Ark. Seeks To Cut Labs' Numbers By Regulating A Key Ingredient

LITTLE ROCK - Among issues under debate at the Arkansas Capitol this legislative session, none have included drama like the fight to rid the state of methamphetamine.

From tales of young children with their throats and stomachs permanently scarred by drinking sulfuric acid used in meth labs, to stories of toddlers addicted to the drug because it entered their systems under their fingernails while crawling on meth-contaminated floors, stories of the drug's devastation fill committee hearings.

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State police are investigating threats against the lives of two 16th Judicial Drug Task Force officers, and a circuit judge may have been targeted as well, the Sun-Times has learned.

"Approximately two months ago, various law enforcement representatives, both state and local, working in the Fulton County area, began receiving information concerning the threats being made against DTF Officers Scott Russell and Brian Sanderson," said Lieutenant Bill Beach with the Arkansas State Police. "The threats were in retaliation for several methamphetamine related arrests."

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BENTONVILLE - A Benton County man wants deputies to return items supposedly seized from him when he was arrested for growing marijuana in his home.

Larry James Yale filed a motion earlier this month seeking the return of guns, money, medication and other items that were seized by deputies.

Yale was arrested June 19, 2003, after authorities received a tip that he was supposedly growing marijuana at his home in the Avoca area, according to documents related to Yale's arrest. Yale, 57, supposedly had an indoor marijuana-growing operation and had smaller plants outside his residence, the documents state.

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For years, Lt. John Speer fought the silence of gangs. Speer, commander of the gang unit for the Wichita Police Department, dealt with people who looked the other way when gang violence struck their neighborhood. He had seen witnesses to killings forget everything but their own name.

They became blind to the flash of gunfire, deaf to the slang of drug dealings, and dumb to police questions about what had happened on the streets outside their homes.

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For three decades now, the "get tough" posture has distorted America's response to the problem of violent crime and other so-called street crime offenses, particularly drug use and drug trafficking. As a result, since the 1970s, the number of inmates in the nation's jails and prisons has ballooned from about 330,000 to 2.1 million today. Some boast that this "lock-em-up" approach has produced the lower crime rates of recent years - while ignoring the turmoil that soaring expenditures for prison construction and the housing of a growing prison population has created for state-funded social programs. Others reject the claim that the get-tough approach has been beneficial, asserting that demographic developments, increased crime prevention and the impact of the 1990s economic prosperity have by far been more important. As the former mayor of a big city - New Orleans - who led a coalition of police and civic leaders and community organizations in taking a significant "bite" out of crime during the 1990s, I share the latter view. Recently, three studies, one from the federal government, and two by private think tanks, have underscored the problems produced by America's obsession with incarceration.

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Attorney General Mike Beebe says he will propose at least 10 ideas for the legislative session that begins next month, including a measure meant to limit access to a key ingredient in methamphetamine.

Beebe's legislative package will also cover a number of other topics, including changes in the state's tobacco settlement with cigarette makers, punishment for those who fail to report the death or abuse of adults in nursing homes, and advertising aimed at immigrants.

Other bills may be in the works but Beebe declined to discuss additional legislation, saying he wasn't sure if it would be proposed or not.

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MOUNTAIN HOME -- When state auditors recommended that the Baxter County sheriff's office assign one officer to administer funds for undercover drug purchases, Sgt. Curtis Sinor seemed the natural choice, his boss said this week. "We trusted him so much," Baxter County Sheriff Joe Edmonds said. "That's the reason he was the one overseeing the money."

That made it all the more stunning when Sinor admitted to taking $8,357.54 from the accounts he managed for the sheriff's office and the 14 th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Edmonds said.

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Prevention is prevention no matter what. Whether a person is preventing heart attacks or substance abuse, prevention works off some basic principles. It is even referred to in federal jargon as a science.

First, you must understand that prevention is a process. It takes time for prevention to work and it is an ongoing effort. It would be nice if I could, as a preventionist, just wave a magic wand and cure all people of a craving for drugs. Law enforcement would love to be able to round up a few bad guys and stop all drug dealing. Doctors would gladly prescribe one pill that a person would take at age 20 and be sure that the person would never have a heart attack in this life. But it doesn't work that way.

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Urges Construction Of Treatment Facility

A large "A+" should be given to Circuit Judge Gary Arnold, Prosecutor Robert Herzfield and Judy Pridgen and all people who were involved in forming the Drug Court.

I personally can say Saline County has and has had a severe problem of drug and alcohol abuse for several years. I myself suffered from being an active alcoholic for most of 40 adult years.

Now that we are getting a new detention facility and a court system with officials who are addressing this disease, why not try and see if we can get a treatment facility that would be affordable to address a growing problem which is the largest problem we have as far as the crimes committed here?

Gary Smart,

Benton

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Pinkston Middle School students celebrated Red Ribbon Week Wednesday morning with an assembly that included the Mountain Home Junior High Pep Band and drama skits from Mountain Home High School Drama Club students under Karen Richard.

D.A.R.E. Officer and Baxter County Sheriff's Sgt. Ralph Bird spoke on the history of Red Ribbon Week.

After a couple of pieces of music by the Pep Band, the drama students took the floor and performed several skits showing the dangers of tobacco, drinking and driving and on making bad choices.

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Thunder sounded through Bud Walton Arena on Thursday as more than 2,000 students from 17 middle schools in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties stomped and cheered in an effort to win the drug-free cheer competition for the ninth annual Red Ribbon Rally.

Red Ribbon Rally is held in commemoration of the National Red Ribbon Week. A prerally show featured the Lincoln Wolf Pack Kids, in which more than 200 elementary students demonstrated their gymnastics and tumbling skills.

The ROTC Honor Guard officially opened the Rally, followed by Allison Bolin, Maranda Tims and Hannah Ray of Holt Middle School singing the National Anthem. Midnight Soundworks, a light and sound company, featured Jeremy Austin and Chad Munroe, who served as the emcees of the rally. Both said they have been drug free their entire lives.

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Raid In Bald Knob Yields 100 Pounds

A drug raid in Bald Knob led to one of the largest police seizures of marijuana in White County history Wednesday with police confiscating nearly100 pounds of the illegal drug after it was delivered by a private courier to a residence in Bald Knob.

Three Hispanic males were arrested in the joint raid conducted by the Bald Knob Police and the White County Sheriff's Department.

The Bald Knob Police had been watching the suspects for a year in an attempt to build a case against several suspects they believed were running a drug trafficking operation, Bald Knob Chief of Police Larry Landis said.

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Medical Use Focus of Legalization Bid

Rex Petty says it's a shame that "a bunch of old hillbillies" are having to do what he believes the state Legislature should be doing: working to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

So, for anyone who thought the effort died when supporters failed to get enough signatures on petitions to put the proposal on the Arkansas ballot in November, Petty says, "The situation ain't going to go away."

Petty, a rock mason from Atkins, and other members of the Arkansas Marijuana Party are planning a rally on the banks of the Arkansas River at the Old Post Road Park in Russellville to raise awareness of the issue.

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The question of medical marijuana is an easy answer for most people, and it is either yes or no. Both sides have strong feelings for their beliefs.

According to Denele Campbell, executive director of Alliance for a Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas (ARDPARK), the most recent polls show that 66 percent of Arkansans are in favor of the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Polls were conducted by the University of Arkansas Political Science Department, and later an independent research firm from New York.

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Advocates of legalizing medical marijuana all but conceded defeat Thursday, saying it was unlikely they had gathered enough signatures to put a proposal before Arkansas voters.

Denele Campbell of West Fork, treasurer of the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, said it would take "a miracle" for the secretary of state's office to verify enough signatures for the group's initiative to qualify for the ballot.

Tim Humphries, attorney for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels, said the signatures probably would be tallied by the end of today.

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30,000 Names Added to Put Plan on Ballot

Supporters of a proposed initiated act to legalize marijuana for medical use submitted about 30,000 more signatures to the secretary of state Wednesday in their attempt to get the measure on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Phyllis Thompson of Little Rock, a consultant for the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, said she's "very confident" that the alliance now has the necessary 64,456 registered Arkansas voters' signatures.

On July 27, Secretary of State Charlie Daniels rejected the proposed Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act because its petition didn't contain enough signatures. That gave the group 30 days to submit more.

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The Crittenden County jail administrator was arrested Monday after accepting 61.5 grams of cocaine for delivery to an inmate, West Memphis police officials said.

Reginald Abram, 29, jail administrator for about 21/2 months, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and public service bribery, said West Memphis Asst. Police Chief Mike Allen.

"We received information that Reginald Abram was using his official capacity as chief administrator of Crittenden County Detention Center in an illegal capacity," Allen said.

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LITTLE ROCK - Supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for medical use said they were confident Tuesday that enough additional signatures had been gathered to get their proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The deadline to turn them in is 5 p.m. today.

"Given that there was only a month to collect the kind of signatures we needed ... I'm pleased with where we're at," said former state Sen. John Riggs, who has been helping in the campaign.

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Marijuana is a natural plant that has been on this Earth for years, and it's been used for many ailments, so why is it illegal?

Would the government rather force pills or shots on the ones who are in agonizing pain or have severe loss of appetite due to nausea from having chemo and radiation treatments ?

If the pills and shots don't work, what then? Are you going to sit back and watch them turn into skeletons because they're too sick to eat or put them in a rehab facility because they're addicted to prescription pain pills?

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Van Buren students who want to take part in any extracurricular activities this year will be required to participate in the school district's new drug-screening policy.

The Van Buren School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to implement a policy that requires random drug testing.

Activities Director Randy Loyd said the policy follows the lead of several other state schools, including Greenwood, Springdale and Rogers, that require drug testing of their students.

The policy will affect more than 80 percent of the students who attend Van Buren High School, Butterfield Junior High and Coleman Junior High.

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