Officer begins walking high school beat in St. Albans Patrolman Mike Page moved through the bustling cafeteria at St. Albans High School on Tuesday, shaking hands with students and flashing smiles. It was the second day on the job for Page, the school's new prevention resource officer, but it wasn't exactly unfamiliar territory. "The kids know me. I play basketball with them. I lift weights with them," he explained. "It's not like I'm a stranger." - advertisement St. Albans Principal Tom Williams said Page's presence will be felt throughout the school day and across the campus. [continues 390 words]
CHARLESTON, W.VA. - Drug shipments from illegal online pharmacies were once so frequent in Appalachia that delivery companies had to add trucks to their routes. Police have cracked down on such deliveries but are confronted by a booming global network of so-called rogue pharmacies operating online. For people addicted to prescription medications such as the painkiller hydrocodone - sold mostly as Vicodin - the days of "doctor shopping" are over as long as they have Internet access. With the help of unscrupulous doctors and pharmacists, hundreds of Web sites dispense prescription narcotics to customers in exchange for nothing more than a credit card number. [continues 692 words]
Kanawha County school officials can expect heated opposition on several fronts as they again consider whether to test employees for drugs. Local teachers unions and the state American Civil Liberties Union have fought the Board of Education's efforts to pass a drug policy. Opponents quote legal arguments, stating why they believe courts would strike down random testing and other types of "suspicion-less" inquiry. "Fine. Let's go at it," board member Pete Thaw said Tuesday. He has strongly supported random testing, saying educators charged with possessing cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs should not be around children. [continues 529 words]
THE Kanawha County Board of Education resisted the temptation this spring to expand random drug tests for school bus drivers to include just about every other employee in the school system. Such a plan would cost $200,000 to implement, not counting the expense of disciplinary and grievance hearings should anyone test positive. Following the arrest of a teacher on drug charges, the proposal has returned. Here we go again. Reporter Jessica M. Karmasek found that only Hawaii is considering drug testing, as part of a deal with the teachers union that would give teachers a hefty pay raise. [continues 82 words]
Many states are discussing drug testing of teachers, but few are actually going ahead with it. The Kanawha County school system rejected a proposed policy last spring, but another teacher drug arrest caused the issue to be resurrected. Only Hawaii is further along with a teacher drug-testing program, according to information provided by the National School Boards Association. There, random drug testing for employees is a provision in a proposed new labor contract for teachers. The contract also would include a hefty pay raise for teachers. [continues 717 words]
For Rich, Not Students AMERICA'S precious freedom of speech -- a cornerstone of democracy, guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights -- took a hit from the U.S. Supreme Court last week. Conservative justices ruled 5-4 that free speech gives big-money interest groups a right to buy last-minute smear ads before an election -- but also ruled 5-4 that free speech doesn't let a high school student hold up a sign with the nonsense message, "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." [continues 287 words]
State Supreme Court justices admonished a Clay County judge for not remaining impartial and neutral in a methamphetamine case, granting defendant Gerald Mark Thompson Jr. a new trial in an opinion last week. The court found that Circuit Judge Richard A. Facemire "abandoned his role of impartiality and neutrality and that his role in both questioning witnesses and making comments to aid the prosecuting attorney in the presentation of the state's case seriously affected the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of the judicial proceedings," Justice Larry Starcher wrote for a unanimous court. [continues 661 words]
I respond to the Daily Mail's April 30 story, "Pot growers turn out more potent product." Government makes it harder to grow the God-given plant cannabis (marijuana, the devil weed). Then the result is more indoor-grown plants, making the average THC levels rise. What a shock. Did government and media, including the Daily Mail, forget about Acapulco Gold and Maui Wowie? Heck, the devil weed is stronger. It's a Schedule I substance. Meth and coke are only Schedule II. So I guess I'll do some coke and meth instead. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Selling garden herbs shouldn't be illegal The feds try to control vitamins, supplements, and even water. The Food and Drug Administration may regulate natural substances as drugs.. Are we victims or victors? Man or mouse? Together we stand, divided we fall. Rich, powerful people promote legislation for the profit of the few, while the many, suffer because we're not informed or unified. Speak up against the FDA trying to pass this legislation. Growing and selling common garden herbs will get you arrested as a drug dealer. Vegetable juice will be regulated as a drug. Raw sprouts and other anti-cancer foods will be regulated as drugs. Preserve your health and your freedom by action. TruthSeekers meet monthly at TopORock in Charleston, W.Va. I can be reached by e-mail at Ted@abodia.com or www.abodia.com. Ted Elden Charleston [end]
I'm writing about Howard J. Wooldridge's outstanding column "Legalizing drugs is better way to fight drug problem" on April 10. The so-called war on drugs was lost before it began. No matter how much money we throw down the drug war rat hole, we will never be able to nullify the immutable law of supply and demand. As long as people want recreational drugs, and they are willing to pay a substantial price for the drugs, somebody will produce them, and somebody else will get the drugs to the willing buyers. [continues 137 words]
Howard Wooldridge's message ("Legalizing drugs is better way to fight problem," April 10), restores credibility and respect for police. At the very minimum, it's time to re-legalize cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) which is Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father (The Ecologician) indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Regarding Howard J. Wooldridge's Apr. 10 guest column, there is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Addicts would not be sharing needles if not for zero-tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes, nor would they be committing crimes if not for artificially inflated black market prices. Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with heroin use. Heroin maintenance pilot projects are underway in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. [continues 147 words]
The War on Drugs. How is that working for us in America? Is it reducing crime? Is it reducing our rates of death and disease? Is it effective in keeping drugs and drug dealers away from our children? These are important questions because our current prohibition strategy will cost us, the taxpayers, some $70 billion this year. As a police officer, I fought on the side of the "good guys" for 18 years in the War on Drugs, giving me frontline, actual experience in the trenches. After much time, consternation and out-and-out frustration with not achieving a single, policy directed long-term goal, I came to the conclusion that we must be doing something wrong. [continues 434 words]
If Howard Wooldridge had it his way, all illicit drugs in America would be as legal as tobacco and alcohol. The retired Michigan police detective is traveling across West Virginia this week speaking on behalf of the organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. The nation's drug policy is badly in need of reform, Wooldridge said in an interview with the Gazette, and the best reform is to legalize all drugs so their sales are regulated and managed by the government, not criminals, he said. - advertisement [continues 357 words]
Half-Baked Alaska Case Kenneth Starr became an object of derision when he spent nearly $50 million of taxpayer money in a futile attempt to oust former President Bill Clinton for a trivial sex fling that didn't include intercourse. Now the ex-special prosecutor is back in the news. He went before the U.S. Supreme Court last week -- without pay -- to support the expulsion of an Alaska high school student who held up a sign his principal disliked. Here's the case: [continues 440 words]
A jury trial is scheduled for this week in a civil suit that contends Powerball winner Jack Whittaker was negligent in the drug overdose of an 18-year-old boy who died in his home. Jury selection was set to begin today in the wrongful death trial in Putnam Circuit Court. Whittaker is being sued over the death of 18-year-old Jesse Joe Tribble, who died after ingesting cocaine and prescription painkillers in September 2004 while in a Scott Depot house owned by Whittaker. [continues 346 words]
Employees at Kanawha County's Metro 911 center will be subject to random drug tests under a policy proposed Tuesday. At a Tuesday meeting of the Metro 911 Executive Board, 911 Director Carolyn Karr Charnock got the nod to send the drug testing policy to the board's personnel committee. The committee will write a drug policy that will be up for a vote on March 21. Random drug testing for 911 staff was first proposed last year, Charnock said. "At Metro 911, everybody in there is dealing with emergencies," Charnock said. "We do not currently have random routine testing." [continues 202 words]
What are people to think when principals are arrested in the night? About 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, Charleston Police Cpl. J.F. Taylor noticed a vehicle circling the Washington Manor housing complex and then parking with its lights off. The officer pulled in to see what was happening. The car turned out to belong to David Anderson, principal of Pratt Elementary School, who was observed in the vicinity of two people who were known drug users. Police found a package in Anderson's back left pocket that contained a small amount of cocaine. He said someone had planted it on him. Witnesses testified that Anderson and some other educators ate at Bennigan's restaurant, then went to an American Federation of Teachers function. A few then went to a bar, Vandalia's, and Anderson and a former teacher at Pratt then went to another bar. [continues 278 words]
Kanawha County school board member Bill Raglin said he believes Principal David Anderson escaped conviction on a cocaine charge only because he is white. "I shudder to think what would have happened if this had been a young, black male who had been found with cocaine in his pockets by a police officer at 3:30 a.m.," Raglin said Tuesday after the board voted 3 to 2 to reinstate Anderson to his job at Pratt Elementary School. "He probably would've been eating lunches in the state penitentiary right now," Raglin said. [continues 757 words]
Kanawha Educator Acquitted Last Week The former principal of Pratt Elementary, who was acquitted of drug possession charges last week, was returned to his job Tuesday by a slim majority of the Kanawha County Board of Education. David Anderson is expected to return to work at Pratt Elementary School within the next few days, Superintendent Ron Duerring said. He said he plans to meet with Anderson in the next day or two. School board members voted 3-2 to reinstate Anderson, who was charged with cocaine possession in October. Board members Jim Crawford, Becky Jordon and Barbara Welch also approved reimbursing Anderson, with interest, for salary lost since Nov. 8. [continues 336 words]
The arrest of David Anderson, principal of Pratt Elementary, has stirred controversy among parents, educators and members of the Kanawha County Board of Education. Although Anderson was not convicted, administrators have begun to question whether such instances could be prevented with the use of drug testing. "I believe there are a lot of issues concerned with drug testing," Dr. Ronald Duerring, Kanawha County superintendent, said. "Certainly we are working through those issues now." The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in the Twiggs v. Hercules Corporation case in 1990 that drug tests cannot be administered unless the employee is in a safety sensitive position or unless there is reasonable cause to believe the employee has been using drugs. [continues 198 words]
Drug use by school athletes and other students involved in middle and senior high school activities -- and potential random testing of those students -- could be the focus of a legislative study later this year. Members of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission have agreed to participate in such a study. They did so after state Sen. Clark Barnes, R-Randolph, introduced legislation to randomly test high school athletes in state championship rounds for performance-enhancing drugs. "The more of us that work together on this, the better solution we're going to come up with," said Mike Hayden, executive director of the SSAC. [continues 450 words]
If lighting up a marijuana joint is in your evening plans, you'd better hope you're not screened for drugs within the next 30 days. Cannabis can be detected in a person's urine up to a month after usage, said Dr. Patrick Callery, chairman of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences at West Virginia University. In hair samples, it can show up within 90 days. But several harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, tend to leave the body much sooner without a trace. Those are usually detected in urine only two to five days after abuse. [continues 978 words]
David S. Anderson, a former Pratt Elementary School principal, says he can now move forward with his life after he was found not guilty of knowingly possessing cocaine. Anderson, 43, expressed relief when Magistrate Marva L. Crouch read the verdict. "I just wanted to tell the truth and let it be heard," Anderson said after Thursday's jury trial in Kanawha Magistrate Court. "I have good friends, a wonderful family, and I will move on." Anderson's friends were calling people on their cells immediately after leaving the courtroom, excitedly informing them of the verdict. [continues 870 words]
County Commission President Kent Carper believes a proposed drug-testing policy for the county does not go far enough. The commission had an initial review of the proposal on the agenda for its meeting on Thursday. The proposal would require employees in safety-sensitive positions to be randomly tested for drugs. The positions include any commission employee who routinely operates a vehicle, carries a firearm and uses dangerous tools, equipment or chemicals. Carper said positions he considers safety-sensitive were left out of the plan. He said the definition in the proposal needs to be expanded. [continues 328 words]
Top administrators in Kanawha County's schools would be randomly screened for drugs under a proposed drug-testing policy. School board members said the policy would be revised to include administrators at the central office and board members themselves. "From the beginning, we've said everybody would be included," School Superintendent Ron Duerring said Thursday at a board meeting. Board member Pete Thaw criticized the proposed policy earlier this week. It called for random drug testing of employees in "safety sensitive positions" -- specifically teachers, school service personnel and those with direct contact with students. [continues 594 words]
PETE Thaw is the voice of dissent on the Kanawha County Board of Education as it considers expanding its random drug testing program to include 3,700 of its employees -- all but top administrators and school board members. Thaw asked why the schools will test everyone except those at the top. But the real question is why should the board expand the testing beyond bus drivers and mechanics? The proposal is to test all workers in "safety sensitive" jobs. At the board's request, school officials came up with a list that includes principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors, teachers, mechanics, carpenters, cooks, custodians, electricians, locksmiths, etc. [continues 95 words]
Kanawha County schools' proposed drug-testing policy would exempt upper-level administrators and board members from screenings, while requiring principals, teachers and school service personnel to undergo random tests. Board member Pete Thaw says that is not fair. The revamped policy -- up for discussion at a meeting Thursday -- will require all workers deemed to be in "safety sensitive" jobs to be randomly drug tested. The policy, however, does not include testing of administrators at the county's central board office. Thaw said all administrators, even board members, should be tested. [continues 388 words]
Kanawha County Proposes Policy A proposed drug testing policy for Kanawha County school employees will include board members and central office workers if it's approved, board members affirmed Thursday. Meanwhile, the former principal whose arrest kick-started discussions about drug testing was found not guilty on misdemeanor drug possession charges in Kanawha County Magistrate Court on Thursday. The Kanawha school board -- and the county's teachers and principals unions -- had been uncertain about administrators' role in the random drug-testing scenario because the policy outlined Thursday did not specifically mention top employees or elected officials. [continues 550 words]
Leaders of West Virginia teachers unions object to Kanawha County's proposed drug-testing policy that would require teachers to be screened but not officials at the board's central office. The board of education was to consider the proposal at a meeting today. "We do have some concerns about a policy that doesn't include everybody," said Judy Hale, president of the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. The policy would exempt upper-level administrators and board members, while requiring principals, teachers and school service personnel to undergo tests. [continues 324 words]
After two and half months in the hands of legal counsel, an employee drug proposal is ready for action by the Kanawha County Commission. But Commission President Kent Carper said the plan would not be approved until it's discussed with all county officials. "I want our elected officials to see it," Carper said. "They should have the opportunity to comment on it before we do anything." The commission will unveil the proposal to officials at a regular meeting on Thursday. [continues 376 words]
Three corrections officers at the Central Regional Jail in Braxton County have been charged with bringing tobacco and drugs into the jail for inmates and at least one fellow officer. State Police arrested the officers late Thursday and early Friday at their homes in Nicholas and Braxton counties, said Trooper Bill Huddleston at the Sutton detachment. All three have been charged with conspiracy. Two have been charged with illegally bringing items into the jail and selling them for profit. Huddleston said information is "cascading" out of the investigation and additional personnel at the jail might face charges. [continues 347 words]
Drug's Bad Press Shouldn't Harm Treatment For Addiction The recent increase in negative perceptions of methadone as a treatment for opiate addiction and the potential that has for limiting treatment alternatives for the citizens of West Virginia is a cause for concern in the health care community. I am a member of the Board of Directors of CRC Health Group, Inc. -- as well as someone who is proud to have spent a significant amount of my professional life supporting effective drug and alcohol treatment. [continues 663 words]
Drug Testing Should Be Required for State's Student Athletes A proposal to require drug testing for student athletes deserves support. There's no disputing that drug problems in general have become an increasing plague in West Virginia and in the whole country. Measures to stem the tide need to be considered, especially in the sports arena. Too many athletes have already made national headlines for drug use, and those convicted have set a horrible example. Steroids have long been a troublesome issue, especially as the bar of competition continues to rise and more money is at stake. [continues 308 words]
WELCH -- A two-state operation Friday targeted close to 100 suspects on drug-related charges between McDowell and Buchanan counties, officials said. In McDowell County, officials had arrested 42 of 47 individuals as of late Friday evening on delivery, conspiracy and fugitive from justice charges, Sheriff Danny Mitchell said. In Buchanan County, officials had arrested 31 of 52 individuals indicted on drug-related charges as of late Friday, Sheriff Ray Foster said. Authorities in both counties were still searching for individuals late Friday. [continues 679 words]
A top Republican lawmaker wants tighter controls on clinics that prescribe methadone, just as a new federal study shows West Virginia suffering from the fastest-growing rate of methadone overdoses in the country. Sen. Don Caruth, who was elected Senate minority leader in December, said Tuesday he wants the Legislature to look at regulating the way methadone is used in drug treatment facilities. In particular, the Mercer County Republican wants to examine drug testing requirements at the clinics, and explore the possibility of mandating a process by which methadone users could be weaned off the drug. [continues 209 words]
Number Drops From 37 in 2005 to 16 in 2006 Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith believes law enforcement officials have turned a corner in the fight against the methamphetamine drug trade. In 2006, 16 labs were uncovered in Putnam County -- fewer than half the 37 labs found in 2005. This year's drop also comes just two years after authorities discovered 50 drug labs at Putnam County sites. Only seven of the 2006 labs were actually being operated when deputies found them. [continues 360 words]
People In Mercer County Are Concerned Over The Possibility Of A Methadone Clinic PRINCETON -- A recent drug sweep in Mercer County has people second-guessing the need for a methadone clinic in their county. Residents are worried about the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs being at these clinics. During the sweep, police found prescriptions of liquid methadone. They believe people are taking the liquid methadone from local treatment centers and using it for sale on the streets. Police caution that mixing liquid methadone with other illegal substances can be fatal and several overdoses have been reported this year. [continues 84 words]
Putnam Is Expected to Be the First County to Do So but the Practice May Soon Become a Common One Across County Lines. WINFIELD -- Putnam County employees are about to be held accountable for their off-the job behavior. Random drug testing will begin in January for those holding safety-sensitive positions. "Would you want someone showing up, like me in my position, answering a call under the influence of a narcotic?" asked Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Chas Ashley. "I just think it'll hold everyone accountable for their actions." [continues 200 words]
America the Stockade THE International Center for Prison Studies, part of King's College in London, has published a new study of prisoners in various countries. China, the world's most populous nation with nearly 1.3 billion residents, has 1,548,498 people in cells, putting it second on the worldwide list. America, with 300 million people, has 2,186,230 locked up -- ranking first by a wide margin. Other nations in the top 10 of jail populations are: Russia, 869,814; Brazil, 361,402; India, 332,112; Mexico, 214,450; Ukraine, 165,716; Thailand, 164,443; South Africa, 157,402; and Iran 147,926. [continues 195 words]
Kanawha County is one step closer to a drug testing policy for employees after commissioners agreed to hire lawyers to oversee the effort. The commission voted Thursday to hire local attorney Jan Fox to advise the commission before it implements such a policy. Commissioner Dave Hardy said he hopes the county will adopt a plan similar to the one used by the City of Charleston. He said Fox should review that plan and make it fit the county's needs. "It's exactly what we want and I can't imagine why anyone would oppose it," Hardy said. "It's a very fair policy." [continues 454 words]
Kids across America are warned to stay away from "nose candy" in anti-drug campaigns. But a Kanawha County student is fighting his suspension for pretending to put actual candy up his nose. According to a lawsuit filed in Kanawha Circuit Court Monday, a student-athlete at Sissonville High School was given Smarties candy as a reward for good academic performance. In front of his teacher and fellow classmates, the student pretended to put one of the small candy discs up his nose. Another student used his cell phone to record video of the incident. [continues 352 words]
KANAWHA County school officials were shocked earlier this year to learn that an elementary school principal had been arrested and charged with possession of cocaine. Dismayed, the board of education began talking about testing all school employees for drugs. The board's concern is not only understandable, it is necessary. Children are required by law to attend schools. The board is responsible for maintaining a safe environment there. Not long thereafter, the issue came up in Putnam County. The county's insurance carrier suggested the county amend its personnel policy to require drug tests of new employees, random drug tests of employees in safety-sensitive positions, and upon a supervisors' request, testing of other employees suspected of being under the influence while working. [continues 162 words]
A proposal to open a methadone clinic in Mercer County has led the local Chamber of Commerce to organize a protest caravan headed to Charleston today. California-based CRC Health Group has filed paperwork with the state Health Care Authority seeking approval to start a drug treatment facility using methadone to wean addicts from opium-based drugs like heroin and oxycodone. CRC, the largest for-profit drug treatment provider in the country, reported in its filing with the state that it expects to initially spend $150,000 establishing the facility in Princeton. Thousands of residents, spurred by the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, have signed a petition objecting to the proposal. - advertisement [continues 299 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A proposal to open a methadone clinic in Mercer County has led the local Chamber of Commerce to organize a protest caravan headed to the capital on Tuesday. California-based CRC Health Group has filed paperwork with the state Health Care Authority seeking approval to start a drug treatment facility using methadone to wean addicts from opium-based drugs like heroin and oxycodone. CRC, the largest for-profit drug treatment provider in the country, reported in its filing with the state that it expects to initially spend $150,000 establishing the facility in Princeton. Thousands of residents, spurred by the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, have signed a petition objecting to the proposal. [continues 300 words]
This is part of an ongoing Gazette investigation of methadone, a drug that has the unique ability to kill if you don't take it exactly as directed, and sometimes even if you do. Methadone "can cause death" if not taken exactly as prescribed, the federal Food and Drug Administration is now warning doctors and patients who take the popular painkiller. On Monday, the FDA issued a public health advisory for methadone, titled "Methadone Use for Pain Control May Result in Death." [continues 942 words]
The company that provides random drug testing for St. Albans city employees is now offering free, random drug screenings for students in St. Albans area schools. The drug screenings are offered as part of a program provided by the city's Drug Prevention Task Force. The task force formed in July, months after two St. Albans High students died from apparent drug overdoses. Students can volunteer to be in a database from which their names might be picked at random for a drug screening. [continues 695 words]
PRINCETON -- On one side of the Mercer-Raleigh county line, methadone maintenance treatment was presented as a solution. On the other, area businesspeople worried the addiction therapy would turn into a scourge. Beckley Treatment Center and CRC Health Group officials opened the Beaver facility's doors Friday in an effort to show the public and people concerned about a proposed Mercer clinic how the operations worked. CRC Health Group, a California-based company that has worked in addiction treatment for the last 10 years, has filed an application for a certificate of need to establish a similar clinic in Mercer County. Vice President of Operations Joe Pritchard estimated 400 Mercer County MMT patients travel beyond county boundaries for their daily doses of methadone in either Beaver or Tazewell, Va. [continues 1915 words]
A representative from the company that does drug testing for Kanawha County school bus drivers countered teachers unions' fears by providing more information about the drug tests and how they're performed. The school board wants to extend the drug tests to teachers, principals and other personnel. "We're very careful to protect a person's privacy, both medically and personally. We don't accompany someone into a restroom or stand behind them. That would only be in extreme cases," said Randy Pauley, an employee with Examination Management Systems Inc. [continues 641 words]
West Virginia Dilemma SENSIBLE people can't understand why part of the population craves illicit drugs -- even risking jail, health damage or job loss. Perhaps dope users are dissatisfied with their lives, and want to flee into narcotic dreamland. Some addicts may be like alcoholics, with body chemistry that makes them susceptible. West Virginia has acquired a high ratio of drug abusers, according to a long report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The paper quoted Joe Ciccarelli, former FBI chief for the southern half of the state: [continues 498 words]
Inside West Virginia
