Regarding your editorial Dec. 6 titled "A valuable test for students," student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation in extracurricular programs.

Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent.

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Thank you for reporting on the controversial so-called "marijuana initiatives" recently approved by Hailey voters. In future articles, please note that industrial hemp is not marijuana. Yes, they are both members of the cannabis family but hemp plants contain very little, if any, of the psychoactive agent THC. The controversy surrounding marijuana reform is a completely separate discussion from issues regarding the growing of industrial hemp and I hope your upcoming stories will more clearly express this important distinction.

The beneficial uses of hemp are numerous and throughout history hemp has been regarded as one of the world's most useful crops. In George Washington's time, most U.S. farmers were required by law to grow hemp because it had so many beneficial uses, including fabric for clothing, paper products, ropes, lotions and soil improvement. In addition, hemp is drought resistant and it's seeds, which are prized for their high Omega 3 oil content, are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.

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Michigan's November 2008 ballot could become a bit more crowded, possibly including proposals to provide universal health care coverage and allow marijuana use for medical purposes.

Those proposals, among others, took procedural steps forward Wednesday with action by a state elections panel.

Other possible petition drives in the works would create a part-time Legislature in Michigan and require a statewide vote to raise certain taxes, a proposal that also could repeal tax increases put in place this year.

Most of the proposals are in preliminary stages. In most cases, organizers still have to collect the more than 380,000 valid signatures required to put proposals to change the state constitution before voters.

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Backers Can Gather Signatures to Put Legislature, Health Care Plans on '08 Ballot.

LANSING -- Petition forms calling for a part-time Legislature and mandating universal health care in Michigan won approval Wednesday of a state elections panel, paving the way for circulators to begin gathering signatures next month.

Both measures would go on the general election ballot in November of 2008.

The Board of State Canvassers voted 4-0 to approve the part-time Legislature petition, which calls for a constitutional amendment that would slash the legislative session schedule from year-round to four months, reduce lawmakers' salaries and limit their benefits.

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Jonathan Troutman makes several erroneous statements in his op-ed, essentially spouting the same myths the government has been making since cannabis (marijuana) was banned in the 1930s.

For instance, Troutman says, "Legalization of marijuana will create more drug-dependent users and increase accessibility to the youth."

Actually, cannabis has little potential for dependence, what little does exist is mostly psychological. The "gateway effect" has been repeatedly proved false.

Studies dating to the Indian Hemp Commission of the late 19th century and including government studies - the Panama Canal Zone Military Investigations (1929), The LaGuardia Committee Report (1944), the Shafer Commission (1972), the NAS Committee on Substance Abuse and Habitual Behavior (1982), the DEA's Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis Young's 1988 ruling and the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report - concluded that at the least cannabis should be decriminalized.

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To combat recent rumors that he might have relapsed into drug abuse, Fayetteville City Councilman Charles Evans said he has taken a drug test that proves he is clean.

And he wants everyone else on the council to voluntarily take one, too. "I hate to bring this up, but I'm so sick of it," he said. "It's not fair." Evans, who was first elected in 2005, is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. He pleaded guilty in 1992 to two counts of embezzlement and one count of felony possession of cocaine. He says he has been clean since 2001. Evans wants the City Council to discuss his idea at its Jan. 7 work session. Evans said he didn't know who started the rumors about a month ago, or whether they were politically motivated. He likened the idea of drug-testing the council to the city policy of making new employees take a urine test for drugs. "We are no better than city employees," he said.

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Law enforcement agencies across the nation are now facing a sweet but deadly trend in crystal methamphetamine.

Manufacturers and dealers of the drug are now marketing the illicit substance in a candy-like form.

The drug has now been found mixed with candies, powdered drink mixes intended for milk and other sweets.

Officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration suggest this technique is intended to appeal to younger people and entice first-time users.

The "candy meth" has been encountered in California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri and Minnesota. Now, North Carolina has been added to that list.

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The District Can Finally Use Its Own Money for Needle-Exchange Programs.

FOR NEARLY 10 years, Congress prevented the District of Columbia from using its own money to fund needle-exchange programs, interventions that greatly reduce the risk for intravenous drug users of contracting or spreading HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The obstruction ended with passage this week of the omnibus budget bill.

The ban had been in place since 1998, when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) attached a rider to the District's budget that prevented the District from spending even its own funds to save lives. The provision survived every attempt to remove it. But with Democrats now in charge, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) succeeded in stripping the language from legislation.

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If you thrill to the sight of boats chasing boats, this video of the Coast Guard's "Top 10 Drug Busts" is for you. In a recent press release, the Coast Guard brags that it's been "a record year for cocaine seizures with 355,755 pounds seized, worth more than $4.7 billion." It claims smugglers are "desperate" and cites unusually large seizures as evidence.

Is a rising seizure total a sign of success or a sign that the volume crossing the border has increased? Is an increase in large-volume seizures a sign of smugglers' desperation or a sign that smugglers are not terribly worried about interdiction, treating the risk as a cost of doing business? The press release acknowledges that "smugglers adapt their tactics in response to effective counternarcotic measures." So even "effective" interdiction efforts cannot have a substantial, lasting impact on drug consumption, as Antonio Maria Costa, director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, conceded in a speech at the International Conference on Drug Policy Reform earlier this month.

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As plans to drop county police participation in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in January or February of 2008 move forward, the debate on how best to encourage abstinence of drugs and alcohol - and address other health and safety issues - among Suffolk County's student populations has entered a new phase.

At a recent meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature's Public Safety Committee, in which a dozen county legislators sat in at various points, lawmakers heard from DARE officials, Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Richard Dormer, several school districts and representatives from HealthSmart - another drug prevention program that also focuses on other issues young people face.

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Dr. Bertha K. Madras, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, held a summit to discuss random student drug testing.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it is legal for public schools to test those who are in extra curricular activities, such as sports. Random drug testing makes sense for school students. If a student has a drug a problem, it needs to come to light for the parents to address the problem.

Another reason for drug testing is fairness among athletes. Students who aren't subject to testing may try dangerous drugs such as steroids to gain a competitive edge.

We believe it's important for parents and schools to make sure high school students are not on a dangerous path by abusing drugs. Random drug testing is one way to help young people stay healthy and keep activities fair for all athletes.

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A Conceited Proposal

If audacious times call for audacious measures, then I'm sorry to report that no one in City Hall is willing to put their money where my mouth is. After watching the Santa Barbara City Council deliberate two weeks ago over a new ordinance to regulate the how, where, and when of medical marijuana dispensaries, I was struck more by what wasn't said than by what was. It was a conspicuous case of the dog that didn't bark, the other shoe that never dropped.

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Columbus Man Claims He Grew Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes

HENDERSONVILLE - A man accused of running Henderson County's largest and most sophisticated marijuana growing operation says he did it out of compassion.

Tod Aiken, of Columbus, said Wednesday the marijuana that led to his arrest was being sold for medicinal purposes.

"There's a lot of people out there that need medical marijuana," Aiken said. "I'm a man of compassion. I wanted to help these people."

Aiken said he began growing marijuana in 2000 to help counteract the effects of hepatitis C treatments.

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Teens take a lot of very important tests as they move through the school system.

But the results of new tests offered through a Wisconsin school district may be the most important. The Maple school district is offering parents of students in grades 6-12 vouchers for a free drug-testing kit.

The district received $5,000 worth of free vouchers for the test from the company that sells them on the Internet. The vouchers available from the district are for a drug test kit that tests for cocaine, amphetamine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, barbiturates, and several other illegal drugs.

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Tight City Budget Threatens Anti-Drug Officer Positions

As Port Huron makes plans to cut its DARE program at local schools next year, supporters of the drug and alcohol resistance program have come out in full force to try and save it.

The city is planning on cutting the DARE officer position, along with the community service officer position, as it faces a budget crisis brought on by the multi-million dollar sewer-separation project.

The city anticipates savings more than $730,000 in the next five years with the elimination of the two positions.

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Unfortunately, alcohol and drugs are a part of many teenagers lives. They are factors in wrecks that kill and maim teenagers and other drivers, no matter what age the person behind the wheel.

Hundreds of Comal County fifth graders are receiving their end-of-semester Drugs and Alcohol Resistance Education completion certificates. Comal County Sheriff's Office sponsors the program in some Comal Independent School District schools. At New Braunfels High School this week, officers presented the stark story of a San Antonio high school valedictorian killed in a New Braunfels wreck in 2003 involving a drunk driver.

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Today the Madison City Board of Education plans to vote on random drug testing for all students who drive to school or participate in any extracurricular activities.

Initially, this seems good.

Everyone wants to reduce youth drug problems.

Upon closer inspection, these policies go against the U.S. Constitution and are rife with unintended consequences.

Students should not be required to prove their innocence to participate in public school activities. The research doesn't indicate that these policies deter drug abuse.

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Brian Zanotelli Says City's Case Against Merchant Is 'Pretty Lame'

Ontario - The owner of Old School, the downtown Ontario business the City of Ontario is suing for allegedly selling drug paraphernalia, has retained Vale attorney Brian Zanotelli to represent her side of the case in court.

"It's a pretty lame case," Zanotelli said Wednesday of the suit against his client, Victoria Miller.

He said the city delivered the civil suit to Miller Dec. 4 or Dec. 5, and she has 30 days to respond. Zanotelli said he is still preparing the response, but said he will deliver it in a week or so.

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It's Hard to See How Combing Through Police Officers' Finances Would Be a Useful Tool for Fighting Corruption.

The Los Angeles Police Department recently entered its eighth year under a federal consent decree that imposes strict mandates on operations and record keeping. The LAPD has modernized its procedures to root out corruption and purge from its ranks a Rampart-era culture of excessive force and false arrest. Full compliance with the decree is within reach, and it is tempting to urge the Police Commission to finish the job today by completing one final piece -- requiring full disclosure of personal and family finances by those officers in specialized units who in theory could be bribed because of greed or financial distress.

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The Feds Offer An Incentive To Collaborate On Fighting Drug Use

The effects of methamphetamine production and use are well-known to local law enforcement agencies, the toll measured in ruined lives, properties contaminated by illicit labs, roadsides turned into dumps for poisonous chemicals. Akron and Summit County lead the state in the number of meth-lab related prosecutions, 16 from October of 2006 through September.

The vigilance is a good start. Even better is that local efforts will be bolstered through a new, federally funded initiative that stresses a cooperative, regional approach. Another key aspect of the Ohio Methamphetamine Pilot Initiative is an emphasis on stopping drug use before it gets started.

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