Humans should stop caging humans for using the God-given plant cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana) and one reason that doesn't get mentioned, is because it is biblically correct since Christ God Our Father (the ecologician) indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page - see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30. The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness - see 1 Timothy 4:1-5. What kind of people created cannabis prohibition and extermination? Stan White The Green Collar Worker [end]
'High Times' battles DEA in friendly pro-con discussion On March 28, Austin Peay State University hosted the Heads vs. Feds debate. The subject of the debate was the legalization of marijuana. The two speakers were Robert Stutman and Steve Hager. Stutman is the former director of the Drug Enforcement Agency office in New York City, and Hager is a former writer and editor of High Times magazine. Around 400 people attended the event. The debate centered around three main topics: Medicinal uses, the benefits of using hemp and the punishments given out for this drug offense. Hager argued that marijuana has never killed anyone, is less dangerous then prescriptions and can be used to treat illnesses. [continues 221 words]
Last week's Heads vs. Feds Hot Topic debate has encouraged us at The All State to examine the matter of marijuana legalization. This is in part because 400 people attended the debate. Most of the past Hot Topic debates have had significantly smaller attendance. It really says something about where everyone's priorities lie. The main reason we're examining the issue, however, is that it can have profound effects on all of us. We've weighed pros, and we've weighed the cons. The issue has been discussed by many for long periods beneath the glow of a black light while listening to Pink Floyd. As a result, we've come to some rudimentary conclusions. [continues 525 words]
Scott County Sheriff Anthony Lay arrested and charged one of his department's jailers Monday for selling drugs to an inmate. "This is the beginning of a clean-up at the Scott County Sheriff's Department," Lay said this morning. Lay organized an undercover sting after a prisoner alleged that 21-year-old Joshua Ryan Byrd, a jailer since January, had offered to sell cigarettes and drugs. That prisoner was given $40 so he could request marijuana, pills or cocaine from Byrd, the sheriff said. [continues 193 words]
Some people tend to think that what they do in their personal time shouldn't concern their employers. But what happens in the event one is charged by police with breaking the law? Should you tell your boss immediately, or does one subscribe to the "what he doesn't know won't hurt him" policy? It might not be fair but the public tends to hold some people in certain professions to a higher standard. Preachers, politicians, police officers and teachers are the people who leap to my mind. [continues 456 words]
UTC does not have a drug testing policy for students, despite rumors to the contrary. However, the athletics department has a random drug testing policy for students participating in university sports, according to athletic department officials. Jeffery Burgin, the associate dean of students and director of multicultural affairs, tried to clear up confusion concerning the university's policy of student drug testing. "The athletic department has a drug testing policy as it relates to the NCAA but the university does not have a policy of randomly drug testing its students," Burgin said. [continues 661 words]
Dear Editor: Regarding your March 22 editorial "Court ruling may limit 'Bong Hits for Jesus,'" alcohol kills more Americans each year than all illegal drugs combined. Prescription overdose deaths are second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death from unintentional injury. Television is filled with sophisticated pro-drug messages paid for by alcohol and pharmaceutical companies. The Bush administration doesn't have a problem with corporate drug pushers. But hoist a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at a high school rally in Alaska, and they will fight you all the way to the Supreme Court. [continues 181 words]
High Times Editor, DEA Agent To Face Off Whether you are straight-laced and against the legalization of marijuana, an advocate for the drug's medical purposes or a hippie-type looking to spark up without breaking the law, Wednesday's debate at Austin Peay State University could prove interesting. The APSU Govs Programming Council is sponsoring the debate at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in the Morgan University Ballroom on the legalization of the drug. The debaters are High Times editor Steve Hager and Bob Stutman -- a former officer with the New York City Drug Enforcement Agency. [continues 249 words]
Austin Peay State University will hold The Great Debate: Heads vs. Feds at 7 p.m. March 28 in the Morgan University Center Ballroom. The debate will cover the legalization of marijuana. Former High Times Editor Steve Hager will represent one side, while former Deug Enforcement Agent Bob Stutman will represent the other. For more on this story, see Saturday's edition of The Leaf-Chronicle [end]
This week, the Supreme Court is hearing one of the most important free speech cases involving the rights of students in schools in more than 50 years. The case revolves around then-high school student Joseph Frederick, who in 2002 went with his classmates to watch the Olympic torch being carried through his town of Juneau, Alaska, on its way to Salt Lake City for the games. When the torch and the cameras following it passed by Frederick and his friends, they unveiled a 14-foot banner that said "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." [continues 411 words]
To the editor, With the word, "Go," President George W. Bush invaded Iraq. All he has to do is use that same word to attack the treasure and lifeline of our terrorist enemies in Afghanistan. When you are at war, you must demolish the enemy's economic base. That, for the Taliban and terrorists, is the beautiful red poppy that grows in abundance in huge open fields. That country, over which we should have some control, is the world's largest producer of heroin. After years of trying to defeat our foes and the warlords, Bush has not given that simple command, "Go." [continues 230 words]
Jackson-Madison County Schools superintendent authorizes new policy Police soon will begin using drug dogs for random searches of Jackson-Madison County Schools buses and buildings that serve fifth- through 12-grade students. Superintendent Nancy Zambito authorized the new policy this week. Police began conducting random searches for drugs in the parking lots of school properties earlier this school year, though nothing has been found so far, to Zambito's knowledge. "What prompted this decision was there was concern among the principals, and I received several calls from parents whose children have seen drugs on the school buses," Zambito said Friday. "We will start the searches before the school year is over," she added. "We're very lucky to have the wonderful relationship that we have with our law enforcement agencies." [continues 236 words]
It is commendable to fix prejudicial elements of the Higher Education Act ("Drug Conviction Denies Students Financial Aid," Mar. 1, 2007), since the government's war on drugs primarily targets cannabis plant users. Do students lose financial aid if caught with alcohol? Further discrimination exists because students convicted of murder or rape, are still eligible for financial aid in school. Government's attempts to persecute, prohibit and exterminate cannabis (kaneh bosm/ marijuana) is luciferous to begin with since Christ God, Our Father, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page of the Bible (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). [continues 53 words]
Students who have drug convictions shouldn't lose their financial aid, say members of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). UTC students are varied in their opinions on this issue. "We recognize the "War on Drugs" has caused a lot of harm and that now there is far too much emphasis on crime and punishment and not enough emphasis on effective strategies at preventing drug use," Tom Angell, the head of SSDP, said. As a part of the "War on Drugs," the Higher Education Act prevents students who have drug convictions from receiving federal student aid, Angell said. [continues 472 words]
Tullahoma and other surrounding communities may be gaining ground in a methamphetamine battle due to legislation regulating over-the-counter drug product sales, but the move has shifted the illegal consumption focus to imported narcotics and a past trend -- crack cocaine. Members of the 14th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crime Task Force made a presentation at the Tullahoma Drug Free Task Force's February meeting, airing that point. Billy Cook, 14th Judicial District Task Force director, said laws passed more recently statewide after Tullahoma had its own restrictions on over-the-counter drug sales have made a tremendous difference in curbing methamphetamine abuse. [continues 392 words]
U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon's legislation designed to stem the scourge of methamphetamine in the nation's communities cleared the U.S. House of Representatives today. "We have a duty to protect innocent families not only from the criminals who make and use this illegal drug, but also from the aftereffects of that crime," said Gordon, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology. The House approved H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007, and the bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. [continues 333 words]
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon's legislation designed to stem the scourge of methamphetamine in the nation's communities cleared the U.S. House of Representatives today. "We have a duty to protect innocent families not only from the criminals who make and use this illegal drug, but also from the aftereffects of that crime," said Gordon, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology. The House approved H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007, and the bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. [continues 333 words]
SURGOINSVILLE - Meth lab seizures in Hawkins County last year were cut to one third the level of the previous several years as scores of traffickers and manufacturers have gone to prison and state laws make it harder to obtain meth ingredients. But, as is usually the case in the world of illegal drugs, when one product is taken off the market, another steps up to take its place. The next big drug problem to be faced by area law enforcement may be cocaine, which has been popping up in arrests in greater quantities in recent weeks. [continues 489 words]
Students' Brazen Acts May Expand Zero-Tolerance List Bringing a crack pipe to school, having sex on campus or vandalizing school property are among student conduct violations likely to get harsher punishment soon in some Midstate school systems. School officials say they're forced to revise their policies annually to keep up with students' more brazen behaviors. "We look at what's going on in our schools. What are we running into?" said Rick Miller, discipline coordinator for Wilson County schools and principal of MAP Academy, an alternative school in Lebanon. [continues 500 words]
Tennessee collected almost $1.8 million in taxes on cocaine, crack, moonshine and other "unauthorized substances" in 2006, the second year the tax was in effect. The $1,773,535 collected last year marked a 3.4 percent increase from 2005. Drug dealers, moonshiners and other purveyors of controlled and illicit substances are supposed to purchase tax stamps under the 2-year-old law, the state Department of Revenue said in a release. The tax, dubbed the "crack tax" when enacted, has come under attack from attorneys across the state because it is assessed against the accused before their guilt or innocence was decided. [continues 119 words]
Inside Tennessee
