Regarding the Dec. 19 letter by Erika Kubassek, Discourage Use Of Pot, it's clear that most Canadians believe the decriminalization of marijuana will do our society much more good than harm. Pot has been proven to be healthier than both alcohol and tobacco, so it's quite odd that they remain legal and marijuana doesn't. Tobacco's addictiveness often leads to major health problems. Marijuana, on the other hand, is not physically addictive and no physical withdrawal symptoms occur when its use is discontinued. Death from overdose is impossible with marijuana. It's just a plant; it can't be compared to actual drugs like heroin or cocaine. [continues 96 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- A state appeals court upheld a lower court ruling Thursday that Proposition 215 does not grant a medical marijuana grower immunity from prosecution if the grower does not have a doctor's recommendation or does not qualify as a primary caregiver for the patients who receive the marijuana. Robert Michael Galambos was arrested in 1997 by Calaveras County sheriff's deputies and charged with one count of marijuana cultivation and one of possession of marijuana for sale. Galambos used marijuana as a treatment for ailments resulting from an automobile accident and sought to distribute it to a medical marijuana club. [continues 139 words]
Potentially looser laws on marijuana possession have received lukewarm support locally, but Halton's police chief has expressed concern youths are getting a mixed message about drug use. A Commons committee, chaired by Burlington MP Paddy Torsney, recommended last week that Canadians should be allowed to grow and carry around 30 grams of marijuana for personal use at the risk only of a ticket and fine, not a criminal record. Marijuana would remain an illegal substance and trafficking in any amount would still be a crime. [continues 695 words]
Regarding decriminalization, I have consumed hydroponically grown lettuce, herbs and tomatoes. The flavour or quality has not been concentrated by hydroponics. On the contrary, I find hydroponic products bland. The high THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) levels in pot was bred into it by old-fashioned plant breeding. Just like the zero per cent THC level was bred into hemp. Hemp is not a drug. It contains high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. If I grow one one-per cent THC hemp plant in my garden, I could face criminal charges. One needs a permit to grow hemp and growers, by government decree, have to grow thousands of plants. Thus, I can't grow hemp. But I can buy its products in a grocery store. [continues 132 words]
In spite of the tough talk from the American drug czar John Walters, many states have already decriminalized marijuana, The state Ohio issues a fine for possession of less than 100 g of marijuana. Ohio is still here, the state legislature isn't full of stoners and society hasn't collapsed. 30 grams is just a tad over an ounce (28 g), and about 20-30 "joints" a carton of cigarettes contains about 10-12 oz. and in the U.S. about 200 cigarettes; each much larger than the average joint. From my point of view, a fine for a mere 30 g seems a little harsh, but take it from Ohio, a little doesn't hurt, not even a little bit. Jim White (We can believe it) [end]
Our committee recommended first and foremost that the possession of marijuana remain illegal and that trafficking remain a crime. People who are caught with small amounts of cannabis, would, we felt, think twice if they had to pay a substantial fine, and police officers would rather write a ticket rather than charge someone. Committee members don't want people to use substances like marijuana. There are health risks. Burlington MP Paddy Torsney after tabling the special committee report titled Working Together to Redefine Canada's Drug Strategy [continues 273 words]
Six years ago, the Central Okanagan school district sent home 57 students with suspensions for drug offences. Last year, the figure was 254. "It's going up because, despite our best efforts, drug use is becoming far more blatant and aggressive," said schools superintendent Ron Rubadeau. There appears to be little fear among student drug users of being caught, even though it means an automatic suspension, possibly indefinitely. "If you're toking up on campus, you're not just being cheeky, you're asking for it," said Rubadeau. [continues 488 words]
PRESTONSBURG - Kentucky State Police are investigating the alleged destruction of several thousand prescription narcotics by Martin City police chief Jeff Powell without a court order. KSP public affairs officer Scott Hopkins said Monday police will determine whether Powell committed any wrongdoing or if there was any misconduct by the chief in the handling of the evidence in the drug case. On Friday, Floyd Circuit Judge John David Caudill ordered state police to take control of any drug evidence being held by the city police department or any seized in the future, saying he doubted Powell's "competency." "I have grave, grave, grave concerns about Mr. Powell's department," Judge Caudill said. "To be quite frank, I have grave concerns about Mr. Powell's competency as a police officer and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt." Caudill said that in order to "protect the public," he was directing state police to "immediately" take possession of any narcotics held by the Martin Police Department. The judge seemed skeptical about Powell's statements that he destroyed 2,867 narcotics, which included OxyContin, Lorcet, Xanax and Percocet, which were stolen during a burglary of a Martin pharmacy. "I've thought about this and I'm still upset if, in fact, these drugs were destroyed without a court order," Caudill said. On Dec. 13, Caudill was to have signed a destruction order for pills after Matthew Perkins pleaded guilty this year to robbing the pharmacy. [continues 392 words]
This week the Giants' catcher Benito Santiago was humiliated in the media after a Puerto Rican customs official detected marijuana (2 oz) in a package addressed to him. Last month Damon Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trailblazers were busted for possession as they drove home from Seattle after a game. Hardly a week goes by without a story linking some superb athlete to the supposedly debilitating weed. The professional basketball players 9some of whom have enduring loyalties to brothers back on the streets9 missed an opportunity to defend their drug of choice when the collective bargaining agreement was renegotiated in 1999. Under the old contract, NBA rookies could be tested randomly for cocaine and heroin; veterans could be tested only if there was reasonable suspicion they were using. There was no provision forbidding marijuana use, and at the time, according to Selena Roberts of the New York Times, about two-thirds of the players smoked pot as a post-game analgesic and relaxant. Among those who'd been exposed were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in NBA history (caught with six grams while trying to clear customs at the Toronto airport); Robert Parrish, then the oldest player in the league (and one of the best over the course of his career); Allan Iverson; Marcus Canby; Isaiah Rider' In August '98 Chris Webber was caught with less than half an ounce in his luggage while passing through the airport in San Juan (costing him his deal with Fila). [continues 466 words]
Decriminalize Or Just Say No? Questions About Addiction Loom Large In Debate KITCHENER -- Sean Doiron tried smoking marijuana as a teenager but it made him paranoid and sick. When he was high, he thought people were talking about him so he secluded himself. He threw up and sometimes passed out. Because of these bad experiences, Doiron, who manages a Kitchener hemp shop, no longer uses marijuana. Yet he thinks the drug should be decriminalized. The manager of Shakedown Street on King Street West in downtown Kitchener doesn't see any difference between smoking marijuana and drinking. Just as the prohibition against alcohol was lifted, the ban on marijuana should be too, he believes. [continues 948 words]
CHATTANOOGA - With the number of women in Tennessee prisons and jails almost tripling over the past 12 years, state officials are looking at East Tennessee as the site for a third women's correctional facility. The state runs prisons for women in Nashville and Memphis. Both were operating below their designated capacity in December, according to Correction Department records, but officials are aware of the increasing numbers of women being incarcerated. In July 1990, 609 women were housed in Tennessee prisons or jails on felony charges. [continues 277 words]
