Regarding Judith McGinnis' thoughtful June 2 column, the U.S. drug war has given the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. Prohibition-related violence has caused upward of 35,000 deaths in Mexico over the past four years. Despite criminal penalties, the U.S. has higher rates of drug use than European Union countries such as Portugal that have decriminalized. With skyrocketing national debt threatening the long-term viability of the U.S. economy, this country can no longer afford to throw good money after bad drug policy. Robert Sharpe Arlington, Va. [end]
Martha Rivera Alanis deserves more than a certificate for "outstanding civic courage." She should get a medal for being a kindergarten teacher in a combat zone. Alaniz was recognized Monday for her quick thinking in the face of what is an all too common occurrence in Mexico. The sound of gunfire outside her Monterrey school activated Alanis' drop and cover instinct. She got a classroom of 15 terrified 5 and 6-year-olds to put their ears to the floor and wait for the shooting to stop. [continues 276 words]
Joe Brown does a service by raising the issue of whether to end marijuana prohibition ("Debate rages on legalization of pot," 5/20). But he frames the debate in a way that misstates the actual choice. Mr. Brown writes, "What do you readers think: A balanced budget or opening up the flood gates to wider use of the weed Cannabis?" But the assumption that regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol (which is what reformers actually propose) would lead to an explosion in use is not backed up by the data. [continues 127 words]
I've got 74 growth rings on my personal tree stump and can remember pretty far back, even today. At one time, Texas had legal horse racing at Arlington Downs, when that city wasn't much more than open pastures. But I can't recall if there was any legal betting at that time, or how Texas lost the race track that W.T. Waggoner was so involved with in the 1930s. But I do know that New Mexico, Oklahoma and even Louisiana had race tracks and betting. They still do. [continues 378 words]
GROOM, Texas (AP) - An Illinois sheriff's deputy and his traveling companion have been arrested on drug possession charges after Texas authorities say they found 138 pounds of marijuana and 4,000 grams of cocaine in their vehicle during a traffic stop along Interstate 40. Cook County Deputy Darryl Jenkins, 47, and [Redacted] both of Calumet City, Ill., were arrested Sunday evening after Texas Department of Public Safety troopers pulled over a minivan near Groom in Carson County, about 50 miles east of Amarillo. [continues 145 words]
Today, they're sixth-graders, wrapping up their final year at Fain Elementary School. Friends, family, school and the approaching start of junior high are just a few of the things on their minds. Flash forward a few years, and you might find some of these students at the front of their own classrooms as the teachers. Maybe one will be your doctor. One might be putting out fires and helping people during emergencies. You might find one of them topping the music charts, and you could see some of them in the pages of the magazines you read. [continues 3033 words]
Wichita Falls City Manager Darron Leiker went into the budget process for 2007-08 knowing that part of the undertaking would have to include salaries to fold six employees into the Wichita Falls Police Department. Those six had been part of the North Texas Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force, which appears set to shut down at the end of September as the interagency agreement funding it ends. The reality started to sink in several months ago as the Texas Legislature wrapped up its session without bolstering the task force, Leiker said. The city and surrounding areas had hoped some dollars would come through. [continues 800 words]
The future is looking hopeful as the North Texas Regional Drug Task Force goes into the final days of its efforts to stay afloat. The task force, which works drug cases in a 13-county area, lost much of its funding when national and state money was rerouted to other purposes. This week Cooke County and Throckmorton County voted to continue with the program, according to John Spragins, an officer with the unit. Bowie City Council members voted last week to send a strong message of support and more than doubled its contribution, allocating $25,000 to the task force. [continues 101 words]
Local Students Yielded No Postive Results All Wichita Falls high schools reported negative drug test results on the first round of drug testing for the school year, but one refusal at Rider High School spoiled any perfect record. One Rider student randomly selected to be drug tested declined to take the test. A refusal counts as an automatic positive test for the student and the school. This particular student had a history of two positive tests, and this refusal counted as a third positive. [continues 373 words]
Officers Seize $88,000 Worth Of Crystal Meth Wichita Falls police chiseled off the largest piece of "ice" yet in the city - but even the biggest bust to date could be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crystal meth cases. "Ice is something that's starting to show up a lot in our search warrants," Capt. Manuel Borrego said. "I honestly believe we're going to get bigger," Sgt. Larry Robinett said as police displayed almost two dozen plastic bags of drugs seized Monday. [continues 331 words]
Recommendation To Keep Offenders From Practices The new drug-testing policy for the Wichita Falls Independent School District is so new it hasn't even been officially tested yet, but it's already getting a tweaking. At least, it's expected to, once administrators get a chance to study a warning passed along by Dr. Harvey Graves, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Medical Management Corp., the company hired by the district to handle its drug testing. Graves advised WFISD officials that if athletes test positive for drug use and are suspended according to district rules, they should not be allowed to practice with their teams. [continues 282 words]
It wasn't unanimous, but almost. School board members for the Wichita Falls Independent School District voted Monday to put a drug testing policy in place, starting in August, for a cost of $15,000 to $24,000 annually. The as-of-yet-funded program will do random drug testing of 120 students in ninth through 12th grade on five to eight occasions throughout the year. All tested students will come from the pool of about 1,200 students who participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. [continues 511 words]
A week after the Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in California and nine other states are no bar to federal drug prosecution, the House voted down an amendment that would have stopped the Justice Department from bringing such cases. While medical marijuana advocates never thought they would have the votes to bar federal prosecutions, some had predicted that, because of the heightened interest after the Supreme Court's ruling, they would do better than the 264-161 vote they received Wednesday. [continues 447 words]
In his March 12 column, sports editor Nick Gholson claims that student drug testing has been proven to be "effective in discouraging drug use by some students" But the largest study ever conducted on the topic - funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse - found that drug testing is "not associated with either the prevalence or frequency of student marijuana use, or of other illicit drug use." Gholson also says that "usually the only people against drug tests are the druggies." But opponents of student drug testing include the National Education Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. [continues 82 words]
Expert Says Prevention at Early Ages Key to the Fight The drug war is a failing campaign, and it costs taxpayers billions of dollars to fight battle after losing battle, a drug policy expert said at a League of Women Voters meeting Saturday. Suzanne Wills, a board member of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas, outlined an unflattering history of what America has accomplished in its crusade against illegal drugs. Her history lesson is laced with tales of lawmakers who ignore the science behind addiction and corporate giants who profit from the drug war. [continues 484 words]
Thank you for publishing my letter: "Re-legalizing Drugs," July 2, and I would like to respond to Charlie Dudley who criticized my letter ("Reality Check" July 12). I'd like to explain to Dudley why drug-related crime would be substantially lower if all types of drugs were re-legalized. Mainly because the prices for the drugs would be substantially lower. When pure pharmaceutical-grade Bayer heroin was legally sold for about the same price as Bayer aspirin, drug addicts didn't have to rob, steal or commit acts of prostitution to obtain their drug or drugs of choice because the drugs were cheap. Now aspirin sells for about 2 cents a dose, but heroin sells for $20 to $50 a dose because of prohibition. [continues 122 words]
Mr. Kirk Muse from Mesa thinks that if all drugs were legalized there would be less crime. He also thinks that that would lead to more cops, judges, wardens and prison guards washing cars for a living. Let's just presume all dope was legal. You're telling us that the thieves, robbers and muggers wouldn't need to steal anymore to get the "money" for the dope, legal or not? That meth-heads wouldn't be driving like drunk monkeys anymore? WOW! You'd better start coming back to Earth every now and then and stop getting lost in the ozone. You may be surprised at how much reality you're missing out on. Charlie Dudley Iowa Park [end]
I'm writing about: "Methamphetamine's other plague." (6-28-04). I'd like to add that many judges and prison wardens have said that 70 to 90 percent of all property crime and violent crime is "drug related." Actually almost 100 percent of all so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by drug prohibition policies - not drugs. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. [continues 112 words]
Users Turn to Crime to Satisfy Addiction It's a double-barreled shotgun aimed at the heart of Wichita Falls - identify theft and methamphetamine addiction. Police say methamphetamine use is rising at a devastating rate, ruining lives and sending a seemingly infinite stream of cases pouring into the courts. Then there's the scene of the crime. Wichita Falls Forgery Detective Chris Gay said many methamphetamine raids yield stolen checks, stolen credit cards, piles of stolen mail or fake identification. The Connection? [continues 1479 words]
Computing Error Led To Overestimation Of Mushroom Doses Seized A calculating glitch appears to have caused the dollar amount to mushroom into the millions on a major psilocybin mushroom bust in North Texas. The 25 pounds of mushrooms seized last week were worth only a fraction of the money authorities originally believed, police said. The original figure topped $11 million. The North Texas Regional Drug Task Force said that amount was about 25 times too high. The Task Force, the Wichita Falls Police Department's Organized Crime Unit, Department of Public Safety narcotics officers and the Clay County Sheriff's Department worked together on the investigation. They say the mushroom distribution operation stretched from Wichita Falls to Austin. [continues 389 words]
Although the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is popular ("State D.A.R.E. officers gather in the Falls"), it is completely ineffective and sometimes even counterproductive. That's the conclusion of the GAO, the U.S. surgeon general, the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education. Not surprisingly, the federal government now prohibits schools from spending federal funds on the failed program. However, there is good news. The social norms marketing technique has repeatedly proven effective in reducing the use and abuse of alcohol among young people. It's based on the fact that the vast majority of young people greatly exaggerate in their minds the quantity and frequency of drinking among their peers. Therefore, they tend to drink - or drink more - than they would otherwise, in an effort to "fit in." [continues 93 words]
Drug officers know them as psilocybin mushrooms. That's a mouthful for the substance known on the street as "shrooms," "mushies" or "Mexican Magic Mushrooms." They're the same ones that popped up all over the psychedelic '60s, police said, and they have a hallucinogenic effect - similar to LSD. Mushrooms aren't as popular as many other drugs, the Drug Enforcement Agency reported, but they often appear on college campuses, clubs and raves. Chris Taylor with the North Texas Regional Drug Task Force said mushroom users follow several recipes for taking the drug. Methods include: [continues 278 words]
Sizeable Mushroom Bust Said To Be One Of Biggest On Record Investigators look over psilocybin mushrooms seized during a search Tuesday in Clay County. Officers seized a total of 25 pounds during their investigation. Mushroom Seizure by the Numbers Psilocybin mushrooms seized: 25 pounds Dosage units: 1.13 million Total value: $11.35 million Drug officers from several agencies made a rare find in Clay County this week. They made a mushroom bust bigger than anything the North Texas Drug Task Force has seen before. [continues 442 words]
The Star Spangled Banner and a lighted candle marked the beginning of an intense week of personal stories and training sessions aimed at keeping Texas kids safe. Officers who lead the Drug Abuse Resistance Education - or D.A.R.E. - program across the state remembered D.A.R.E. and other officers who've lost their lives in the line of duty. They filled the Multi-Purpose Events Center Tuesday for the start of the 16th annual D.A.R.E. Officers Conference. [continues 382 words]
Effort In Response To Area Activity A newly installed enforcement team aims to take a bite out of drug-related crime at Sheppard Air Force Base. The Joint Drug Enforcement Team, a special Air Force detachment charged with coordinating Sheppard's on- and off-base drug abatement effort, got off the ground this week, base officials said. "The Joint Drug Enforcement Team, or JDET (pronounced jay-dett), came about in response to drug use in the area," said Security Forces Squadron Commander Major Chris Echols. "The team will help make sure the Office of Special Investigations has the tools they need to fight the war on drugs." [continues 384 words]
School Board Hears Plea To Help Students Any child can buy any drug within three blocks of any school in Wichita Falls, according to Dr. Brian Hull, a Wichita Falls physician and assistant team physician for Wichita Falls High School. "You know it's the truth," Hull told Wichita Falls Independent School District board members in an impassioned plea Monday during a school board open forum address. He argued for a drug-testing program to test all students and staff. "Unfortunately, I'm in the know," Hull said, explaining that he's cared for everyone from principals to police officers and that he's heard stories of drug abuse from every angle. "I see too much," he said. "I hear too much." [continues 463 words]
A drug-detecting dog helped Wichita Falls police sniff out methamphetamine early Wednesday morning, according to police reports. The report said police stopped a vehicle for a defective headlight at Avenue G and Monroe. Officers were familiar with the people in the car for other drug-related offenses. Police called in help from the K-9 unit. The dog alerted officers there were drugs, according to the police report, and officers found drugs near the passenger seat. Officers arrested the passenger for possession of a controlled substance charge. [end]
Susan Mansur Bahr writes to your paper, "... there is a huge difference between someone who uses drugs to ease physical pain and someone using cocaine or meth to get high." Really? In what sense? Both use the drugs compulsively. Both break the law. One relieves a physical pain; one relieves a psychological pain. Both get "high." So, what is the difference? Indeed, does she really trust a compulsive addict like Rush to tell her the truth when he has lied to and deceived even his wife for so long? Maybe, just maybe, he liked the "high," the way in which it altered his consciousness. That would appear to be the key difference for illogical fanatics. "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." (Prov. 31:6-7) Matthew Hulett [end]
I take empathic exception to the article "Rush Limbaugh no different from any other drug addict." My answer to you is that you should listen to Rush Limbaugh then, you too, just may learn to listen to other news media and learn to think for yourself. I sincerely hope that you are never in such pain that you would take a narcotic, legal or illegal if you had the opportunity to. You see, I have been in such pain and I assure you I am not "extremely wealthy." (And I really don't understand how a person's ability to earn a small fortune through hard work has any bearing on this case.) I do consider myself very fortunate to endure such constant pain. In addition, my brother, a white, low-income - as you would call it, an addict - was seriously injured in a farming accident when he was quite young. The doctors kept him on narcotics for weeks just to get him through the first few weeks following the accident. When he was able to go home he was supplied with narcotics to enable him to endure the terrible pain one would experience when half of his calf and part of his foot had been torn away by an auger and a cotton puller. [continues 154 words]
FREDERICK -- The message from Frederick Elementary students was - "No way! I'm too smart for that!" That was their response to "Want some alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs?" during National Red Ribbon Week. Teachers and students celebrated each day of last week in a special way. Monday was "red" day and the students wore red to show they are "red-y" to fight drugs. Tuesday was western day and they wore western clothes to show they were ready to "rope 'em up and kick out drugs." [continues 96 words]
Dear Mrs. Rush: I wanted to write you about your column on Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh is just like any other junkie? Come on; get real. There is a huge difference between your average junkie and Rush. The average junkie does his drugs because that is how he gets his kicks. He enjoys the high. Don't get me wrong. What Rush has done is totally wrong. But in his defense, Rush had a very complicated spinal surgery that didn't work, and he was in constant excruciating pain. He admits he should have done something with his physician then, but didn't want to face yet another trying surgery. Instead he took the pills to edge the horrible pain he was in and he got hooked. [continues 218 words]
To Versel Rush: Your article was not "fair" to anyone. It was a biased attack on a conservative celebrity who, admittedly, is addicted to painkillers, but has yet to be proven guilty of a crime. It wasn't "fair" to racial minorities, state-run drug programs or public defenders, implying that they are weaker somehow and less competent in dealing with society's problems than their wealthy counterparts. It was an argument in black and white to further a leftist point of view, the very thing you accuse Rush of. Addiction may know no color, but there is a huge difference between someone who uses drugs to ease physical pain, and someone using cocaine or meth to get high. Susan Mansur Bahr Wichita Falls [end]
Regarding "Mesquite field conceals meth labs," Aug. 27: Wasn't this sort of problem supposed to have been prevented by prohibiting these drugs? When will our opinion leaders wake up to the fact that prohibition not only never works, but causes much more harm than allowing the item in question to be legally available? Nearly all the harm done to users and non-users alike by illegal drugs is BECAUSE THE DRUGS ARE PROHIBITED. Thousands were poisoned by adulterated booze during Prohibition and thousands more are dying today because of adulterated drugs, an aspect of government policy my wife and I became well acquainted with when our 19-year-old son, Peter, died shortly after ingesting some street heroin in 1993. Drug prohibition encourages crime, too, as was shown when Al Capone rose to power after alcohol was banned. [continues 183 words]
You know the bus driver who shuttles your child to school doesn't take drugs. But you can't say the same about your child's teacher. Even though pre-employment drug and alcohol testing has become a standard in the business world, local teachers and Midwestern State University professors are routinely hired without it. It's not a big enough issue to justify the cost, say education officials in both camps. But Wichita Falls City Manager Jim Berzina begs to differ. The pre-employment tests and the random testing of those already hired by the city is, unfortunately, necessary, he said. [continues 1232 words]
