The biggest single risk in legalizing marijuana in 2012 - with no other issue even close - was the effect it might have on adolescents. Would usage skyrocket among this group? Teens who use drugs are more likely than adults to end up dependent on them and to suffer other long-term consequences, such as academic failure. If it can be shown for sure that legalization pushes more kids into pot use, most arguments on behalf of legal pot would be overwhelmed. That's why the recent data from the state's Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which shows marijuana use among high school students has not increased and is roughly the same as the national average, is so heartening. Even the most ardent opponents of legalization ought to pleased, since the prospect of repealing Amendment 64 in the near future is approximately zero. We're going to be living with the consequences of legalization for the time being, both good and bad. [continues 329 words]
Recently, New Approach Idaho withdrew the medical marijuana initiative due to erroneously listing the American Academy of Pediatrics as supporting medical marijuana. While AAP did acknowledge the potential value of CBD, for severe seizures - and called for rescheduling to allow for research and called for decriminalization for use by minors and young adults - they do not support medical marijuana generally. Sadly Elisha Figueroa, Idaho's "drug czar," used this unfortunate error to criticize decent and dedicated Idaho citizen activists saying they "misled, manipulate, and outright lie." She went on to play the "kid card" so common with prohibitionists who have nothing else, saying in part "... so today is a great day for the health and safety of Idaho's children." This, after she testified against the CBD oil bill that would have allowed use only for children with intractable seizures. [continues 64 words]
Sick or just looking for a good time, marijuana is not the answer in Idaho. Utah is in the middle of a legislative debate on whether to legalize some forms of medical marijuana. Recreational pot use is legal in Oregon and Washington. Medical marijuana is legal in Montana and Nevada. Cannabidoil to treat seizures is legal in Wyoming and legislation to decriminalize pot possession is being considered in that state. Here in Idaho, the resolve to keep marijuana illegal remains steadfast. [continues 631 words]
Payette County Sheriff Chad Huff doesn't want to see his 72-bed jail filled with cannabis smokers. Before July 1's legalization of recreational marijuana across the Snake River in Oregon, Huff spoke with his deputies. He encouraged them to cite and release violators of Idaho's marijuana possession law. Possession of up to 3 ounces of pot in Idaho is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. "I've basically asked that they not overload our jail with marijuana arrests," Huff said. "We're going to take more of a citation in the field (approach) vs. an actual physical arrest on marijuana charges." [continues 2253 words]
BOISE - A discrimination case against the Idaho State Police for targeting a driver for a marijuana search because his license plates were from Colorado has been dismissed at the request of both sides. That means the court won't weigh in on license-plate profiling in this case. But a legal expert said Darien Roseen's lawsuit, the release of the state trooper's dash-cam video under the Idaho Public Records Law, and the subsequent national attention it drew helped shine a light on the practice and may cause law enforcement agencies to stick to "more traditional probable cause or observed infraction findings." [continues 631 words]
Decision follows criticism of plan by local professionals The Blaine County School District will go back to the drawing board to develop a plan to help students with substance abuse problems. The decision by the district board of trustees to scrap the proposed Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, referred to as ASAP, came during the board's May 12 meeting. It followed criticism of the plan by local professionals involved in helping youngsters with substance abuse problems and offers by those professionals to help the district develop a plan reflecting the latest research and with more chance of success. [continues 788 words]
10-Year-Old Suffers Rare Kind of Epilepsy Family Says Extract Could Ease Her Seizures BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Ten-year-old Alexis Carey has a rare but intractable form of epilepsy, Dravet Syndrome. The genetic disease causes severe and multiple seizures, which often leave parents guessing if the terror of watching their child seize up will pass or turn fatal. Her Boise, Idaho, family learned that oil extracted from marijuana had helped other children and wanted to see if it would help Alexis, too. [continues 564 words]
Responding to Art Rigsby's letter of June 12 in which he criticized mine of May 20, where I stated marijuana shouldn't be called recreational nor legalized, he states there's been no definitive study proving marijuana is a gateway drug to others. Which also means you can't prove it isn't. If marijuana has any medical benefits, synthetic cannabinoids as a prescription should be sufficient, even though they may take longer to be effective. Smoking anything is bad for our health. [continues 220 words]
Court Asked to Toss Colorado Man's Claim of Pot Profiling Boise, Idaho (AP) - The state of Idaho says its sovereign immunity from lawsuits should protect the Idaho State Police from being sued in a license-plate profiling case. The state made the argument in its response to a lawsuit filed by Darien Roseen of Colorado, the Spokesman-Review reported. Roseen, 69, alleges ISP Trooper Justin Klitch pulled him over at a rest stop as he crossed into Idaho from Washington state in January 2013, detained him for hours and searched his vehicle for marijuana for no other reason than because he had a Colorado license plate and a Washington state driver's license. [continues 198 words]
A Spokane man says he was pulled over by the Idaho State Police on Interstate 84 last summer and accused of having marijuana solely because he had Washington license plates and had his car windows open. "At that point, my jaw just dropped," said Paul Dungan, 58. "I said 'No.' I told him, 'This is the way I cruise in the summer time ... so I don't fall asleep.' ... He said, 'I want to search your car,' and I said, 'No, you have no right to search my car.'" [continues 2422 words]
A recent news story detailed how police departments across the nation (including Boise's) are acquiring surplus military equipment to use as a resource in protecting citizens and officers. The story also raised the question: Are we are seeing the militarization of local police? I think the answer lies not in the symbolism of a free vehicle, but in the substance of a police department's actions every day. I have a great deal of respect for our nation's military, but our roles are clearly different: The military fights threats from outside of our country; police protect and serve citizens in our local communities. Our traditions, uniforms, and titles are superficially similar, and we both pledge our allegiance to our nation and take oaths to serve our citizens. [continues 467 words]
Fear of being labeled "soft on crime" has led state and federal politicians on a three-decade-long odyssey through a morass of laws that transformed the criminal courts into chambers of arbitrariness. Caught with 500 grams of cocaine? Or 100 marijuana plants? How about 28 grams of crack? You're going to a federal penitentiary for five years. No questions asked. Say you were arrested with 5 kilos of cocaine. Or 1,000 pot plants. Or 280 grams of crack? [continues 500 words]
BOISE, Idaho - As some Western states relax medical and recreational marijuana laws, Idaho lawmakers are instead sending a clear message against marijuana use in any form. On a 63-7 vote Wednesday, the House approved a resolution declaring the Legislature's opposition to the legalization of pot. The Senate passed the same resolution in February. Democrats in opposition argued the resolution doesn't do anything and could be interpreted as lawmakers passing judgment on the political and voter-driven actions of other states. [continues 58 words]
Thank you for publishing Paul Armentano's March 3 guest column. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. As long as cartels control marijuana distribution, consumers will be exposed to illegal cocaine, meth and heroin. By taxing and regulating legal marijuana, Colorado and Washington State will effectively close the gateway to hard drugs. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. It's time to stop the arrests and instead tax legal marijuana. Washington, D.C. [end]
America is at a tipping point regarding the public's desire for common-sense alternatives to marijuana prohibition. Never in modern history has there existed greater public support for ending the nation's nearly century-long experiment with pot prohibition and replacing it with a system of legalization and regulation. The historic votes on Election Day in Colorado and Washington - where, for the first time ever, a majority of voters decided at the ballot box to abolish cannabis prohibition - underscore this new political reality. [continues 437 words]
A Republican senator has brought forward two motions to oppose legalizing marijuana in the Idaho legislature, a move that could put the kibosh on local efforts pushing for Idaho to follow Washington and Colorado. Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, brought forward two pieces of legislation that will be heard before the Senate State Affairs Committee at 8 a.m. on Feb. 20. Public testimony will be taken, though testimony may be limited to three minutes per person depending on the number of people who sign up to testify. [continues 307 words]
Nonbinding Resolution States It Would Eliminate 'Black Market' The Blaine County Republicans approved a resolution in support of legalized marijuana during a meeting Tuesday night, but many area Republicans say legalization won't solve the valley's drug problems. The resolution, introduced by precinct Committeeman Mike Conner, was approved with only two votes against during the local party's monthly meeting at the Senior Connection in Hailey. However radical it may be, the resolution has no legal effect. Unlike previous pieces of legislation introduced in the Legislature over the past two years by Republican Rep. Tom Trail of Moscow, which would have legalized marijuana only for medical use, the county GOP's resolution is in support of legalizing all use. [continues 679 words]
Regarding the seizure of what was described as "$2 million worth" of plants recognized as legal medication in 17 states and the District of Columbia, I had to say "Thank goodness this dangerous plant was kept off our streets!" Can you imagine what could have happened if it had made its way into the hands of consenting adults who wished to engage in the victimless act of consuming it especially if they had purchased it with their lawfully acquired money? Crisis averted! [continues 155 words]
In remote mountains at about 7,000 feet, above the small southeast Idaho farm town of Grace, developed one of the largest and more sophisticated criminal enterprises Idaho has recently seen. There must have been some crooked smiles among purveyors of the illicit as they passed through. A mass coalition of law enforcement agencies, including even the state National Guard, swept into the Caribou County backcountry last week and found an estimated 40,000 marijuana plants. Street value estimates in such cases often are inflated, but it had to have been large. There was law enforcement talk of possible connections to a Mexican cartel; the size of the operation would argue in favor of that theory. [continues 435 words]
Twice-Yearly Meetings Would End An oversight committee formed in the wake of initiatives passed by Hailey voters in 2008 to weaken marijuana laws in the city may soon be dissolved. "We realized there is not very much else we can do unless there is a state referendum or the Legislature changes the laws about marijuana," said Marijuana Oversight Committee Chair Peter Lobb. Mayor Fritz Haemmerle said he will hold a public hearing on Feb. 27 to take comment on the issue, before the City Council votes on whether to dissolve the committee. [continues 268 words]
Gov. Butch Otter told about 70 Idaho police chiefs on Wednesday that he would oppose efforts underway in the state legislature to pass a medical marijuana law. Otter made the statement at the Annual Winter Meeting of the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association in Boise, according to a report from the governor's office. The report says Otter indicated that while he is sympathetic to anyone suffering from chronic pain, he believes the dangers from passing such a law outweigh any possible benefits. [continues 262 words]
BOISE - Medical marijuana legislation was introduced in the Idaho House today, where Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, introduced HB 370 as a personal bill. He proposed similar legislation last year; it got an informational hearing from the House Health & Welfare Committee, but didn't proceed. HB 370 would permit patients with debilitating medical conditions to be dispensed up to 2 ounces of marijuana every 28 days; they'd have to get it from state-authorized "alternative treatment centers." The bill says, "Compassion dictates that a distinction be made between medical and nonmedical uses of marijuana. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is to protect from arrest, prosecution, property forfeiture, and criminal or other penalties those patients who use marijuana to alleviate suffering from debilitating medical conditions, as well as their physicians, primary care givers and those who are authorized to produce marijuana for medical purposes." Under the measure, only patients who'd registered with the state and received a registration card could legally possess medical marijuana. [continues 72 words]
FILER - Administrators in the Filer School District are taking steps to educate students on the potential dangers of a herbal mixture commonly known as "spice" and sold locally under brand names like Hayze. Filer High School Principal Leon Madsen informed school board members Wednesday that two incidents where the marijuana-like substance was used resulted in students being taken to the hospital. "Hayze actually started showing up in the school a year ago last October," he said. "Since then, once in the school and once at a game, we've had to call an ambulance because kids have lost consciousness." [continues 268 words]
We must turn away from panic and fear. What a terrible notion that we would decide as a community to haul our youth into school and force them to urinate in a cup to test for substances that may or may not be causing them harm. The idea that further tightening the straightjacket around our kids will control their behavior and set them on the right course is patently false and rife with logical fallacy. Studies such as a 2003 University of Michigan "Monitoring the Future" survey have shown that there is little statistical difference between student drug use at schools where testing is conducted and those where it is not. [continues 451 words]
I am disgusted and outraged that my property taxes are being used to support a school system that has student drug and alcohol problems. The fact that the Blaine County Community Drug Coalition finds it necessary to propose a policy for mandatory student drug testing for the Blaine County School District is disappointing. Seemingly, the problem is rampant at Wood River High School, where 66 percent of students are using alcohol and marijuana regularly. With a community that has attempted to introduce the legalization of marijuana, what can you expect? And where are the parents in all of this? Any idiot can have children! It takes an intelligent and responsible parent to raise smart children who make good choices in life. Jitka M. Sullivan Ketchum [end]
In an interview with Idaho Conservative Blogger, Gov. Butch Otter says he's consulted with governors in states permitting marijuana use, but doubts the Legislature will ever send him a bill. If they did, he hinted he would veto the measure, calling pot a "gateway drug." Among Otter's major initiatives have been the Idaho Meth Project, a favorite cause of his wife, Lori. As a young lawmaker in the 1970s, Otter supported decriminalization, but his views have shifted. Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, has pushed for years to legalize industrial hemp, but gotten no traction in the Legislature. [continues 307 words]
On a fall day in 2002, my childhood friend, Brendan Butler was left dead along a rural road in Kootenai County, strangled to death, and throat slit for good measure. It is still hard for me to envision Brendan as a drug dealer, because most of the images I have in my head of him are of snowball fights and sledding at his parents' home in Hayden, or debating the coolest cars and trucks with him. But I have no illusions: Pot killed Brendan. [continues 567 words]
When Russ Britt started having blurred vision in his left eye, he didn't think a trip the eye doctor would end up with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Britt's eye doctor referred him to a doctor who ordered an MRI and he was diagnosed with MS as a result of tests. Britt, a Naples resident for 30 years, has been coping with the disease for two years. The cause of MS is still unknown to researchers. It attacks the immune cells and tricks them into attacking the nervous system. [continues 772 words]
Hemp Fest Returns to Moscow With Food, Music and Information Apparently, even in this day of instant communication and endless information as close as a cell phone, there still are people who think hemp is the stalk and stems of a harvested marijuana plant. In fact, hemp is a strain of the cannabis plant that has no psychoactive properties and that for much of its long history primarily has been used to make rope. It also can be used to make paper and clothing. [continues 521 words]
Idaho Moms for Marijuana hosts Hempathy for the Holidays, 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday on the corner of Front Street and 8th Street in Boise. The event is a donation drive for non-perishable food items; new, unwrapped toys; warm coat, hats, gloves, and clothes - all gently used, please. New books for Operation Wishbook will also be accepted. Donations will be distributed to The Idaho Food Bank and The Salvation Army. Idaho Moms for Marijuana is a local grassroots organization that works for the legalization of marijuana, including for medical use. [end]
Tweet that inspired this week's column: 420list Billionaire George Soros supports Proposition 19; Gives 1 million http://t.co/LN8IDQF On election day, California may become the first state in the union to legalize recreational marijuana use. If passed, Proposition 19 will allow residents 21 years or older to possess up to 1 ounce of pot, which they can smoke at home or in licensed establishments. Supporters of Proposition 19 claim that legalization would generate revenue, cut funding to drug cartels and stop the unjust arrests of otherwise law-abiding citizens. So, what's not to love? [continues 494 words]
A new study out of the University of Washington shoots holes in the effectiveness of an anti-meth campaign supported by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and First Lady Lori Otter. The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Economics said that the Montana Meth Project, the model of similar projects in Idaho and six other states, didn't affect the use of the drug. "Research shows that the project has had no discernable impact on meth use," said D. Mark Anderson, A UW doctoral student in economics, author of the study. [continues 218 words]
Confessed marijuana grower Daniel E. Collins gets to keep his withheld judgment, and he can smoke marijuana while on probation, as long as he does it somewhere that it's legal. Such was the ruling Monday by Judge Robert J. Elgee following arguments in 5th District Court on a motion filed by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office questioning Collins' sentence, imposed by Elgee last month. Elgee acknowledged nonetheless that he erred earlier by not making legally required findings in granting Collins a withheld judgment, a provision that allows a conviction to be removed from a defendant's record upon successful completion of probation. Elgee made the findings Monday and ruled that Collins deserved a withheld judgment anyway. [continues 394 words]
ISP Report Shows 2009 Rates Varied Widely In South-Central Idaho Blaine County joined three other counties in south-central Idaho in experiencing reduced crime rates in 2009. The information is contained in the annual "Crime in Idaho" report released July 1 by the Idaho State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Program in Meridian. ISP compiles the data based on reports filed by police agencies throughout the state. According to the report, Blaine County's crime rate dropped 23.8 percent in 2009. Other counties in ISP Region 4 showing crime rate reductions were Camas County at 45.3 percent, Gooding County at 33.8 percent and Twin Falls County at 4.4 percent. [continues 579 words]
Lowest Police Priority Ranks Private Use Below Jay-Walking Hailey police officers won't be trying to bust anyone for smoking marijuana in the privacy of their own home from now on-not since the City Council adopted three weeks ago a lowest-police-priority ordinance with regard to misdemeanor marijuana offenses. Passage of the new ordinance comes too late for David Marks, who was arrested in August 2009 when Hailey police officers smelled marijuana when Marks opened his front door for them. The cops were looking for someone else, but entered the house and searched it when they reportedly smelled pot smoke. [continues 383 words]
A north Idaho lawmaker wants to legalize medical marijuana as a means of helping residents deal with illnesses with chronic pain. Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, has been working on the issue for about two years and plans to introduce legislation in the 2011 session. Before that happens, he'll be able to gauge what other Idaho Republicans think of the idea at the party's convention next week in Idaho Falls, when he floats a proposed resolution to delegates. Fifteen states, including Montana, Washington, Oregon and Nevada, have laws allowing medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. [continues 335 words]
Another reason to stop caging sick citizens who use cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned (BW, News, "Compassionate Conservative Has Medical Marijuana On His Mind," April 13, 2010) is because it's biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, The Ecologician, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (See 1 John 3:17.) Jesus Christ risked jail to heal the sick. - --Stan White, Dillon, Colo. [end]
BOISE -- The Global Marijuana March is slated to rally in Boise today. Supporters will begin gathering at the entrance to Julia Davis Park from 2 to 4 p.m. for the ninth year of the march. They will go to the Statehouse for a rally about 4 p.m. Speakers are scheduled for around 4:20 p.m. "We just try to get people's attention to raise their awareness of whatever they want to know about, whether it's medical, or industrial or even responsible adult use," Rev. Tom Hayes, the march coordinator for Cures Not Wars and a Boise representative for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said. " We don't condone drug use of any kind, but we do allow people in a free country to be free to express their own opinions." [continues 127 words]
A compassionate Republican legislator plans to introduce new medical marijuana legislation during Idaho's 2011 session. If passed, it would make Idaho the 15th state in the nation to legalize marijuana use for patients with chronic illnesses who are currently forced to buy legal medical marijuana out of state and risk bringing it home. Nearly a year ago, BW published my in-depth look at medical marijuana's supporters. Initially, my editor and I wondered if Idaho could save money on policing and generate revenue through taxation. Turns out, however, that decriminalization, taxation and lowest police priority are all off the table. [continues 371 words]
Make no mistake about it, the Moscow Hemp Fest still is very much about food, music, buying cool stuff and having fun. But the event, which will celebrate its 14th year Saturday at East City Park, now is becoming more political as well. "We've put the activist aspect back into it, and I'm happy about that," said Arlene Falcon, a Moscow business owner who has organized Moscow Hemp Fest since 2006. For years, the educational and political focus of the Moscow festival and other hemp festivals has been on industrial hemp. However, as states continue to legalize the use of medical marijuana - 14 so far - - that topic now is becoming a major part of the educational component of the festivals. [continues 549 words]
The anti-methamphetamine program championed by Idaho First Lady Lori Otter is expected to receive another $1 million, thanks Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. Simpson, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, secured the money as part of a final year-end bill funding several federal departments and agencies. The Idaho Meth Project is known for graphic anti-meth advertising. Simpson also announced another $1.75 million in federal funds for Interstate 84, the Idaho State Police, the Idaho Department of Corrections and children's health services. [continues 371 words]
The Worldwide Marijuana March drew more than 300 demonstrators to downtown Boise on Saturday, May 2. Offering peace signs and garnering many supportive car honks, the marchers moved slowly under scattered showers along Capitol Boulevard to the front lawn of the Idaho Legislature. Speakers addressed the mass on the grass under the watch of a Capitol Annex camera and a few security guards. Boise police did not engage the pungent assembly. Rev. Levon Lion opened with a plea for support of religious cannabis use. He mentioned his organization, The Church of Cognitive Therapy, and touted the Omega-3 in edible hemp seeds, which he offered for tasting. Positioned in front of a "CREATE NEW JOBS" sign, he also spoke about hemp's industrial value for paper, plastic, fiber and fuel. [continues 1535 words]
Group To Pursue Remnants Of Marijuana Initiatives The city of Hailey will soon have a seven-member committee to oversee all things cannabis. Whether the committee succeeds in reforming marijuana laws will depend on who is on the committee and how motivated they are to push for change. Hailey voters approved three marijuana and industrial hemp initiatives in 2007 and again in 2008. The initiatives were titled the Hailey Medical Marijuana Act, the Hailey Lowest Police Priority Act and the Hailey Industrial Hemp Act. [continues 366 words]
Arlene Falcon hopes Moscow's 13th annual Hemp Fest dispels myths and dispenses facts about the reality of hemp. "Hemp is such a sustainable plant with so many great attributes that get lost in the shuffle," the Hemp Fest coordinator said. She said she hopes Hemp Fest will teach people the difference between hemp and marijuana. Both are from the same plant, cannabis, but hemp does not contain enough of the active ingredient THC to get a person high. In addition to education, the event is about fun. [continues 236 words]
Forms Committees To Handle Policy What began as a controversial initiative to legalize marijuana use in the city of Hailey in 2007, may have ended Monday night as a footnote in the city's municipal code. Yet the city will form a committee to address the initiatives' original concerns. City Attorney Ned Williamson will provide an annotation in the city's law book, explaining what happened for future generations, including a small description of the marijuana initiatives with dates, and the challenges to them, "just so that it's clear in an unbiased and objective way what happened, because 20 years from now people may not know." [continues 305 words]
City Still Required To Advocate For Marijuana Reform A judge's ruling this week took the teeth out of two controversial marijuana initiatives that were approved by Hailey voters, but left intact a requirement that the city advocate for reform of marijuana and industrial hemp laws. Blaine County 5th District Court Judge Robert J. Elgee, in a decision filed Tuesday, voided portions of the initiatives that would have legalized medical marijuana use in the city and would have made enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority for Hailey police. The judge also voided language in the initiatives that would have required individual city officials to advocate for marijuana reform. [continues 765 words]
Americans are discovering that the war on drugs begun 40 years ago by President Nixon has become costlier than the war in Iraq and more brutal on the streets of the U.S. than anything seen during the notorious underworld gang wars of Prohibition. What began as infighting among cartels south of the border has now spilled over into American cities with unspeakable violence. In a small county outside Birmingham, Ala., five men had their throats slit in a dispute involving $450,000 in drug money. In Phoenix, police report at least one kidnapping a day related in some fashion to drugs. Home invasion robberies are commonplace in big cities everywhere, when drug users look for easy pickings to finance their habits. [continues 313 words]
BONNERS FERRY -None of 50 Boundary County School District students checked for illegal drug-use last week tested positive."I'm happy because anytime you have drug tests that come back negative that's good," Bonners Ferry High School Assistant Principal Ted Reynolds said about the 30 high school students who tested negative for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription drugs. It was the second time this school year that students in ninth through 12th grades were tested; 20 tested negative for drug-use last fall, Reynolds said. [continues 222 words]
Dear Editor of the Arbiter, Who do I want deciding policies that affect Me as far as cannabis (marijuana) is concerned (Fiscal Federalism: Are States Rights For Sale? Feb. 9, 2009)? Neither state or federal government has the right to prohibit, persecute or exterminate the relatively safe, god-given plant cannabis. Caging responsible adult humans for using cannabis is luciferous. It's time to Re-legalize cannabis and one reason that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, the Ecologician, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page. The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Cannabis doesn't belong to government; "For the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains" (1 Corinthians 10:26). Cannabis prohibition is the work of the devil. Stan White lives in Dillon, Colorado. [end]
Did you happen to catch the film "Super High Me?" The documentary follows comedian and former High Times "Stoner of the Year" Doug Benson as he smokes massive amounts of weed. Benson first abstains from smoking for 30 days and is given a battery of tests. After the first period of sobriety, Benson smokes copious amounts of weed for 30 days and is given the same battery of tests. The results are surprising and amusing. Just as surprising is the more serious topic addressed in the film: California's medical marijuana movement. [continues 405 words]
Inside Idaho
