15th District Police Officer Wants Justice For Austin 7 A Chicago police officer is seeking the media's help to unravel what he says is a web of deception, created by the Chicago Police Department (CPD), which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of seven police officers in the 15th Police District on the city's West Side 15 years ago. T.C. McCoy, an officer in the 15th District, held a news conference Wednesday outside police headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave., decrying a "conspiracy by the Chicago Police Department" to frame these seven police officers, known as the "Austin 7" in what he calls a flawed police corruption investigation. [continues 784 words]
FARMER CITY -- The Blue Ridge school board will consider implementing random drug testing as a way to keep students from making "unhealthy choices." A policy could be adopted as soon as Jan. 18. The board meets at 6 Wednesday night to discuss proposed building construction; the regular meeting follows at 7 at the high school library, 411 N. John St. The drug test option arose after discussion about use and misuse of legal and illegal drugs in the area. "The behaviors were alarming enough, it was clear that some students were making unhealthy choices, and it had to be addressed," said Superintendent Susan Wilson. [continues 162 words]
On the morning of October 27, after several weeks of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Cook County commissioner John Fritchey stepped before reporters to make a demand that would have been unthinkable just a short time earlier: Chicago police should stop arresting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana. As recently as the summer, many elected officials viewed marijuana decriminalization as a daring if not suicidal political move-and that's among the pols who think it's a good idea. But this fall, Fritchey coaxed a rainbow coalition of three aldermen-one black, one white, one Hispanic-to stand at his side as he called on city officials to implement a smarter, more lenient pot policy. [continues 2875 words]
Two decades later, James Gierach is still campaigning against pot prohibition In 1992, James Gierach ran for Cook County state's attorney on a platform of addressing drugs as a medical and economic issue instead of a criminal problem--and ending the arrests of nonviolent users. At a time when crime was rising and politicians were playing to voters' fears, it was not a winning message. Despite Gierach's background as a tough-on-crime prosecutor, he mustered just 14 percent of the vote. In 1994, he ran for governor with a similar platform, inspiring a Reader profile headlined, "Just Say OK." He was crushed again. [continues 418 words]
Editor: I'm sure Patti Wise means well - Local teacher honored by D.A.R.E. program, Nov. 4, - however, nearly every study, including government studies, shows D.A.R.E. is a failure and may be causing more drug use than no program at all. One reason D.A.R.E. fails is because it teaches lies, half truths and discredited reefer madness propaganda concerning cannabis (marijuana). Example: when youth find out the relatively safe, God-given plant (see the first page of the Bible) cannabis is less harmful and addictive than taught, they think other substances must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs. [continues 151 words]
If an ordinance proposed by lawmakers in Chicago last week sparks enough support among city leaders, the cash-strapped Windy City may soon be turning to marijuana to bag some much-needed green. Alderman Daniel Solis proposed the city ease its current policies regarding small possessions of marijuana last Wednesday, saying a change would generate $7 million for the city and save vast resources currently being used to fight small possessions of the drug. Solis is proposing people caught with less than 10 grams of marijuana in Chicago be given a $200 ticket rather than face the current misdemeanor charges that come with potential jail time. [continues 525 words]
In most towns, here's what happens if an officer finds a small joint in your pocket: You will be arrested. The officer will drive you back to the municipal or county jail, where another officer will fingerprint you, take your mugshot and hold you in a cell until you post bond. The police department will send the joint to a state crime lab to make sure it's really marijuana. Meanwhile, if you don't or can't post bond, you'll sit in jail until your first court date. Because you're facing possible jail time and a $1,500 fine for the misdemeanor, you're more likely to go to trial, at which point a police officer will have to come to testify. [continues 1588 words]
OAKWOOD - An Oakwood Grade School sixth-grade teacher picked up an award this summer after being named the Drug Abuse Resistance Education -- D.A.R.E. -- Teacher of the Year Award for 2011. Sgt. Dan Auterman of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department nominated Patti Wise due to her dedication and commitment to the program. Wise traveled to Matteson on June 17 to a police conference to receive the award, and gave an acceptance speech to the audience filled with other educators, Illinois D.A.R.E. officers and Illinois juvenile officers. [continues 698 words]
Kate took the slim, white-painted metal pipe from her husband, Tom. Known as a "one-hitter," the pipe was disguised to look like a cigarette, with one end colored light brown to resemble a filter. Kate held a Bic lighter. She fired up the pungent green wad of pot packed into the far end of the pipe and pulled in a lungful of smoke. She waited: One second. Two seconds. Three. Finally, she exhaled a thin blue ribbon and smiled. [continues 1257 words]
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. ["Should Marijuana Users Just Be Ticketed?" Nov. 1] Fact is, cannabis is a God-given plant, not a drug. Government has been pushing the discredited prohibition, persecution and extermination of cannabis so long, people have stopped seeing the plant. Acknowledge cannabis as described on the very first page of the Bible, completely legalize the plant and most every problem associated with cannabis prohibition will dissolve. Except of course, the police union will continue griping that officers would lose the overtime they earn from going to court on pot cases. Stan White, Dillon, Colo. [end]
Every pot smoker - the kid down the street, your neighbor with the nice house, the co-worker in the next cubicle - has a "guy." That guy has a guy, who has a guy, who has a guy. The top marijuana guys - Mexico's murderous drug cartels - are responsible for most of the pot sold on Chicago street corners. They've even started growing it in Wisconsin's North Woods. In recent years, another top "guy" has come to town: weed growers in Colorado and California licensed to supply the medical marijuana dispensaries operating in those states. They sell their surplus in Chicago and other places where the drug is illegal. [continues 1639 words]
I am baffled by the economics of the illegal drug trade. If expenses include raw material, manufacturing, transportation, distribution and protection, where does the profit arise? What we read in print and see on TV is an inner-city market of junkies and venturesome, suburbanite teens, sporadic usage by middle class adults and uninhibited usage by the thrill-seeking or stressed-out wealthy. There can't be much money in selling to junkies and teens so, if there are a big profit to be made, then it has to come from middle class and wealthy users. If that is so, then the citizens who are considered to be the bedrock of our society are at the same time the cash cow for the drug trade. If the middle class and wealth are supposed to be what we aspire toward, why worry about the effects of drugs on our society when drugs have already infected the society's movers and shakers with little consequences to them? [continues 62 words]
In Steve Chapman's commentary ("On weed: Dazed and confused no more" Oct. 27), he argues for legalization of marijuana and says that drug enforcement has not worked, but he disregards the facts. He mentions Jimmy Carter's comments about reducing penalties. I served as the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during the Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations and penalties for marijuana sales under Carter were increased, and the Asset Forfeiture Law passed, allowing seizure of assets derived from illegal drug deals. More importantly, in 1978, 25.4 million Americans used illegal drugs, 11 percent of our population (225 million); in 2009, there were 22 million, 7 percent (of 305 million). So don't tell us drug laws have not worked. [continues 224 words]
To the Editor: It's against my constitutional rights not being able to use marijuana if I want to as a pain medicine, without fear of getting my door kicked in by law enforcement. Is this war on drugs working? Did prohibition work? It led to gang violence and murder then, and it does now. Will our state representatives please let us know where they stand on medicinal cannabis? In the latest polls, 50 percent of Americans say they want to see cannabis legalized outright. [continues 84 words]
INDIANAPOLIS -- Authorities have seized more than five tons of marijuana and about $4.3 million during a seven-month investigation that resulted in what they believe is Indiana's biggest drug bust ever. A team of federal agents and city police officers found dozens of bales of wrapped marijuana at a warehouse on the west side of Indianapolis last week after an investigation that started in March, when officers found about $2.6 million inside a hidden compartment of a semitrailer. [continues 371 words]
OK, all you cannabis-smoking, weed-loving readers out there: Here's your chance to tell me I'm way too square. The fact that more Americans than not now believe we should legalize marijuana - 50 percent to 46 percent, according to a recent Gallup poll - seems to indicate we'll one day be able to bop into the closest Jewel and pick up our evening's mood-altering joint along with our mood-altering bottle of Jack Daniels. Legalization makes dollars and sense, say bunches of people: Think of all the jail cells that will be freed up, or the tax revenue that will pour in. Not to mention Betty and Bernie Baby Boomer can smoke their mary jane in the comfort of the family room without worrying about those nosy square neighbors calling the cops. [continues 483 words]
Ed Wells wrote Sept. 23 that victory in our war on drugs need only be declared - provided we modify our laws, which are counterproductive. They keep the supply low so demand drives up the price and worsens the supplying criminal element. Even so, Wells is not worried the police are risking their lives but that "good people" like drug smugglers are. What to do? Wells believes if only we'd decriminalize marijuana, its retail price would plummet and the mob would go looking for greener pastures. [continues 119 words]
Would drug testing have saved the life of the 18-year-old Lake Zurich man who died of a heroin overdose? Probably not. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. More dangerous opioid narcotics and synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think students don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. The most commonly abused drug and the one most closely associated with violent behavior is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more student lives each year than all illegal drugs combined. Instead of wasting money on counterproductive drug tests, schools should invest in reality-based drug education. Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. [end]
Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl officially asked the city's legal department Friday to create an ordinance that would eliminate the possibility of jail time for anyone caught possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana. The current law states that anyone found to possess between 2.5 and 10 grams of marijuana could be ticketed, fined up to $1,500 and jailed for potentially as long as six months. "I do not want young people in Evanston who do not have access to high-powered attorneys to have arrest records for possessing less than 10 grams," Tisdahl said in an email to the Chicago Tribune. "I want them to have jobs. A ticket and a fine will suffice." [continues 447 words]
To the Editor: "Hemp For Victory" was a short educational film, put out by the Department Of Agriculture in 1942 to strengthen the war effort. This encouraged farmers to grow as much hemp as possible. This plant has so many uses and is very strong. If they were to make a film today about the benefits of hemp/cannabis, the list would go on. When this plant is grown properly, it also can be used for medicine in a variety of ways. Many states already have accepted cannabis as a medicine, and the number of compassionate states is growing. Would you show compassion today and take a few moments of your time to call your state representative and let them know that you support House Bill 30? This bill will help those who are sick to enjoy a better quality of life. Bobby Day Huntley [end]
Inside Illinois
