As a pediatrician and a former pharmacist, I feel that it is necessary to provide some information to voters regarding Measure 5, which would legalize marijuana for "medical" use. 1. A plant cannot be used as a medicine because we cannot answer necessary questions, including whether it is useful for a given medical condition and what is a "dose" - child versus adult, condition, route of administration? Pharmaceutical medications containing THC already exist and can be prescribed by a health care provider. [continues 218 words]
Medical marijuana needs to pass. My son suffers from autoimmune disease to the point where he can no longer enjoy daily activities most of us take for granted like going for a walk because of his pain. My son experienced years of medical professionals more concerned about their liability insurance premiums going up than treating my son's pain. Can you imagine what it was like to carry my son out of the emergency room without medication screaming in pain? This happened because the doctor thought he might be a user. [continues 188 words]
FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A group pushing to legalize medical marijuana in North Dakota is making a last-minute advertising push thanks to a surprise donation from a national organization, North Dakota Compassionate Care, which is sponsoring an initiated measure on the state's ballot, quickly organized the ad campaign after receiving $15,000 last week from Drug Policy Action, said group spokeswoman Anita Morgan. DPA is the political arm of a group that advocates for the overhaul of drug laws. [continues 282 words]
Measure 5, medical marijuana is not good medicine and it's bad law. Measure 5 supporters want you to believe the measure creates a process for marijuana use that is a safer alternative to traditional prescription medications. What they have not told you is there is not enough scientific evidence to prove the benefits outweigh the risks. They also have not told you Measure 5 authorizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes without the oversight of your doctor, or any other medical professional for that matter. Under this proposal, people who claim to suffer from certain medical conditions can purchase their marijuana from a so-called "Compassionate Care Center" or "Designated Care Provider." Do not let the names fool you - compassionate care center staff and designated care providers are not required to have any medical or pharmaceutical training. [continues 278 words]
My 54 year old daughter has multiple sclerosis and was diagnosed in 1987. She lives in Washington state where medical marijuana is legal. She has said for years that it is the only thing that helps her pain. Her MS is progressing and she had a real tough time. I am asking North Dakota to approve to legalization of this wonderful, pain relieving medicine. Opiates are addictive, and are legal. Why isn't medical marijuana? Bonnie Field [end]
(Measure 5 would allow medical marijuana in the state and give the Health Department the power to issue patient ID cards and regulate dispensaries.) While the question of medical marijuana would once have been quite controversial, we think it no longer is, nor should it be. There are good questions raised by the North Dakota Medical Association about the consistency of dosages, but that problem can be addressed during the implementation of a program. Nearly half the country has already approved some form of medical marijuana, including Montana. There is growing evidence to show that the active ingredients in cannabis help reduce the symptoms of multiple diseases and with easing the side effects of chemotherapy and other treatments. Given the wide range of other states that have successfully implemented such programs, we believe it is time for North Dakota to do the same. [end]
I recently read with interest an article by Mike McFeely , (a WDAY host and Forum columnist) entitled "Medical marijuana a needed debate in North Dakota." At the end of his article he stated that North Dakota backers of medical marijuana would be wise to do some storytelling. Shortly before marijuana was banned by The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, new technologies were developed that made hemp a potential competitor with the newly-founded synthetic fiber and plastics industries. Hemp's potential for producing paper also posed a threat to the timber industry. Evidence suggests that commercial interests having much to lose from hemp competition helped propagate reefer madness hysteria, and used their influence to lobby for marijuana prohibition. [continues 223 words]
The parents of a North Dakota State College of Science student found dead of a gunshot after working as an undercover drug informant want the FBI to take over the investigation. Andrew Sadek, a 20-year-old student at the Wahpeton community college, was a drug informant before he went missing in May 2014. About two months later, his body was found in the Red River near Wahpeton with a gunshot to his head. His parents, Tammy and John Sadek, who live in Rogers, have said they believe their son was murdered, possibly because of his work as an informant. However, autopsy results offered no conclusion on whether someone killed him or whether he killed himself. [continues 308 words]
Listen. Do you hear it? It's the sound of the system working-the system, that is, to prevent more young people from using illegal drugs. Granted, the sound is not the satisfying purr of a smooth-running engine. Instead, it creaks and it clanks, and now and then it sputters to a stop. But then it rumbles up-and make no mistake, it's continuing to advance. And that's vital to remember after reading stories such as Sunday's "We let them down"-a story that itself is a key sign of the drug-prevention system at work. [continues 473 words]
It looks more and more likely there will be at least one ballot measure this fall regarding the legalizing of marijuana use in North Dakota. There are two groups looking to have initiated measures related to marijuana use on the November ballot. One group is gathering signatures to allow medical marijuana use only and a second group gathering signatures wishes to allow legal use of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21. If signatures are gathered and it is passed by voters into law it also would allow adults 21 and older to grow marijuana and possess paraphernalia and would cap the sales tax. [continues 389 words]
It's commendable that some Republican candidates support decriminalizing the relatively safe, extremely popular and God-given plant cannabis (marijuana), but it should be completely re-legalized ("Marijuana measure sponsors must resubmit petition after using old law," Page B3, Feb. 12). Responsible adults should not be caged or punished in any way for using a substance that has proven safer than alcohol. Colorado re-legalized cannabis, and every subsequent poll indicates voters continue supporting the end of cannabis prohibition. A sane or moral argument to perpetuate cannabis prohibition doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
BISMARCK - Backers of a proposed ballot measure to legalize marijuana in North Dakota made an error in their petition submitted Wednesday, and the state's chief law enforcement officer said their proposal to legalize pot-related synthetic drugs also is a big mistake. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and the head of the state Board of Pharmacy expressed concern Thursday that, in addition to legalizing natural marijuana, the measure would delete synthetic cannabinoids from the list of Schedule 1 drugs after several years of efforts to outlaw the substances. [continues 731 words]
It doesn't take long for drug addiction to stop you from achieving your dreams. Rotting in jail for the self-harm caused by addiction will further prevent any future success. Currently, we have a broken criminal justice system that preys upon minorities and the poor who cannot afford a lawyer. The United States has the highest percentage of its citizens in jail. Those with a dissenting opinion might say that incarceration is a way to instantly take the addicts off the street and force them into drug rehabilitation. " [continues 607 words]
(AP) - Marijuana companies in California and Colorado have tabbed prominent American Indian leaders from the Dakotas to help prod tribes across the nation into the pot business. Tex Hall, the former chairman of the oil-rich Three Affiliated Tribes, and Robert Shepherd, former chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota, are trying to recruit and assist tribes in producing high-grade marijuana products. "Those who want to get in early are the ones who will really succeed," said Shepherd, the tribal relations officer for Denver-based Monarch America Inc. [continues 624 words]
North Dakota's Oil Rush Brings Cash and Promise to Reservation, Along With Drug-Fueled Crime ON THE FORT BERTHOLD INDIAN RESERVATION - Tribal police Sgt. Dawn White is racing down a dusty two-lane road - siren blaring, police radio crackling - as she attempts to get to the latest 911 call on a reservation that is a blur of oil rigs and bright-orange gas flares. "Move! C'mon, get out of the fricking way!" White yells as she hits 102 mph and weaves in and out of a line of slow-moving tractor-trailers that stretches for miles. [continues 2856 words]
A bill to legalize the sale and use of marijuana for "medical purposes" recently passed in my home state of Minnesota. Similar initiatives are under way in several other states, although passage is not likely for all. But together with a similar law in California and recent legalization in Colorado following partial legalization or "decriminalization" in Washington and Oregon, there certainly seems to be a national tide to make cannabis use legal. Social aspects of "mood-altering substances" are complex, to say the least. But what about economic ones? These certainly exist. Some libertarian economists, most notably Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, advocated legalization of marijuana use decades ago. So it is a legitimate topic for economic analysis. [continues 964 words]
WILLISTON, N.D. - The blood-drenched man had survived a brutal attack: Beaten with brass knuckles, shocked with a stun gun, slashed with a razor blade, then dumped 40 miles away in Montana, he staggered to a farmhouse for help. His path eventually led authorities back to a quiet backyard in this oil boom town. What they uncovered was a large-scale methamphetamine ring. The members of this violent gang were all relative newcomers to Williston. They called themselves "The Family," the feds said, and were holed up in a few campers tucked behind a white-frame house. They had plenty of firepower, too: One of the men had 22 weapons. [continues 2499 words]
BISMARCK, N.D. - Once thought by North Dakotans to be only a big city drug, heroin sales and use are increasing in the state, authorities say. U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon called the spike in heroin use in North Dakota "new and disturbing." He said it's the result of the abuse of prescription painkillers, a growing population and drug trafficking operations that are primarily targeting the state's rich oil patch region. "When you have an increased population with a lot of money, it's a more desirable market for drug dealers to move into," Purdon said. "They follow the money." [continues 234 words]
Thanks for publishing Stan White's thoughtful letter: "A more rational view of a God-given plant" (March 15). Some say that cannabis is no more dangerous than alcohol. I submit that cannabis is not even remotely as dangerous as alcohol. If we consume a 1.75-liter bottle of either whiskey, rum or vodka within an hour, we will almost certainly die as a result. On the other hand, if we consume the world's most potent cannabis, the worst result would be a severe case of the munchies. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Some doctors conveniently claim (Minnesota doctors' views on medical marijuana differ, Mar. 10, Forum) they "don't know the true risks," regarding cannabis (marijuana), however, there is a number of irrefutable facts to lead a rational person to accept the medical use of the God-given plant. In more than 5,000 years of documented use, cannabis has not killed one single person, and it's safer than every pharmaceutical drug that it replaces. Cannabis is labeled a Schedule I substance alongside heroin for purely political, not scientific reasons. Sick citizens should avoid doctors who accept the discredited political scandal regarding the plant and disregard the scientific knowledge, which is available. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
LANCASTER, Pa. - Regarding Ronald Fraser's column, the days when politicians can get away with confusing the drug war's tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant are coming to an end ("With time, America's perception of pot changes," Page A4, Jan. 13). If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. But if the goal is to deter use, marijuana prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has almost double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal. [continues 78 words]
FARGO -- A court challenge to put medical marijuana to a vote failed Wednesday when the North Dakota Supreme Court rejected the case. The court's denial means elections officials around the state can go ahead and print an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 ballots for the Nov. 6 election as scheduled. The issue of whether the ballots could be printed in time for absentee and military voters arose when proponents of medical marijuana sued in an effort to put the issue back on the ballot. [continues 408 words]
Montana politicians are misleading the public, including North Dakota citizens. On Sunday, The Dickinson Press published a report about the Montana medical marijuana program as it relates to the upcoming ballot issue in North Dakota, quoting Montana Sen. Donald Steinbeisser, R-Sidney, as saying, "The problem we had in Montana, before the last session, over half of the people that were using medical marijuana cards were 20- to 30-year-olds. You know dog-gone well there's something wrong with that." [continues 344 words]
As Secretary of State Al Jaeger reviews a medical marijuana ballot initiative, a Montana state legislator recommends sending it through the state assembly instead. In 2004, Montana passed a medical marijuana initiative through a general election which was hard to regulate, said Montana State Sen. Donald Steinbeisser, R-Sidney. "The problem we had in Montana, before the last session, over half of the people that were using medical marijuana cards were 20- to 30-year-olds," he said. "You know dog-gone well there's something wrong with that." [continues 754 words]
As Secretary of State Al Jaeger reviews a medical marijuana ballot initiative, a Montana state legislator recommends sending it through the state assembly. In 2004, Montana passed a medical marijuana initiative through a general election which was hard to regulate, said Montana State Sen. Donald Steinbeisser, R-Sidney. "The problem we had in Montana, before the last session, over half of the people that were using medical marijuana cards were 20- to 30-year-olds," he said. "You know dog-gone well there's something wrong with that." [continues 754 words]
North Dakota does not need to become the next state to allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons. An initiative petition is under review by Secretary of State Al Jaeger. If the petition is approved, supporters would soon begin gathering signatures to get the issue on the ballot. If the proposal gets that far, we urge North Dakota voters to reject the idea. Under the proposal, someone with a "debilitating medical condition" may grow and use marijuana, and possess up to 2 ounces of the drug, providing they have a doctor's recommendation. Marijuana would be sold at licensed dispensaries. Some of the "debilitating medical conditions" include cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder. [continues 176 words]
BISMARCK -- Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in North Dakota turned in a proposed initiative Tuesday to put the issue on the November ballot. With voters' approval, the initiative would allow someone who suffers from a debilitating illness to use marijuana with a doctor's permission. It lists cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma and other illnesses as examples of debilitating conditions. The chairman of the initiative effort, state Rep. Steve Zaiser, D-Fargo, said he believed people with chronic pain would qualify. [continues 331 words]
Finding a job in the Williston area isn't as easy as it might seem on CNN or YouTube, especially if you have a criminal record. Just ask 49-year-old Epifanio Rodriguez Jr., an out-of-work truck driver from Philadelphia who arrived in Williston with his car and a few hundred dollars on April 22. Rodriguez has a commercial driving liscense and more than 10 years of experience in driving dump trucks and tractor-trailers -- which experts say is currently the most in-demand job of the oil patch. [continues 530 words]
A Jury Acquitted Arturas Teras, WHO Was Accused of Possessing Nearly 50 Pounds of Marijuana, After Less Than an Hour of Deliberation Thursday Afternoon at the Stark County Courthouse. Donatas Jasiulionis was supposed to stand trial with Teras, but he skipped back to their native country, officials said. "He voluntarily deported back to Lithuania before the trial," said Kelly Armstrong, Jasiulionis's attorney. "If he ever comes back into the country, they'll arrest him immediately." Tom Henning, Stark County state's attorney, said an arrest warrant was issued for Jasiulionis, but officials will likely not extradite him. [continues 295 words]
The Amount of Methamphetamine in the Area Is on the Rise, According To the Southwest Narcotics Task Force. Because of the nature of their work, three SWNTF officers who were interviewed by The Press asked that their names not be used. "I think the amount of money that's in the area now, that's what's making the meth come back," a task force officer said. Officers said they are still finding prescription drugs, which has been an issue for several years, but that meth is now more prevalent. [continues 372 words]
A middle-aged woman in the pink halter top strolled into the Moorhead store and headed straight for the herbal incense. Flipping through the shiny plastic packets, she found one she hadn't tried before, a black bag labeled "Smoke XXXX." After shelling out $50 for the 3-gram pouch, she climbed into her minivan and tore open the package. Carefully, she poured the potpourri-like substance into her "Stairway to Heaven" hitter box (a small container normally used for marijuana), loaded up her cigarette-style pipe and fired it up. [continues 1782 words]
BISMARCK, N.D.--A federal appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit by two North Dakota farmers who said they should be allowed to grow industrial hemp without fear of federal criminal prosecution. Wayne Hauge and David Monson received North Dakota's first state licenses to grow industrial hemp nearly three years ago, but they've never received approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The farmers sued the DEA, and their case has been before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for more than a year after U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland dismissed it. [continues 484 words]
PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Columnist George Will understands the dynamics of prohibition when he says that "legalization of medical marijuana may be more socially destructive than full legalization" ("Drop 'medical' from medical pot laws," Page D2, Nov. 29) The same thing happened with medicinal alcohol during alcohol prohibition in the 1920s. At the time, there was lots of quibbling about which medical conditions required how much of what kind of alcohol. It was like a conversation about how many angels can stand on the head of a pin, and it created disrespect for the law. [continues 79 words]
Columnist George Will has the audacity to criticize medical marijuana laws and clinics in Colorado and California as hypocritical ("Drop 'medical' from medical pot laws," column, Page D2, Nov. 29)? Read Charles Bowden's "Down by the River" to understand the obscene effects that prohibition and the failed War on Drugs have had on our communities. It doesn't take a genius to know that if you legalize drugs, the drug cartels' business will dry up overnight and the incarceration and violence tearing our communities apart will stop. Anyone who wants drugs has easy access to them already. Pretending otherwise is hypocritical in the extreme. Susan Thorpe Tucson, Ariz. [end]
I wish that for once, a "know it all" journalist such as columnist George Will actually would do some research before writing such drivel ("Drop 'medical' from medical pot laws," column, Page D3, Nov. 29). There are studies, too many to mention here, that refute almost all of Will's statements. And if he had just Googled "medical marijuana," he could have found them himself. Better yet, why didn't he spend a few hours in one of these marijuana businesses? He would have seen that his views were misplaced. [continues 117 words]
DENVER -- Inside the green neon sign, which is shaped like a marijuana leaf, is a red cross. The cross serves the fiction that most transactions in the store -- which is what it really is -- involve medicine. The U.S. Justice Department recently announced that federal laws against marijuana would not be enforced for possession of marijuana that conforms to states' laws. In 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana. Since Justice's decision, the average age of the 400 persons a day seeking "prescriptions" at Colorado's multiplying medical marijuana dispensaries has fallen precipitously. Many new customers are college students. [continues 632 words]
President Obama released a policy statement recently "that it's not a good use of time to go after users and distributors of medical marijuana in the 14 states that allow such usage, while encouraging that illegal pot operations involving violence, firearms and sale to minors still be pursued." Each year there are more states that show compassion for patients by allowing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. That number has risen since 1997, and this time the president has chimed in as well. [continues 208 words]
For all of the keen intellect that President Obama showed in his online town-hall meeting, he didn't seem to know much about reefer economics. When asked whether legalizing marijuana might be a stimulus for the economy and job creation, he played the question for laughs. "I don't know what this says about the online audience," he quipped as his studio audience chuckled and groaned. "But ... this was a fairly popular question. We want to make sure that it was answered," he said. [continues 723 words]
Putting the brakes on medical marijuana raids is only one small step of the many that still need to be taken toward a sensible drug policy after years of backpedaling by President George W. Bush. CHICAGO - When Charles Lynch asked local officials for permission to sell an herbal medicine in the central California town of Morro Bay, they granted it to him - even though the medicine was marijuana. That's because marijuana recommended by a doctor has been legal in California since 1996. A dozen other states have passed similar laws. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and New Hampshire are among about 10 states that have been debating similar measures. [continues 619 words]
In Beijing this past summer, Americans were stunned and honored that athlete; Michael Phelps was able to break the record for most gold medals awarded to a competitive swimmer. As a swimmer, with many friends that are swimmers, the name Phelps has held symbolic meaning for greatness for most of my high school and college careers. He became a hero for some of my friends. With an arm span of over six and a half feet, and the muscle definition of a bronze god, Phelps has set a standard for aspiring swimmers that seems almost impossible for a regular human being to achieve. [continues 475 words]
Easily the biggest story in the swimming world this year has been Michael Phelps. First, he won an unprecedented eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. The 23-year-old rose to greatness while breaking the single-Games record for gold medals, receiving intense admiration from virtually the entire country. Among those fans were young swimmers in Grand Forks, who, when a picture of Phelps inhaling from a marijuana pipe appeared in the news, were more than a little disappointed with their supposed-to-be role model. [continues 569 words]
As a part of her Partnership and Community Nursing class, Nancy Nordick gave a presentation to the Wilkin County Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition Monday morning. Nordick talked adolescent drug and alcohol use and how coalitions can prevent or skew it. She is a student of the University of Phoenix. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it is the only thing that ever has." This is a quote from Margaret Mead that Nordick used to illustrate the importance of the ATOD and other coalitions working to better communities. She said if everyone joins in and works together, things can change. [continues 381 words]
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for 2009 industrial hemp production licenses. "The applications are due Jan. 1," said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. "Although the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration continues to prevent holders of state licenses from growing industrial hemp, NDDA remains committed to fully implementing state laws authorizing the production, processing and sale of this crop in North Dakota." Johnson cautioned prospective growers that the process involves state and federal criminal background checks including fingerprints, together with associated fees and paperwork. [continues 156 words]
I loved a recent story by The Associated Press that carried the headline "Medical marijuana is growing in Montana." It's great to see everyone working together to make sure patients get their medicine and law enforcement gets educated to the actual laws. And it's great to see law enforcement taking part in ways besides arresting people. The story' first line can't be ignored, however. The first words are "Downtown Livingston (Mont.) has gone to pot." What a revealing statement by what is supposed to be a nonbiased news organization. It is statements such as this that help continue the ignorance about medical cannabis. [continues 227 words]
CROSBY, N.D. -- After educating North Dakotans on the science of cannabis for almost two years, I've seen a majority agree that cannabis prohibition is wrong. So, here are more facts about cannabis. There are more than 600 medicinal and hundreds of hemp strains of cannabis. Their uses range from curing cancer to making plastic and biofuel. They're not going away. When we decide to segregate the different strains and regulate cannabis as a commodity (as we can), making it available legally in pharmacies, coffee shops and liquor stores to adults older than 21, these are the headlines that could result: [continues 208 words]
It is very unfortunate that a prominent senator from such a prominent political family should be stricken with such a life-threatening brain tumor. It is more unfortunate, however, that a real cure has not been found for these types of cancers by now with all of the technology at our disposal. Fifty percent of patients with this type of tumor die within a year and most are dead within three years. It is also very unfortunate that we have suppressed research into the one plant which may be that cure. [continues 292 words]
A recent Associated Press story told of a dying man who was refused a transplant because he used medical marijuana. This story disgusts me. Are we living in the 21st century or the early 20th? The reasoning behind this refusal for a transplant is extremely flawed and only proves that political agendas are more important in this country than human life. This man was refused a liver transplant because he used medical marijuana legally in his state. Marijuana bypasses the liver when smoked or vaporized and has no effect at all. [continues 242 words]
North Dakota's Homeland Security, fire and law enforcement agencies would get mugged by a Bush administration budget that eliminates or makes draconian cuts in several federal programs, witnesses said Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing in Fargo. Programs to be eliminated in the president's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 are the Community Oriented Policing Services program, Byrne/Justice Assistance Grants and Interoperable Communications Grants, said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. Other programs would be hamstrung. Department of Homeland Security State First Responder Grants would be slashed 78 percent, and Firefighter Grants would be cut 61 percent, Conrad said. [continues 353 words]
Ray farmer Wayne Hauge knows a good cash crop when he sees one. In industrial hemp, he finds almost boundless potential. Its uses span from fabrics, to food products to biofuels. Hemp's red light comes in the form federal regulations which mistakenly label it in the same category as marijuana. In January of 2007, Hauge said he originally received a certificate for growing industrial hemp from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. "In January of 2007, I had to apply for a federal license for cannabis because the federal DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) does not recognize the word 'industrial hemp,'" he recalled. [continues 647 words]
Inside North Dakota
