Speakers Disagree On Where It Should Park The Point Defiance AIDS Project's needle exchange van is a good thing, Tacoma residents agreed Wednesday night. Where that free service should operate, however, is a matter of intense debate. About 15 community members aired impassioned opinions about the program during a meeting of the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health. Among those who spoke were a police officer, a businessman, a City Council member, a religious leader, a college student, a former heroin junkie and a parent -- all with a stake in the van that often sits at South 14th and South G streets. [continues 359 words]
Why I Took Illegal Drugs And A Gun Down to City Hall On A Lovely Summer Day Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed a host of new regulations for clubs in Seattle. The proposed ordinance would establish the nightclub advisory board--or NAB--and institute regulations that are as onerous as they are impractical. According to stunned club owners, the mayor's proposals would lead to the closure of every nightclub in Seattle ["Unhappy Customers," Erica C. Barnett, Aug 24]. One provision in Nickels's draft ordinance really caught my eye. In the Nightclub Operating Standards section, listed under Security Standards, you can find this gem: "Nightclubs shall prevent patrons from entering a nightclub premises with any illegal drugs." [continues 1356 words]
Police Learn Latest Techniques In Drug's Manufacture EVERETT - Men in protective suits huddled around a smoking jar in the middle of the tarmac at Paine Field. One, two and finally three from the group raised their thumbs in the direction of the people watching from outside the "hot" zone. Wednesday morning's science project was cooking. On the menu - methamphetamine. Members of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force and a forensic chemist from the Washington State Patrol transformed a laundry list of household items into a batch of meth in less than two hours. [continues 397 words]
Alcohol is a widely used recreational drug, consumed by most Americans at some point in their lives ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. While some people drink alcohol in moderation, alcohol use is a problem for many, placing a tremendous burden on them and society. The direct and indirect costs are estimated at $150 billion per year in the United States. About 200,000 deaths annually are directly related to the effects of alcohol. More than half of all fatal car accidents involve alcohol 150 billion and 200,000 deaths annually . . . and it's legal. Legalize cannabis now, you twits. Give us the choice. Darral Good Seattle [end]
Cannabis is not just a plant ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. It's a God-given plant, as in Christ God Our Father 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). Often, failed clergy and the "Christian right" influence opposition and persecution of cannabis (kaneh bosm/ marijuana) and its potential to heal gets denied. Ironically, many people believe cannabis is the tree of life and the very last page of the Bible (Revelation 22) indicates the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations; thus cannabis was and is created to heal and end war. Stan White Dillon, CO [end]
I agree with the various letter writers and others who argue for legalization or at least regulated use of marijuana, especially for medical uses ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. However, the "pot's just a plant" argument is really silly. Peyote is "just a plant." Opium is "just a plant," and heroin is not far removed. Same with cocaine. There are many other plants that will kill you if you eat them, or take too much of it. And then there's alcohol, which is "just fermented plants"; it's one of the most destructive drugs in our society. [continues 66 words]
A dispute over the location of the Point Defiance AIDS Project's needle exchange van will move to the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on Sept. 6, where the issue will get a public airing. The controversy over the van's presence on the Hilltop continues after a mediation attempt fell through. The Hilltop Action Coalition facilitated a series of community meetings in an attempt to find a compromise. But the community group recently "stepped away" from the process in frustration, said volunteer Herman Diers. [continues 531 words]
SEATTLE -- Is it time to forge an "exit strategy" for our prolonged "war on drugs"? That question -- normally considered a "no-no" in legal circles, especially among prosecutors and police -- has been raised by the prestigious King County Bar Association since 2000. And the results have been impressive. King County is sending minor street drug users and sellers through drug courts instead of incarcerating them; its average daily jail count is down from 2,800 to 2,000. The Washington Legislature was persuaded to cut back drastically on mandatory drug-possession sentences, apportioning funds to adult and juvenile drug courts, and family "dependency" courts. Tens of millions of dollars have been saved. [continues 610 words]
Combating drugs in Island County will be a priority for the next sheriff, although the four candidates' respective perceived means to an end slightly differ. Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks asked the final question on Thursday night at the League of Women Votes Candidates' Forum in Oak Harbor, stating that in many cases drugs are found on people initially arrested for a different crime. "Do you think you can find the resources in your budget to put together and have a proactive drug unit for the sheriff's office?" he asked. [continues 1665 words]
Thank you so much for Philip Dawdy's well-researched and well-written article ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. Hopefully, the straightforward quotes from Douglas Hiatt and Dawdy's presentation of some positive response toward medical marijuana from the medical community will open some minds and get people thinking about who is impacted by the busts: people who are very ill. Then perhaps they'll ask themselves how society is benefiting by arresting and incarcerating sick people--many or most on their deathbed. What is the point? [continues 208 words]
Bravo to Philip Dawdy, giving a voice to the Seattle Weekly with an excellent article regarding the medical use of marijuana ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. "The Pacific Yew Act" was signed in 1992 by George Bush Sr. to ensure that federal lands would be available for harvest and long-term conservation of the Pacific yew tree. The bark is a reliable source of Taxol, which has saved countless lives. It is used primarily in cancer patients, commonly for breast cancer. The Pacific yew tree is native to the Pacific Northwest. [continues 136 words]
I am a 61-year-old stage IV metastatic melanoma patient. I have tumors in my chest, spine, liver, and back. I can get all the morphine I want, but the side effects are horrendous. I much prefer to use marijuana to help with some of the pain. I smoke frequently and am appalled at the way this drug is treated. Kudos to attorney Douglas Hiatt, reporter Philip Dawdy, and Seattle Weekly for bringing up this important topic ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. Frankly, at this stage of my life and the short time left of it, I find it ludicrous that anyone would refuse to allow me to purchase and indulge in any drug I wanted. What's it gonna do? KILL ME! Dan VanderKolk Seattle [end]
Now that the notorious drug trafficker Francisco Javier Arellano Felix is under lock and key, I can't help but think of Al Capone, a monster who rose out of the warped designs of Prohibition. If Prohibition had never been legislated, Capone's criminal legacy would likely have been relegated to Chicago. But the Volstead Act was made law, and the price of booze went sky high; and arrogant scofflaws like Capone came into their murderous and lucrative heyday. Hard to believe that at one time there was a constitutional amendment - - the 18th, to be exact - banning the sale of booze in these United States - the only constitutional amendment ever to be repealed. [continues 151 words]
Every week, the ad runs on the front page of the Little Nickel: If you have: Medical Marijuana may help. Call the number in the ad and you'll find a local clinic where, for a fee, a doctor will write a note saying he believes the illegal plant will help what ails you. Not long ago, such a business plan likely would have the cops asking a lot of questions. But for two years, The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation has been operating the Bellevue clinic completely aboveground, seeing thousands of patients. [continues 1545 words]
Former Seattle police Chief Norm Stamper doesn't have dreadlocks, a Zig-Zag T-shirt or a single Phish album. He just sounds like it. "It's laughable when people say we are winning the drug war," said Stamper, who had just finished a main-stage speech to the crowd gathered Sunday at the Seattle Hempfest in Myrtle Edwards Park. "The people who are prosecuting the drug war are invested psychically and financially. It's a holy war for them. "We should legalize all drugs." [continues 471 words]
Fast-forward 20 years. The fondest dream of Seattle Hempfesters has come true: Pot is legal. But what of the iconic "protestival," with its swirl of tie-dye, aroma of patchouli and counterculture chic? It could well morph into the kind of mainstream affair many of today's adherents abhor, concedes the man who launched the legalization movement nationwide more than 35 years ago. If people are able to buy weed like liquor and beer, it will probably come with the same kind of corporate trappings, said Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. [continues 582 words]
I want to thank the writer of the Sunday letter "Education need for school board" for his truthful letter about drug testing. I have been against drug testing in the job world for years. The only people who stand to lose their jobs are the good, hard-working, morally and ethically sound pot smokers of my generation (the baby boomers). Pot shows up even if they haven't smoked in weeks or days (it stays in your fat). All the people on the really harsh, dangerous, drugs are keeping their jobs and putting all their co-workers at risk. How safe is someone who hasn't slept in a week? [continues 208 words]
The focus at this weekend's Seattle Hempfest will be marijuana policy reform, plus plenty of vendors will be selling their wares. Attendees are cautioned that city, state and federal laws will be enforced. Learn while celebrating at Seattle Hempfest, a "protestival" for industrial hemp and marijuana law reform at Myrtle Edwards Park this weekend. Part political rally, with speakers and information advocating the decriminalization of marijuana for adults, legal access to medical marijuana and legal domestic hemp production; and part festival, with music, arts and crafts, vendors and food, the annual event expects more than 100,000 attendees over its two-day run. [continues 250 words]
The war against methamphetamine has shifted focus. Five years ago, meth labs were a scourge on the Thurston County landscape, popping up in rental homes, motel rooms and rural properties across the county. A five-member law enforcement team that formed in 2001 to track down and dismantle meth labs and the criminals behind them has been a big success, as has a ban on over-the-counter sales of cold medicine used to make meth. The team took down 69 meth labs that first year, knocked off 221 illicit operations through 2005 and has yet to find one in Thurston County this year. [continues 405 words]
Dr. M. Ward Hinds Has Supervised The Snohomish Health District Since 1986. EVERETT - Dr. M. Ward Hinds, the county's top public health official for nearly two decades, announced Tuesday that he will retire in January. His tenure has spanned the height of the AIDS epidemic, threats from bioterrorism following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and preparing the county for a possible worldwide flu outbreak. "There's no perfect time," Hinds said of the timing of his decision to step down as the Snohomish Health District's chief administrator. "There's always something going on - anthrax, smallpox, pandemic flu." [continues 342 words]
Inside Washington
