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1 US FL: Judge: Hoffman Order Is TemporaryWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:Tallahassee Democrat (FL) Author:Corbett, Nic Area:Florida Lines:49 Added:07/20/2008

A circuit court judge has clarified that her order to seal pretrial evidence in the armed robbery of a slain Tallahassee police informant is temporary.

Rachel Hoffman, 23, a recent Florida State graduate, was shot to death in May while helping police in an undercover operation. She was to buy drugs and a gun with $13,000 in recorded bills. Two men, Deneilo Bradshaw, 23, and Andrea Green, 25, were charged with armed robbery. First-degree murder charges are pending.

Circuit Judge Kathleen Dekker entered an order last week to seal the evidence, which was about to become available to the public, after a hastily called hearing about which the news media was not given notice.

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2 US PA: PUB LTE: The Dope on the DEAWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:Massachusetts Lines:45 Added:07/20/2008

Regarding Bill Steigerwald's column about the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 35th birthday ("35 years of drug war failure," July 13 and PghTrib.com), the primary hiring criterion for DEA agents is ignorance. The emphasis on "drug-free" backgrounds ensures that those least knowledgeable about the use and effects of illegal drugs are charged with enforcing laws against them.

There is a good reason millions of Americans prefer marijuana to martinis.

Anyone who has experimented with both drugs knows that alcohol is far more dangerous. Alcohol drinkers who overindulge risk painful hangovers, loss of control over bodily functions, even death.

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3 US PA: PUB LTE: The Dope on the DEAWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA) Author:Wooldridge, Howard J. Area:Pennsylvania Lines:35 Added:07/20/2008

When I was a Michigan police detective, I learned that drug dealers fear only one thing -- legalization. They risk death and 20-year mandatory minimum jail terms as the conditions of employment, no problem.

If and when the government wakes up and decides it wants to regulate, control and restrict sales of dangerous drugs, the bad guys know their days of being the managers of the nation's drug supplies are numbered.

Bill Steigerwald's observations about the DEA were spot on. DEA agents know they are mosquitoes on an elephant, but, hey, it's a paycheck.

Howard J. Wooldridge

Frederick, Md.

The writer is an education specialist with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

[end]

4 New Zealand: Politicians Urged to Allow Marijuana for HealthWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)          Area:New Zealand Lines:35 Added:07/20/2008

Politicians are being urged to allow those with chronic health problems to use marijuana as a medicine.

The Health Select Committee has been confronted by supporters of a law change allowing cannabis to be used as a pain relief.

Reform supporter Billy McKee says users are often unemployed and ostracised by family members for using the drug.

Mr McKee says there are also problems for people having to grow it, when burglars break in.

He says he has had his home burgled 10 times, and his dog killed.

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5US AL: Authorities Eradicate 18,751 Pot Plants in AlabamaWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:Birmingham News, The (AL) Author:MacDonald, Ginny Area:Alabama Lines:Excerpt Added:07/20/2008

After a lean 2007, Alabama's marijuana crop on the rebound Wednesday, July 16, 2008 GINNY MacDONALD News staff writer

Alabama drug agents are finding a bumper crop of marijuana this year after a lean 2007.

"We found a good bit early in the season last year," said Agent Doug Howard. "But the drought affected all the farmers - legal and illegal ones."

The Alabama Department of Public Safety's marijuana eradication units annually sweep each of the state's 67 counties looking for the illegal weed. The searches cover woods, swamps, public land and private homes.

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6 US CA: Nearly 70,000 Marijuana Plants Found In National ForestThu, 17 Jul 2008
Source:Bakersfield Californian, The (CA)          Area:California Lines:39 Added:07/20/2008

Federal, state and local law enforcement seized almost 70,000 marijuana plants this week from two areas of Los Padres National Forest in Kern and Ventura counties.

On Monday, an estimated 54,000 marijuana plants were removed from several plots along Santiago Creek off Cerro Noroeste Road in Kern County, Forest Service spokesmen said. About 40 officers from the Forest Service, Kern County Sheriff's Department and other agencies participated in seizing the plants.

The officers found several campsites, extensive irrigation systems, fertilizer, trash, propane tanks and other items in the area, spokesmen said. Large areas of native shrubs and trees had been cut down to make room for the pot.

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7 US MI: PUB LTE: Legalizing Drug Use Is Worth a TryThu, 17 Jul 2008
Source:Battle Creek Enquirer (MI) Author:Hamady, Alfred Area:Michigan Lines:47 Added:07/20/2008

Joseph Hepp's May 28 article on ideas to reduce the use of illegal drugs is certainly commendable but the measures he outlined will do little to abate the problem. Drug use is with us as alcohol use is. When alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s crime and corruption did, indeed, result. Now it is available legally and the gangsterism that was rampant during its prohibition no longer exists. Illegal drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, can and should be made available to those who must have them at little or no cost at centers scattered throughout well-planned districts. That will immediately make the illegal drug trade totally unprofitable and will largely dry up drug production, especially in Colombia, Bolivia and Afghanistan.

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8 US CA: PUB LTE: Drug Abuse Bad; Drug War WorseThu, 17 Jul 2008
Source:Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:California Lines:41 Added:07/20/2008

Regarding your thoughtful July 15 editorial ("Drug war and drug use stats don't connect"), the drug war has done little other than turn the land of the free into the world's biggest jailer. If harsh penalties deterred illegal drug use, the elusive goal of a "drug- free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Ironically, the U.S. has higher rates of illicit drug use than the many European countries that have decriminalized drug use. Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment.

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9 US DC: Column: Ibuprofen Strip-Search - at 13Sat, 19 Jul 2008
Source:Washington Times (DC) Author:Sullum, Jacob Area:District of Columbia Lines:89 Added:07/20/2008

"This is a difficult case," writes Judge Michael Hawkins, dissenting from a recent decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That is not the way most people respond when they hear about Savana Redding, who was strip-searched in 2003, when she was 13, by Arizona public school officials looking for ibuprofen pills in her underwear.

Nor is it how most of Judge Hawkins' colleagues reacted. Eight of the 11 judges who heard the case agreed that Vice Principal Kerry Wilson's decision to order a "grossly intrusive search of a middle school girl to locate pills with the potency of two over-the-counter Advil capsules" violated Savana's Fourth Amendment rights.

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10 US FL: Editorial: Drug Bust At McDonald'sWed, 16 Jul 2008
Source:Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)          Area:Florida Lines:118 Added:07/20/2008

Risks of Police Action Outweighed the Benefits

Want a drug bust with that burger and soda?

No, thank you.

Unfortunately, conducting an undercover drug buy and arresting the suspect at a McDonald's were on the Sarasota Police Department's menu of options for busting a repeat criminal offender.

Worse, the bust went bad when the police rushed to make the arrest, prompting the suspect to re-enter the restaurant -- frightening customers and employees, and placing them at serious risk.

Police Chief Peter Abbott told the Herald-Tribune Editorial Board, in an e-mail yesterday, that he has "conducted an after action critique with the supervisors involved and will utilize our experience in future operations."

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11 US FL: PUB LTE: McDonald's No Place For Drug StingTue, 15 Jul 2008
Source:Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Author:Scotese, John J. Area:Florida Lines:47 Added:07/20/2008

Your article Saturday about how a reverse drug sting at a local McDonald's went out of control was very disturbing. Yes, I am a criminal defense attorney. However, as a citizen and member of our community, I was outraged. What were the Sarasota police thinking when they decided to sell drugs in a crowded McDonald's?

Police Chief Peter Abbott said it was too dangerous for police officers to conduct these types of operations in remote areas. If these types of operations are so dangerous, does Abbott believe it is acceptable to essentially use our citizens as human shields?

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12 US NC: PUB LTE: Methadone's BenefitsSun, 20 Jul 2008
Source:News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) Author:Finch, James Area:North Carolina Lines:34 Added:07/20/2008

Regarding your July 13 article on methadone-related deaths in North Carolina: Public awareness is an important part of how we need to respond to these alarming developments. For some, methadone has been a useful, inexpensive treatment for chronic pain. For others it has been the only effective path away from addiction. Methadone's benefits are well established. We must do a better job of minimizing its potential risks. As stated in the article, most methadone overdoses occurred in those using methadone without prescription. Only a small percentage was related to those being prescribed methadone for addiction treatment, and seldom was the methadone diverted from these settings. This does not minimize the importance of safe prescribing practice. Methadone must be used selectively, with appropriate dosing, education and monitoring. Training and support for those prescribing methadone, including those prescribing it within the addiction treatment setting, are vital.

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13 US AL: Smith: Confused About War on DrugsSun, 20 Jul 2008
Source:Atmore Advance, The (AL) Author:Tindell, Lisa Area:Alabama Lines:78 Added:07/20/2008

Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith is confused about the priorities of those in government when it comes to funding the war on drugs in America.

"The federal government has seen fit to send $680 million to the Mexican government to fight drugs there," Smith said. "They have sent over $580 million to the Iraqi police and have given American police no funds to combat the war on drugs. It's apparent this is not a priority for congress or the president, but it is a priority for us."

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