A four-month old panel aiming to stem the rise of prescription narcotic addiction and reduce overdose deaths has developed nearly a dozen initial recommendations and is probably a month away from its final report. "We're really in the home stretch of our work," U.S. Attorney David Hickton said today at a meeting in his office of the Working Group on Addiction: Prevention, Intervention, Treatment and Recovery. He urged the 18 members to "sprint to a final report in early September and start acting." [continues 371 words]
NORTH HAVEN - After trying various outlets to reach the community about drug awareness and prevention, First Selectman Michael Freda and substance abuse advocates are heading into people's homes - on the television screen that is. In an effort to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse, Freda and members of the town's Substance Abuse Action Council are taping a miniseries of TV shows discussing various topics surrounding substance abuse. Freda said the idea for the show surfaced after attempts to hold public discussions about drug and alcohol prevention. [continues 362 words]
Re: "Feisty federal judge knows all about challenging authority," Aug. 13 news story. It was delightful to see Judge John Kane's picture on the front page of The Denver Post and to read the excellent article on this great jurist. What was left out, however, was Judge Kane's well-known stand on the great American drug war. Every year, Judge Kane is a featured speaker in my drug war class, where he emphasizes the sad story of the incarceration of largely young minority males to lengthy prison sentences for minor offenses. Judge Kane offers his expertise on why and how the United States-which has 5 percent of the world's populaton and more than 25 percent of the world's prisoners-became a carceral state. Judge Kane is a fearless fighter for justice and in particular racial justice in America. At a time when Colorado leads the nation in changing directions, Judge Kane needs to be recognized as a pioneer in drug reform. Arthur N. Gilbert, Denver The writer is a professor at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. [end]
As a pharmacist with a special interest in the medical uses of cannabis I am delighted that Norman Baker has spoken out. We are not talking here about the widespread use of cannabis in the community. One particular cannabinoid, CBD, is not psychotropic nor toxic and shows promise as a useful drug in certain conditions. The two active ingredients, THC and CBD, were discovered in Israel. That much maligned little country is a world leader in research into the medical use of cannabis. Its health service already uses cannabis for certain conditions. Monty Goldin London [end]
Norman Baker MP is calling for liberalised drug laws so that medicinal cannabis can be made available (Minister calls for looser restrictions on cannabis to treat sick, 14 August). People with multiple sclerosis who turn to street cannabis to treat their condition often do so out of desperation. For years they have been told by successive governments to wait for a pharmacological, legal alternative to cannabis as a way of treating their symptoms and pain. Now one such treatment, Sativex, exists - but the latest draft National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) clinical guideline proposes rejecting it based on a flawed assessment of its cost effectiveness. Just one in 50 people currently have access to this treatment, most of them paying privately. Unless Nice amends the guideline, the majority of people will be left to battle painful symptoms, or face financial strain as a result of funding the licensed treatment themselves. Sally Hughes Programme director for policy, MS Society [end]
SIR - No wonder that the treatment of extreme chronic pain lags so far behind other medical disciplines when cannabisbased medication is denied to patients who could benefit from it (report, August 16). Today pain management largely relies on derivatives of the willow tree and the poppy and its progeny. The former cannot alleviate excruciating chronic pain and may damage internal organs. The latter require ever-increasing doses, leading to confusion, physical instability, addiction and again, possible organ damage. Until the NHS is prepared to be more adventurous in the search for new painkillers, possible funders will remain reluctant to invest in this desperately needed branch of medicine. Erica Barrett Hastings, East Sussex [end]
SIR I have had multiple sclerosis for 20 years, and in June I experienced the joy of walking through town without looking at the ground. My right hand, which had been curled and numb, started to straighten, and the fearful muscular pain abated. For the first time I slept soundly without sleeping pills, and was able to watch television without leaning on a chair to cope with spasms. A dear friend had financed my first online purchase of Sativex, the cannabis-based drug, since two GPs in Shropshire and Norfolk had turned down my request. I could scream with frustration and desperation, not on my own behalf but on behalf of all MS patients, many of whom are both younger than me and less mobile. Jacquie Langham Holt, Norfolk [end]
Three groups representing Canadian doctors will not be signing on to Health Canada's anti-pot ad campaign. The College of Family Physicians of Canada, Canadian Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada said Saturday they would not participate in the campaign targeted at young Canadians. "The educational campaign has now become a political football on Canada's marijuana policy and for this reason the CFPC, CMA and Royal College will not be participating. We did not, and do not, support or endorse any political messaging or political advertising on this issue," the groups said in a joint statement. All three organizations said they would ill continue to increase awareness of the health risks of drug and alcohol consumption by young Canadians. - - QMI Agency [end]
'Campaign ... a Political Football' Three groups representing Canadian doctors will not be signing on to Health Canada's anti-pot ad campaign. The College of Family Physicians of Canada, Canadian Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada said Saturday they would not participate in the campaign targeted at young Canadians. "The educational campaign has now become a political football on Canada's marijuana policy and for this reason the CFPC, CMA and Royal College will not be participating. We did not, and do not, support or endorse any political messaging or political advertising on this issue," the groups said in a joint statement. [continues 88 words]
Marijuana Crusader Says Time Served in a U.S. Prison Has Only Hardened His Resolve Not 24 hours after he was released from U.S. jail and frogmarched across the Detroit-Windsor border in handcuffs, Canada's "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery was in Toronto joshing with international media, vowing revenge on the prime minister, organizing a nationwide "smoke out" and reaffirming the claim he once got high with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. That was Wednesday. By Saturday, Emery still hadn't been home yet. [continues 933 words]
What happens on a school campus is frequently a reflection of what is going on at home. Which is why campus calls to the cops are inevitable. Rowdy behavior, assaults, petty theft, fake 911 calls and vandalism are typical infractions that will bring badges to the door. Compared to other trouble, however, calls for bringing narcotics to campus have been relatively few in the Verde Valley. Considering the availability of so many illicit and prescription drugs and the overall number of arrests of adults in the Verde Valley for drug crimes, the public schools have been pretty effective with their drug-free zones. [continues 224 words]
Elk River may add a new weapon to the local war on drugs. Funding for a new drug task force detective is in the city's preliminary budget for 2015. Council members heard more about the position during a budget work session Monday and expressed some support for it. But a final decision won't be made until the budget is finalized later this year. Under the plan, the Elk River Police Department would assign an existing officer to the Sherburne County Drug Task Force as a detective, and hire a new entry-level officer to fill that vacated position. Total cost is estimated at $67,000 to $77,000. [continues 413 words]
Partisan antagonism rules the capital, drowning out most attempts at constructive compromise. But on at least one issue, reasonable lawmakers from both parties strongly agree: reforming the criminal justice system to reduce the prison population and enable former inmates to become more productive members of society. This growing consensus is both surprising and heartening, especially at a time when Congress can't seem to agree on anything else. Listen, for example, to Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky, and Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, who have co-sponsored legislation that would seal the records of juvenile offenders and give nonviolent adults a chance to expunge their criminal past. [continues 673 words]
