To the Editor: Re "Jurors Need to Know That They Can Say No," by Paul Butler (Op-Ed, Dec. 21): The concept of jury nullification is more complex than Mr. Butler suggests. Because juries deliberate in secret and do not provide reasons for their decisions, there is no doubt that jurors have the power not to follow the governing law. The critical question is whether jurors have the right to do so. For more than a century, the courts have ruled that juries have no right to decide what the law is, but rather have a duty to apply the law to the facts based on the trial evidence. [continues 169 words]
To the Editor: Jury nullification might sound appealing when it's used in a defendant's favor to set aside petty laws. But jury nullification doesn't just let off otherwise guilty people; it also convicts the innocent. Would anyone congratulate a jury for ignoring the law because of its animus toward the defendant rather than its sympathy? Democratically accountable bodies write our criminal laws. Twelve unelected and anonymous people should not be able to flout them behind closed doors. Burlington, N.C., Dec. 21, 2011 The writer is a recent graduate of Yale Law School. [end]
To the Editor: What is hidden behind the heated philosophical debate that jury nullification generates are the real people and communities affected by prosecutorial and police policies. Paul Butler properly notes the disgraceful number of marijuana possession prosecutions in New York City. But what we need to be equally aware of is that drug prosecutions in this city almost invariably target people suffering from endemic joblessness, homelessness as well as mental health and substance abuse problems aggravated by collapsing and underfinanced social services. [continues 139 words]
A joint oversight committee of the City Council held a contentious hearing last month over an attempt by the Council to support passage of a state law legalizing medical marijuana. The Council's resolution asks the state Legislature to pass the bill - which is sponsored by Tom Duane in the state Senate and Richard Gottfried in the Assembly - but which has languished for years in the warrens of Albany. Similar to a law recently passed in New Jersey, the legislation would closely regulate use and distribution of marijuana. [continues 982 words]
The price of hard drugs found on the street may be able to forecast the level of violent crime like larceny, assault and homicide in New York City, according to a new study. A study at the John Jay College, 'More Drugs, Less Crime,' in Manhattan, states that the price of hard drugs for a particular year can help determine the level of crime expected based on a user's ease in acquiring. 'Essentially our paper could be boiled down to this: Most crime is committed by drug users to finance the cost of drug use,' Travis Wendel, the main author of the study explained according to the New York World. [continues 230 words]
IF you are ever on a jury in a marijuana case, I recommend that you vote "not guilty" - even if you think the defendant actually smoked pot, or sold it to another consenting adult. As a juror, you have this power under the Bill of Rights; if you exercise it, you become part of a proud tradition of American jurors who helped make our laws fairer. The information I have just provided - about a constitutional doctrine called "jury nullification" - is absolutely true. But if federal prosecutors in New York get their way, telling the truth to potential jurors could result in a six-month prison sentence. [continues 770 words]
Contrary to the conclusions stated as fact by Mr. Evans: Marijuana is not addictive. Studies by the Department of Transportation show that marijuana use does not cause more automobile accidents. Many people in treatment programs for marijuana are there because courts send them there as an alternative to incarceration; most judges know that people shouldn't be jailed for smoking pot. The vast majority of state medical marijuana laws were promulgated by legislatures, analyzed and affirmed by courts, and based on the advice of medical organizations representing the opinions of tens of thousands of physicians. [continues 68 words]
Scientists have long known that like many plants, marijuana has some medicinal properties. But that does not imply that to derive those medical benefits, the plant should be smoked in its raw form (we don't, after all, smoke opium to get the benefits of morphine). Nor does the potential medical value of marijuana mean that, as medicine, its fate should be left to the whims of the electorate. Unfortunately, rather than advocating better or quicker research protocols so that pharmacists can properly dispense marijuana-based medications with consistent dosing and in a safe delivery manner, many states have bypassed the approval process of modern medicine. The result has been widespread abuses. [continues 101 words]
The Writer Responds The responses focus on denying the dangers of marijuana use (that it is addictive and causes car crashes), personal anecdotes about marijuana as "medicine," and justifications for bypassing the approval process of the Food and Drug Administration. I point Mr. Anton to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showing that marijuana users have the highest rate of dependence of all those classified with illicit drug dependence. Higher potency marijuana is a major factor in the increasing number of Americans being treated for dependence. [continues 154 words]
I congratulate Mr. Evans for his incisive and insightful discussion of the medical marijuana issue. Our procedures for assuring safety and efficacy through Food and Drug Administration approval have been hijacked by marijuana advocates. They are driving a process of medicine by popular vote - a terrible precedent for consumer protection. If marijuana were named Substance X to disconnect it from all the emotions, its use would be associated with exposure to numerous impurities, significant addiction, psychotic episodes and dose instability. The medical community and the public would reject it out of hand. Lobbying by the marijuana culture has resulted in misguided and misinformed public acceptance. [continues 57 words]
Mr. Evans, who is not a doctor and doesn't specialize in any of the illnesses he cites, overextends his expertise when he advises me and other readers that medical marijuana does not help me and others like me. I have Parkinson's disease, and I have used marijuana on occasion to relieve the uncomfortable stiffness that I suffer from time to time. It works. Mr. Evans insists that "numerous safe and effective F.D.A.-approved medications are available for these conditions." He's right; I'm on several of them. But these drugs have unpleasant and, in one case, potentially debilitating side effects when used on a long-term basis. How easy it is for an anti-marijuana crusader to dismiss its medical benefits; how wrong he is to advocate denying me something that eases my suffering. New York, Dec. 14, 2011 [end]
Several years ago, I contracted a case of food poisoning. The frequent vomiting and diarrhea were unpleasant, but the feeling of nausea was the worst effect of all. In response, I smoked a few puffs of high-quality marijuana. The effects of the nausea disappeared after about 30 seconds. Here's a few assertions of my own: Marijuana is the fastest-acting and most effective anti-nausea agent available. Marijuana is no more addictive than milk, and the consumption of small quantities is no more toxic than milk. Novato, Calif., Dec. 14, 2011 [end]
Mr. Evans's call for the Food and Drug Administration to determine the safety and efficacy of cannabis may sound appealing, but it is politically unfeasible. That is because the cannabis plant is classified under federal law as a Schedule 1 prohibited substance - the most restrictive classification possible. Since the present law forbids any private manufacturers of cannabis-based products to exist, there remains no entity available to conduct the sort of research and development necessary to trigger an F.D.A. review. [continues 148 words]
I am sure that others will point out the many fallacies in Mr. Evans's letter as these have been the traditional myths used by medical marijuana opponents for years. When myths like these are circulated, it discredits the sincere effort many of us have been making to deal with the problem of substance abuse. Offering false arguments regarding marijuana tends to undermine all of us who are trying to reach out to young people. When I present them with real science, my words are dismissed as well. If we truly want to prevent substance abuse, honesty is the best policy. Boulder, Colo., Dec. 14, 2011 The writer is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. [end]
The addictive properties of marijuana are no reason to denounce its use as an effective and safe medicine. Many of the "safe and effective FDA-approved" drugs are opioids, which studies have shown to be nearly twice as addictive as marijuana and carry additional risks such as extreme nausea, physical dependence and death from overdose. Furthermore, any claim that marijuana has no medicinal benefits is disingenuous. A recent federal petition by the governors of Washington State and Rhode Island to reclassify marijuana for medical use cited more than 700 peer-reviewed independent studies documenting the medical value of cannabis. [continues 99 words]
Research by the group Monitoring The Future, described in recent news reports, shows that teen marijuana use continues to rise while teen alcohol use hits historic lows. A taxed-and-regulated market like alcohol's ensures that anyone selling the substance has considerable incentive to keep it out of the hands of teens. Those who sell to underage citizens lose their license and their profits. The underground market provides no such protections, essentially letting sales of marijuana to teens stay as profitable as sale to anyone else. [continues 57 words]
MILTON - Supervisor Frank Thompson said he'll confer with Town Board members this weekend to decide whether to seek Highway Superintendent [name redacted]resignation. [name redacted], 43, of Lee Street in Ballston Spa, was one of 12 people charged Thursday with drug trafficking following a five-month investigation by Saratoga Springs Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency. "We can ask for his resignation, but he doesn't have to do it," Thompson said. "I've been talking to them (board members). I haven't gotten a good consensus yet." [continues 267 words]
To the Editor: The Obama administration's recent crackdown on growers and sellers of medical marijuana is totally justified. The federal government is trying to protect vulnerable people from the use of marijuana as medicine, since the drug is not proved safe or effective. All medications, particularly those containing controlled substances, should be required to meet the rigorous criteria of the Food and Drug Administration approval process. That process has been carefully constructed over the last century to protect patient health and safety. [continues 189 words]
To the editor Newt Gingrich is now the leading contender for the Republican nomination. Although his lead has put him under the spotlight, his recent comments on drug policy have received little attention. For example, Gingrich has spoken favorably of Singapore's approach, which imposes corporal punishment and death for drug offenses. "They have been very draconian," Gingrich says. "And they have communicated with great intention that they intend to stop drugs from coming into their country." We view ourselves as a free country. The mainstream media must ask how Gingrich would apply such contradicting values on Americans. [continues 152 words]
On Sept. 21, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to confusion in the federal firearms licensing community about whether medical marijuana patients can apply for gun ownership. Its letter refers to the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. An unlawful user or addict to controlled substances is prohibited from purchasing firearms or ammunition. Furthermore, presenting a medical marijuana card is "reasonable cause to believe" that the transferee is an unlawful user or addict. [continues 546 words]
WHEN my mother-in-law was in the final, harrowing throes of pancreatic cancer, she had only one good day, and that was the day she smoked pot. So I was heartened when, at the end of last month, the governors of Washington and Rhode Island petitioned the Obama administration to classify marijuana as a drug that could be prescribed and distributed for medical use. While medical marijuana is legal in 16 states, it is still outlawed under federal law. My husband and I often thought of recommending marijuana to his mother. She was always nauseated from the chemotherapy drugs and could barely eat for weeks. She existed in a Percocet and morphine haze, constantly fretting that the sedation kept her from saying all the things she wanted to say to us, but unable to face the pain without it. And this was a woman who had such a high tolerance for pain, coupled with a distaste for drugs, that she insisted her dentist not use Novocain and gave birth to her two children without anesthesia. But despite marijuana's power to relieve pain and nausea without loss of consciousness, we were afraid she would find even the suggestion of it scandalous. This was 1997, and my mother-in-law was a very proper, law-abiding woman, a graduate of Bryn Mawr College in the 1950s. She'd never even smoked a cigarette. [continues 632 words]
A handful of Canadian police officers are operating as armed federal law enforcement officers in the United States, part of a little-known experiment in cross-border policing that will be widely expanded under the new security plan announced Wednesday. But while local and provincial police agencies are happy to see their officers operate in the States, the two federal agencies in charge of border integrity -- the RCMP and the Canadian Border Security Agency -- want to make sure it's not the Americans who call all the shots in future. [continues 1079 words]
To the Editor: Re "Reefer Madness" (Op-Ed, Nov. 7): The Obama administration's crackdown on state medical marijuana laws, as Ethan Nadelmann pointed out, does not make "any sense in terms of public safety, health or fiscal policy." Medical marijuana is consistently supported by more than 70 percent of voters. A recent Gallup poll shows that more Americans now want to legalize marijuana altogether than support continued prohibition on adult use. In an earlier era it may have been a smart move for politicians to act "tough on drugs" and stay far away from legalization. But today, many voters recognize that our prohibition laws don't do anything to reduce drug use but do create a black market where cartels and gangs use violence to protect their profits. [continues 230 words]
MARIJUANA is now legal under state law for medical purposes in 16 states and the District of Columbia, encompassing nearly one-third of the American population. More than 1,000 dispensaries provide medical marijuana; many are well regulated by state and local law and pay substantial taxes. But though more than 70 percent of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana, any use of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. When he ran for president, Barack Obama defended the medical use of marijuana and said that he would not use Justice Department resources to override state laws on the issue. He appeared to make good on this commitment in October 2009, when the Justice Department directed federal prosecutors not to focus their efforts on "individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana." [continues 489 words]
The New York Police Department, already saddled with corruption scandals, saw its image further tainted on Tuesday with the conviction of a detective for planting drugs on a woman and her boyfriend. Metro Twitter Logo. The bench verdict from Justice Gustin L. Reichbach in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn stemmed from acts committed in 2007 by the defendant, Jason Arbeeny, a 14-year veteran of the department who worked in the Brooklyn South unit. Before announcing the verdict, Justice Reichbach scolded the department for what he described as a widespread culture of corruption endemic in its drug units. [continues 477 words]
Richard Lee, the leader of the marijuana legalization movement in California, does not appear to be intimidated by the federal government's crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries. Mr. Lee closed his Oakland dispensary, Coffeeshop Blue Sky, this week after the Department of Justice threatened his landlord with criminal prosecution. He then reopened it three doors down, with enormous posters of marijuana buds in the windows. On Thursday morning, an employee was handing out fliers to customers at the new locale that read: "Thank you for your support. Together we will survive the attack. Long Live Oaksterdam." [continues 435 words]
Nearly 40 years after tough new drug laws led to an explosive growth in prison rolls, New York State has dramatically reversed course, chalking up a 62 percent drop in people serving time for drug crimes today compared with 2000, according to a Poughkeepsie Journal analysis. The steep decline -- driven, experts said, by shifting attitudes toward drug offenders and lower crime -- means that nearly 17,000 fewer minorities serve state time today than in 2000, groups that were hardest hit by the so-called war on drugs. Overall, the prison population declined 22 percent. [continues 1547 words]
Commissioner Raymond Kelly of the New York Police Department came forthwith too little, too late when he issued a memo directing officers not to arrest people caught with small amounts of marijuana unless the drug is in plain public view. A 1977 law decriminalized minor possession, yet tens of thousands are arrested every year. In 2010, more than 50,000 people were arrested for possession of marijuana; a vast majority of them were racial minorities and male. Civil rights lawyers say that many of them were stopped as part of the Police Department's broad stop-and-frisk practice and were arrested after officers told them to empty their pockets, which brought the drugs into open view. [continues 341 words]
To the Editor: Re "Trouble With Marijuana Arrests" (editorial, Sept. 27): While Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly's memo may mark the end of the explosion in low-level marijuana arrests, let there be no doubt that the broader issues related to the New York Police Department's escalating use of stop-and-frisk remain as troublesome as ever. We must retrain police officers to make street stops more constitutional and less confrontational, and to identify clear behavioral triggers for when a stop is justified. The one-size-fits-all explanation of "furtive movement" as a justification for the escalating stops of black and Latino New Yorkers is unacceptable and unconstitutional. [continues 73 words]
Marijuana smokers are less likely to be obese than nonsmokers, according to a recent study. The study found that roughly a third of those who smoke at least three times a week are less likely to be obese than those who do not smoke at all, according to a Sept. 8 Time magazine article. Researchers analyzed two national studies consisting of 52,000 people and found that 22 percent of those who did not smoke marijuana were obese, compared to 14 percent of marijuana smokers who were obese. [continues 407 words]
NEW YORK (AP) -- In many ways, the reputed drug dealers on Grandview Place were good neighbors. Their two-story, red-brick home in the New York City suburb of Fort Lee, N.J., looked perfectly ordinary with its white trim, gable porch and manicured shrubbery. Neither noise nor sketchy visitors were an issue, authorities say. The only sign that something was amiss was the rented van that would disappear into a lower-level garage each day. The driver's job: To deliver immigrant workers from the inner city to package heroin in thousands-upon-thousands of glassine envelopes stamped with catchy logos like "LeBron James" and "Roger Dat." [continues 957 words]
The police found about 10 grams of marijuana, or about a third of an ounce, when they searched Penelope Harris's apartment in the Bronx last year. The amount was below the legal threshold for even a misdemeanor, and prosecutors declined to charge her. But Ms. Harris, a mother whose son and niece were home when she was briefly in custody, could hardly rest easy. The police had reported her arrest to the state's child welfare hot line, and city caseworkers quickly arrived and took the children away. [continues 1468 words]
It was a small amount of marijuana, but it cost a Bronx parent dearly. The New York Times has a story about New York City caseworkers taking away the son and niece of Penelope Harris, after police found 10 grams of marijuana in her apartment (which is less than the limit threshold for a misdemeanor) according to her lawyer. The piece is only the latest controversial story involving New York marijuana policy. In February, it was reported that the NYPD arrested 50,383 people for having marijuana in 2010. That made it the number one reason for arrest in the city. [continues 55 words]
Police said Monday they found a white powdery substance believed to be drugs in a pocket of a pastor who was found dead Friday in a New York hotel room. Law-enforcement officials found the substance in the possession of the Rev. Zachery Tims, Jr. Mr. Tims, who was 42 years old, founded a ministry of 8,000 members in Florida and became a high-profile church leader through his frequent television appearances. He chronicled his struggle with teenage drug addiction in a 2006 memoir. [continues 451 words]
Recently the Rome Police Department, with the assistance of several other agencies was able to successfully execute a search warrant that led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab and the arrest of two individuals. This is unfortunately an increasingly common occurrence around the country as methamphetamine related arrests are on the rise, and the demand for the drug is increasing. Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that is highly addictive and powerfully activates certain systems in the brain. Although it does have some medical uses (such as in some extreme cases of obesity) those uses are very limited. The chemicals that are used in the manufacture of methamphetamines are often diverted from legal sources, such as cold medicines, fertilizer, refrigerants and even matches. [continues 498 words]
Presentation to Canisteo-Greenwood School Board Canisteo, N.Y. - Drug and alcohol use among Steuben County sixth-,eighth- and tenth-grade students has increased in the past two years, according to a survey of more than 3,100 pupils from all 13 county school districts. Most study results revealed county student substance use higher than the national average. Norm McCumiskey, Steuben County drug-free communities coordinator, presented survey findings Monday night to the Canisteo-Greenwood board of education, the first board in Steuben County to hear the presentation. [continues 921 words]
After three decades and after spending billions upon billions of our tax dollars -- yours and mine -- we're waking up to the fact that the "War on Drugs" has been a tragic failure! Of the roughly 850,000 drug arrests that law enforcement agencies make each year, it is estimated that 45 percent of those arrests were for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Even Pat Robertson, Founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, said that, "criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot is costing us a fortune and ruining young people who go into prison as youths and come out hardened criminals." Even former President Jimmy Carter believes that "penalties for the possession of it should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself." [continues 243 words]
Every weekend, softball teams dot fields across the city, office bragging rights in the balance. On a recent Saturday, players from two rival teams agreed that the stakes in their league were a little higher: their lives. They had come to Marine Park, Brooklyn, to battle for first place in the Therapeutic Community Association league. Made up of 13 teams from addiction and rehabilitation centers in New York state, the league provides a rare weekend outlet for participants; there's also an eight-team women's league. [continues 1034 words]
There is no good reason to deprive patients with cancer or H.I.V. or Lou Gehrig's disease of the relief from pain or extreme nausea that could come from using marijuana. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who once opposed his state's medical marijuana law, has changed his mind, deciding earlier this month to allow six alternative treatment centers to begin dispensing the drug to those in need, possibly by early next year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York needs to change his mind as well. [continues 204 words]
ALBANY -- After a legislative session with no progress on legalizing medical marijuana, advocates are hoping that the New Jersey governor's actions last week and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statement that he is studying the issue will lead to success. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, said his state would move forward with its medical-marijuana act, a reversal from his position last month. He said at the time that he had concerns the state legislation conflicts with federal law and practice. [continues 615 words]
Points to New Jersey Decision BAY RIDGE - State Senator Diane J. Savino, (D-Staten Island/ Bay Ridge), recently praised New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision to implement his state's medical marijuana program and urged New York to follow the lead of its cross-Hudson neighbor. "Anyone who has watched a loved one struggle with a debilitating illness would do almost anything to help alleviate their pain," Savino said. "New Jersey showed real compassion for Garden State residents who are suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and other life-threatening diseases. We need to follow this example and pass legislation to allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana when no other option is available." [continues 165 words]
Like many people who contend that marijuana eases pain and appetite loss from serious diseases, Ms. Booker cheered in January 2010, when New Jersey legalized its use in cases like hers. But a year and a half later, there is still no state-sanctioned marijuana available for patients, and none being grown, and there is no sign of when there might be. In the last few months, officials in New Jersey, as well as several other states, have said that mixed signals from the Obama administration have left them unsure whether their medical marijuana programs could draw federal prosecution of the people involved, including state employees. [continues 974 words]
More than three dozen members and associates of an alleged Albanian organized-crime syndicate have been charged in a long-running scheme to smuggle cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs into the U.S., as well as Canada and Europe, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. A federal indictment outlined the purported decadelong scheme-and revealed an array of colorful nicknames the defendants allegedly used: "The Bear," "Juicehead," "Fat Ange," "Jo-Jo," "The Kid," "Lucky" and "Little Guy," among others. Some echoed the monikers of Italian organized crime. A man named Faik Mehmeti was known as "Frank Nitti," according to the indictment. [continues 248 words]
There is an age-old debate over alcoholism: is the problem in the sufferer's head -- something that can be overcome through willpower, spirituality or talk therapy, perhaps -- or is it a physical disease, one that needs continuing medical treatment in much the same way as, say, diabetes or epilepsy? Increasingly, the medical establishment is putting its weight behind the physical diagnosis. In the latest evidence, 10 medical institutions have just introduced the first accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, where doctors who have completed medical school and a primary residency will be able to spend a year studying the relationship between addiction and brain chemistry. [continues 1079 words]
I heartily applaud the burgeoning efforts of U.S. Reps. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and Barney Frank, D-Mass., to legalize the use of marijuana. I see that as just the first step toward government regulation and the resultant taxation -- providing much needed revenue just waiting to be collected. Not only will it provide state, local and federal governments with billions in tax money, it also will move the product from drug cartels to government oversight. Kind of a win, win, win. Charles Keegan Bethlehem [end]
The 1986 federal drug law that punished people caught with crack cocaine far more severely than those caught with powder cocaine was a disaster on many levels. It undermined faith in the justice system by discriminating against poor and mainly minority crack users and favoring affluent white users who preferred the chemically identical powdered form. Congress tinkered at the margins of the law but failed to eliminate the sentencing disparity when it passed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. Now Republican lawmakers are trying to compound a longstanding injustice by opposing a proposal that would allow some people sentenced under the original law to apply for reductions in their prison terms. [continues 237 words]
With leaders of the noted Abyssinian Baptist Church sitting behind her, a 17-year-old Harlem youth stood in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday and listened to the terms of a plea agreement that would spare her a possible 25-year prison sentence for her role in a crack-cocaine ring. Afrika Owes, a former private-school student, was then placed in handcuffs and taken by court officers to begin a 90-day jail term at Rikers Island. Under the plea deal, she will be free in time to begin her senior year of high school and apply to college. If she complies with other terms, she will be designated as a youthful offender-a status that seals the arrest. [continues 283 words]
To the Editor: Sylvia Longmire misses the mark in focusing on how legalizing marijuana won't put drug cartels completely out of business ("Legalization Won't Kill the Cartels," Op-Ed, June 19). Sure, some cartel members will continue selling other illicit wares once marijuana is legalized, but since they currently earn about 60 percent of their profits from illegal marijuana sales, ending the prohibition of that cash crop will seriously undercut their ability to finance continued operations. And removing such a significant chunk of the cartels' funding will make it significantly easier for law enforcement to isolate and destroy them. As a former border patrol officer once charged with enforcing prohibition, I never dared dream of such success. Each arrest only created a lucrative job opening for someone else to step in and fill the insatiable demand for illegal drugs. [continues 55 words]
To the Editor: Sylvia Longmire is probably right that the legalization of marijuana isn't the silver bullet to end the carnage in Mexico. Yet employing economics where brute military force has failed could still be a step in the right direction. Moreover, undermining cartels is just one benefit to regulating marijuana as we do alcohol and tobacco. Currently, marijuana is sold in an enormous underground market. To maximize profits and foster addiction, cartels routinely lace marijuana with substances like phencyclidine, or PCP, and methamphetamine. [continues 70 words]
The June 15 story about another big drug investigation to bust a major pipeline to the Capital Region avoided questions of law enforcement that would address the tough reality that drug prohibition doesn't work. All of these drug investigations are concentrated in the inner cities while the wealthier suburban areas of upstate New York are ignored by law enforcement. How long will it be before the next big drug investigation is launched in the next inner city? Statistically, there is as much drug use in the suburbs, but these investigations are selectively enforced and the media never ask law enforcement why. They merely report the number of arrests or the amount of cash and drugs confiscated without reporting the cost of these lengthy investigations to the taxpayer. [continues 111 words]
Inside New York
