In response to the April 13 letter "Pitfalls of marijuana," I hope the writer is also in favor of banning alcohol, caffeine, sugar, tobacco, cough medicine and any prescription anxiety or depression medicine if he is against any drug that "creates a sensation, an illusion that is momentary." Also, I am confused as to what he means by no redeeming qualities. It has been proven marijuana has medical benefits. Just because it has bad side effects does not mean no benefits. It's a question if the benefits outweigh the negatives. [continues 124 words]
WASHINGTON - As one of the nation's top marijuana lobbyists, Allen St. Pierre has come to believe in his product, which is why he tries to smoke high-potency, one-toke weed every night. It's an experience that St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, commonly known as NORML, hopes more Americans will soon have, with no fear of prosecution. After working for marijuana legalization for 23 years, St. Pierre said he pinches himself every day as he watches events unfold across the U.S. [continues 376 words]
The president's position on pot continues to be dangerously vague and confusing." As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot. Until now, the president has been remarkably adept at taking positions that seemed to be ahead of their time - and getting ahead of them. [continues 642 words]
I recently read that a pot dealer in Trenton, Tenn., was given 30 years in the penitentiary for distributing a couple thousand pounds of marijuana. This is an extremely foolish carbon-copy repeat of the religiously spawned federal Prohibition of beer and other alcoholic products nearly a century ago. The only drugs I do are aspirin, Finasteride and a few other benign medications my VA doctors prescribe; however, I have known hundreds of good, solid citizens who do smoke pot in their leisure time, and who do function as honest, upstanding members of the business world. [continues 146 words]
President Says He'll Consider It WASHINGTON - Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen said he asked President Barack Obama to reconsider pursuing a war on drugs when the president engaged in a question-and-answer session Thursday at the Democrats' congressional retreat. Cohen said he was the first to ask a question at the Lansdowne Resort in the Northern Virginia suburbs west of the capital. The president's initial remarks to the gathering were transcribed by the White House but not the question-and-answer session. [continues 291 words]
Cites Respect for Changes on Possession WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has asked the Justice Department to respect Colorado and Washington state referendums making marijuana possession legal, saying it would be "a mistake for the federal government to focus enforcement action on individuals whose actions are in compliance with state law." Voters in Colorado and Washington passed laws Nov. 6 that make possession of less than an ounce of marijuana legal for individuals 21 years old or older, going beyond laws in other states where cannabis is legal for medical purposes. Colorado also permits cultivation of up to six plants and calls for an excise tax for marijuana sales with revenue devoted to school construction. [continues 558 words]
SEATTLE - In the waning days of a campaign to legalize marijuana in California two years ago, all nine ex-directors of the Drug Enforcement Administration simultaneously urged Obama officials to come out in strong opposition. The pressure worked: Attorney General Eric Holder declared his office would "vigorously enforce" the federal ban on marijuana "even if such activities are permitted under state law." Whether that was a real threat or just posturing is unclear: California voters rejected Proposition 19. The test case instead could be Washington, where voters on Nov. 6 will decide whether to directly confront the federal ban on marijuana and embrace a sprawling plan to legalize, regulate and tax sales at state-licensed pot stores. [continues 238 words]
Memphis drug-ring accomplice testifies of violence that drove him to flee with his family A former member of Craig Petties' drug organization told jurors Tuesday about a series of ghoulish events that drove him from Memphis and ultimately into the federal witness protection program. Dana Bradley, testifying in the federal trial of two alleged hit men, said the disturbing errands he was asked to carry out on behalf of the drug ring included digging a grave, carting around a heavily armed death squad from Mexico and burning up a murder victim's car. [continues 647 words]
Admitted drug trafficker Curtis Keller walked into Criminal Court for sentencing Tuesday, shielding himself from cameras with a sheet of paper on which he had printed: "Massive Corruption Within the Courts." Things went downhill from there. Keller, in bright red jail garb and escorted by two jail officers, was convicted last fall of directing a 2010 home invasion in Collierville, a scheme he acknowledged planning in an effort to get his marijuana back. Kicking in a door in the middle of the night, threatening a woman and children with guns and pistol-whipping the man at the house, however, was the crowning achievement in a lifetime of crime, the judge said. [continues 490 words]
Sitting in the driver's seat of his Chevy Cavalier, Chris Burns gripped a 20-ounce soda bottle and waited for his "shake and bake" methamphetamine to cook. Then came the explosion and fire. Burns and passenger Bobby Joe Joyner fled as blazing chemicals scorched their skin. When police caught up with the pair, they admitted to cooking meth and causing the explosion while sitting at a stop sign on a rural Fayette County road. But it was months before either faced criminal charges. [continues 1051 words]
Trial offers view of Memphis' drug lords Case of 2 cousins -- accused of being hit men in Petties' violent gang -- to resume Monday Killers callously hunting down their Memphis targets. A Mexico death squad armed with assault rifles and silencers hidden in Cordova. A 6-year-old boy caught up in a shootout over a multi-million-dollar drug heist. This portrait of Memphis' secret seedy side is continuing to take shape each day in the ongoing federal trial of two alleged hit men from the city's most notorious drug organization. [continues 871 words]
It didn't surprise former U.S. Customs investigator Jamie Haase that a drug trafficker testified in federal court about cocaine sent from Mexico into the U.S. via FedEx. Haase said the FedEx Express world hub in Memphis, which handles about 1.5 million packages on a typical night, just doesn't have enough people, drug dogs and detection gear to catch everything. "The sheer volume of packages that goes through there makes it a win-win for drug traffickers," said Haase, who works in loss prevention in Greenville, S.C., and advocates for a group that favors liberalization of drug laws. [continues 951 words]
British Will Seek FDA OK for Pain Spray SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A quartercentury after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves. A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents- a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. And it hopes to see FDA approval by the end of 2013. [continues 490 words]
In Aiding Sick, We Should Consider All Resources. There's an old public service announcement that features a father and his son sitting at the breakfast table, eating and not saying a word. "Another missed opportunity to talk to your child about marijuana," the screen reads. Today, it's time to have a talk with Tennesseans about marijuana, albeit within a much more serious context. Thousands of Tennesseans suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, neurological diseases and degenerative muscle disorders are faced every day with a choice: [continues 539 words]
Shelby County Schools could begin random drug testing as early as this school year. Supt. John Aitken and board members were still hammering out the details of the newly proposed policy at a Thursday board meeting. If approved in October, random drug testing would touch nearly 30 percent of the district's 47,000 students, which take part in extracurricular activities. Aitken wants to make sure jocks won't be singled out. "I don't think we need to narrow it down to sports," he said. [continues 357 words]
The superintendent of Shelby County Schools plans to propose a measure that would allow schools to perform random drug tests. On the agenda for Thursday's school board work session, the new policy would allow schools to test students involved in sports and other extracurricular activities for drugs and alcohol, regardless of whether there is a reasonable suspicion. Supt. John Aitken would not discuss the agenda item. "He doesn't have anything to say until he has the opportunity to present it to the board," said county schools spokesman Mike Tebbe. [continues 126 words]
DeSoto supervisors plan to review ordinance to cover rest of county The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors has set a public hearing on Monday at 10:30 a.m. during its regular meeting in Hernando to review adopting an ordinance banning sales of synthetic drugs. "It's consistent with what the municipalities have been doing," County Administrator Michael Garriga said Friday. "The ordinance would affect merchants in the unincorporated areas of the county," and close any gap, he said. Southaven, Hernando, Horn Lake and Olive Branch already have passed ordinances outlawing possession and sale of synthetic marijuana and cocaine that are popular with teenagers and college students. The products have been deemed hazardous after reports surfaced of people getting sick after smoking the herbs. [continues 284 words]
Regarding your July 18 article on drug testing in public schools ("Study: Testing reduces drug use / Districts can decide to screen students"): This is a violation of our constitutional right to privacy in our persons, papers and possessions. It also violates the probable cause clause and search warrant issuance in most law codes. A person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and here they are presupposing guilt prior to the testing. Charles Gillihan Bartlett [end]
Districts Can Decide To Screen Students Students who are subject to drug testing while participating in extracurricular activities use drugs less than those who aren't tested, according to a study by the Institute of Education Sciences. According to the study released last week by IES, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, 16 percent of students subject to drug testing reported using banned substances in the past 30 days, compared with 22 percent of students who aren't tested at school. [continues 440 words]
The story about the havoc wrought by Craig Petties (June 27 and July 4 special report, "Blood trade") was tragic, but it could have been avoided. Violence is the predictable and tragic consequence of drug prohibition. People continue to demand drugs in large quantities, drug suppliers have to resort to violence to settle disputes because they are barred from formal legal channels, and the conditions created by prohibition itself make it more profitable to be a criminal. The same factors that produced the horrors of alcohol prohibition have also produced the horrors of drug prohibition. Blood and violence are the price we pay for prohibition. It's a price that's far too high. Art Carden Memphis [end]
Feds Describe Disciplined Business Run By Cell Phone Memphis Commercial Appeal Posted July 4, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. QUERETARO, Mexico -- When the little girl saw the children move into the house nearby, she was excited. "My daughter said, 'Oh, Mommy, I'm going to have neighbors to play with!'" her mother recalled. But they never saw the children come out again. The mother had seen the man of the house just once, as he moved in. She noticed he was black, a rarity in this part of Mexico. And she saw that men were constantly moving in and out of the house and the windows were always closed. [continues 2460 words]
Memphis Commercial Appeal Posted July 4, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. Craig Petties' January 2008 arrest in central Mexico was one of a series of setbacks for the Beltran Leyva cartel, the Mexican criminal organization he's accused of working with. Later that month, the Mexican military arrested Alfredo Beltran Leyva, one of the brothers in the group's leadership. The remaining Beltran Leyva brothers believed that the Sinaloa Cartel, a group they had been associated with, had betrayed Alfredo, according to a report by George W. Grayson, a professor at the College of William & Mary who has studied drug violence. [continues 355 words]
A Violent Venture Hits Home Blood Trade ? Memphis and the Mexican drug war: A violent venture hits home They found Marcus Turner in a ditch in Olive Branch, naked and shot to death. It was the end of a young man's life and a grim reminder of a larger truth: The Mexican drug war isn't as far away as you might think. The order that led to Turner's death was phoned in from Mexico, prosecutors say. They say the man on the other end of the line was Craig Petties, alleged to be one of the most powerful and violent drug entrepreneurs the area has ever seen. [continues 822 words]
How the drug business works and Memphis' role as a major player When the officers came to the house, they noticed a distinct smell. "I smoked a little marijuana to help ease my mind from the fact of my girlfriend cheating on me," Craig Petties said, according to an arrest report. But this was more than one man dulling his sorrows with weed. In a bedroom closet of the home in southwest Memphis, officers found three duffel bags stuffed with marijuana. Six hundred pounds in all. [continues 2249 words]
In November, the police chief in the Mexican border city of Tijuana canceled a concert by a famous group of musicians after they released a song that suggested they had real-life links to the drug traffickers they'd been singing about for years. Since then, the band has gone elsewhere. On Friday night, a burst of prerecorded gunfire echoed through a Memphis nightclub as the red-suited members of Los Tucanes de Tijuana launched their signature song, "El Papa de los Pollitos." (CAUTION: This link leads to a music video that contains some elements of violence and nudity.) [continues 927 words]
An April 23 letter writer asserts that police should be locking up murderers and other "real" criminals instead of harassing pot smokers at the park. The writer seems to believe that although there exists the law of the land, his disagreement makes its compliance optional. Perhaps he is right in that it should be legal (that is another debate). He is, however, wrong in thinking that it is legal. We all want peace and for violence to stop, but have these people that support a criminal activity paused to consider the mayhem that transpires in someone else's backyard? [continues 123 words]
In response to the April 23 reader who questioned why the educated citizens of our city who choose to smoke marijuana should be punished, I'll give you the only reason you need: Smoking marijuana is illegal. Having worked in the alcohol and drug prevention arena for over 20 years, and as an international speaker for youth, I have the opportunity to work with teenagers from many cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. It's always interesting to work with students whose parents arbitrarily pick what laws their family will follow. Those students don't understand the boundaries of laws, because they are taught that if they can present a rationale that gives the right not to follow a law, then they don't have to. [continues 192 words]
The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a North Memphis man by a Bartlett police officer, Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin told the City Council on Tuesday. "I want you to know MPD has received notification that the FBI has launched an investigation," Godwin said with no further comment. Bartlett Police Chief Gary Rikard said his department was notified Tuesday that the FBI was investigating the shooting. Rikard declined any further comment other than to say his department would cooperate fully with the investigation. [continues 240 words]
Danger is always lurking: The undercover drug deal that went awry last week depicts the perilous work of a covert cop. A frightening reminder of the dangerous nature of police work, especially for undercover officers, played out on a residential street in Southwest Memphis last Wednesday. An undercover Memphis police officer met a crack dealer for what was supposed to be a routine drug sale. The dealer and a 16-year-old accomplice had other ideas, according to police. They pulled guns, demanded money and discovered the officer's recording device before firing a burst of shots at the officer and his partner. [continues 304 words]
An undercover Memphis police officer met a crack dealer at the trunk of a 2005 Ford for what looked to be a routine drug sale. Nothing that followed was routine. Within seconds, police said, the dealer and a 16-year-old boy pulled guns, demanded money and discovered the officer's recording device before firing a flurry of shots at the officer and his partner. 2009 Crime Series. The officers escaped, one playing dead in a ditch while the other diverted attention from his partner. Neither was injured. [continues 408 words]
WASHINGTON -- Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen acknowledged feeling a little lonely as he addressed a crowd of self-described pot smokers just off Capitol Hill. After all, sharing a stage with Cheech and Chong and calling for loosening drug laws isn't usually in the campaign playbook of a sitting congressman. Cohen, a two-term Democrat from Memphis, didn't seem to care Wednesday night as he headlined the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project's 15th annual gala, where the famed stoner comedy duo of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong won a lifetime "trailblazer" award for helping push marijuana use into the mainstream. [continues 238 words]
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., will address the Marijuana Policy Project on Wednesday evening, his office confirmed this morning. An advocate of the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, Cohen is expected to address the policy group's annual gala dinner on Capitol Hill if it doesn't conflict with a Democratic members' caucus meeting. "I think that he is one of the strongest members of Congress in general on these issues," said Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Aaron Houston. [continues 178 words]
We hear so many times, especially from tongue-clicking politicians, that a certain person is a "true hero." April Leatherwood is a first-rate example, one who was not in the limelight and who probably put her life on the line every day (Aug. 30 article, "Year of living dangerously takes its toll / Undercover Memphis police officer 'was always on edge' in her role as a junkie"). Memphians should be proud, and should also hang their heads at the pitiful salary. Charles Green Somerville, Tenn. [end]
Police work can be a thankless, dangerous and stressful job. The public too often is unaware of the many heroic sacrifices by officers who do their jobs well out of the media spotlight. Unfortunately, it's the corrupt cops -- of which there have been far too many in Memphis -- who make the headlines. The compelling story of Memphis Police Det. April Leatherwood, however, is one that should make all residents appreciate the commitment that officers make to protect and serve the public. [continues 129 words]
She 'Was Always on Edge' In Her Role As a Junkie April Leatherwood no longer goes by the name Summer Smith. Summer's brown, greasy hair has been cut and bleached, highlighted to April's honey blond. Summer's glasses have been removed to reveal April's 20/20 vision. And Summer's feet -- once covered by the same filthy pair of socks for an entire year -- now slide into April's black flip-flops with a fresh pedicure and red toenail polish. [continues 1275 words]
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that a state law that taxes illegal drugs is unconstitutional. The court found in a 3-2 decision that the law, sometimes called the "crack tax," exceeds the state's taxing power because it isn't a tax on "merchants, peddlers and privileges." But the court also ruled that the law didn't violate constitutional protections against self-incrimination, leaving open the possibility that the General Assembly could develop a new tax on drugs that would be constitutional. [continues 578 words]
For most of his four years as a Memphis police officer, Arthur Sease IV financed his dream of becoming a record producer by stealing large sums of money and drugs from dealers whose reward was not being arrested, a federal court jury was told Thursday. Federal prosecutors said Sease got greedy, however, taking $32,000 in one stop and on another occasion robbing a particularly dangerous dealer in a white BMW who was so angry he chased Sease's squad car through the streets of Whitehaven. [continues 434 words]
The new student at Millington Central High School was freaking out in study hall. She'd just been talking to a boy about scoring some drugs one late September day when she turned to get her purse and couldn't find her cell phone inside. The slight, pretty girl with dark blonde hair and a darker secret went nuts. She jumped up and dumped the purse out onto the table, demanding, "Who took my cell phone!?" The phone's loss itself was of no importance. [continues 265 words]
OK, I get it. This is about creating a safe school environment and protecting students from the scourge of drug dependency. It's about zero tolerance, or something close to it, for peddling even small quantities of drugs on or near a school campus. It's about keeping kids from making a stupid mistake that they will regret, and perhaps pay for, the rest of their lives. And it's about closing a door that could lead to more serious, even violent criminal activity down the road. [continues 646 words]
Their hearts were in the right place when three Shelby County high school principals tried to continue random drug testing of students engaged in extracurricular activities this week. "To heck with what the attorney general's office says," however, might not be the right lesson for young people to take from their high school experience going forward. Shelby County Schools officials were correct to halt the testing at Germantown, Houston and Millington High Schools, pending a review of an opinion authored by deputy Atty. Gen. Kate Eyler. [continues 314 words]
But Most Don't Volunteer To Pony Up; Collections Usually Come After Arrests NASHVILLE -- Tennessee's tax on illegal drugs was a head-scratcher when the state legislature enacted it in 2004 -- What drug dealer would pay it? -- but it netted nearly $1.8 million in 2006, state tax collectors announced Tuesday. The Department of Revenue said it collected $1.774 million in "unauthorized substances tax" last year, up from the $1.715 million the tax generated in 2005, the first year it was collected. [continues 288 words]
DeSoto County officials bailed out an endangered drug enforcement squad that roots out dealers and traffickers in Hernando and rural areas. The Board of Supervisors OK'd $150,386 Monday to offset a loss of federal funds that threatened to shut down the Metro Narcotics Task Force after Jan. 1. The funding will keep the team going through Sept. 30, 2007. The action came after Dist. Atty. John Champion and Sheriff James Albert Riley made strong pitches for county taxpayers to pick up a tab left unpaid by a federal grant. [continues 438 words]
Students Enouraged to Trust the Faculty Memphis and Shelby County public high schools will launch a program today that will pay rewards averaging $200 to students who report crimes or give information that prevents them. In partnership with Crime Stoppers, the Trust Pays program is designed to give students a way to report incidents at school without fear of retribution. Students will tell a trusted faculty member, who will tell the principal. The Plough Foundation will provide money to pay rewards. [continues 483 words]
Leading Offense In Memphis Schools; Weapons Next Closest Illegal drug possession was the most common zero-tolerance offense recorded in Memphis City Schools last year, following a trend in Tennessee's other urban schools. The offense accounted for 465 of the 751 reported incidents in the 2005-06 Memphis school year, and accounted for the highest percentage of offenses in Knox and Davidson counties, according to the state's latest report on zero-tolerance offenses. The data, reported by schools every 20 days to district officials, come from the 75 schools that reported zero-tolerance offenses in 2005-06. They represent 39 percent of the district's schools. [continues 421 words]
Illegal drug possession was the most common offense recorded in Memphis City Schools last year, according to the district's behavior data. Possession accounted for a significant portion of the 751 reported incidents. Schools reported incidents under six categories, including possession of firearms, battery against teachers or staff, possession of weapons other than firearms and possession of alcohol. Northside High School led the way with 42 total incidents reported in 2005-06. Of those, 30 incidents were drug related. High schools reported the most incidents, a fact reflected in 51 of the 60 new campus monitors being sent to high schools. [continues 162 words]
This month the FBI reported the highest one-year increase in violent crime rates in 15 years -- back to the frightening situation which challenged the Clinton administration in its first year. Memphis' violent crime rate jumped 25 percent between 2004 and 2005, with the number of reported murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults growing from 10,093 to 12,630. But the FBI's analysis of its crime figures and media reports neglected the clear connection between drugs and crime. The current administration's overall anti-drug budget has been slashed by over one-third from $19.2 billion in 2001 to $12.7 billion for 2007. This reduced budget for the federal government's comprehensive drug-fighting initiatives -- including education, prevention and treatment programs as well as enforcement efforts -- is a genuine threat to our national security. [continues 704 words]
Drug Sting Shakes Millington; Suspects Go To Court A standing-room-only crowd in courtroom No. 3 forced Audie Matthews to wait outside for most of the time that 16 Millington teenagers accused of drug dealing faced a referee in Juvenile Court. The mass detention hearing in Memphis Friday left half of the young suspects locked up while waiting for trial. It gave seven a chance to post a $1,000 bond to get out of lockup. One 17-year-old who was on crutches because of an ankle broken while playing basketball was allowed to walk out with his mother on the promise that he will return. [continues 518 words]
Methamphetamine labs are explosively dangerous and toxic. So it is understandable that Horn Lake police officers, acting on reliable evidence, moved quickly early Wednesday to shut one down. The problem is that once they arrived on the scene, officers raided the wrong house. In the action that followed, two octogenarians were seriously injured. Horn Lake Mayor Nat Baker, a former police captain, rightfully asked for an internal police investigation and a written report on the 4 a.m. raid. Two key questions need answering. Did officers make an unwise assumption about which house to raid when they discovered there were two homes at the scene, both sharing the same house number and a driveway? Were house occupants A. L. Bostick and his wife, Lisa, both in their 80s, unnecessarily roughed up by officers? [continues 145 words]
WASHINGTON -- Some states with significant methamphetamine problems have not received their share of federal money because the bulk of a grant program was steered by lawmakers to favored projects in their districts, the Justice Department inspector general said Thursday. More than $179 million in anti-meth money administered by the department -- 84 percent of the grant funds -- has been earmarked, as the practice is known, by members of Congress for programs in their states and districts, inspector general Glenn Fine said. [continues 341 words]
Elderly Couple In Wrong House At Right Address Hospitalized Elderly couple in wrong house at right address hospitalized An elderly man and woman were hospitalized with injuries Wednesday morning when Horn Lake police raided a house reported to be the site of an illegal methamphetamine laboratory. It was the right address, but the wrong house, authorities said Wednesday. Capt. Shannon Beshears of the Horn Lake Police Department said the department's Tactical Apprehension Containment Team stormed a house in the 6700 block of Allen Drive about 4 a.m. after receiving a tip that a methamphetamine laboratory was in operation there. [continues 321 words]
