Back in 1979, then state representatives Dale Hibbs (R-Iowa City) and Bob Arnould (D-Davenport) helped shepherd a bill through the Iowa House that would have allowed marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. With such bipartisan support, the bill managed to get out of committee and onto the House floor for a full debate.

After a few hours of grueling political circus, the sponsors decided to withdraw the bill because it was abundantly clear that there wasn't the support necessary to pass the measure in that legislative session.

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Colorado and Washington Bills Gains Attention

DES MOINES ( AP) - Bills that would decriminalize marijuana and approve its medical use may be headed for the Iowa Legislature after voters in Colorado and Washington decided that adults should be allowed to possess small amounts of taxed and regulated pot for recreational use.

Iowa state Rep. Bruce Hunter, D- Des Moines, is preparing a bill that would decriminalize pot possession as long as those caught with it weren't selling it, he told The Des Moines Register.

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2 States' Votes to OK Recreational Pot Give New Energy to Movement Here, but Legislative Hurdles Loom Large

The morning after Election Day, as news sunk in that voters in two states had legalized recreational marijuana, state Rep. Bruce Hunter was having conversations with constituents on their front lawns about the prospect of Iowa doing the same.

"I was out picking up signs, and I ran into several people that wanted to talk about possibly legalizing marijuana and what we could do," he said.

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Since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Medical marijuana has also been discussed in Iowa and was the topic of a Wednesday afternoon forum at Compass Pointe Behavioral Health Services in Spencer.

Dr. Christian Thurstone - the medical director of the Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention Program at Denver Health and Hospital Authority - was the keynote speaker.

He began "The Blunt Truth About Medical Marijuana Symposium" with a video clip of a 1994 National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws meeting, in which an official talked about medical marijuana as a stepping stone to outright legalization of the drug.

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On Monday night Megan Johnson, health promotion club, introduced Dr. Christian Thurstone to a packed Sun Room in the Memorial Union. With a round of applause and some hoots and hollers Thurstone took the stage.

"I don't think we should have medical marijuana," said Thurstone, addiction and adolescent psychiatrist. "We should have put our resources into getting the [Investigational New Drug] exemption and going that route. I think the best we can hope for now if going back to a care giver model and rejecting legalizing it outright."

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Attorney General Eric Holder is being urged by some of the nation's top law enforcement officials to speak out against ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana in Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

Holder should discuss the dangers of legalizing marijuana, said Peter Bensinger, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He joined others in the law enforcement community, including some former directors of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

No way, reacted the Justice Department. Spokeswoman Allison Price said Holder will not "speculate" on the ballot initiatives.

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Study Will Be First of Its Kind

Marijuana use, despite the legal implications, has been common in America for generations, and it's becoming even more widespread as some communities legalize it for medical purposes.

But it wasn't until five years ago that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looked into its prevalence behind the wheel and found that 16.3 percent of the weekend nighttime drivers surveyed at 300 locations across the United States were drug positive.

Cannabis stood out as the most commonly detected drug, according to the survey. But what the survey didn't show - and what authorities don't know - is how often drivers are impaired by the drugs, specifically marijuana.

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On Sept. 1 2011, four Drake University students in Ross Hall were found in possession of marijuana.

Des Moines Police found medicine vials with marijuana and stems in them, pipes, glass jars containing marijuana, grinders, a one-hitter, a marijuana vaporizer, water bongs, several containers with marijuana residue and a scale, according to a Times-Delphic article.

The students were taken to the Polk County Jail. All four faced fines, court fees and university sanctions; some had previously been caught with marijuana on campus.

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Program Will Stress Treatment, Counseling

The White House's announcement last week of a new drug control policy puts Iowa at the forefront of a decades-long debate over how to treat substance abuse and crime - and may affect the case for legalizing medical marijuana in the state.

President Barack Obama's administration announced a $22 million grant program in Iowa, Arizona and New Jersey that aims to identify potential substance abuse problems before they becomes full-blown disorders. In doing so, the program eschews decades of a war-on-drugs philosophy based primarily on law enforcement in favor of increased prevention and treatment.

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FAIRFIELD - First, let me introduce myself. My name is Marie Smallow. I'm 59 years old and if you were to meet me, you would probably describe me as "grandmotherly." I have been suffering with pain and discomfort for the past 30 years due to a chronic progressive neurological condition commonly known as Multiple Sclerosis.

I'm writing to you today to argue for the legalization of Medical Cannabis. Of course this can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription. If you're wondering why I wouldn't just take a prescription painkiller, the reason is that I do not want to become addicted to anything like OxyContin.

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Decriminalization of marijuana is not an issue that is discussed by Serious People in America who want to focus on Serious Issues. It's just "pot." It's for "stoners." You want it to be legal? You must be a "stoner."

It's not a Serious Issue. This attitude and the amount of misinformation about marijuana is destroying the ability to have a rational debate on the topic.

It's a new age of McCarthyism, but instead of calling adversaries communists, the pro-criminalization camp labels their opponents "stoners," a far more effective label because it implies incompetence rather than dastardly plans. President Obama and candidate Mitt Romney have both avoided questions about medicinal marijuana during the caucus and primary season. Some Iowa legislators, including Iowa City's Sen. Joe Bolkcomm, are hoping to start a discussion on the issue of medical marijuana this year, but getting their colleagues to take the issue seriously will be an uphill battle.

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A Gallup Poll in 2010 Showed Americans in Support of Legalizing Marijuana Outnumbered Those in Opposition

Even those who support marijuana legalization admit this probably won't be their year in Iowa.

At least one Iowa Senate Republican is calling on lawmakers to consider legislation to legalize pot for medical use, the measure will likely stall in the Legislature again this year.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who has supported legalizing medical marijuana for years, said conversation will keep the issue relevant, but any serious action will take some time.

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DAVENPORT, Iowa-A Davenport postal worker who let drug dealers store large amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his home has been sentenced to six years in prison. Roger Dengler pleaded guilty last year to maintaining a drug house in a case that dates to 2006, when investigators seized 80 pounds of marijuana from a hotel room.

Police say they learned that Dengler, a 36-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, allowed his home to be used to store cocaine and marijuana. Prosecutors say a big-time dealer shipped marijuana from Denver to Davenport hidden in tires, which Dengler would then weigh, repackage and distribute to customers in the area.

In all, prosecutors say he stored up to 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

U.S. District Judge James Gritzner sentenced Dengler Thursday.

[end]

Last month's column about being against drug testing welfare recipients (Dec. 16) turned out to be somewhat controversial.

Many statements were made about welfare recipients not being "beneath us," and certainly they are not.

What is disturbing, though, is that out of 91 blogs and one letter to the editor, no one even mentioned the self-serving politics of Florida Gov. Rick Scott and his ties to Solantic.

If our elected leaders are passing laws that benefit industries they or their cronies have money invested in while circumventing our Constitution, then America, we have a problem.

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WATERLOO, Iowa --- The thump came a few minutes after Tai-Lin Phillips went to the bathroom of his small apartment.

When acquaintances who heard the noise went to check on him, they found Phillips on the floor unconscious.

One of the people in the apartment, 39-year-old Vonvette "Von" Leroy Sawyers would later tell police and friends he gave Phillips CRP.

Someone called 911.

Paramedics arrived and took Phillips to Allen Hospital, but he never regained consciousness and was declared dead.

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At first glance, Ron Paul's position on drugs may seem contrary to conventional wisdom, but that's because what has become conventional is not wisdom.

1) Much of federal drug laws operate outside of powers delegated to the government. Enforcement operates contrary to constitutional restraints. They break the law in the name of public policy. Where is the wisdom in this?

2) The "War on Drugs" is supposed to stop the import, manufacture, distribution, and use of harmful "psychoactive" substances. So after 40 years we should have the problem pretty much licked, right?

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Iowa Hospitals Report Spike In People Sick From Bath Salts

CHEROKEE, Iowa -- A growing number of people have been hospitalized in Iowa due to the effects of designer drugs K2 and "bath salts" in recent months, a trend that may indicate more are using dangerous synthetic drugs.

"I've been the sheriff in Cherokee County for 14 years and this is the worst that I've seen," said Sheriff Dave Scott.

Four people in Cherokee County, Iowa, last week became seriously ill after ingesting what authorities believe were so-called bath salts, a powdery substance often falsely marketed as a legal alternative to cocaine.

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With the Vermont governor's signing of a bill this month to legalize medical marijuana, eight states have now approved the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes. But today in Iowa, a person who is found to possess even small amounts of marijuana that they might use for bona fide medical problems is subject to arrest and time in jail - -- not to mention the costly legal expense to hire an attorney, take time off from work and possible jeopardy to a career.

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The war on drugs has failed. It's time to legalize marijuana, decriminalize other drugs, and implement science-based policies instead of fear-mongering.

These are not the words of drug-reform advocates, but those of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a 19-member panel made up of high-profile international experts. The panel's June 2 report declared the war on drugs a failure in no uncertain terms.

If the drug war was supposed to accomplish anything, it was to decrease the consumption of drugs and limit access to them. Quite the opposite has happened.

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Regarding your April 13 editorial, drugs did not spawn Mexico's organized crime networks. Just like alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone, drug prohibition created the violent drug-trafficking organizations behind all the killings in Mexico.

With alcohol prohibition repealed in the United States, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. It's worth noting that Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels.

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