CEDAR RAPIDS - In the world of synthetic drugs, sometimes it takes a chemistry lesson to get to the bottom of what's in the Mylar packet. Sometimes it takes rats. On Friday, a federal judge heard about both during the penalty phase for a former Cedar Falls man and his mother, an Evansdale resident, who were convicted of selling potpourri and bath salts that mimicked illegal drugs. Authorities said Mary Ann Ramos, 53, sold Alpha-PVP and XLR-11 as a manager at an I-Wireless store in Cedar Rapids. She was found guilty during a June trial. Her son, Earl "E.J." Ramos, 27, pleaded guilty to similar charges in connection with substances sold at Five Star Stacks in Waterloo. [continues 466 words]
DAVENPORT,IOWA (AP) - An eastern Iowa man who was convicted late last year of growing marijuana that he used to treat his rare form of cancer has died. Benton Mackenzie, 49, died Monday at his home in Long Grove, near Davenport, his mother Dottie Mackenzie confirmed Tuesday. He had been growing marijuana to create cannabis oil that he consumed and applied to tumors caused by his angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels that he was diagnosed with seven years ago. [continues 286 words]
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - An eastern Iowa man who was convicted late last year of growing marijuana that he used to treat his rare form of cancer has died. Benton Mackenzie, 49, died Monday at his home in Long Grove, near Davenport, his mother Dottie Mackenzie confirmed. He had been growing marijuana to create cannabis oil that he consumed and applied to tumors caused by his angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels that he was diagnosed with seven years ago. [continues 297 words]
Iowa Man Says Self- Treatment Prolonged Life. Long Grove, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man who was convicted late last year of growing marijuana that he used to treat his rare form of cancer has died. Benton Mackenzie, 49, died Monday at his home near Davenport, his mother, Dottie, confirmed Tuesday. He had been growing marijuana to create cannabis oil that he consumed and applied to tumors caused by angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels that was diagnosed seven years ago. [continues 240 words]
Even as he faced his final moments, Benton Mackenzie's first thoughts were of his wife and son and their future. The 49-year-old terminal cancer patient who fought Scott County authorities over his efforts to grow marijuana for his own medicinal use died early Monday at home. "I've got a big empty pit right in the middle of my chest right now," Loretta Mackenzie told the Quad-City Times hours after her husband's death. She wants to have his remains cremated and his ashes spread in Arizona, where they met, as well as Oregon, where they made multiple trips last year seeking legal cannabis oil. [continues 838 words]
It was a tough fight getting the Iowa Legislature to pass a law prohibiting smoking in public places. By doing so the health of citizens has improved. Smoking is a large financial burden to Iowans. The terrible damage to the body has been reduced. Smoking has caused about 480,000 deaths each year. Secondhand smoke has chemicals that cause cancer and is even more dangerous. Iowa lawmakers should make casinos smoke-free. I wonder why legislatures in Iowa and other states are passing laws to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Smoke have legalized smoking pot for recreational purposes. How will the drug cartel in Mexico react to the new competition in the pot market? [continues 189 words]
WATERLOO | As lawmakers consider expanding medical marijuana laws and cities like Cedar Falls debate decriminalization of the drug, anti-drug advocates are urging Iowans to think of the children and proceed with caution. "When you say, 'I'm not going to enforce these sets of laws,' there's potential unintended consequences to that, and I just want people to think it all through and have a thorough debate on these issues and not make any decisions =C2=85 without being fully informed," said Steven Lukan, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. [continues 488 words]
Throw away almost every preconceived notion about marijuana. In the past month... * Rock Island aldermen unanimously welcomed a $135,000 investment from a Chicago-based firm eager to win our region's medical marijuana growing rights. * A former chief of the Illinois State Police under Republican former Gov. Jim Edgar signed on as chief of security for this marijuana cultivation company. * The White House declared marijuana a state's rights issue, an endorsement that portends a dramatic shift in federal enforcement. [continues 394 words]
There are many reasons to be excited about the inevitable end of the War on Drugs, specifically the incredibly wasteful practice of marijuana prohibition. The end of wasting billions of dollars upholding an unenforceable law, the discontinuation of a system that intensifies the worst racial injustices of the American legal system through the disproportionate sentencing rates of African Americans and Latinos compared with whites, and boatloads of revenue should be reaped from taxation of the newly legalized drug. In a political environment that's up to its eyeballs in bad news, it's incredibly uplifting to find a public-policy issue in which our political representatives seem to be heading toward a sane solution. [continues 496 words]
From her perch as head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow watches anxiously as the country embarks on what she sees as a risky social experiment in legalizing marijuana. For those who argue that marijuana is no more dangerous than tobacco and alcohol, Volkow has two main answers: We don't entirely know, and, simultaneously, that is precisely the point. "Look at the evidence," Volkow said in an interview on the National Institutes of Health campus here, pointing to the harms already inflicted by tobacco and alcohol. "It's not subtle -- it's huge. Legal drugs are the main problem that we have in our country as it relates to morbidity and mortality. By far. Many more people die of tobacco than all of the drugs together. Many more people die of alcohol than all of the illicit drugs together. [continues 645 words]
On July 1, an oil extract of marijuana will be legal in Iowa. But Iowans must reject proposals to legalize pot on a broader scale. Legally sanctioned weed would thwart economic growth, destabilize families, cause more crime, overburden police and courts, and victimize law-abiding citizens and taxpayers. Lawmakers often ignore unintended consequences when considering legislation, but does Iowa need more Iowans to be stoned? That's the question, as the new law has incited demands for decriminalizing cannabis. Teenagers in states with legal marijuana have higher drug abuse than in states where it's illegal. The New York Times reported on Nov. 7, 2012, that 90 percent plus of so-called "medical marijuana" is used by those who claim "pain" and not serious illness. Addictive drugs corrupt even more so than money or power. [continues 493 words]
CEDAR RAPIDS | In the 18 months leading up to the 2013 Operation Synergy drug raids, a Cedar Rapids store sold more than $1 million worth of herbs that narcotic officers said was sprayed with mind-altering substances. After the raids, the real money started rolling in, according to court records. Officers from local and federal agencies raided the Puff N Stuff II shop in Cedar Rapids and other businesses last year as part of a nationwide crackdown on fake marijuana and cocaine marketed as potpourri and bath salts. [continues 449 words]
Just three weeks ago, a Rock Island County coalition named CAUSE organized a prescription drug take-back event. About 438 pounds of the drugs were collected on April 26 at three sites: Milan, Rock Island and Silvis, according to Tammy Muerhoff, superintendent of the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education in Moline. Muerhoff and her staff are in CAUSE, the Coalition Advocating for Underage Substance Elimination. She and other city and county officials involved in various prevention efforts gathered Wednesday at Centre Station in Moline for a media event organized by Prevention First. [continues 568 words]
Gov. Terry Branstad will give "serious consideration" to legislation passed by the Iowa Legislature last week allowing the use of marijuana-derived oil for the treatment of severe epilepsy. "We have to look at the public policy considerations of this, and that's the reason why I want to reserve judgment until I see it in its final form before making a final decision," Branstad said. Lawmakers came together early last Thursday morning to pass the bill, which will allow epilepsy patients and their caregivers to possess and use cannabidiol oil if they receive a recommendation from a doctor and a license from the state. [continues 103 words]
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for all states to legalize the use of marijuana. It might eliminate marijuana from being smuggled into the U.S., in turn, cutting down on other more deadly drugs from being smuggled into the U.S. from other countries. If U.S. citizens are allowed to grow, sell and use marijuana, maybe more people could get off welfare and have an income. Rachel Peterson Barnum [end]
Less than a year ago anyone proposing to legalize marijuana for any purpose would have been laughed out of the Iowa Legislature. In fact, when Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, introduced a bill in February to allow Iowans with cancer, spinal cord injuries and other medical conditions to obtain medical marijuana, he declared it dead the same day. He cited opposition from Republicans and others. But the Iowa Legislature has come a long way since then. Elected officials have worked through numerous versions of legislation, reached across party lines and -- most important -- listened to constituents, including Maria La France and Sally Gaer. [continues 443 words]
DES MOINES (AP) - The Iowa Senate has passed a bill legalizing the use of a form of marijuana to treat chronic epilepsy. The measure, which passed 36-12, goes to the House. It allows the medical use of oil derived from the cannabis plant as a last-resort treatment for seizures caused by a chronic form of epilepsy. The oil cannot be smoked and doesn't create a high. A written recommendation from a neurologist would be required. Patients and caregivers would have to obtain a registration card through Iowa's Department of Public Health. Opponents said the bill sends a signal that marijuana use is OK. [end]
The Iowa Senate voted Thursday to decriminalize medical cannabis oil for the treatment of epilepsy, responding to emotional pleas of Iowa parents with children stricken by seizures. Senate File 2360 was approved 36-12 after a lengthy debate that included several Republican lawmakers who warned that legalizing any form of marijuana would send the wrong message to young people in jeopardy of abusing drugs. The bill was sent to the Iowa House, where its path to passage remains uncertain despite vocal support from some Democrats and Republicans alike. [continues 808 words]
Paul Gray's final weeks were a blur of extreme drug abuse, which neither his doctor nor his bandmates would help his wife confront, she testified in Polk County District Court on Tuesday. Brenna Gray said her husband, the bassist and a founder of the internationally known band Slipknot, relapsed into drug addiction in about 2008. Gray testified that she raised concerns about why his Des Moines, Iowa, doctor, Daniel Baldi, continued prescribing the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, which her husband had a history of abusing. Paul Gray, 38, died of a drug overdose at an Urbandale motel in May 2010. [continues 618 words]
Gov. Branstad said he is against legalizing marijuana for medical use.The reason was that if marijuana became legal it would cause all kinds of administrative problems. It has been documented and confirmed that marijuana relieves people's pain and suffering. It is more effective doing this than any other medication for people with certain medical conditions. Branstad should be figuring out how marijuana can be legalized to help people reduce pain and suffering. This is a humanitarian issue, not a political issue. If Branstad really cares about people he should get the administrative problems resolved and work to legalize medical marijuana. Plymouth [end]
Inside Iowa
