Interim police chief Michael Harden is entitled to his opinions regarding medical marijuana, but not his own facts. The 1999 Institute of Medicine report Harden cites, which I'm guessing he has never read, is a careful, nuanced document. But its conclusion regarding whether or not marijuana has medical value is clear: "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety ... all can be mitigated by marijuana." During the press conference releasing the report, lead author Dr. John Benson said, "[W]e concluded that there are some limited circumstances in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses." [continues 105 words]
There's a very simple reason why we should oppose drug-testing our children: It doesn't work (Story, "Oconee school board may widen drug- test policy," Tuesday). The largest study of student drug testing ever - a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded survey of 76,000 students in 2003 - found no difference in drug use rates for students subject to drug tests and those who aren't. The lead study author, Dr. Lloyd Johnston of the University of Michigan, concluded, "(T)here really isn't an impact from drug testing as practiced. ... I don't think it brings about any constructive changes in (students') attitudes about drugs or their belief in the dangers associated with using them." [continues 150 words]
As a product of Fairfax County schools (West Springfield High School, class of 1992), I was heartbroken at the story of Josh Anderson, the South Lakes High School junior who committed suicide when faced with expulsion for marijuana ["Unbending Rules on Drugs in Schools Drive One Teen to the Breaking Point," Metro, April 5]. It easily could have been me. Like Josh and far too many of his peers now and my peers then, I experimented with marijuana in high school. And, like Josh, I was stupid. [continues 119 words]
CONTRARY TO Sam Allis's assertion about the new law that reduces penalties for small marijuana violations, the source of hilarity is not the way Question 2 was written, but the way some law-enforcement officials feign confusion over it ("Smoky subject," The Observer, Jan. 4). The law, passed by 65 percent of Bay State voters, makes adult possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil, rather than criminal, violation punishable by a simple $100 fine. We trust law-enforcement officers to make life-or-death decisions every day about whether a given situation warrants discharging their weapon. But Allis, and apparently many law-enforcement officials, worry that Massachusetts cops lack the ability to judge whether a confiscated marijuana sample weighs about the same as a pack of cigarettes. [continues 67 words]
Harford County Deputy Sheriff Sean Marston's claim that the 19 marijuana plants discovered on Bob Chance's property equate to a marijuana cigarette every two hours for four years is dubious at best ("Community in shock over Harford man's drug charges," Aug. 10). But simple common sense should suggest that this 62-year-old former schoolteacher and fixture in the community for 30 years does not deserve to spend 20 years in jail and forfeit all his possessions. Although there appears to be no evidence Mr. Chance ever intended to sell marijuana or any other drug, he faces charges of manufacturing or distributing the drug. Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly's rationalization for this serious charge relies on emphasizing the word "manufacturing." [continues 117 words]
The environmental damage to our national parks caused by illegal marijuana farms is tragic, but reports rarely mention the failed policies and law enforcement tactics that create this predicament in the first place ("Marijuana gardens deprive wildlife, environment," May 20). California's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting claimed an impressive sounding 3 million plants "eradicated" in 2007 alone. Yet even law enforcement officials acknowledge that this represents only a small percentage of what's growing in our parks. By far the largest cash crop in California and in the United States, criminals have plenty of incentive to cash in on the illegal marijuana market. The huge profits offered by this market allow organized crime syndicates to easily absorb the occasional loss of a grow operation to law enforcement raids. [continues 95 words]
I was surprised that your Feb. 14 editorial, "More drug testing, less drug abuse," made no mention of the largest study of random drug testing in schools. Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the Journal of School Health, the 2003 report studied 76,000 students across the country. Marijuana use rates - and drug use rates in general - were nearly identical for students who had been tested and those who had not. Study author Dr. Lloyd Johnston concluded, "There really isn't an impact from drug testing as practiced ... I don't think it brings about any constructive changes in their attitudes about drugs or their belief in the dangers associated with using them." [continues 131 words]
The idea that the Montana Department of Corrections should have any say in the medical treatment of parolees and those on probation defies compassion and the rule of law ("Corrections proposes medicinal marijuana ban for state parolees," Jan. 4). Plus, it's unnecessary. Doctors and patients are the ones who must carefully weigh the potential harms and benefits of medical marijuana - -- or any treatment, for that matter - given a patient's particular circumstances. For the Department of Corrections to think they could arbitrarily ban a certain medical treatment for an entire subpopulation amounts to an end run around the law. It also represents a dangerous, unprecedented overreaching of authority: We are not aware of any other state with a medical marijuana law that has allowed such a blanket ban on treatment. [continues 59 words]
Drew Carey deserves praise for speaking out against the federal government's senseless war on medical marijuana patients ["Carey defends medical marijuana online," Newsday com, Nov. 2]. When it comes to medical marijuana, the federal government is way out of step with public opinion and science. Carey is simply doing what good comedians do: He's saying what we're all thinking. Dan Bernath Editor's note: The writer is assistant director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. Washington, D.C. [end]
Automatic weapons. Check. Helicopters. Check. Dogs. Check. Bulletproof vests. Check. You may not buy the government's characterization of its campaign against medical marijuana patients as a "war on drugs," but increasingly violent, militaristic tactics in recent months offer a troubling glimpse into the federal law enforcement community's mentality: To them, this is war. Raids on medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California on July 17 by federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents, often with local law enforcement officers in tow, seemed designed to send a clear signal that the feds were deliberately escalating their war on medical marijuana patients. [continues 588 words]
Reading about the medical marijuana-themed playing cards my organization recently distributed to U.S. Congress members ("Dope Dealing," issue of Aug. 29), I realized we could design 20 more decks and never run out of arguments for providing safe access to seriously ill patients. Unfortunately, the federal government continues to harass patients who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation, even in the 12 states with laws protecting them. This summer, the Drug Enforcement Administration staged armed raids on licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in California and Oregon despite the protests of local citizens and officials. Surely federal law enforcement officials have better things to do with our tax dollars than bullying cancer patients. - -- Dan Bernath Assistant Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. [end]
Re: "Inconvenient truths about marijuana laws," by Kathleen Parker, Tuesday Viewpoints. Bravo to Ms. Parker for cutting through the mean-spirited frenzy surrounding Al Gore III's arrest and showing the true hypocrisy in our ineffective, arbitrary war on marijuana users. This summer marks the 70th anniversary of the first national ban, the Marijuana Tax Act. Thanks to such laws, we have turned at least 15 million Americans - mostly responsible, law-abiding citizens - into criminals. Small wonder that a law passed amid the hysteria of Reefer Madness. Racist tales of jazz musicians gone mad with rage under the influence of drugs should continue to thrive under a cloud of misinformation and state-sponsored fear mongering. Dan Bernath, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington [end]
Nolan Finley's Nov. 19 column, "Subject drug war to Iraq War test," provided an excellent description of our failed drug policy, particularly regarding arresting marijuana offenders -- 88 percent of whom are arrested for possession, not sale or manufacture. As our nation struggles to find a better course in Iraq, a better course for marijuana policy already exists. By strictly regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, we can revoke the exclusive franchise on the marijuana market violent criminals enjoy and free up law enforcement resources to combat violent crimes, property crimes and people who drive under the influence. It's time to replace the failed policy of marijuana prohibition with common-sense regulation. Dan Bernath Assistant Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington, DC [end]
Dylan Darling's article, "A dangerous crop," fails to address the role prohibition plays in creating the conditions that put law enforcement officers such as Troy McCoy at risk and allow violent gangs to thrive. We waste billions of taxpayer dollars each year trying to control the supply of marijuana and arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans - -- 88 percent of whom are arrested for possession, not sale or manufacture. Meanwhile, marijuana use increases -- nearly 100 million Americans have used the drug -- and violent criminals enjoy an exclusive franchise on the market. [continues 140 words]
