The man responsible for more than two dozen heroin overdoses -- which all occurred in one day in a state deemed the ground zero for the opioid epidemic -- faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Bruce Lamar Griggs, 22, pleaded guilty on Monday to distribution of heroin, about six months after 26 people overdosed in Huntington, a city in the southwest corner of West Virginia. The 911 calls came within hours of one another, the majority of which concerned overdoses in and around one apartment complex. [continues 388 words]
HUNTINGTON - Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, reports of overdoses started pouring into Cabell County 911 Dispatch. By 9 p.m., 26 overdoses had been reported, more than Cabell County EMS responds to in a week. Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry said all the victims had been revived using naloxone; however, the heroin they had used was laced with a substance so strong, it sometimes took more than one dose of the opioid overdose-reversing drug to revive them. "I know it will be too late when this is printed," Merry said, "but if you have heroin please see what is going on and don't use it. It could be your last time. People aren't familiar with what it is cut with and right now we don't know what it's been cut with." [continues 413 words]
Our government doesn't care enough about protecting Americans from terrorism. If government officials cared, they would end the drug war and focus instead on ISIS. Imagine our country without a drug war. I see a country with $40 billion extra per year to fight terror. I see a country that focuses all its current drug war might, which is used to arrest hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, with literally no reduction in drugs, on breaking up ISIS. I don't mean that we keep bombing them only. When we bomb, we may kill terrorists, but we also kill civilians, and those civilians have family and friends who join the terrorists in vengeance against us. I do not want us to back down at all. I want us to dedicate a massive amount of resources toward creating more professionals like Ali Soufan. He was an FBI agent who spoke fluent Arabic and he was able to flip many Al Qaeda terrorists to work for our side to break up terror networks. [continues 126 words]
In light of local pain clinic doctors facing drug charges, one local addiction treatment specialist and psychiatrist believes removing cash dealings from the system is key to eliminating the drug epidemic. Dr. M. Khalid Hasan said greed on the part of physicians, pharmacists and patients - manifested in cash dealings - is at the root of the prescription opiate scourge. Hasan explained that patients to Raleigh Psychiatric Services, an addiction treatment clinic where patients can receive non-addictive drug treatment, have shared their experience at other area clinics. [continues 483 words]
There are nearly 2,000 people in the Mountain State living with HIV/AIDS. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources showed, back in April, the state has the highest rates of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C cases in the country. In 2012, the Hep C rate was reported at 3.1 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 0.7 cases per 100,000 nationally. In 2013, Hep B rates were reported at 10.6 per 100,000 people, compared with the national rate of 0.9 cases per 100,000 people. [continues 1063 words]
CHARLESTON, W.VA. (AP) - West Virginia has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to a report released Wednesday, further spotlighting Appalachia's festering drug abuse problem, which is also fueling a rise in hepatitis C in one of the nation's poorest regions. There were about 34 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia residents in 2011-13, up dramatically from 22 deaths per 100,000 people in 200709, according to the report released Wednesday by the nonprofit groups Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [continues 525 words]
WHEELING - An HIV epidemic in southeastern Indiana is forcing the governor of that state to introduce a needle exchange program, something one local advocate believes could help decrease rates of the disease everywhere. The hike in HIV cases in Indiana is being linked to intravenous drug users sharing needles. Locally, residents across the Ohio Valley are battling heroin addiction, and their neighbors are often left cleaning up the mess - including picking up used needles left behind on playgrounds, in parks and on roadways. [continues 502 words]
A national organization that has raised $8 million over two years to fight substance abuse is urging West Virginia legislators to pass two laws designed to reduce drug overdose deaths. Shatterproof, a nonprofit headquartered in Connecticut, supports a "Good Samaritan" law that would give immunity to people who call 911 to report a drug overdose. Another measure would expand the availability of a life-saving medicine called naloxone, which reverses the effects or heroin and prescription painkillers. West Virginia has the highest drug overdose death rate in the United States. [continues 565 words]
Most Americans realize that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco - yet booze and cigarettes are lucrative legal products, while pot-puffers face jail. This contradiction makes no sense. The New York Times, America's flagship newspaper, finally has launched an all-out crusade for legalization of marijuana. It declared: "It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol." [continues 315 words]
Many Areas Make Peace With Pot, but Some Cops Ramping Up Arrests WEIRTON, W.Va. - Taped to the wall of pride inside the Hancock County drug task force's bare-bones office, a snapshot of eight marijuana plants draped over coat hangers serves as evidence of one more small triumph in the war on weed. That same image of a drug-filled closet is seared in Ryan Neeley's memory, but with a very different meaning. To Neeley, the photo is proof that in the same country where a town in Colorado features a marijuana vending machine, the same country with a president who said it is wrong for "only a select few" to be punished for smoking pot, possession of the drug can still be a life-altering experience, and not in a good way. [continues 2953 words]
WEIRTON, W. Va. - As marijuana use grows - the number of smokers jumped 20 percent between 2007 and 2010 - enforcement of laws against the drug is diminishing in most places. But there are exceptions. In West Virginia's northern panhandle, marijuana possession arrests soared by more than 2,000 percent in the first decade of this century. It was the biggest jump in arrest rate of any locality in the nation, although in a county of just 30,000 residents, that amounts to only a few dozen cases. [continues 251 words]
Steep Rise in Arrests Reveals Disparities in Legal Approach Weirton, W.VA. - Taped to the wall of pride inside the Hancock County drug task force's bare-bones office, a snapshot of eight marijuana plants draped over coat hangers serves as evidence of one more small triumph in the war on weed. That same image of a drug-filled closet is seared in Ryan Neeley's memory, but with a very different meaning. To Neeley, the photo is proof that in the same country where a town in Colorado features a marijuana vending machine, the same country with a president who said it is wrong for "only a select few" to be punished for smoking pot, possession of the drug can still be a life-altering experience, and not in a good way. [continues 2788 words]
Mingo County Schools Department of Student Services will be expanding the Random Drug Testing Program to the six middle schools beginning with the 2014-2015 school term. The Office of Student Services and Attendance has scheduled parent orientation sessions at each middle school to discuss the Mingo County Schools Student Drug Testing Policy 5530.01. The policy will cover students in grades sixth through eight participating in athletics, extra-curricular activities and opt-in participants. The Random Drug Testing Policy has been in effect during the 2013-2014 school term for the two high schools, Mingo Central Comprehensive and Tug Valley. At this time, no positive results have come from the testing. [continues 195 words]
Illegal drugs have become a deadly merry-go-round in West Virginia. Just when the authorities believe they are making a dent in one form of abuse, another one comes around to take its place. Sometimes the cycle repeats itself. Police and prosecutors seem to be having some success in cracking down on methamphetamine labs, synthetic drugs and prescription pill abuse. But some say that has resulted in more trafficking in heroin. Price seems to be a factor. In part because arrests of prescription painkiller pushers have made the law of supply and demand kick in, the pills have become more expensive in some places. Heroin actually is cheaper. [continues 311 words]
Already this year, 160 methamphetamine "labs" have been found in Harrison County, Sheriff Joe Myers reported this week. That amounts to more than one illegal drug manufacturing operation for every 100 people who live in the county. And for every meth lab law enforcement officers find, there may be four to 10 others escaping detection, Myers added. As a description of a problem that ought to worry the public, the word "epidemic" probably is overused. Not in this situation. Illegal drugs have become an epidemic in Ohio. [continues 290 words]
Already this year, 160 methamphetamine "labs" have been found in Harrison County, Sheriff Joe Myers reported this week. That amounts to more than one illegal drug manufacturing operation for every 100 people who live in the county. And for every meth lab law enforcement officers find, there may be four to 10 others escaping detection, Myers added. As a description of a problem that ought to worry the public, the word "epidemic" probably is overused. Not in this situation. Illegal drugs have become an epidemic in Ohio. [continues 291 words]
The number of heroin overdose deaths in West Virginia tripled between 2007 and 2012 from 22 to 67, according to the latest figures from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center. During that same five-year period, the number of fatalities caused by prescription pain pills declined for the first time in five years. Those who monitor these statistics say more West Virginia residents, just like those in surrounding states, have turned to heroin because it is not only cheaper but also often more potent than prescription painkillers. [continues 762 words]
The nation's growing movement to legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use is no doubt sending the message to many that the substance is harmless. But that would be an incorrect assumption, according to a growing body of research that suggests use of marijuana can damage brains, particularly those of youth and young adults. A study released this week found that using marijuana a few times a week can alter brain structures in a way that could pose risks to the casual user. "Just casual use appears to create changes in the brain in areas you don't want to change," Hans Breiter, a psychiatrist and mathematician at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told The Associated Press. Breiter led the study, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University. [continues 381 words]
CVS Pharmacy sales of a cold medication that's also used to manufacture illegal methamphetamine have doubled over the past year in West Virginia, according to a Charleston Gazette analysis of sales data released last week. CVS stores are now West Virginia's No. 1 seller of pseudoephedrine, a key meth-making ingredient sold under brand names such as Sudafed and Allegra-D. "CVS stores are really crowding the top of the list," said Mike Goff, a state Board of Pharmacy administrator and former State Police meth lab investigator. [continues 1002 words]
CHARLESTON, West Virginia - Some states, including West Virginia, are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. A look at what's happening in West Virginia: West Virginia's prescription opiate addicts are following a national trend as they shift to heroin, said Kenny Burner of the state Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Burner said the numbers of seizures and overdoses have been steadily increasing over the past three to five years. Burner overseas drug task forces in major northern cities in West Virginia, where heroin comes straight into Appalachia through Detroit, Columbus, Chicago and Pittsburgh. [continues 260 words]
GREEN VALLEY - A proposal to allow the legal cultivation of medicinal marijuana in West Virginia received mixed reviews Friday when area residents voiced their opinions. House Bill 2230, now before the West Virginia Legislature, would allow the cultivation and use of medicinal marijuana. Introduced by Delegate Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor, the bill has some support from fellow legislators. Delegate Clif Moore, D-McDowell, said a close relative could have benefited from access to medicinal marijuana. "That's a personal issue for me," Moore said. "My oldest sister died of lupus. I know she was in constant pain, and the research I've been able to do says it would sort of soothed their pain, ease her pain, and allow her to function on a daily basis. She couldn't do the normal, simple things everybody else does if she had an episode. If she had an episode, she was rendered immobile." [continues 308 words]
KENOVA -- Advocates for drug prevention made the case against marijuana legalization at a town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Kenova Municipal Building. Tim White, Wayne County Anti-Drug Coalition and Region 5 Prevention coordinator, led a roughly hour-long presentation on marijuana -- examining what it is, what it does to its users and why it should not be legalized as is being proposed to the West Virginia Legislature. Last month, the legislature's Joint Health Committee was told a bill allowing the use of medical marijuana was being drafted for consideration in the upcoming legislative session. The bill would allow people with certain illnesses like cancer and glaucoma to possess up to six ounces of marijuana. Registered patients would also be allowed to have no more than 12 marijuana plants. [continues 573 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The time has come to legalize marijuana for those that can benefit from it. I am 72 years old and have never touched marijuana or any of the other illegal junk drugs peddled on our streets. But, I have difficulty understanding the opposition to legalizing medical marijuana. If a doctor says it is a substance that will help out many in pain, it should be treated like any other prescription medication. As we are finding out every day many of the prescription and nonprescription drugs now approved for use are more deadly and addictive than that claimed for marijuana. [continues 162 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Lawmakers received a draft of a bill Wednesday that, if passed, would legalize the use of medical marijuana in West Virginia. Nearly identical bills were introduced in the House the previous two legislative sessions, but died in committee. That will have to change this time around for there to be any discussions in the state Senate, said Senate Health Committee Chairman Ron Stollings, D-Boone. "Unless it comes out of the House, I can't really imagine us handling it De novo (anew) on the Senate side," Stollings said. [continues 776 words]
Federal Resources to Help County in Ongoing Battle PINEVILLE - Wyoming County will now be included in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which will enable the county to receive additional federal resources to help further drug control efforts. "The added federal muscle that this new HIDTA designation brings to Wyoming County, and which I pressed hard to secure, will help our state and local law enforcement authorities in their tireless fight against drug abuse," Congressman Nick Rahall said. He said the crime that accompanies drug trafficking and abuse requires a coordinated response across all levels of government. [continues 482 words]
Even though Delegate Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor, says he hopes to have medical marijuana legalized by 2015, some state officials say it could be longer, especially depending on what the public thinks. "I would say the earliest that we're going to vote on something like that is 2015," Sen. Daniel Hall, D-Wyoming, said. "I can't imagine that we'd vote on an issue like that during an election year. I get mixed opinions in our district. My job is to represent the people of Raleigh, Wyoming and part of McDowell. [continues 738 words]
Right now there is at least a "faint hint" that the 2014 West Virginia Legislature may consider a bill to authorize the legalization of medical marijuana. Advocates and some physicians now claim marijuana can alleviate some illnesses or other medical conditions. But the federal government doesn't condone it, so an anticipated debate about the issue looms during the next 60-day regular legislative session that begins in just a little more than three months. A legislative interim committee discussed the issue at a hearing last month and watched a CNN report about how medical marijuana helped one child with her severe epilepsy. [continues 814 words]
Once again, legislators are pondering whether to legalize medicinal marijuana to relieve pain, nausea and other miseries of sick West Virginians. We hope this humane effort finally passes, simply because it's merciful. Further, it could provide additional state revenue. Gradually, Americans are becoming tolerant of pot, which is no more harmful than beer or whisky, which are legal -- and is much less harmful than tobacco, also legal. Back in 1969, a whopping 84 percent of Americans opposed legalization of pot. But this year, a Pew survey found that 52 percent now want marijuana to be legal. The same poll found that three-fourths think police efforts to exterminate pot cost more than they're worth. [continues 413 words]
One of the biggest factors looming over our area is drug abuse. It threatens every community in southern West Virginia. It seems no neighborhood is immune to the ills of drugs. That's why we support the effort that Raleigh County Schools is attempting to help prevent abuse among its students. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drug abuse and addiction cost taxpayers nearly $534 billion each year in preventable health care, law enforcement, crime and other costs in the United States. The organization goes on to say the assessment is "preventable: The best approach to reducing the tremendous toll substance abuse exacts from individuals, families and communities is to prevent the damage before it occurs." [continues 474 words]
BECKLEY - A drug policy proposed for Raleigh County students was placed on a 30-day comment period at the monthly meeting of the Raleigh County Board of Education. If approved, the policy will mandate that every student in grades 6-12 who wants to participate in school-related competitive activities, including academic activities, or drive to school and park on the property, to submit to random drug testing. The sole speaker during a discussion on the proposed policy, Raleigh County Education Association Co-President Marie Hamrick, opposed it. [continues 786 words]
Illegal drugs from the murderous Mexican cartels already can be found throughout the United States. But now, authorities across the nation say, the cartels have sent their operatives to several U.S. cities, including Columbus. That is not acceptable. Home-grown drug gangs are bad enough, using violence frequently to settle their squabbles. But the Mexican cartels are on another, much more brutal level of violence. U.S. authorities, including those in Ohio, should make it a top priority to send the cartel operatives packing. The illegal drug crisis is bad enough without their presence. [end]
Sen. Joe Manchin Looks to Re-Introduce the 'Safe Prescribing Act of 2013' WASHINGTON - When he met with children at a small Wyoming County middle school in late 2011, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin was moved by the stories of families ruined by prescription drug addiction. "They lost everything - they lost their home. They lost their families," Manchin, D-W. Va., said of the stories that emerged from the Oceana Middle School meeting. "These were 11-and 12-yearold boys and girls begging for help. They were asking for help. They were basically saying we've lost our community and our town due to this epidemic of drug abuse. Yes it (the visit) impacted me." [continues 1246 words]
CHARLESTON - Legislation was proposed Tuesday that could add West Virginia to the list of 18 other states and the District of Columbia that have legalized the use of marijuana for medical reasons. The Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act of 2013 would impact patients suffering from debilitating diseases such as cancer, glaucoma and those that produce severe pain, according to the bill. Delegate Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor, has introduced this legislation twice before. This year is the first he has had co-sponsors, which he suggests is due to medicinal marijuana becoming a less controversial topic. [continues 509 words]
PARKERSBURG - Not only is there a new sheriff in town, the Wood County Sheriff's Department will welcome in the new chief and chief tax deputies today. Chief Deputy Shawn Graham said he and the Sheriff Ken Merritt plan on meeting with Wood County deputies in the first week of taking office. "We have ideas on what's working and what's not," said Graham. "I have my own ideas." Graham said he would like to make a bigger commitment to the drug problem in the Mid-Ohio Valley. He said it is "much worse than people realize." [continues 202 words]
Supporters Argue Financial, Medical Benefits of Halting Prohibition CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Legislation to legalize marijuana use, especially for medical purposes, is being discussed again in West Virginia. Today, sale of medical marijuana is legal in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Today, 30 percent of Americans live in states where marijuana is legal in some form. On Nov. 6, popular votes in Colorado and Washington state legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Supporters of marijuana legislation in West Virginia back various reform laws they say could offer people medical help, create new state tax revenues, cut prison costs and enhance an industry already booming underground. [continues 1085 words]
A group advocating the legal use of marijuana to ease the suffering of cancer victims and others mired in severe pain has been active in West Virginia for more than a year now. Formed in August 2011, WV-NORML is a state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. On its website, the group says its mission is to educate West Virginians about the benefits of using marijuana for medical purposes and "the relative safety" of smoking pot for recreation. [continues 297 words]
Sarah tied her honey-blonde hair into a disheveled bun. She caught the blue and tan swirled glass pipe in her fragile hands and sharply, yet smoothly inhaled the smoke, as if it were instinct. Her face slightly ballooned; she held in the smoke for about five seconds and then let it out with a soft hiss. She let out a sigh, and then loosened the grip on the back of her neck the pain was leaving. Sarah is one of approximately 136,000 marijuana users in West Virginia, according to a 2009 report by DrugScience.org. Of the sampled population, 81,000 reported marijuana use in the past month. [continues 1168 words]
The issue of criminal penalties for the use of marijuana is one of the most sensitive issues that we face in our state. There are no easy answers that satisfy all sides and opinions on this issue, but there are some compelling facts that we should all consider in proposing decriminalization of marijuana. First, marijuana is a naturally growing plant almost everywhere. Except for the drying process, it is primarily a natural substance in our nation. Current laws which make possession and use of marijuana illegal fly in the face of its natural presence in our environment. [continues 586 words]
BECKLEY - A now former employee of the Beckley City Police Department has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of taking prescription pills that were being stored as evidence in drug cases and investigations. With pills taken from what was thought to be a secured environment, the acts of this evidence room technician not only shake the foundation of law enforcement, but also deliver us with a steely-eyed look into just how deep, how serious the prescription drug crisis really is. [continues 273 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Fighting the epidemic of prescription drug abuse is the top priority for both candidates running for sheriff in Putnam County. They told Gazette editors Monday that's what most crimes can be traced back to. Steve Deweese, a Republican, and Bud Lett, a Democrat, would increase the size of the county's drug task force, which has three officers. "I'd draw from some local departments inside the county and build back the task force like it was when I was supervisor," said Lett, a former federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer and State Police trooper who is now chief of the Kenova Police Department. "We had six men, at one time." [continues 417 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Fewer than 1 percent of students tested positive last year in Putnam County Schools' random drug screening program. The school system tested 1,072 of the 3,000 students signed up for the screening program last year. Any Putnam sixth-through 12th-grader who wants to participate in an extracurricular activity or drive themselves to school must be registered in the program. Parents also can sign up their children. In all, there were about 5,000 sixth-through 12th-graders in Putnam schools last year. [continues 685 words]
WELCH - Officials are hoping to have a drug treatment center up and running in McDowell County sometime this fall. Judy Akers, director chief executive office of Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center, said the organization is working with West Virginia University to have the clinic set up sometime this fall. "We are working with West Virginia University on setting up the clinic and they are waiting on grant approval," Akers said. "They have submitted an application. We wanted to start the first of September, but we have to wait on grant approval. Right now we don't have a projected date, but my hope is we will just have a couple weeks delay. We have our staff ready and just need the approval from WVU to go ahead. WVU will supply the doctor who is required for the clinic. I don't anticipate a long delay. It is just a matter of them getting the go ahead." [continues 463 words]
TAZEWELL, Va. - One billboard shows a basketball player leaping for the hoop. Another features high school students wearing college sweatshirts, but a conspicuous gap shows that one of them is gone. There is also a billboard showing a basketball team that's missing a member. All of the billboards convey the same message: What could you lose if you abuse drugs? Sharon Kitts of Substance Abuse Taskforce in Rural Appalachia (SATIRA) attended a press conference Aug. 3 concerning a revised Virginia law prohibiting the possession and distribution of synthetic marijuana, a dangerous substance often presented in colorful packaging featuring cartoon characters designed to appeal to young people. Educating local students about the dangers synthetic marijuana presents is among the actions SATIRA is taking in Tazewell County, she said. [continues 397 words]
Editor: Kudos to The Charleston Gazette, for recognizing that the criminalization of marijuana is a failed and destructive public policy that needs amending ("Pot: Almost legal," June 25). According to the federal government's own surveys, over 100 million Americans have consumed cannabis despite the drug's prohibition, and one in 10 use it regularly. Criminalization hasn't dissuaded anyone from consuming marijuana or reduced its availability. But it has ruined the lives and careers of millions of people who chose to use a substance that is objectively safer than alcohol. [continues 78 words]
Editor: Regarding your thoughtful editorial: "Pot: Almost legal" (June 25), I agree that marijuana use should not be a criminal act. While reducing the penalties to an infraction is preferred to having it a felony or misdemeanor, I believe the real long-term 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. Only full legalization takes the distribution of marijuana out of the hands of criminal gangs. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2016, wants to reduce penalties for simple marijuana possession. Long ago, New York's Legislature decreed that private possession of less than 25 grams of pot is a mere "violation" -- less than a misdemeanor -- subject to just a ticket and fine. Like a parking ticket, it creates no criminal record. However, police stop-and-frisk tactics used chiefly against black and Hispanic youths force them to empty their pockets, displaying bags of pot in public view, which raises the offense to misdemeanor level. [continues 302 words]
Regarding Diane Mufson's thoughtful May 23 op-ed, 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 public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this culture war is not lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a long overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As long as organized crime controls distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. [end]
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., says his fellow lawmakers in Congress must act, and "act swiftly," in helping the states and communities combat the scourge of prescription drug abuse. He's absolutely correct. Lawmakers received their marching orders last April during the National Prescription Drug Abuse summit in Orlando, Fla. They were told to enlist, organize and share resources and talents to combat the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Rahall correctly notes that the national summit was a "wake-up call" for Congress to act on legislation that directly tackles the scourge of drug abuse. [continues 369 words]
Most of us can agree that drug abuse is a serious problem. We have all seen the dreadful things that heroin, crack, "meth" and other hard street drugs have done to individuals, families and society. As a result we tend to place all illegal drugs into dangerous and destructive categories. Yet until the recent prescription drug abuse era, we treated legally approved drugs as always beneficial or desirable. The "oxy" generation woke us up. Yet, our laws still consider using any amount of marijuana as a dangerous activity, worthy of prison sentences. It is time to re-evaluate decriminalization of marijuana. [continues 489 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It is possible that the hospital doctors and nurses who care for you in the future will be tobacco free but stoned, if things get any more squirrelly. Let us put aside parsing legal terms and requirements contained within various federal and state laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disability Act and analyze the situation from a common sense perspective. From a medical standpoint, with a few rare exceptions, almost all physicians would advise their patients and employers that smoking tobacco and marijuana has negative health and safety consequences for the smoker and those in the smoker's close proximity. From a public policy perspective, "Drug Free Workplace" and "Clean Air" statutes and ordinances have supported this advice for several decades. [continues 467 words]
Inside West Virginia
