Parker Adds Another $1.25 Million to the Proposition 64 Effort. Former Facebook President Sean Parker has put another $1.25 million into the campaign for Proposition 64, the initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California, bringing his total contributions to $2.5 million, according to records released Thursday. The latest donation by the billionaire tech titan was reported to the secretary of state by the initiative's campaign committee, Californians to Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana While Protecting Children. [continues 380 words]
Marijuana Shops Become the Targets of Violent Heists. The recent killing of a marijuana store security guard in Colorado and the wounding of a guard in San Bernardino are the latest examples of the crime lure posed by cash-only pot dispensaries, industry observers say. But while those robbery attempts and a pot store shootout in Walnut Park in Los Angeles County were unfolding last month, Democratic-sponsored legislation that could have led to more dispensaries offering plastic and electronic payments in lieu of cash was blocked by House Republicans. [continues 657 words]
Ahead of a Statewide Vote, Supervisors Extend a Ban on Cultivation and Distribution Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to extend by one year a temporary ban on medical marijuana cultivation and distribution in unincorporated areas. The vote came ahead of a statewide vote to legalize recreational marijuana and over the objections of medical marijuana patients and growers. The county put in place an initial 45-day ban earlier this year and then extended it by another month. County planning officials said the moratorium was needed so they can study how to regulate the marijuana industry. [continues 327 words]
An initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California officially took its place on the Nov. 8 ballot Tuesday as its campaign took a commanding lead in fundraising to battle the measure's opponents. The secretary of state's office certified that a random sample showed sufficient signatures among the 600,000 turned in to qualify the measure. The initiative is backed by a coalition that includes former Facebook President Sean Parker and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Today marks a fresh start for California as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays for itself," said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for California's Adult Use of Marijuana Act. [continues 664 words]
When Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012, opponents of the new law warned that more teenagers would start using the drug. But teen use of marijuana has held steady, according to a new survey of nearly 17,000 high school and middle school students by the state Department of Public Health and Environment. The study, released this week, also found that "Colorado does not significantly differ from the national average in lifetime or current marijuana use." Colorado, which has some of the most liberal marijuana laws in the country, is something of a test case for legalization, as 25 states now allow medical or recreational use of the drug to varying degrees. Legalization advocates have seized on the findings to bolster their position. [continues 454 words]
When David Dinenberg decided to get into the marijuana industry, his business plan was based on fear. In 2014, he founded Kind Financial with the aim of making loans and providing other services to marijuana growers and sellers - customers banks were scared to work with. Just two years later, though, the company's main business is about helping navigate bureaucracy, specifically the red tape that comes with legalization. Its marquee product is software that helps government agencies track pot production and sales. [continues 978 words]
Newsom Tells Cannabis Industry to Help Pass November Ballot Initiative. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom warned a conference of cannabis industry representatives Tuesday that they need to get involved in passing a marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot or the cause will be set back nationally. Newsom also chided fellow Democratic elected officials for not doing more to change the law even though, he said, the war on drugs has been an "abject failure." "I kind of got frustrated by some of our colleagues because they weren't leading," Newsom told about 2,000 industry activists and entrepreneurs at a conference in Oakland sponsored by the National Cannabis Industry Assn. [continues 381 words]
The marijuana expert was in. Dale Gieringer, 70, a coauthor of California's 20-year-old medical marijuana law, was taking questions at a metal desk plopped down in the middle of an unusual new museum exhibit, "Altered State: Marijuana in California." A neatly dressed 77-year-old woman from Walnut Creek took a seat next to him. She seemed hesitant, but determined. Her husband hovered behind her. "I've never smoked anything," the woman told Gieringer, one of several pot experts invited to answer questions on the occasional Friday evening. "And I've been using Blackberry Kush for sleeping. Will it hurt my lungs? That's what I'm worried about." [continues 906 words]
It wasn't until the state police and the DEA were sitting in my primary care office that I finally stopped denying that I was hopelessly addicted to prescription opiates. The DEA agent said, "Doc, cut the crap, we know you've been writing bad scrips." The windows in my office didn't open, otherwise I might have jumped out and fled. As it was, I was charged with three felony counts of fraudulent prescribing. Physicians are invested with awesome responsibility and trust. [continues 795 words]
The Move to Legalize Marijuana Represents a Huge Market for U.S. Investors. OTTAWA - Colorado and Washington may have jumped ahead in the race to become North America's marijuana kings, but Canada is now positioned to take a lead in the booming multibillion-dollar industry. Canadian leaders could legalize recreational marijuana use as soon as next year, potentially opening the door for pot to be sold at pharmacies and province-run liquor stores. Medical cannabis has been legal in the country since 2001. [continues 632 words]
Bill Targets the Taking of People's Property Without a Conviction. SACRAMENTO - Almost a year after California lawmakers rejected legislation that would restrict police departments' ability to take cars, cash, homes and other property from suspected criminals without a conviction, the bill's author is trying again as similar efforts succeed across the country. The practice, known as civil asset forfeiture, gained currency during the height the drug war in the 1980s as a way for law enforcement to financially cripple drug lords and fund anti-narcotics operations. But advocates for reforming the laws say too often police officers ensnare innocent residents who are poor and have few resources to ensure their property is returned. [continues 871 words]
Re "Questioning legalization," Opinion, June 5 Kerry Madden's ne'erdo-well brother-in-law isn't an argument to keep marijuana illegal any more than my alcoholic uncle is an argument to outlaw the wine Madden says she enjoys. "Marty" letting snakes loose in a hotel and stumbling at a baptism show that weed was the least of his problems, which Madden admits included alcohol abuse (drunks stumble, potheads do not). Details about Marty (he doesn't vote, doesn't go to plays, he moves at night) are cherrypicked to aid our condescension and have nothing to do with the issue. [continues 88 words]
Re "Questioning legalization," Opinion, June 5 I am sorry to Madden that her brother-in-law was apparently an alcoholic. Marijuana had nothing to do with his anger and destruction. In my 50 years or so of experience with pot, the substance has never made anyone I know angry or want to fight or kill, as alcohol has. The alcoholics I've known have always improved their personalities by using marijuana and become easier to deal with. Don't blame pot for a drunk's lousy behavior. Cheryl Clark-O'Brien Long Beach [end]
The president-elect of the Philippines has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods. In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded. "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support," Duterte said. - - times wire reports [end]
he Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods. In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded. "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support," Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the country's police. [continues 470 words]
"I've spilt more than you've smoked," my brother-in-law, let's call him Marty, bragged to my husband in the throes of his addiction. A measure to legalize recreational marijuana is heading toward the California ballot in November. Marty would have been thrilled - but then, he didn't bother much with voting. My vote, too, would have been a no-brainer some years ago. Legalize it, tax it, make it safer, I would have said then, back when I felt more certain about everything, when I viewed addiction as a lack of self-discipline and personal weakness. I never dreamed it could take down an entire family. [continues 1080 words]
"I've spilt more than you've smoked," my brother-in-law, let's call him Marty, bragged to my husband in the throes of his addiction. A measure to legalize recreational marijuana is heading toward the California ballot in November. Marty would have been thrilled - but then, he didn't bother much with voting. My vote, too, would have been a no-brainer some years ago. Legalize it, tax it, make it safer, I would have said then, back when I felt more certain about everything, when I viewed addiction as a lack of self-discipline and personal weakness. I never dreamed it could take down an entire family. [continues 1027 words]
Richard Kirk Is Charged With Murder, but a Lawsuit Contends That Edible Marijuana Made Him Do It. DENVER - Kristine Kirk's last moments were a harrowing collision of terror and confusion. Her husband, Richard, had burst through the door ranting about the end of the world. He began climbing in and out of a first-floor window, lying on the bedroom floor and asking for someone to kill him. Then he retrieved a pistol from his safe. "He's taking the gun out, sir," Kristine, 44, told a Denver 911 dispatcher. "I don't know where to go.... Richard, please stop ... please stop ... please stop." [continues 897 words]
Businessman Seeks to Open Dispensaries, Share Revenue With Schools From a veranda overlooking Avalon harbor, real estate broker Mark Malan gazed at oceanfront cottages, a curved promenade and passing sailboats with brightly colored pennants. To tourists, it was a place to bask in sun and surf just an hour from the California coast. But that's not what the Long Beach businessman saw. Malan aims to turn his real estate office here into the first medical marijuana dispensary on Santa Catalina Island, and he's trying to make the idea attractive by promising to share a small portion of the revenue with local schools and city government. [continues 619 words]
Touring California, the Presidential Hopeful Endorses the State's Legalization Initiative For Californians resolved to one day enter a dispensary and purchase pre-rolled joints or marijuana-infused cookies - all for recreational use - a highprofile ally who lives 3,000 miles away has emerged. As Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders darts across the state ahead of the June 7 Democratic presidential primary, he's seamlessly woven into his pitch to voters an unyielding message of support for an effort that would legalize recreational pot in California. [continues 928 words]
North Coast Cannabis Cultivators Fear the Moneyed Establishment Shouldering into Their Scruffy Livelihood REDCREST, Calif. - For the Humboldt farmers, Sonoma County's subterranean tasting rooms and Tuscan affectations offered a glimpse into a rarefied realm of legal intoxicants. The marijuana growers had driven south from redwood country to the oak and grass hills to take part in an event called "The Women of Wine & Cannabis," a chance to visit boutique wineries and learn about appellations and branding in the $200-billion retail alcohol market. [continues 1716 words]
Supervisors ADD One Month to Temporary Prohibition, Hold Off Voting on Longer Plan. Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to extend a temporary ban on growing medical marijuana in unincorporated areas by one month, but shelved a proposed 10-month ban. Al Seib Los Angeles Times SUPERVISOR SHEILA Kuehl noted that there is a strong possibility that Californians will vote in November to legalize recreational marijuana use. In asking to postpone a vote on the longer ban, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl noted that there is a strong possibility that Californians will vote in November to legalize recreational marijuana use. [continues 311 words]
Advocates Say State License Requirement Could Hurt Hundreds of Growers and Sellers With Felony Records SACRAMENTO - In 2001, Steve DeAngelo agreed to help a friend by attending the delivery of nearly 200 pounds of marijuana in a Maryland trailer park and verifying the quality of the product. In exchange, DeAngelo said, he was to get 10 pounds of the cannabis, which he planned to distribute to medical marijuana patients in that state, where he lived at the time. Photographs by Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times STEVE DeANGELO of Harborside Health Center, a dispensary in Oakland, was convicted of a felony drug offense in 2001. He will need a state license by 2018, and he plans to appeal if the state rejects his application. [continues 1396 words]
Re "Marijuana is going mainstream," column, May 16 Once the use of marijuana becomes mainstream in California, what people do in their own homes or at private gatherings elsewhere will be their own business. However, in one small paragraph, Robin Abcarian summed up the concern many of us have: the use of marijuana and the driving of vehicles on our roads. In that regard, this is every Californian's business. In 1971, my babies and I were hit from the rear by a marijuana-smoking teenager, causing my big 1970 Pontiac GTO to spin out into oncoming traffic, where we were hit head-on by a large Cadillac. The size of my vehicle saved us, but because there were no shoulder harnesses or true "child-safe" seats, we received terrible injuries. So, with marijuana legalization my mantra will be this: "Using pot? Please walk." Wendy Robinson Saugus [end]
John Hickenlooper, Once a Leading Critic, Now Says the Industry Looks 'Like It Might Work.' Here's Why. DENVER - When Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana four years ago, one of the move's chief critics was Gov. John Hickenlooper. The moderate Democrat said that if he could "wave a magic wand" to reverse the decision, he would. Then he called voters "reckless" for approving it in the first place, a remark he later downgraded to "risky." "Colorado is known for many great things," Hickenlooper said. "Marijuana should not be one of them." [continues 636 words]
California Looks Poised to Emerge As the Center of the Cannabis Economy in November SANTA CRUZ - The other day, in a seaside cafe here, veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock gamely fielded my attempts to catch up on a subject I have failed to appreciate for far too long: the coming end of marijuana prohibition. Earlier this month, the backers of a California initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana (including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and tech kabillionaire Sean Parker) said they had gathered enough signatures to make the November ballot. In the same week, the federal government dropped its long-standing case against Oakland's Harborside Health Center, the largest medical pot dispensary in the country. [continues 843 words]
In six months, California will join Maine, Nevada and probably a few other states in deciding whether or not to legalize the largescale commercial production of marijuana. Residents will be inundated with wild claims about the promises and pitfalls of these initiatives. You will hear debates about government revenue, criminal justice benefits, the environment, and the effect of legalization on Mexican drug-trafficking organizations. Public health conversations may prove especially contentious. Some will claim that legalization will constitute a net gain for health. Others will say the exact opposite. [continues 622 words]
Down-On-Luck City Experiences a Marijuana Boom DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. - Carlos Bravo, the owner of a tow company here, was at work late last year when a real estate agent came to him offering half a million dollars for 5 acres of undeveloped, brush-pocked desert - five times what he'd paid for the land six months earlier. "I thought he was joking," Bravo said. The man came back the next day, making it clear he was not. A few days after he had signed the paperwork, Bravo said, another man offered him $1 million. [continues 1338 words]
Ten years ago in Los Angeles, Theresa Martinez was finally making progress in her long, painful struggle against drug addiction and the cycle of incarceration it fueled. But in order to continue her methadone program, she needed $200. Homeless, unemployed, and terrified of falling back into heroin addiction, she tried to get the money the only way she knew: selling drugs. Martinez was arrested for a $5 sale of cocaine, a felony that, absent aggravating factors, carried a three-year prison sentence. By global standards that penalty would have been unusual and harsh, especially since she plainly needed help and support - not incarceration. But here in the United States, Martinez faced an even worse fate. California law prescribes sentencing "enhancements" for anyone who has a prior drug-related felony conviction. Martinez was threatened with a nine-year sentence. Anguished, she took a plea deal for six years, bringing her lifetime total to 23 years behind bars, all for drugs. [continues 578 words]
Ex-Mexican President Says Both Sides of the Border Should Be Scared Former Mexican President Vicente Fox isn't the guy you would expect to see sporting a bright pink Donald Trump brand tie. Fox has had plenty to say about the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee - and none of it is complimentary. But then he has a point he wants to make: "Look at the back, hidden here," he says, pointing to the manufacturer's label. "'Made in China.' So he's really protecting workers in the United States, protecting jobs in the United States." [continues 1005 words]
There's never been a secret about the addictive properties of opioid painkillers. But a new investigation by The Times revealed something that wasn't so widely known: The maker of one of the most popular opioid painkillers pushed doctors to adhere to a regimen that, as it turned out, made it more likely for patients to become addicts. And by the way, it was the regimen approved by federal regulators - one with unanticipated consequences that regulators and doctors have been too slow to address. [continues 658 words]
"We thought America was the best in the world." "This can't be happening." That's how Saw Marvellous Soe and Eh Wah described their astonishment after police seized more than $ 53,000 in cash from Eh Wah's car in Muskogee, Okla., in February. Eh Wah is tour manager for a Christian rock band led by Marvellous that played in 19 U.S. cities, raising money from concerts to support an orphanage in Thailand and a Christian college in Burma. Worthy causes, no doubt. But when law enforcement found the cash during a routine traffic stop, a little-known legal process known as "civil asset forfeiture" allowed police officers to seize it, and whatever other property they wanted, without having to prove that Eh Wah was guilty of a crime. [continues 535 words]
High- Profile Coalition Will Submit 600,000 Signatures to Give Voters a Chance to Legalize Marijuana. SACRAMENTO - A measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California appears headed for the Nov. 8 ballot. A coalition that includes former Facebook President Sean Parker on Tuesday said it had collected 600,000 signatures, more than enough to qualify the initiative. Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other supporters of the measure plan to kick off a campaign for voter approval of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act on Wednesday in San Francisco. [continues 605 words]
A proposal to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California isn't getting much love from state Republicans. An influential California Republican Party committee on Saturday voted to oppose a proposed statewide ballot measure, known as the Adult Use Act, which would allow those 21 and older to possess and use up to an ounce of pot. A proponent of the marijuana measure had urged the committee to remain neutral, but members instead voted to oppose. The full state GOP membership, meeting in Burlingame for their spring convention, will vote Sunday on whether to support that measure and others expected to be on the November ballot. [continues 215 words]
Consumers Number About 246 Million, With the U.S. Leading the Way and Cannabis the Top Narcotic. As leaders from around the world gather in New York for what many are calling the most important summit on illegal drugs in two decades, one thing is clear: The world has a serious drug problem. Worldwide, about 246 million people use illicit drugs, and 1 in 10 of these users suffer from disorders related to drug use. Of the estimated 12 million people who inject drugs, at least 1.6 million are also living with HIV, while slightly more than half suffer from hepatitis C. Each year, 200,000 people suffer drug-related deaths, such as overdoses. [continues 785 words]
Race Champ Aims to Blunt the Stigma of Marijuana Users As Lazy "The World's Fastest Stoner" slowed under the Santa Monica Pier, pondering where to run. Photographs by Irfan Khan Los Angeles Times CHRIS BARNICLE, aka "The World's Fastest Stoner," smokes a joint in his van after winning the 420 Games in Santa Monica last month. "There are tons of athletes ... that are using cannabis. But because of their contracts they can't say anything," he says. Just moments before, Chris Barnicle had a commanding lead in a 4.2-mile race that snaked along the beach and through Venice. Now, he had a sudden case of: Dude, where's my finish line? [continues 1252 words]
A U. N. Special Session Will Examine the Effects of the Hard- Line Approach and Will Study Alternatives. At what is being billed as the most significant high-level gathering on global drug policy in two decades, the stage will be set for world leaders to discuss what would have once been unthinkable - reversing course in the war on drugs. The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem, which begins Tuesday in New York, will bring together government, human rights and health leaders to discuss whether the hard-line tactics of combating drug trafficking and money laundering have failed. [continues 800 words]
The Decades-Old Consensus Built on Punishment Is Crumbling. Once a decade, the United Nations organizes a meeting where every country in the world comes together to figure out what to do about drugs - and up to now, they've always pledged to wage a relentless war, to fight until the planet is "drug-free." They've consistently affirmed U.N. treaties written in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly by the United States, which require every country to arrest and imprison their way out of drug-related problems. [continues 1127 words]
Lori Ajax Will Oversee the State's First System for Regulating Medical Cannabis. but She Faces a Moving Target. SACRAMENTO - Lori Ajax has two years to set up California's first system to license, regulate and tax medical marijuana. Gov. Jerry Brown recently appointed the Republican to become the first chief of the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation. Ajax, 51, was previously chief deputy director at the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where she worked in various positions since 1995. In her new role, she faces a moving target: California voters are likely to vote on an initiative in November that would legalize recreational use of marijuana. [continues 1125 words]
UNder the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug, which means it has no medicinal value and is highly addictive. But the Drug Enforcement Administration is, once again, considering moving it to a less restrictive category that better reflects both its danger and the undeniable facts on the ground - that nearly half the states in the nation allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes, and several allow it to be used recreationally. The DEA told lawmakers that it intends to make a decision by July. [continues 346 words]
L. A. County departments haven't figured out how to calculate Prop. 47 savings, an audit finds. The Los Angeles County auditor reported Tuesday that Proposition 47 has generated millions of dollars in cost savings, but the most significant part of his findings had to do with the county's jarringly inadequate grasp of the basic numbers that describe and measure its workload. You will recall that Proposition 47 was the 2014 ballot measure that converted several felonies, such as drug possession, to misdemeanors. The immediate effect was to reduce the caseloads of county departments that deal with criminal justice issues, such as the district attorney's office and the Probation Department. But by how much? And what were the savings? [continues 447 words]
A New Device Would Allow Authorities to Test for Pot, Cocaine and Other Drugs During Traffic Stops. SACRAMENTO - With medical marijuana in widespread use and a ballot measure planned to legalize recreational pot in California, state officials Tuesday proposed using new technology to catch the increasing number of motorists who are driving while high. Legislation would allow law enforcement officers to use oral swab tests to strengthen cases when there is probable cause that a driver is impaired and the driver has failed sobriety field tests. [continues 515 words]
DeBEQUE, Colo. - When the oil and gas industry tanked and plans for gambling crapped out, this conservative town of ranchers and roughnecks found salvation in an unlikely place. Weed. "We are going to survive by it," said Darrel Kuhn, who owns the local liquor store, "because we sure as hell can't survive without it." He may be right. Colorado's billion-dollar marijuana industry has boosted the economies of many struggling towns. Empire, Trinidad and Parachute have all benefited from infusions of pot money. But DeBeque, on Colorado's Western Slope, owes its very existence to the cannabis trade. [continues 953 words]
Regarding "Latest Joint on the Strip," by Jay Jones, March 13: The first legal medical marijuana dispensary is now open on the famed Vegas Strip. Those with medical marijuana cards can legally purchase and consume marijuana in Nevada but cannot transport the item across any state lines. In other words, if it's bought in Vegas, it stays in Vegas ( or other areas in Nevada). And because the store is a legal dispensary, it sells other products to treat various medical conditions such as pain, nausea and sleep deprivation. In Vegas, pain could stem from losing too much at the tables, nausea from downing too many margaritas and sleep deprivation due to gambling 48 hours straight without taking a nap. In November, residents will vote on whether to legalize recreational use of grass, which would probably make any dispensary, this letter and the original article moot. Bill Spitalnick Newport Beach [end]
There's a new report out on longtime marijuana use. And it's bad news for habitual stoners. In summary: The more pot you smoke, the more apt you are to be a loser. And it's not so much that losers toke weed. It's that toking a lot of weed over several years turns someone into a loser. It's not really a chicken or egg thing. The UC Davis-led research, published last week, is especially relevant now. Voter signatures are being collected to place a marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot. [continues 844 words]
At the First Santa Monica 420 Games, Marijuana Advocates Seek to Dispel the Stoner Stereotypes Surrounding the Culture The first 420 Games fun run in Santa Monica started half an hour late. The leader of the pack threw up his hands at the two-mile mark, confused about where he was supposed to turn on the course. And the eventual winner got lost on his way to the finish line, running in from behind the crowd waiting to cheer his victory. [continues 564 words]
New Rules in 2 States Could Attract Major Outside Investors. SEATTLE - When the legal pot industry began to boom in Washington state, big-money investors predicted the cannabis trade in the Northwest would soon be the darling of corporate America. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox appeared at a Seattle news conference in 2013 along with pot entrepreneur Jamen Shively, who laid out plans to create the first national brand of marijuana and promised Big Tobacco-like growth. "Yes," he said, "we are Big Marijuana." [continues 1123 words]
The U. S. Supreme Court announced that it wouldn't consider a lawsuit filed by two states challenging Colorado's pot law. But lawyers said Nebraska and Oklahoma officials could pursue other legal challenges. For now, the many states considering pot laws this year won't have immediate guidance from the nation's high court about whether they're free to f lout federal drug law by regulating the drug. Instead, Washington, D. C., and the 26 states that allow pot for medical or recreational purposes don't have any immediate roadblocks on their marijuana laws. Nebraska's attorney general said his state would consider trying again to challenge Colorado's pot law, just not directly to the nation's highest court. [end]
Justice Department Leaving Lower- Level Defendants to States. WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are charging fewer defendants with drug crimes as part of an initiative to target more serious and violent offenders, a top Justice Department official said Monday. Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates said newly released statistics showed that federal prosecutors brought nearly 20% fewer drug cases in f iscal year 2015 than they did in fiscal 2012, the year before the Justice Department launched its "Smart on Crime Initiative," which has sought to recalibrate how it uses its resources to combat narcotics crimes. [continues 258 words]
Re "U. S. urges doctors to rethink use of opioid painkillers," Opinion, March 16 The blame for opioid painkiller abuse now goes from recreational users to doctors. How about the pharmaceutical companies peddling their drugs throughout the media? The federal recommendations leave a void in treatment for many chronic pain suffers in claiming that over-the-counter medication could do the job. Academic physicians don't appreciate the liver and kidney problems associated with these so-called benign medications that I see as a practicing physician. [continues 105 words]
