Davis County Sheriff: Legalizing marijuana would harm society Editor, True conservatives oppose nanny-state policies. Obviously, I was wrong. What could be more pro-nanny-state than marijuana prohibition? Beyond the fact that marijuana prohibition is counterproductive and a complete waste of money, what about the right of adult citizens to be left alone - especially in the privacy of our own homes? We don't punish those who attempt suicide and survive. So why do we punish those who consume the wrong (politically selected) recreational drugs? I don't want my government attempting to protect me from myself. I want my government to protect me from those who want to harm me against my will. [continues 77 words]
WEST JORDAN - A Utah mother whose 11-year-old son has severe epilepsy is helping to launch a legislative initiative to legalize a liquid form of medical marijuana in the Beehive state, which may put a new face on the issue. The face will be of children who could potentially be helped by a strain of the drug, not of unkempt potheads who roll their own weed. Jennifer May, of Pleasant Grove, believes a hybrid form of cannabis offers hope to patients, such as her son, who suffer from Dravet syndrome, which can trigger hundreds of seizures a day for its victims and limit the life expectancy to 18 years or fewer. Her family currently spends more than $75,000 a year on medication in an effort to provide some relief and hope for their child in dealing with his epilepsy. [continues 593 words]
As the pro-marijuana movement continues to gain national traction following an important concession from the Department of Justice, multiple local law enforcement agencies are adamant that enacting any measures to legalize the drug would mean treading down a dangerous path. Recently, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the DOJ would not challenge state laws passed last year in Colorado and Washington state that allow the distribution and recreational use of marijuana. The announcement comes just months after a poll released by the Pew Research Center showed that a majority of Americans support legalizing the drug. [continues 992 words]
"No other options are left" for the 11-year-old, she says. Pleasant Grove - Jennifer May has tried 25 treatments in 10 years, a mix of prescribed diets and drugs, to quiet the lightning in her son's brain. Only two eased Stockton May's seizures. But their toxic side effects ravaged his bones and immune system, and the relief was temporary. His rare and intractable form of epilepsy, Dravet syndrome, "always found a way around the treatment," said his mom, a self-described conservative and devout Mormon who is now pursuing what for her was once unthinkable: medical marijuana. [continues 1150 words]
Onetime Defendant in Dismissed Drug Case Is First to Sue. A onetime defendant in a drug case tossed out amid allegations of misconduct in the West Valley City Police Department has sued the department in federal court, claiming the agency's narcotics officers violated his constitutional rights when they detained his family and searched their home without a warrant last year. Attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Dante Donell Ketchens, his girlfriend, Danielle Swasey, and Ketchens' two children on Wednesday in Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court. [continues 368 words]
I would like to applaud Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, along with Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., for their bipartisan effort to give judges more discretion in handing out drug sentences. They are using the correct avenues to change the flawed mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related crimes that flood our prisons with low-level offenders. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced a similar policy shift within the Justic Department, but it is not his place to choose how to enforce current laws. He must wait for Congress to amend the drug laws first, and once they have done their jobs, he can do his. Marcor Peterson Alpine [end]
Crime) Police officers were unprepared for what happened Jan. 4, 2012, investigators say. Hindsight is always 20/20, and for prosecutors involved in the Matthew David Stewart case, one thing became clear after the Jan. 4, 2012, shootout in Ogden that killed one police officer and injured five others: You can never let your guard down. Weber Morgan Narcotics Strike Force agents who served a knock-and-announce warrant at Stewart's Jackson Avenue home on that winter evening were not expecting to be met with gunfire, Deputy Weber County Attorney Branden Miles said in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune this week. [continues 1098 words]
OGDEN -- The war on drugs may have been declared over by national drug czar Gil Kerlikowske in 2009, but the controversy over the laws in place to control drug use continues to incense people on both sides of the legal argument. According to LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - the problems caused by America's drug laws warrant enough attention to be kept in the public consciousness. James Mooney, a former undercover narcotics officer who is now a public speaker on behalf of LEAP, spoke about his experience at Tuesday's Weber County Commission meeting. [continues 479 words]
Cartels escalate drug war with tanks Drug war death squads prowling Mexico OGDEN -- The war on drugs may have been declared over by national drug czar Gil Kerlikowske in 2009, but the controversy over the laws in place to control drug use continues to incense people on both sides of the legal argument. According to LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - the problems caused by America's drug laws warrant enough attention to be kept in the public consciousness. James Mooney, a former undercover narcotics officer who is now a public speaker on behalf of LEAP, spoke about his experience at Tuesday's Weber County Commission meeting. [continues 582 words]
Editor, The God-given plant cannabis has never killed a person; but our prohibition of it has just taken another life (May 24, "Stewart hanged himself with bedsheet, authorities say"). Humans friended cannabis millennia ago. Were there a downside, it would be well known by now. For a downside, our American prohibitionists have to gin up the wildest stuff. Our political leaders are still feeling too vulnerable to charges of being soft on drugs. Stewart and Francom share a cell in purgatory, awaiting the end of cannabis prohibition hereabouts. If only that could make any sense of their deaths. Jay Bergstrom Forest Ranch, Calif. [end]
I agree with everything Robert Sharpe wrote in his thoughtful letter, "End war on marijuana" (Forum, May 21), except for his call to decriminalize marijuana. Decriminalization is not the answer. Decriminalization of use is what we had with alcohol during Prohibition (producers and suppliers were punished but not consumers). The only answer is full legalization. Only fully legal products can be regulated by any government agency. Only fully legal products can be controlled by any government agency. And only fully legal products can be taxed by any government agency. Decriminalization leaves the control and distribution of marijuana in the hands of criminal gangs. We need full legalization of marijuana. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
News that thousands have been killed in Mexico because of violence and the war on drugs does not have the same impact as when you put name and a face to the numbers. Alvaro Lopez Joers, the father of my nephews, a well-known lawyer in Tulum, Mexico, was executed a week ago at his office. Alvaro was working in a real-estate case, defending people from being dispossessed of their lands by some drug cartel. He won the case, but he lost his life and left behind three children. [continues 100 words]
Regarding your May 15 editorial, drugs did not spawn Mexico's organized crime networks. Just like alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone, drug prohibition created the violent drug-trafficking organizations behind all the killings in Mexico. With alcohol prohibition repealed in the United States, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. It's worth noting that Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels. [continues 83 words]
Re "End failed drug war" (Forum, May 17): The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2010, there were 853,839 marijuana arrests in the United States, almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. The United States has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. [continues 61 words]
The violence to the south of the American border took another gruesome turn this weekend when authorities discovered a site with 49 headless and otherwise mutilated bodies. The discovery was made near the town of San Juan, near the Texas border. A welcome sign near the site reportedly was tagged with the saying "100% Zeta," referencing one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The discovery is both sad and scary because of the violence on display and the tie-in to the drug trade. Unfortunately, the United States contributes greatly to the power of the Zetas and other cartels because of the appetite in this country for illegal mind-altering drugs. [continues 319 words]
Few DARE Tell the Truth About Drugs "You ask any DEA man, he'll say, 'There's nothing we can do.'" - Glenn Frey, "Smuggler's Blues" Imagine a world where doctors were the only people who were not allowed to offer their opinions on medicine. Or where what farmers thought about agriculture was left unsaid for fear of public disapproval. That, more or less, is the situation for law enforcement officers when it comes to any real conversation about how the United States deals with the problems associated with drug abuse. The ones who know from personal, and sometimes heart-breaking, experience just how futile the whole sad enterprise is are the ones who dare not speak out for fear of being seen as soft on crime. [continues 324 words]
Howard Wooldridge considers himself to be somewhat of a modern-day Paul Revere. But while Revere alerted the masses that the British were coming, Wooldridge has a much different message - that all drugs should be legalized in the United States. Wooldridge is taking to his saddle - bike saddle, that is - to ride across the country to bring awareness to drug prohibition. The former law enforcement official traveled through the Ogden and Salt Lake City areas Wednesday as he weaved his way from Newport, Ore., to Savannah, Ga., spreading the message that he believes the war on drugs has been a failure of government policy. [continues 349 words]
OGDEN -- A new grass-roots organization plans to support Matthew Stewart and advocate for an end to the violent system they say he and the police are victims of. The first meeting of the group, called "Keep the Peace," was held inside a room of the Weber County Main Library at Jefferson Avenue and 24th Street on Thursday evening. According to the group, the criminal justice system created a violent war on drugs that has to stop in favor of a more peaceful alternative, such as addressing drugs as a medical and social problem instead. [continues 598 words]
I am dumbfounded by the backlash over House Bill 155, which would require drug testing for welfare recipients. The defense is that offenders' children will suffer. More than having addicted parents incapable of caring for them? If my husband or I test positive for drugs, we lose our jobs and our kids would suffer. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Once you depend on the state for your income, a lot of your choices should be made for you. If you can't afford to feed your kids, how do you afford drugs? I am tired of working to pay for other people to make irresponsible choices on my dime. Stop rewarding bad behavior! Ronnie Jones West Jordan [end]
Inside Utah
