Re: "Apply due process to forfeiture - Powerful tool has become another government idea gone awry, says David Simpson," Dec. 23, Viewpoints. Thanks to Rep. David Simpson for calling attention to the most corrupting influence in law enforcement: civil asset forfeiture. According to an analysis of 43,000 state and local reports submitted to the Justice Department Equitable Sharing Program, nearly $2.5 billion was seized. In up to 81 percent of the cases, no indictment was ever filed. Civil forfeiture laws presume seized property to be tainted. Property owners must prove in court that their money or property was acquired legally in order to get it back. This is almost always more expensive than giving up the legally acquired property. [continues 109 words]
Regarding "Stockman bill would have banned some asset seizures" (Page B2, Tuesday), if only Steve's Stockman's bill to stop federal seizure of assets could fix bad laws instead of being a political statement. The government's ability to label goods suspicious and take them without any proof of illegalities is Orwellian in its reasoning. The Justice Department claims it's an effective tool, ignoring innocent victims of asset seizure in the fever to stop drug trafficking and organized crime. [continues 68 words]
Powerful Tool Has Become Another Government Idea Gone Awry, Says David Simpson "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." - - James Madison, 1788 Civil asset forfeiture, or forfeiture of contraband as it is referred to in Chapter 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, is the process by which the state may confiscate assets of an individual that are alleged to be proceeds or instruments of crime. Current law allows such property to be seized even if the property owner is never charged, much less convicted. If charges are brought, the seized property may be disposed of prior to conviction, or in the case of acquittal, does not have to be returned to the owner. [continues 524 words]
Regarding "Wise counsel" (Page B8, Thursday), Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland is to be commended for speaking out against marijuana prohibition. There are positive aspects to legalization that bear repeating. New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that states with open medical marijuana access have a 25 percent lower opioid overdose death rate than marijuana prohibition states. This research finding has huge implications for states such as Texas that are grappling with prescription narcotic and heroin overdose deaths. [continues 96 words]
Congress Should Listen to What Houston Police Chief Charles Mcclelland Has to Say. Advocates for ending the war on drugs found an unlikely new ally last week: Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland. In an interview with Houston-based radio show Cultural Baggage, McClelland candidly discussed the undeniable facts about our nation's criminalization and prohibition of marijuana, calling the drug war a "miserable failure." "Most police chiefs understand that when it comes to marijuana use, we cannot (continue) to criminalize such a large population of society that engage in casual marijuana use," McClelland said during the pre-recorded interview that aired Friday on KPFT 90.1. [continues 652 words]
Izaiah Ruiz's epilepsy was so severe, his daily life so miserable, that his grandmother says she would have sold her Montgomery County home and moved to Colorado for what many say is a new, miracle treatment: marijuana. But Lori Fountain couldn't make the finances work. As her 6-year-old grandson suffered, all she could do was follow online the progress of patients who sought treatment in Colorado, where marijuana is legal. Their families reported patients suddenly were seizure-free, verbal, able to dress and feed themselves thanks to treatment with a strain of marijuana, a preparation known as Charlotte's Web, which has become something of a national phenomenon. [continues 733 words]
Man Who Had Faced Possible Life Sentence Takes 7 Years Probation. GEORGETOWN - A man whose case made national news when he was facing up to life in prison for possessing pot brownies in Williamson County has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Jacob Lavoro, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday to the second-degree felony of possession of tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, said his lawyer, Jack Holmes. Lavoro agreed to the plea in exchange for a sentence of seven years' probation, Holmes said. [continues 339 words]
Regarding "Advocates of legal pot say it's not if, but when" (Page A1, Monday), I believe that the government should legalize the use of marijuana. However, the government should be in charge of taxing and regulating the substance. By doing so, the government will generate new revenues and lower the number of criminals selling marijuana. This would also allow for police to focus more on major crimes rather than petty criminal charges of marijuana possession. I agree with the fact that the government should place an age limit on the drug. Sam Kretzschmar, Bellaire [end]
The young biochemists who trained at Rice University came to pitch their business plan for testing legally produced marijuana for a "cannabinoid signature" that consumers can use to decide which batch of a given strain is best for their medical conditions or the recreational high they desire. A team from Florida and another from Colorado each made the case for new lighting systems designed to cut electricity expenses for indoor growers while helping boost their agricultural output. Another hopeful entrepreneur outlined plans to convert trees killed by pine beetle infestation into a unique charcoal that would feed fertilizer to plants more efficiently and reduce runoff, while some big dreamers from Washington state promised tourists a "luxury cannabis experience" in a Victorian-era castle with a pot-friendly hotel and fancy restaurant. [continues 695 words]
Program for Low-Level Pot Offenders Makes Sense The second time, we hope, will be the charm. An underused 2007 state law offered police officers the option of writing citations for certain low-level offenses rather than hauling suspects to jail. The point was to keep cops on the street and avoid burning up valuable hours processing defendants for misdemeanors like marijuana possession or graffiti. Dallas tried to take advantage right away, but the experiment went poorly, with most offenders failing to show for court. [continues 487 words]
Drs. Oz & Roizen With clever names like Peace of Mind, Girl Scout Cookies, Train Wreck and Tsunami, it's a good bet that the marketers of legal marijuana finished high school. That's less certain for their younger customers. New research shows daily marijuana use before the age of 17 cuts your chances of graduating from high school or getting a college degree by 60 percent. And that info's just the tip of the joint. Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Washington and Colorado, and for medical purposes in 19 other states plus the District of Columbia, scientists are able to study the drug more closely. The result is an outpouring of data on marijuana's formerly unknown or underappreciated risks. [continues 144 words]
The call to legalize pot steadily emanates from the decaying 74-year-old home in Montrose. A gray-haired, sharp-voiced Dean Becker settles in behind a microphone there each Sunday night at the studios of KPFT public radio to spread his mantra: End the Drug War. Becker and those of a like mind about legalizing marijuana say they are getting some traction nowadays. With recreational use of pot now legal in Colorado and Washington - and public opinion polls showing growing nationwide support for such measures - speculation is rampant that even in law-and-order Texas, it is not a question of if, but when, legalization will happen. [continues 791 words]
Freeing Up Police Resources the Goal of Possible Policy Change People caught in Dallas with a small amount of pot may soon be able to avoid jail. County criminal justice leaders are quietly working on a program that would allow police to issue tickets to people accused of simple possession. Those cited would still face prosecution in court, but they wouldn't be arrested. Officials hope to launch a pilot program in Dallas in mid-January. Applied countywide, such a change in enforcement policy could result in hundreds fewer arrests each month. The goal, officials say, is to reduce the jail population and free up police resources. [continues 600 words]
Ogg Argues She Originated Plan to Decriminalize Possession A move to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana emerged Wednesday as a major issue in the contentious race for Harris County district attorney with both candidates claiming ownership of the idea. At a news conference, Republican Devon Anderson, the incumbent, said that beginning Monday, nonviolent first offenders carrying less than 2 ounces of marijuana will be able to escape prosecution by performing eight hours of community service or going through a drug awareness class. [continues 590 words]
Is America's scientific research biased to focus on the harmful effects of drugs? That was one of the questions at the heart of a congressional hearing this summer seeking to understand more comprehensively the scientific evidence related to marijuana. And it was how Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found herself being grilled by Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. "Dr. Volkow, your testimony seems to completely disregard lots of other data," he accused. Volkow and I were the witnesses, along with a representative from the Food and Drug Administration. Connolly was particularly interested in learning why NIDA and the FDA - both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - supported so little research into the potential medical uses of marijuana. He appeared exasperated by the focus on drugs' harmful effects, which "impeded the ability to have legitimate research that could benefit human health." [continues 1113 words]
IF YOU THINK BIG TOBACCO WAS BAD, WAIT TILL YOU GET A WHIFF OF BIG MARIJUANA, SAYS KEVIN SABET Proponents of legalization and other drug policy reforms make some important points. It is true that most people who try drugs do not get addicted - they stop after using a few times. It is also true - and regrettable - that America's incarceration rate is embarrassingly high and that blacks and Latinos bear the brunt of harsh arrest policies. And, finally, despite our best efforts, fully eradicating drug use and its consequences remains a distant dream. But placing faith that legalization will help any of these issues is misguided. In fact, legalization threatens to further contribute to disproportionate health outcomes among minorities, all the while creating a massive new industry - Big Tobacco 2.0 - intent on addicting the most vulnerable in society. [continues 1245 words]
Regarding "New 'wax' form of pot can be explosive, feds warn" (Page B1, Saturday), isn't it time the Chronicle stopped being complicit in spreading "Reefer Madness" nonsense from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration? The two scare quotes from your article on 'dabs' or 'wax' is that it's twice as strong as regular pot and that people may blow themselves up trying to make it. People have been smoking hashish with the same strength as 'wax' for millennia with no ill effects. If drug prohibition vanished, experts would be making 'wax' commercially and the toking public wouldn't be trying to make it. Pot use hasn't killed anyone in the history of its use (including hashish, sensimilla, and 'wax'). People shouldn't get high and drive, but since the 1960s, auto death rates haven't skyrocketed because of pot. Rick Potthoff, Houston [end]
The medical industry has many tools for treating pain and illness, and while America has some of the most advanced medical treatments in the world, treatment is a tricky thing and sometimes has unintended side effects. One issue that afflicts Americans in particular is reliance on painkiller prescriptions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 10,000 men and 6,600 women died in 2010 from painkiller overdose. Women in particular are facing a tremendous increase in the number of overdoses each year, with a 400 percent increase since 1999 compared to 265 percent among men. [continues 740 words]
The Ability to Cite Small-Time Marijuana Offenders Results in a Patchwork System. While you may not find Texas listed alongside marijuana-friendly states like Colorado and Washington, we actually decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana back in 2007 - sort of. State law allows peace officers to issue a citation for certain misdemeanor crimes, such as graffiti, criminal mischief, theft and, yes, possession of marijuana. Instead of every Willie Nelson fan caught with a joint having to spend a night in the slammer before meeting with a judge, smokers could have a set appointment in court the next week. This system saves space in crowded jails and saves otherwise harmless citizens an unnecessary trip. It also saves police officers' time that could be spent keeping Houston safe. [continues 448 words]
Re: "For Sane Drug Laws - Texans need to know where candidates stand on pot," Sunday Editorials. Regarding your thoughtful Aug. 3 editorial, the days when politicians can get away with confusing the drug war's tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant are coming to an end. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply-and-demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. If the goal is to deter use, marijuana prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has almost double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana has been legally available for decades. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. It's time to stop the pointless arrests and instead tax legal marijuana. Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington, D.C. [end]
Inside Texas
