A University of Rhode Island student was arraigned last Wednesday on felony charges of possession with intention to distribute marijuana and cultivating marijuana. URI student Kenneth J. Lucas, 19, of East Longmedow, Mass., was charged with growing $7,500 worth of marijuana in his parents' Great Island home. According to The Providence Journal, Narragansett police confiscated 24 mature marijuana plants and growing supplies, including fluorescent lights, fertilizer and plants ready for harvesting. Additionally, officers found one pound of marijuana and $2,700 in cash. [continues 384 words]
Rob Kampia is to be commended for exposing the absurdity of the U.S. government's irrational prohibition of marijuana ("Medical marijuana works in Canada," Commentary April 24). Diet is the No. 1 determinant of health. Do we really want big government monitoring everything that goes into our bodies? And if it is the proper role of government to punish citizens for unhealthy choices, why target medical-marijuana patients? Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of nicotine. [continues 91 words]
WESTERLY - A pack of police dogs took to the hallways of the high school this morning in a surprise attempt to find drugs on school grounds. The search netted one arrest of a student, who had a "small amount" of marijuana in his or her car, said police Chief Edward A. Mello. Mello said only top school administrators, himself and K-9 officers knew about the drug search before it began at 7:50 a.m. It had been planned for several weeks, he said. [continues 221 words]
A bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana is before the General Assembly, and it's drawing the support of leadership as well as the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. Under its provisions, patients, caregivers and doctors would be protected from arrest if a doctor certifies that a patient would benefit from marijuana use, and the benefit would outweigh health risks. The department of health would be the oversight body, and would issue registration cards providing that the patient or caregiver could possess up to 12 marijuana plants or up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at any given time. [continues 343 words]
Panelists Decry 'War' On Drugs At Tuesday night's panel, "The International War on Drugs: Plan Colombia and Beyond," Peter Andreas, assistant professor of political science and international studies, admitted that he once inadvertently contributed to Bolivia's cocaine economy by agreeing to sit on top of a large stack of toilet paper on a public bus. Unbeknownst to Andreas at the time, toilet paper is used to dry coca paste, and Bolivia's cocaine production depends on the surreptitious import of this seemingly innocuous product. [continues 577 words]
The reason to fear drugs, we are told, is that they rob us of motivation and sense, that they destroy our ability to seize opportunities and make positive contributions to the world. And sometimes they do. But though society should be upset when it catches young people with illicit drugs, it would be the worst possible step to possibly destroy these juvenile offenders' futures because of a mistake they made in high school. Yet, this is currently the policy of the United States. [continues 657 words]
ON APRIL 19, Canada delivered what should be the final blow to the U.S. government's irrational prohibition of the medical use of marijuana. It approved prescription sale of a natural marijuana extract -- for all practical purposes, liquid marijuana -- to treat pain and other symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Sativex, produced by GW Pharmaceuticals, in Britain, brings the medical-marijuana debate full circle. Although the technology has advanced in 70 years, this product is a direct descendant of the marijuana extracts and tinctures that were a standard part of the medical armamentarium until the late 1930s -- universally recognized as safe and effective for certain conditions. [continues 585 words]
On Monday the Drug Resource Center opened its doors to the Brown community with hopes of establishing itself as a safe place for students to receive accurate information about drug use. The mission of the DRC, a project of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in collaboration with Health Services, is to serve as an "accessible, confidential and non-judgmental space" where students can receive science-based information about the effects of drug and alcohol use, according to the DRC mission statement. The center does not provide counseling to students, but it can offer referrals to other campus or citywide treatment services. [continues 376 words]
Legalizing medical marijuana has come up in the Rhode Island General Assembly before, but legislators this year seem more willing to give it a try. Before they just say yes, however, we think they should devote more brain cells to some issues and unanswered questions. Cannabis' benefits for people with certain illnesses are well-established. The identical medical-marijuana bills in the state House and Senate cite a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, saying that the herb has beneficial uses in treating pain, nausea and other symptoms of certain medical conditions. [continues 592 words]
Watching the over-the-top display from one state senator during a legislative hearing last week made me feel like using a retort favored by my friends more than 20 years ago: "You don't have to be a jerk just because you know how." Of course, we didn't use the word "jerk" back then, but the meaning remains the same. The hearing was on legislation that would allow the medical use of marijuana. Ten states already have a similar law, which would allow people with debilitating diseases to seek prescriptions for marijuana to control their symptoms. Even in relatively conservative, Republican Arizona, the bill was overwhelmingly approved in a voter referendum. [continues 527 words]
The April 8 Commentary piece by TV's Montel Williams ("Don't treat patients using marijuana as criminals") extolling "medical" marijuana made for fine reading. I had a mental picture of Montel sitting in his easy chair at night, probably with his dog, Rover, by his side, toking away on some Cuervo Gold provided by his physician, and slipping into absolute peace and serenity, free from the aches and pains of human life. If only the rest of us who have our own personal tortures could find the way to such glory! [continues 247 words]
NEW YORK -- YOU MAY KNOW me as a television talk-show host, but here in Rhode Island and 39 other states, I am also a criminal. My crime? Using the medicine that has allowed me to lead a normal life, despite having multiple sclerosis: medical marijuana. Being diagnosed with MS, in 1999, felt like a death sentence. I doubted my ability to function as a father, son, brother, friend, talk-show host and producer. I honestly couldn't see a future. I had always taken excellent care of my body; I'd worked out, followed a healthy diet, and looked the picture of health. What no one could see was the mind-numbing pain that seared through my legs, as if I were being stabbed with hot pokers. [continues 577 words]
To the Editor: Marcia Grann O'Brien's editorial "What's the price tag on the drug bill?" March 30, 2005 raises a fair question regarding Rep. Joseph Almeida's proposed legislation to reimburse students denied federal financial aid under the Higher Education Act Drug Provision. However there is little to worry about the cost of this important bill. The HEA Drug Provision has cost 160,500 students education and opportunity, yet the amount saved by the government has been minimal. The Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) estimates it would cost Rhode Island merely $1.2 million per year to provide aid to students impacted by this misguided federal policy, a small amount compared to the proposed Public Higher Education Budget for FY2006 totaling $672 million. [continues 160 words]
An Opponent Says the Bill, Which Has Attracted Prominent Sponsors And Received Support at a Hearing Yesterday, Would Sanction Breaking The Law. PROVIDENCE -- Support is building in both the House and the Senate for passage of a bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana in Rhode Island, an idea endorsed by leaders of the General Assembly, the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. In the House, 50 lawmakers have signed on to the bill, including Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, D-Providence. The lead sponsor, Rep. Thomas Slater, D-Providence, said House Speaker William J. Murphy, D-West Warwick, had pledged his support. [continues 785 words]
Chronically ill Rhode Islanders, medical experts and advocates testified in favor of the Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Act before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon at the State House. Although State Sen. Leo Blais, R, expressed animated opposition to the bill early into the proceedings, there were no witnesses testifying against the measure. If passed, the bill will allow chronically ill individuals and their caregivers to acquire and cultivate marijuana with protection from prosecution and arrest. Qualifying medical conditions include cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and illnesses that cause severe symptoms alleviated by marijuana use, such as nausea or seizures. Ten states have passed similar measures, most through voter initiatives, but medical use of the drug remains illegal at the federal level. [continues 867 words]
If you burn down a building, rob a store or rape someone, are subsequently tried, convicted and sent to jail, upon release the federal government will help you go to college with grants and loans. But if you get caught with drugs, even a small amount of marijuana, forget it. A 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act passed by Congress in 1968 prohibits federal financial aid. Even Congressman Mark Souder, who introduced the amendment, says it's unfair. The intent, he's said in published reports, was to ban students in college when convicted from getting the aid. But as the law applies, once you've been caught and convicted of drug use or possession, that's the end of any hope for financial relief in the future. You may want to change and improve your life, but unless you can finance that on your own, the government won't help you go to college. [continues 309 words]
To the Editor: As a Colorado citizen who voted for Amendment 20 allowing people to use cannabis medicinally in my state, I agree with the Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Act ("R.I. House and Senate to hear medical marijuana bill," March 22), which protects sick citizens from the federal government's attacks. The federal government wants citizens to think cannabis is a chemical weapon of mass destruction; in reality, Coloradoans use the plant cannabis medicinally while following state law, and it works: cannabis use has not increased, and the sky hasn't fallen. [continues 78 words]
Invasion Iowa is a new TV reality show. A fake film crew descends on a small town and pretends to make a science-fiction movie. The locals try out for the "parts." The humor is gentle. This is the Iowa of apple pies, tidy lawns and nice farm folk. But Iowa has another reality, and there's nothing funny about it. Iowa has been invaded, all right, and the ravager is crystal meth. Methamphetamine is possibly the worst drug of all time. It quickly clamps a hard addiction onto users. The end product is hallucinations and paranoiac rages. People trying to kick meth may need two years to even start feeling normal. [continues 611 words]
What's The Price Tag On Drug Bill? If you burn down a building, rob a store or rape someone, are subsequently tried, convicted and sent to jail, upon release the federal government will help you go to college with grants and loans. But if you get caught with drugs, even a small amount of marijuana, forget it. A 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act passed by Congress in 1968 prohibits federal financial aid. Even Congressman Mark Souder, who introduced the amendment, says it's unfair. The intent, he's said in published reports, was to ban students in college when convicted from getting the aid. But as the law applies, once you've been caught and convicted of drug use or possession, that's the end of any hope for financial relief in the future. You may want to change and improve your life, but unless you can finance that on your own, the government won't help you go to college. [continues 309 words]
Thank you for raising awareness of the Higher Education Act's denial of student loans to youth convicted of drug offenses. Anyone born into a wealthy family need not fear the impact of HEA. Instead of empowering at-risk students with a college degree, HEA limits career opportunities and increases the likelihood those affected will resort to crime. Speaking of crime, convicted rapists and murders are still eligible for federal student loans. Most students outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving illicit drugs. An arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering. [continues 143 words]
For years, students filling out the forms necessary to get financial aid from the federal government have had to answer a question asking them whether they have ever been convicted of an illegal drug offense. If their answer was yes, they were immediately declared ineligible for federal financial aid. The purpose behind this is understandable. The federal government is trying to discourage young people from using illegal drugs. While the wisdom behind the laws prohibiting drugs like marijuana can be argued, the simple fact remains that it is against the law to use them, no matter how a person feels about a law. A person doesn't have a license to break the law just because they don't favor it. [continues 282 words]
Three Rhode Island state representatives would like to see the state provide financial aid to students denied federal aid due to drug convictions. Rep. Joseph Almeida (D-Dist. 12) introduced House Bill 6134, which would provide financial aid to students who have been denied federal financial aid due to drug convictions. Representatives Thomas Slater (D-Dist. 10), and Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 11) co-sponsored the bill with Almeida. The Souder Amendment to the Higher Education Act denies federal financial aid to students with drug convictions. Students are ineligible for aid for specified periods of time depending on the severity and number of their convictions. [continues 436 words]
An Uphill Battle, Despite Legislative Support Proponents of an effort to make medical marijuana available to seriously ill patients in Rhode Island are heartened by a strong level of legislative support -- bills introduced by Senator Rhoda Perry (D-Providence) and Representative Thomas Slater (D-Providence) have respectively attracted 18 and 50 cosponsors. The greatest stumbling block appears to be Governor Donald L. Carcieri, who, as something of a traditional Republican, seems unlikely to back a measure opposed by the federal government. [continues 290 words]
The recent introduction of medical marijuana bills by of 60 percent of the Rhode Island General Assembly gives me great hope. As an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS and as executive director of the oldest AIDS organization in Rhode Island, I have seen how important this bill is. AIDS Project Rhode Island is just one of many groups and medical experts supporting this sensible, humane legislation. We are joined by the Rhode Island Medical Society, the Rhode Island State Nurses Association and Dr. Kenneth Mayer, head of the Brown University AIDS Program, among many others. [continues 564 words]
The medical marijuana bill introduced by Sen. Rhoda Perry and Rep. Thomas Slater should give us some interesting insights into the workings of the General Assembly this session. Does the leadership carry out the will of the majority of members, or do the House Speaker and Senate President -- with a Caesar-like thumbs-up or thumbs-down, or just a Machiavellian nod and wink -- dictate which bills will pass and which will die. I point to the medical marijuana bill because it seems to have the support it needs for passage. The House bill has 50 co-sponsors -- two out of every three House members put their name on the measure (that's more votes than the budget is likely to get if the DeSimone dissident coalition holds) -- and the Senate version has, at last count, 18, two short of the number of votes needed for guaranteed passage. [continues 454 words]
Rhode Islanders who have a prescription from their doctors may soon be able to possess marijuana for medical use without worrying about the state enforcing current controlled substance laws. Senator Rhoda Perry of Providence introduced the Medical Marijuana Act legislation to the Rhode Island General Assembly last week and said yesterday there is majority support in the House and she expects growing support in the Senate to carry the bill through to the governor1s desk. Fifty out of the 75 House members have already expressed support for the bill and 18 of the 38 senators have also favored it, she said. [continues 409 words]
PROVIDENCE -- A bill that would allow people with degenerative illnesses to use marijuana to help relieve their suffering has 50 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 18 in the Senate, leading supporters to believe this is the year it could win passage. Sen. Rhoda Perry, who has introduced the measure in each of the last five years, said, "we have indications it is going to pass. We've gotten some strong feelings that it is not looked on with such negativity as it has in the past." [continues 715 words]
MATAMOROS, Mexico - Garcia's is where Americans go for a quick taste of Mexico. Or did. Garcia's is a vast emporium here in Matamoros, selling leather purses, silver jewelry and other Mexicana. Just a 10-minute walk across the bridge from Brownsville, Texas, the store's shelves groan with merchandise. And its attractive restaurant stands ready to serve its fajita specials. But the mariachi bands play for almost no one. Few Americans are patronizing Garcia's, or other businesses that cater to day trippers. They're too afraid to cross the Rio Grande. [continues 659 words]
To the Cigar, I am glad the Cigar took me to task in its editorial column last Friday ("Marijuana possession is no longer a crime?" Jan. 21). While the Cigar raised several notable concerns, its arguments were surprisingly inconsistent with past editorials and also relied on a critical misunderstanding of my argument. First, the inconsistency: In its challenge to my request that the University lower its enforcement priority for marijuana possession, the Cigar argued that, "Asking police to exercise judgment regarding arrests flaunts the will of the people. Politicians who are elected by the people create laws..." [continues 559 words]
- - To the Cigar, Marijuana possession does indeed have consequences, hence Students for Sensible Drug Policy's efforts to reform harmful marijuana laws. If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but criminal records are inappropriate as health interventions are ineffective as deterrents. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Study reports that lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the United States than any European country, yet America is one of the few Western countries that uses its criminal justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis. [continues 142 words]
To the Cigar, Yes, marijuana possession is still a crime. But it should not be. Marijuana is a natural herb that has never killed a single person in the 5,000-year history of its use. Marijuana is also more than half our so-called war on drugs budget. So why do we continue to criminalize an easy-to-grow weed? America's counterproductive drug war and war on marijuana users continues because it has created a huge bureaucracy of people, industries and institutions with a vested financial interest in its continuation. [continues 113 words]
01/21/05 - To the Cigar, And the cycle continues. After reading through the semester's first issue of the Good Five Cent Cigar, I discovered that URI has not changed much since last semester. The Cigar reported on three students who had been arrested for the same crime in the span of one month. The crime? Burglary? Vandalism? Sexual assault? No. Marijuana possession. Last semester, when URI Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) launched our campaign to reduce the number of marijuana arrests on campus, we were quickly told by campus police and administrators that marijuana arrests are actually very rare on campus! But day after day, we open these off-white pages only to read about some poor student whose muffler was a little too loud, or who ran a stop sign, or who looked a little nervous with a flashlight in his eyes, and ended up handcuffed and jailed by URI's finest. [continues 253 words]
Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is not legal. It is still a crime to be in possession of marijuana. Therefore, it seems asinine to tell the police not to arrest people for breaking the law. Asking police to exercise judgment regarding arrests flaunts the will of the people. Politicians who are elected by the people create laws. If there is enough support for anti-marijuana legislation, URI Students for Sensible Drug Policy should work on fostering legislative support to change the laws. The police enforce the laws, not what they personally think the laws should be. [continues 363 words]
WHEN the Supreme Court seeks to clarify matters, to find order out of chaos, it sometimes succeeds in making things worse. That was certainly the consequence of Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that Justice Harry Blackmun (who wrote the opinion) believed would settle the issue of abortion once and for all. Instead, by choosing to circumvent the political process and invent a novel right to privacy, the court created the modern anti-abortion movement. The intent of Roe may well have been benign -- to reserve the abortion option in law -- but does anyone believe that it settled the issue? [continues 677 words]
Judge Ernest C. Torres welcomes the greater discretion in sentencing that comes with last week's Supreme Court ruling, but he suspects it may not last. Like many trial judges, Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres has felt frustrated over the years by federal sentencing guidelines. There have been cases, he said, where he would have liked to impose a tougher sentence, and others where he would have been more lenient. But he was constrained by the "guidelines" that were passed by Congress two decades ago. [continues 841 words]
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on federal sentencing guidelines restores some discretion to judges. On the whole, this is desirable. But the decision is bound to touch off a new struggle between Congress and the judiciary over who gets to control the punishment of federal offenders. An overreaction by legislators could lead to a system that is confusing and unfair, but in new ways. Since 1987, federal judges have had to follow guidelines set by the congressionally established U.S. Sentencing Commission. The main goal was to make sentencing across the nation more uniform. But Congress also sought to correct judges whom many members saw as too lenient. As a result, the guidelines essentially forced judges to increase punishment, on the basis of factors not weighed by juries. [continues 315 words]
Inside Rhode Island
