Defense Says That Deceased Man, Not His Cousin, Was Responsible For 2005 Overdose Waukesha - A man who supplied the methadone that contributed to the 2005 death of his cousin after a night of heavy drinking and drug use should be found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide, a prosecutor told a jury Tuesday, in a case in which the state's Len Bias law was invoked to file the criminal charge. In his opening statement, prosecutor Lloyd Carter said testimony will show that Alton J. Davis got out a bottle of methadone and gave two tablets to Daniel Bruner, 40, at Davis' former Waukesha home, causing Bruner's death. [continues 412 words]
A new study says Dane County in 2002 sent 97 black people to prison for drug offenses for every white person incarcerated for the same category of crimes, for a ratio of racial disparity the survey showed was the 3rd highest in the nation among big counties. And while there could be many reasons for that result -- the study did not, for example, consider the offenders ' prior criminal history -- the authors believe policing practices, such as where police choose to enforce the drug laws, play an important role. [continues 599 words]
97 BLACK DRUG OFFENDERS IMPRISONED FOR EACH WHITE ONE County 3rd in the Nation in Racial Gap A study by a Washington-based advocacy group shows that Dane County locks up 97 black drug offenders for each white offender, ranking it third in the nation in racial disparity. The study also found that blacks were more likely to be imprisoned for such offenses in virtually every community in the nation. "It's very sad what the finding is for Dane County," said Jason Ziedenberg, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute, which issued the report today. "It's equally sad that 97 percent of the counties witnessed racial disparities." [continues 805 words]
Two recent reports said there is excessive sentencing and racial inequalities in the criminal justice system across the country, including in Wisconsin. Two recent reports said there is excessive sentencing and racial inequalities in the criminal justice system across the country, including in Wisconsin. A report released last week from the criminal justice research group JFS said the prison population is currently 1.5 million in the United States. Wisconsin had a prison population of over 21,000 in 2005, according to the state Department of Corrections. [continues 643 words]
Another internal police probe, another bunch of cleared officers. But this wasn't just any case. Milwaukee cops came under fire early this year after being accused of reaching an agreement under which a drug-addicted local businessman, Jordan Beck, escaped prosecution for cocaine possession by agreeing to turn over his Mercedes to the department. Beck later died from an overdose. Then-District Attorney E. Michael McCann was so upset by the case that he wrote a lengthy letter last year to the police chief, decrying the deal. "I'm sure you reject such a program, and I reject it, and it clearly is loaded with the invidious perception that a rich person driving a fine car would escape prosecution," wrote McCann, long an ally of police, in one of his last acts as district attorney. He urged the chief to return the car. [continues 647 words]
Those Caught in Possession Can Be Cited, Not Charged Waukesha - Marijuana possession in Waukesha County for first-time offenders soon will be handled like a traffic offense rather than a crime. The Waukesha County Board voted Tuesday to decriminalize such possession cases, with the maximum penalty a $1,000 fine. Previously, all such cases were handled as misdemeanor offenses, punishable by up to six months in jail. Milwaukee County and several municipalities already have decriminalized first-time possession as a way to ease punishment for offenders and relieve court congestion. [continues 288 words]
Sir, Thanks for the series on medical cannabis (October issue). May I point out that the complete report on the use of therapeutic cannabis you wrote about is properly titled, "Chronic Cannabis Use in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program: An Examination of Benefits and Adverse Effects of Legal Clinical Cannabis." (Russo, Mathre, Byrne et al 2002) The complete study may be found at www.medicalcannabis.com. Patients Out of Time (Mr. (Gary) Storck is on our Board of Advisers) is a 501c3 educational charity. We educate medical doctors and registered nurses about the therapeutic applications of cannabis. [continues 287 words]
What do the immune system and marijuana and have in common? Lots, according to senior biology major Alex Cohen. Working in an independent study with Associate Professor of Chemistry David Hall, Cohen is currently researching the relationship between the immune system and a particular class of chemicals found in marijuana. The marijuana chemicals Cohen focuses on are called cannabinoids. Interestingly, Cannabinoids also apparently occur naturally in the human body. Cohen's research pertains to the way the immune system responds to these cannabinoids. [continues 389 words]
Is your medicine legal? Jacki Rickert's isn't. The Wisconsin mother suffers from several incurable medical conditions and says the only effective treatment is marijuana. Rickert joined two state legislators and other medical marijuana supporters in late Sept. for a press conference to announce the introduction of new medical marijuana legislation. It was a symbolic day for Rickert, as it marks the 10-year anniversary of the "Journey-for-Justice," a 210-mile trek across the state Rickert and an entourage of medical marijuana supporters made in their wheelchairs that ended at the Capitol. [continues 1140 words]
For Wisconsin residents suffering from cancer, AIDS and other diseases filled with pain and nausea, relief could come through puffs of a marijuana joint, due to the work of a few progressive-thinking lawmakers. But this will come to fruition only if other legislators can get past the stigma and fear of a drug that dates back before Nancy Reagan made her famous "Just Say No" pronouncement. We're not talking about wholesale use of the drug, but rather allowing very small amounts for the grandmother suffering in hospice or the stage 4 cancer patient who has no appetite to get the nourishment he needs. Patients have reported that other drugs don't work as effectively as cannabis in alleviating nausea and pain associated with chronic and terminal illnesses. But if they use it, they face the same criminal charges as a recreational user. [continues 186 words]
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. was rightfully angry the other day at officials who shrugged their shoulders after a felon on probation recently failed two drug tests. Clarke went so far as to call Judge Joe Donald "soft." It was easy to identify with the tough-talking sheriff's frustration. But now the question must be asked of Clarke: Why did he use such a light touch himself with a half-dozen deputies who violated department policy - and the U.S. Constitution - by entering an empty house without a warrant? [continues 775 words]
A state Senate committee heard heated testimony Wednesday morning at the Capitol both for and against medicinal marijuana. The Committee on Health, Human Services, Insurance and Job Creation held a public information hearing about medical marijuana featuring testimony from three "expert witnesses" followed by responses from the public. Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, who chairs the committee, said he was approached with the idea to hold the hearing "years ago" when he first took office, by Gary Storck, co-founder of Is My Medicine Legal Yet? [continues 421 words]
The controversial issue of medical marijuana is the topic of an informal Wisconsin state Senate hearing at the Capitol Wednesday. The hearing will feature testimony by three experts leading the battle to legalize medical marijuana. Following the speakers, the floor will be open for discussion. Medical marijuana legislation was passed in the state Legislature in 1982, but the bill was only symbolic in its passage because it required but did not receive support from the federal government. Gary Storck, director of the Madison chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said a medical marijuana user in Wisconsin would face criminal charges if caught with the illegal substance. [continues 421 words]
Regarding Carl Hunter's Oct. 31st column, there is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has effectively reduced disease, death and crime among chronic users. Addicts would not be sharing needles if not for zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes, nor would they be committing crimes if not for artificially inflated black market prices. Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with heroin use. Heroin maintenance pilot projects are underway in Canada, England, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. [continues 123 words]
JANESVILLE -- So you inhaled when you were in college. Maybe you enjoyed yourself immensely. Wouldn't trade those days for anything. But now your child is 10 or 13 and wants to know: Did you smoke dope, mommy? What's A Parent to Do? Tell the truth, said Kate Baldwin of Partners in Prevention of Rock County. Tell the truth, said Carrie Kulinski, the Janesville School District's drug/alcohol coordinators and a longtime drug abuse counselor. Tell the truth, said Ben Masel, perhaps the most famous marijuana user in Wisconsin, known for organizing an annual marijuana festival. [continues 876 words]
A Baraboo man will serve 12 months of probation after investigators say he had 25 pounds of pot shipped to him from Texas. William J. Larsen, 51, also will spend 30 days in jail plus 30 months of probation for a more recent pot possession count after his sentencing Wednesday. Larsen appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court on a count of felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver based on an incident in March 2006. He also faced a misdemeanor pot possession charge stemming from an arrest in June. [continues 229 words]
President Bush requested $1.4 billon of American taxpayer money for counter-narcotics aid to Mexico. It is a familiar game. U.S. leaders blame another country for our failure to reduce drug misuse here at home. That country escalates its war against drugs but asks the U.S. to pick up part of the tab. Aid is given, but it ends up having no effect on the availability of drugs in the United States . Politicians in Washington point their fingers again, and the cycle continues. [continues 515 words]
Slip-Ups On Extended Supervision Can Add To Truth-In-Sentencing Terms Seven years after David Lex went to prison with a five-year term for his role in a marijuana smuggling ring, he's still got more than four years left behind bars. Lex is still doing time because of an aspect of the state's truth-in-sentencing scheme that didn't get a lot of attention when it took effect in late 1999. And Lex is far from alone. [continues 956 words]
Earlier this month San Francisco's Public Health Department helped sponsor an all-day discussion about opening up a legal drug injection center inside the city. Wait, what? A place where you can bring heroin, cocaine, or any other intravenous drug of choice and shoot up? Absolutely! And not only shoot up but with free syringes and a safety net of supervision by a trained medical staff so if you overdose, they'll save you! Conservatives around the U.S. are already mocking those "crazy liberals" for wanting to put tax dollars towards assisting the decrepit drug abusing derelicts that put a drain on society as it is. Where is Darwinism!? [continues 557 words]
About 600 marijuana plants, with a potential worth of about $1.2 million, were seized by law enforcement personnel Thursday from a remote public hunting area in Walworth County, authorities said. The plants were grown on state-owned land, and the location is thought to be one of the largest cultivated marijuana sites found in Walworth County, according to a statement from the Walworth County Drug Enforcement Unit. Last month, officers seized about 1,000 marijuana plants from a site about 400 yards from the location of Thursday's seizure. Officers also found about four campsites thought to be used by people tending the plants, according to the statement. Authorities say they think the plants would have yielded about 300 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $3,500 to $4,500 a pound. [end]
Inside Wisconsin
