Pro-pot forces dominated a town hall discussion on marijuana laws hosted by two television stations Thursday at the WNC Ag Center. By a show of hands, most of the roughly 100 people attending the televised forum favored legalizing marijuana for medicinal or recreational uses. But at least two panelists urged caution before North Carolina goes the way of Colorado and Washington in legalizing adult use of pot. The "Your Voice, Your Future" town hall was sponsored by WLOS News 13 and WMYA and moderated by Mark Hyman, host of Sinclair Broadcast Group's opinion segment, "Behind the Headlines." News 13 streamed the program live on its website and WMYA will broadcast it Saturday at noon. [continues 578 words]
SAN FRANCISCO On Monday, somewhere in New York City, 420 people will gather for High Times magazine's annual beauty pageant, a secretly located and sold-out event that its sponsor says will "turn the Big Apple into the Baked Apple and help us usher in a new era of marijuana freedom in America." They will not be the only ones partaking: April 20 has long been an unofficial day of celebration for marijuana fans, an occasion for campus smoke-outs, concerts and cannabis festivals. But some advocates of legal marijuana say this year's "high holiday" carries extra significance as they sense increasing momentum toward acceptance of the drug, either as medicine or entertainment. [continues 1029 words]
In recent months, the border cities of Juarez and Tijuana, Mexico, have been under siege by the blatant violence of drug cartels fighting to control what may be the most lucrative business in the entire world. In a press conference in March, President Obama acknowledged that the vicious cycle of dealing and smuggling drugs in virtually every city in America has been fueled by cash and guns flowing back across the Mexican border. So far, our solution to this problem has focused on tougher law enforcement, more and better fencing along the Mexican-American border, more prisons and harsher sentences for drug addicts. Unfortunately, this approach, which we've been hawking for more than thirty years, hasn't worked. There are reasons for that which lawmakers, who have the power to come up with a more effective approach, have steadfastly refused to acknowledge, let alone work toward a solution. The biggest reason is money. In this case, the old saying is poignantly true: If you want to find the root of the problem, follow the money. [continues 755 words]
To The Editor: The war on certain drugs was never meant to be won, it was meant to be continuous. It was designed specifically to reduce the civil rights and liberties of the general population, accustom them to an ongoing and ever-growing police and military presence in their daily lives, drain taxpayers' dollars and to keep lawyers rich, cops busy and jails full. In that regard, it has been a huge success. In the future, this war will be used to justify all manner of suppression of privacy and civil rights and civil liberties. You think Soviet Russia was bad? Or Nazi Germany? Those totalitarian prison states will seem like summer camp in comparison to what is coming for North America. Cameras everywhere, ID checks and sniffer dogs on every street corner, drug testing, forced military service, your iPod and laptops being scanned, zero privacy, internment camps (most of which are already built). Everything is almost in place -- both the laws and the technology -- and all Obama needs is one "emergency" to declare martial law. A war (caused by U.S. drug policy) on its southern border should do nicely. Russell Barth Nepean, Ontario Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis [end]
To The Editor: It is curious that Susan Lane never considers the one thing that would really solve the drug problem in Mexico - legalization. Decriminalization is a dead end street because it reduces penalties for drug users while leaving the drug business in the hands of outlaws. The decriminalization model being discussed is identical to the way alcohol prohibition worked - when Eliot Ness raided a speakeasy, the operators went to jail and the customers went home. This system enabled Al Capone and his ilk to violently control the bootleg booze market, the same way decriminalizing drugs will leave the drug cartels in control. The solution is to follow the pattern set after alcohol prohibition had proved to be a disaster - repeal and regulation. Repeal put the bootleggers out of business and we haven't had a bombing or a shoot out over a beer route since 1933. Ralph Givens Daly City, Calif. [end]
It is a huge irony that Americans are getting a taste of the horrors of modern warfare, not from Muslim extremists, but from the hit men and drug runners that make up one of the most dangerous armies in the world today, the armed soldiers of the Mexican drug cartels. As we watch daring attacks against the legitimate government of Mexico by armed gunmen of the Juarez and Tijuana cartels, we wonder how bad does it have to get before someone comes up with a plan that's tough enough to put an end to drug trafficking in the United States. More importantly, what would that plan look like? [continues 702 words]
Stiffer penalties for drug dealers who sell to individuals who die from an overdose have created a significant drop in suspicious drug overdoses, according to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Rick Davis said Friday that suspicious drug overdoses have gone down dramatically since two men were recently charged with second-degree murder after dealing drugs that caused fatal overdoses. One of those men, James Arnold, pleaded guilty earlier this week to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, among other drug charges, and is awaiting to be sentenced. [continues 603 words]
With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and prohibition have the potential to cause harm. Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft drug markets and treatment alternatives that don't require incarceration as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels many U.S. politicians to support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse. Robert Sharpe, MPA Arlington, Va. Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
To The Editor: The federal government could inject an estimated $75 billion to $200 billion into our economy without spending a dime: Legalize marijuana. Why legalize? Firstly, it is imperative to recognize that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. There is less risk of addiction, cancer and zero overdose risk. We must also consider the societal costs. We spend $10 billion to 14 billion annually enforcing marijuana prohibition and force illicit markets to take to the streets (i.e. guns, cartels/organized crime, etc.). It costs money to prosecute drug offenders, incarcerate drug users and employ federal enforcement agents. Marijuana and hemp industries could affect our economy in an extremely positive manner. Some estimate that $50 billion is spent by the American public annually on marijuana alone. [continues 84 words]
While Americans are busy trying to find ways to extricate ourselves from a war halfway around the world, a war has been raging right next door that may prove deadlier by far than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. That may not seem possible, but if you analyze it carefully, even the terrorists in the Muslim world have only been able to convince other Muslims, their own people, to commit suicide in behalf of their cause. The war to end all wars is the one that makes ordinary people, good people, the kind of people who live right next door to you and I, maybe even people within our own homes, willing accomplices in their own destruction. This seemingly impossible feat is accomplished every day of the week by the gardeners, chemists, money launderers, traffickers, kingpins, dealers and pimps of the drug world. Narco-terrorism is the deadliest and perhaps the most pervasive form of warfare in the world today. Deaths are mounting not just from illegal drugs, but from the proliferation of prescription painkillers as well. [continues 768 words]
Printed on the same day on the front page of the Times-News last week were two stories about tragic and avoidable death. On Thursday, a Transylvania County magistrate issued a warrant charging a hunter with involuntary manslaughter for the accidental shooting death of a galax gatherer in the woods. [Name redacted] was hunting in the Turkey Pen area of Pisgah National Forest when the hunter allegedly fired a Winchester rifle shot that killed Luciano M. Martinez. Martinez, 50, of Marshall, had received a permit to gather galax in the forest two weeks before Christmas, a plant that is used in holiday decorating. [continues 486 words]
The same prescription drugs that can help patients suffering from debilitating pain can also be illegal and deadly when they fall into the wrong hands. That lesson hit home last week when the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office charged a Fletcher man with murder for selling a powerful prescription painkiller to a teenager who died of an overdose. Officers say it is part of a trend. James Michael Arnold, 23, of 273 Willis Way, was charged Sept. 8 with second-degree murder, possession with the intent to sell or deliver a controlled substance and sale or delivery of a controlled substance. Investigators say Arnold sold a Fentanyl pain patch to 19-year-old Justin Kane Anderson, a student at Blue Ridge Community College who died of an overdose on July 20. [continues 426 words]
Police officers who teach young children to stay away from drugs say prescription drug abuse has become more common. Sheriff Rick Davis and District Attorney Jeff Hunt announced last week that second-degree murder charges were filed against a 23-year-old Fletcher man in connection with the death of a 19-year-old who died of a Fentanyl overdose. An increasing number of abuse cases and overdoses such as this led D.A.R.E. officers to add prescription drugs to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, and even more focus may be needed. [continues 483 words]
Henderson County Sheriff Rick Davis and District Attorney Jeff Hunt announced murder charges against a man they say sold a prescription pain killer to a 19-year-old who died of a overdose, and delivered a strong warning to other dealers. "We are trying to send a message that the sheriff and I will continue to prosecute drug cases to the fullest extent of the law," Hunt said. In an unusual joint news conference, the county's top lawman and chief prosecutor also warned those who legally take the powerful pain medicine to guard it closely. [continues 795 words]
Polk County Sheriff's officers returned marijuana growing equipment Friday afternoon to a local man whose drug charges were dropped earlier in the week. Charges against medicinal marijuana advocate Steve Marlowe were thrown out Monday after a judge ruled that deputies showed a "reckless disregard for the law" in using a discredited informant's statement to obtain a search warrant. The charges against Marlowe of Mill Spring were dismissed by the District Attorney's Office late Monday afternoon, according to Marlowe's attorney, Ben Scales. [continues 140 words]
Charges against medicinal marijuana advocate Steve Marlowe were thrown out Monday after a judge ruled that deputies showed a "reckless disregard for the law" in using an informant's statement to obtain a search warrant. The charges against Steve Marlowe of Mill Spring were dismissed by the District Attorney's Office late Monday afternoon, according to Marlowe's attorney, Ben Scales. The informant, 33-year-old Charles Grady Shehan Jr., was led out of court by deputies Monday afternoon after he testified about telling police he had seen a marijuana growing operation at Marlowe's house. Shehan refused during a court break to comment about his testimony Monday, or previous statements to police which led to Marlowe's arrest in 2007. [continues 946 words]
Advocates and local residents will speak before the state House this week to encourage a study into the use of medicinal marijuana. Polk County resident Jean Marlowe, Democratic Rep. Earl Jones of Guilford County, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders and Saluda resident Ray Pague plan to speak Wednesday at the Capitol auditorium. Jones said he will introduce a measure calling for a study to be done on the benefits of medicinal marijuana. "Dr. Elders will address the Science and Technology Committee of the House about this subject," Jones said. "I have a bill that will be requesting a study committee." [continues 438 words]
An attorney for a Polk County man who advocates marijuana for medicinal purposes has filed motions in his criminal case that say the Polk County Sheriff's Office used false information to obtain a search warrant. Steve Marlowe, 59, of Mill Spring was arrested in November 2007 and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for the use or sale of marijuana and manufacturing marijuana. Marlowe's attorney, Ben Scales of Asheville, has filed motions that claim the Polk County Sheriff's Office forced an informant to give investigators information to obtain a search warrant. [continues 781 words]
To The Editor: Regarding Susan Hanley Lane's Aug. 27 column:There is middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has reduced disease, death and crime among chronic users.Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with heroin use. Addicts wouldn't be sharing needles if not for zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes, nor would they be committing crimes if not for artificially inflated black market prices. Heroin maintenance pilot projects are underway in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, without the advertising. As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to come into contact with sellers of methamphetamine. Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes no sense to waste scarce resources on failed policies that finance organized crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs. Robert Sharpe, Washington Robert Sharpe is policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy, headquartered in Washington. [end]
On Aug. 19, a United States Coast Guard vessel noticed three small plastic pipes skimming the surface of the ocean near Guatemala and Costa Rica. Curious, they decided to find out what was going on, never dreaming that they would stumble onto a veritable gold mine. White gold. The "white gold," they seized was none other than cocaine, three and a half tons of it, worth some $352 million when it hit the streets of the USA. The three pipes skimming the ocean's surface turned out to be connected to a homemade submarine, carrying its deadly cargo from the fruitful coca growing regions of Latin America straight to the noses (snorting), arms (shooting IV) and lungs (smoking crack) of those cursed with an addiction to cocaine. [continues 823 words]
BREVARD -- Students who park outside Transylvania County's two public high schools will be randomly drug tested next school year. The Transylvania County School Board expanded the school system's random drug testing policy, saying the move would give students another tool to avoid peer pressure. "I have students in my office who are having difficulty with illegal substances and they refer to peer pressure as being a cause for their choice," said Superintendent Sonna Lyda. "So we're hoping that we're going to be able to give them a tool so they can say no to drugs because they are in the pool of random drug testing." [continues 378 words]
Police Chief Donnie Parks is right to investigate and discipline officers responsible for raiding the wrong home during an attempted drug bust early Saturday. Two police SWAT teams were executing search warrants shortly after 1 a.m. at 729 Geneva St. in southwest Hendersonville when three officers went to the rear of the wrong house, owned by Dennis and Sandra Braswell, Capt. John Nicholson said. There was a party going on at the family's home at 208 Oak St. when the police burst in with weapons drawn, throwing smoke bombs. As the officers ordered everyone to the floor, Braswell said he heard a police dispatcher tell them they were in the wrong home. [continues 395 words]
Officers with the Hendersonville Police Department mistakenly entered the wrong house when executing a search warrant early Saturday morning. Two teams of officers were executing a search warrant shortly after 1 a.m. at 729 Geneva St., when one team of three officers went to the rear of the wrong house, said Capt. John Nicholson. The team coming to the rear of the house had to cross yards and over a fence, Nicholson said. "The officers became disoriented, entered the wrong house and told the people to get down," Nicholson said. [continues 187 words]
BREVARD -- Elected officials agreed on Thursday to form a special joint committee to fight the growing drug problem in Brevard but also said more needs to be done to fight the spread of drugs and drug-related violence. Brevard Mayor Jimmy Harris asked the Brevard-Transylvania Chamber of Commerce to invite 20 local leaders from law enforcement, School Board, board of county commissioners and City Council for a special breakfast meeting Thursday to discuss what can be done to prevent illegal-drug activity in Brevard, Rosman and Pisgah Forest. [continues 523 words]
BREVARD -- Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney wants to put a stop to the drugs coming into his county and prevent local youth from bringing drugs to schools. How will he accomplish this? He said one way is to bring back a canine unit to the Sheriff's Office, something it has not had since 1999. "Quite honestly, the last canine the Sheriff's Office had was retired early due to some medical issues," Mahoney said. "There have been a variety of issues why the program was never pursued." [continues 324 words]
To The Editor: Good intentions are no substitute for effective drug abuse prevention. Independent evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) have found the program to be ineffective or counterproductive. The scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like methamphetamine are relatively harmless as well. This is a recipe for disaster. Drug education programs must be reality-based or they may backfire when kids are inevitably exposed to drug use among peers. [continues 155 words]
Sheriff Rick Davis has wisely decided to continue the popular DARE Camp. Campers and counselers get credit for bringing the importance of the anti-drug effort to the attention of the new sheriff. During the fall campaign, Davis, a former sheriff's captain and the Republican sheriff nominee, ruffled feathers when he indicated the Drug Abuse Resistance Education summer camp might be cut. Davis was looking for ways to streamline and reorganize projects such as DARE. The program's main focus -- bringing law officers into the schools to befriend youngsters, give them positive law enforcement role models and teach about dangers of drugs -- was never in question. But some residents worried the camp, during which kids enjoy outdoor and team-building activities, might be on the chopping block when annual fundraising didn't take place [continues 358 words]
Henderson County Sheriff Rick Davis announced Monday that three Henderson County Schools would be receiving School Resource Officers and by doing this reorganization D.A.R.E. Camp would be continued in the summer. Davis held a press conference Monday morning at Flat Rock Middle School along with Principal Bill Reedy; Beverly Davis, principal of Rugby Middle School; and Carolina Patterson, principal at Apple Valley Middle School. In October, prior to Davis winning the November election, the fate of D.A.R.E. Camp was unknown. [continues 487 words]
Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Officials Met Thursday In Henderson County to Discuss the Damaging Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse on Communities As Part of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Gretchen Shappert joined Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Emerson, Henderson County Sheriff-elect Rick Davis and Caldwell County Sheriff Gary Clark on Thursday morning for a news conference held at the Henderson County Courthouse as part of the U.S. Justice Department's awareness initiative. [continues 284 words]
To The Editor: There is no way Rick Davis, who is running for Henderson County sheriff, will get my vote! Rick Davis wants to take away the DARE camp and dance from our kids. DARE is for the children and to teach our children about drug resistance. My son was in the fifth grade last year and he looked forward to every DARE dance. He was also chosen to go to the DARE camp. In his own words "it was awesome." [continues 94 words]
To The Editor: It has come to my attention that the DARE program is being cut back this year. I guess what is going on in the news with all the schools doesn't mean much to our program. The Sheriff's Department picked a fine time to leave the kids with nothing much to do. I understand the classes will remain, but the extras -- camps and dances -- have been cut. Let me guess. Our funding is not there, or we don't have the volunteers. [continues 78 words]
The Two Candidates for Sheriff in Henderson County Have Different Views on How They Would Treat a Drug Resistance Program If They Are Elected. DARE, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, teaches fifth grade students the dangers of smoking, alcohol and drugs. Some parents say they have heard Rick Davis plans to scrap the program if elected, but the Republican nominee says the claim is false. He said Tuesday that the DARE curriculum would be kept 100 percent intact. "The curriculum should be expanded," Davis said. [continues 403 words]
The director of the White House drug policy office met with Asheville officials Tuesday to discuss how to fight methamphetamine problems in Western North Carolina. John P. Walters, director of the White House Drug Policy Office, said Tuesday during a news conference in Asheville with U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, law officers, the mayor and the county manager that officials should emphasize tightening U.S. borders to prevent drug trafficking, implementing random drug testing in schools, and expanding treatment for addicts. [continues 464 words]
Methamphetamine use struck the mountains with the force of an epidemic in the late 1990s. The man-made narcotic left few pockets of the community untouched. So the response, it seems, should involve the entire community. Fifteen civic leaders gathered in the Claddagh Inn on Friday to explore ways the presence of the drug could be curbed in Henderson County. The group, called the Henderson County Meth Task Force, included everyone from educators to police officers, social workers to paramedics. They are the people on the front-line of the battle against meth. [continues 101 words]
Before I began this column, I typed six key words into an online search engine: Patrick Kennedy, Rush Limbaugh, substance abuse. I was amazed when less than a quarter of a second later, up popped the first dozen of some 238,000 articles! It was gratifying to see that so many people made the same connection I did. Two high profile guys sharing the limelight because of their obvious substance abuse problems. What I didn't expect was that the discussion remained largely political. [continues 896 words]
RUTHERFORDTON -- The Rutherford County Sheriff's Department plans to launch a highway interdiction team to snatch meth traffickers before the drug reaches the mountains. A $250,000 federal grant would cover the tab for four new deputies, four new cruisers and two drug dogs to patrol the roads that connect the major highways and interstates used as trafficking routes for the highly addictive man-made narcotic. Sheriff C. Philip Byers hopes the team could launch by June, helping curb trafficking of a form of meth called Mexican ice from major cities such as Atlanta. [continues 378 words]
To The Editor: Re: "Our drug policies are completely wrong" (T-N, Feb. 6). I'd like to add that if tough-on-drugs policies worked, the quixotic goal of a drug free America would have been reached a long time ago. And if tolerant drug policies created more drug use, the Netherlands would have much higher drug usage rates than the United States. They do not. In fact, the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at much lower rates than Americans do. (See http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm.) [continues 117 words]
To The Editor: One can have nothing but praise and respect for Steve Dalton for overcoming the terrors of meth. It is, however, a bit disingenuous to say drinking one small beer when he was in ninth grade caused his problem. I would posit that 90 percent of those reading this letter would admit to trying beer at a similar age. There are many causes for addiction: environment, peer groups, depression, physical injury, mental and physical abuse and that's not all. Even one's genes can contribute. None of these are destiny. People have overcome one or several without being snared. [continues 117 words]
To The Editor: Henderson County's hazardous methamphetamine labs are reminiscent of the deadly exploding liquor stills that sprang up throughout the nation during alcohol prohibition. Drug policies modeled after prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability. [continues 130 words]
Christmas Day, 1990. Steve Dalton spent the morning celebrating the holiday with his wife and mother-in-law. He swore he would stay clean. But around noon, the cravings became too much. Dalton stormed out the door, telling his wife, Genee, he had too much on his mind, he needed to work. He raced to his orchard in Edneyville and found the meth he stashed beneath one of the apple trees. He snorted one line. Then another. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he knelt in the dirt. [continues 566 words]
Methamphetamine, a highly addictive illegal stimulant, struck the mountains and the state with force in the late 1990s, since topping other drugs on the priority list for law enforcement. The narcotic is snatching new addicts from every background, destroying families, overburdening prosecutors, feeding crime, engrossing law enforcement, pumping children into foster care and even changing the way cold sufferers can buy cough medicine from the drug store. Where did this drug come from? What does it do? And why is the drug, known as meth, crank and ice becoming the single most troublesome narcotic for the mountains, the state and the nation? [continues 998 words]
Methamphetamine is a man-made, addictive stimulant drug that is created in illegal laboratories. Ingredients used to create methamphetamine include, denatured alcohol, rubbing alcohol, iodine, nail polish remover, drain cleaner and sinus medicine. Capt. Chris Beddingfield leans forward in his chair and lifts a list of ingredients that sounds like a kitchen cabinet worth of hazardous cleaning supplies or first aid potions. "When you start looking at the chemicals that go into methamphetamine, you can't even pronounce them," says Beddingfield, the head of investigations for the Polk County Sheriff's Department. [continues 696 words]
Methamphetamine is a man-made, addictive stimulant drug that is created in illegal laboratories. Ingredients used to create methamphetamine include, denatured alcohol, rubbing alcohol, iodine, nail polish remover, drain cleaner and sinus medicine. Lt. Chris Beddingfield of the Polk County Sheriff's Office bought the items pictured at local stores. Beddingfield shows the lab to groups during awareness programs. At right, Lt. Steve Carter cuts chunks of meth from a rock of methamphetamine to show what the product looks like. One recent afternoon, Henderson County Sheriff George Erwin pulled his car onto the side of the road and returned a phone call. It was from a mother whose son was in rehab, fighting off cravings for methamphetamine. [continues 1188 words]
Anyone who thinks methamphetamine is a problem "somewhere else" should get a wake up call from these sobering facts: Henderson County law officers investigated 120 cases of meth abuse, manufacturing or trafficking last year, up from six in 1999. Of 106 drug cases the Polk County Sheriff's Department made last year, 90 percent were meth-related. Meth use spurs other crimes including child abuse, domestic violence, robbery, burglary and theft. The drug, notorious for ruining lives, grips users in a delirious pursuit of getting high. [continues 410 words]
For some people, the best part of Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or New Year's Day is the moment when it's finally over. It's not that they don't love their families; it's just that their families need help and they're not the ones who can give it. For these people, memories of past holidays bring a lump to their throats and a firm resolution to live through one more holiday season with as few emotional bruises as possible. [continues 895 words]
To The Editor: Susan Hanley Lane is to be commended for making the case for alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A study conducted by the RAND Corporation found that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.48 in societal costs. There is far more at stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the promoter of family values that some would have us believe. Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and delinquency. [continues 122 words]
To The Editor: How should North Carolina respond to the growing use of methamphetamine? During the crack epidemic of the 1980s, New York City chose the zero-tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per-capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. Simply put, the younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing to their older brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be done about methamphetamine. Access to drug treatment is critical for the current generation of meth users. Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives. The following U.S. Department of Justice research brief confirms my claims regarding the spontaneous decline of crack cocaine: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/187490.txt Robert Sharpe Washington Robert Sharpe is a policy analyst with the Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
Efforts to combat the superaddictive drug methamphetamine got a boost this week from a new state law that makes key ingredients harder to get. Combined with efforts of local residents fighting the drug, the law should at least slow the spread of the drug here. The new law puts drugs containing certain ingredients behind the counter. Buyers of cold and allergy tablets or caplets containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine must be at least 18 years old, show identification and sign a log at the pharmacy. The new law also limits purchases to no more than two packs at a time or three in a month. [continues 405 words]
Local law enforcement and legislators on Wednesday welcomed a new law that targets the production of the narcotic methamphetamine. Gov. Mike Easley signed a law Tuesday that keeps some cold tablets behind the pharmacy counter to control a key ingredient used in the making of methamphetamine, also known as meth. "It is an epidemic in Western Carolina," said Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Laurel Park. "Hopefully this will do something to get it somewhat under control." The comments came as Apodaca addressed the Henderson County Republican Men's Club on Wednesday morning. Apodaca and Rep. Carolyn Justus, R-Dana, updated club members on the recently ended legislative session. [continues 809 words]
Nine people working to develop protocols to deal with Henderson County's methamphetamine problem met for the first time Tuesday to discuss what to do when the drug is found in a home. In a meeting at Mountain Laurel on Fleming Street, the committee, half of the newly formed Methamphetamine Task Force, began looking at ways to react to a confirmed or suspected meth lab. Talks centered on who agencies should turn to for help with the problem, which has skyrocketed in Henderson County in the past five years. [continues 476 words]
