As a pediatrician and a former pharmacist, I feel that it is necessary to provide some information to voters regarding Measure 5, which would legalize marijuana for "medical" use. 1. A plant cannot be used as a medicine because we cannot answer necessary questions, including whether it is useful for a given medical condition and what is a "dose" - child versus adult, condition, route of administration? Pharmaceutical medications containing THC already exist and can be prescribed by a health care provider. [continues 218 words]
FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A group pushing to legalize medical marijuana in North Dakota is making a last-minute advertising push thanks to a surprise donation from a national organization, North Dakota Compassionate Care, which is sponsoring an initiated measure on the state's ballot, quickly organized the ad campaign after receiving $15,000 last week from Drug Policy Action, said group spokeswoman Anita Morgan. DPA is the political arm of a group that advocates for the overhaul of drug laws. [continues 282 words]
It looks more and more likely there will be at least one ballot measure this fall regarding the legalizing of marijuana use in North Dakota. There are two groups looking to have initiated measures related to marijuana use on the November ballot. One group is gathering signatures to allow medical marijuana use only and a second group gathering signatures wishes to allow legal use of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21. If signatures are gathered and it is passed by voters into law it also would allow adults 21 and older to grow marijuana and possess paraphernalia and would cap the sales tax. [continues 389 words]
(AP) - Marijuana companies in California and Colorado have tabbed prominent American Indian leaders from the Dakotas to help prod tribes across the nation into the pot business. Tex Hall, the former chairman of the oil-rich Three Affiliated Tribes, and Robert Shepherd, former chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota, are trying to recruit and assist tribes in producing high-grade marijuana products. "Those who want to get in early are the ones who will really succeed," said Shepherd, the tribal relations officer for Denver-based Monarch America Inc. [continues 624 words]
A bill to legalize the sale and use of marijuana for "medical purposes" recently passed in my home state of Minnesota. Similar initiatives are under way in several other states, although passage is not likely for all. But together with a similar law in California and recent legalization in Colorado following partial legalization or "decriminalization" in Washington and Oregon, there certainly seems to be a national tide to make cannabis use legal. Social aspects of "mood-altering substances" are complex, to say the least. But what about economic ones? These certainly exist. Some libertarian economists, most notably Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, advocated legalization of marijuana use decades ago. So it is a legitimate topic for economic analysis. [continues 964 words]
BISMARCK, N.D. - Once thought by North Dakotans to be only a big city drug, heroin sales and use are increasing in the state, authorities say. U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon called the spike in heroin use in North Dakota "new and disturbing." He said it's the result of the abuse of prescription painkillers, a growing population and drug trafficking operations that are primarily targeting the state's rich oil patch region. "When you have an increased population with a lot of money, it's a more desirable market for drug dealers to move into," Purdon said. "They follow the money." [continues 234 words]
President Obama released a policy statement recently "that it's not a good use of time to go after users and distributors of medical marijuana in the 14 states that allow such usage, while encouraging that illegal pot operations involving violence, firearms and sale to minors still be pursued." Each year there are more states that show compassion for patients by allowing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. That number has risen since 1997, and this time the president has chimed in as well. [continues 208 words]
Jeanette McDougal's letter (on hemp) would be funny if it weren't so insulting. Her prohibitionist stance declares that North Dakota's farmers are falling prey to the vile manipulations of the insidious "legalization movement." But McDougal's letter fails to offer any facts countering the legitimate claims of farmers who can literally watch their Canadian neighbors growing hemp and selling their harvest. McDougal won't counter the benefits of hemp. She can't argue against it being effective against root nematodes, that it requires less (to no) herbicide and pesticide use (cost factors) and that almost all parts of the plant have a use (seeds, leaves and stalks). She can't say that all those hippies eager to weather North Dakota's mild winters will overrun the state trying to hide their pot crops amidst the hemp fields because cross pollination would ruin any quality marijuana. She can't argue that the plant doesn't have a solid and proud place in our country's agricultural history. [continues 87 words]
I must agree with writers who say North Dakota should not grow hemp. If North Dakota begins to grow and harvest hemp, it may eliminate the monopoly Canada has over the growing of this crop that requires little or no pesticides or fertilizers. This may very well cut into our profits. Also, I wouldn't want any North Dakotans to have any of the jobs associated with the processing of hemp in Manitoba that we have created. Furthermore, it is not in the interest of the North Dakota farmer to have an additional crop to rotate and to diversify their income. So please do not legalize hemp; it is not in Canada's interest Donovan Fontaine Winnipeg [end]
Response to letters by Jeanette McDougal and John Coleman: I am proud and honored by the negative comments by McDougal and Coleman, as well as being mystified by their statements, which provide little evidence to support their negative stance on industrial hemp. I am proud and honored that McDougal recognizes North Dakota farmers as solid citizens; however, to state that marijuana has any correlation to the efforts by me and everyone I have to date come in contact with is sorely mistaken. I personally will have nothing to do with legalization of pot. [continues 313 words]
There have only been letters to the editor expressing opposition to the legalization of hemp, but there should also be a letter explaining the advantages of legalizing hemp growth in North Dakota. The main argument that is keeping the crop from being legalized is that federal law considers hemp the same as marijuana, and by allowing it, they feel they would be legalizing a drug. While hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant, they are different variations of the plant. Hemp contains less than 1 percent THC, and it is impossible to get a high from it. [continues 258 words]
In rejecting the demand for hemp legislation, the North Dakota congressional delegation has recognized the obvious charade by the pro-marijuana legalizers, and this, more than anything else, is a great sign that our nation's legislators finally are becoming aware that they have been swindled in the past by drug proponents masquerading as compassionate advocates for the needs of the sick and dying or, as in this instance, ailing North Dakota farmers. The fact is that farmers are not ailing but getting wealthy from the weak dollar that makes their exports that much cheaper for foreign markets. Hemp is available and abundant throughout the world and can be purchased elsewhere for a fraction of what it would cost to produce in the United States. [continues 152 words]
North Dakota's congressional contingent wisely declined to lobby for hemp, no doubt realizing that North Dakota farmers are being used as a front to legalize the ultimate "cover crop," hemp. To paraphrase Canadian hemp researcher David Marcus: "In order to overcome government reluctance to legalize industrial hemp, it is necessary to present the image of conservative, 'solid citizen' support." What group is perceived as more "solid" than America's farmers, especially North Dakota farmers? Cover is needed because, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the legalize marijuana (hemp) movement "has largely been spurred by .. Jack Herer (marijuana advocate), whose 1985 book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," has been instrumental in reviving interest in hemp and has helped create the grass-roots movement for marijuana reform," that is, legalization. [continues 257 words]
I strongly disagree with the assertion, "there likely isn't widespread support for industrial hemp" (It's time to grow hemp support, Jan. 4 editorial). I have been purchasing hemp products from my local health food stores for years, using hemp imported mostly from Canada, a nice enough country, but I would rather those products use hemp grown by American farmers. Why are "free" American farmers prohibited from growing the God-given plant while communist Chinese farmers grow it? The effort prohibiting U.S. farmers from growing hemp is anti-American. Dillon, Colo. [end]
Supporters of industrial hemp have suffered a double setback. First, U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland dismissed a lawsuit against the federal government by two North Dakota farmers. The farmers argued the government considered industrial hemp the same as marijuana, which is an illegal drug. Farmers want to raise hemp as a crop. It can be used for products ranging from rope to lotion. While ruling against the farmers, Hovland suggested they ask Congress to change the definition of industrial hemp. [continues 302 words]
In The Hemp-Growing World, Hip, Countercultural California Is Eating North Dakota's Dust. For the second year in a row, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have created state guidelines for farmers wishing to grow hemp. North Dakota passed a similar hemp guidelines law during the 2007 session with bipartisan support from lawmakers, Republican Gov. John Hoeven and Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. The law outlines a state permitting process for hemp, which is extensively regulated by the federal government because of its relation to marijuana. Hemp, a coarse fibrous plant with much lower THC levels than its intoxicating cousin, is used to make everything from soap to clothes. [continues 520 words]
The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two North Dakota farmers who applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration for permission to grow industrial hemp. The motion filed this week in federal court in Fargo says federal law does not distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana, which can cause mood changes when smoked or eaten. It also says Dave Monson, a state legislator who farms near Osnabrock, and Wayne Hauge, a farmer from Ray in northwestern North Dakota, do not have a case because the DEA has not finished reviewing their applications and they cannot prove serious harm. [continues 312 words]
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has told North Dakota officials it is "unrealistic" for them to expect the DEA to approve industrial hemp production by Sunday. State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson sums up the DEA response in two words: permission denied. Farmers Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge in February were issued the nation's first licenses to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of marijuana that falls under federal anti-drug rules even though it does not produce a high. The state licenses are worthless without DEA permission. [continues 479 words]
Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson is asking the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to make a decision on industrial hemp licenses for two North Dakota farmers by April 1. The DEA says it won't be rushed. "To issue any decision after this year's planting season is to decide against the applicants, since these applications are for the calendar year 2007," Johnson said in a letter this week to DEA Administrator Karen Tandy. Farmers Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge last month were issued the nation's first licenses to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of marijuana that falls under federal anti-drug rules even though it does not produce a high. The state licenses are worthless without DEA permission. [continues 363 words]
North Dakota legislators are urging Congress to make it easier for farmers around the country to grow hemp. But the state's congressional delegation won't be rushing to help. Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, all Democrats, are staying out of the congressional debate over industrial hemp. At issue is whether it should be treated in the same way as marijuana or whether commercial hemp production should be allowed. The North Dakota House passed two resolutions on the issue this week, urging Congress and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to allow farmers to grow the crop. The state last week issued the nation's first licenses to two farmers seeking to grow industrial hemp. [continues 448 words]
The first two North Dakota farmers to be licensed to grow industrial hemp have different plans for their future crops, assuming the federal government allows them to be cultivated. Dave Monson, of Osnabrock, in northeastern North Dakota, and Wayne Hauge, of Ray, in the northwestern corner of the state, on Tuesday received the first two licenses issued under new state rules for growing the crop. Hemp can be used to make numerous products, from food to clothing, and Monson said he has received calls from potential buyers as far away as Taiwan. Monson, who also is a state lawmaker, wants to sell both hemp seed and fiber. [continues 435 words]
BISMARCK, N.D. -- State rules for growing industrial hemp are close to taking effect, although federal drug agents will have the final say on whether farmers may cultivate it, Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem issued a letter Wednesday saying the proposed rules comply with state law. A legislative committee that reviews North Dakota agency regulations still must go over them before they take effect, Johnson said. Industrial hemp is a relative of marijuana, but does not have the hallucinogenic chemical that provides a "high" when the leaf is smoked. It is used to produce an assortment of goods, including paper, rope, clothing and cosmetics. [continues 229 words]
The School Board here plans to use drug-sniffing dogs to check parking lots around school buildings. "We're looking at this as preventative," said Ron Gruwell, assistant superintendent of secondary education. The School Board on Monday unanimously approved putting the dogs to work in all parking areas surrounding the schools, whether district owned or not, and including side streets. The School Board was told by its attorney that the use of the dogs is not considered an illegal search. "It's what you do after a dog would hit on a car that could be problematic," Gruwell said. [continues 70 words]
Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson has extended the comment period for rules on the production of industrial hemp in North Dakota. The new deadline is Oct. 30. Johnson said his department made some changes after a public hearing in June and wants to give people more time to review them. The rules require growers to pass a criminal background check and be fingerprinted. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration would review each permit application and have the final say on whether a farmer is allowed to grow hemp. [continues 72 words]
North Dakota's Supreme Court has reinstated a law that requires methamphetamine defendants to assent to random drug testing, at their own expense, if they're freed on bail. A Fargo judge had declared the provision unconstitutional. East Central District Judge Steven McCullough used a procedure that was "not conducive to reasoned decision-making" in ruling the law should not be enforced, the state Supreme Court justices said in a unanimous opinion. "Our jurisprudence for deciding constitutional issues requires an orderly process for the development of constitutional claims, which . was not followed in this case," Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle wrote in the court's decision Thursday. [continues 215 words]
The Bismarck Police Department is investigating a case where a newborn baby tested positive for cannabis, the chemical found in marijuana. Lt. Dan Donlin said Burleigh County Social Services contacted police after a doctor at Medcenter One filled out a form 990, which is a report of suspected child abuse. The police report stated that a doctor tested the baby for cannabis after seeing symptoms of drugs in the baby's system. Donlin would not release the names of the child or the parents because he said the case is under investigation. [end]
ROCKY BOY, Mont. - Plagued by methamphetamine addiction, the Chippewa-Cree Indian Tribe has launched a campaign to curb the drug's spread across the tribe's Montana reservation and treat those who become hooked. The tribe's business committee has created a 12-member tribal meth advisory committee. The panel will use a combination of prevention, intervention, treatment and increased law enforcement to curb meth's spread and work to forge alliances with other area tribes and existing anti-meth groups. [continues 278 words]
A woman charged with child abuse and neglect for exposing her unborn baby to methamphetamine appeared in Burleigh County District Court on Monday for a preliminary hearing. Orlonda Hopkins, 19, of Mandan, is accused of smoking meth from the time she was seven months pregnant to June 16, when her son was born. Bismarck Police Detective Mark Gaddis testified that doctors at Medcenter One noticed the baby was acting strangely. He would not wake up to be fed. His behavior prompted doctors to test him for various drugs, and the tests came back positive for meth. [continues 257 words]
The U.S. Supreme Court didn't do badly last week in its two-part decision on mandatory federal prison sentences. On the one hand, by a 5-4 vote, it found the mandatory sentences to be unconstitutional because judges acting alone do the "fact finding" in certain details that inform the sentences, "such as the amount of drugs involved in a crime, the number of victims in a fraud or whether a defendant committed perjury during trial," wrote Associated Press writer Gina Holland. [continues 388 words]
Some pretty big suits filled chairs in a Bismarck courtroom on Friday morning. They belonged to names such as Hoeven, Stenehjem and VandeWalle. But it wasn't North Dakota's governor, attorney general and chief justice who were being celebrated. Nearly 80 people filled the courtroom in support of men and women with lesser-known names. Adrian, Tim and Don. Dennis, Jackie and Melissa. Bismarck-Mandan's drug court -- the first in North Dakota -- turned 4 years old this week. South Central District Judge Bruce Haskell hosted a party Friday that included several dignitaries, a few drug court graduates and 16 people currently enrolled in the program. People with names like Adrian or Melissa, who are trying to clean up their lives. [continues 301 words]
Can there be such a thing as too much law enforcement? Maybe not, where the laws are good and necessary ones. Certainly, the Tribune believes that laws concerning minors and alcohol, and laws concerning illegal drugs and everybody, fall into that category. But consider three special law-enforcement "busts" that took place locally within the space of seven days. * On Dec. 3, the Bismarck and Mandan police departments and the Burleigh County sheriff's office had a dozen high-school and college students, ages 18 to 20 years, try to buy alcohol at 102 local bars, restaurants and package stores. The students, all underage, succeeded at 68 of them. [continues 475 words]
Lyle Sinclair and his dog, Nick, were among five K-9 units searching for drugs Thursday in the streets and avenues around Bismarck High School. Another five officers and their dogs were doing the same thing near Century High School. Usually, local authorities search only one school, but this time they had the manpower to try something different. The North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Bismarck Police Department hosted a training event Thursday for drug dogs. Dog handlers from across the state agreed to help simultaneously search Bismarck's two public high schools. [continues 332 words]
State officials say methamphetamine users have flooded North Dakota's prison population in the past five years. In that time, the number of inmates claiming meth as their drug of choice has increased from 10 percent of the prison population to 60 percent. Elaine Little, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the growth of the prison population can be traced directly to the number of drug offenders coming into the system. (http://oas.lee.net/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/bismarcktribune.com/news/state/10.06287033348974719/1577565279/Middle2/default/empty.gif/34343638393663373430626132306230) [continues 141 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]
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]
Before she left office in December, Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp introduced a series of bills on privacy, drug crimes, child custody, gas prices and other issues. A number of the bills didn't last long. Her successor, Wayne Stenehjem, said Monday that he'll ask the Legislature to withdraw seven of Heitkamp's proposals. Instead, Stenehjem said he plans to offer legislation to enact the "comprehensive drug plan" that he promised during the fall campaign. Stenehjem, a Republican, was elected to the post to replace Heitkamp, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for governor. Heitkamp could not be reached for comment Monday. [continues 543 words]
A North Dakota State University study says industrial hemp has potential as an alternative crop in the state and recommends that the crop be grown for experimental production and processing. The study, led by David Kraenzel of the NDSU agriculture economics department, was presented to the Legislative Interim Commerce and Agriculture Committee Thursday afternoon at the Capitol. "There's real potential for this as a rotation crop with North Dakota crops," Kraenzel told the committee via telephone. NDSU did the study at the request of the state Legislature. The objective was to assess the economic feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production in North Dakota. [continues 455 words]
A North Dakota State University study says industrial hemp has potential as an alternative crop in the state and recommends that the crop be grown for experimental production and processing. The study, led by David Kraenzel of the NDSU agriculture economics department, was presented to the Legislative Interim Commerce and Agriculture Committee Thursday afternoon at the Capitol. "There's real potential for this as a rotation crop with North Dakota crops," Kraenzel told the committee via telephone. NDSU did the study at the request of the state Legislature. The objective was to assess the economic feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production in North Dakota. [continues 454 words]
The court administrator for the South Central Judicial District was charged with two drug crimes on Wednesday, both stemming from his Nov. 21 drunken driving arrest. The new charges against Douglas H. Johnson, 34, are possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, both of which are misdemeanors. Johnson declined to comment on the charges. The drug charges had been anticipated since the night of Johnson's arrest, when the marijuana and pipe were found in an eyeglasses case Johnson had had in his pocket. [continues 364 words]
