DOVER, Del. -- A task force studying issues surrounding marijuana legalization in Delaware is wrapping up its work, but it remains unclear whether there is enough support among state lawmakers to legalize recreational pot use. The task force issued a draft report Wednesday and plans to present a final report Feb. 28. Rep. Helene Keeley, a Wilmington Democrat who is co-chair of the task force and chief sponsor of a stalled legalization bill, said the bill would be amended to address some of the concerns raised during task-force meetings. The panel has discussed a variety of issues, including law-enforcement concerns, taxation and banking, consumer safety, and local authority and control. [continues 459 words]
A Rehoboth Beach couple - the wife a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, the husband a disabled veteran taking medication for schizophrenia - say Delaware State Police officers beat and used a stun gun on the husband after finding him giving his wife a sponge bath when the family home they were in was raided in a search for drugs in June 2014. The couple, Ruther and Lisa Hayes, allege in a federal lawsuit that police commanders failed to train officers in the "constitutional bounds and limits concerning the use of force," especially when it came to interactions with disabled people. [continues 1431 words]
Pre-dawn police raids on suspected drug houses make for dramatic television. Too often in real life, however, these SWAT-like raids turn out to be mistakes, or, to put it more diplomatically, not exactly what the police had in mind. The News Journal published a disturbing article about a lawsuit this week that raises questions about the police strategy when it comes to fighting the war on drugs. Delawareans should look at closely at the articles implications. The article reports on a lawsuit filed by Rehoboth Beach couple against the Delaware State Police over their treatment during a drug raid on a Claymont house they were staying in. The wife is a quadriplegic. Her husband is a disabled veteran. They were not the subjects of the police raid, but they claim they were terrorized and mishandled by the police raiders. [continues 369 words]
I read Jonathan Starkey's article "Will Delaware Legalize Marijuana" with great concern. The history of the tobacco industry in the United States has shown that there is tremendous profit in selling addictive chemicals for recreational use. A growing marijuana industry in the United States is applying lessons learned from the tobacco industry to marijuana. Unfortunately, the public and legislators are not being adequately informed of the dangers of this drug. The use of marijuana is associated with memory impairment, impaired motor coordination (often resulting in motor vehicle accidents) and impaired judgment. [continues 166 words]
Advocates of legalizing marijuana should be pleased: Legalization has strong support in Delaware, a 2016 target for the movement. Legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use enjoys 56 percent support in the state, while just 39 percent oppose legalization, according to a new poll from the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication. And the breakdown was the same when the sample was limited merely to registered voters, says Paul Brewer, CPC's associate director for research and professor in the Department of Communication and Department of Political Science and International Relations. [end]
Immigration lawyer and columnist Christine Flowers calls cannabis consumers the "lowest common denominator" in a recent piece. The truth is quite the opposite. The last three U.S. presidents admitted to an experience with the devil's lettuce along with scientists like Carl Sagan and possibly half of the NBA. In fact, 100 million Americans have tried cannabis. Sprinkled with Latin and filled with a laundry list of marijuana cliches, Flowers decried Philadelphia's move to reduce penalties for pot possession. As a writer and legal expert she has, apparently, failed to do her homework. [continues 387 words]
Like many young addicts, Nola Parcells is part conformist, part eccentric. On Wednesday nights, she plays second base and catcher on her softball team. After the game, though, she lets Cash, her albino checkered garter snake, crawl through her platinum blonde hair with lavender highlights to help her relax. Nola is the new face of heroin addiction in Delaware. A student at the University of Delaware, where her dad is a professor, she's white, charming and solidly upper-middle class. [continues 2680 words]
Heroin is killing people. It is destroying families and ruining lives. It is making criminals out of young people, and it is terrorizing whole neighborhoods. Worse, it is spreading. Its low price makes it the drug of choice. And it is cheap. As the reporting in Sunday's News Journal/delawareonline special series shows, a bag of heroin can go for as little as $3. Yet a single 30-milligram Percocet could cost about $25. Too many people die from heroin overdoses. Far more have addictions that are burdens to themselves and their loved ones. [continues 411 words]
The heroin problem has officially reached epidemic proportions. In the state of Delaware and in many other areas throughout the country, heroin has become one of the most widely abused and certainly one of the most devastating illegal substances. Today, heroin is cheaper, purer and more addictive than ever. A nationwide crackdown on prescription drug abuse has caused their price to triple, causing many addicts to turn to heroin. So far this year, New Castle County has had 10 suspected heroin-related deaths in all areas of the county involving all races and sexes. Additionally, so far this year there have been 34 suspected heroin overdoses and county police have conducted 165 criminal heroin investigations. In 2013, NCCo police seized 270 percent more heroin than it did in 2012. Just recently, an undercover police operation resulted in the largest heroin bust in county police history, seizing 13,500 bags of heroin, with a street value of $41,000. [continues 552 words]
One of the more generous community resources available to Delaware families is a program directed at elementary school children about "safe touching." Appropriately, it often takes place in the classroom where all the students, regardless of gender, can be on the same page about the importance of setting and observing boundaries. The overwhelming message is: You determine who has access to your body and don't allow anyone to make you feel uncomfortable when you deny them access to touch you. [continues 712 words]
DOVER -- A state House committee gave approval Wednesday to amended legislation that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Helene Keeley, a Wilmington Democrat, would replace criminal penalties with $250 civil fines for anyone 21 or older in Delaware found possessing an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use. Fines double if unpaid after 90 days. The marijuana also would be turned over to police. Anyone under 21 would face unclassified misdemeanor charges under the substitute bill, which replaces legislation that would have legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. Parents of minors would be notified of an offense. But none of the charges would be entered into the criminal history database. [continues 325 words]
Any Changes Will Come in Phases Because of the State's Financial Constraints. Right around Christmas, a heroin addict from New Castle County went to jail for a month, where she detoxed but didn't receive the treatment she so desperately wanted. When she got out, she couldn't get into Gateway Foundation, a state-funded rehabilitation center, which, as the only true inpatient drug treatment facility in the state, often has a waiting list and other hurdles to admission. She was turned down for a variety of reasons, said Joe Connor, executive director of the Addictions Coalition of Delaware. [continues 1898 words]
The Spike in Heroin Use Is a Result of a Crackdown on Abuse of Prescription Painkillers. In Delaware and around the country, heroin is in vogue again. It's a deadly fad. In the last eight months, fatal overdoses from all drugs, including alcohol, have jumped from 12 to 15 a month. Heroin's resurgence is to blame for the rising death count, state officials say. The problem is everywhere, and in all sections of New Castle County, from the Hunter's Run Trailer Park in Bear to the upscale Country Creek community near Newark. Some users died in bedrooms, others on bathroom floors. One was found in a shed behind a home in Chelsea Estates. Another was lying on a driveway in Bear. [continues 1284 words]
The News Journal Begins A Three-Day Special Report On Heroin's Impact In Delaware And Across The Nation. Delaware's Heroin Crisis Delaware has for years lost a dozen residents each month to overdoses of booze and drugs, including prescription drugs such as Percocet. During the past eight months that number has risen to 15, and there's a high probability that heroin laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl is killing more people. The average age of the deceased is 41.3, but many have yet to hit their 30th birthday. In each case a family is shattered - be it rich or poor, suburban, inner city or rural, black, white or brown. [continues 1864 words]
FAMILIES, FRIENDS OF USERS ARE COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS AND ADDICTION Sitting on the couch in her grandmother's Brookside home, Danielle Eby looks like any other tween girl. When her eyes aren't glued to the game on her iPhone, she's in the kitchen hunting for a snack or chasing one of the family's three dogs. But at 10 years old, Danielle knows more about Delaware's drug culture than many adults. She knows what heroin looks like. She knows where people buy it. She knows how people act when they take it - lethargic, sluggish, like they're floating outside of themselves. [continues 2457 words]
Medical marijuana advocates say the state has taken too long to implement the 2011 law that established Delaware's program and are urging Gov. Jack Markell to act. Much of the issue stems from the state pursuing a single pilot medical marijuana dispensary, rather than one in each county, which the law allows, said Zoe Patchell, legislative correspondent for the Delaware chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "We would just like the law implemented as it was written," she said. "If it was any other law, it would have been implemented by now." [continues 287 words]
WILMINGTON, Delaware - Attorney General Beau Biden says a recent investigation of a state drug-testing lab overseen by the medical examiner's office shows Delaware needs independent crime laboratory. Biden said in a statement Thursday that the state needs to build its own crime laboratory. In February, Dr. Richard Callery was suspended as chief medical examiner amid an investigation of evidence tampering at a state drug-testing lab. The criminal investigation of drug evidence being tampered with, substituted or going missing after being submitted is ongoing. [continues 51 words]
On Thursday, Gov. Jack Markell Sent a Letter About His Proposal for the Medical Marijuana Center to Legislators Who Sponsored a 2011 Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana Use in Delaware. the Center Was Put on Hold Because of Potential Conflicts With Federal Laws. DOVER, Del. - Gov. Jack Markell is proposing to revive a plan to open a medical marijuana center in Delaware. On Thursday, Markell sent a letter about the proposal to State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington) and State Rep. Helene Keeley (D-Wilmington South), who sponsored a 2011 bill to allow medical marijuana use in Delaware. Plans for a medical marijuana center were put on hold because of potential conflicts with federal laws. [continues 536 words]
Let's start by stating that driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol is a crime and must be punished. All 50 U.S. states have clear laws prohibiting this activity. But there is one intoxicant that is trickier than the others: marijuana, especially when used for medical purposes. During the past two years, Colorado and Montana, along with more than a dozen other states, have proposed laws that set a strict threshold for determining when a marijuana user is deemed too impaired to drive. [continues 663 words]
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Rehoboth Beach Police have arrested a Colorado man they say shipped 12 pounds of marijuana to his real estate agent. Thirty-six-year-old Andre Dismuke of Denver was charged Saturday with trafficking marijuana and numerous other drug offenses. He was released on $10,500 bail. Police say the real estate agency called officials after an employee opened a package by mistake and found the marijuana, which police said had a street value of about $18,000. Authorities stopped Dismuke and his wife, whom police did not name, when they arrived in Rehoboth Beach. [end]
Federal Objections Delay State's Program Last spring, after the governor signed into law a measure legalizing the possession of marijuana for medical use, cancer patient Diane Jump and hundreds of Delawareans suffering from serious health problems were relieved to know that the drug they had been using to treat the crippling nausea and pain of chemotherapy would not land them in jail. Doctors, who must consent and write the prescriptions for medical marijuana, are holding back their approval. And the state is locked in a s talemate with the federal government over plans for distributing the drug. [continues 1259 words]
That warning of prosecution for state workers employed in medical-marijuana facilities from U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III last week was pretty ominous. But is it really necessary to entirely walk away from the possibility of the use of medical marijuana in the face of new federal opposition? Yes, President Obama is flip-flopping on his pre-election compassion for marijuana's medicinal value. And his administration is sending legitimate tremors through states like ours, which have credible research to support drafting regulation for licensing dispensaries. [continues 264 words]
Our children are learning how to smoke marijuana to get a false sense of gratification or high without exerting the necessary human effort to obtain individual achievements and personal excellence. That's why I believe school dropout rates, juvenile delinquencies, drug killings and gangs can almost always be linked to recreational use of drugs like marijuana. True human gratification or highs are obtained from personal achievements and individual excellence such as getting good grades in school, receiving school honors and recognitions, graduating from schools and colleges, obtaining a good job and receiving job promotions, purchasing your first car and first home, creating great inventions that benefits society, starting your own business, getting married and having your first child. [continues 71 words]
Diane Jump's daily regimen of cervical cancer medication includes packing a small pipe with marijuana, flicking her lighter and inhaling the smoke. The 50-year-old Pike Creek woman gets relief from the nausea and nerve pain caused by her chemotherapy treatments and other medicines. "I don't smoke because I want to get high," Jump said. "I smoke because it works. It's the only thing that works. ... It's my medication." Jump's elation from Delaware's legalization of medical marijuana faded Sunday after The News Journal first reported that Gov. Jack Markell has halted implementation of the nine-month-old law. The governor cited concerns that state workers could face federal prosecution for inspecting and collecting licensing fees from nonprofit medical-marijuana distribution centers. [continues 1066 words]
Some 440 miles from the heart of Wilmington's crime-ridden neighborhoods, it's obvious that light bulbs are going off in the heads of city officials. They are learning that viable alternatives to the typical lock 'em up law enforcement exist for fighting the city's record crime rates. In the beginning, no one expected Mayor James M. Baker's administration to uncategorically rah-rah the High Point, N.C., police department's efforts at redefining police work. There are tough questions to consider when it comes to reaching out to people who are notoriously dangerous. Reluctance is understandable. [continues 283 words]
State Delegation Hears Firsthand About High Point Model HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Wilmington seems to already have most of the building blocks it needs to deploy the crime-reduction strategy that has helped this city break up open-air drug markets and cut gang violence, officials here told a Delaware delegation Monday. "It may be just a matter of connecting those resources," said Wilmington Police Chief Michael Szczerba. Szczerba said police are already planning a call-in meeting, possibly next month, to tell a group of repeat offenders that their behavior won't be tolerated any longer. Such a meeting is a major part of the "focused deterrence" methods that High Point police have been using for several years. [continues 1036 words]
WILMINGTON -- A criminal case making its way to the Delaware Supreme Court could help define personal privacy and set limits on how far police can go when using electronic surveillance in Delaware and perhaps across the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union this week filed a brief in Delaware v. Michael D. Holden, urging the state justices to uphold a lower court ruling that essentially bars police from using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to track people without a court-approved warrant. [continues 958 words]
Regulatory, Licensing Process Begins for Three Dispensaries Gov. Jack Markell signed legislation Friday legalizing marijuana growing, distribution and use in Delaware for limited medical purposes. The General Assembly sent Markell the medical-marijuana legislation on Wednesday. The governor signed the bill Friday morning without the usual ceremony in order to initiate a one-year regulatory and licensing process for three not-for-profit dispensaries that will be authorized to sell marijuana to qualified patients, according to his office. Under Senate Bill 17, physicians could recommend marijuana for patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. [continues 182 words]
In a lopsided 17-4 vote, the Delaware State Senate gave a final OK to a House-revised version of the medical marijuana bill and sent it to Gov. Jack Markell. "I'm grateful that my fellow senators have acted in the interest of our fellow citizens who are suffering terribly from some horrific diseases," said Senate Majority Whip Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington East. "I am grateful to Gov. Markell for his support of this legislation." Markell praised Henry for her leadership on the issue. [continues 294 words]
Supporters Tout Strict Rules DOVER -- Delawareans with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating diseases could be legally using marijuana a year from now to alleviate the effects of their ailments. The Senate on Wednesday sent Gov. Jack Markell legislation that would decriminalize marijuana possession, use and distribution for limited medical purposes. The Senate's final vote came after an extensive lobbying effort that began in January with a visit to Legislative Hall by celebrity talk show host Montel Williams, who uses marijuana to ease the debilitating effects of MS. [continues 1161 words]
All that is left to make medical marijuana legal in Delaware is the signature of the governor, who has said he will make it law. The bill would allow people 18 and older with certain serious or debilitating conditions that could be alleviated by marijuana to possess up to six ounces of the drug. On Wednesday by a 17-4 vote the State Senate gave its approval to the bill that cleared the House last week. It heads to the desk of Gov. Jack Markell. Under the bill, qualifying patients would be referred to state-licensed and regulated "compassion centers," which would be responsible for growing, cultivating and dispensing the marijuana. Delaware would join 15 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing medical marijuana. [end]
By Sen. Robert Venables' count, there were 13 reliable conservatives in the Delaware Senate when he was elected in 1988 -- five Democrats and eight Republicans. Back then, he said, bills granting gay rights or legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes "would have never seen the light of day." Venables, a Democrat from Laurel, knows he's part of the last vestige of a conservative majority that has blocked liberal social issues from advancing in the General Assembly for decades. Until a few years ago, bills such as the one passed Thursday legalizing same-sex civil unions would never have reached a committee's agenda, much less the governor's desk. [continues 1351 words]
Senate Bill 17 represents a mature 21st century understanding of developing medical science and the beneficial value of substances that are illegal. The Delaware Senate's vote decriminalizing marijuana for specific medical purposes represents a mature understanding of the beneficial use of a popular illegal substance. The House should follow up on this week's vote with its own long overdue acknowledgement of developing medical science and acceptable public policy in other states to comfort those with debilitating illness. Under the bill, patients with qualifying illnesses would be issued identification cards and be limited to purchasing up to six ounces of marijuana each month. Marijuana could only be purchased from a dispensary, and home cultivation would be prohibited. [continues 94 words]
After an 18-3 Vote, the Bill Moves on to the House DOVER -- The Delaware Senate approved legalizing marijuana for limited medical purposes Thursday, despite reservations from some supporters who indicated the legislation has flaws. The bill would decriminalize parts of the state's drug laws and allow adults with debilitating diseases such as HIV or cancer to get permission from their doctors to purchase marijuana from a state-licensed dispensary. On an 18-3 vote, the Senate sent Senate Bill 17 to the House, where supporters believe they have enough votes to get the legislation to Gov. Jack Markell's desk for a signature. Critics said the bill puts Delaware on a path toward legalizing marijuana altogether. "If you don't think this is a step in that eventual process, you are sorely mistaken," said Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South. [continues 909 words]
One downstate Delaware senator is unhappy with the passage of the medical marijuana bill, saying that the legislative body did not seek advice from other sources. Sen. Joe Booth (R-Georgetown) , wrote in a release that the Senate's process was severely lacking. "There was no input or testimony before the Senate from the Attorney General, nor from the Medical Society of Delaware." "The legislation also appears to be contrary to written federal law about controlled substances, and that conflict was not resolved to my satisfaction." "There were numerous questions about enforcement of various aspects of the law that were left unanswered, or were brushed off with 'Oh, that will be taken care of when they write the regulations'. [continues 474 words]
Dover, Del. -- The Delaware Senate passed legislation today that would legalize the use of marijuana to treat severe medical conditions. All but three of the chamber's 21 members voted in favor of Senate Bill 17, which would set up a network of tightly regulated marijuana dispensaries that could sell the drug to authorized patients. Lead sponsor Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington East, said the legislation is about providing relief to the seriously ill, not legalizing drugs. "It's really a compassion bill. It addresses the suffering that many Delawareans endure," she said. [continues 230 words]
Dover, Del. - A group representing law enforcement officials across Delaware declared its opposition last week to legislation currently before the state Senate that would legalize marijuana for use by the seriously ill. Speaking at a March 23 Senate committee hearing on behalf of the Delaware Police Chief's Council, Lewes police Chief Jeffrey Horvath said the bill sets a bad example and is based purely on anecdotal evidence of the drug's effectiveness as a medical treatment. "One of my biggest concerns is we're going to send the wrong message to our children; we're going to send the message that marijuana is a good thing," he said. [continues 610 words]
Under legislation passed by the Senate March 31, patients using medical marijuana would legally be allowed to purchase up to 6 ounces each month. Passed 18-3, Senate Bill 17 decriminalizes the possession of marijuana for patients with certain illnesses. The bill creates a system of identification for eligible patients and allows them to hold marijuana products. The bill now heads to the House, where a date for a vote has yet to be determined. [end]
TV Host Helps Promote Legislation Talk show host Montel Williams told Delaware legislators Jan. 25, he uses medical marijuana to ease his multiple sclerosis. He urged them to decriminalize its use to alleviate pain. Senate Bill 17 has already been proposed by Senate Majority Whip Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington East to allow medical use of marijuana. For Williams, medical marijuana - smoked or eaten - provides more relief than traditional painkillers, including Vicodin and Percocet. Williams told members of the General Assembly how important medical marijuana is in helping him cope with the effects of multiple sclerosis, as well as other diseases and cancer. [continues 269 words]
Montel Williams Advocates Legislation DOVER -- For years, talk show host Montel Williams has advocated the legalization of medical marijuana, which he uses to manage the debilitating pain of multiple sclerosis. On Tuesday, Williams appeared in Legislative Hall to endorse legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in Delaware, while keeping it more closely regulated than other states. His visit corresponded with the introduction of Senate Bill 17, which would make it legal for patients with a state license and doctor's prescription to possess up to 6 ounces of marijuana for medicinal purposes. [continues 1034 words]
I have always been a supporter of medical marijuana. There are two reasons for this. The first is a personal experience many years ago. A son in a family very close to ours came down with cancer. He was having a real tough time with the treatments. A doctor told his parents that marijuana would provide the most effective amelioration for his extreme side effects. His father was in law enforcement. Nevertheless, he secured some pot for his son. The son died from the cancer, but substantially more peaceably than otherwise would have been the case. [continues 532 words]
Delaware's war against illegal drug use long ago ran into the law of unintended consequences. Regulations passed in the spirit of fighting crime and curbing public disorder ended up creating unanticipated problems and imposing financial and social burdens on taxpayers and large swaths of citizens. Now a "consensus" bill has been introduced into the state House of Representatives. It would modernize Delaware's drug laws and eliminate some of the state's minimum-mandatory sentences. The primary sponsor, Rep. Melanie George, believes the bill has a good chance of passing because it is a compromise bill -- compromise in the good sense of the word. [continues 123 words]
Your editorial on the drug war ("Drug war can't succeed without refocusing," May 17) was based on erroneous assumptions. Drug abuse reduction hinges on law enforcement and interdiction, treatment and education. Since we began the Nixon "War on Drugs," the overwhelming percentage of federal expenditures has been on law enforcement. Tons of confiscated drugs are displayed on the news with regularity, but the amount interdicted is a drop in the bucket. Regarding international efforts, it is important to remember that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld forbade the destruction of poppy fields in Afghanistan, a policy that has stood. I was recently in Peru, where a large percentage of cocaine originates. [continues 94 words]
Forty years, $1 trillion and nothing to show for it. It's obvious the federal government's war on drugs has been, and continues to be, an abysmal failure. Martha Mendoza's article on May 14 hit the nail on the head. The contradiction of governmental thinking, "It's not working. Do it more," defies reason. This is especially true with the illegality of marijuana. The fact that people are prosecuted and imprisoned for marijuana possession, while alcohol remains legal, is the height of absurdity. [continues 125 words]
Most taxpayers may not want to hear it, but waste should not automatically trigger the end of government funding a program of good intention. This is a tough argument to make, considering the recent news that America has spent a $1 trillion fighting a losing war on drugs for the last 40 years. Yet there are intangibles not measured by this mis-focused effort to alter the tremendous damaging effects of illegal drugs. Uncounted are lives saved through drug enforcement raids and police surveillance operations, despite the rampant street drug violence. And the rehabilitation of hundred of thousands of users can't be ignored. [continues 215 words]
Controversial -- but Legal -- Product Not Widely Known in State Three Seaford residents were taken to the hospital over the weekend after smoking an herbal marijuana substitute, prompting police to issue a warning about the relatively new substance that has cropped up in the state. Sold commercially as an incense or potpourri under the names K2 or Spice -- Blaze, Red X Dawn, Zohai, Gemini, Yucatan Fire -- it is marketed as an herbal product and labeled "not for consumption." It generally is sold in head shops as well as tobacco and convenience stores and on the Internet. When smoked, it gives the user a marijuana-like high, experts said. [continues 1014 words]
Delaware's Legislature is about to consider Senate Bill 94, which supposedly is intended to protect patients who may benefit from the medical use of marijuana. The bill is a farce. After intentionally removing glaucoma from the short list of protected patients, only seven diseases will qualify a patient for protection. Not covered are chronic pain, Crohn's disease and many, many other diseases for which marijuana provides relief. Worse yet, S.B. 94 will create several new anti-religious, anti-recreational use crimes. [continues 99 words]
In these tough economic times I find it troubling that our federal government is still spending billions of taxpayer dollars incarcerating nonviolent offenders. This is all a result of “The War on Drugs.” Mandatory sentences were instituted, a bill was passed to revoke bail and 65 percent good-time credit was changed to 85 percent. In other words, more money was being spent to incarcerate the same type of criminals – nonviolent drug offenders. Some nonviolent offenders are given 20- to 40-year sentences for crimes. All the while, white-collar criminals are given lenient sentences for crimes that cost us all billions of dollars annually. Meanwhile, violent offenders are given parole at alarming rates and not surprisingly, recidivate by committing more violent crimes. [continues 90 words]
Delaware's Proposal Echoes Other States' Tolerant Attitudes DOVER -- In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush claimed 59 percent of the vote in beating John Kerry in Montana -- no surprise in one of the most conservative states in the nation. During the same election, 62 percent of Montana voters gave thumbs up to a proposal that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The lesson? Delaware legislators don't necessarily have to stick out their necks politically to legalize medical marijuana use here. [continues 1120 words]
President Barack Obama's reversal of support for school drug programs that he and Vice President Joe Biden supported during their Senate years is a welcome admission that such a policy is not "the backbone of youth drug prevention." The president acknowledges that the programs -- which award state grants for the work -- are poorly designed. The White House cites a respected 2001 study that the underlying thinking for the funding is "profoundly flawed." But overwhelming anecdotal evidence of student criminal activity tied to illegal drug use, also linked to embarrassing high-school dropout rates over the two decades, has been solid ground to rethink the direction of funding. [continues 200 words]
Inside Delaware
