In this case, Boyce was found with 10,000 ecstasy pills and two large containers of marijuana. No one disputes this fact. The guilt of Mr. Boyce doesn't seem to matter. All that matters is what the police did. The officer was in a difficult position, evidenced by the fact that the decision to overturn was made by a circuit court. A district court had already decided the officer's actions were legal. Unlike the officer, both courts had more time, better surroundings, and superior legal training to help them ponder the situation. How can we expect the officer to make the constitutionally correct choice when two courts can't even agree what's right? [continues 119 words]
Since you have such an affinity for gangs, then we should address that! The ''gang'' crimes are ongoing on government property and many gang members live in that government housing, right? Housing authority policy states anyone can be tested for drugs if they are living there! How come that is not done, since the projects are the root of the drug problem of this city? Why do people not stand up for their home? Lack of respect and responsibility! Cathy Bolding [end]
COSHOCTON -- Attorney General Jim Petro awarded a $10,156 grant Friday to the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office for the 2003-2004 school year. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education grant is a portion of the nearly $3.2 million being divided among 222 law enforcement agencies statewide. Of the 222 agencies, 57 are sheriff's offices and 165 are police departments. Out of Ohio's 88 counties, 67 are participating in the program. "The DARE program plays a vital role in providing our children with the knowledge and self-assurance to avoid drug and alcohol usage. The program would be ineffective were it not for the dedicated DARE officers at Sheriff Tim Rogers' office that inspire our children to keep away from the dangers of drugs and alcohol," Petro said in a statement. [continues 147 words]
Kentucky has a drug problem -- a huge drug problem. Eastern Kentucky suffers from an epidemic of prescription drug abuse. Methamphetamines have a hold on the western half of the. And old standbys of cocaine and heroin remain ever present. In his successful campaign to become the state's next attorney general, Greg Stumbo promised that fighting drug abuse would be his No. 1 priority. Given the seriousness of Kentucky's addiction to illicit drug use, we should expect no less from the state's top prosecutor. [continues 389 words]
Court ruling sends a clear message to government agencies. To all the narrow-minded and misguided government agencies from Long Beach to Washington still persecuting medical marijuana patients, we'll put this as succinctly as possible: Stop. It is time for you to give up this cruel and pointless fight against good citizens who are suffering and simply seeking relief from an effective, relatively benign and potentially free drug. Last week's ruling from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals could not be clearer: The federal government cannot continue prosecuting medical marijuana patients in California and the six other states whose voters overwhelmingly, in most cases approved propositions decriminalizing marijuana for medicinal use. Patients are now free to grow their own or obtain it without cost with a doctor's recommendation, something the voters of California tried to establish seven years ago when they passed Proposition 215. [continues 329 words]
Seizures of heroin and methamphetamine have sharply increased in the El Paso area during the past year, data the U.S. Customs and Border Protection released Friday indicates. In fiscal 2003, which ended in September, officials seized 218 pounds of heroin, compared with 15 pounds in fiscal 2002. Methamphetamine seizures increased to 706 pounds in 2003 from 92 pounds the previous year. The data combine the seizures of Customs and Border Protection with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or their equivalents in years before those agencies were formed. Seizures of cocaine, marijuana and currency seizures also increased over seizures last year. [continues 209 words]
Informant Used; Lawsuit, Picket Planned Friday WAXAHACHIE - A drug "sweep" by an undercover informant and assistant principal at Waxahachie Junior High School Wednesday, Dec. 11 has Linda Gallegos fuming. Waxahachie Independent School District officials said 12 students in all were searched for drugs, including Gallegos' daughter, at the school, which is located north of Highway 287 on Brown Street. "Administrators and WISD security checked 12 students according to state law and in accordance with confidentiality guidelines," said Candace Ahlfinger, the district's public relations director. [continues 766 words]
Many Pushing Reforms To Reduce Overcrowding Tout Long-Term Savings MONTGOMERY - It's no mystery what Alabama could do to improve its criminal justice system, nor the reason the state can't do so now. The keys - more supervision, sentencing law changes, more community corrections options, transition and treatment centers for drug-addicted inmates - all require one thing Alabama doesn't have: money. Alabama's current sentencing structure, as well as its most "one-size-fits-all" punishment options - probation or prison - are largely blamed for the state's chronic prison overcrowding. [continues 963 words]
Too many inmates, not enough cells; hence, more paroles For three days this week, The Times examined the state's prison system and Gov. Bob Riley's plan to relieve crowded conditions by speeding up early parole for some inmates. The articles, written by Montgomery Correspondent Anthony McCartney, examined the situation in detail - the number of prisoners up for parole, the crimes they were convicted of, the use of alternative sentencing programs, the structure of the state's criminal laws. Even so, the problems confronting the state's law enforcement and judicial systems boil down to two elements: Alabama has 28,000 people in a prison system built for 12,000. The state has been adding 1,000 inmates a year; to accommodate those inmates would require a new prison to be built every year, and that hasn't happened. [continues 459 words]
Woman regains children, adds husband Debra and Walter Mitchell were embraced by Jefferson County Family Court Judge Eleanore Garber, who married them yesterday. Debra and Walter Mitchell's 6-year-old daughter, Inez, watched during the wedding ceremony. The Mitchells celebrated their wedding with refreshments of ginger ale and orange sherbet yesterday. Debra Mitchell will meet with a judge as the third stage of treatment in Family Drug Court, a Jefferson County program. Eight months ago, Debra Smith walked into Judge Eleanore Garber's courtroom an angry woman who was losing custody of her children because of her addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol. [continues 639 words]
WEST PALM BEACH - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went ``doctor shopping'' for prescription painkillers may examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep the records private; however, the judge said prosecutors may not make the records public. [continues 88 words]
The Narragansett School Department and the town's police chief have come up with what they think is a way to keep drugs out of the schools: send police dogs in to do periodic searches of school lockers and classrooms. As public policy, drug searches have all the trappings of a sure-fire hit. They are a dramatic, tangible way to show the public you're doing something about the drug problem. Officials can either point to the success of finding drugs and arresting a student, or they can assure the public that the school is free of drugs. [continues 472 words]
MORGANTON -- Two years ago, drugs, money and her son were the only three things Cindy Hildebran really cared about. She spent her days and nights constantly awake, strung out on drugs. She said she would lock herself in her room so her son, Luke Jenkins, who wasn't even 10 years old at the time, wouldn't see her get high. Methamphetamine, commonly known as meth, was her drug of choice. If she wasn't using, she was out selling it, pushing the drug onto anyone who would buy it. [continues 847 words]
A college education isn't a reward confined to a single individual, but instead is something that has the potential to reach beyond that person and impact our community in a positive manner. It is for this reason I am opposed to the federal law that denies educational assistance to individuals who have committed any type of drug offense. If we believe providing financial aid for school to drug offenders is rewarding bad behavior, then we believe providing the same to murderers, rapists and thieves is also a reward. If this is true, we are against drugs, but we support murder, rape and stealing. A kid has a better chance of turning his life around if he murders than he does if he is caught with a marijuana cigarette. [continues 184 words]
A federal appeals court in California has really stirred the pot in the seemingly never-ending medical marijuana debate by ruling that a 1970 act of Congress outlawing the weed may not apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation to use the stuff. A three-judge panel held 2-1 that such medical marijuana users can't be prosecuted under federal law. To reach that conclusion, the normally ultraliberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals applied some rather conservative reasoning to hold that the "intrastate non-commercial cultivation, possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes on the advice of a physician is, in fact, different in kind from drug trafficking.' [continues 231 words]
Lawyers Investigating Radio Host's Drug Use Look at 'Doctor Shopping' WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers can examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep his medical records private. The judge said prosecutors cannot make the records public. [continues 338 words]
Center of Hope May Operate Pending Zoning Decision A judge ordered Horry County to allow a methadone clinic to open, pending a zoning board meeting to decide whether to rescind approval of the Center of Hope clinic. The order from Circuit Judge John Breeden, filed Monday, will allow the clinic to operate until at least Jan. 22, when the county's Board of Adjustments and Zoning Appeals decides the clinic's fate. County attorney John Weaver said the county would lift its order immediately. [continues 434 words]
GRAMNET Gives Back Man's Growing Equipment but Not Drugs Medicinal marijuana user Don Nord, 57, has his growing equipment back. But he's still waiting for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to give him 2 ounces of the drug and smoking pipes that a county judge ordered be returned earlier this month. That likely won't happen, officials from the administration said last week. The growing equipment was returned by Matthew Harmon, a Grand, Routt and Moffat Narcotics Enforcement Team officer. GRAMNET is a federal task force made up of officers who searched Nord's Hayden home in mid-October. [continues 383 words]
December is the season for giving, and no one gives more generously than the U.S. Congress. Of course Congress has the advantage of doing its last-minute holiday shopping at someone else's expense, namely yours and mine. For example, on Dec. 8., the House of Representatives passed a bill that gives the White House drug czar's office $145 million of taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana propaganda ads. My personal favorite in this genre is a television ad in which police rough up a high school student when arresting him in the school's marijuana-smoke-filled bathroom. This is followed by a caption reading, "Marijuana: Harmless? Think again." (And no, I did not make that up). [continues 494 words]
Newly off probation, Ed Forchion of Browns Mills announced a bid for the U.S. House, then lit up. Call it a joint announcement. A South Jersey advocate for the liberalization of marijuana laws declared his candidacy for the U.S. House at Independence National Historical Park by - how else? - lighting up a marijuana cigarette. Not that he got a chance to smoke it. After just a few tokes Saturday afternoon, a phalanx of 17 park rangers surrounded Ed Forchion, also known as NJ Weedman. [continues 423 words]
But They Cannot Be Publicized, Judge Says WEST PALM BEACH - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers can examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep his medical records private. However, the judge said prosecutors cannot make the records public. [continues 289 words]
A decline in illegal drug use as reported by teens is largely due to the government's antidrug media campaign, which deserves support from skeptical lawmakers, the nation's drug czar said. "This has had an effect on discouraging drug use," John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said of his agency's media campaign that started in 1998 to reduce drug use among young people. "They've been skeptical ... but now it's declining." Some on Capitol Hill have said that the campaign was ineffective. A government-funded study last year found that the ads were not having the desired effect. [continues 412 words]
Palm Beach County prosecutors can have access to Rush Limbaugh's seized medical records to determine whether he violated state prescription laws, a judge ruled Tuesday, in an investigation the conservative commentator promptly called political payback on his national radio show. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, immediately moved to block the review of the records, but the judge's order opened a window of time in which prosecutors can go through the documents. It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether they took advantage of that. [continues 820 words]
Inside United States
