The Governor's Working Group on Methamphetamine Use has submitted recommendations in categories ranging from treatment to law enforcement. The 55-page report was turned over to Gov. Jim Gibbons this week. One of Gibbons' first acts as governor was to form the group, which includes educators, treatment providers and citizens as well as law enforcement. Among them are his wife, Dawn, who has been active in the battle against meth since before her husband's election. She said Nevadans "must unite to ensure that this devastating drug is not in our homes, schools or communities." [continues 409 words]
Sixteen times as many blacks as whites were sent to prison from Washoe County for drug offenses in 2002, 60 percent more than the national average, according to a new report released by a nonprofit agency seeking alternatives to incarceration. In data for the year from 198 counties with at least 250,000 people, Washoe ranked 41st in the number of persons per 100,000 imprisoned for drug offenses, one slot behind Los Angeles and two behind New York City. [continues 557 words]
Credible drug law reform is gaining momentum as evidenced by Ron Paul's popularity (Ron Paul Attracts High Turnout, Nov. 29, 2007). At the very minimum it's time to re-legalize the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana) which is safer than alcohol especially when compared to whiskey. Cannabis hasn't killed one person in over 5,000 years of documented use while cigarettes murder over 1,000 Americans daily and the plant is less addictive than coffee. [continues 66 words]
Supporters Of All Ages Fill Ham Hall, Exhibiting Lively Vocal Enthusiasm Two days after Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addressed a crowd of 200 in Henderson, fellow Republican candidate Ron Paul's appearance at Artemus Ham Concert Hall Nov. 19 brought out nearly 1,000 energetic supporters. Jeff Greenspan, regional coordinator for the Paul campaign said the impressive turnout was a clear indication of Paul's growing popularity and part of a transition from long-shot contender to serious competitor to mainstream Republican candidates like Romney and Rudy Giuliani. [continues 456 words]
Recovered Addict Says 'Make Jail Hell So Users Won't Want To Come Back' The governor's task force on the methamphetamine crisis got a different take on the subject Thursday. "Today you're going to be hearing from the true experts," said consultant Linda Lang. "Those who've been through it and have beaten the drug." The advice they got urged stronger and more graphic education programs throughout the school years to prevent young people from ever trying the drug - along with jail or confinement even for those facing their first conviction to drive home the point - and tough, mandatory treatment programs. [continues 715 words]
A Decade After Voters Started Approving Medical Marijuana, Congress Still Hasn't Gotten the Message Nevada voters may have voted for medical marijuana, but that doesn't mean that law enforcement is willing to make it easy for them, nor are the politicians who set federal policy. At this point, the greatest hope patients and their physicians have is next year's presidential election, which could bring into office a candidate willing to stop law enforcement raids on health care use of marijuana. And for Nevadans, the best way to affect that decision is in the January presidential caucuses in which most candidates have pledged to stop the raids. [continues 1047 words]
Several hundred police officers from across the nation gathered at the Riviera on Tuesday morning for the lecture. Finally, it would be told. Perhaps: "I could really go for a hot dog from 7-Eleven" ... "It's like I'm the god of this Xbox. No one can beat me" ... "Forget the Beatles. Phish did a way better version of 'The White Album.' It's just ... awesome." Truly, what is going on "Inside the Mind of a Marijuana User"? "Sometimes it is pretty hazy and fuzzy up there," said Garry Rubinstein, the lecturer and UNR's substance abuse counselor. [continues 372 words]
Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced Tuesday a new law aimed at hindering the manufacture of methamphetamine in Nevada was to go into effect on August 1, and Lt. Bob Sherlock, with the Lyon County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division, said the new law should definitely make it tougher to acquire necessary chemicals and therefore halt a lot of "mom and pop" meth labs. "Anything is helpful," Sherlock said, adding that while lab finds have been on the decline in the last year, he could not be certain yet whether it could be attributed to new laws or to the fact a lot of cheap, finished product is arriving from Mexico. [continues 651 words]
Here it is Independence Day, and Dale and I are hosting the canine cousins. This doesn't allow much independence because the two young males, our Strider and our daughter's Lemmy, are spittin' rather than kissin' cousins. But Cleo is having a ball. Guinness is odd man out, the old man who just wishes everyone would get along and a burger would fly off a grill as it did in the grand old days when his favored master, our son now in London, indulged him. Curses be on nanny vets who impose human dietary strictures on red meat and bones, stout-loving beasts. [continues 1227 words]
The stories about meth addict Mary Reasoner we printed Sunday through Thursday brought a variety of reactions, ranging from anger that we would run such disturbing information to praise for bringing to light the dark world of meth. And it's a well populated world, even in this small town. Reporter Teri Vance, after observing the Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Team in action pursuing drug dealers and users, wrote, "Like cockroaches moving about in the darkness, an entire civilization comes to life in this town when the sun goes down." [continues 736 words]
Silhouetted by a low-hanging, orange August moon, Mary looks small. She's standing in the parking lot of Rail City, a Sparks casino. "They're after me," she says. The moon, nearly red from the fire burning in the west Reno hills, casts an eerie, ominous glow. There's been a string of storage-unit burglaries in Carson City and Mary Reasoner is the prime suspect. She says she didn't do it. But no one's going to believe her - not with her history of burglary - so she's leaving town. [continues 1718 words]
Reporter's Notebook Mary first called us because she wanted to make a difference. She wanted to use her own life to show others the horrors of methamphetamine addiction. And she did. It would be easy to judge Mary on the surface. She's certainly made mistakes, some with potentially devastating consequences. She may not deserve your sympathy, but she does deserve your attention. There are lessons to be learned. Don't we all have addictions, compulsions or bad habits that are holding us back? [continues 315 words]
Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for the Division of Child and Family Services, said children being raised in homes where meth is used is a common scenario in Carson City. "They're subject to a total lack of supervision," she said. "Their home life becomes chaotic, and their basic needs are neglected." As a result of the neglect, she said, they are often left vulnerable to abuse and injustices committed by unsavory people hanging around the house. However, the department works first to rehabilitate the family rather than removing the children. [continues 262 words]
Reporter's Notebook Sometimes, when Mary laughs, the sadness disappears from her eyes. She does her best to keep laughing, to stay constantly surrounded by a posse of friends and chaos. Most of her friends were wary of Brad and me. They couldn't understand why she would give us so much access into her life. I'm not sure I understood it either. She no longer claimed the meth wasn't in control of her life, that she's not "running amok." [continues 270 words]
Mary's sitting on her bedroom floor, applying mascara in front of her full-length mirror. Behind her a single sheet of paper is taped to the wall. It says: "Just because you're miserable doesn't mean you can't enjoy life." And she is. "I'm just having too much fun," she says. "I like drama. I thrive on drama." Her makeup, along with clothes and anything else she needs to get through the day - including bags of meth - is shoved into a purple backpack. [continues 1612 words]
The torture of not knowing the end of the story, is not knowing the end. When Mary first came home from the hospital, it seemed she was moving in the right direction. By virtue of being in the hospital for two months, she had that time clean, and was feeling it. Sobriety translated to hope. When she spoke, her eyes almost sparkled. There was a lilt in her voice. I saw a person who you'd be friends with. [continues 379 words]
At the hospital, they tell Mary she has an abscess on her spine. She may never walk again Dark moments are punctuated by periods of misery. But the surgery on Oct. 14 is successful. She's expected to make a full recovery. Then infection sets in. She spends nearly two months in the hospital. One day seems just like the day before, and tomorrow holds promise of little else. She starts reading "A Million Little Pieces," the story of one man's battle and eventual triumph over drug addiction. [continues 1631 words]
Most Nevada voters favor the governor's plan to address prison overcrowding by spending millions on new prisons rather than changing the law, so inmates can get out earlier, according to a new Reno Gazette-Journal poll. And a majority of those polled said they want the state to spend more money on law enforcement to deal with Nevada's high rate of methamphetamine addiction instead of increasing prevention and treatment, the poll found. The Nevada Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons have floated a number of ways to address these problems, which will cost the state millions in the coming years. [continues 725 words]
The names of Mary's children were changed in this story. It was an agonizing decision. We wanted to present the most accurate image to the community of the effects methamphetamine has not just on the users, but on those around them. At the same time, we wanted to minimize any harm that could come to her boys. Although neither of them have anything to be ashamed of, we ended up changing their names. [continues 194 words]
Imprisoned By Meth: Mary's Story Mary's resolve tempers with reality as the days go by and the ache in her back becomes increasingly debilitating. "It's the worst pain I've ever been in, in my whole life," she says. It started just after a fender-bender on the way to a follow-up appointment after her gall bladder surgery a month ago. But instead of healing, the pain keeps getting more intense. In a matter of weeks, it hurts too badly to walk upright. [continues 1737 words]
Inside Nevada
