David Yepsen says California is known for setting political trends in the United States, and that may be the the case again. If the state passes Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana.

"Things that happen there will often times come this way," Yepsen said Wednesday.

Yepsen, director for the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said he believes legalizing marijuana in Illinois would be a gradual change, starting with the legalization of medicinal marijuana. The medicinal use of marijuana is already legal in the District of Columbia and 14 other states, including California, Montana and New Jersey.

[continues 1022 words]

St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus said he thinks it's only a matter of time before Illinois legalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana. This means you won't get arrested for the dime bag you just so happen to have in your pocket when you're pulled over for speeding, which of course, belongs to your "friend."

I don't smoke pot. In fact, I rarely smoke anything. However, I do believe that marijuana should be decriminalized and used medicinally. For the past year, I have eagerly followed Illinois' Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act pass from Senate to House where it has sat idly since May of this year. If possession of marijuana is decriminalized, it should be the result of the legalization of medical cannabis, not because of the legalization of recreational usage.

[continues 210 words]

The Sunday Herald contained three seemingly unrelated articles that suggest a solution to the state's financial crisis.

The first article indicated various candidates' position on the reinstatement of the death penalty. While indicating that innocent people can and have been sentenced to death, that the penalty itself doesn't serve as a deterrent and costs the government millions of dollars to pursue, the article did not explore the possibilities of turning the event into a moneymaker for the state. Fox News would pay large sums to televise the actual killings, narrated by some of their top-line correspondents.

[continues 139 words]

Both candidates for St. Clair County sheriff support concealed-carry, but differ in their approach to the decriminalization of marijuana.

Incumbent Mearl Justus, a Democrat, said he believes it won't be long before the state legalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

He doesn't know yet whether he would support it, but he does know it's time-consuming and costly for his agency and the courts to process marijuana possession arrests.

"If there was a bill, I would want to read that and make a decision," Justus said.

[continues 443 words]

Eliminating the Costs, Fiscal and Otherwise, of the Drug War

Spending huge sums of money and getting no results to justify the expense: That's the relentless, and accurate, Republican critique of President Barack Obama's efforts to revive the U.S. economy. But it also describes a policy staunchly supported by Republicans as well as Democrats decade after decade: the war on drugs.

When the government lays out hundreds of billions to keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent, only to see it hit 10 percent, the obvious implication is that the policy didn't work. But when the government lays out tens of billions to reduce illicit drug use and finds that it has increased, the obvious implication is one that eludes almost every politician in America.

[continues 625 words]

"Pot bill concerns police," Wednesday appears to focus on fear and misinformation rather than the benefits to the sick that would occur. Chris Endress of MEG states that "the bill will open the door to organized crime". That's quite odd to say as prohibited materials (booze in the early 20th century and pot

today) created, and still create, strong organized crime factions.

Where do they think pot comes from if not from cartels, gangs and the like? Medical marijuana will be a first step to weaken the hold of criminal elements and drug smugglers, not make them stronger."We just need to wait for a safe alternative"? Wait for how long? There are no alternatives being developed that you can expect to be affordable, when the natural product is an effective medicine for glaucoma, cancer and other maladies. When I listen to the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs on TV, I wonder if they cause more harm than good. Pot should be legalized for people who will benefit by its use. That's why it is prescription only.

[continues 139 words]

Another cop playing doctor, "Medical marijuana worries QC Enforcement group" (Sept. 1). Cannabis does not have a single documented overdose fatality and would cost significantly less than most pharmaceuticals, however, folks who make their living enforcing cannabis prohibition might lose some funding. People like Chris Endress I guess feel this is a matter of job security so they oppose it.

In fact medical cannabis patients would prefer to get their medicine in a safe and legal market rather than turn to illegal drug dealers. Plus, medical cannabis patients are not looking to abuse this program because it is a pilot program lasting only three years, and if there were abuses the program wouldn't be renewed. Thus, it is in the patients' best interest to make sure nobody is abusing this program.

[continues 87 words]

To the Editor:

We are losing the war on drugs.

Prohibition from 1920 to 1933 did not decrease alcohol consumption. It did, however, create a criminal class who illegally imported, manufactured and distributed alcohol.

Prohibition of heroin, marijuana and cocaine has not decreased their consumption. Since the 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse And Control Act, the use of these drugs has steadily increased.

In 1981, U.S. prisons held about 400,000 inmates. According to the Pew Center, this April there were about 1.4 million people under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities. This increase is caused in large part by nonviolent drug-related offenses.

[continues 98 words]

Two businesses were asked to stop selling the synthetic marijuana, spice, by the West Lafayette Police.

Chief Jason Dombkowski said he sent letters to the Citgo gas station at 101 W State Street and Amused on Chauncey Hill "officially requesting" that they cease and desist the sale of spice, also known as K2.

"I made it explicitly clear both in person and in the letter to Amused and the Citgo that it was a request and not a demand at all," Dombkowski said.

[continues 201 words]

MOLINE -- The director of Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, which specializes in drug cases, said Tuesday that, if a bill legalizing medical marijuana in Illinois passes, he believes there will be a negative community influence.

At a meeting he called at the Moline Police Station,Chris Endress told several dozen area officials what he believes they should expect if SB1381 passes.

Mr. Endress said he thinks there will be marijuana dispensaries "on every corner," 100,000 patients and caregivers who can grow plants in their homes and a huge influx of marijuana in the Quad-Cities. He added that the bill "opens the door to organized crime."

[continues 487 words]

In November, the voters of California get to vote on Proposition 19 to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. The polls say the proposition has a good chance of passing, though the last weeks before the election will be crucial to how this turns out.

The proposition has many groups and individuals who endorse it, including Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the National Black Police Association, many physicians, the California NAACP, the California Libertarian Party, the California Green Party, California Young Democrats, the Republican Liberty Caucus and several labor unions.

[continues 158 words]

Value Of Drug Bust Greater Than Thought

CAMBRIDGE - Last week, Illinois State Police said they made the largest heroin bust in District 7 history when they found two New Jersey residents with 16 kilos - or 35 pounds - of the drug in Henry County.

The only problem is it wasn't heroin.

This week, police said the drug was actually ecstasy. The charges against the two men will remain the same, but the value of the seizure skyrocketed from $1.5 million to $4 to $8 million, said Trooper Jason Wilson, safety education officer for the state police.

[continues 191 words]

To the Editor:

As someone who has seen the benefits of medical marijuana personally, it is unconscionable for the lawmakers in the state to withhold vital treatment to patients. After open-heart surgery with many complications, one of which left me blind, I was seen by several eye specialists and was told there were no manufactured drugs to expand the blood vessels in the eyes - that sometimes you just have to trust in God.

As it turns out, marijuana, created by God, does exactly this, among other benefits. This country and state are enforcing a law that is unconstitutional and unsupported by every study ever done even by the Drug Enforcement Agency. See Francis L. Young's ruling of Sept. 6, 1988, in which he states "the evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance..."

Do some research, and you would find that the state police, the American Medical Association, the Nurses Association, the AARP, and numerous others support a change.

Victor Polz

Malta

[end]

Thank you for publishing Mr. Polz's letter supporting medical cannabis in Illinois, and I'm grateful that the Daily Chronicle chose to use cannabis instead of marijuana in the headline.

Many people are unaware of the history of cannabis prohibition but the word marijuana was used as a racist slang term for Mexicans who used cannabis. In 1937, when the federal government made cannabis illegal, they did so under the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act and nobody even knew what they were debating because everyone knew the plant as cannabis or Indian hemp.

[continues 157 words]

To the editor:

Regarding Michelle Teheux's excellent Aug. 18 column, drugs did not spawn Mexico's organized crime networks. Just like alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone, drug prohibition created the violent drug-trafficking organizations behind all the killings in Mexico. With alcohol prohibition repealed in the U.S., liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. It's worth noting that Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels. From a political perspective, Mexican President Felipe Calderon stands to benefit from the violence.

[continues 111 words]

DANVILLE - The closest Illinois residents have come to the legalized use of medicinal marijuana so far is the state of Michigan sitting among the Great Lakes.

The issue, however, is getting much, much closer.

Illinois House and Senate bills filed in 2009 -- titled the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act -- both call for a three-year legalization of marijuana for patients who obtain a doctor's approval and suffer from one of a list of conditions or illnesses.

The Illinois Senate bill passed 30-28 last year. And according to State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, could be up for discussion in the Illinois House by January.

[continues 546 words]

DANVILLE - In a 2009 speech from the floor of the Illinois Senate, state Sen. William Haine told state senators he believed his proposed Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act was a "partnership with law enforcement."

Drug enforcement officials in Vermilion County, however, don't see it that way.

"We think it's full of holes that make a dramatic problem for society and huge, huge issues for the law enforcement side," said Steve Guess, director of the Vermilion Metropolitan Enforcement Group.

[continues 1093 words]

EDWARDSVILLE - Cherry, lime and orange were not tasty fruit, but rather the paint colors of dozens of vehicles at the 19th annual D.A.R.E. Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show.

Rows of brightly colored cars, trucks and motorcycles filled the parking lot Sunday at Edwardsville High School for the annual event, which benefits the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.

"My car is candy apple red," said Ron Stroud of East Alton.

Stroud entered his restored 1969 Chevrolet Yenko 427 SC Nova in the show.

[continues 422 words]

As someone who personally has seen the benefits of medical cannabis, it is unconscionable for the lawmakers in the state to withhold vital treatment to patients.

After open-heart surgery with a lot of complications left me blind, I was seen by several eye specialists and was told there were no manufactured drugs to expand the blood vessels in the eyes. That sometimes you just have to trust in God.

As it turns out, cannabis, created by God, does exactly this, among other benefits. This law is not only unconstitutional, it also is unsupported by every study ever done even by the DEA. See Administrative Judge Francis L. Young's ruling from Sept. 6, 1988, in which he states, "the evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record."

[continues 83 words]

College Football: Former L-Way East Grad Admits To Smoking Marijuana

CHARLESTON - A "rough period" led Colin Luczynski, he said, to marijuana.

In turn, a positive test for the drug led last week to the end of his Eastern Illinois University football career.

Now, the Lincoln-Way East grad will line up for St. Xavier's team, ranked No. 4 in the nation in the NAIA's preseason poll.

The Cougars announced Thursday - one week after Eastern announced Luczynski's ouster - that the 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive lineman will play for SXU this season.

[continues 622 words]