Dr. Stephen Brown has become a believer in medical marijuana. Since registering as a certifying physician 15 months ago, Brown has seen about 700 patients, and he believes it has helped a majority of them. While certifying patients is required under state law for patients to buy medical marijuana, Brown takes pride in his physician's role. He spends time with each patient, takes a detailed medical history and follows up. Brown was a reconstructive surgeon who retired from surgery when it became too physically taxing. He had started his career in the Army, repairing cleft lips and palates in a Saigon field hospital during the Vietnam War. [continues 1199 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has decided marijuana will remain on the list of most dangerous drugs, fully rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it will allow more research into its medical uses. The decision to expand research into marijuana's medical potential could pave the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana, among others, are considered Schedule I drugs because they have no medical application; cocaine and opiates, for example, have medical uses and, while still illegal for recreational use, are designated Schedule II drugs. [continues 732 words]
Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths this week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting is also an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots. The question of whether as a country we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together. [continues 554 words]
MILFORD - Robert Fiore's childhood onset epilepsy is long under control, but he made it his mission to legalize medical marijuana for those under 18 in Connecticut after watching the CNN special report, "Weed," which featured the remarkable change cannabis oil made in a young girl with epilepsy suffering some 300 seizures a week. I thought, "Why not bring it to Connecticut?" Fiore said. The bill he helped introduce and pushed through his organization Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, passed in the Senate, 23-11, in April and Gov. Dannell P. Malloy signed it into law May 17. Patients under 18 cannot use products that are smokable, can be inhaled or are vaporizable and only for certain severe conditions. [continues 757 words]
Bill Awaits Governor's Signature HARTFORD - The Senate gave final passage to a bill Friday that would give children under the age of 18 access to non-smokeable medical marijuana. The bill passed the Senate 2311 after more than three hours of debate. The legislation, which received overwhelming approval in the House, faced stiff opposition from at least one Senator who introduced three amendments. The bill would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to marijuana after the approval of two doctors. [continues 677 words]
University of Connecticut student Jennifer Purdon is not shy talking about what she termed Tuesday as her "daily use of cannabis." Purdon, who described herself as a double-major, honor student with a 3.6 Grade Point Average, said, "I just prefer it (marijuana) over alcohol." Her testimony at a forum on recreational marijuana legalization brought a raucous round of applause from the largely supportive crowd that packed a hearing at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The informational hearing was sponsored by New Haven Democratic Reps. Juan Candelaria and Toni Walker. [continues 935 words]
Should police be permitted to use a drug-sniffing dog to roam the hallways of an apartment or condominium complex to search for contraband without getting a warrant from a judge? That is the question confronted by the state supreme court this week in a case called State v. Dennis Kono. Hiding underneath that are several other considerations of importance: should the police's power to search a person's residence be any different depending on whether the residence is an apartment, condominium or free-standing house; and should the search for contraband outweigh any Fourth Amendment rights we have as citizens? [continues 1199 words]
NEW HAVEN - Dependence on marijuana may have a genetic basis, according to research at Yale University. The study of more than 14,000 persons also found that a risk for dependence on marijuana may mean a higher chance of inheriting major depression, according to a release. "We were surprised to find a genetic risk overlap between cannabis dependence and major depression," said Dr. Joel Gelernter, a psychiatrist and professor of genetics and neuroscience, who was senior author of the study. The research showed that both dependence on marijuana and depression could be inherited. [continues 80 words]
As two of our forward-thinking state legislators have noted, it's high time we considered legalizing marijuana in Connecticut. State Rep. Roland Lemar and state Rep. Juan Candelaria, both New Haven-based Democrats, are co-sponsoring a bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. Although a Quinnipiac University poll last year found that 63 percent of Connecticut voters support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes, the bill's chance of passage is not deemed likely this time around. This is still, after all, the "Land of Steady Habits." [continues 805 words]
The state legislature's Public Health Committee approved what might be considered one of the most controversial proposals put before them in decades: medical marijuana for children. The bill, which now moves to the House for a vote, would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to non-smokable marijuana, but only with parental consent and the approval of two doctors. It would be prescribed in pill or liquid form. The other conditions included in the bill include cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, uncontrolled intractable seizure disorders, or irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity. [continues 607 words]
WASHINGTON - Sallie Taylor was sitting in her apartment in Northeast Washington one evening in January 2015 watching "Bible Talk" when her clock fell off the wall and broke. She turned and looked up. Nine District of Columbia police officers smashed through her door, pointed a shotgun at her face and ordered her to the floor. "They came in like Rambo," said Taylor, a soft-spoken 63-year-old grandmother who was dressed in a white nightgown and said she has never had even a speeding ticket. [continues 990 words]
Awareness Forum Addresses Growing Opioid Epidemic GOSHEN - "Northwest Connecticut has been reeling from an unfortunate epidemic," began Brian Ohler, director of the United Coalition of Northwest Connecticut to an audience of 25 at the Goshen Center School, "one that is plagued by rampant drug-related overdose deaths." Ohler moderated an Opioid Awareness Forum at 50 North St. Saturday. Various area drug counselors and health workers discussed the subject of the burgeoning heroin epidemic and treatment options and possible solutions in Litchfield County. Audience members included health care workers, concerned local politicians, and bereaved mothers. [continues 1321 words]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In January 1964, the Beatles first broke onto the Billboard chart with "I Want to Hold Your Hand;" by June, Ringo Starr had collapsed from tonsillitis and pharyngitis. In January, the surgeon general announced that scientists had found conclusive evidence linking smoking to cancer and thus launched our highly successful 50-year public-health fight against tobacco. In August, the North Vietnamese fired on a U.S. naval ship in the Gulf of Tonkin, which led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the public phase of the Vietnam War. Alongside an accelerating deployment of conventional troops would come their widespread use of marijuana and heroin. [continues 765 words]
A new tool in the war against drugs may turn out to be one of the most effective because it saves lives in the nick of time. It's called naloxone hydrochloride - commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan - a life-saving medication that can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. No longer is it just illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine that are being abused, but also opioids that include prescription medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. [continues 444 words]
Culture Change Seen As Authorities Target Big Hauls, Weapons NEW HAVEN - A West Haven man charged with conspiring in a marijuana trafficking scheme in New Haven will stand trial in federal court in December. Jesse Wrubel was charged by a federal grand jury in February 2014 for being involved in a marijuana trafficking scheme involving 60 pounds of marijuana and three stolen firearms. His co-defendant, Matthew Voloshin, has elected to plead guilty and awaits sentencing. The two have been detained since Feb. 7, 2014. [continues 935 words]
Marijuana is now legal in several states out west, and the world has yet to end. That's part of why two Connecticut lawmakers, Reps. Edwin Vargas, D-Hartford, and Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, want to bring legalization east. Is that a good idea? What will happen if we fully legalize marijuana? Conventional wisdom on that breaks down into two camps: One side says that crime will go up, use will go up, and that all of this will pose a serious public health risk. The other says that legalization will save the government money, help keep people out of jail, and otherwise not make life too different. [continues 684 words]
(AP) - Marijuana-related calls to poison control centers in Washington and Colorado have spiked since the states began allowing legal sales last year, with an increase in calls concerning young children. But it's not clear how much of the increase might be related to more people using marijuana, as opposed to people feeling more comfortable to report their problems now that the drug is legal for adults over 21. New year-end data being presented to Colorado's Legislature next week show that the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center received 151 calls for marijuana exposure last year, the first year of retail recreational pot sales. That was up from 88 calls in 2013 and 61 in 2012, the year voters legalized pot. Calls to the Washington Poison Center for marijuana exposures jumped by more than half, from 158 in 2013 to 246 last year. Public health experts say they are especially concerned about children accidentally eating marijuana edibles. [end]
Tourette's disorder, which is actually a group of related syndromes, does not have a treatment that helps all patients, and medical marijuana would be a hopeful addition to the arsenal, according to a specialist at the Yale Child Study Center. Tourette's was turned down unanimously by the Department of Consumer Protection's four-member Board of Physicians at this week's meeting, however, largely because of a lack of studies, according to Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan A. Harris. Three new medical conditions may be added to the list of those treatable with medical marijuana: sickle cell disease, post-laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy (a specific type of back pain) and severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. [continues 448 words]
CHICAGO - America is two nations when it comes to marijuana: in one it's legal, in the other it's not. The result is that people like B. J. Patel are going to jail. The 34-year-old Arizona man may face a decade in prison and deportation following an arrest in 2012. On a trip in a rented U-Haul to move his uncle from California to Ohio, he brought along some marijuana, which is legal for medicinal use in his home state. [continues 1627 words]
TORRINGTON The city's police department and a local substance abuse agency are holding a ribbon cutting Thursday morning for the launching of a prescription drug drop box program. The pill drop off box was installed inside the Torrington Police Department's lobby in April but was not immediately ready for use. The box was installed with the help of the McCall Foundation, a local, private nonprofit behavioral healthcare agency that provides substance abuse treatment. The release said the foundation received a grant from the state's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to help establish the pill drop off program. [continues 371 words]
If there is one thing you can say about New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, it is that she knows her brand. Even when she has a bad high in Colorado and uses it as the peg for a column on the messy process of marijuana legalization, she does not lose sight of her Dowdisms. Dowd may have lost her mind via mis-dosage, but in writing about it, she stays on message by describing "my more mundane drugs of choice, chardonnay and mediocre-movies-on-demand," blaming a girlish affinity for chocolate for her misfortune and confessing her stoned fascination with the green corduroy jeans she was wearing at the time. [continues 566 words]
Last month, NBC News ran a series of stories about the United States' "growing heroin epidemic." Last month, NBC News ran a series of stories about the United States' "growing heroin epidemic." Two things stand out in the reports: One is their sympathetic tone; the other is that almost everyone depicted is white. Drug users and their families aren't vilified; there is no panicked call for police enforcement. Instead, and appropriately, there is a call for treatment and rehabilitation. Parents of drug addicts express love for their children, and everyone agrees they need support to get clean. [continues 692 words]
(AP) - The Obama administration on Friday gave banks a road map for conducting transactions with legal marijuana sellers so these new businesses can stash away savings, make payroll and pay taxes like any other enterprise. It's not clear banks will get on board. Guidance issued by the Justice and Treasury departments is the latest step by the federal government toward enabling a legalized marijuana industry to operate in states that approve it. The intent is to make banks feel more comfortable working with marijuana businesses that are licensed and regulated. [continues 765 words]
Parents who have convinced their children that alcohol and tobacco are bad for them are likely struggling next with how to talk with their teens about marijuana - especially as it has become legal for adults to use recreationally in Colorado. The perceptions many teens - and often, their parents - have about pot are not only wrong, they can be dangerous, say medical and treatment professionals. An ongoing study of the behaviors and attitudes of teens and young adults has found that while teens aren't necessarily reporting higher use of marijuana, they're less likely to consider it "risky." The 2013 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that from 2005 to 2013, the percentage of high school students seeing great risk from being a regular marijuana user has fallen among eighthgraders from 74 percent to 61 percent, and among 12th-graders from 58 percent to 40 percent. This concerns members of the medical community who say that pot is bad for developing brains. [continues 1139 words]
It seemed like a good idea at the time: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 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%, making California the first state to legalize weed for medicinal reasons. Almost immediately, thousands of pot "clinics" opened across the Golden State. In San Francisco, things got so out of control that then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, a very liberal guy, had to shutter many of the "clinics" because drug addicts were clustering around them, causing fear among city residents. [continues 476 words]
SPRINGFIELD, COLO. (AP) - Southeast Colorado farmer Ryan Loflin tried an illegal crop this year. He didn't hide it from neighbors, and he never feared law enforcement would come asking about it. Loflin is among about two dozen Colorado farmers who raised industrial hemp, marijuana's nonintoxicating cousin that can't be grown under federal drug law, and bringing in the nation's first acknowledged crop in more than five decades. Emboldened by voters in Colorado and Washington last year giving the green light to both marijuana and industrial hemp production, Loflin planted 55 acres of several varieties of hemp alongside his typical alfalfa and wheat crops. The hemp came in sparse and scraggly this month, but Loflin said but he's still turning away buyers. [continues 793 words]
More than 1,100 Connecticut residents have now registered to use medical marijuana, but others have had difficulty finding a doctor participating in the program. The state's law allowing the palliative use of marijuana permits people with certain debilitating illnesses to get a recommendation from a doctor if they wish to register with the state to use the substance. As of Monday, 1,118 people had registered with the Department of Consumer Protection to use medical marijuana. However, only a small percentage of the state's physicians, around 100, have signed up with the department to write the patient recommendations. Meanwhile, the medical marijuana law includes a provision which exempts the names of those doctors from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. [continues 663 words]
It appears that for now the federal government is unlikely to crack down on Connecticut's newly approved medical marijuana program after the Justice Department released a memo outlining its enforcement priorities in light of recent state laws. The four-page memo is predominantly aimed at addressing laws passed in Colorado and Washington, which have legalized marijuana for recreational use. But the document acknowledges that several states have approved the substance for medical use. Although it still considers marijuana to be an illegal and dangerous drug, in general, the DOJ seems content at the moment to allow states to continue abiding by their own marijuana rules so long as the federal government's eight priorities on the issue are not violated. [continues 307 words]
NEW HAVEN - On the 42nd anniversary of President Richard Nixon declaring the start of the war on drugs, about 30 people gathered near the steps of city hall Monday to protest what they consider to be a failed war. "What I fail to understand about this whole thing, the war on drugs, is it really attacking the war on drugs or is it attacking black and Hispanic young men?," said Robert Lee Sr., a former New Haven alderman whose son, Robert Lee Jr., was arrested in a widespread federal drug sting last May dubbed Operation Bloodline. "It seems like that's what it's doing cause they are not accomplishing the mission that was supposed to be the war on drugs." [continues 461 words]
With 16 states having decriminalized or legalized cannabis for non-medical use and eight more heading toward some kind of legalization, federal prohibition's days seem numbered. You might wonder what America will look like when marijuana is in the corner store and at the farmers market. In three years spent researching that question, I found some ideas about the plant that just don't hold up. 1. If pot is legal, more people will use it. [continues 1104 words]
TORRINGTON - A zoning amendment unanimously approved by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday night could resurrect a proposed methadone clinic and settle a federal lawsuit filed against the city by the company pushing for it to be built. U.S. Attorney David B. Fein sent a letter to attorneys representing the City of Torrington and its planning and zoning commission last week informing them that his office has opened an investigation into a discrimination claim filed by the Hartford Dispensary, the company seeking to open a methadone clinic in Torrington. [continues 880 words]
Eight Former Directors of the Drug Enforcement Administration, As Well As Other Assorted Big Names Associated With National Drug Policy, Are Turning Up the Heat on Attorney General Eric Holder to Crack Down on Colorado and Washington for Legalizing Marijuana Last Fall. Even the United Nations is getting into the act. A U.N.based agency, the International Narcotics Control Board, claimed this week that the Obama administration will violate treaties if it doesn't take action to stop the two states from forging a new marijuana policy. [continues 306 words]
BOSTON (AP) - Dozens of people, many with debilitating illnesses, have asked Massachusetts health officials to allow doctors to decide what conditions should be treated with marijuana. Speakers urged the state Public Health Department on Thursday to not limit the list of conditions for which medical marijuana can be used. About 100 people turned out for the second of three "listening sessions" hosted by the department as it drafts medical marijuana regulations. Karen Munkacy, a breast cancer survivor and a physician, said she wants to make sure doctors are allowed to make the decisions with their patients. Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana through a ballot question in November. Civil and criminal penalties were eliminated for the use of marijuana by people with cancer, Parkinson's Disease, AIDS and other serious conditions. [end]
SIMSBURY) The Simsbury Zoning Commission sought public feedback at its Nov. 19 on how to proceed with local regulations for recently state-approved medical marijuana. Though not federally approved, Connecticut became one of several states to pass such laws, which took effect Oct. 1. It approves use of marijuana for some medical uses, such as cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. "We're not trying to challenge the spirit of the law," said Commission Chairman Robert Pomeroy Jr. during the Nov. 19 meeting at town hall. "The state has approved this to make it available, so we don't want to be obstructionist." [continues 427 words]
Since 1972 when marijuana was placed as a Schedule I drug in the Federal Controlled Substance Act, there have been many questions about the safety and effectiveness of this drug in combating a variety of medical ailments. Arguments against the medical use of marijuana often focus on issues that have less to do with its therapeutic value and more to do with broader policy implications. Opponents frequently claim that the medical use of marijuana would set a bad example for youth, encourage more wide-spread use of the substance and generate other social problems. [continues 676 words]
TORRINGTON - Local police have expressed mounting concern over a concoction sold legally in local stores and known as "K2," "Spice" or simply "fake weed." According to Lt. Michael Emanuel of the Torrington Police Department, teens are getting high off of this substance. There have been reports of it causing hallucinations, delusions, vomiting, agitation, elevated blood pressure and heart rates, as well as other dangerous effects. K2 has been sold in shops since 2006 as incense or potpourri for approximately $30 to $40 for a bag containing 3 grams. [continues 342 words]
The Drug War Has a mission; 'Bout as smart as Prohibition. The Associated Press recently reported on some exhaustive research, undertaken by the nonprofit International Centre for Science in Drug Policy. These tireless scholars examined 300 studies covering the past 20 years, evaluating the public good arising from police crusades against drug peddling. The result of all those beefed-up crackdowns? Increased violence! It seems that whenever you finally nab the top drug lords, a deadly struggle erupts to replace them. Gang wars explode, body counts rise, and new openings arise for upwardly mobile young thugs. [continues 516 words]
There's one thing that Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have all agreed on: expanding military aid to Latin America to fight the so-called "Drug War." A new phase of the Drug War began in 2000 under President Bill Clinton, with $1.3 billion in "emergency" funding to fight cocaine production in Colombia by destroying the raw material for it -- coca plants. President George W. Bush continued the fight, which sent nearly $6 billion in aid to Colombia between 2000 and 2008. When cartel violence began to spiral out of control in Mexico, he shepherded hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Mexican military. President Barack Obama initially followed in his predecessors' footsteps, but now appears to be headed down a wiser path. [continues 573 words]
President Barack Obama's drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, should be commended for initiating some basic reforms in U.S. drug policy. One of his first sensible acts was to drop the phrase "War on Drugs." "Regardless of how you try to explain to people that it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he explained. "We're not at war with people in this country." As the former chief of the Seattle Police, he lived under some of the most progressive drug laws in the nation. When it comes to addressing the basic premise of our failed drug policies, however, he's trapped in a linguistic box. [continues 374 words]
Arnold Schwarzenegger proved last week (May 5) he's not a girly-man when it comes to the debate over whether marijuana should be legalized and taxed in California. Gov. Arnold called for a large-scale study of the consequences of legalizing pot for recreational use in California and suggested that the study might benefit from looking at the effects of drug legalization moves already made by European countries. It's true that Schwarzenegger is a lame duck and that his politically daring call was driven largely by his bankrupt state's search for new sources of tax revenue. [continues 1127 words]
TORRINGTON - For the first time in several years, students at Torrington Middle School will receive instruction from the DARE Program. The Torrington Police Department will begin teaching the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program today, at 10:30 a.m., at the Torrington Middle School. Officer Gregory Wityak, who is certified in both grammar and middle school programs, will be the instructor for the eight week duration. This is the first time in 10 years that DARE instruction will be available for middle school students, after the program was cut due to staffing issues, said Officer Richard Dowd, director of the program. DARE is funded mainly by grants and asset forfeiture money from cars or houses that are seized by police, he said. [continues 238 words]
I agree completely with your argument for re-legalizing pot, but it does not go far enough to solve the problems created by prohibition. All drugs must be regulated in quality and age controlled markets to eliminate the violent criminal black markets that hurt us all. Only then can we restore personal responsibility, and those of us that don't use drugs can regain our rights to live in a relatively crime-free society. David Lane Santa Cruz, Calif [end]
Regarding your Jan. 2 editorial, there is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like heroin. This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. [continues 82 words]
Your editors almost got it right. The marijuana laws were based on racism, ignorance, and nonsense from the very beginning. Every major study of drug laws from around the world over the last 100 years agrees that marijuana prohibition does more harm than good. You got that right. However, keeping sales illegal simply means that organized crime will have a monopoly on a multi-billion dollar market. There are really only two choices for sales of marijuana. Either the Mexican drug lords get tens of billions of dollars per year, or that money could go to law-abiding American citizens. It is the same choice we had with beer -- Al Capone or Anheuser-Busch. [continues 157 words]
On Wednesday, a local man was arrested, police said, with 11 pounds of marijuana and $17,000 in cash in his possession. The amount of pot and money does suggest an intent to distribute, but a distinction should be made between those who sell weed, and those who use it for medical, or even personal use. Possessing small amounts of marijuana should not be a crime in and of itself. More and more states are decriminalizing marijuana for medical and personal use and Connecticut should do the same. [continues 178 words]
To the editor: The annual D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) car show in Torrington is the best in the area, with a huge, wonderful variety of rare vehicles. Friday's cruise was a great success, judging by the large crowds it drew. However, the D.A.R.E. program itself is a dismal failure and a waste of tax money. According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), the politically popular program has had "no statistically significant long-term effect on preventing youth illicit drug use." In addition, students who participate in D.A.R.E. demonstrate "no significant differences... [in] attitudes toward illicit drug use [or] resistance to peer pressure" compared to children who had not been exposed to the program." Such criticism has plagued D.A.R.E. throughout its 25-year history, yet police departments continue to promote the failed program at the expense of effective law enforcement because it is a cash cow, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal aid, paid by taxpayers. [continues 110 words]
WINSTED - Scores of young smiling faces pledged to stay away from drugs at a Red Ribbon Week ceremony held at Hinsdale Elementary School on Monday morning. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country and serves as a vehicle for communities and individuals to take a stand for the hopes and dreams of children through a commitment to drug prevention and education and a personal commitment to live drug free lives with the ultimate goal being the creation of a drug free American, according to the Web site www.imdrugfree.com. [continues 395 words]
Illegal drug seizures and purchases by police have tripled during the past decade. The dramatic increase indicates there are more illegal drugs on the streets in the Northwest Corner and there are more police officers on the beat to fight the drug local drug infiltration. It takes money to fight the influx of illegal street drugs and local law enforcement is finding ways to raise the funds needed to hire more police personnel. Getting illegal drugs off the streets is a never-ending and costly battle that all communities must fight. [end]
TORRINGTON - There is a concern that an extremely dangerous street drug, popular in the western part of the United States, is moving closer to the Northwest Corner. "There is a fear that the use of methamphetamine is making its way to this area," Torrington Police Chief Robert Milano said. "It causes quite a bit of concern." Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant drug that activates certain areas of the brain with effects being more potent, longer lasting and more harmful to the central nervous system. Production of the substance is hazardous to the user and people near its creation site, officials said. [continues 730 words]
BANTAM - The state dropped drug charges Wednesday against a Torrington couple allegedly caught with crack cocaine in March. Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Wittstein told Judge Robert Brunetti that the state's case against Christopher and Carmen Ostrander, 183 Riverside Ave., would probably not survive a motion to suppress. Wittstein said his office would not prosecute the cases. The Ostrander's attorneys, James Longwell and James McCarthy, intended to file a motion to suppress because they believed the police had no reason to stop or search the car that the couple was driving March 5. [continues 256 words]
