COLUMBIA -- A state senator hopes to bar ex-convicts from serving on school boards, following the controversy over Edgefield County school board hopeful Nathaniel Jackson, who served three years in federal prison in the 1980s. Jackson, who was released in 1991 after serving his drug-trafficking sentence, says people should be able to get on with their lives and participate in their communities like everyone else. "My belief is that once you've done your time, served your probation and all that, you should have the opportunity to proceed with your life," Jackson said Tuesday. "This situation happened 25 years ago. Why should I be ineligible to run, or anybody, really?" [continues 381 words]
Thanks for publishing the outstanding letter from the directors of Columbia NORML (Sound Off, "We Love Pot; You Should Too," Dec. 22). I'd like to add that I've been buying beer and wine for more than 30 years. Yet, I've never been offered a free sample of whiskey, gin, vodka or any other hard liquor. However, when I was a marijuana user, which was more than 15 years ago, I was frequently offered free samples of much more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and meth by my marijuana suppliers. [continues 80 words]
Thanks for shedding some light on the recent USC research ("Scientists Grapple over Marijuana's Effect on Immune System," Dec. 15). Unfortunately, cannabis never gets the credit it deserves. This "drug" is a proven source of medicine for countless ailments that currently afflict our injured, disabled and elderly populations. Moreover, it is completely safe for human use, in contrast to many commonly prescribed medicines that Big Pharma is pumping out these days. The mere activation of the endocannabinoid system positively affects our overall health and well-being and can drastically improve the quality of life for unwell individuals. Thanks to dedicated researchers around the world, it is finally impossible to deny the medicinal potential of the cannabis plant. [continues 120 words]
Coalition leader: 'Kids are looking for ways to get high. It's nothing new.' YORK -- More than a month ago, a Fort Mill teen played Russian roulette with her life. "A beautiful 17-year-old had taken two hits of "Mary Joy," York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant said Tuesday. Those hits of Mary Joy, one of several names for synthetic marijuana, made the teen so ill she wound up in the hospital. "She was incoherent and exhibiting extreme paranoia and anxiety, involuntary muscle jerking and elevated heart rate and blood pressure," Bryant said. "The girl could have died." [continues 534 words]
Chemical compounds in marijuana can suppress the body's immune functions - potentially speeding the growth of some cancers but possibly helping in the fight against arthritis, multiple sclerosis or allergies. The good-news, bad-news findings were published in this month's European Journal of Immunology, based on a study led by USC researcher Prakash Nagarkatti. An immunologist who has been exploring the potential of cannabis for eight years, Nagarkatti refers to the findings as "a double-edged sword." Nagarkatti's earlier studies dealt mostly with marijuana's potential to treat leukemia. The latest report, at first glance, seems to contradict his earlier findings. But Nagarkatti says the seeming contradiction just emphasizes the complexities of both marijuana and cancer. [continues 399 words]
Local agencies say they follow law, not interested in intrusion New technology is being used to give law enforcement agencies a leg up in fighting crime - advancements that have elsewhere raised tricky privacy issues that in some cases remain unresolved by the courts. Greenville County sheriff's deputies are planning to spend $225,000 in federal money on a new thermal-imaging camera that would be installed on a helicopter to help search for suspects and missing people on the ground. [continues 664 words]
Drug Enforcement Administration staffers must be asking themselves, "Where is Barbara Billingsley when you need her?" Billingsley is most famous for playing the mother in "Leave it to Beaver," but the DEA doesn't need her to make boys toe the line. The agency needs her because of the talent she so famously showcased in the movie "Airplane" when she said: "Oh, stewardess, I speak jive." Apparently, DEA agents don't speak jive themselves, but some of the folks they are conducting surveillance on do. That's why, according to a story by The Associated Press, the DEA is looking to hire nine "ebonics" translators to help interpret wiretapped conversations between suspected drug dealers. [continues 572 words]
Authorities Call Bust A Local Record Horry County police found an estimated $12 million worth of heroin and other drugs in the Myrtle Beach area in what the police department is calling its largest seizure of the drug to date. The drugs were found recently after an investigation led police to a home in the Arrowhead subdivision in the Myrtle Beach section of the county. Sgt. Robert Kegler, spokesman for the Horry County Police Department did not report that anyone was arrested at the time of the seizure. [continues 180 words]
Mum's The Word When It Comes To Palmetto State Pot Reform The seeds of change for legalizing medical marijuana are being planted from coast to coast with states such as Washington, Oregon, Vermont and New Jersey speaking out, declaring themselves official card-carrying members of the movement. Marijuana dispensaries are dotted throughout the cities of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo., while the Garden State's Trenton and Newark are gearing up for their first harvest of legally grown marijuana to be distributed in dispensaries this fall. Buying it legally is becoming a part of America's landscape, in much the same way local corner stores have. [continues 3136 words]
Lawmakers and Gov. Mark Sanford deserve credit for passing and signing a sentencing reform bill that this state needed in order to make residents safer and save taxpayers money. The bill enacts reforms that mirror the recommendations of the South Carolina Sentencing Reform Commission that was empanelled by lawmakers. The goal of the reforms is to save taxpayers money, help the Corrections Department run more efficiently, equip nonviolent offenders with the skills they need to become productive citizens and ensure that the state's prisons have room for the most dangerous offenders. [continues 420 words]
COLUMBIA, S.C. =AD A sentencing reform measure signed into law Wednesday was praised by South Carolina lawmakers as getting smart on crime and "soft" on taxpayers. The law is designed to put fewer people in prison on minor offenses, and instead help them turn their lives around through improved oversight and training while on parole. The sentencing changes apply to people arrested Wednesday and thereafter. "Unless we're going to build a bunch more jails, we've got to look at alternatives," Republican Gov. Mark Sanford said before signing off on it. "This bill does that." [continues 607 words]
Methamphetamine, an illicit drug that is easily and cheaply produced, remains a deeply entrenched problem in the Southern United States. The 2009 National Drug Intelligence Center's National Drug Threat Survey showed 22.8 percent of state and local agencies in the Southeast "reported meth as their greatest drug threat," second only to cocaine. Former U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey called meth "one of the worst drug menaces ever to threaten America, associated with paranoia, stroke, heart attack, and permanent brain damage, leaving a trail of crime and death." Despite its dangers, 10.4 million Americans age 12 and older have tried methamphetamine at least once, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. [continues 526 words]
Greenville County Schools would consider implementing a drug testing for student athletes "if a need is expressed and documented by the principal, school athletic director, coaches" and the community, spokesman Oby Lyles says. Bill Utsey, director of athletics in Greenville County Schools, he thinks it would be well worth the $5,000 to $10,000 a year he estimates it would cost. However, in a tight budget year, there hasn't been any community support for implementing such a program, he says. [continues 965 words]
In response to an April 7 letter concerning legalizing recreational drugs: I fully concur with the writer's recommendation. While serving in Korea in the '50s, we were initially issued one can of beer per man per day. The Women's Christian Temperance Union pressured the Department of Defense to stop this ration. The result? Men bought beer on the local market. These bottles often contained wood alcohol and urine, which caused men to go blind or out of their minds, making them casualties we couldn't afford. Ill-considered decisions by do-gooders often create extreme detrimental societal difficulties. William H. Kastner Col., U.S. Army (Retired) Furman Drive Charleston [end]
Police officers in South Carolina no longer need a warrant to search people on probation and parole, following a second, successful attempt Wednesday in the House to override Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's veto. A single-vote margin made the measure law,. It takes effect immediately. One of the deciding votes came from Rep. Joe McEachern, a Richland County Democrat and former police officer. McEachern voted against the Legislative Black Caucus, who, along with conservative and libertarian Republicans, opposed the measure. [continues 593 words]
Research on Psychedelic Drug Prescriptions Not Solution to Mental, Physical Problems Thank God for the '60s and all it brought to American history books: bell-bottoms, tie-dye, troll dolls, Chinese fire drills, Woodstock, Twister, lava lamps, free love and LSD; God Bless America. Though many of these fads have faded out - some that are not missed, i.e., the bouffant hairdo and platform shoes - hallucinogens are coming back for another trip ... no pun intended. Once taboo, hallucinogens are now being tested for medicinal purposes, as they are thought to cure the negative side effects of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, life-threatening anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction to illegal substances. Just a thought, but how are people suffering from cocaine addiction going to get better by replacing their kilos with shrooms or LSD? Kind of an oxymoron, don't you think? [continues 401 words]
South Carolina would opt out of a federal mandate requiring driver's license suspensions for all persons convicted of drug offenses, under a resolution approved by the Senate on Tuesday. The opt out, which must be agreed to by the governor and the full General Assembly, would allow the state to continue receiving federal transportation funds. Federal law requires states to enact laws suspending driving privileges for anyone convicted of drug offenses, whether the offense was traffic related or not, and without regard to the age of the offender. [continues 52 words]
People without children might not care so much about public education (although they should). And people who have solid jobs might not be so distressed about unemployment (although they should be, too). But everyone in South Carolina is vulnerable to crime -- from a stolen bicycle to a drive-by shooting. And everyone should encourage the state House of Representatives to vote in favor of a Senate bill that would reform criminal sentencing. The comprehensive, bipartisan bill aims to preserve public safety and reduce crime -- two worthy goals. To do that, it would provide consistency in sentencing classifications and assign punishments proportional for the offenses committed. [continues 238 words]
The Senate has wisely given its approval to a sentencing reform bill that largely mirrors recommendations by a sentencing reform commission established last year by the Legislature. The House should follow suit on this bill that would save taxpayers money, help the Corrections Department run more efficiently and help equip nonviolent offenders with the skills they need to become productive citizens. Provisions in this lengthy bill would further define violent and nonviolent crimes, streamline sentencing to ensure there is room in state prisons for the most violent offenders, and reduce sentences for some nonviolent crimes. In addition, the bill would establish options for community-based treatment and programs such as the drug courts that have worked in Greenville. [continues 424 words]
Violent cartels that import drugs from Mexico could be looking to strengthen their presence in South Carolina as a crackdown drives them out of their distribution hub in Atlanta. The gangs could bring a whole new set of problems - including shootouts with police -- to a state plagued with the nation's second-highest violent crime rate. Their drugs are already flowing through Greenville by way of Interstate 85 and heading for destinations all over the East Coast, authorities said. As local, state and federal authorities seek to turn up the heat, it isn't unusual for them to make huge busts in the Atlanta area. [continues 293 words]
I'm in favor of the Department of Corrections releasing nonviolent inmates early if it will help save money. Likewise, counties might also be able to trim from their budgets the costs of housing inmates awaiting trial. State law (Section 17-23-90) allows for inmates awaiting trials in county jails to petition for their release if not indicted and brought to trial within two terms of court following their arrest. This means most inmates awaiting trial could petition for their release after just a few months in jail. Seeing how there are many pre-trial detainees who languish in jail for a year or more waiting to go to trial, it seems obvious that counties could save money if more pre-trial detainees knew about this statute. Perhaps it's time to pass a law mandating that magistrates and Circuit Court judges inform defendants at their bail hearings of their right to petition for their release under this statute. Irmo [end]
A bill designed to reduce the number of people going to jail in South Carolina for minor offenses and let more people out on parole received key approval Thursday. The bill approved by the Senate is expected to save taxpayers money while providing improved oversight and training of nonviolent offenders. Proponents said it will ensure there's prison space for high-risk, violent criminals, and that they'll serve longer prison terms. People convicted of nonviolent crimes account for nearly half of the state's 25,000 inmates, and nearly one in five inmates are imprisoned for drug crimes, according to the commission's February report. [continues 355 words]
COLUMBIA -- A comprehensive plan to divert nonviolent criminals from prisons to the probation and parole system so South Carolina can avoid spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build new prisons was adopted Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 14-0 vote. The bill calls for more drug users to serve supervised criminal sentences in the community as a way to free up beds in the overcrowded prisons. The measure, as written, deals with future offenders, although there are a few exceptions to parole some current prisoners. [continues 431 words]
CLEMSON - It's troubling but probably was inevitable, said Clemson University chemist John W. Huffman, who after a lifetime of scientific research is seeing marijuana-related compounds he developed as lab tools in a quest to improve health used for a potentially dangerous high. Synthetic marijuana-related compounds he painstakingly developed over two decades to study their biological effects and ultimately develop medications to help AIDS, multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy patients, now are gaining popularity with recreational drug users as "fake" pot. [continues 800 words]
Sniffing Out Meth Labs Constant Battle Drug Is Cheap, Easy To Manufacture But Exacts Huge Toll On Users, Families, Authorities Say MONCKS CORNER - On a spring day two years ago, members of Berkeley County's "meth" team cautiously approached a rusty Winnebago in a country field. Deputies suspected someone was inside cooking a batch of methamphetamine. But they needed a closer look. Suddenly, a man confronted them, then ordered his chained dog to attack before running to destroy the load of toxic chemicals stored in his mobile lab. [continues 891 words]
Efforts to improve the criminal justice system are too often reduced to political slogans. Proposals labeled "tough" win, while those branded "soft" lose. We seem trapped in an "I'm tough - you're soft on crime" debate. It's an unproductive debate that doesn't tell us whether an idea will actually improve the criminal justice system. Even worse, our get-tough-only politics is over-filling our prisons and costing us more than we can afford. There is a better approach. Instead of just getting tough, we can get smart on crime. [continues 696 words]
In a Feb. 22 editorial it was pointed out that '60 percent of the growth in the federal prison population over the last 20 years has been due to drug offenses.' Also, the editorial pointed out that 'the Omnibus Crime Reduction and Sentencing Reform Act could ultimately save the state money and heartache by classifying more criminal offenses as violent; giving some nonviolent offenders probation instead of prison time; and giving probation and parole officers more help.' In the Feb. 24 Post and Courier, North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt says he supports efforts to keep repeat, violent criminals behind bars while finding programs that help nonviolent offenders change their behaviors and learn job skills. [continues 79 words]
The lead story on the front page on Feb. 22 was about South Carolina turning loose non-violent inmates from our state prison system. It spoke of these being mostly people convicted of drug offenses. Why bother going through the judicial process just to turn these people back on the street? State after state is now legalizing marijuana, and taxing and regulating it. This puts money into the state coffers; it isn’t taking money out. It also frees up law enforcement to devote their time to crimes that are more of a threat to society. [continues 65 words]
The problems with our criminal justice system can seem insurmountable: The violent crime rate remains too high, violent offenders are returning to a life of crime at an unacceptable pace, and the prison population is growing at an unsustainable rate. Even if we could afford to keep building new prisons, it would not improve the level of safety for South Carolinians. But while we cannot build our way out of the problem or spend our way to a solution, we can make a number of commonsense reforms that will make the system stronger and our communities safer. [continues 657 words]
Legislature Weighs Early Release Of Prisoners To Help With Budget Woes COLUMBIA -- Word that the state's latest cost-cutting plan included possibly dumping 3,000 prison inmates on the streets sent shivers through South Carolina last week, but experts say millions could be saved with little danger to the public. States across the nation are grappling with the same problem as prison costs chew up a sizable chunk of their budgets in the midst of a crippling recession. Law enforcement officials argue that the potential threat to public safety justifies the expense. But others aren't so sure. [continues 1337 words]
A bill introduced this month in the state Senate would adopt changes in sentencing rules that were recommended by the legislatively created S.C. Sentencing Reform Commission. These, by and large, are sensible changes that will alleviate prison crowding, save tax dollars and help prevent repeat offenses. As lawmakers debate this bill that mirrors the Sentencing Reform Commission's recommendations they should resist the temptation to tinker with the set of changes recommended by the commission they appointed. The changes won't work if they're adopted in piecemeal fashion to meet the whims of individual lawmakers or the expectations of certain narrow constituencies. [continues 410 words]
COLUMBIA -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford balked Tuesday at ordering the early release of nonviolent inmates to ease a $29 million deficit at the Department of Corrections. Instead, he said there needed to be consensus among all three branches of state government before any prisoners are set free early. The governor's comments came during the state Budget and Control Board meeting. The panel cleared the way for the prisons agency to spend more money than it has. It's the third time in three years the prisons agency has run short of cash as budget cuts have taken a toll on its operations. [continues 385 words]
Move Would Be Response to Budget Deficits COLUMBIA -- South Carolina will consider opening its prison doors and freeing up to 3,000 inmates before their sentences are finished as a way to save money during a crippling economic time. States from Connecticut to California have adopted or are mulling similar measures to keep budgets afloat, but critics warn that these initiatives could be destined to fail if not accompanied by adequate support and supervision. The state's lead budget writer, Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, raised the idea Tuesday at the Budget and Control Board before the panel voted 5-0 to let the Department of Corrections spend $30 million beyond its budget to keep prisons operating. [continues 898 words]
Efforts to improve the criminal justice system are too often reduced to political slogans. Proposals labeled "tough" win, while those branded "soft" lose. We seem trapped in an "I'm tough -- you're soft on crime" debate. It's an unproductive debate that doesn't tell us whether an idea will actually improve the criminal justice system. Even worse, our get-tough-only politics is over-filling our prisons and costing us more than we can afford. There is a better approach. Instead of just getting tough, we can get smart on crime. [continues 722 words]
State taxpayers spend millions each year to lock up prisoners for probation violations, driving under suspension and other nonviolent offenses -- and the costs are expected to swell by hundreds of millions if nothing is done. Prison admissions have grown 26 percent in a decade with a large chunk coming not from murderers, rapists and other violent criminals but lower-level offenders. Forty-nine percent of the state's inmates are imprisoned for nonviolent offenses, mostly drug and property crimes. Forty-four percent of new inmates have sentences of less than 18 months. [continues 805 words]
State legislators who must spend much of their time this session patching painful employment security and budget issues, have been presented with a bill aimed at doing much more than fixing mistakes. The Omnibus Crime Reduction and Sentencing Reform Act could ultimately save the state money and heartache by classifying more criminal offenses as violent; giving some nonviolent offenders probation instead of prison time; and giving probation and parole officers more help. Proponents are hopeful that the bill, which offers 24 recommendations, will be considered as a whole. They say that is how it would be most effective. [continues 312 words]
South Carolina would save money and better serve inmates if it makes some sentencing changes recommended by a commission that was created by lawmakers in 2008. The state Corrections Department has seen a tremendous increase in the volume of inmates. According to data presented by the S.C. Sentencing Reform Commission, the state's prison population has increased from 9,137 inmates in 1983 to more than 25,000 today. The department's budget has increased by more than 500 percent in that same period from $63.7 million in 1983 to $394.1 million in 2008. [continues 504 words]
Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Faces Drug Charges Kitchens Accused of Conspiring With Area Businessman to Sell Drugs Held As Evidence GREENVILLE -- Federal investigators arrested Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Marc Kitchens and an area real estate developer early Tuesday after agents say Kitchens received $3,000 for a summer drug deal -- and investigators believe the drugs in question came from the evidence locker in Kitchens' office. Kitchens is accused of conspiring with Woodruff businessman Terry Glenn Lanford to take cocaine and methamphetamine from the locker and sell it to a drug dealer in the Orlando, Fla., area between April 2009 and January 2010. [continues 915 words]
Panel Urges Changes In Sentencing Prison Recommended For State's Violent Offenders, Alternative Routes For Others COLUMBIA -- South Carolina prison beds should be reserved for the most violent offenders, the state's Sentencing Reform Commission recommended Tuesday. Certain nonviolent offenders, such as drug users, should be given alternative sentences, including probation and community service, and geriatric and terminally ill inmates should be released to make room for murderers, drug traffickers and rapists, according to the commission's long-awaited report. Such moves would save more than $92 million dollars in prison operations in the next five years and prevent the need to build a $317 million jailhouse, the report said. The savings could be shifted to the currently overwhelmed probation and parole system, but the money to keep a better watch on criminals out on the street won't be immediately available. [continues 684 words]
Dear Editor, In the Jan. 15 issue of The Daily Gamecock, the editorial "US demand for pot funds drug cartels" tells the reader that because of Americans' heavy use of marijuana, a war in Mexico is being fueled like no other. The author talks about how there are large killings and acts of evil going on in the name of drug profiteering. After reading the editorial, I thought to myself about how mainstream marijuana has become. There have been movies, songs and even magazines dedicated to it, making it clear Americans have made a stand that they believe marijuana should be something that is accessible to all free Americans. So this brings me to my point. I disagree that these drug wars are happening because Americans are buying marijuana. I believe that if the U.S. Federal government were to legalize marijuana then not only would they be able to tax it and make money, but at the same time they would be able to completely end these terrible drug wars. I will stand by that statement. If it is legalized, it would open up new jobs for Americans in dispensaries, as well as create opportunities for American farmers to begin growing a brand new crop to bring in newfound revenue (which we all can agree is hard to come by these days). Because of it being legalized, the Mexican drug cartels would have nothing to fight over. Americans would make their own marijuana or buy it from an actual company that supplies it to them. On the topic of how hazardous it is to your health I would say that I would rather smoke pot than drink alcohol. I would rather smoke pot than smoke tobacco. I will stand by both of those statements. [continues 197 words]
I think Sen. David Thomas' proposal to drug-test people in South Carolina before they can receive unemployment benefits is one of the most asinine ideas that I have ever heard of in my lifetime. I am a native Greenvillian and graduate of Wade Hampton High School and Furman University. As of January 2009 I was employed with a global engineering company in Greenville =AD until major contracts were canceled by customers and all contract and many direct employees (like me) were laid off, placed on =93leave of absence=94 or our jobs were cut. With all of this going on, just exactly how do you think that I have felt this past year without a job? And it is not because I have not tried to find a job that I am still unemployed, as I have sent literally hundreds of resumes locally and all over the country. My only prospect was going to work as a contractor and then deploy to Afghanistan in order to have a job. Although to some, this prospect would be fabulous, it was not an opportunity that I wanted to explore and therefore I still find myself unemployed. So on top of all of this, then I had the pleasure of reading about Thomas' drug testing proposal. [continues 77 words]
Bravo to Sen. David Thomas for proposing a bill that would require those receiving unemployment benefits to prove they are free of illegal drugs. It should be no different than what occurs in the workplace: If you are found to be under the influence of illegal drugs while working, you will be fired, plain and simple. One need not be shown to have performed his or her job poorly while under the influence. Do drugs and lose the privilege of keeping your job. [continues 160 words]
WE LOCK UP more of our population than all but eight states - not because we have more criminals, but because we insist on incarcerating first-time non-violent offenders. Half of prison inmates have never committed a violent crime, never committed any crime before, and yet we spend $15,000 a year to feed, house, clothe and provide medical care for each one of them. And what do we get for that? Not a safer society. Putting people in prison makes it harder for them to find jobs when they get out, increasing the chance they will return to crime. And with rehabilitation programs on life support because of budget cuts, those non-violent offenders spend their days behind bars learning how to be violent offenders. [continues 404 words]
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- As South Carolina's unemployment numbers continue to rise, a new legislative proposal could cut off jobless benefits for people shown to be users of illegal drugs. Under the bill proposed by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, anyone now receiving unemployment benefits must first submit to a test for illegal drugs. If the test is positive, the benefits are cut off, and the applicant has to complete drug treatment before they are restored and must submit to random testing the future. [continues 628 words]
A Charleston County jury deliberated almost four hours Monday before finding that the North Charleston Police Department wasn't at fault in the 2005 death of Travone Bell, a 16-year-old who died after he swallowed crack cocaine and lied about it. The verdict followed a week-long trial in which the actions of police, jailers and others were scrutinized to see if they could have -- or should have -- done more to help the teen after he was pulled over for a traffic violation. [continues 408 words]
Prisoners charged with possession should face alternate punishment that doesn't charge taxpayers According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 12.4 percent of federal inmates are serving for marijuana related charges. For the conservatives who are so ardent about supporting Joe-taxpayer but at the same time want to crack down on marijuana users, it seems a bit hypocritical. Luckily, not a lot of voters go that far in the thinking process when casting their ballot. They've been programmed to think taxes, marijuana, gay marriage and France are all evil. It isn't just conservatives who should take a closer look at the issue, however. According to the latest Gallup poll concerning how many Americans support marijuana legalization in 2005, 60 percent of Americans were in favor of continued illegalization. 77 percent of conservatives and 60 percent of moderates are against legalization while 36 percent of moderates and 54 percent of liberals in favor of legalization. Keep in mind, though, this is not decriminalization, but legalization. [continues 346 words]
Sweeping Midlands Operaton; Mexican Cartels Supplied Gangs Federal, state and local law enforcement agents arrested dozens of reputed drug suppliers and dealers across the Midlands in simultaneous raids that began before dawn Tuesday. The massive operation -- described as one of the largest roundups ever in South Carolina -- was aimed at shutting down drug suppliers and street-level dealers supplied with cocaine and marijuana by Mexican cartels. Most suspects are gang members, authorities said. Clad in black body armor, some 16 "takedown" teams of 10 or more heavily armed officers from the FBI, the State Law Enforcement Division and city and county law agencies surrounded targeted residences in Richland and Lexington counties. [continues 1187 words]
Police department asks city to create a ban on bongs, other devices used to do drugs. Defense lawyers around Rock Hill are raising questions about the Police Department's request for a drug paraphernalia law that would criminalize bongs, pipes and other devices used to do drugs. The way the law is written, attorneys say, suspects could also be arrested for having ordinary household items such as spoons and bottle caps. Attorneys question whether the real aim is to generate more money in fines through the city-run court system. As in other municipal cases handled at the downtown law building, suspects could face fines up to $500 or 30 days in jail. [continues 461 words]
The popular TV series "Weeds" is about a widowed suburban mother who deals pot to preserve her family's cushy California dream. Not a few Californians would like to see the theme writ large for their state. California has legalized medical marijuana, its cannabis crop is valued at $17 billion a year, and people there smoke pot openly. But the state can't collect a penny of revenues from the enormous enterprise. As California faced budget Armageddon, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for "a debate" on the potential of tapping marijuana as a source of tax revenues. That's all he can do, because federal law still criminalizes marijuana use. [continues 1033 words]
The Latest Illegal Crop Found: 11,000 Pot Plants Worth $22 Million Near Chester County's Airport. ** CHESTER, S.C. -- Four rural S.C. counties that hug I-77 south of Charlotte have become fields of choice for marijuana growers, law enforcement officials say. Operations that supply Charlotte and cities along the interstate have been increasing in size in recent years in Chester, York, Lancaster and Fairfield counties, state and local officials say. The latest bust came Monday when state and Chester County authorities arrested three men and accused them of cultivating more than 11,000 marijuana plants in a half-dozen hidden fields on someone else's property near Chester County's airport. [continues 703 words]
Inside South Carolina
