From the Kitchener-Waterloo Record In the weird world of politics, policy changes can happen so fast that a government once accused of going too slowly is subsequently accused of moving too quickly. A case in point is the federal government's new regulations about the medicinal use of marijuana. Until recently, possessing the drug for any purpose could result in a criminal conviction. Then, after the courts got involved in the debate, convictions for using the drug for medical purposes were unlikely. [continues 332 words]
1983 Mercedes Wagon Operates On Hemp Oil, Crosses U.S. For Cause ST. PAUL, MINN.: Grayson Sigler of Hampton, Va., wanted to visit a friend in Seattle. The trip grew into a beacon for the national call to legalize hemp. The Hemp Car, a 1983 Mercedes 300TD wagon built to run on diesel fuel, is circling the country exclusively on industrial-grade hemp oil. Sigler, his wife and two documentarians making the 10,000-mile trek spent yesterday in the Twin Cities, visiting two Minneapolis head shops and the steps of the state capitol building in St. Paul. [continues 402 words]
House Speaker Charles DeWitt, D-Lecompte, has hired a prominent defense attorney amid allegations that he is involved in an investigation of drugs, prostitution and political corruption. DeWitt's attorney, Mike Small, said Wednesday that DeWitt denies wrongdoing in the latest investigation to hit Louisiana's political scene. "We do not anticipate that charges will be filed, but will meet them head-on if they are," Small said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. Neither the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office nor the U.S. Attorney's Office would comment on Small's statement. [continues 740 words]
Police in London's gritty Brixton neighborhood are losing the war on drugs, so the police chief is experimenting with not enforcing cannabis laws. Aug. 2, 2001 - LONDON -- When they kick at your front door in Brixton, chances are it won't be for drugs. Earlier this month, police in the south London borough of Lambeth, where Brixton is located, began a six-month experiment in which they are supposed to ignore minor marijuana offenses. In one of the most serious attacks yet on Britain's harsh drug laws, Brian Paddick, the local police commander, has instructed his force to turn a blind eye to citizens caught with pot. His success or failure will be a key factor in the growing national debate over the future of the country's war on drugs. [continues 1526 words]
WASHINGTON, July 31 (AP) -- An inquiry led by the State Department has found that the downing by Peru of a plane with American missionaries on board resulted from errors by Peruvians, Americans and the pilot, two officials said today. The report does not assign direct fault for the April 20 crash, which occurred after the plane had been initially mistaken for a drug flight by a surveillance plane operated by the Central Intelligence Agency and after a Peruvian military jet had fired on the smaller craft. [continues 186 words]
Newly constructed drywall divides up the one-time showroom at 12 E. Washington St., but there's still lots of work to be done, and no one is doing it. And no one's getting methadone treatments there either. The idea for a methadone clinic that Kendric Speagle sprang upon an unwelcoming downtown community early this year remains only that. It remains "a desperate need," says the executive director of the small not-for-profit outreach program called Harm Reduction Resource. [continues 929 words]
What do we do when something intended for good is misused? It might be an exaggeration to call OxyContin a miracle drug. But it is certainly seen as a godsend to cancer patients and others with chronic, debilitating pain. Because the medication is powerful and time-released, those taking it can have 12 hours of smooth, pain-free existence instead of the sharp high of relief followed rather quickly by the return of pain. And just by taking two pills 12 hours apart, they can have a pain-free day and a better night's sleep. [continues 498 words]
In the past five years the city of Cincinnati has tried to fire 11 police officers for misconduct. One had shown up drunk, in uniform, for a security detail at a soccer field. Another had solicited sex from female suspects in exchange for promises of leniency. Another had, in the words of Cincinnati's city manager, "body-slammed" an unarmed, 68-year-old Alzheimer's victim. Some of the other incidents were even worse. Yet every single one of those officers got their jobs back when their appeals were heard by arbitrators. [continues 766 words]