Regarding the subject of compassionate care and medical marijuana in our state, please consider that there is a pill called Merinol that is the man-made form of marijuana. Its main ingredient is THC. And some against medical legalization will say, even argue, that the pill form exists and there is no need for another form, the smoked form. Please know that because the pharmaceutical companies have developed this pill, they have proved that marijuana and the main active ingredient, THC, does, in fact, have medical properties. It is no longer a question of whether it has medical/clinically proved benefits; apparently the pharmaceutical companies believe it does, as well as the doctors who have prescribed marijuana/THC in any form. [continues 117 words]
Funding cuts are becoming a common occurrence, but the Brewton Police Department has taken bad news and turned it into good news for the residents of the city. Since Sept. 1, the Brewton Police Department has been operating a two-man unit with full focus on drug crimes, and is having some success in curbing some of the illegal activities. "Federal funding cuts that hit the 21st Judicial Drug Task Force caused them to have to cut back on agents," Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin said. "We certainly didn't want to lose any ground on the war against drugs in Brewton. That's why we felt it was necessary to establish the Brewton Narcotics Unit." [continues 255 words]
Tax us, please What a shame that Alabama students will be the first to suffer the effects of the economic downturn when Alabama already has some of the lowest per-pupil spending in the nation. According to the most recent data that I can find, Alabama on average spends a little more than $8,000 per student per year. Yet we spend a minimum of $13,000 per year to lock up a non-violent resident for smoking pot. Instead of making responsible adult cannabis consumers a burden on state tax payers by forcing taxpayers to pay for incarceration, why not regulate and tax marijuana like we do with alcohol and tobacco and use the taxes collected to make our education system better? After all, we use the taxes from the sale of alcohol to fund the Department of Human Resources. There's a whole base of cannabis consumers in Alabama who would be more than happy to be taxed in exchange for a safe, regulated market. [continues 95 words]
What a shame that Alabama school students will be among the first to suffer the effects of the economic downturn, when our state already has some of the lowest per-pupil spending in the nation. According to the most recent data that I can find, Alabama on average spends a little over $8,000 per student per year. Yet we spend a minimum of $13,000 per year to lock up a nonviolent citizen for smoking marijuana. Instead of making responsible adult cannabis consumers a burden on state taxpayers by forcing taxpayers to pay for incarceration, why not regulate and tax marijuana like we do with alcohol and tobacco? We could use the taxes collected to make our education system better. [continues 90 words]
Dear Editor: What a shame that Alabama students will be the first to suffer the effects of the economic downturn when Alabama already has some of the lowest per-pupil spending in the nation. According to the most recent data that I can find, Alabama on average spends a little more than $8,000 per student per year. Yet we spend a minimum of $13,000 per year to lock up a non-violent citizen for smoking pot. Instead of making responsible adult cannabis consumers a burden on state taxpayers by forcing taxpayers to pay for incarceration, why not regulate and tax marijuana like we do with alcohol and tobacco and use the taxes collected to make our education system better? After all, we use the taxes from the sale of alcohol to fund DHR. There's a whole base of cannabis consumers in Alabama who would be more than happy to be taxed in exchange for a safe, regulated market. [continues 96 words]
Regarding Frank Winkler's letter headlined "Legalization clearly unhealthy": I've never partaken of marijuana in any form. I've suffered chronic pain for more than half my life. If marijuana for treatment of pain were legalized and prescribed by my doctor, I'd try it to see if it relieves or diminishes my pain that nothing else has relieved. I don't think government should be able to say what a person can or cannot do in order to relieve pain. [continues 139 words]
Re "Prohibition makes no sense" (Froma Harrop column, Dec. 4): Yes, there is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. The success of the Swiss heroin maintenance program has inspired pilot programs in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. [continues 102 words]
Should we legalize marijuana for medical use? ("State should join marijuana list" by Loretta Nall, and endorsed by Sarah Wires.) Proponents argue marijuana should be legalized for the chronically and terminally ill to medicate themselves, and that laws prohibiting sale for such use are "unjust." Several states are wrestling with this issue. California legalized medical marijuana locally and statewide. Why shouldn't we? First, why and how does marijuana "work" as a medication? The key is the psychoactive chemical Delta-9 tetrahydrocannibanol or THC. THC mimics cannabinols produced naturally by the brain -- analgesics that reduce nausea, stimulate the appetite (the "munchies") but in much stronger dosage that induces a strong sense of elation (the "high.") What's wrong with that? [continues 146 words]
Re "Prohibition makes no sense" (Froma Harrop column, Dec. 4): Yes, there is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. The success of the Swiss heroin maintenance program has inspired pilot programs in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. [continues 101 words]
Zero Meth Campaign Goes Into Its Second Phase The state upped its focus on teens and the dangers of drug use Thursday when some Etowah County students got an advanced peek at a DVD that goes along with the Zero Meth campaign. Gadsden City High School's ninth graders were the first to preview the DVD titled, "The Harsh Realities of Meth," last month. Some Southside student were also shown the film at the Etowah County judicial building. Gadsden District Attorney Jimmie Harp joined Gov. Bob Riley and other district attorneys in Montgomery for a press conference to unveil the DVD for the state. It is the second installment of the Zero Meth campaign. [continues 199 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]
In response to "State should join marijuana list" by Loretta Nail, executive director of Alabama for Compassionate Care: Thank you for printing the letter and keeping this subject before the public. For patients who are chronically and/or terminally ill, marijuana can mean the difference in a normal life for the time they have left and being asleep on the couch or in bed from other legal medicine that might relieve the symptoms but leaves one unable to truly function, live, be normal. [continues 162 words]
Dear Editor: Regarding Loretta Nall's request ('Make medical marijuana legal,' letters, Nov. 21): Colorado legalized medical cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) use and it has worked properly, protecting sick citizens from confrontation with government. One reason to permit sick humans to use the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it's Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, the Ecologician indicates he created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page. [continues 73 words]
Michigan voters this month approved a measure that will protect patients who use marijuana on the recommendation of a licensed physician. Michigan thus became the 13th state in the United States to remove penalties for the use of medical marijuana. Nearly 25 percent of all Americans now live in a medical marijuana state. Marijuana is a safe, effective and inexpensive therapeutic agent that eventually will be legal for patients throughout the country to use. The Alabama Compassionate Care Act has been tied up in legislative committees for four years, despite polls that show 76 percent voter approval. This bill would allow patients to use marijuana when a licensed physician recommends it. Alabama patients would be issued state ID cards so law enforcement personnel could easily see they are legal medical marijuana users. [continues 118 words]
Michigan voters this month approved a measure that will protect patients who use marijuana on the recommendation of a licensed physician. Michigan, thus, became the 13th state to remove penalties for the use of medical marijuana. Nearly 25 percent of all Americans now live in a medical-marijuana state. Marijuana is a safe, effective and inexpensive therapeutic agent. The Alabama Compassionate Care Act has been tied up in legislative committees for four years, despite polls that show 76 percent voter approval. This bill would allow patients to use marijuana when a licensed physician recommends it. Alabama patients would be issued state ID cards so law-enforcement personnel could easily see they are legal medical marijuana users. The American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and many other professional health-care organizations have endorsed medical marijuana. [continues 86 words]
Dear Editor: Michigan voters this month approved a measure that will protect patients who use marijuana on the recommendation of a licensed physician. Michigan thus became the 13th state in the U.S. to remove penalties for the use of medical marijuana. Nearly 25 percent of all Americans live in a medical-marijuana state. Marijuana is a safe, effective and inexpensive therapeutic agent that eventually will be legal for patients throughout the country to use. The Alabama Compassionate Care Act has been tied up in legislative committees for four years, despite polls that show 76 percent voter approval. This bill would allow patients to use marijuana when a licensed physician recommends it. Alabama patients would be issued state ID cards so law-enforcement personnel could easily see they are legal medical-marijuana users. The American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and many other professional health-care organizations have endorsed medical marijuana. [continues 83 words]
This is in response to The News article "Busted indoor pot farm" (Oct. 11), which was riddled with marijuana misinformation. Authorities said growing marijuana hydroponically makes it more potent. Hydroponics is simply a growing method. It in no way increases the potency of marijuana or any other plant. Breeding and genetics can increase potency and quality, but the growing method itself has no bearing on the potency of the final product. Authorities also claimed hydroponic marijuana is responsible for organized crime, home invasions, armed robberies, arsons and homicides. So, the growing method is responsible for all that? Now, I have heard it all. Why not throw child molestation and wife beating in there, too? Doing so couldn't possibly make that statement any less believable. [continues 146 words]
I'm writing in response to The News' article about the indoor marijuana operation police recently discovered. The article said an operation like that could generate $1 million a year. Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale said, "It would be impressive if it was a legitimate business." Well, why not make it a legitimate business? There has been a bill submitted every year since 2004 to the Alabama Legislature calling for the legalization of medicinal marijuana. There are many people who could benefit from this legitimate business. [continues 100 words]
A grant from the state will fund the Lawrence County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force for another year. The $50,000 grant, signed by Gov. Bob Riley, comes from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Justice and administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. "Illegal drugs threaten the health and safety of Alabama Communities," Riley said, "The investigations and arrests conducted by the task force send a clear message that drug distributors and pushers will not be tolerated in Lawrence County." [continues 90 words]
Elaborate Dirt-Free Operation Based in Kingston Warehouse Authorities say the largest indoor marijuana growing operation in the state's history was quietly thriving in a warehouse in a northeast Birmingham industrial pocket, operating covertly and producing top-grade pot that sells for four times the price of traditionally grown marijuana. After a two-month investigation, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies raided the Kingston warehouse Thursday night, busting up a sophisticated hydroponic system in which plants are grown in water, without dirt. [continues 573 words]
On the streets, where illegal drugs are still easy to get at affordable prices, Alabama's police chiefs are losing the decades-long drug war. Ironically, back in their precinct headquarters, many of these officers depend on drug raids to fatten their operating budgets. While the drug trade still enriches the bad guys, police chiefs now get a piece of the action. Many states, wary of overzealous police departments, require that the proceeds from seized assets be used for education or other nonpolice purposes. But the 1984 federal Comprehensive Crime Control Act, a turning point in America's war on drugs, is a way to get around these state laws. [continues 685 words]
In concert with Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb, Circuit Judge John Bush and District Judge Glenn Goggans, 19th Circuit District Attorney Randall Houston announced Thursday the establishment of the Elmore County Drug Court program. Set to begin Oct. 1, the program will be a second tier of the circuit's pre-trial diversion program, Houston said, and it will function in conjunction with the existing system. The program will be funded by the state's Administrative Office of Courts, which Bell oversees as chief justice of the supreme court. [continues 337 words]
We teach our children to stay drug free, not to drink alcohol, not to have sex outside marriage and to be faithful to their spouses once they are married. Then we offer them candidates for the highest offices in the United States who have personally broken all of these rules or who have family members who have. Are these the people that we want to set the standards of behavior for our children and grandchildren? Not only is it more of the same; it's worse! [continues 132 words]
GUNTERSVILLE - As newly elected president of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall said he will help promote legislation making it a felony for pregnant women to take illegal drugs. Marshall said a bill was introduced last year by state Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, but failed to become law. He said McLaughlin will reintroduce the bill, which calls for any woman who gives birth to a child who tests positive for an illegal drug to be charged with child abuse. "There are a number of children already testing positive for controlled substances," Marshall said Wednesday. The legislation, if enacted, would help reduce that number, he said. [end]
Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith is confused about the priorities of those in government when it comes to funding the war on drugs in America. "The federal government has seen fit to send $680 million to the Mexican government to fight drugs there," Smith said. "They have sent over $580 million to the Iraqi police and have given American police no funds to combat the war on drugs. It's apparent this is not a priority for congress or the president, but it is a priority for us." [continues 465 words]
In response to "Alabama authorities eradicate pot" (The News, Wednesday), I'd like to point out that by the Drug Enforcement Administration's own admission, 98 percent of the estimated 223 million marijuana plants destroyed by law enforcement in 2005 were classified as "ditchweed," a term the agency uses to define "wild, scattered marijuana plants (with) no evidence of planting, fertilizing or tending." Unlike cultivated marijuana, feral hemp contains virtually no detectable levels of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, and does not contribute to the black market marijuana trade. So, how much money is Alabama wasting by using helicopters and the National Guard to harass elderly men suffering from multiple sclerosis and to pull up and burn feral hemp plants that are of no value in the black market? Loretta Nall Alexander City [end]
After a lean 2007, Alabama's marijuana crop on the rebound Wednesday, July 16, 2008 GINNY MacDONALD News staff writer Alabama drug agents are finding a bumper crop of marijuana this year after a lean 2007. "We found a good bit early in the season last year," said Agent Doug Howard. "But the drought affected all the farmers - legal and illegal ones." The Alabama Department of Public Safety's marijuana eradication units annually sweep each of the state's 67 counties looking for the illegal weed. The searches cover woods, swamps, public land and private homes. [continues 446 words]
Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith is confused about the priorities of those in government when it comes to funding the war on drugs in America. "The federal government has seen fit to send $680 million to the Mexican government to fight drugs there," Smith said. "They have sent over $580 million to the Iraqi police and have given American police no funds to combat the war on drugs. It's apparent this is not a priority for congress or the president, but it is a priority for us." [continues 456 words]
On Wednesday, I read an article in The Birmingham News about a sweep to pull up, burn and destroy marijuana plants found growing in counties throughout Alabama. On Thursday, a letter writer said she is against this because the plants that are being pulled up are of no value on the black market (termed "ditchweed"). Does anyone else see a problem with this view? I realize taxpayers are paying for the labor, equipment, etc., for these county sweeps to be done, and some people might be upset by this because of the ditchweed being destroyed. Is it a waste of time and taxpayer money to have illegal drugs destroyed throughout our state? I think not. I will gladly pay, because I have seen firsthand the devastation that drugs can cause to families and relationships. I say destroy them all, regardless of the value of the plants. Destroying marijuana in this fashion is another step in the right direction to stamping out illegal drugs in Alabama. To those people working in this effort, keep up the good work. Emily Creel Hoover [end]
Cedric Scott's request for a review of his prison sentence because of the alleged misconduct of former Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas could be an isolated case - or the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Thomas resigned in disgrace last year just ahead of a Court of the Judiciary trial on ethics charges that likely would have removed him from the bench permanently. But the nature of the 30 ethics charges and such sordid allegations as spanking jail inmates and trading sexual favors implied that some criminal defendants who appeared before Mr. Thomas might try to get cases reopened or sentences changed. [continues 364 words]
Three years after a new law provoked a steep drop in the manufacture of methamphetamine in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the local labs are making a comeback, according to statistics and law enforcement officials. A state law that took effect in October 2005 limits the purchase of medications containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, key ingredients in the production of meth. Without those over-the-counter pills, authorities said, meth cooks had trouble amassing the components they need to make the drug. But investigators said meth cooks have begun to figure out how to evade the law. Although stores are required to record the names of people who buy medicine with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, there is no central database. As a result, Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said, pill shoppers discovered they could hop from one store to another and avoid detection. Hundreds of people in Mobile County appear to have bought far more ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products than they are allowed by law. [continues 1102 words]
With federal funds being all but eliminated, officers with the 21st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force may be changing their duties. "The Task Force has an annual operating budget of $280,000," county administrator Tony Sanks said. "Two years ago, federal funds made up 75 percent of that amount with agencies adding the other 25 percent of the funding. Last year, that amount was cut to a 50-50 match. This year, the federal funds have been cut to $94,250." [continues 356 words]
In response to 'Magic Mint' (The Cullman Times, June 23, 2008) I disagree that salvia needs to be banned and made a felony offense. If, as the headline implies, legislators know little about it then it doesn't even rise to the level of acknowledgement. Ms. Soule's attempt to make it illegal and apply the same penalties currently imposed on non-violent marijuana consumers is absolutely absurd. What -- we don't have enough people in Alabama jails and prisons for use of natural plants? [continues 261 words]
The hallucinogen salvia divinorum is legal and available in Alabama, but that may soon change. Deborah Soule, executive director for the Huntsville-based Partnership for a Drug Free Community, said efforts are currently under way to outlaw the drug once and for all. Since 2007, Soule has personally contacted many of Alabama's legislators and Gov. Bob Riley to bring attention to the drug. She had limited success during the last legislative session, when Sen. Roger Bedford Jr. sponsored a bill to make salvia a controlled substance. However, the bill never made it made it out of committee. [continues 561 words]
We at The Cullman Times bet a lot of our readers were surprised to learn how some young people in Cullman County are using a hallucinogenic drug, called salvia divinorum, to alter their minds in a fashion somewhat similar to LSD. We suspect you were also surprised to learn that salvia is perfectly legal to buy, sell and use in Alabama. We were definitely shocked. Here in Cullman County, a place where adults can't legally buy a glass of wine with their dinner, it's perfectly legal to sell a hallucinogen to a 15-year-old. Granted, the only local store we know that sells salvia requires the buyer to be at least 19, but that's not the law. It's merely by choice, a decision that we think is made more for public relations reasons than any sense of ethics on the part of the retailer. [continues 303 words]
FAIRHOPE -- The event was planned and advertised weeks ago: At the new Fairhope Museum of History, officials would open a city safe that had been abandoned and unused since 1971. What would be inside? Nothing? Old city records? On Thursday morning, a crowd of nearly 30 Fairhopers watched as locksmith Nevitt Baker lifted away its heavy, black door. A musty smell filled the room, and the crowd laughed as news cameras and curious locals closed in on the open safe. One woman rushed her young son out of the museum, saying she didn't want him to see what was inside. [continues 571 words]
Less than a week ago, the DeKalb County Drug Task Force was unsure whether funding would be available for an annual $100,000 grant. But DeKalb County Drug Task Force Director Darrell Collins said Friday his fears were put to rest when the U.S. Senate passed a $12.5 million budget for drug task enforcement across the state. "There is actually a little more money available this year than in the past," Collins said. He said there had been talk the grant would cease to exist, but was happy that did not prove to be the case. [continues 178 words]
Included in charges are evidence tampering, false reporting, drugs Two Huntsville police officers were indicted Friday for allegedly tampering with evidence, falsifying reports and attempting to possess drugs, the department announced Tuesday. Deputy Chief Andy Jackson said the charges stemmed from an internal investigation into alleged policy violations. Officers Wesley Little and Ryan Moore of the north precinct were arrested and booked in the Madison County metro jail. They have since been released on bond. Little was charged with attempting to possess a controlled substance, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, tampering with physical evidence and false reporting to law enforcement authorities. [continues 352 words]
The numbers were headed in the right direction: In 2004, law officers shut down 404 methamphetamine labs as the scourge was sweeping across parts of Alabama, especially in rural areas. The next year, the Legislature passed a state law that made it harder to buy the main ingredients in meth. In 2005, there were 276 meth lab busts in the state, dropping to 193 in 2006 and 127 in 2007, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Clearly, the new law was having an effect, as were enforcement efforts. That law required retailers to put over-the-counter products with pseudoephedrine and ephedrine behind the counter, and made buyers show a photo ID and sign a log. [continues 476 words]
ALICEVILLE - Alabama Attorney General Troy King said a former Pickens County district judge has pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 50 months in prison Tuesday. 59-year-old Ira D. Colvin entered a plea agreement in Pickens County Circuit Court, King said. The illegal drug was found in Colvin's Carrollton office in August 2006. Colvin was already serving a 12-year sentence in Mississippi after pleading guilty to similar offenses in Mississippi. Colvin's sentence in Alabama won't start until he completes his prison term in Mississippi. [end]
The son of McIntosh's police chief already under investigation for beating and Tasering a driver during a traffic stop in March has again been placed under review for firing a gun at a motorcycle during a police chase Sunday, authorities said. Officer Blaine Barnett, son of Chief Michael Barnett, fired a single shot into the front tire of a motorcycle being chased by police on U.S. 43, authorities said. Capt. Mike Ready, of the McIntosh Police Department, said another officer had attempted to stop the motorcycle driven by James Wills, 38, of Mobile, after the motorcycle was caught speeding at 80 mph at about 2:30 p.m. [continues 574 words]
`One-Pot' Cooking Gains Popularity Alabama is seeing a resurgence in methamphetamine labs, a reversal from the decrease that followed a 2005 state law that made it harder to buy the main ingredients, drug enforcement agents say. More meth cooks in the past year have started using a simpler, "one-pot" cooking method that takes fewer ingredients and can be mostly completed in a two-liter plastic soft drink bottle, authorities say. Jason Murray, commander of the Talladega County Drug Task Force, said his agents have found 70 of the "one-pot," or "shake and bake," meth labs since October. [continues 595 words]
In a recent article drug task force officer Chuck Hearn said that marijuana is kind of a gateway drug and he believed marijuana leads to other destructive substances. He said that many of the hard drug addicts he encounters, such as cocaine users, started smoking marijuana in their early teens. I bet if we were to ask those same people did they smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol before they started doing hard drugs like cocaine they would say yes. The gateway theory is just a "theory." I read a book entitled "Mother of All Gateway Drugs" by John Newmeyer, Ph.D. in which he states: "if we really want to look at what is the mother of all gateway drugs, its sugar. Did you ever give a baby a drink of soda or some ice cream? You can hardly pry it out of their hands." We're going to have to come up with something better than the "gateway theory" for us to have a reason to be arresting someone every forty seconds. Dawn Palmer [end]
The problem with marijuana prohibition is that it is based on known lies. Drug Task Force officer Chuck Hearn's claim that "Marijuana is kind of a gateway drug" is an example. The 1997 U.S. government sponsored Institute of Medicine (IOM) study on Medical Marijuana debunked the notion that marijuana use leads to heroin addiction with this pointed conclusion- "Whereas the stepping stone hypothesis presumes a predominantly physiological component to drug progression, the gateway theory is a social theory." The latter does not suggest that the pharmacological qualities of marijuana make it a risk factor for progression to other drug use. Instead it is the legal status of marijuana that makes it a gateway drug." (The IOM report is online at: http://www.drugsense.org/iom_report/ ) In other words, any gateway phenomena is caused by the drug laws that officer Chuck Hearn promotes and enforces. Legalizing and regulating marijuana for adult use will close the gateway. Ralph Givens [end]
Random Screenings Could Start In August Mobile County Public School Superintendent Roy Nichols said Thursday that he's moving forward with a plan to randomly test certain students for drugs as early as August. "It looks like we probably will begin student drug testing next (school) year," he told the Press Club of Mobile during a lunch meeting Thursday, during which he also discussed his first 90 days in office. "The main reason is as a deterrent, to give the students a reason with their peers not to experiment with drugs." [continues 475 words]
A Look at the Marijuana Subculture and the Laws That Suppress It To a lot of people, April 20 may be nothing special. Unless, of course, they smoke marijuana. April 20, or "4/20" is widely considered to be "National Marijuana Smoking Day." Although the recreational use of marijuana dates back to prehistory, there is a social stigma attached to it in modern society. "We should be able to discuss anything in an open environment," said Dr. Thomas Kersen, a UNA professor of sociology. "Should we incarcerate people or should we tax it [marijuana] It's a good dialogue." [continues 609 words]
Experts Debate the Effects and Laws of Marijuana Unseen. That's how it tries to stay - hidden in pockets, behind car seats, in closets and under beds. Some who smoke it do so with pride. The rest hide in apartments or bathrooms, worried they will get caught. Weed, pot or cannabis - no matter what you call it, the effects are the same. But what's the hype behind smoking marijuana? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's official Web site, a 2004 survey said 14.6 million Americans age 12 and older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed. [continues 1984 words]
One-Day Raids Seized 24 Meth Labs In State On March 5, 2008, 41 states participated in a nationwide arrest roundup of drug violators, called "Operation Byrne Blitz." The name is in reference to the federally funded Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant that not only funds vital drug task forces across the nation, but also Drug Courts and rehabilitation programs. The roundup targeted drug dealers in rural and urban neighborhoods, not addicts or users. This operation was planned and coordinated at the national level by the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies in partnership with the National Narcotics Officers' Associations' Coalition. [continues 280 words]
There was a wonderful essay in The Birmingham News written by Dr. Steven Rudd ("Weigh pros, cons of pot for medical purposes," Commentary, March 23). Rudd wrote about Michael Phillips, who suffered from seizures. Rudd said Phillips was arrested twice for using marijuana, which was suggested by his doctor to help control his seizures. Rudd asked us to do research and weigh the pros and cons about medical marijuana. The research shows there has not been one documented death as a result of marijuana use. How many pharmaceutical drugs can we say that about? [continues 91 words]
The letter "Funding anti-drug efforts wise investment" seems to be based entirely on opinion. It's naive to believe that criminalizing drug users is effective when one looks at the statistics and consequences. In 2005, this country spent more than $45 billion on all aspects of the drug war. In 2006, nearly 800,000 Americans were incarcerated for marijuana offenses. Drug convictions inhibit their ability to receive financial aid for college and to find a good job. I Corinthians 15:33 says "Bad company corrupts good morals." These minor drug offenders are spending their time in the company of murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc. [continues 148 words]
Inside Alabama
