Kids are smart, way smarter than we give them credit for. And they learn quickly. When we see a commercial teaching the "Just Say No to Marijuana" message, we learn that drugs can be harmful if used improperly. Kids learn, "What is that, and I wonder how it makes me feel." When we see a politician, athlete or media star get in some predicament and go to rehab, we think, "how terrible, I feel sorry for that person." Kids learn, "If I get caught, all I have to do is say I'm addicted, and everyone feels sorry for me." This is done out of ignorance and lying. Not on the kids part, but on the part of adults that form the way kids think. Kids know their parents have been taught cannabis is addictive and harmful, and they play on that ignorance. [continues 216 words]
FAIRFIELD - A draft proposal that would allow the Fairfield Schools to randomly test student athletes and those involved in after-school activities for illegal drugs will be unveiled Wednesday. A committee that included parents, coaches, administrators, students and nurses has been studying policies from other districts and has been gathering data since the fall. "It would serve as a deterrent for athletes and those involved in extracurriculars," said Superintendent Robert Farrell. "It gives them another reason to say no." A draft of the policy will be ready for discussion by the school board at its 5 p.m. meeting Wednesday, in the community room at Fairfield Senior High School, 8800 Holden Blvd. [continues 196 words]
SOMETIMES it takes a nonsensical event to bring out the Monty Python in thoughtful people. That was the case in Juneau, Alaska, in 2002 when Joseph Frederick, 18, unfurled a large banner reading "Bong hits 4 Jesus" directly across the street from his high school as the Olympic torch relay passed through town. Though inexplicable, the banner was sufficiently "pro-drug" in the eyes of the school's principal to justify snatching it from Mr. Frederick. He was suspended for 10 days for his prank. [continues 333 words]
Since 2000, 37 Students Have Been Punished for Drug and Alcohol Violations at Norwalk High School. The Norwalk school board currently is considering a plan to implement drug testing for its students. By law, the only students who are subject to drug testing are those in extracurricular activities and those who drive to school. The board will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday to review drug-testing information. Through the 2004-05 school year, violations were relatively stable, in only one year were more than three to five students caught. Then 2005-06 saw no violations, followed by a sudden jump to 14 so far this year. [continues 524 words]
Cincinnati's stricter law for marijuana possession will stay in effect. The ordinance - which makes having even a small amount of pot punishable by a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail - was set to expire this week. But City Council members renewed it Wednesday. More than 20 people testified Tuesday and Wednesday in favor of letting the one-year ordinance die. They said it only contributed to the crowding at the Hamilton County Jail and that police officers should be spending their time fighting serious crime. [continues 67 words]
Regarding the article "Decision might come today on renewing city pot penalty" (March 28): Isn't it about time for us to take a realistic look at our war on drugs? What has it accomplished but the need for more jails, more police and the increase in crime and drug lords getting wealthier than ever. People addicted to drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol, are not going to stop using drugs because it's against the law. Didn't we learn anything from the Prohibition of the 1920s when crime was running rampant in those days, too? Instead of building jails and tougher laws, we should build treatment centers and legalize drugs, then tax drugs the way we do alcohol and cigarettes. Dave Maxwell Sharonvill [end]
Bill O'Reilly cites an oft-repeated but highly misleading statistic in his March 25 column. Record numbers of Americans arrested for simple marijuana possession have been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting distortion of treatment statistics is used by shameless drug warriors to make the claim that marijuana is addictive. Zero tolerance drug laws do not distinguish between occasional use and chronic abuse. The coercion of citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis into treatment says a lot about U.S. government priorities, but absolutely nothing about the relative harms of marijuana. For an objective take on marijuana, look to Canada. [continues 86 words]
City Council could decide today whether to continue making people caught with small amounts of marijuana face tougher penalties than they do elsewhere. The city's ordinance that increased the penalty from a $100 ticket to a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail expires at the end of this week. Council members are considering whether to extend it indefinitely. Police Chief Tom Streicher wants them to. He says it gives officers another avenue to get guns and drugs off the streets. [continues 171 words]
Bill O'Reilly is right. If you remove the digs on George Soros, fear mongering, and disinformation veiled as fact, his Op-Ed, High on Compassion, hits the mark on these important points: . Cannabis is medicine that should be available to patients. If marijuana can help those suffering with debilitating diseases, then doctors should have the power to prescribe it and licensed pharmacies should carry it. . Cannabis distribution to patients should be regulated. Incredibly, there is no age requirement to secure medical marijuana in California. [continues 186 words]
It seemed like a good idea at the time, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed Californians to use marijuana with a doctor's permission to alleviate pain. The act was put on the ballot, and California voters passed it 56 to 44 percent. The biggest bankroller of the referendum was George Soros, the secular-progressive billionaire who champions drug legalization. He pumped about $350,000 into pro-medpot ads, according to published reports. Since the act was passed into law, thousands of pot "clinics" have opened across the Golden State. In San Francisco, things got so out of control that Mayor Gavin Newsom, a very liberal guy, had to close many of the "clinics" because drug addicts were clustering around them, causing fear among city residents. In San Diego, there's another problem. Some high school kids have found a loophole in the Compassion Act. Incredibly, there is no age requirement to secure medical marijuana in California and no physical examination needed either. So some kids tell a doctor they have a headache, pay him $150 for a card, and then buy all the pot they want. Unbelievable, but true. [continues 267 words]
It seemed like a good idea at the time, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed Californians to use marijuana with a doctor's permission to alleviate pain. The act was put on the ballot, and California voters passed it 56 to 44 percent. The biggest bankroller of the referendum was George Soros, the secular-progressive billionaire who champions drug legalization. He pumped about $350,000 into pro-medpot ads, according to published reports. Since the act was passed into law, thousands of pot "clinics" have opened across the Golden State. In San Francisco, things got so out of control that Mayor Gavin Newsom, a very liberal guy, had to close many of the "clinics" because drug addicts were clustering around them, causing fear among city residents. In San Diego, there's another problem. Some high school kids have found a loophole in the Compassion Act. Incredibly, there is no age requirement to secure medical marijuana in California and no physical examination needed either. So some kids tell a doctor they have a headache, pay him $150 for a card, and then buy all the pot they want. Unbelievable, but true. [continues 272 words]
Nowadays the medical community pretty much agrees that addiction is a disease. It doesn't much matter what the thing you are addicted to is, just that a person is addicted to it - drugs, alcohol, smoking, TV, food, sex or chocolate. They all agree that prohibition doesn't cure addiction; it only exacerbates the problem. The drug war is the government's chosen approach to curing addiction. Since prohibition cannot cure prohibition, then why do we continue this course of action? [continues 74 words]
Dear Editor of Columbus Free Press, Another reason to allow sick citizens to use cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana) for medicinal purposes that doesn't get mentioned (Lobby Your Legislators For Medical Marijuana, Mar. 17, 2007) is because it is Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (see: 1 John 3:17). It's time to stop caging sick humans for using what God says is good. Truthfully, Stan White, Dillon, Colorado [end]
A federal case involving an Alaska student's free-speech rights touches on issues that hit close to home here. As the New York Times reported this weekend, Joseph Frederick unfurled a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" during an Olympic torch procession in 2002. It was off school property, though during school time, and principal Deborah Morse ordered him to take it down. He refused, she tore it down and suspended him, so he sued. Morse objected to the sign's apparent advocacy for marijuana. Frederick said it was simply taken from a snowboard slogan to be "meaningless and funny" for the TV cameras - a typical teen prank. [continues 227 words]
Lobby your Ohio legislators on March 22, The Ohio Patient Action Network (OPAN) Ohio Patient Network - an MPP grantee - will hold a lobby day to generate support for medical marijuana legislation. Please join medical marijuana patients and health care advocates at the Statehouse in Columbus on Wednesday, March 22, to urge your legislators to sponsor medical marijuana legislation. There are many new legislators in Columbus who are not familiar with medical marijuana, so we need to educate them about it. The most effective way to educate legislators is to meet with them personally. [continues 366 words]
The Supreme Court will hear the case of Morse v. Frederick March 19, which will determine the limits of student speech rights. A recent article in USA Today reported school officials nationwide will be watching this case for signs of whether the justices will make it more difficult to enforce a range of campus speech regulations. In 2002, when the Olympic torch passed through Juneau, Ala., Joseph Frederick was a high school senior. As the torch passed by his school he displayed a banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." [continues 398 words]
When it comes to drug testing, schools in the area that have done it would happily do it again. "I think it gives students a reason to say 'no,'" said Brad Ehrman, athletic director in Upper Sandusky. That district stopped drug-testing due to the cost, he said. While they were testing, Ehrman said they did have some positive tests, and they had one lawsuit, which was settled out of court. If the district could afford it, however, he'd do it again. Even if it helps just one student, he said, it's worth it. [continues 511 words]
License Lost After Child-Endangerment Conviction A foster mother caught smoking pot in photographs in the presence of the two toddlers in her care will never again have a child placed with her after being convicted Wednesday of child endangerment. State law says any person convicted on the misdemeanor charge cannot be a licensed foster parent. Stephanie Edwards, 26, of Mount Washington, was in the process of adopting the 9-month-old and 1-year-old when she was arrested in September. [continues 344 words]
Public's Health We face many complex challenges, such as global warming, aging baby boomers, potential pandemics and the decreasing availability of oil. Coping with these issues will require intelligence, cooperation and an ability to challenge some of our established beliefs. The strategies presently used in the United States to cope with our drug problems do not give me a lot of hope. A significant number of us think drug abusers are immoral and undesirable rather than sick people in need of treatment. Because of these entrenched negative beliefs, we do not treat abusers in the most effective and compassionate manner. An example of our ineffective behavior is withholding clean needles from injecting drug users (IDUs). Withholding clean needles does not positively impact the drug problem and instead contributes to needless death, disease transmission and increased health care costs. [continues 367 words]
Inside Ohio
