Twenty people have died of probable heroin overdoses in Milwaukee County since July 27. The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office says this is a photo of a typical drug-overdose death scene.(Photo: Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office, Milwaukee County Medical Examiner 's Office) Twenty people have died of probable heroin overdoses in Milwaukee County during the past two weeks, a toll the county medical examiner's office on Thursday called "unprecedented." The county typically averages one heroin death every three days, the office said. The medical examiner is investigating the possibility that other drugs, such as fentanyl, played a role in the deaths. [continues 390 words]
Among the dozens of tragic stories of heroin abuse this year, one from Oconomowoc may stand out. A 15-year-old girl whose mother believes had never tried the drug before died after trying what her ex-boyfriend told her was cocaine. That was in July. Now a spray of pine boughs and red ribbons marks the holidays at Erika Reiner's gravestone, etched with a panda bear and a musical staff, as her parents struggle through her loss. The boy, 17-year-old Seth Moretti, is in treatment at a state mental hospital and facing charges of first-degree reckless homicide. If and when doctors say he's stable enough to be released, he will move to the Waukesha County Jail unless he posts $50,000 bail. If he's still hospitalized, Moretti will appear by video at a Jan. 26 hearing. [continues 210 words]
A police officer holds a bag of heroin confiscated as evidence on March 22 in Gloucester, Mass.(Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK) Wisconsin's battle against heroin yielded more grim results in 2015. The death toll rose for the ninth straight year, and the total of 281 deaths was triple the number killed by heroin in 2010. Meanwhile, the number of total opioid deaths -- which includes heroin and prescription opiates -- topped the number of Wisconsin traffic deaths for the third straight year. [continues 1410 words]
Flood of fentanyl and heroin is straining budgets, putting police at risk as drug networks spread During an attempted drug-trafficking bust this spring on Chicago's South Side, police Sgt. James Madden took off running after a young man, chasing him into a darkened yard before losing the trail. Sgt. Madden didn't know where he was going. That's because he works for a sheriff's office 500 miles away, in the northwestern corner of Wisconsin. The officer's work doesn't normally take him so far from his home of Superior, Wis., (population 27,000), but today's drug trade is imposing unprecedented new burdens on small-town law enforcement. He made the eight-hour drive to pursue a Chicagoan who allegedly traveled to Superior to sell large quantities of a dangerous drug called fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times as potent as heroin. is supercharging the longstanding problem of drugs in small towns. Police, forensic labs and prosecutors are struggling to identify and safely intercept new narcotics that can sicken or kill anyone who handles them, and to combat trafficking networks that sometimes extend many hours away. Death rates from overdoses are now higher in rural areas than in big cities, reversing a historical trend. [continues 1970 words]
Much has changed in the cannabis world since Russ Feingold lost to Ron Johnson in 2010. Then, about 15 states had legalized medical cannabis, a number now at 25. Today, four states and Washington, D.C., have legalized adult use. This November, at least three more will vote on medical, and five more will vote on adult use. Feingold's record has been thin. While cannabis activists extensively advocated for his support, he never sponsored any bills. The federal CARERS Act would make it easier for researchers to study marijuana. It is sponsored by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, and Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and has 19 cosponsors including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison. [continues 88 words]
The last sentence of Ann C. Pendleton's letter of July 11 posed a question: "If marijuana can be legalized for recreational use, then why are not other drugs being legalized for recreational use?" ("Marijuana is dangerous," Letters). My immediate reaction: Are you kidding me? Just walk into any liquor store and you have a much more dangerous drug of all sorts to choose from. Pick your poison. Liquor and its use causes more deaths and accidents than marijuana. There is just no argument. [continues 146 words]
A majority of Wisconsinites want marijuana to be legal and regulated like alcohol, a new poll shows. Results were released Wednesday for the Marquette Law School Poll, a leading measure of public opinion in the Badger State. The poll asked registered voters: "When it comes to marijuana, some people think that the drug should be fully legalized and regulated like alcohol. Do you agree or disagree with that view?" Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they agreed, while 39 percent disagreed. [continues 166 words]
Because Colorado has materially experienced some advantages by legalizing the sale of marijuana for recreational use, one needs to evaluate what the real disadvantages are. To say "marijuana does not kill anyone" is unrealistic when the use of marijuana many times leads to the use of heroin or other drugs that end in death, like my 20-year-old nephew, or may be a danger to others. Marijuana is a drug. Use it only for medicinal purposes. If marijuana can be legalized for recreational use, then why are not other drugs being legalized for recreational use? Ann C. Pendleton Wauwatosa [end]
A marijuana advocacy group has revived an effort to drastically reduce penalties for being caught with the drug in Monona. Members of the Madison chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) are circulating a petition that supports reducing municipal fines for pot possession to $1 in hopes of placing a binding referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. Since mid-May, the group has gathered signatures to try to force action under the state's direct legislation law after a similar ordinance change was narrowly defeated by the city's Public Safety Commission earlier this year. [continues 492 words]
One answer to Wisconsin money woes is to simply legalize marijuana, using Colorado as a model - legal, but controlled, taxed and sold for medical and recreational use. I am a native of Colorado and am marveling over the improvements Colorado is getting from the "pot" tax. Even in my hometown Fort Morgan, schools are getting computers and a new school is coming. The state is booming. Marijuana does not kill anyone and has helped many people cope with several medical issues. Moreover, new medical uses are being tested every day, such as for cancer, Alzheimer's and childhood seizures. As a cancer survivor, I want the benefits of cannabis and other options coming. The savings from policing funds can be used for research instead and help out with our infrastructure needs. [continues 86 words]
Surprise and disappointment have turned to a unique history-making opportunity for a group of people wanting a $1 fine for possession of marijuana in Monona. Members of Madison NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), led by President Nate Petreman of Monona, are collecting signatures to force the issue to a binding direct legislation referendum on the November ballot. In addition to the $1 fine, the legislation would make possession of marijuana the lowest priority for Monona police. [continues 376 words]
Another Marquette Law School poll is out. But once again, no questions about cannabis legalization were asked. One has to go all the way back to September 2014 for that. Each time a poll is released, it gets massive media attention. The issues raised by the poll trigger public discussion and shape the state debate. By failing to include public opinions on cannabis, Marquette is stifling debate. Is that for political reasons? Wisconsinites are not oblivious to developments in other states. Twenty-six states now have some sort of medical cannabis law, including Louisiana, where a formerly symbolic law passed in 1978 was recently amended to create a workable state medical cannabis program. Wisconsin passed a similar law in 1982. In Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington State and Washington D.C., voters have legalized the adult use of cannabis, and more states will be voting on medical and adult use this November. Here in Wisconsin the topic apparently has been declared taboo. This represents a grave disservice to state voters. Professor Charles Franklin and the Marquette Law School poll must do better if they care about their mission. - -- Gary Storck, Madison [end]
They Find Trace of Marijuana Ingredient Janet Fazen and her family run a vape shop in West Allis, but a recent visit by police has left them feeling like dope dealers. Officers seized their entire inventory of CBD liquid, which is said to come from industrial hemp plants. "The original vape additive. Add to your favorite liquid or vape alone," the package says. Customers who buy it have told Fazen that it gives some relief from pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety and other maladies. There is a trace of THC, the ingredient that gives weed its buzz, but not enough to make anyone high, she said. Minors are not allowed in the store without a parent. [continues 692 words]
This is in response to Ernst-Ulrich Franzen's column of June 6 ("How will we pay for roads?" Opinions). He asks: "How will we pay for our roads?" and "What's the answer for those crumbling roads and potholes and deteriorating bridges all around us?" He might want to check with the state of Colorado, as it is swimming in money these days. I'll bet it has no problem whatsoever paying for road repairs, or any other issues that need fixing. Wisconsin should wake up from its fuddy-duddy slumber and start looking forward to the future. The answer is plain as day: legalize recreational marijuana. Problem solved! Audrey Yanke Waukesha [end]
Probe Underway After Overdose Death at Oshkosh State corrections officials think multiple inmates will be charged in connection with alleged drug distribution within an Oshkosh prison and the recent death of one inmate of an apparent drug overdose, records show. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported on the May 5 death of the 33-year-old inmate within a segregated unit at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. With investigations ongoing, officials at the prison said they are withholding any reports on the death or any potential probes into alleged drug distribution within the prison. [continues 539 words]
I was recently scrolling the opinion pages of the Tomah Journal online, and buried behind all of the really interesting stuff, I came across another letter to the editor from Natalie Carlisle, the Drug Free Communities coordinator and member of the Monroe County Safe Community Coalition's Marijuana Workgroup. I have no desire to take things personally on matters of public policy. However, before the city of Tomah elected me to serve as District 4 Tomah City Alderman, Ms. Carlisle and her coalition mentioned my previous column calling for reform of Tomah's municipal code in regard to the penalties for possession of marijuana within the city limits. Therefore, in the interest of perpetuating a necessary conversation and equality of information, I do feel it necessary to highlight some of the worn out, tired propaganda and misinformation that is used to try to justify the continued violation of human rights in the form of arrests for a substance that is widely understood to be less dangerous than alcohol. [continues 801 words]
Deaths from drug overdose now outnumber gun deaths in the United States. We should look at what got us into this situation. In the 1990s, armed with the knowledge that nearly one-third of Americans will experience chronic pain at some point in their lives, and that 20% suffer from pain on a daily basis, Congress felt compelled to act. It could not bear the fact that "pain" was costing the country more than $125 billion a year. It went to work and expeditiously named the 2000s as the "Decade of Pain Control and Research." [continues 776 words]
In modern medicine, it is only common sense that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is well understood by patients and doctors alike that it is much more effective and cheaper to prevent a disease, or catch it in its early stages, than to treat it once it has become a serious health risk. Although there is now an overwhelming expert consensus that drug and alcohol addiction are medical conditions, just like breast cancer or diabetes, our approach to prevention has not caught up to the medical science. [continues 537 words]
Campaigning for president in the liberal oasis of Madison, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont rose to the defense of marijuana. Critical of the nation's war on drugs, Sanders said the lives of millions of Americans have been "ruined" because they got a police record for possessing marijuana. "Today, under the federal Controlled Substance Act, marijuana is listed in the same Schedule I as heroin. That is nuts," Sanders declared March 26, 10 days before he defeated Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin's Democratic primary. [continues 694 words]
Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm has announced he is running for re-election ("Milwaukee County DA Chisholm announces re-election bid," April 19). To kick off his campaign, he hosted a campaign fund-raising event on April 20, or 4/20, a day heralded by the movement for reform of our country's marijuana laws. Perhaps Chisholm can celebrate both his campaign kickoff and 4/20 by announcing that his office will no longer criminally prosecute marijuana possession cases or distribution cases involving small amounts of marijuana. [continues 249 words]
News reports on the rapidly rising use of Narcan by Wisconsin first responders to revive people suffering opiate overdoses show the state's opiate crisis is continuing to escalate. This comes despite passage of many laws over the last two sessions intended to address this situation. Wisconsin could address both the issue of opiate abuse and the huge need for safer pain medications by passing state medical cannabis legislation. In Maine, where medical cannabis was legalized by voters in 1999, work has begun on adding "addiction to opiates and drugs derived from chemical synthesis" to the list of qualifying conditions that may be treated with medical cannabis. [continues 90 words]
Dane County Pushing Municipalities to Lower Fines for Pot Possession Dane County Executive Joe Parisi has seen how possession of a small amount of marijuana can affect families in vastly different ways. "A young person would get charged with possession of marijuana, and their family would be facing a fine of over $1,000; that obviously comes down disproportionately on people living in poverty, and that can really set them back," Parisi says. "Fines wouldn't get paid, which would make it difficult or impossible for young people to get a job." [continues 1048 words]
A sentencing hearing for a Portage woman charged with reckless homicide overflowed with emotional testimony, culminating in a decision in which the judge lamented the court being ill-equipped to deal with such cases in the absence of a drug treatment court. [name1 redacted], 27, of Portage, was accused of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime in connection with the August death of [name2 redacted], 27, of Lodi. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office responded Aug. 18 to a Lodi-area home for a death investigation. [continues 885 words]
Assembly Speaker Says He'll Again Push Bill to Treat Seizures Madison - Frustrated with last week's failure of a bill to help children with chronic seizures, the head of the state Assembly said he's going to push the proposal as soon as possible next session. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has described himself as a former skeptic who's become a convert to the possibilities of socalled CBD oil, a strictly controlled drug sometimes used to treat severely epileptic children with few other medical options. [continues 723 words]
Scott Fitzgerald had indicated he was in favor of a bill to help kids prone to seizures get the medicine they need. So was a majority of the state Senate. But the apparent support of the Senate majority leader and his colleagues wasn't enough when three top Republicans - Senate President Mary Lazich of New Berlin and Senators Duey Stroebel of Cedarburg and Leah Vukmir of Wauwatosa - blocked it. So Fitzgerald derailed a floor vote on the legislation earlier this week by scheduling a hearing on the bill and then canceling it. Bills can't be brought to the floor if a hearing is pending. Fitzgerald used the end around to protect his colleagues. Democrats countered by attempting to take a two-thirds vote to override the rule, but Fitzgerald quickly adjourned the Senate before a vote could be held. [continues 253 words]
Online Voter Registration, Other Measures Approved Madison- In a final marathon of voting, the Senate adjourned Tuesday by sending Gov. Scott Walker a bill to allow people to register to vote online and by blocking a proposal to make it easier for parents to get a drug to treat child seizures. Senators also approved a bill that would prevent up to $5 million in property tax increases by public schools outside Milwaukee that lose students to voucher schools. Also Tuesday, the Senate passed a different version of a bill on high-capacity wells than one the Assembly approved last month. That appeared to kill the measure since the Assembly has already ended its work for the year. [continues 1039 words]
To the editor, Gary Storck (Monona voters want marijuana to be legal, Mar. 3, 2016) exposes another achievement of government-subsidized prohibitionist discrimination in a country where the prevalence of discrimination is undeniable. And make no mistake; bigots orchestrated cannabis (marijuana) prohibition from the beginning as an act of racism, greed and control. A sane or moral argument to force the black market to continue regulating the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant cannabis doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Thursday's letter "Listen to the people about marijuana" reminds me how difficult it was for Colorado citizens to cleanse ourselves of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition. If it weren't for the initiative process, the sky would still be falling in. Cannabis prohibitionists used every historically discredited lie, half-truth and propaganda they could muster, and then we voted. Like Colorado, the majority of Wisconsin citizens also support ending cannabis prohibition. But without the initiative process available to voters, government subsidized cannabis prohibitionists will continue ignoring citizens. A sane or moral reason does not exist to continue punishing and caging responsible adults who use the relatively safe, extremely popular, God-given plant as described on literally the very first page of the Bible. - -- Stan White, Dillon, Colorado [end]
The Monona Public Safety Commission forgot two important things in its flawed vote to not reduce pot fines. In 2010 and 2014, the Dane County Board placed cannabis-related advisory referendums on county ballots. In 2010, county voters supported legalizing medical cannabis with 76 percent of the vote. And in Monona, voters gave it an even larger edge with 78 percent in favor. In April 2014, Dane County voted in favor of legalizing adult use of cannabis with 65 percent support. Monona again exceeded the county with 67 percent in favor. [continues 85 words]
But Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Others Weigh Getting in Business Nothing kills a buzz like the sight of federal agents seizing tens of thousands of marijuana plants from a tribe's reservation. One year ago, a wave of euphoria swept Indian country when the U.S. Department of Justice released a memo that many read as the feds giving the nation's more than 560 tribes an unrestricted green light to grow and sell marijuana on their reservations - even in states such as Wisconsin where weed remains illegal. [continues 1338 words]
China has nearly 1.4 billion people - four times as many as the United States' 321 million. So, does the U.S. really incarcerate more people than China (and Russia, too)? That is the claim from Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald, who is challenging recently appointed state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley in the spring 2016 election. State appeals court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg, who was a candidate for the high court in 2011, and Madison attorney Claude Covelli also are running. [continues 620 words]
The Ho-Chunk Nation may look to legalize marijuana on its tribal lands. The tribe's electorate voted in favor of the move at a Saturday General Council meeting by a 2-1 margin. Votes at the annual meeting of tribal members are not binding, and the tribe now is studying the legal implications of the possible policy change. "The vote overturns previous policy refusing to legalize marijuana. During the session, tribal members spoke of the health benefits and that drug addiction already a problem in the communities," said Collin Price, the tribe's public relations officer. [continues 208 words]
Considering the article in Wednesday's paper "State rep plans anti-heroin bills," if Rep. John Nygren really wants to curtail opiate abuse in Wisconsin, he should consider sponsoring legislation legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Research recently published by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research found that states that allow patients to access medical marijuana through dispensaries have reduced rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths. In addition, a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that enactment of statewide medicinal cannabis laws is associated with a 24.8 percent lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rate. [continues 72 words]
Members Must Now Design Operation on Reservation That Avoids Raids, Arrests Now that Menominee tribal members have told their legislators to legalize marijuana, the difficult task begins of designing a profitable weed operation that does not result in the tribe or its customers getting busted. "Tribes are treading on very dangerous grounds" when it comes to growing and selling marijuana, warned Dorothy Alther, director of California Indian Legal Services. "If I was representing tribes out there (in Wisconsin) I would say it might not be such a good idea." [continues 616 words]
Seeking Revenue, Tribe Weighs Legalizing Use Still burning from the January rejection of its long-sought Kenosha casino, leaders of the Menominee tribe will find out this week whether tribal members want to tap a new vice to help it find economic bliss - growing and selling marijuana. The approximately 9,000 members will vote Wednesday and Thursday in a two-question advisory referendum asking whether the Menominee should legalize marijuana on their reservation for medical and/or recreational use. If either question is approved, tribal legislators would begin the process of writing ordinances to legalize marijuana on the reservation, located near Shawano, said Gary Besaw, tribal chairman. [continues 409 words]
On Thursday, Gallup released a poll showing that 44 percent of Americans have said they've tried marijuana, the largest number the survey has ever recorded. This isn't too far off from what other polls have found (this Pew Research Center poll pegged the number at 49 percent), and given that people are being asked to admit to behavior that is illegal in most places, the true number is almost certainly higher. So we're past the point where most American adults have tried pot, which helps explain why support for legalization has also become a majority position. [continues 851 words]
Before he tried marijuana, he thought of trying suicide. Heavy drinking hadn't helped. Nor had various pills prescribed by Veterans Affairs doctors. He was still angry, still depressed, still could not sleep. But he found that marijuana helped. It took the anger and depression away. It took the sleeplessness away. Most of all, it took the 11-year-old boy away. PFC Jared Hunter never knew the boy's name. He was just some Iraqi kid who liked to hang around the Army base outside Baghdad. "He didn't really speak English or nothing. He would just kind of follow us around and would point things out or tell us if there was somebody there who shouldn't have been." The soldiers adopted him as a mascot. Hunter bought him a soccer ball. [continues 560 words]
Public, religious groups, law enforcement coalition support ending marijuana prohibition. H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as, "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." We may think that is something from the distant past but then we are reminded of it from time to time, even in 21st century Wisconsin. Legislation which would end the prohibition of the use of cannabis (a.k.a. marijuana) has been introduced in the Wisconsin Assembly. What has taken them so long to reform prohibition is a mystery. So far, 23 states and the District of Columbia permit the use of this herb with a doctor's prescription for medical use. A few states are treating cannabis more like alcohol. [continues 363 words]
A 62-year-old Milwaukee man caught smoking marijuana in his federally subsidized apartment is not entitled to a second chance at keeping his home, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held Thursday. In a 6-1 decision, the court agreed that a federal law preempts Wisconsin's five-day notice rule in evictions over criminal drug activity, and reversed a Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the tenant, Felton Cobb. Cobb argued that he was entitled to promise not to smoke in the apartment again. [continues 312 words]
Cannabidiol Rule, Federal Memo Raise Questions In 1991, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the creation of the Wisconsin lottery meant Indian tribes here could open gaming halls on their reservations - a ruling that paved the way for the explosive growth of tribal casinos in the state. Today, some tribal leaders are betting that legal lightning could strike again. This time they're hoping that lawmakers may have unintentionally opened the door for tribes to grow and sell marijuana last year when Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill legalizing a derivative of marijuana for limited medical use. [continues 1193 words]
Menominee Legislator Says Research Must Be Done First Now that the Menominee tribe's dream of opening a Kenosha casino has gone up in smoke, the tribe is looking for a new way to raise cash - growing marijuana. Craig Corn, a tribal legislator, opened the door Friday to growing marijuana on the reservation near Shawano. In a tweet Corn sent out Friday, the former tribal chairman said: "Now we embark on a new economic endeavor, it is time to progress forward. We are gonna fast track a effort to legalize Marijuana." [continues 819 words]
Panel Delays Action on Ordinance A proposed ordinance that would all but eliminate fines for possessing a small amount of marijuana in Milwaukee sparked a debate Thursday about racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Study after study has shown that marijuana use among all ethnic groups is the same, Molly Collins, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, told members of the Common Council's Safety Committee. "In Milwaukee County," she testified, "African-American people are 4.9 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession and in the city of Milwaukee, it's about 5.48 times more likely." [continues 358 words]
The illegal drug market causes damage in many developing nations, but there are two countries with major drug booms: Afghanistan and Myanmar. Both countries have a long history of being ravaged by endless conflicts. Amid great confusion, the opium market has bloomed. In Afghanistan, many farmers carry massive debts from the drug traffickers after receiving their help during the start-up period. Unfortunately, most end up never being able to pay the money back as government raids often destroy the crops that were promised to the drug dealers as payment. If such unplanned obstacles appear, many farmers are trapped between two extreme solutions. They either give up their family to the drug dealers for collateral, or they have to flee their land. Both options are very dangerous, and many find themselves taken as hostages or killed. The government intervention of directly destroying the opium fields has turned out to be highly ineffective-farmers encounter desperate troubles that can only be solved through extreme means. The illegal drugs also help give power to militant groups such as the Taliban. They control the opium market and continue to strengthen from its profit. While the fields are getting destroyed, there are new fields created to make up the loss and the efforts of the government only victimize the poor. Therefore, the Afghan government is being ineffective in solving the problem. [continues 701 words]
It should apply to everyone who receives taxpayer funding. The governor has proposed that people receiving state-funded benefits, such as FoodShare and W-2, be tested for illegal drug use. But why limit this service to just these people? How about the corporate CEOs and boards that benefited from those financial "incentives" doled out by the Wisconsin Economic Development Council? These were taxpayer-funded, too. If the governor doesn't want to chance "wasting" state money by supporting drug use by the poor, let's have him be fair and start scheduling urinalyses for the economic spectrum's upper end, also. Jeff Zdrale, Neenah [end]
We are a deeply punitive society. One misstep, one act of poor judgment, one stroke of bad luck or fate, and you could be marked for life, a pariah, someone with whom the rest of us "good people" want nothing to do. Drug users are a prime example of this sad philosophy. The most recent manifestation of our collective attitude of non-forgiveness comes courtesy of Gov. Scott Walker's expected budget proposal to require drug tests for all FoodShare and BadgerCare applicants, as well as certain recipients of unemployment benefits. [continues 676 words]
La Crosse County leaders fighting the local heroin epidemic credit a life-saving drug with eliminating fatal overdoses. No heroin users died in 2014, thanks in large part to the availability and skyrocketing use of Narcan, the antidote for an opiate overdose. Two people died in 2013 and five in 2012 of accidental heroin overdoses, La Crosse County Medical Examiner Tim Candahl said. Nationally, heroin deaths surged 39 percent in 2013 in 8,260, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [continues 304 words]
If any journalist needs to stick to the facts, the "dean of the state Capitol correspondents," Matt Pommer, has a special need to be accurate. But accuracy was sorely lacking in his recent opinion piece, "Community policing under fire in Madison." Pommer notes that the Dane County Board rejected a federal grant, the "Cannabis Enforcement And Suppression Effort" (CEASE), but goes on to wrongly state "the grant provides money to fight heroin, other drugs and gun traffic." Not true. The $5000 federal grant was solely for cannabis eradication. [continues 149 words]
BLACK RIVER FALLS - Authorities and community members are becoming increasingly concerned about the prevalence of heroin use and dealing in Jackson County. Use of the highly addictive opiate is rising, based on drug investigations, arrests and other information provided to law enforcement, and its impact in local communities continues to expand, local authorities say. "Overall, I believe that heroin is having an effect in Jackson County because it is not just about recreational drug use. It is about a drug that many times takes lives because people buying and using the heroin don't know exactly what they are putting into their body," Jackson County Sheriff's Department Capt. Tim Nichols said. [continues 1023 words]
When we learn of the accidental murder of a baby by shooters intending to hit a rival drug dealer two doors away, it's time to think about what might be done to stop such madness. Because one-issue gun advocates are willing to spend unlimited money to sway an election, we cannot regulate possession of firearms or ammunition. It may be time to carefully consider whether we can tamp down the greed that propels this violence. That means examining whether legalizing drugs would result in fewer deaths. [continues 58 words]
To the Editor: Your recent editorial, "Our View: Not everyone is on board with marijuana enforcement," raises some very valid points. When President Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs in 1970, marijuana prohibition was a new thing. But 45 years later it has become an industry. We have become so conditioned to the negative indoctrination of almost five decades of anti-pot propaganda that we often blindly accept it. In 1997 President Bill Clinton, responding to the legalization of medical cannabis in California, commissioned the Institute of Medicine Report on medical cannabis. This federal report was released in March 1999, and although heavily politicized, still acknowledged that cannabis had great medical value. It also debunked the so-called "gateway theory." [continues 406 words]
Inside Wisconsin
