Smoking Might Benefit Small Number of Patients There's a lot of talk lately about giving Michiganders the right to take a toke. A state House bill legalizing medical marijuana is going nowhere this month, but already there is a petition drive out of Eaton Rapids and talk of a second to allow Michigan voters to legally light up. It's fascinating politics, but is it good medicine? Yes and no. There is strong evidence that marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient has a place in the modern arsenal of medicines. Smoking it, though, hardly appears to be the best way to administer that drug, experts say. [continues 689 words]
CASSOPOLIS - Alcohol and marijuana continue to rank first and second among drugs Cass County residents abuse, with methamphetamine and cocaine third and fourth. That's what Jennifer Lester of Woodlands Addiction Center, county Meth Task Force coordinator, reported Thursday afternoon to the Board of Commissioners. Asked by Commissioner David Taylor, D-Edwardsburg, to estimate how many individuals in the county might be addicted to meth, Lester and her colleague Steve Lehman said it's difficult. The main figure they have to go by is a "lagging indicator" - those who have reached an addiction level where they are willing to receive treatment. [continues 531 words]
A marijuana-possession charge against a former Bloomingdale Public Schools counselor has been dropped. Greg Francisco, 49, of Paw Paw, said he almost wishes the case had gone to trial "because I wanted to make a splash." "I don't think Van Buren County wanted the publicity," said Francisco, who is active in the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and in Educators for Sensible Drug Policies and writes and speaks about reforming drug laws. Francisco was charged after a stem and material that tested positive as marijuana were found when his truck was searched May 5 in a school parking lot. The misdemeanor marijuana charge was dismissed Dec. 1. [continues 157 words]
Drug use among America's youth continues to decline, according to a report released this week. While that news is encouraging, we must remain vigilant in this country if we are going to continue to win the war against drugs. Of concern is the fact that cough syrup, prescription painkillers and inhalants remain a popular choice among our youth. For the better part of the last decade, drug use among teen-agers has declined. For the fifth straight year, the use of marijuana has dropped. [continues 320 words]
IRONWOOD -- A cancellation of a proposed demonstation and locker search using drug dogs at Luther L. Wright High School has school officials fuming. Citing a "no-tolerance" drug policy, Ironwood Schools administrators and board members want the district's schools drug free. At Monday night's school board meeting, members expressed anger when they heard the Dec. 1 demonstration had been canceled without any "apparent explanation" by Gogebic County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Adams. However, Adams -- in a telephone interview after the meeting -- said he was opposed to "using the dogs for a blanket walk through students' lockers," and said he explained his reasoning in a March 10, 2005, letter to Luther L. Wright Principal Tim Kolesar following a similar request last year. (Adams did not attend Monday's school board meeting). [continues 583 words]
Patients Entitled to Comfort Without Fear There's a well-known drug available for pain relief - one that some patients already use, despite its illegal status. But medical marijuana remains tainted, and another year has passed without that status changing in Michigan. A bill co-sponsored by outgoing state Rep. Chris Kolb, D-Ann Arbor, would have blocked prosecution of patients who use marijuana to treat "debilitating medical conditions." They'd need a doctor's signed certification to do so, and that seems reasonable. [continues 289 words]
CADILLAC - Half the seniors in Cadillac High School said they drank alcohol in the last month. Of those Cadillac seniors who completed the survey, 32 percent admitted to using marijuana. Danette Crozier wasn't surprised by the results, but she hopes members of the community are. Prior to becoming a counselor and Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinator for Cadillac Area Public Schools, Crozier used to work at a prevention and treatment center. She has a degree in substance abuse prevention/intervention and treatment. That's why when the results of a recent drug survey came out showing a majority of CAPS junior high and high school students had at least tried alcohol and drugs, she wasn't surprised. [continues 1328 words]
To the Daily: As a Christian from Colorado, I voted to allow citizens to use the God-given plant cannabis (Light one up for Michigan, 11/30/2006). I am confident it was the right thing to do. One reason to stop imprisoning citizens for using cannabis that isn't often mentioned is the Bible's approval of the drug. Christ God Our Father indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the first page of the Bible (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (1 Timothy 4:1-5). It is time to re-legalize what God says is good. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Hats off to Nolan Finley for highlighting America's failed and colossally expensive "war" on illicit drug use ("Subject drug war to the Iraq war test," Nov. 19.) For nearly 100 years, starting with the passage of America's first federal anti-drug law in 1914, lawmakers have relied on the mantra: "Do drugs, do time." The human and fiscal consequences of this policy have been a disaster. America now spends nearly $50 billion dollars per year targeting, prosecuting and incarcerating illicit drug users. As a result, today there are more illicit drug offenders behind bars -- more than 450,000 by last count than the entire U.S. prison population in 1980. For marijuana alone, law enforcement spends between $7 billion and $10 billion dollars annually targeting users -- primarily low-level offenders, and taxpayers spend more than $1 billion annually to incarcerate them. Yet, illicit drugs remain cheaper and more plentiful than ever. If American lawmakers want to take a serious look at our nation's war strategies, let them begin by reassessing their failed drug war here at home. Paul Armentano Senior Policy Analyst NORML Foundation Washington, D.C. [end]
A bird species that is new to science was documented by researchers this year. The Yariguies brush-finch, with a yellow underside, black back and spike-like red feathers on its head, was discovered in Colombia. The name comes from the indigenous people who once lived in the mountains where it was found. Although it is increasingly unusual to discover new vertebrate species, it is not surprising that such an event should happen in Colombia. Colombia is about three times the size of Montana and is home to approximately 1,800 bird species. That is more than the number of bird species found in the U.S. and Canada combined and represents nearly 20 percent of all the bird species alive today worldwide. [continues 358 words]
Keeping up with bizarre and shocking stories was unusually difficult over the last few weeks: "Woman accused of microwaving baby," "12-year-old sets mom's bed on fire" or "Tipsy DeVito goes on 'The View,' sits on Rosie." One case stood out, though, because of a disturbing trend and its future implications. In Atlanta, 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston (some accounts list her age as 92) shot and wounded three plainclothes police officers as they cut through her house's burglar bars and broke down the door. Police, who had a no-knock warrant looking for drugs, shot and killed Johnston. Officers claimed they did find a small amount of marijuana, but a man claiming to be a police informant has said that police told him to lie about having seen prior drug purchases at the house. [continues 638 words]
Drug abuse is bad. But Prohibition just makes the problem worse. Education, prevention and treatment are more effective and less costly. Legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. Treat addiction to harder drugs as the public health problem it is. Greg Francisco Paw Paw [end]
Regarding Nolan Finley's thoughtful Nov. 19th column ("Subject drug war to the Iraq War test"), if harsh penalties deterred illegal drug use, the goal of a "drug-free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding drug treatment. The drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness. With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. [continues 63 words]
Nolan Finley's Nov. 19 column, "Subject drug war to Iraq War test," provided an excellent description of our failed drug policy, particularly regarding arresting marijuana offenders -- 88 percent of whom are arrested for possession, not sale or manufacture. As our nation struggles to find a better course in Iraq, a better course for marijuana policy already exists. By strictly regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, we can revoke the exclusive franchise on the marijuana market violent criminals enjoy and free up law enforcement resources to combat violent crimes, property crimes and people who drive under the influence. It's time to replace the failed policy of marijuana prohibition with common-sense regulation. Dan Bernath Assistant Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington, DC [end]
Congratulations to Nolan Finley for his assessment of the drug war and the apt comparison to Iraq ("Subject drug war to the Iraq War test," Nov. 19). The amount of misinformation or lack of information that the public bases its assumptions on is staggering. Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman is gone but his thinking lives: "Drugs are a tragedy for addicts. But criminalizing their use converts that tragedy into a disaster for society, for users and non-users alike." Jerry Epstein, Houston, Texas [end]
The fight to reverse Michigan's ban on medicinal marijuana is understandable given that the drug has been used as such for thousands of years. Eleven states have already legalized its use for the treatment of serious medical conditions - and with good reason. It is widely accepted that marijuana may prevent blindness in glaucoma patients and can ease appetite loss among patients suffering from AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy. It is also a cheap, safe and risk-free painkiller. The state and federal governments need to recognize what many already do - medicinal marijuana can be a legitimate alternative to more addictive and risky drugs. [continues 408 words]
It is Pastor John Moore, who wrote the Nov. 17 letter, "Should have cut drug comments," who should be asking for God's mercy and forgiveness when he condemns a creation of God. Cannabis is a green, seed-bearing plant, given to mankind and pronounced by God as good on the very first page of the Bible. Or perhaps Moore believes God made a mistake? Perhaps Moore did recently preside over the funeral of a 19-year-old young man killed by a drug overdose. But it's an ironclad sure bet that the teenager did not overdose on marijuana. There is not a single recorded case in all of medical history of a death because of a marijuana overdose or allergic reaction. Not one. Marijuana prohibition and botched drug raids kill more people every single year than have died in all of recorded history from actually using this God-created plant. By a ratio of hundreds to zero. The Rev. Steven B. Thompson Benzonia [end]
Progress Being Made on Law to Block Patient Prosecution, Ann Arbor Woman Says Renee Emry Wolfe says she has spent most her life battling multiple sclerosis and most of the past two decades fighting the government over her use of marijuana to manage her pain. As she left Lansing to head home to Ann Arbor on Tuesday after a rare legislative hearing on medicinal marijuana that centered on the testimony of other chronic pain sufferers, she said that for the first time it felt like progress. [continues 607 words]
LANSING -- A bill to allow people with "debilitating medical conditions" to legally use marijuana to ease their symptoms died in the Michigan Legislature on Tuesday, and backers say the issue will likely be left up to voters to decide. Following an often emotional, 90-minute hearing before a state House committee, the panel broke without taking a vote. It was the first and only hearing on the legislation, introduced a year ago. The inaction means the bill will have to be reintroduced in a new session in January. [continues 320 words]
Michigan lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday for a medicinal marijuana bill that isn't likely to pass before the end of the year. The 2005 bill states a patient with a "debilitating medical condition" -- such as cancer or glaucoma -- will not be subject to arrest or prosecution for using appropriate dosages of marijuana in Michigan to relieve pain. Recreational marijuana use and sale would still be illegal with the bill's passage. The bill is currently in the Michigan House Government Operations Committee. [continues 324 words]
Inside Michigan
