NASHVILLE - Medical marijuana will again become a topic of discussion and legislation during the 2017 legislative session. An announcement from the House Republican Caucus on Friday said an official announcement will come next week from state Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, and Sen. Steve Dickerson, RNashville, who are planning to introduce legislation about medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has been a popular discussion within the legislature in recent years, and support from both parties has been steadily growing. Details about the legislation were not immediately clear. [continues 413 words]
Congress and President Obama are under pressure to reschedule marijuana. While rescheduling makes sense, it doesn't solve the state/federal conflict over marijuana (descheduling would be better). But more important, it wouldn't fix the broken scheduling system. Ideally, marijuana reform should be part of a broader bill rewriting the Controlled Substances Act. The Controlled Substances Act created a five-category scheduling system for most legal and illegal drugs (although alcohol and tobacco were notably omitted). Depending on what category a drug is in, the drug is either subject to varying degrees of regulation and control (Schedules II through V) - or prohibited, otherwise unregulated and left to criminals to manufacture and distribute (Schedule I). The scheduling of various drugs was decided largely by Congress and absent a scientific process - with some strange results. [continues 601 words]
In six months, California will join Maine, Nevada and probably a few other states in deciding whether to legalize large-scale 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 cartels. 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 621 words]
Since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana has been a Schedule I drug. Congress placed it in the most restrictive category of psychoactive substances, those with no currently accepted medical value and a high potential for abuse or dependence. The upshot was a renewed ban on marijuana, except for highly restricted research purposes. I say renewed because Congress first prohibited marijuana use for non-industrial purposes in 1937. The Schedule I designation ratified the status quo, with one notable exception: The 1970 CSA in fact reduced federal penalties for cannabis possession, a bit of Nixon-era liberality few recall. [continues 689 words]
There are rumors that the federal government may soon lift its ban on marijuana, but that wouldn't end marijuana prohibitions in the United States. This incongruity is the result of federalism: the ability of each jurisdiction - the federal government and every state - to maintain its own laws as to which drugs are illegal and which are not. Completely legalizing marijuana in the United States would require the actions of both the federal government and every state government. If the federal government repealed its criminal prohibition of marijuana or rescheduled the drug under federal law, that would not change state laws that forbid its possession or sale. Likewise, state governments can repeal their marijuana laws, in whole or in part, but that does not change federal law. [continues 618 words]
Federal Law Prohibits Sites That Would Give Supervision, Antidote Across the United States, users of heroin and other drugs have died in alleys behind convenience stores, on city sidewalks and in the bathrooms of fast-food joints - because no one was around to save them when they overdosed. An alarming 47,000 American overdose deaths in 2014 pushed elected leaders from coast to coast to consider government-sanctioned sites where heroin users can shoot up under the supervision of a doctor or nurse who can administer an antidote if necessary. [continues 243 words]
A bill that would have allowed Tennesseans to weigh in on whether to decriminalize possession of low-level amounts of marijuana has failed in the Legislature. The Senate Judiciary Committee killed the proposal April 12. The measure, which was sponsored by Memphis Democrats Antonio Parkinson and Sara Kyle, would not have legalized marijuana possession. Instead, it would have allowed voters to make their opinion known on whether police should arrest people in possession of one ounce of marijuana or less or give them a warning instead. The proposal would have allowed Metro governments or municipalities with their own police departments to put the question on whether to arrest or warn to voters during a normal election. The results of the election would be advisory only. [end]
The global war on drugs has proved "disastrous" and "humankind cannot afford a 21st century drug policy as ineffective and counter-productive as the last century's." So say more than 1,000 world leaders, including 27 members of the House of Representatives and six U.S. senators, in a letter to the United Nations ahead of a major international drug summit happening this week. The letter's signatories also include 24 current and former law enforcement officials, 37 members of the clergy, more than 230 health and medical professionals and a colorful slate of celebrities, athletes and business leaders, including DJ Khaled, Michael Douglas, Tom Brady and Warren Buffett. [continues 156 words]
A former corrections officer was sentenced to one year plus one day in prison and an inmate was sentenced to 30 months in prison for a scheme to smuggle marijuana into the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis, the office of U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III said Monday. The corrections officer, Keair Kemp, 33, of Horn Lake, and inmate Travonte Johnson, 34, of Millington, planned last year to smuggle the drug into the prison, according to a news release. "In exchange for cash, Kemp agreed to unlawfully carry marijuana into the prison and deliver it to Johnson, thus violating his official duties as a correctional officer," Stanton's spokesman, Louis Goggans, said in the release. Kemp pleaded guilty in December 2015 to one count of accepting a bribe, and Johnson pleaded guilty in January to one count of offering a bribe to a public official, Goggans said. [end]
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A growing number of states are weighing whether to legalize marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. But for many veterans, the debate is already over. They're increasingly using cannabis even though it remains illegal in most states and is unapproved by the Department of Veterans Affairs because major studies have yet to show it is effective against PTSD. While the research has been contradictory and limited, some former members of the military say pot helps them manage their anxiety, insomnia and nightmares. Prescription drugs such as Klonopin and Zoloft weren't effective or left them feeling like zombies, some say. [continues 555 words]
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a conservative challenge to the marijuana legalization laws adopted in Colorado and elsewhere that permit adults to buy, sell or use an ounce of the drug. By a 6-2 vote, the justices turned away a lawsuit brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma, whose state at torneys complained that illegal marijuana was pouring into their states as a result of Colorado's liberalized laws. The suit brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma also implicitly challenged the Obama administration for it s refusal to intervene more directly in Colorado. Wire Services [end]
Says Exception Aims to Benefit PTSD Sufferers NASHVILLE - While most Tennessee Republican leaders have indicated opposition to any steps toward legalization of marijuana, state Rep. Jeremy Faison said he hopes they will make an exception for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Faison, R-Cosby, is drafting legislation that would "decriminalize" possession of marijuana by veterans diagnosed with PTSD, motivated by conversations with several veterans who believe the medicinal properties of marijuana would help them far more than prescription medications. [continues 368 words]
Memphis In reference to the Oct. 25 article a=C2=80=C2=9CThe bipartisan marijuana myth,a=C2=80=C2=9D in 1937 Harry Anslinger testified before Congress on t he evils of marijuana. Congress made it illegal (The Marijuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937). He later admitted his testimony was not true and in fact marijuana was relatively harmless. The La Guardia Commission report on marijuana also found it was relatively harmless. This law was declared unconstitutional in 1970. That led to President Nixon signing the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana has been a Schedule 1 controlled substance since then. Under President Nixon the Shaffer Commission issued a report and also determined that marijuana was relatively harmless. Of course, Nixon buried the report. [continues 97 words]
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen added his voice Friday to the growing number of officials calling for reforms to end the nation's high rates of incarceration for nonviolent and lower-level drug offenders. In a speech to the criminal justice section of the American Bar Association's fall institute in Washington, Cohen, D-Memphis, also called for the collection of national statistics on the use of deadly force by law enforcement agencies. He said a bill he has introduced called the National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act would give lawmakers and the public "the numbers we need to measure the problem so we can figure out how best to address it." [continues 181 words]
Violent Crime, Not Dope, Keeps Our Prisons Full Drug offenders account for only 19.5 percent of the total state-federal prison population, most of whom, especially in the federal system, were convicted of dealing drugs such as cocaine, heroin and meth, not "smoking marijuana." It seems that no presidential debate this year would be complete without denunciations of the drug laws, which, it is alleged, result in long prison terms for thousands of people, disproportionately African-Americans, who are guilty only of low-level offenses, thus fueling "mass incarceration." [continues 761 words]
U.S. Combat Vehicles Used in Pot Busts If you're going to wage war on drugs, you need to be outfitted like a warrior. That seems to be the rationale behind hundreds of police department requests for armored trucks submitted to the Pentagon between 2012 and 2014. The requests, unearthed in a FOIA request by Mother Jones magazine, shed light on how the war on drugs has directly contributed to the militarization of local police forces in recent years. Police departments can request surplus military gear from the Pentagon through the Department of Defense's 1033 program, which doles out hundreds of millions of dollars in military goods to cops each year. The equipment includes everything from underwear to office equipment to armored combat vehicles. After Ferguson, Missouri, when images of local cops training assault rifles on peaceful protesters from atop armored trucks flooded the airwaves, the program has come under increasing scrutiny. [continues 249 words]
In "Romeo and Juliet," the lovelorn hero proclaims that "Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs." The line may have actually been inspired by the fumes of cannabis, according to a recently published paper on William Shakespeare and his smoking habits. The report, which cites a 2001 analysis of early 17th-century pipes from Stratford-upon-Avon and the Bard's own residence, argues that Shakespeare could have smoked the substance and was probably well aware of its hallucinatory effects. [continues 292 words]
Police Issue Warrant for Suspect in Slaying of Officer Memphis police were looking Sunday for a 29-year-old bank robber they believe shot and killed one of their own after a traffic stop Saturday night. In a Sunday evening news conference, officials identified the suspect as Tremaine Wilbourn, who was convicted of robbing the Friendship Bank in Covington in 2005. He was on supervised release after being sentenced to 10 years for that robbery. Police believe Wilbourn is the man who shot Sean Bolton, who was gunned down just after 9:15 p.m. Saturday at 4871 Summerlane in Parkway Village. By late Sunday, Wilbourn remained on the run, accused of first-degree murder. A reward of $10,000 has been posted for his capture, and that is expected to grow to $20,000. [continues 542 words]
Could Be Rx for Kids' Seizures It's now legal to use cannabis oil for limited medical purposes in Tennessee. And the Mathes family is ready. The East Tennessee family already had the oil and a recommendation from a doctor before Monday. Their 1-year-old daughter, Josie, still has the seizures that have plagued her short life. They just needed Gov. Bill Haslam to give final approval to arguably Tennessee's first broader step toward legalizing a marijuana product for medicinal use. [continues 486 words]
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The interior of Irvin Rosenfeld's Toyota 4Runner reeks of marijuana. A tin stuffed with hundreds of joints lies in the trunk, and a bag full of them is stored in the door pocket. On a recent weekday, the 62-year-old stockbroker stopped at a red light and took a drag. His exhale filled the cabin with smoke. It was his fourth joint that day. It wasn't yet lunchtime. "This car has 80,000 miles on it," Rosenfeld announced between puffs, stray ash landing softly on the battered towel he drapes over his pleated brown trousers and red tie. "I haven't gotten into one accident." [continues 445 words]
It officially became legal to consume and grow marijuana in Alaska on Tuesday. That means the state is the third to legalize the drug in as many years, but it is hardly the last. Voters in Oregon and Washington, D.C., have also approved legalization, and advocates plan to take advantage of shifting public opinion to target other states this year and next. Here's a look at how the patchwork of existing laws compare, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which played pivotal roles in passing some of the legalization laws. [continues 432 words]
A series of articles in The Washington Post exposed the problem last fall, and U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder announced recently that federal agencies, with few exceptions, will no longer take possession of assets seized by local law enforcement agencies when no crime has been proved. Tennessee officials say the decision will have little impact on the activities of local law enforcement agencies, but the attorney general's decision to step down from the widespread use of civil asset forfeiture should prompt close scrutiny of the practice throughout the state and beyond. [continues 372 words]
(AP) - Tennessee's Department of Agriculture says it is accepting applications from those interested in growing industrial hemp. The department says it is developing a licensing and inspection program for the production of industrial hemp in Tennessee. Officials say industrial hemp is the same plant species of marijuana, but it has a significantly lower content of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. It can be used in a variety of products, including fabric, textiles, fibers and foods. Those interested can download an application and memorandum of understanding at the department's website. [end]
Scotty Gray of Southaven thinks marijuana could help with his seizures more than the prescribed medication he's taking now. Jim Ferguson of Nesbit thinks that even when used recreationally, marijuana is less of a threat to the public than what's already available legally. "I'd much rather come across somebody on the road high on pot than drunk." It's hard to gauge how representative their views are of the larger population that will be needed to, first, get a proposal legalizing marijuana in Mississippi on the ballot and, second, get it approved by voters. There's no question, however, that Gray and Ferguson were representative of those who came to Hernando's Gale Center Saturday to hear organizer Kelly Jacobs of DeSoto County explain the process. [continues 332 words]
Scotty Gray of Southaven thinks marijuana could help with his seizures more than the prescribed medication he's taking now. Jim Ferguson of Nesbit thinks that even when used recreationally, marijuana is less of a threat to the public than what's already available legally: "I'd much rather come across somebody on the road high on pot than drunk." It's hard to gauge how representative their views are of the larger population that will be needed to, first, get a proposal legalizing marijuana in Mississippi on the ballot and, second, get it approved by voters. There's no question, however, that Gray and Ferguson were representative of those who came to Hernando's Gale Center Saturday to hear organizer Kelly Jacobs of DeSoto County explain the process. [continues 332 words]
Petition Effort Seeks to Get Issue on 2016 Ballot An effort to legalize marijuana in Mississippi is growing out of DeSoto County, where petition organizer Kelly Jacobs of Hernando is planning a series of town hall meetings this month to explain the proposal. Jacobs'group, Mississippi for Cannabis, filed a petition in September at the Secretary of State's satellite office in Hernando to get the issue on the 2016 general election ballot. The office on Dec. 29 approved the measure for placement on the ballot if, by October, supporters gather 107,216 certified signatures, or a minimum of 21,443 from each of the state's five congressional districts that existed before redistricting reduced the number of districts to the current four. [continues 563 words]
Unusual ballot issue draws broad lines, odd partnerships on Prohibition-era 'dry' option OZARK, Ark.- Arkansas liquor stores have allied with religious leaders to fight statewide legalization of alcohol sales. The stores in wet counties don't want to lose customers. The churches don't want to lose souls. A ballot issue next week asks voters whether to amend their constitution to permit sales of intoxicating liquors in all 75 counties, up from about half. Passage would further erode the shrinking swath of America, mostly in the South, clinging to vestiges of Prohibition even as cultural attitudes and waning religious influence have killed it off elsewhere. [continues 235 words]
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A group has filed a petition seeking a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Mississippi. Petition organizer Kelly Jacobs said Mississippi for Cannabis hopes to place an initiative on the November 2016 election ballot. Jacobs says the ballot initiative proposal would legalize cannabis for adults to own as much as they wish, to use as they wish, but keep it from minors. [end]
The Arkansas Attorney General's Office has certified the wording of a ballot proposal that would legalize marijuana in Arkansas. The Wednesday opinion opens the way for the measure's sponsor, Robert L. Reed, to begin gathering petition signatures in hope of placing the measure on the ballot. According to the proposal, voters would decide whether to approve making it legal to grow and possess marijuana and all products derived from the cannabis plant. The measure would be a constitutional amendment, which means backers would have to gather 78,133 valid signatures of registered voters to win a spot on the November ballot. [end]
The Arkansas attorney general's office has again rejected the proposed wording for a prospective ballot item that would let voters decide whether to legalize marijuana in the state. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office on Friday told the group Arkansans for Medical Cannabis that the proposal is ambiguous and needs to make clearer what it would do. McDaniel has previously rejected more than a half dozen of the group's proposals. The group needs the attorney general's approval before it can start collecting signatures in an effort to get the measure on the ballot. [end]
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed a bill to legalize a marijuana extract to be used as medicine under tightly controlled circumstances. House Bill 1231 becomes law July 1. Republican Bryant says he signed it Thursday, only after Bureau of Narcotics officials assured him the oil can't be used to produce a high. The medicine is used to reduce seizures in children with epilepsy. It would be available by prescription and dispensed through a University of Mississippi Medical Center pharmacy. The medical center would obtain its supply from the University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research in Oxford. That center grows marijuana for medical research sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Bryant says he opposes any other attempt to legalize marijuana or products from it. [end]
A new conventional wisdom is on the rise: Drug prohibition, or "the war on drugs," is a costly flop. It not only failed to cut drug use and associated social ills significantly but has also imposed additional social costs - or "catastrophic harm," as my colleague Radley Balko put it - far exceeding the benefits. Those costs include violent crime linked to the black-market drug trade as well as the mass arrest and incarceration of small-time users, a disproportionate number of whom are African-American. [continues 726 words]
Frees Drug Czar to Study Medicinal Pot WASHINGTON - A week after his comments about marijuana went viral on the Internet, U. S. Rep. Steve Cohen has filed legislation that would give the nation's drug czar the freedom to reform the nation's policies on pot. The bill, if approved, would remove federal restrictions that require the Office of National Drug Control Policy - commonly referred as the "drug czar" - to oppose changing the legal status of marijuana and prevent it from even studying whether there might be any medical benefits to the drug. [continues 220 words]
Marijuana Laws Unjust, Lawmaker Says WASHINGTON - At the grocery store, the pizza man and the cheese man stopped him to thank him for his candor. On MSNBC, commentator Lawrence O'Donnell lauded his intelligence and compassion. And on the Internet, his remarks have been tweeted and retweeted, distributed and discussed all across the blogosphere. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen's rant earlier this week about what he considers unjust marijuana laws has gone viral and made him a hero to those who think the war on drugs has failed. [continues 333 words]
WASHINGTON - Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is yet another victim of the war on drugs. Prohibition is not working. It is time to try something new. Hoffman, 46, was found dead in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment Sunday morning, apparently the victim of a heroin overdose. According to widely published reports, there was a syringe in his arm. Police found the place littered with small plastic bags stamped "Ace of Spades" or "Ace of Hearts" - brand names that street dealers use. [continues 667 words]
But Tenn. GOP Lends No Support NASHVILLE - Tennesseans who want to curb their nausea, seizures or chronic pain with marijuana are hoping a cultural shift makes the prospect of passing a state measure move from laughable to possible. Past medical marijuana bills gained little traction, and House and Senate sponsors of the last bill, proposed in 2012, lost re-election bids. But five states have joined the ranks of those offering medical marijuana since then, the most recent being New York, whose governor this month launched a policy by executive order. That brings the total to 21 states - including traditionally conservative Arizona - and the District of Columbia, all with different fee structures and possession limits. [continues 562 words]
Californians Seek Standards in Certification CAPITOLA, Calif. - Santa Cruz, Calif., has long established its bona fides when it comes to organic farming. But a nascent effort now on the horizon could lead to a new title: the birthplace of certified marijuana. Clearly echoing the organic movement of the 1970s, a handful of county leaders and medical marijuana growers and dispensary operators are formulating a set of standards that set a new bar for best practices and quality standards for pot. Even county farming officials are lending their expertise. [continues 584 words]
You may have seen news reports regarding a new medical marijuana bill (HB 1385) that state Rep. Sherry Jones is introducing in the Tennessee General Assembly. It is a very strictly written law that gives relief to severely ill persons whose regular medications/drugs provide no relief to their pain and suffering. In the news reports children with seizures are used to support this bill - children with many conditions whose seizures are not controlled with any of the many life-threatening seizure drugs. [continues 170 words]
When Ruth Marcus says "our kids will not be better off with another mind-altering legal substance" (Jan. 3 Viewpoint column, "Legal pot a bad idea whose time has come") she is dead wrong. They will be much better off. She can cite all the studies she wants about the effects of marijuana usage on teenagers. That still doesn't mean you can stop the usage of it, nor does it mean punishing kids for life is the right way to go. [continues 218 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - At Medicine Man Denver, a shop in Colorado's capital that began selling marijuana for recreational use last week, people waited in line to get their first taste of legal weed. Some shouted "Freedom!" to the cheering crowd as they walked out with bags of dope. They also paid about double the cost of medical marijuana. Customers were charged $45 for an eighth of an ounce of recreational pot, compared with $25 for an identical amount that he sells for medical purposes, said Andy Williams, the president and chief executive officer. [continues 292 words]
Atty. Gen. Dustin McDaniel has again rejected the wording of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize marijuana in Arkansas. McDaniel said Monday that there were ambiguities in the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment submitted by Marjorie LeClair of Shirley. McDaniel must certify the proposed amendment before supporters can begin gathering the signatures needed to place it on next year's ballot. The proposal calls for repealing all state laws related to the cannabis plant. McDaniel's letter to LeClair says the proposal had unclear language regarding how marijuana would be taxed. McDaniel's office has approved language on two separate marijuana related issues, allowing supporters to gather signatures in an effort to put the items on upcoming ballots. Both of those proposals are related to the medicinal use of marijuana. [end]
LONDON (AP) - Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug used worldwide, but addictions to popular painkillers like Vicodin, Oxycontin and codeine kill the most people, according to the first global survey of illicit drug abuse. In addition to cannabis and opioid painkillers, scientists analyzed abuse of cocaine and amphetamines in 2010, largely based on previous studies. The researchers found that for all the drugs studied, men in their 20s had the highest rates of abuse. The worst-hit countries were Australia, Britain, Russia and the U.S. [continues 134 words]
Justice Dept. Plans to Back Off Enforcing WASHINGTON - The U. S. Justice Department's decision Thursday to relax enforcement of federal marijuana laws nationwide, and not just in the states that have legalized its possession, was greeted as a "step in the right direction" by drug law reform advocates. "Without whistling by the graveyard, as they say, there's no doubt we're seeing a degree of federal capitulation on this," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "They have clearly detected a change in public opinion." [continues 614 words]
KNOXVILLE (AP) - Two state lawmakers in Tennessee are pointing to Kentucky's recent approval of hemp farming as they push for a similar measure. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports Republican Sen. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains is drafting a bill with Republican Rep. Andy Holt of Dresden, and they plan to introduce the measure in next year's legislative session. Nicely said Kentucky and six other states have passed measures legalizing hemp even though federal law prohibits it. Nicely said there also is support for changing federal laws, notably from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul, both from Kentucky. [continues 240 words]
It's been a war on justice, an assault on equal protection under the law. And a war on families, removing millions of fathers from millions of homes. And a war on money, spilling it like water. And a war on people of color, targeting them with drone-strike efficiency. We never call it any of those things, though all of them fit. No, we call it the War on Drugs. It is a 42-year, trillion-dollar disaster that has done nothing - underscore that: absolutely nothing - to stem the inexhaustible supply of, and insatiable demand for, illegal narcotics. In the process, it has rendered this "land of the free" the biggest jailer on Earth. [continues 525 words]
The legal and quasi-legal growing of marijuana is big business, and don't just take my word for it. The Wall Street Journal said so on the front page of its weekend edition in a prominent place right below its play story on the Boston manhunt. "The Pot Business Suffers Growing Pains," says the headline, a cry for capital - seed capital, so to speak - for startup businesses that are a lot better bet, and a lot more fun, than packaging toxic mortgages for sale to municipal pension funds. [continues 472 words]
Keoka Washington, 25, said she started smoking weed at 11 a.m. Saturday to "get a head start" on celebrating the counterculture holiday 4/20. She and nine of her closest friends revel in the holiday that marijuana users refer to as "smokeout day" by firing up a blunt and eating. "You can bite and smoke at the same time," Washington said. "We pass it. We're a group. Sharing is caring." April 20 is the day that smoking weed was made popular by rock band Grateful Dead, but the origins of the phrase have been disputed. Smokers gathered at Overton Park discreetly mixed into a crowd of others who barbecued, walked their pets and enjoyed the sunny weather on blankets. [continues 411 words]
WASHINGTON - With a recent Pew Research Center poll finding for the first time that a majority of Americans agree marijuana should be legal, Congressman Steve Cohen introduced a bill Thursday to create a commission to study federal cannabis laws. The Memphis Democrat said the commission is needed to clarify the federal approach to the drug in light of state laws that have legalized it for either medical or personal use. In a February gathering of the House Democratic Caucus, Cohen asked President Barack Obama to reconsider pursuing the decades-old war on drugs, which Cohen maintains is a waste of resources. Cohen commended the president for making prosecution of recreational drug use a low priority. Obama told him that he planned to study the issue in his second term but was obligated to enforce the laws. [continues 507 words]
Home drug screening kits will be given away on Saturday to Memphis area parents who want to test their kids for illegal drug use. The Rural/Metro Corp. in cooperation with notMYkid.org chose 4/20 as the distribution date for the test because it's know as National Get High Day among marijuana users, according to a company statement. About 200 kits will be available at the Baker Community Center at 7942 Church Street in Millington from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. [end]
I had the pleasure of reading the anti-marijuana letter "Pitfalls of marijuana." The writer's points are well-taken. Now I would like to offer some hard facts about the consequences of smoking just plain old tobacco. These facts deserve knowing since they represent enormous amounts of our health care dollars. In fact, these consequences account for the single largest outlay of money for health care. Most of this information is readily accessible from the highly respected CDC. Are you ready for the 800-pound gorilla in the room? [continues 204 words]
