The Clarke County School District could vote next month on an expanded drug-testing policy that would require drug tests for all new employees, including teachers, beginning in July 2007. The new policy also would require security personnel and employees who hold commercial drivers' licenses to submit to random drug testing, which currently is done only with school bus drivers. Beyond that, the new policy would require any school district employee, again including teachers, to submit to a drug test if there is reasonable suspicion they are impaired by illegal drugs or alcohol. At least one area school superintendent told the Athens Banner-Herald for a Monday story, "Drug-testing policy could lead to lawsuits," that the policy could serve as a model for other school systems in the region - if it survives the legal challenges likely in store. [continues 466 words]
The selection of a new drug squad commander must be the consequence of careful thought, so the applicant with the best credentials is chosen. IT'S GOOD that Chatham County administrators have backed away from their plan to name a new commander for the countywide drug squad by the end of this year. The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team plays a critical role in area law enforcement. County officials owe it to the public to do due diligence in picking a new CNT leader. There's no huge rush to fill the position, as the agency will be in capable hands with its interim leader, Capt. Paul McBurney, who was named last week. [continues 783 words]
In the maelstrom that has surrounded the fatal shooting of 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston by Atlanta Police Department, I can't help but sit back and shake my head. The APD conducted a legal plain-clothes raid with a judge-issued warrant following an informant who bought drugs at the residence. Once inside the residence, the victim shot three police officers before being gunned down. Police later found a small amount of marijuana in the victim's home. According to CNN, Rev. Markel Hutchins described the event as having "all of the signs of an egregious violation of Ms. Johnston's civil and human rights at worst, and police officers using poor judgment and unnecessary force at best..." and he continued on to appeal for a federal investigation of the affair. [continues 389 words]
When you're trying to survive a maelstrom of criticism and controversy, it's a little difficult to see the moment as an opportunity for constructive change. But that's just the opportunity that Police Chief Richard Pennington has. He should use it to rewrite his department's strategy on drug interdiction. Pennington will get less resistance from tradition-bound police officers if he moves now, while the public outcry over the shooting death of 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston is still at full volume. Without the tragedy - in which plainclothes police burst into the home of a frightened old woman, who shot at the intruders and was then killed - narcotics officers, especially, would likely protest any shift that precluded use of their favored cowboy tactics. [continues 625 words]
Officers Regularly Fail to Report What Searches Found In March, an Atlanta Police Department narcotics officer, later involved in the fatal shooting of an elderly woman, got a "no-knock" search warrant for a house on Evans Drive after determining that a man named "Grill" was selling cocaine there. How Officer Jason Smith came to that conclusion, how he persuaded the judge to give his unit the exceptional warrant, and what police found are hard to pin down, more than eight months later. That's because State Court records contain only a judge's order allowing the officers to bust in and search the place -- not the supporting documents that are supposed to accompany the order. [continues 809 words]
When reading about credible drug law reform in, "War on Drugs Needs New Strategy" (Nov. 29, 2006), I can't help imagine the resistance from police unions and the prison industry etc. yet society must control out of control "no knock" police raids. I'm reminded of the Nazi swastika and the resemblance makes Me associate SWAT with the newly coined term SWATSTIKA. To rationalize SWAT teams, police officials talk about preparedness for terrorist incidents. Once trained, however, SWAT teams nationally are mostly used to serve drug warrants and make drug arrests. One study shows 66 percent of their use is for executing search and arrest warrants. [continues 78 words]
Little Oversight, Bad Information a Deadly Mix The botched Atlanta raid that ended in the shooting death of 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston was sad and tragic, but unfortunately, it was neither uncommon nor unpredictable. After taking a year to research and write a paper for the Cato Institute on the proliferation of forced-entry, paramilitary-style raids, I'm sorry to say Johnston is just one of at least 40 innocent people killed in botched raids over the last 20 years in America. Worse, there are dozens more cases of low-level offenders, bystanders - - and police officers killed or injured. [continues 651 words]
While I agree with Bethany Kirkpatrick's assessment that the death of a 92-year old grandmother at the hands of Atlanta police is tragic, I find it nearly as tragic that, as a senior at the University of Georgia, Kirkpatrick has yet to grasp the fundamentals of cause and effect. Drug dealers make money because of the war on drugs, not in spite of it. The prohibition against drugs has created a very simple supply and demand system that has introduced a culture of violence and poverty in communities across America. It is this supply and demand system that allows drug dealers to gain so much wealth on the backs of addicts. [continues 444 words]
Having read Bethany Kirkpatrick's editorial today entitled "Attack Plan for Drug War is Idealistic" I had to respond. Andrew Muchmore was more than practical and actually very informed in his article and I want people to know why. I am a retired Law Enforcement Officer and one of the most vocal speakers for LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and I would like you all to know something very important. According to a 1980 Study entitled "The Fact About Drug Abuse, "Psychoactive substances have been available throughout recorded history and will remain so. To try to eliminate them is completely unrealistic." [continues 106 words]
Statistics Show 1 In 15 Adults In Georgia Is Under Correctional Supervision Much has changed in Georgia's prison system since Terry Barnard was a freshman state lawmaker in 1994. Back then, the state had about 24,000 prisoners and a corrections budget of $400 million. But in the wake of stiff crime bills, mandatory sentences and a general public approval of getting tough on crime, that budget has ballooned to almost $1 billion. There are now more than 53,000 inmates in Georgia's prison system, with another 166,000 on probation or parole. [continues 851 words]
All wars have a way of creating collateral damage, as the desk-bound bureaucrats euphemistically call the dead innocents, destroyed buildings and decimated towns that just happen to be in the way of bombs and bullets. Kathryn Johnston was collateral damage in America's misguided "war on drugs." On Nov. 21, the 88-year-old in woman was shot dead by Atlanta undercover police officers who crashed through her door after dark to execute a "no-knock" search warrant for illegal drugs. Living in a high-crime neighborhood, apparently frightened out of her wits, she fired at the intruders with a rusty revolver, hitting all three. That's according to the police account, which says the officers then returned fire, striking Johnston in the chest and extremities. [continues 642 words]
All wars have a way of creating collateral damage, as the desk-bound bureaucrats euphemistically call the dead innocents, destroyed buildings and decimated towns that just happen to be in the way of bombs and bullets. Kathryn Johnston was collateral damage in America's misguided "war on drugs." On Nov. 21, an elderly woman was shot dead by Atlanta police officers who crashed through her door after dark to execute a "no-knock" search warrant for illegal drugs. Living in a high-crime neighborhood, apparently frightened out of her wits, she fired at the intruders with a rusty revolver, hitting all three. That's according to the police account, which says the officers then returned fire, striking Johnston in the chest and extremities. [continues 664 words]
Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington's response when three of his narcotics officers shot to death an elderly woman during a drug raid last week was not out of character. He was out of town, in New York for the Thanksgiving weekend, as he was when another major event touched his agency. As soon as he got back to Atlanta, Pennington asked state and federal investigators to review what happened, agreed to interviews with select media outlets and met with community leaders to assure them he would get the to bottom of things. [continues 911 words]
As heartbreaking as it is that police mistakenly shot 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in a drug raid, we must realize that this is a freak accident, not the norm. In response to this tragedy, Andrew Muchmore proposed reform to the war on drugs in his column on Wednesday. While his idealistic suggestions of "addiction treatment, education and economic opportunity" sound nice in theory, in reality they are impractical and ineffective. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has already made drug treatment programs available to eligible inmates. Sadly, of the inmates who do opt for treatment, 20 percent will go back to drugs just six months later. As far as treatment, education and jobs go, they will never be effective unless drug offenders want to be helped. I'd even venture to say that a pretty large handful of drug offenders currently in prison are fully aware of both the moral and physical implications of drugs and may even have participated in a treatment program before. [continues 357 words]
Just a few days ago, three Atlanta police officers shot down and killed a 92 year-old woman in her home while executing a search warrant. The frightened elderly woman lived alone in a high-crime neighborhood and had burglar bars on all her doors and windows. When the officers attempted to batter down her door, she fired on them and was killed when the officers returned fire. What is most disturbing about this is that the officers were apparently following standard procedure, in which the homes of suspected non-violent drug offenders are routinely broken into by armed police officers or SWAT teams without knocking or identifying themselves first. [continues 407 words]
When Police Burst In Without Merit, Tragedy Ensues Faced with troubling new allegations in the shooting of 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston by three of his officers, Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington has wisely asked the FBI, assisted by the GBI, the Fulton County district attorney and the U.S. Justice Department, to take over the investigation. The Atlanta police version of events has changed in disturbing ways. First, the department claimed that an undercover officer had bought drugs at Johnston's house earlier in the day, establishing grounds for a search warrant. Later, police said that an informant had actually made the drug buy. Now that alleged informant, under wraps awaiting an FBI interview, apparently disputes that story, saying that he never purchased any drugs at Johnston's home and that police asked him to lie to cover up their deadly error. [continues 456 words]
Being the police chief in a major metropolitan area is, to say the least, very challenging; in times like these, even more so. This tragic incident has shaken this community to its core, and the residents deserve honest answers. But I must ask for patience and calm as we get to the bottom of the events of Nov. 21. I give you my word as the chief of police that we will not rest until every detail is checked, verified and checked again. We owe it to the residents of Atlanta, but especially to Kathryn Johnston's family and many friends. [continues 286 words]
Says He Was Asked to Lie The confidential informant on whose word Atlanta police raided the house of an 88-year-old woman is now saying he never purchased drugs from her house and was told by police to lie and say he did. Chief Richard Pennington, in a press conference Monday evening, said his department learned two days ago that the informant -- who has been used reliably in the past by the narcotics unit -- denied providing information to officers about a drug deal at 933 Neal Street in northwest Atlanta. [continues 430 words]
Activist Wants Feds To Look At Woman's Death An Atlanta civil rights activist is calling for a federal investigation into the fatal shooting by Atlanta police of a 92-year-old woman during a drug raid at the woman's home. Police contend they wanted to search Kathryn Johnston's house because an undercover drug purchase had been made there earlier on Tuesday, the day of the shooting. Johnston wounded three officers, emptying a six-shot revolver before being shot to death, police said. [continues 746 words]
Shooting Victim, ', Shot Officers Five Times One Cop Hit Three Times; All Released From Hospital Atlanta police say undercover officers bought drugs from a man inside the home of a 92-year-old woman hours before she was killed in a gunbattle that left three officers wounded. Neighbors and family members say Kathryn Johnston was a feeble and frightened woman who rarely let people into her home, even when it was just friends bringing groceries. Police are investigating how the deadly Tuesday night confrontation came about. [continues 1180 words]
Atlanta police have obtained an arrest warrant for the male subject who they say sold illegal drugs to undercover operatives at 933 Neal Street during the afternoon hours on Tuesday. A 92-year-old woman died that evening in a hail of bullets when she fired at three undercover agents with a "no knock" warrant who broke down her door. Police say they found illegal drugs in the northwest Atlanta home of Kathryn Johnston after the shootout. "Yes, narcotics was found at the location," said Officer James Polite, spokesman for the Atlanta Police. [continues 190 words]
Five days after an elderly woman was killed in a gunbattle that left three officers wounded, Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington said Sunday night his department will review its policy on "no knock" warrants and its use of confidential informants. Speaking for the first time since the Tuesday night shooting death of Kathryn Johnston at her home in northwest Atlanta, Pennington said his office "will turn over every stone to make sure we get to the reason why this tragic incident happened." [continues 619 words]
ATLANTA - A civil rights activist representing the family of an elderly woman killed in a gunfight with police is calling for a federal investigation into her death. The Rev. Markel Hutchins will go to Washington on Monday to deliver a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales requesting that the Justice Department and FBI review the shootout, Hutchins said in a news release Thursday. Kathryn Johnston, who police said was 92, was killed Tuesday evening by narcotics agents. Authorities said the agents got a search warrant for her home after buying drugs from a man there that afternoon. [continues 124 words]
One Cop Hit Three Times; All Released From Hospital Atlanta police say undercover officers bought drugs from a man inside the home of a 92-year-old woman hours before she was killed in a gunbattle that left three officers wounded. Neighbors and family members say Kathryn Johnston was a feeble and frightened woman who rarely let people into her home, even when it was just friends bringing groceries. Police are investigating how the deadly Tuesday night confrontation came about. The woman apparently heard police breaking through the burglar bar door before breaking down her front door. Johnston was ready. She fired her revolver and five shots struck the officers just as they rushed in the door. One was hit three times and the other two once each. All were later released from Grady Memorial Hospital. [continues 1114 words]
Counselor Predicts Demand Will Be High Ever wonder if your teenager is firing up a joint on Saturday night? For parents in Marietta, the answer can be determined in their homes in just a few minutes - thanks to their local high school. In a new, innovative program that might prove more popular with moms and dads than with their offspring, Marietta High School is offering $12 drug-testing kits to parents. Parents with middle school children also will be able to buy the devices from counselors at the high school. [continues 958 words]
Police Say They Had Made Drug Buy at Home As a northwest Atlanta neighborhood roiled over news that police had stormed a house and shot a 92-year-old woman, Atlanta police officials said Wednesday that cops had made a drug buy at the home and were returning to search the residence. Three narcotics investigators were wounded in the Tuesday night shooting when the home's occupant emptied a six-shot revolver at them. Police identified the dead woman as Kathryn Johnston. The investigators were released from the hospital Wednesday morning. [continues 1102 words]
In two days, Michael Berkow will put on the uniform to be the chief of the largest police agency in Chatham County. With that new uniform come many expectations, among them a lower violent crime rate and safer streets. What remains in question is whether he will control the multi-jurisdictional task force charged with stopping illegal drugs here. The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team is at the center of a power struggle and a political dispute between the city and the county. [continues 2015 words]
Eddie Williams used to love undercover work. Something about the adrenaline rush of waiting for drug dealers to make their next move. The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team commander remembers one operation in the 1970s, when he and a partner watched a southside drug dealer for a week - without showering, sleeping or eating a decent meal. Seizing a Winnebago filled with marijuana and arresting 20 people made every minute of those five days worth it, he said. He remembers one dealer who tried to hide marijuana by scattering it across a lawn for chickens to eat. [continues 868 words]
"Drugs, Not My Kid, Not My County" donated $3,000 toward Red Ribbon Week for the Habersham County School System. "Drugs, Not My Kid, Not My County" Director Molly Davis said she was proud to have donated the amount toward such a worthy cause - a campaign that reminds students the importance of remaining drug free - - but the program's efforts won't stop there. "We think education is the No. 1 way to prevent kids from using drugs and if you can educate them early then you have a better chance of them not using them in the future," said Davis. "The key to education is to continue to teach them and not put it in front of them once a year, so we'll continue to visit schools throughout the year." [continues 257 words]
It started out as a get-together. People with drug or alcohol problems would meet at Mt. St. Francis to play softball and basketball in a drug-free environment. Then, they turned to education when they saw their children facing the same problems they were trying to overcome. Five years later in 1986, the project became Our Place Drug and Alcohol Education Services Inc. -- a nonprofit organization, making their focus families. "We truly understand how drug and alcohol abuse affects the family from the youngest child on up," said MeriBeth Adams-Wolf, executive director of Our Place. "So we address the issue as a family issue, not one where we address it as a vacuum where you pull the individual out and talk only about their choices and the risks they face. [continues 405 words]
It's Red Ribbon Week, and at Evans Middle School Friday, narcotics investigators with the Newnan-Coweta Crime Suppression Unit showed students slides depicting the harmful effects of drug abuse, while an Alliance for Children's Enrichment representative encouraged children to stay away from drugs. It's all a part of the new "YIELD" program, which stands for Youth Involved and Educated to Live Drug Free, and it's this new partnership between the CSU and ACE that is working to reach children at the age known to be when they begin to try marijuana and prescription pills -- 13, according to Narcotics Investigator Todd Lengsfeld. The national average for a person's first drink is 12. [continues 370 words]
What to Know: Red Ribbon Week was created in 1988 in honor of the late U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Before this week, nine-year-olds Emily-Jean Elaine Couch and Jennifer Ann Lyon knew little about the dangers of illegal drugs. "I didn't know that some drugs could kill," said Couch, who vowed to say no if ever someone offered her illegal drugs. "I'd say no, because they make your brain crazy. They're bad for you." [continues 333 words]
MOULTRIE --The courthouse square is often the scene of celebrations, promotions and educational events. On Monday, it was all about drug prevention with a focus on the children. "Face the fact, drugs are wack," was one of the messages the Communities In Schools (CIS) 21st Century Afterschool Program First Annual Fall Festival promoted to parents and children. "Drug prevention is a community-wide issue," said Denise Bell, executive director of CIS. The CIS Fall Festival, which helped to kick-off Red Ribbon Week, was held on the square Monday evening with about 350 students and parents in attendance. The festival included free games and activities, hot dogs and hamburgers and a raffle for a DVD player. Even though there was a chill in the air, it seemed as if the students' only concerns were the activities that kept them entertained. Each booth sported a poster with a "drug free" message that coincided with the game or activity being presented including phrases like "Life is sweet being drug free" for the sweets table and "Count drugs out" for the jelly bean count table. The most popular game seemed to be the soda bottle ring toss and this booth was constantly busy through the two-hour duration of the festival. Many participants walked away with a two-liter bottle of soda along with the other "freebies" offered and won during the evening. [continues 305 words]
W-WPS And W-WES Are "Teaming Up Against Drugs." Preventing drug experimentation is the only way to effectively stop drug use and abuse before it starts, so efforts that focus on young children are proven most effective. During the entire month of October, as well as Red Ribbon Week, October 23-26, W-WPS and W-WES counselors, Fiona Calhoun and Debra Harper, will focus their attention on Drug Education. "We will have guest speakers and special activities that educate our young students on the importance of being drug free," stated Harper. "Washington-Wilkes Primary and Washington-Wilkes Elementary are 'Teaming Up Against Drugs!'" [continues 180 words]
MOULTRIE -- Communities in Schools and Colquitt County's 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs will sponsor their first "Red Ribbon Week Kickoff Festival" on Monday, Oct. 23, at the Colquitt County Courthouse Square. Communities in Schools is a non-profit organization that focuses on enriching the lives of all the youth in Colquitt County by connecting them with all the resources of the mainstream community. The Red Ribbon Week Kickoff Festival will highlight the national campaign of "Say No to Drugs." [continues 327 words]
Cherokee FOCUS and Drug Free Cherokee will address the rise in popularity of methamphetamine, and more, at the Cherokee Freedom Anti-Drug Summit from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday. Law enforcement agencies and social service providers will present the latest information in the war on drugs and the resources available for prevention and recovery. The 8 a.m. registration will be followed by several speakers throughout the day including: Judge Ellen McElyea, Cherokee County presiding juvenile court judge, Phil Price from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Troy Haas of HopeQuest Ministries. [continues 79 words]
A Former Deputy Sheriff Spoke at Armuchee High About the Dangers Of Meth. A decade of alerting Northwest Georgians to the dangers of methamphetamines has given Jesse W. Hambrick a rare insight into the dangers surrounding the highly addictive drug. "I would consider it an epidemic," he said, adding that it is likely that by the end of the year every Georgian will know someone affected by meth use. "I think it's one of the greatest community concerns that we face right now." [continues 343 words]
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday proposed doubling the number of agents in the GBI's new methamphetamine task force. The proposal would add 15 investigators to the Meth Force, which was formed earlier this year to curtail the trafficking, production and distribution of the popular drug. "An additional 15 agents on the GBI Meth Force will double the state's efforts to combat meth and related crimes like burglaries, assaults and even homicides," Perdue said in a news release. He made the announcement during a news conference at the GBI's regional drug enforcement office in Canton, about 40 miles north of Atlanta. [continues 338 words]
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday proposed doubling the number of agents in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's new methamphetamine task force. The proposal would add 15 investigators to the Meth Force, which was formed earlier this year to curtail the trafficking, production and distribution of the popular drug. "An additional 15 agents on the GBI Meth Force will double the state's efforts to combat meth and related crimes like burglaries, assaults and even homicides," Perdue said in a news release. [continues 317 words]
Would Add 15 Investigators ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday proposed doubling the number of agents in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's new methamphetamine task force. The proposal would add 15 investigators to the Meth Force, which was formed earlier this year to curtail the trafficking, production and distribution of the popular drug. "An additional 15 agents on the GBI Meth Force will double the state's efforts to combat meth and related crimes like burglaries, assaults and even homicides," Perdue said in a news release. [continues 316 words]
Perdue: Hike GBI Budget To Increase Task Force Size Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday announced that he will ask lawmakers to include an extra $1 million in the budget to double the number of agents on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Meth Force. Perdue, who made the announcement during a news conference at the GBI's Canton Regional Drug Enforcement Office in Cherokee County, said he wants to double the number of agents investigating methamphetamine trafficking, production and distribution from 15 to 30. [continues 248 words]
(Gwinnett Opinions recently published readers' comments about the effects of the illegal drug trade in Gwinnett County. Here, a Gwinnett resident discusses the pitfalls of society's approach to combatting drug abuse and the inconsistencies of legislation controlling how people must treat their bodies.) The war on drugs is destructive of civil society. Most social and economic problems are related to the inconsistent application of moral principles in our laws and government institutions. Frederic Bastiat [a French economist and politician who lived in the 1800s] said: [continues 618 words]
SNELLVILLE -- Crystal meth, a highly addictive and readily available illegal drug, has edged steadily eastward and is now what many consider an epidemic. Meth gives the user an initial rush which is often followed by spiraling agitation and violence. Gwinnett County has one of the highest percentages of crystal meth use in the country. In fact, one of the largest methamphetamine busts took place right here in March 2005. The street value of the seized substance was in the millions of dollars. [continues 295 words]
Does the Harris County School Board seriously believe that voluntary drug tests will catch drug-using students? Still, voluntary drug tests are preferable to mandatory ones. The U.S. Supreme Court made a terrible mistake when it ruled that drug testing students in extracurricular activities is constitutional. Student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation. [continues 175 words]
Willie Nelson's marijuana charges drive home the point of how ridiculous the war on drugs has become (Peach Buzz, Living, Sept. 20). "Zero tolerance," "mandatory minimum" and "the largest prison population in the history of all civilization" become little more than political catchphrases when they apply to family. Even hard-core conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh (opiate abuse), Jeb Bush (daughter - -- stimulants abuse) and Randy "Duke" Cunningham (son -- marijuana import) become reasonably soft on crime when their families' values are audited. It is high time that we ask ourselves why we build countless prisons to house zero-threat citizens. Ted Pettus Atlanta [end]
In 2003 marijuana possessions accounted for 21 percent of all arrests. In a 2004 National Survey on Drugs and Health, it was found that 94,000,000 Americans had at least tried marijuana once, and over 3 million people use it daily. About 2 million people try marijuana for the first time every year. Yet this drug is still illegal. Should we legalize it? As a non-smoker, I don't feel this would solve the problem. If marijuana is legalized, the FDA will regulate it and corporations will sell it. They will use addictive chemicals and possibly increase prices. The answer is to decriminalize it. If marijuana is decriminalized there will be less over-crowding in prisons, less organized crime profit and it will allow for more research into medicinal uses as well as keep corporations from being able to sell it. [continues 587 words]
But Board Still Supports Drug Tests In Some Form A mandatory random drug-testing program for students in grades 7-12 who participate in extracurricular activities or have Harris County High School parking permits has been rejected by the Harris County School Board. Despite the vote against the mandatory program during its Thursday night meeting, the board members indicated unanimous support for some type of drug-testing policy and asked Superintendent Susan Andrews to research voluntary programs. Andrews said Friday she expects to bring information to the board in December or January about school districts with voluntary drug-testing policies. [continues 193 words]
University Questions Idea's Validity University officials and students could get some help from a newly-formed student organization in drafting a medical amnesty policy for alcohol-related illnesses. Michael Stramiello, a graduate student from Macon, is forming a local chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in response to the Student Government Association's call for a medical amnesty policy for students seeking help after drinking too much. The chapter will be part of an international grassroots organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates measures and policies to help those who develop drug and alcohol problems. [continues 526 words]
Athens-Clarke, Oconee, UGA Working Together Police seized 317 pot plants with a street value of $1.1 million in June when they raided an indoor marijuana farm in a house across from Oconee County Middle School. The raid was one of the successes of the Western Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, formed in January by the Athens-Clarke and University of Georgia police departments and Oconee County Sheriff's Office. A change in federal drug enforcement funding led locals to create the task force, since grants now go to regional enforcement units rather than to individual police or sheriff's departments, according to the unit's supervisor, Athens-Clarke police Lt. Mike Hunsinger. The task force opened 206 cases, made 114 arrests on 165 criminal charges, and seized drugs and drug-related assets with a total value of $1.6 million in the first six months of 2006, Hunsinger said. [continues 328 words]
Inside Georgia
