Former Marijuana Dealer Says Accused Cops Stole $110,000, Trashed Apartment ROBERT KUSHNER told a federal jury yesterday that back in 2007, he was a Lower Merion High School and George Washington University graduate who was selling marijuana when cops robbed him of $110,000, including money he kept in his apartment safe. Kushner, 32, now a basketball coach, said he was driving on Ridge Avenue in the city about 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2007, when an unmarked police Ford Expedition signaled for him to pull over with a blue siren on its dashboard. [continues 541 words]
Narcotic Arrests Already High in 2015 SHAMOKIN - Nearly half of criminal arrests made in the Shamokin area this year were for drug crimes. Of 148 criminal complaints filed at the office of Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III through the first three months of 2015, 62 include at least one drug charge. Average age of the defendants is 36. Twenty-eight are male, and 15 female. Twenty-one are repeat drug offenders. Arrests involved drugs like heroin, prescription pain pills and marijuana, as well as paraphernalia including syringes and pipes. Charges ranged from misdemeanor possession to felony distribution. [continues 273 words]
POTTSVILLE -- The Schuylkill County Police Chiefs Association learned more about naloxone at its monthly meeting March 18 at the courthouse. County Coroner Dr. David Moylan III said the drug can provide a second chance to those who overdose. The drug blocks the effects of heroin and opiates on the brain. "Everyone in the law enforcement field knows there is an epidemic out there: drug overdoses," he said. Moylan did not have an updated number of how many people in Schuylkill County died from drug overdoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heroin deaths have gone up 39 percent from 2012 to 2013, the most recent data available. [continues 262 words]
In Allegheny County, Common Pleas Judge Lester Nauhaus Sees His Drug Court As an Alternative to the Carnage of the Drug War. Drugs drive crime. But locking up addicts doesn't stop crime. Nor does it stop drug addiction. "Nail 'em and jail 'em wasn't working," Judge Nauhaus said. "All it was doing was costing everybody a fortune." Instead of locking up defendants, drug courts allow prosecutors, public defenders, judges and others to work together to get defendants to much-needed drug treatment. [continues 1683 words]
Many Doctors Want More Research to Be Done on Medical Marijuana Before a Decision Is Made on Whether to Legalize It Editor's Note: This is part two of a three-part series by The Daily Review looking at the possibility of legalization of marijuana in Pennsylvania. Most states now allow the use of medical marijuana, and Pennsylvania could be one of the next ones to legalize it. Last year, the Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation which would legalize the use of an extract of the marijuana plant for certain categories of medical problems, and the bill has been reintroduced in the Legislature this year as Senate Bill 3. The election last year of Gov. Tom Wolf, who supports Senate Bill 3, increases the chances that it, or similar legislation, will be enacted in the Keystone State. [continues 1861 words]
It was doctors against lawmakers, science against anecdotes, at Tuesday's joint committee hearing on medical marijuana. Yes, joint. Twenty state representatives from the Judiciary and Health Committees, mostly Republicans, filed into Pennsylvania Hospital on Tuesday, many bearing grim accounts of ill constituents who say pot helps them feel less pain. But doctors told the reps there is little proof marijuana does more good than harm, for any ailment. They called for new research funding and Food and Drug Administration approval before a new law is passed. [continues 698 words]
If you believe state Sen. Mike Folmer, some medical professionals are erring on the side of caution when it comes to medical marijuana. Twenty-three states already allow the medicinal use of cannabis, and, according to Folmer, there are doctors in Pennsylvania eager to prescribe it. The benefits are clear, the risks are low - and for some patients it's their last best chance for relief. Yet some in the medical field are hesitant to throw their support behind medical marijuana legalization efforts in Pennsylvania - such as House Bill 193 and Folmer's Senate Bill 3 - because of the drug's classification at the federal level. [continues 377 words]
'Communities That Care' Shares Information A representative of Bradford County Communities That Care was among those scheduled to appear at a hearing on medical marijuana Tuesday in Philadelphia. According to Rep. Matt Baker's website, the hearing concerned the practical implications of legalizing medical cannabis in Pennsylvania and its impact on health care professionals. Baker (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter), chairman of the House Health Committee, and Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), chair man of the House Judiciary Committee, held the combined hearing. Baker, however, was unable to attend the hearing, due to a death in the family. [continues 390 words]
Editor's Note: This is part one of a three-part series by The Daily Review looking at the legalization of marijuana in Pennsylvania. One is a Republican state senator from Lycoming County; one is the most visible Democrat in the state. But on the issue of legalization of medical marijuana, these two individuals - Sen. Gene Yaw and Gov. Tom Wolf - are seeing eye to eye. Yaw (R-23) said he was a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1182, which would allow patients, if they have a recommendation from their doctor, to purchase and use medical marijuana from centers licensed by a to-be-created State Board of Medical Cannabis Licensing. The bill was passed by the Senate last year, but it was not voted on in the House by the end of the legislative session. The bill has been reintroduced this year as Senate Bill 3. [continues 2136 words]
State Sens. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, and Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, have introduced legislation to permit the adult possession and retail sale of marijuana. The measure permits adults to privately possess marijuana without penalty and to cultivate up to six plants - no more than three mature - - for non-commercial purposes. Not-for-profit transactions involving small quantities of marijuana would also be permitted. Pittsburgh NORML supports this bill and is looking forward to hearings and the passage of this historic legislation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Patrick Nightingale Pittsburgh The author is executive director of Pittsburgh NORML, a group that advocates for legalizing medical marijuana. [end]
Bill to Allow Nonsmoking Use Wins Bipartisan Support A Delaware County Democratic senator continues the push to legalize medical marijuana, but dual-party support might not be enough to push along the legislation. The bill, Senate Bill 3, was presented by Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, of Upper Merion, and Republican Sen. Mike Folmer, R-48, of Lebanon, at the Senate Government Committee hearing Wednesday. It garnered bipartisan support in the Senate for the second time. "Today's hearing made it clear that we can create a medical cannabis protocol in the commonwealth that is among the best in the country," Leach said in a prepared statement after the hearing. [continues 636 words]
Sponsors of a Bill in the House Predict Easy Passage in the Senate and Say Legalization Could Come As Early As July. HARRISBURG - With the state Senate and the governor on board, and House leaders showing positive interest, lawmakers advocating for medical marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania say they are convinced it will become law as early as July. "This is going to pass the Senate, and we've got votes in the House by a wide margin," said Sen. Daylin Leach (D., Montgomery), cosponsor of the bill, following a hearing on the issue Wednesday. [continues 427 words]
After reading the article about the mother who pursues her addicted son in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, my heart breaks for her and the families of addicts. Generations of teenagers and young adults have found themselves addicted to heroin and/or crack cocaine, searching for their next fix in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. President Nixon announced the War on Drugs a long time ago. This is an endless war with only lost lives and fractured families listed as causalities. The continuous efforts of arresting buyers and sellers of narcotics have historically failed. We now have two, maybe three generations of this behavior. Is there a new answer or approach to these problems? Is addiction a health problem or is it a combined law-enforcement and health problem. [continues 131 words]
At least 52 people in Chester County died from drug use last year, and police are responding The war on drugs may be best known for the law enforcement's fight against the illegal drug trade, but these days another battle is waging against the rising death toll caused by fatal overdoses. Local law enforcement officials continue to raise the alarm about the constant loss of life that has struck communities across the country, including Chester County. Last year at least 52 people died in an accidental manner caused by drug use, according to statistics from the Chester County Coroner's Office. [continues 1273 words]
Despite the stereotypical image of the stoner who is so lacking in motivation he can't get off the couch, a look at recent elections shows that marijuana actually does motivate people - to vote. And the phenomenon is most profound among millennials, as illustrated in the presidential swing state of Florida last November. Those who want to see a Republican in the White House should take note - millennials could be the deciding vote in 2016, and marijuana law reform could be a key issue. [continues 615 words]
While heroin continues to claim lives at an alarming rate, officials said prescription drugs now cause more deaths than all illegal street drugs combined. The war on drugs may be best known for the law enforcement's fight against the illegal drug trade, but these days another battle is waging against the rising death toll caused by fatal overdoses. Local law enforcement officials continue to raise the alarm about the constant loss of life that has struck communities across the country, including Chester County. Last year at least 52 people died in an accidental manner caused by drug use, according to statistics from the Chester County Coroner's Office. [continues 1276 words]
Editor: I am excited about Gov. Tom Wolf 's willingness to sign a medical cannabis act into law. I use cannabis instead of marijuana because I don't like referring to a medication by a street slang term. When it becomes law, as a pharmacist, I would like to see things happen involving the state's health care professionals. If physicians will write prescriptions for medical cannabis, shouldn't registered pharmacists dispense it ? We don't want the laity dispensing narcotics for medical purposes - unfortunately, plenty makes it onto the street. Dispensing controlled substances without skimming off the top is what a pharmacy's staff does. [continues 200 words]
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new policy statement on marijuana and its effects on adolescents and children. Sadly, the main theme is, "We don't know." Among the issues the academy explores: 1) Do decriminalization and legalization lead to higher use by children and adolescents? In countries where the law has changed, a slight increase has been seen among residents, but "drug tourism" has confused the issue, as it has in the Netherlands over the last 25 years. Though the Dutch did not see a great rise among their citizens, they saw a huge jump in outsiders, leading to disruptions of the peace. This influx led to the passage of more laws to discourage use of Dutch marijuana by outsiders. Early statistics from Colorado show that legalized marijuana has not been the gold mine everyone worried about, and sales are, if anything, far below expectations. [continues 417 words]
Regarding your thoughtful Feb. 1 editorial, not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but all adult use should be legal and regulated. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn'??t fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 63 words]
Jonathan Garcia Is to Serve More Than 17 Years for Crimes That Included Robbing Drug Dealers, Selling Heroin. As corrupt police officers go, Jonathan Garcia was more brazen than most. Less than two years after joining the force, he was making illegal traffic stops and stealing cash seized from drug dealers. He sold heroin, often in uniform and in broad daylight, across the street from the 17th District station in South Philadelphia. And, as he explained to a federal Judge Wednesday, he did all of this thinking that was just the way the system worked in a city with a history of dirty cops. [continues 687 words]
Inside Pennsylvania
