Students in Curry and Roosevelt counties are doing drugs, having sex and engaging in other risky activities at rates comparable to students across the state, according to data from a controversial student survey. That isn't necessarily positive, said Dan Green, a New Mexico Department of Health epidemiologist who visited Clovis Thursday to discuss the results of the 2005 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey. Among 40 states that participated in the 2005 survey, New Mexico ranked highest for number of students who used cocaine, injected drugs intravenously, smoked marijuana and attempted suicide that resulted in injury. [continues 447 words]
By The Numbers More than 200 Curry County students in grades nine through 12 took part in the 2005 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey. Below are some of the results. 20.5 percent -- Seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months 22 percent -- Smoked marijuana in the past 30 days 24 percent -- Smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days 29.4 percent -- Had sexual intercourse within the past three months 45 percent -- Had at least one drink of alcohol in last 30 days [continues 527 words]
The staff at Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Ruidoso on Nov. 4 and holding a medical marijuana community forum. Ruidoso is truly a charming and beautiful town and we enjoyed our visit - I just wish we could have stayed longer! Ruidoso community members gathered at the Ruidoso Public Library to learn about legislation to be proposed in 2007 that would provide legal access to medical marijuana in New Mexico. The forum was coordinated by the Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico, the state's leading organization advocating for patients' rights and public health. [continues 566 words]
ALBUQUERQUE: Two police officers have sued Burger King Corp., alleging personal injury, negligence, battery and violation of fair practices after they were served hamburgers that had been sprinkled with marijuana. "It gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Whopper,'" plaintiffs attorney Sam Bregman said Monday. "The idea that these hoodlums would put marijuana into a hamburger and therefore attempt to impair law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs is outrageous." The civil lawsuit was filed Friday in state District Court in Bernalillo County by Mark Landavazo and Henry Gabaldon, officers for the Isleta Pueblo tribal police. [continues 220 words]
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE -- U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., delivered a strong anti-drug message to young people at the White Sands Missile Range Child Development Center last week to kick-off Red Ribbon Week. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., joined Pearce in the event to warn young people of the dangers of drug use, in particular methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is an illegal drug that is sweeping the United States. Methamphetamine or "meth" is a synthetic drug that stimulates the central nervous system. The drug's euphoric effects are similar to those of cocaine, but with much longer-lasting effects. [continues 418 words]
The Shadow Wolves, an elite group of American Indian drug trackers, have been moved to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after lawmakers complained the unit was not being used effectively by the Homeland Security Department. Based on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation on Arizona's border with Mexico, the Shadow Wolves have been assigned to the Border Patrol since 2003 after the Homeland Security Department was created. The Indian agents combine traditional tracking skills with modern police techniques to thwart drug and human smugglers. But they say they have become much less effective under the Border Patrol. [continues 70 words]
WASHINGTON - A drug bust at a trailer park in New Mexico turned up what appeared to be classified documents taken from the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory, authorities said Tuesday. Local police found the documents while arresting a man suspected of domestic violence and dealing methamphetamine from his mobile home, said Sgt. Chuck Ney of the Los Alamos, N.M., Municipal Police Department. The documents were discovered during a search of the man's records for evidence of his drug business, Ney said. [continues 447 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The authorities in northern New Mexico have stumbled onto what appears to be classified information from Los Alamos National Laboratory while arresting a man suspected of domestic violence and dealing methamphetamine from his mobile home. Sgt. Chuck Ney of the Los Alamos Police Department said the information was found last Friday during a search of the man's records for evidence of a drug business. The police alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the secret documents, which agents traced back to a woman linked to the man suspected of drug dealing, officials said. The woman is a contract employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, said an F.B.I. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. [continues 482 words]
GRANTS - Grants/Bluewater Head Start children shouted "Drug free!" and released red balloons during Red Ribbon Week opening ceremonies at the Grants/Bluewater Head Start on Monday. More than 120 tots heard an encouraging a talk in the morning on saying "No!" to drugs from Grants Police Sgt. John Castaneda as they greeted "Gage" of the Kasey Says program in front of the Mountain Road facility. "Kasey says, 'We don't do drugs,' " Castaneda announced. "This week, we are celebrating Red Ribbon ... and Gage will be wearing his ribbon." [continues 374 words]
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The state Judicial Standards Commission is seeking the ouster of a Dona Ana County magistrate, alleging he tested positive for cocaine. The commission, in a petition filed Friday asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to permanently remove Carlos Garza from the bench, also accused him of misconduct and abusing his power as a judge. Garza, 42, said he is innocent and that the commission ignored evidence that could have cleared him. He denied using drugs and vowed to fight the commission's request. [continues 470 words]
If we came up with a sure cure for lung cancer, we wouldn't withhold it because it might encourage people to smoke. But something about heroin addiction tends to cloud our thinking on public health policy. On this subject, though, Los Angeles is currently enjoying a moment of sunny clarity. The federal Centers for Disease Control reported in July that more than 16,000 people died in 2002 from drug overdoses. Philadelphia now loses more lives to heroin than to homicide. Chicago has witnessed nearly 200 deaths in the last 18 months from overdoses of fentanyl, an exceptionally powerful opiate that is often mixed with heroin. [continues 554 words]
Editor's note: This is the seventh in a series of stories on the local methamphetamine crisis. FARMINGTON -- A little black DVD has a two-word phrase scrolling across the center. The words are "Who knew?" Who knew that methamphetamine was a major problem in San Juan County before the DVD "Meth Monster" was released? "The Meth Monster' (project) introduced me to the problem. It was an eye-opening experience for sure," said Justin Hunt, 30, who produced the DVD. The DVD, since its release in 2004, is used by area libraries, schools and various companies to educate people about the extent of meth use and its effects in San Juan County. [continues 452 words]
FARMINGTON -- During the first day of the San Juan Safe Communities Initiative Summit, local task force representatives discussed plans for a united front against a growing methamphetamine epidemic. From 10 a.m. until noon Wednesday at the Farmington Civic Center, six speakers talked about the various elements that comprise a community effort to decrease meth use and sales. The presentations focused on five separate task forces focused on gangs, prevention, intervention, law enforcement and legislative developments. All presenters agreed the issue is one that requires a long-term commitment from many community players, not just law enforcement officials. [continues 571 words]
FARMINGTON -- A behavioral health summit was held June 14, 2000, at the Farmington Civic Center -- the very same theater where the problem of methamphetamine was addressed Wednesday and Thursday. Farmington Mayor Bill Standley said the 2000 summit was held in response to the troubles associated with alcohol -- a problem many citizens felt was "out of control." But through the collaboration by the county's many entities to tackle a single community problem, alcohol troubles decreased, he said. Deaths resulting from DWIs were chopped in half in 15 years, Standley said. He added San Juan County's DWI program is now a model for the state of New Mexico, and similar improvements can be done concerning the problem of meth. [continues 844 words]
Editor's note: This is the eighth in a series of stories on the local methamphetamine crisis. The series concludes Thursday with a look at legislative plans to combat meth. The Daily Times will also provide extensive coverage of the San Juan Safe Communities Initiative Summit, set today and Thursday at the Farmington Civic Center. FARMINGTON -- There is no silver bullet when it comes to solving the problem of methamphetamine in a community like Farmington, said David Monnette. Monnette is the demand reduction coordinator and public information officer of the El Paso Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). [continues 1114 words]
Fat smokers rejoice: If you're trying to shed that panza and kick the habit, the pharmaceutical industry has good news for you. Brace yourselves - the next miracle drug is targeting you. The new drug is called Rimonabant, or Acomplia, and you can't get through a single popular article about it without reading the words "wonder drug." Though the drug isn't expected to be approved in the United States until next year, health care professionals and pharmaceutical investors are salivating. After all, the pool of potential clients is gigantic. [continues 739 words]
FARMINGTON - Climbing solo is an activity not recommended by climbing experts. Similarly, the problem of methamphetamine is too grand, too enormous to tackle alone, say San Juan County community leaders. For this reason, officials and community members from all across the board are assembling next week to share ideas on how to best address the problem of methamphetamine use and criminal gang activity in the area. Called the San Juan Safe Communities Initiative Summit (SJCIS), the event will focus on these increasingly problematic activities in the county. [continues 316 words]
Dear Editor: Yes, we have a meth problem in Grants and everywhere else. We need to focus on the drug dealers. The funding should be spent on drug raids, not on a police officer for the schools. If we did not have drug dealers we would not have drugs on the street or in the schools. Let's run them out of town. I know one of my neighbors (if they deserve to be called that) are drug dealers that do not work and they have better vehicles than I do they party all day and night and they send their kid to St. Teresa and they have the state pay for it. Wow, private school for their kids paid by the state while they sell drugs all day. [continues 355 words]
CIBOLA COUNTY - Law enforcement agencies use any means available when it comes to battling methamphetamine in Cibola County, because meth abuse results in criminal behavior to support the habit. Officers from New Mexico State Police, Milan and Grants shared information at the August meth awareness discussion before 50 city, village and county officials. New Mexico State Police Lt. Frank Musitano said the McKinley County Sheriff asked him why he thought McKinley County had an increase in burglaries, robberies and larceny in Thoreau. Lt. Musitano contended that the problem was possibly drug related. Then Lt. Musitano spoke with the vice principal of Thoreau Middle School, who said citizens were upset about the increased number of burglaries, and Lt. Musitano learned that six middle school students tested positive for meth abuse. [continues 505 words]
CARLSBAD A $100,000 federal grant has been awarded to a local coalition that is committed to fighting drugs and gangs in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Community Anti-drug/gang Coalition Inc. recently heard the news that it's grant application to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been approved for the third consecutive year. Jay Melnick, who serves as program director for the coalition, said this year's grant is the third installment in a five-year federal grant program. He said SAMHSA has outlined specifically how the grant funding can be spent, and has set goals for the coalition to reach. Anti-drug and gang training and education for individuals, law enforcement officers, and students are among the specific activities funded by the grant. Other local programs and activities include the annual Prayer Walk held in connection with Red Ribbon Week, the Peer Helpers group at Carlsbad High School, and National Night Out a program that encourages neighbors to get together and meet each other, Melnick said. The coalition is currently working to set up a resource center in the Carlsbad Public Library that will provide information and resources that focus on drug and gang prevention. Melnick said the grant provides the necessary funds for promoting an awareness of drug problems in the community, and informing the citizens about ways they can be involved in preventing drugs and gangs. The coalition trains law enforcement officers and individuals to identify methamphetamine labs, he said. It also provides avenues for anonymously reporting suspected drug crimes to the authorities. Local hotlines include Eddy County Crimestoppers at 887-1888, and the Student Hotline and Caveman Crimestoppers for students at 887-SAFE. The coalition was organized three years ago with a mission "to build and strengthen the capacity of our Carlsbad community to create a safe, healthy, and drug and gang/crime free environment." Members of the coalition's community board include representatives of the business and church communities, public schools, law enforcement, the district attorney's office, health services, local youth, parents, and government officials. The community board meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the planning room at City Hall. The next meeting will be held on Sept. 6. The public is always welcome, Melnick said. Melnick and Eve Flanigan, the coalition's evaluator and strategic planner, recently returned from a mid-year training session held by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in Henderson, Nev. Melnick said the weeklong training gave them the opportunity to meet with federal government anti-drug officials and other groups that are working for drug-free communities. [end]
To the editor: Re: the letter headlined "Col-umn On Meth Was Outstanding" (Aug. 27): The burgeoning methamphetamine problem is a fact. However, based on the experience of the many police officers and other criminal justice professionals who make up our membership, the never-ending job of police busting illegal meth dealers and users does little to impact the illegal drug trade. Letter writer Kirk Muse aptly notes that while prohibition may keep cops busy, it's a nonproductive policy. Regardless of how many arrests police make or how many illegal meth labs they shut down, no one in New Mexico or anywhere else who wants meth will have much trouble scoring. [continues 160 words]
CIBOLA COUNTY - At the August methamphetamine awareness discussion one focus was educating our youth and citizens about the drug. DWI Coordinator Rhetta King and Nicola Martinez, a certified preventionist from the Cibola County Teen Court are finding prevention strategies and ways to address the problems here. Grants City Manager Robert Horacek said both are needed in Grants. "We have an excellent police force," he noted, but added prevention is important, too. King said she and Martinez want to work with the Grants/Cibola County School District and find out what the parents want to know. They want to learn which anti-drug curriculums serve Cibola County, but first they need to gather demographics, institute current anti-drug abuse curriculums and then evaluate them. Other meeting attendees agreed that education was important, and suggested programming begin at young ages and not end until youths are seniors in high school. [continues 362 words]
To the editor: Major kudos to Tony Seno for his outstanding column: "The War on Meth: Noble Motives, Bad Policy" [Ruidoso News, Aug. 9]. I'd like to add that many judges and prison wardens have said that 70 to 80 percent of all property crime and violent crime is "drug-related." Actually, almost 100 percent of all so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by drug prohibition policies - not drugs. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. [continues 113 words]
CIBOLA COUNTY - More than 50 city, village and county officials attended and several testified at a methamphetamine awareness discussion in early August at Grants City Hall. Facilitated by U.S. Representative Steve Pearce, R-Dist. 2, the discussion resulted in unofficial plans to combat methamphetamine abuse through local ordinances, training, law enforcement and drug treatment. Pearce said he expects to have an official report for Cibola officials this fall, so that officials can determine which programs they need to start or expand. [continues 188 words]
The recent road show sponsored by Congressman Steve Pearce & Co. should drive home the point concerning meth and other drugs. What we have done up to this point has not worked. Don't get me wrong here, I'll be the first to say that it is always tragic when anyone becomes a slave to drugs. The societal cost is far-reaching, the dollar cost is staggering. But sadly, we are now no closer to winning the war on drugs than when we started. [continues 614 words]
Workshop Outlines Problems In Combatting Drug Scourge Rep. Steve Pearce was in Alamogordo Wednesday on the fifth stop in an awareness tour through New Mexico to aid communities in dealing with methamphetamine. Pearce opened the meeting with somber remarks about the reality of meth use, stating that where other drugs have a cure rate of about 40 percent, abusers of meth only have a 10 percent chance of beating the addiction. Of that 10 percent, more than 70 percent of "recovered" abusers will relapse. Since his election to office in 2002, Pearce said he has recognized the importance of several of New Mexico's issues. One in particular stands out. [continues 1148 words]
LAS CRUCES -- With law enforcement officers, city leaders and former addicts in attendance, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce made a stop in Las Cruces Tuesday for a public meeting on the dangers of methamphetamine. It was Pearce's fourth "listening session" in what will be a 17-stop, two-week tour through the 2nd Congressional District to get the community's input on how to best attack southern New Mexico's and the country's problem with the drug. Pearce said the meetings are part of his efforts to improve the lives of families in the district, something he campaigned on when first elected in 2002. [continues 288 words]
Meth Awareness Tour A Reminder Of The Drug's Addictive Pull If we turn our heads and fail to face the problem of methamphetamines the problem may not be solvable in 10 years, U. S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) said Wednesday. "Meth is a scourge on our society. It is not only very addictive but very violent." Pearce was in town on the third day of a 17-stop tour across the 2nd Congressional District intended to raise awareness of the problem of methamphetamine use and to elicit ideas and strategies for combating what many believe is an epidemic. [continues 1498 words]
Carlsbad leaders gave U.S. Representative Steve Pearce the message loud and clear Monday: the most frustrating component of methamphetamine abuse is lack of treatment. Rep. Pearce started his community tour of hearing on meth issues in New Mexico in Carlsbad this week, and expressed his surprised at how forward thinking this community is in addressing the issue. From judges to law enforcement officers, the message was clear: meth abusers need a different kind and different length of treatment than any other kind of drug abuser. [continues 388 words]
Program's Future Uncertain After Three-Year Federal Grant Expires Stephanie was an honor-roll student from a good family, she said, when that first blast of heroin filled her nostrils. She was 17 and hanging out in a Santa Fe college dorm with a bunch of "white hippies" and her boyfriend. The next four years, she was strung out and ran into serious trouble with the law for dealing drugs. She got clean for a while, then relapsed on July 17, 2005, a date she remembers as clearly as her birthday. [continues 983 words]
CARLSBAD -- More than 500 Carlsbad students who graduated from the D.A.R.E. program with their fifth-grade year were eligible to attend the first Carlsbad D.A.R.E. lock-in at the recreation complex Saturday. Only six showed up. Youth Adviser Bianca Morales was upbeat Saturday about giving the kids who did show a good time -- a little extra attention for their graduation from the drug-prevention program. The six participants were not all from the same elementary school, and were scrounging through the large plastic bags filled with T-shirts (500), squirt guns and other rec equipment planned for use during the lock-in. [continues 407 words]
CARLSBAD -- A representative of U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., lunched with members of the Carlsbad Community Anti-Drug and Gang Coalition at the Stevens Inn Monday to discuss methamphetamine problems and the community's response. John Lovell, Pearce's district representative, attended the lunch to prepare for a methamphetamine awareness workshop the congressman will be hosting from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 31 at the Pecos River Village Conference Center. The workshop will be open to the public. The congressman is working to spotlight the problems with meth and other drug addictions and what individual communities can do to alleviate these problems locally. [continues 373 words]
Behind marijuana, methamphetamine remains the second drug of choice for users in Clovis and Curry County, according to officials. And the destructive nature of the drug poses a community concern because it feeds crime rates and causes health and family deterioration, they say. Although meth production is down, meth-related use and crimes are a continuing problem statewide, according to New Mexico Drug Czar Herman Silva. According to a recent PNT story, law enforcement agencies in Roosevelt County said they have noticed a downward trend in meth arrests in the last few months, while cocaine use has risen. [continues 676 words]
Behind marijuana, methamphetamine remains the second drug of choice for users in Clovis and Curry County, according to officials. And the destructive nature of the drug poses a community concern because it feeds crime rates and causes health and family deterioration, they say. Although meth production is down, meth-related use and crimes are a continuing problem statewide, according to New Mexico Drug Czar Herman Silva. Arrests directly related to meth possession, manufacturing and distribution within the city of Clovis have dipped 65 percent as of the end of May compared to the same period in 2005, according to figures provided by the Clovis Police Department. There were 121 meth-related arrests by the department in 2005; this year there have been 28 in the first five months. [continues 614 words]
PORTALES -- The number of cocaine-related arrests is on the rise, according to Portales Police officials. Portales Police Capt. Lonnie Berry gave some examples: n A recent drug bust near the city park uncovered 50 to 54 baggies of prepackaged cocaine. n A search warrant executed May 27 netted several arrested and the recovery of 60 grams of cocaine. n In April, an ounce of crack cocaine was seized. Portales Police Department Chief Jeff Gill said 129 individuals have been arrested on drug-related charges since May 2005, and the more prevalent drug in those arrests is cocaine. [continues 255 words]
SANTA FE The state"s crackdown on methamphetamine production and sales continues, as new laws take effect limiting the availability of pseudoephedrine and toughening the penalties for trafficking meth. This is the second time in three years the Legislature has acted to control the spread of meth in New Mexico. Two years ago, it passed a bill making it child abuse to manufacture the drug in the presence of children, and taking the first step to control the ingredients used meth production. [continues 857 words]
FARMINGTON --A As new statewide laws limit the sales of pseudoephedrine and increase penalties for methamphetamine trafficking, local officials tout the initiative as a step in the right direction. Ken Christesen, director of Region II Narcotics Task Force, said his agency has seen positive results from similar laws. "We've seen a steady decrease in (meth) labs over the past several years," he said. "That's due to tougher laws and people watching ephedrine, and the amount of it sold." Although much of the substance is produced in Mexican superlabs near the U.S. border, Christesen said there are always users who produce for personal use. Those who manufacture for personal use often sell small amounts to offset the cost of their own supply. [continues 157 words]
SANTA FE -- The state's crackdown on methamphetamine production and sales continues today, as new laws take effect limiting the availability of pseudoephedrine and toughening the penalties for trafficking meth. This is the second time in three years the Legislature has acted to control the spread of meth in New Mexico. Two years ago, it passed a bill making it child abuse to manufacture the drug in the presence of children, and taking the first step to control the ingredients used meth production. [continues 664 words]
Measure outlawing cyber hunting also takes effect today Customers are now required to show photo identification to a pharmacist to buy medicine containing pseudoephedrine -- a key ingredient used to make methamphetamine -- under a new state law that takes effect today. The measure is among more than 20 new laws taking effect today. It and a companion measure increasing criminal penalties for trafficking in methamphetamine are designed to combat the manufacture and distribution of the drug. Gov. Bill Richardson, who signed the legislation into law this year, said Friday that the measures will give law-enforcement officers better tools to fight meth dealers. "Along with the nearly $800,000 we are spending on meth treatment this year, these laws show that New Mexico is committed to throwing the book at those who manufacture and deal meth," Richardson said in a news release. [continues 223 words]
First Of Two Parts Methamphetamine labs may not have the stranglehold they once had on New Mexico, but the number of victims the drug is enslaving continues to rise. Statewide, police are turning to the Meth Watch program to combat the addictive substance, and in Rio Rancho, that means more public education. Friday's first meth-awareness class, presented by the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety on behalf of the Meth Watch program, came not only with information, but also with a challenge to act. About 15 people attend the class. [continues 1033 words]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - It looked like Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson would coast toward re-election until Saturday when his little-known Republican opponent dropped out of the race and the GOP named a more aggressive candidate. J.R. Damron, who had no ballot opposition in this month's primary election, never got much traction in his campaign and was so far behind Richardson in fundraising that some GOP insiders questioned whether he could compete against the popular incumbent. The Santa Fe radiologist who has never held elected office addressed delegates at the Republican State Central Committee meeting and left without talking with reporters. [continues 424 words]
Researcher Says Data Will Help Hospitals In the emergency departments of St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and Espanola Hospital, 47 percent of patients who overdosed on drugs did so with the intent of killing themselves. They tended to be women, ages 23 to 35, who combined multiple substances, such as over-the-counter drugs, alcohol, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants and antidepressants, to harm themselves, according to a 14-month state Department of Health study of those two hospitals. It's unknown how New Mexico's overdose suicide attempts compare with other emergency departments around the country because such studies aren't common. However, the fact that more females were treated for nonfatal intentional overdoses than men corresponds with national trends. [continues 931 words]
On a typically busy Friday morning at Una Ala methadone clinic in Espanola, men and women pour into the tiny building and wait in line. Many clench money in their fists to pay for their daily dose of the synthetic opiate they drink as a substitute for the heroin they crave. Jeanne Block, a nurse and health educator for the New Mexico Health Department, waits by the front door so people looking for free doses of Narcan can find her. Narcan is a prescription drug that reverses the effect of heroin. Given to a person who has overdosed, the lifesaving drug "knocks the heroin off the brain receptors," Block says. It acts almost instantly, and those who've seen it take effect say it's like watching a dead person come back to life. [continues 647 words]
Chronic pain management is officially part of the war on drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Justice Department have had such bad results with controlling the illegal importation and use of heroin and cocaine that both departments have turned their focus on pain-management clinics to get some "success" stories. With a growing population of people suffering from severe chronic pain, prescribing strong opiates such as Oxycontin, have risen. Oxycontin, a Schedule II drug, gives up to 12 hours of time released pain control. [continues 415 words]
The founder of a drug and alcohol rehab program is hoping to turn an old Albuquerque detention center into a secure, residential treatment facility for New Mexico addicts in the near future. Renovations of the old jail have yet to begin, according to Second Chances founder Rick Kenery. At this stage in the project, he said it is hard to predict when the center will open. The title to the building was transferred last week, although the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center was relocated about five years ago, according to a jail division manager, Adan Carriaga. [continues 306 words]
Editor, I'm writing about Emil Crawford's thoughtful letter in Wednesday's Daily Lobo, "U.S. should follow Mexico by decriminalizing drugs." Suppose another country had almost no drug problem. Suppose that country had less than a small fraction of 1 percent of our drug arrests. And suppose that country had almost no "drug-related crime" and that their robbery rate was a tiny fraction of our robbery rate. Do you think it might be wise and prudent to carefully observe that other country's drug policy and that we should model that other country's drug policy? [continues 235 words]
Editor, In a bold move, the Congress in Mexico has voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, heroin and cocaine for personal use. The bill only awaits President Fox's signature to go into effect. The United States should follow Mexico's lead and decriminalize possession of drugs for personal use. The so-called war on drugs, one of America's longest and deadliest wars, has also proven to be one of the toughest wars to win. In effect, the war on drugs can only be won at the expense of personal liberty. [continues 141 words]
'Meth Watch' Aims To Help Retailers Recognize Customers Buying Meth-Making Ingredients New Mexico is adding another tool in its fight against methamphetamine, and it's beginning in Rio Rancho. On Friday, 13 New Mexico district attorneys gathered at the Department of Public Safety headquarters to announce an expanded methamphetamine-combating program and to train to take that program back to their districts. With the recent state legislation requiring pseudo-ephedrine products be kept behind a pharmacist's counter, many methamphetamine makers are importing that drug from across the Mexico border, state drug czar Herman Silva said. [continues 395 words]
Ronald Comanche Described As Gregarious, Positive By His Peers After Socorro High School teacher and coach Ronald Comanche was arrested last week on drug trafficking charges, students and coaches were asked about his nature as a person. Those who interacted with him directly gave positive reactions when given an opportunity by the Chieftain to comment on his character, and if there were any warning signs that illegal drugs might be something Comanche was or is involved with. Many seemed surprised by Comanche's arrest, saying news of his apprehension on Tuesday, April 11, was the first time they had heard his name connected with drugs. [continues 407 words]
ESPANOLA- More than two years after Gov. Bill Richardson demanded results from drug treatment providers in Rio Arriba County, the overdose death rate has remained constant and the state can't say whether treatment programs are working. While Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham acknowledges that the state still doesn't have sufficient data to determine whether Rio Arriba County's drug treatment programs are effective, she said progress has nevertheless been made. The most visible sign, said Lujan Grisham, is the fact that treatment providers, consumers and others on the front lines of the drug war are now working together. That's a far cry from two years ago when they couldn't even stand to be in the same room, the secretary said during an interview Wednesday following a gubernatorial town hall meeting in Espanola. [continues 913 words]
Inside New Mexico
