To the Editor: "Hemp For Victory" was a short educational film, put out by the Department Of Agriculture in 1942 to strengthen the war effort. This encouraged farmers to grow as much hemp as possible. This plant has so many uses and is very strong. If they were to make a film today about the benefits of hemp/cannabis, the list would go on. When this plant is grown properly, it also can be used for medicine in a variety of ways. Many states already have accepted cannabis as a medicine, and the number of compassionate states is growing. Would you show compassion today and take a few moments of your time to call your state representative and let them know that you support House Bill 30? This bill will help those who are sick to enjoy a better quality of life. Bobby Day Huntley [end]
Smoking something that was once more commonly known as potpourri or incense obviously should not sound too great; however, recently certain "incense" has obtained a new name -- synthetic marijuana. This has created quite the controversy. Going into a gas station to pay for my gas, the last thing I expected to see was a sale on synthetic marijuana. This stopped me abruptly in my tracks. Why should something like this be legal when real marijuana is not? The answer here should be very simple. [continues 197 words]
As I sat in a courtroom at the Will County Courthouse I listened to a couple of cases. I heard things like a guy trying to pick up two young girls on the Internet, domestic violence =AD a couple of them were with intent to do bodily harm and a couple of them were with causing permanent damage; some were fights with police officers. All of these people had their bail set at no more than $5,000, which means they needed $500 to walk out of jail. Then I saw a sick man with diabetes, who has trouble seeing and hearing from what I could tell, who had his bail set at $150,000. [continues 93 words]
It's no secret the suburbs have a drug abuse problem among teens. Young people know how to find drugs, and they continue to get hooked at great cost to themselves, their loved ones and the community. Taking an aggressive step to ease this sickness, officials at Lake Zurich High School have proposed drug testing among certain populations of students. Six times a year, 15 students who participate in extracurricular activities or have a parking permit would be randomly chosen, and a positive test would mean suspension from the activity. [continues 422 words]
The suburban youth drug culture is graduating. Marijuana, alcohol and the occasional acid trip are being replaced by powerful painkillers and the drug blamed for more local overdose deaths: heroin. "It's in your backyard. You just don't know it," Chad Sabora said. Sabora is a recovering heroin and painkiller addict who lives in south St. Louis County and lived, rehabilitated, relapsed and rehabilitated again in the metro-east. He grew up and became a drug addict in Chicago -- while serving as a prosecutor for Cook County. [continues 1794 words]
To the Editor: I am writing in response to a recent letter to the editor titled "Drug prohibition useless" by Dan Linn (Aug. 31). With rational thought and fact, Mr. Linn has well expressed my thoughts about the critical problem of drug use in the U.S. where "... both the taxpayers and addicts lose." This course will continue unless drastic changes are made. Mr. Linn has posed excellent alternatives. Ellen Hackman Woodstock [end]
As is often the case the whole thing ended not with a bang but a whimper, with the union and the School Board at Illini Bluffs District 327 each giving a little on the contract dispute over random drug testing, bringing teachers back to work after eight days on strike. It's good to see the teachers back in the classroom with students, where they belong, but on the constitutional question that had kept them out, well, this is not the most satisfactory resolution. [continues 540 words]
As Is Often the Case the Whole Thing Ended Not With a Bang but A Whimper, With the Union and the School Board at Illini Bluffs District 327 Each Giving a Little on the Contract Dispute Over Random Drug Testing, Bringing Teachers Back to Work After Eight Days on Strike. It's Good to See the Teachers Back in the Classroom With Students, Where They Belong, but on the Constitutional Question That Had Kept Them Out, Well, This Is Not the Most Satisfactory Resolution. [continues 540 words]
GLASFORD, Ill. - Illini Bluffs District 327 teachers approved a new contract Monday, leaving only one hurdle to be conquered before the labor dispute that delayed the start of school by almost three weeks officially ends. The Illini Bluffs Federation of Teachers and a spokesman for the school district said Monday that representatives for the two sides had to work out the language of the contract before the teachers could vote on it Tuesday. However, things moved faster than expected. "The contract language was drafted faster than expected and the teachers did decide to meet last night and they voted to ratify the contract," Illinois Federation of Teachers Media Director Dave Comerford said in an email Tuesday. "We are now waiting on the board of education to schedule a meeting to vote and won't comment until the board has ratified the contract." [continues 249 words]
The Aug. 26 editorial "With drugs, is jail best?" should have gone a step further and advocated for the legalization of heroin and other dangerous drugs. Drugs, like alcohol, are dangerous, and therefore need to be regulated by the government - not outlawed, thereby being left to criminals to control purity levels. We should have learned through alcohol prohibition that banning a dangerous and mind-altering substance that people want to consume doesn't work, and leads to many more problems than the substance itself. [continues 176 words]
The teachers strike at Illini Bluffs is into its second week and eyeballing a third, and it has been fascinating, if also a bit depressing, to read the back-and-forth in the on-line comments to Journal Star stories. Once upon a time this nation stood for something, affording its citizens an unprecedented set of civil liberties. Americans got used to those, so much so that they wouldn't give them up without a fight. Apparently that spirit has vanished from certain segments of the population, if not from the ranks of these teachers. [continues 796 words]
At first glance, the intersection of Lexington and Pulaski doesn't look very prosperous. Ugly, empty lots anchor two of the corners. There's a yellow-painted Dollar Store, ubiquitous in Chicago's low-income neighborhoods. There's a hair salon. And a storefront church where gospel music seeps outside, the only evidence of joy in the otherwise bleak landscape. But in the shadows, business booms at Lexington and Pulaski -- the heroin business. Surprisingly, it's not one of Chicago's behemoth gangs that controls the market here on the West Side. [continues 888 words]
To the Editor: I just finished writing a letter to our state representative, Mike Tryon. We have talked several times about medical cannabis. When your close family members are sick, you will do anything to give them comfort. Have compassion, Illinois. Oxycontin, Dilaudid, Ativan and other medications I must take now for pain are going to make me die a young man. Yes, to House Bill 30. Anything to give them comfort. Call your representative today and tell them to vote yes on HB30. Bobby Day Huntley [end]
Fourth day of pickets ends without plans for teachers, district to meet GLASFORD - Teachers in Illini Bluffs School District 327 remained on the picket line for the fourth straight day Monday, with no clear indication of when the school year would begin. The teachers union went on strike Wednesday over the board's insistence that random drug test of union members be included in a new three-year contract. As of late Monday there were no plans for the two sides to meet. [continues 315 words]
Heroin is a scourge. Heroin peddlers are criminals and should be treated as such. And while heroin users are criminals, too, they need treatment. Sadly, heroin long has been a problem in McHenry County - a surprise to some. And it's getting worse. Heroin overdose deaths continue to rise significantly. There have been five in McHenry County this year and 12 heroin overdose deaths in 2010. McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz, local police and substance abuse counselors are keenly aware. There's little doubt that the deaths are at least part of the motivation behind a heroin sweep conducted last week by the McHenry County Sheriff's Department. It's understandable. Arresting drug offenders is what police do. That's what is within their authority to do. [continues 190 words]
Does the presence of any amount of marijuana in a driver's urine or bloodstream automatically mean that he or she is impaired and therefore criminally responsible if a crash occurs? The Illinois Supreme Court believes so -- but the defense attorney for an Aurora woman accused of killing two St. Charles motorcyclists doesn't. The lawyer for Alia Bernard, 27, who is accused of reckless homicide in causing a May 2009 crash in Elburn that killed Wade and Denise Thomas, is arguing to have the aggravated driving under the influence charges against her thrown out. [continues 295 words]
GLASFORD -- For the sixth day in a row, students in Illini Bluffs School District 327 had their summer break extended while the community rallied around its "heroes." "I grew up in an era where teachers were heroes. I think they still are. What do you think?" state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, asked the crowd as it cheered in agreement. About 300 teachers, students, parents and union employees gathered Tuesday evening at the American Legion hall to show their support for the Illini Bluffs Federation of Teachers. Teachers are fighting the institution of a random drug testing policy they say is unnecessary. [continues 397 words]
Parents, wake up and smell the synthetic marijuana. Although the state banned the sale of an herbal product marketed under brand names such as "K2" and "Spice" incense last year, synthetic drugs made with different chemicals continue to be sold legally in stores. These fake drugs often are marketed as potpourri, incense or bath salts. They have caused thousands of people across the country to seek medical attention. During the first seven months of 2011, the American Association of Poison Control Centers received 3,787 calls about exposures to synthetic marijuana. That number dwarfs the 2,915 calls the association received in 2010. [continues 249 words]
My heart goes out to the family of the young man who died after his car crashed when he was under the influence of a synthetic substance, but your editorial missed an opportunity to highlight the main reason these substances are on the market to begin with. If cannabis were legal there would be a smaller market for these synthetic substances because currently alcohol is basically the only intoxicating substance that is legal. I enjoy reading the Daily Herald but sometimes it baffles me how an editorial can call for more regulation while applauding efforts to make something illegal. Banning a substance doesn't increase the regulations on it, it takes away all government regulations by creating an illegal underground market where distributors and consumers are criminals and have no methods for purity evaluations, no mechanisms for dispute resolutions -- and people don't call 911 for help because it is illegal. [continues 148 words]
The Illini Bluffs community is a nice, soft-spoken one, so I have tried to keep the rush of opinions about the recent strike firmly locked inside my own mind. Alas, they have made their escape, and I am now forced to share. Let me begin with the most outspoken part of this strike, the teachers! I believe the teachers are in line for a 2 percent raise this year, on top of a 3 percent raise last year. These raises also come along with a yearly vertical rate climb the teachers automatically get, no contract needed. Now, if you would like to read what the contract entails, you can run along to your neighborhood gossip and find out secondhand, or you can go to your school's Web page and look at the final offers from both union and School Board. [continues 299 words]
Inside Illinois
