Senior Pastor Dr. Ted Beam should study his Bible more diligently because his denunciation of drug plants made by the Creator insults God. Denying the usefulness of plants such as marijuana, coca, peyote cactus and psilocybe mushrooms shows extreme ignorance and a lack of faith in God.

The only prohibition of any plant found in the Bible is at Genesis 2:16: The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; (17) but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

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Incumbent Cites Old Writings; Democrat's Defense Is Offense

LOUISVILLE -- Rep. Anne M. Northup looked pleasant and motherly in her honeydew-green blazer, her smile as sweet as iced tea. "It's good to see all my friends here," the Kentucky Republican said in greeting the handful of reporters who braved strong wind and rain for an early-morning news conference.

Dead silence.

Then it was down to business. Friday's business for Northup was the attempted disembowelment of Democratic challenger John Yarmuth. Her weapon was Yarmuth's own words, preserved in a stack of newspaper columns that Northup brandished at the podium.

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The Pike County School district is working on ways to keep students from falling by the wayside.

Pike County Schools superintendent Roger Wagner has taken the district's theme, "Nothing But the Kids," to a higher level this month by implementing a drug task force.

The task force aims to curb drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse problems in schools by educating educators, its members and community leaders about how to spot a student or family that has a problem. Several central office staff members, community, religious and business partners, students, parents, teachers, counselors, members of the media, law enforcement officials, UNITE partners, and family resource and youth services members are partnering to make the program a success.

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We all agree drug abuse is a problem. Reformers say there is a better way to handle it. Our politicians play on our fears to make us more accepting of their waste of our precious lives and resources.

Drug abuse, including alcohol, is a medical problem and we'll do a better job of keeping kids drug free and inebriated folks off the road with compassionate policy offering helpful treatment

War creates a booming economy for some on the suffering of many. Drug warriors are so befuddled by the noble idea of preventing drug abuse, they ignore the lessons of history.

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It seems to me Dr. Ted Beam, senior pastor, should pay a little more attention to the actual wording of scripture. The verses that are being referred to in his letter, "Medical Against legalized Marijuana, Sun. Sept. 3, 2006," are Gen: 1 verses 29-31. It states "GREEN, SEED bearing HERBS," depending on what version of the Bible you are reading.

I didn't know poison ivy and many other poisonous plants were seed bearing "herbs." I don't know of an herb that is greener or produces more seeds than the cannabis hemp plant (also known as marijuana). I am surprised that Beam condemns God-created mind-altering substances that he doesn't understand, and condones man created synthetics. Like it or not, God created pot.

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Methamphetamine doesn't just harm its users - it also puts their children's lives in danger, two UK professors said in a television appearance.

Two UK professors were scheduled to appear on the A&E Classroom channel to discuss the issue in a two-part series called "A Question of Life or Meth." Part one aired yesterday morning, and part two aired this morning at 4.

Dr. Susan Pollack, a pediatrician and professor in UK's pediatrics department, and Dr. Jim Cecil, a dentist and professor in the College of Dentistry, were both featured in the series.

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Even with my busy schedule, I usually make the monthly meetings for the Campbellsville-Taylor County Anti-Drug Coalition held at Taylor Regional Hospital. It matters. Removing illegal drugs from the community will help us reach many goals. We want health, prosperity and hope for our community, not despair, hopelessness and poverty.

I laughed to myself when I read the recent letter from Colorado stating that marijuana could and would be used in a responsible way by responsible adults if made legal. I just don't believe that. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I watched nickel and dime bags being passed around at concerts and festivals as the police just watched. I helped friends get home safely after they had indulged themselves in smoking the weed. And then I read that "responsible adults" would handle it properly.

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In March 2003, Kentucky State Police Detective Jason Manar knocked on the door of then-Paducah resident Frederick Carl "Fritz" Krause III and his roommate, Joe Yamada in the middle of the night.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Manar told the occupants that a young girl claimed to have been sexually assaulted inside the house, and he wanted to see if furniture matched her descriptions.

The problem is there was no young girl. Another man Manar had arrested on drug charges said he bought cocaine from Krause's house. Knowing he didn't have probable cause to obtain a warrant, Manar made up the sexual assault story in order to get inside to search for drugs.

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Karen Hayes (Letter: "Marijuana is a bigger problem than some think" Aug. 13, 2006), does a disservice to responsible adults who wish to use cannabis (marijuana) instead of alcohol. It does a disservice to truth and rational thinking. And a disservice to Christ God Our Father who indicated he created all the seed-bearing plants saying they are all good on literally the very first page of the Bible (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).

It is commendable helping youth resist cannabis, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, sex and coffee until they are older and responsible for themselves, but caging adults for using cannabis is the wrong way to do it.

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I applaud Karen Hayes and the Campbellsville/Taylor County Anti-Drug Coalition for its efforts in alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention in the community. Karen's recent article regarding marijuana was very appropriate. Yes, it is true, a person probably won't die from smoking a joint. However, marijuana remains a gateway drug for many of our young people. Teens don't usually begin their drug use by using cocaine, methamphetamine or ecstasy. Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are the drugs of choice for our young people.

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It sounds so good -- a drug-free, alcohol-free school system.

Perhaps drug dealers would be the only ones who would say wait a minute, and it is doubtful anyone other than their cohorts would agree.

While Grayson County Schools aren't saying wait a minute, they are a bit concerned about exactly how the drug-free, alcohol-free school will happen.

The school board is expected to discuss this and other policy changes at its September meeting. The policy administrators are talking about is random testing of students in extracurricular activities and students who drive to school. For drivers, it would be the same test bus drivers take now.

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In response to a letter to the editor on Monday, Aug. 14, stating: "I have seen the destructive effects of marijuana on the lives of young people. Marijuana use by teens can lead to a host of health, social, learning and behavioral problems."

This is the point of drug reform. Ask any high school kid, "Can you get drugs at your school?" "Yes." "Can you get alcohol?" "No, you have to be 21 to buy alcohol."

A light bulb comes on above their head, and they get it. I only wish adults had as much common sense.

E. Jay Fleming

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Mohave Valley, Ariz.

[end]

I'm puzzled by a recent letter from Karen Hayes, Campbellsville Taylor County Anti-Drug Coalition co-chair and Central Kentucky ASAP Local Board coordinator, (Marijuana is a Bigger Problem Than Some Think, Aug. 13).

If marijuana use by teenagers is as dangerous as she alleges - and I'm not saying otherwise - why does she want to leave its manufacture, distribution and sales in the hands of criminal gangs?

By any objective measure, alcohol and tobacco are the two most dangerous drugs in our society. Combined they kill more than 500,000 Americans every single year. We don't cede control over those dangerous drugs to criminals. Instead, we demand they be distributed only by licensed, legitimate businesses that check ID. Why does Ms. Hayes want to leave marijuana completely unregulated, untaxed and uncontrolled?

Tell me again, just how is that supposed to keep children safe?

'Cause it sure isn't working so far.

Regulate, tax, control. There is a better way.

Greg Francisco

Educators for Sensible Drug Policies

Paw Paw, Mich.

[end]

The things Karen Hayes of the Anti-Drug Coalition says about the dangers of marijuana are not true. They do a good job of keeping people afraid of pot, but they are false. Yes, some people will not tolerate the effects of cannabis well, but most people do. The truth is, cannabis is safer than cigarettes or alcohol, and no one should be caged for choosing the safest alternative.

We parents would be glad to teach our children about the harmful substances they will encounter, but we must have honest information before we can. After spending seven years researching cannabis prohibition, I do not appreciate the fact that we are paying $23 million a day to educate falsely and punish millions who have no victims.

If you really want to help kids save their brains from destruction, please focus on activities that will actually harm them, such as inhaling household chemicals. I believe we can tell the truth and still teach them how to say no.

Melanie Marshall

Bellevue, Neb.

[end]

Unmentioned in the letter "Marijuana is a Bigger Problem than Some Think" was my reference to the destructive effects of marijuana prohibition; increased potency and availability of illicit drugs, along with windfall pay and profits for gun toting thugs on both sides of the law.

Certainly, the neuroprotective, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial and palliative effects of pot's active ingredients are not in dispute. Yet no one reasonably prescribed armed home invasions, asset forfeiture and prison time as "treatment" for beer drinkers and cigarette smokers. Indeed, transcripts from Congressional testimony to date on the comparative safety and efficacy of marijuana consistently include false claims and outright perjury.

The real problem to solve is: Why should Americans accept a war waged on us?

Jose Melendez

Communications Director

Concerned Citizens Coalition to Criminalize Prohibition

DeLand, Fla.

[end]

With all the news about the devastating effects of drugs such as ecstasy, heroin and cocaine, it's easy to understand why some kids and even parents believe that marijuana is harmless.

I have seen the destructive effects of marijuana on the lives of young people. Marijuana use by teens can lead to a host of health, social, learning and behavioral problems. Parents must take action to help decrease marijuana use by kids in our community.

Many parents and adults, based on their own experiences with the drug, still believe that marijuana is benign and not as serious as other drugs such as ecstasy. Some adults may feel there is nothing they can do to stop their kids from experimenting. Research shows that parents are the most powerful influence on children when it comes to drugs.

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Note: The Harrison Drug Court will hold its first graduation next Tuesday. This is the first of two stories on the court, with the second featuring the court's first graduate and her story of overcoming addiction.

If it weren't for the drug court program run through Harrison Circuit Court, 36-year-old John Bales doesn't know where he would be today.

Bales made headlines in October 2004 after being arrested on methamphetamine-related charges. In late September that year, he was driving toward town on Ky. 36 West not knowing there was an off-duty Harrison County Sheriff's deputy behind him.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky.- Williamson Fire Department Chief Jerry Mounts has obtained a new attorney.

Charles Stanford (Butch) West, the Williamson attorney that had represented Mounts since the charges of tampering with physical evidence first surfaced, has filed a motion in Pike County Circuit Court to withdrawal as his counsel.

The order, signed Aug. 3, 2006, by Circuit Judge Steve Combs, was filed by West July 31.

The grounds for withdrawal, states that Mounts has retained other counsel for this case, and lists Attorney W. Thomas Ward, of Ward and Associates, also of Williamson, as his choice for new representation.

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FORT MITCHELL --Kentucky's longest-serving D.A.R.E. officer has worked for the program nearly as long as he's been a police officer -- 18 years.

Fort Mitchell Police Officer Roy Taylor kept teaching the anti-drug and alcohol program because he loves working with kids.

"It took over my life. It's just something that I really enjoy doing," he said. "Working with kids is great."

He was a little reluctant at first, after a co-worker volunteered him for the program in 1988.

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Despite some concern among Webster County Board of Education members regarding the protection of confidentiality for those who might test positive for drugs, members at their meeting Thursday night, July 20, approved on a 4-0 vote a new policy that includes mandatory random drug testing for employees, students who participate in extracurricular activities, drive a personal vehicle on school property, or students who operate heavy machinery in the Area Technology Center's workshops.

Board member Tim McCormick expressed concern that the superintendent might have to tell certain staff members if a student tests positive for drug use.

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