GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A Canada Border Services Agency officer and another Canadian citizen have been charged with conspiracy after allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 22 kilograms of marijuana into the United States, authorities said. Gary Graboski, 35, who worked as a border inspector for the Canadian agency, was arrested on May 13 just south of the Pinecreek, Minn., port of entry. Agents determined he intended to deliver the marijuana hidden in the bed of his pickup to another man. The investigation led to the arrest a short time later of Loran Stewart, 37, also a Canadian citizen, in Warroad, Minn. [end]
(AP) - A Canada Border Services Agency officer and another Canadian citizen have been charged with conspiracy after the officer was arrested while allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 22 kilograms of marijuana into the United States, authorities said. "For law enforcement officers on both sides of the border, it's a sad day when someone in a position of authority violates the public's trust," said Michael Mach, agent-in-charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Grand Forks. [continues 211 words]
(AP) - A Canada Border Services Agency officer and another Canadian citizen have been charged with conspiracy after the officer was arrested while allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 22 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S., authorities said. "For law enforcement officers on both sides of the border, it's a sad day when someone in a position of authority violates the public's trust," said Michael Mach, agent-in-charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Grand Forks. [continues 101 words]
A 35-year-old Canadian man was sentenced on Thursday to 30 months in a North Dakota jail for smuggling about 85 kilograms of marijuana into North Dakota last August. "He said he was not a bad person, that he made a bad judgment and that he was sorry for getting involved in drugs," United States Assistant Attorney Scott Schneider said of the sentencing hearing for Joseph Dominic Marcel Maltais. Maltais' main address is in Kamloops, B.C., but when he was caught, he had a Manitoba driver's licence with a Neepawa address. [continues 208 words]
BOSTON - President Bush's call for increased federal funding of school drug testing programs already has reignited debate over the efficacy and ethics of intrusive remedies for a country at war with drugs. Given the easy availability of illegal substances and their widespread use by teens, it's a debate worth watching. Random drug testing in schools began with student athletes and a "pay to play" philosophy holding that participation in sports is a privilege extended on the condition of abstinence from substance use. In a practice upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, this privilege principle quickly migrated to other competitive activities, from cheering to chess. And now, in its latest iteration, drug testing is being applied more broadly to students enrolled in some private and parochial schools. [continues 619 words]
An epidemic is sweeping Bismarck-Mandan, and Sherry Mills Moore intends to do something about it. Moore, chair of the Mayor's Task Force on Meth, works with a group of volunteers to educate the community on the dangers of methamphetamine and points them to resources to fight them. The task force, created by Bismarck Mayor John Warford last year, works to "bring together resources of the community to work on the problem of meth in the community" through a series of projects. [continues 267 words]
Hemp Supporters Encouraged By Court's Stay On Ban If the most important thing about real estate is "location, location, location," then Robert Robinson believes the most important thing for industrial hemp is "education, education, education." Robinson, director of Modern Hemp, and members of Vote Hemp displayed some products and offered taste samples of "Hemp Crunch" and "Hemp Nuggets" and Alpsnack Nutrition Bars on Monday in Minot near the DEA office in an attempt to garner public opinion to "Just Say No" to the Drug Enforcement Agency's ban on hemp. [continues 783 words]
As you know from my last ad in The Dickinson Press, I don't use marijuana in any form; however, I support legalization of marijuana for medicinal and industrial purposes. My convictions are based on years of research. But I don't want you to take my word for it, consider what others say. Famed newsman Hugh Downs recently wrote that some believe the production of marijuana (hemp) by farmers could save the U.S. economy. "It is estimated that methane and methanol production alone from hemp grown as biomass could replace 90% of the world's energy needs. If they are right it is is not good news for oil interests and could account for the continuation of marijuana prohibition. The claim is that the threat hemp posed to natural resource companies back in the thirties accounts for its original ban." For more on Downs' stand go to my website and learn how Ford Motor Company once used marijuana to make methanal, a cheap, clean renewable fuel. [continues 399 words]
BUT WHY? There's a natural drug that controls nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This same drug effectively controls muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis and some seizures in epilepsy. And this drug improves the appetite and the disturbed behavior of those suffering from Alzheimers. The problem is, this drug is banned by the government. Get caught taking it and you'll be arrested. This drug is cannabis or marijuana. It is a very safe and effective pain reliever with very few side effects. [continues 956 words]
The Rural Crime and Justice Center (RCJC) and the Student Association are sponsoring a Meth Awareness Day today. A presentation will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the MSU Conference Center in the Student Union. The RCJC will provide free CD holders and water bottles with a meth-awareness logo while supplies last. The day was organized because more and more methamphetamine labs have been appearing throughout North Dakota. There were over 250 labs confiscated just this year. Methamphetamine is an illegal drug currently being used for recreational purposes. The drug is roughly made up of battery acid, drain cleaner, antifreeze, paint thinner, starter fluid, ephedrine, anhydrous ammonia and a high concentrate of a drug found in most cough syrups. [continues 236 words]
NORTH DAKOTA: MORE DRUG RAIDS The number of methamphetamine laboratories raided so far this year is more than double the number for last year, the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation said. There have been 192 such raids this year, up from 89 in 2001, 46 in 2000 and 17 in 1999, the bureau said. The state attorney general has attributed the jump to the increased prevalence of the drug, more public awareness about the laboratories, and growing efforts by drug task force agents and local law enforcement agencies. [end]
A Fargo doctor found guilty in April 2000 of growing and regularly smoking marijuana will no longer be employed by MeritCare starting next week. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has deemed Dr. Craig Sprenger ineligible to participate in federal health care programs for five years. Sprenger, an internal medicine doctor at MeritCare since 1995, cannot work with Medicare, Medicaid or any other federal health care program as of Nov. 20, according to a letter received Nov. 5 by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. [continues 398 words]
BISMARCK, N.D. - The methamphetamine drug problem in North Dakota needs a fiercer attack that combines a few new laws, more treatment of addicts and better education, the new attorney general said. Wayne Stenehjem, surrounded by about 30 legislators, police, sheriffs, prosecutors and drug agents, announced his drug enforcement initiative Tuesday. He said many of those in the room helped him draft the plan. "There is no magic fix," he said, "But an ongoing effort is required." Stenehjem first proposed such a plan during his election campaign last year. [continues 159 words]
MINOT -- Industrial hemp could become as important as canola as a crop in North Dakota, according to the director of agricultural research at North Dakota State University. Cole Gustafson summarized the work NDSU is trying do on industrial hemp at a seminar Friday at the KMOT Ag Expo in Minot. He said there already is a well developed niche market for hemp products that North Dakota producers could fill. However, before that happens, federal anti-drug regulations will have to be changed. Hemp is the same species as marijauna, but has extremely low levels of the chemical that makes people high. [continues 626 words]
Teachers in North Dakota aren't told if one of their students is a killer. Or a rapist. Or who's stolen a gun. They are told who was caught drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette, but don't know if a juvenile has a history of assaulting authority figures. Under state law, authorities cannot share juvenile records or files with school officials. An exception is made for certain alcohol-or drug-related offenses, but no other crimes, according to Larry Klundt, executive director of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders. And a federal law disallows schools from sharing records with law enforcement. [continues 561 words]
Drug-related arrests more than doubled in 2000 in Mandan over the previous year, according to the police department's annual report. But otherwise, crime in Mandan remains about the same, according to five years of statistics. "The crime activity has been fairly static," said police chief Dennis Rohr. Over the last five years, the department has had an average of 1,211 reported crimes per year. In 2000, the number was close to that -- 1,208. But one category in particular was an exception, the drug arrests. In 2000, there were 137 arrests, compared to 63 in 1999 and 84 in 1998. There were decreases in some categories, such as misdemeanor theft, so overall, the crime rate -- comparing 1999 to 2000 -- only increased by 3 percent. [continues 723 words]
Bismarck, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota is spending $700,000 a year in federal grants to specifically fight methamphetamine use that continues to grow at a rapid pace. Drug agents busted 15 methamphetamine labs in North Dakota through the first four months of this year, the state Attorney General’s office and Bureau of Criminal Investigation said. The state had about the same number of busts for all of 1999 and only five in 1998, the agencies say. Meth arrests increased 300 percent nationwide between 1993 and 1998, to 7,587. North Dakota meth arrests have increased 500 percent during the same time, from 31 in 1993 to 208 in 1998. [continues 292 words]
Porous Border Opens Door For Drug Trade; Quantity Disputed Drug agents in North Dakota believe potent marijuana grown in high-tech underground laboratories in Manitoba is filtering into the United States through porous international border crossings. Marijuana growers are building sophisticated below-ground bunkers all over rural Winnipeg, said Sgt. Lyle MacMillan, a Winnipeg Police drug agent. Some of the operations are growing hundreds -- maybe thousands - -- of marijuana plants that produce three to four crops a year. Jerry Kemmet, who heads the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said the lightly guarded border between Manitoba and North Dakota provides easy routes for traffickers to move the pot south. [continues 313 words]
Drug Prevention Should Begin Early Everything a drug does for you, you can do "naturally" for yourself, Frank White says. "Heroin is calming and reduces stress. Running will do that for you. It releases endorphins." Cocaine is said to be stimulating. "You can get that from lifting weights," White adds. "But that takes time, and it's hard work." Far too many people, including pre-teens, are looking to drugs for quick fixes, said the assistant professor in UND's Department of Sociology. "Drugs are easier. They fit into our fast-paced economy. They fit the societal environment we grew up in." [continues 412 words]
Most youngsters get their information about drugs from secondary sources such television, other kids, parents and magazines, according to Frank White, assistant professor in UND's Department of Sociology. "Although they may be good, they are not first-hand," said White, who teaches classes on social problems, drugs and society. "I've taught this for 12 years," White said, "and it's always a new prep. It's like a game of golf. You never master it. There are always new drugs on the market and always a new person who died from a combination. It's a challenge for me because it's always changing." [continues 561 words]
Inside North Dakota
