Marijuana has become the drug of choice for police departments nationwide - a trend that is playing out with serious consequences here in Brown County. According to a new report released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, police have turned much of their zeal for fighting the failed War on Drugs toward the enforcement of marijuana laws in communities across Wisconsin and the country. In 2010, cops in Wisconsin busted someone for having marijuana once every 28 minutes. The majority of these arrests are happening in communities of color. Despite roughly comparable usage rates, blacks in Wisconsin are nearly six times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession. [continues 326 words]
Health care professionals report America is suffering an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. What if a widely used substance could prevent and maybe "cure" diabetes? There is, and cannabis is that substance. In a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine, "The Impact of Marijuana Use on Glucose, Insulin, and Insulin Resistance among U.S. Adults," researchers studied 579 current cannabis users and 1,975 past users. In multivariable adjusted models, current marijuana use was associated with 16% lower fasting insulin levels and 17% lower insulin resistance levels. Researchers also found significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences. [continues 148 words]
A Weekly Feature on Proposed Changes to State and Local Law. in a Nutshell Under current law, a city, village, town or county can enact and enforce an ordinance prohibiting the possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana or the possession of a synthetic cannabinoid. A person who is charged with possession of more than 25 grams of marijuana or who is charged with possession of any amount of marijuana or a synthetic cannabinoid following a conviction for the possession of a controlled substance generally may not be prosecuted under the ordinance. [continues 580 words]
Regarding Monday's At Issue column on marijuana possession, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, should consider that organic marijuana and so-called synthetic marijuana are different things. Synthetic marijuana is an unintended side effect of the war on marijuana. Consumers are turning to potentially toxic drugs made in China and sold as research chemicals before being repackaged as legal incense. Expanding the drug war will only add to the highest incarceration rate in the world. Chinese chemists will tweak formulas to stay one step ahead of the law and two steps ahead of drug tests. New versions won't be safer. A better solution is to legalize organic marijuana. [continues 68 words]
DULUTH - Police have arrested 30 people in an alleged crack cocaine trafficking ring in Duluth and Superior, Wis.threatened The arrests came this week after a nine-month investigation dubbed "Operation Crackdown." Investigators say suspects were trading crack cocaine for government food-assistance debit cards at about half the face value of the cards. Investigators say they used decoy cards to conduct controlled buys of crack cocaine. Lt. Steve Stracek, commander of the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, said alleged dealers would either go to the store with the buyer and buy groceries with the cards, or they would force the buyer to prove the card still had money, and then take the card. Authorities are seeking another 10 suspects. [end]
Regarding your Jan. 15 editorial, the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2010, there were 853,839 marijuana arrests in the United States, almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a long overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As long as organized crime controls distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Arlington, Va. [end]
It should be self-evident that the $1 trillion war on drugs has failed to accomplish its goals. Although the creators and enforcers of American drug policy may have had good intentions, the consequences of this policy have not been so good. It is past time that the U.S. government reforms its federal drug policies. Furthermore, considering the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington, Wisconsin should join the movement of individual states legalizing recreational marijuana use. In its pursuit of marijuana prohibition, it would behoove the federal government to be consistent in its own logic and actions in order to convince the American public that this goal is worthwhile. [continues 718 words]
I found your (Jan. 15) editorial on marijuana completely close-minded and uninformed. When will we admit alcohol and cigarettes open up the flood gates for experimentation with harmful and illegal drugs. You believe there are safer drugs available for people that suffer from debilitating health problems. Can you name a few of these wonder drugs? Conventional medicines such as oxycontin, morphine, dilaudid, ect. are only marginally effective at relieving severe chronic pain. Marijuana has been proven to give significant relief for the same ailments. All of the drugs used to combat pain can be habit-forming, over-perscribed, misused, sold to addicts and even make their way into our schools. People that truly need relief from severe chronic pain and ailments typically dislike using these same drugs, but they have no choice. [continues 237 words]
Your (Jan. 15) editorial against legalizing cannabis (marijuana) was very disappointing because it missed an opportunity to advocate for ending one of the most wasteful government endeavors in modern history. Clearly the Herald Times Reporter would rather the taxpayers pick up the tab for another failed prohibition than allow adults in a free country to grow and consume a plant. I did not expect your paper to be in favor of big government in our personal lives and gardens, monitoring our activities to save us from Mother Nature. Colorado and Washington are leading the way by taxing and regulating the adult cannabis market. More states are likely to follow suit and end another prohibition and allow adults to buy, grow, smoke and eat this plant. The fact that we have made a plant illegal for over 75 years is beyond logic, goes against the bible and has imprisoned and disenfranchised more people than Jim Crow laws. [continues 135 words]
Hundreds of people will converge on Madison today in an attempt to convince lawmakers that marijuana should be legal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin should not follow the recent example of Washington and Colorado and make it legal to use marijuana, even for medical purposes. There is a reason pot is, at least under federal law, a controlled substance. It is, as police and mental health experts call it, a "gateway drug" that often leads to experimentation with more dangerous illegal drugs, particularly among young people. [continues 302 words]
Inside Wisconsin
