9:05 a.m. - Twenty students pile into a room that on any other day would be a math class. Instead of a teacher, the group is met by Chief Probation Officer Doug Swalm who gives a slide presentation showing the accouterments of mobile methamphetamine labs. Swalm describes the procedure of how the drug is made and compares glass air freshener vials to actual glass meth pipes to show their similarities. "I think I have some of it somewhere on me," Swalm says as he produces a baggie with a small amount of white powder from his pocket and passes it to the students to get a firsthand look. [continues 907 words]
The president of the teacher's association told the school board recently he is confident a revised drug and alcohol testing policy is one educators can accept. Dave Gustafson stopped short of promising to drop a demand that the proposed drug testing policy become a negotiated issue in the master contract. "The way it is right now, I'll do what I can to work it out," he said. "I think we'll have this worked out before the next (school board) meeting. I'm saying we'll do everything we can, okay?" [continues 316 words]
Drug paraphernalia including hundreds of glass pipes, several water pipes, digital scales and hashish grinders were seized Thursday from two Carson Valley liquor stores. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported that no arrests were made pending a review by the District Attorney's office. Sale of drug paraphernalia is a Category E felony. A store manager for Lucky Liquor declined comment. The manager at Rancho Liquors could not be reached. The sheriff's office Street Enforcement Team was tipped to the paraphernalia sales by a Douglas High School student arrested on campus for distributing marijuana. [continues 107 words]
Churchill County School District's superintendent is advising the board of trustees to hold off approving a drug and alcohol testing policy for school district employees amid controversy over the draft document. Trustees will consider the proposed policy at their 7 p.m. meeting tonight at Numa Elementary School. A memo to the board from Superintendent Carolyn Ross suggests trustees should not approve the policy now but allow further review and discussions. She plans to put the item back on the board's agenda for its Jan. 25 meeting. [continues 329 words]
Editor's note: The following is an essay Cassandra Gonzales, 16, wrote for school about her older sister Raquel, now 18. Raquel, who had been living with her father in Dallas, overdosed on heroin at age 15 then ran away to live on the streets where she became a prostitute. After being arrested and sent to rehab, she returned to Carson City to live with her mother and sisters. This is Cassandra's account, beginning when they picked up Raquel from the airport: [continues 703 words]
Part I: Running Away Stumbling through the front door, she sees the note her father tacked to the wall. "Get your stuff and get out," it says. Raquel knows he's scared. He saw her lying for a week in a hospital bed, nearly dead from a heroin overdose. And for the two weeks since she's been home, they've been fighting constantly about where she goes and who she sees. Then she didn't come home last night. [continues 3550 words]
The Churchill County School District Board of Trustees meets Tuesday instead of its regular Thursday meeting schedule. The board could act on a proposed drug and alcohol testing policy that would apply to all employees in the district. The topic is on the agenda as an action item. A committee that has been studying the proposal is meeting today at 5:30 p.m. to continue discussing whether "reasonable suspicion" should be a criteria before drug testing when a worker's compensation claim is filed. [continues 337 words]
Nevada voters were just saying no to legalizing marijuana, welcoming a hike in the state's minimum wage and keeping alive eminent domain reform, among other decisions on ballot initiatives on Tuesday's ballot. With at least 1,620 of 1,913 precincts statewide reporting, Question 7, which would have allowed Nevada residents 21 years of age or older to possess an ounce of marijuana or less, was being rejected by 56 percent of voters. Only 44 percent were in support. [continues 307 words]
Nicholas Otis's article "Smoking Ballots" quotes opponents of Proposition 7 as stating "marijuana contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke". And yet, marijuana smoke, unlike tobacco smoke, does NOT cause cancer. Do a Google search on "marijuana smoke cancer" to see a list of research By: for example, this article: http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner07022005.html Note that in that article, a researcher who had identified carcinogens in marijuana smoke found, to his surprise, no evidence at all that smoking marijuana will cause cancer and, indeed, the possibility that marijuana smoking may protect against cancer. Sincerely, By: Michael Ham [end]
There Are a Number of Reasons Why Children Stay Off Drugs and Alcohol. North Tahoe Middle School eighth-grader Holly Packard thinks "it's selfish" to abuse substances, while eighth-grader Tara Turpin believes fun can be had without drugs and alcohol and doesn't want to disappoint herself. For Sandra Gallaga, it's all about family. "I want my brother and sister to look up to me," 14-year-old Gallaga said. Melinda Maehler, Placer County community services officer, is happy to hear all the reasons why teens make positive choices and runs programs at North Tahoe schools to keep those students on the right path. [continues 530 words]
A Clark County judge made the right call last week when he ruled that elected officials and police officers should be able to give their views on a statewide ballot initiative that would decriminalize marijuana. The judge said those officials have a right and a duty to publicly discuss political matters like Question 7, which would legalize marijuana possession by adults. While we agree that's dangerous territory (you wouldn't want a school administrator advocating one school board candidate over another, for example), the marijuana advocates are building their campaign on specific assumptions that require an answer from the police and from government officials. [continues 194 words]
Your editorial against Question 7 says, "More people will use marijuana if it is legalized." In 1999, the "Drug Czar" commissioned a study that found no evidence that the severity of laws has any effect on use rates. He wishes this data didn't exist. You also say marijuana will be more available to young people. It's hard to imagine a scenario where marijuana is more available to young people than it already is. Eighty-six percent of high school students say marijuana is easy to obtain. When asked what substance is easiest to buy, almost twice as many students choose marijuana over alcohol. [continues 132 words]
Students Comment on Question 7 One Week Before Election Day The subject of marijuana has become an issue for public debate in recent years, though its use is not necessarily a recent occurrence. In 2004, 771,605 people were arrested in marijuana-related situations, and many feel that these cases waste law enforcement agents' time that could be spent seeking out more "serious" criminals. Because of this, politically minded individuals have placed initiatives on ballots to alleviate the situation either by legalizing or regulating it with the government's oversight. [continues 633 words]
The latest Reno Gazette-Journal/KRNV-News 4 poll shows a majority of voters in support of Question 1 - the Education First Amendment - but the numbers have tightened from a poll taken more than a month earlier. The latest statewide poll of 600 likely voters, taken Oct. 23-25, showed 53 percent in favor of the amendment, which would require the Nevada Legislature to fund the state's public education system before any other spending bills are passed. The poll, which has a margin of error of 4 points, showed 34 percent of voters against the measure and 13 percent undecided. [continues 772 words]
Professionals Explore Proposed Change to State Marijuana Laws A debate last week on the pros and cons of decriminalizing marijuana brought out more than 50 students and community members wanting to hear more about the issue before voting in next weeks election. Six panelists from the medical, political and educational communities debated Nevada ballot initiative seven, which would legalize the sale and possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for people 21 and older. The University of Nevada, Reno's Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technology, Student Organization of Providers of Addiction Services, and the Substance Abuse Treatment Program hosted the forum, which featured three panelists in support of Question 7 and three in opposition. [continues 325 words]
One of the things I like best about Nevada Day is that it always reminds me that I don't live in California. As a great philosopher once said, Thank the Lord for small blessings. Nevada Day is sort of a hometown celebration of our state's unique history and traditions, and I always enjoy the parade and other related activities including the political chili feed at the Nugget, where politicians of all known persuasions rub elbows with the voters. It's a truly democratic (small "d") event where you can shake and howdy with the U.S. Senate minority leader and city supervisors at the same time in the same place. It's a Nevada thing. [continues 840 words]
The Nevada Appeal recently ran an editorial against Question 7, the marijuana initiative. Unfortunately, the authors attributed many claims to our campaign that we have never actually made. We have always been straightforward with our argument: Our marijuana laws don't work because anyone who wants to use marijuana can. In the meantime, the criminal market for marijuana is financing the activities of violent gangs and drug dealers. The Appeal claims marijuana can be harmful, and we've never disputed that. But we do state that marijuana is safer than alcohol - a regulated substance that kills nearly 20,000 Americans every year by overdose - while no one has ever died of a marijuana overdose. [continues 152 words]
The White House has stepped up its use of taxpayer funds to conduct a political campaign in Nevada against Ballot Question 7. A deputy drug czar has been dispatched to the state to attack the drug reform measure, which would regulate and tax marijuana. White House drug czar John Walters has already campaigned in Nevada along with an elaborate entourage. Walters' deputy Scott Burns spoke Monday at the community center in Dayton. Protesters at the event objected to his use of tax dollars for political purposes. [continues 138 words]
I'm writing to respond to an Oct. 21 letter from Lee Gliddon, who opposes Question 7, the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada. Mr. Gliddon is apparently not familiar with the specifics of Question 7. Public consumption of marijuana is explicitly prohibited under the initiative, therefore the scenario he paints of unsuspecting passers-by getting a "contact high" from public marijuana use would be illegal if Question 7 passes. Citizens who support regulating marijuana are not focused on "getting high no matter what the effects may be on others." Last year Nevada spent $42 million arresting nearly 5,000 people for marijuana possession, while nearly 10,000 violent crimes went unsolved in 2005. [continues 76 words]
Pro-Marijuana Legalization Protesters at Panel Discussion In a battle of the outside interests, an official from the federal government came to Dayton Monday and warned the audience that Washington, D.C., interests were behind the Question 7 ballot initiative that would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Scott Burns, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for State and Local Affairs, said the power behind the initiative was using Nevada as a "guinea pig" to see if it can legalize all drugs. [continues 837 words]
Maybe the folks who want to legalize marijuana think the rest of us are stupid. I, for one, am not. They seek to liken the use of marijuana to alcohol and tobacco use. Nothing could be further from the truth than that. If a person has one or two beers or alcoholic drinks, the chances are they do not become impaired in any way. Have a cigarette or a cigar, no likelihood of intoxication. Light up a marijuana "joint" and the very first inhalation gets you high. Not only does the person who lights up the joint get high, but so does anyone in the immediate area. That is called, by anyone who knows facts, a "contact high." Without giving any consent whatsoever, a person within mere feet of a marijuana smoker gets intoxicated. [continues 128 words]
The Nevada ballot initiative to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana is being orchestrated by interests in Washington D.C., according to a Bush Administration official. But a backer of Question 7 pointed to the clear Capitol connections of Scott Burns, who's deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for State and Local Affairs. "The reason this is on the ballot is because 86,000 Nevadans signed petitions to put it on the ballot," Patrick Killen of Las Vegas said. [continues 516 words]
Proposal Would Let Adults Buy Up to an Ounce of Pot, Which Would Be Taxed RENO, Nev. -- Gambling, prostitution and now pot? Organizers of a Nevada ballot measure hope voters in a state where almost everything goes will go one better and legalize marijuana. If the measure passes Nov. 7, Nevada will be the first state to allow adults to possess up to an ounce of pot that they could buy at government-regulated marijuana shops. The Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, which has pushed medical marijuana and decriminalization laws, thinks Nevada -- with its embrace of certain vices and its streak of Western independence -- is a perfect venue. [continues 110 words]
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Sponsors of a Nevada ballot initiative to legalize marijuana asked a state court Thursday to order elected officials and a police lieutenant to stop speaking out against the measure. "Nobody's tax dollars should be used to tell people how to vote," said Neal Levine, manager of the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, which backs Question 7 on the Nov. 7 ballot. The measure would make Nevada the first state to tax and regulate the legal sale of up to an ounce of marijuana to those 21 and older. [continues 320 words]
Dear Editor, UNLV students need to vote yes on Ballot Question No. 7. If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. [continues 111 words]
To the Editor, As the debate takes place on October 17th, keep this in mind. As an organization of hundreds of law enforcement professionals, we support the Nevada effort to have the governement, not criminals, regulate marijuana. Marijuana prohibition reduces public safety. Road officers in Nevada will spend about as much time searching for a baggie of pot, as they do searching and arresting DUIs. Detectives/narcs who bust those who sell adults an ounce of pot are not at that moment searching for child molestors, rapists and those breaking into our homes. [continues 60 words]
Name: Captain Allen Veil Age: 46 Hometown: Yerington Occupation: Law Enforcement: Field Services Commander, Lyon County Sheriff's Office Family: Daughters Veronica, 21, and Erica, 18, both attend the University of Nevada; son Clint, 13, eighth-grader in Yerington; parents John and Mona of Yerington; three brothers, all live in Yerington. Political Background: This is my first campaign for an elected office. What is Lyon County's most pressing law enforcement issue, and what do you intend to do to address it? [continues 876 words]
Ballot Initiative Gets Heat At Meeting "This is a joint," Regent Stavros S. Anthony said. The Board of Regents was one vote shy Friday of the seven needed to adopt a resolution stating the Board's position opposing ballot Question No. 7, which proposes to amend the Nevada Revised Statutes to allow and regulate the sale, use and possession of one ounce or less of marijuana by persons 21 or older. "It's going to send a very bad message to the youth of this state that it's OK to get high," Anthony said. He opened the discussion, which was heated at times, with some statistics that explained why he feels the board should take a position on the issue. [continues 386 words]
To the Editor: As a Christian, your story, "Clergy Members Support Efforts To Legalize Marijuana," (Oct. 6, 2006) is encouraging news because when churches and parents/mothers speak out, cannabis prohibition will end. Colorado churches should support Amendment 44, legalizing small amounts of cannabis in my state the same way. One reason to support re-legalizing cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since Christ, God Our Father, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). It's time to stop caging humans for using what God says is good. Truthfully, Stan White, Dillon, Colo. [end]
The proponents of Question 7, marijuana legalization, would like you to believe it's a black and white issue. And it is if you believe the following: . Pot is not harmful. . Legalizing it would not lead to any more pot smokers than we have now. . The prevalence of marijuana would not lead to any more addiction problems than we have now. . Our prisons are full of inmates guilty of no other offense than smoking pot. . Our police officers spend most of their time chasing down people guilty of no other crime than smoking an occasional joint. [continues 375 words]
CARSON CITY -- Sister Toni Woodson believes Nevada's marijuana laws encourage criminal activity. The Roman Catholic nun, who lives in Henderson, would like to see those laws replaced with a system in which the state regulates sales of marijuana. Such a change would remove the drug from the criminal market and restrict sales to adults older than 21, she said. "Marijuana should be categorized with alcohol and cigarettes, rather than with meth and horrible drugs," said Woodson, a member of the Community of the Holy Spirit. "Kids can get drugs today because the people who are selling them don't card. It is time for a change. I would like to see dealers removed from the street corners. I don't see people selling beer on the streets." [continues 676 words]
A dozen Northern Nevada religious leaders plan to announce today they support the initiative to legalize marijuana. "I know of no place else in the country where a group of religious leaders is coming together to speak with a unified voice with regulating marijuana," said Troy Dayton, associate director of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative. The Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative addresses drug policies issues nationwide and is working with the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana. Dayton said he called many religious leaders to get their support on the initiative. [continues 521 words]
As a Colorado voter having a similar amendment on the November election ballot, I'd like to see Nevada citizens re-legalize cannabis ( "Smoke screens," Sept. 21). Otherwise, law-abiding responsible adults are sick and tired of the federal government's reefer madness mentality over a plant that is considerably less harmful than alcohol and less addictive than coffee. Another reason to re-legalize cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it is biblically correct, since Christ God Our Father indicates he created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page of the Bible (see: Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). Regardless of what John P. Walters of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy says about cannabis; it's time to stop caging responsible humans for using what God says is good. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Churchill County School Board trustees will continue discussion Thursday on a proposed employee drug and alcohol testing policy. When the board first broached the subject two weeks ago, it decided to meet with representatives of the district's three labor unions before adopting a drug testing policy. Union representatives said they are not opposed to drug and alcohol testing but want provisions in the policy to protect employees' civil liberties. The original draft of the plan would allow testing of employees if there is a reasonable suspicion that an employee is impaired. It would also require testing whenever a worker's compensation claim is filed, and after an accident that causes $500 or more in damage. [continues 410 words]
A recent article in the Nevada Appeal ("Illegal immigrants present a creative, sometimes violent challenge," Aug. 24) discussed the fact that some of Nevada's National Guard troops are currently stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. The troops are assisting with the Border Patrol's efforts to reduce illegal immigration, but they have also witnessed drug smugglers bringing marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico - threatening the lives of Border Patrol agents in the process. This is a classic illustration of the failure of our marijuana laws: The prohibition of marijuana has led to a profitable criminal market, which is luring drug cartels across our border. Along the way, they threaten the lives of our border guards. [continues 91 words]
In response to your article on the lack of opportunities for low-income and minority public school students in Nevada: It is time for Nevada to change its priority from building prisons to building schools. Currently, Nevada police waste time and taxpayer resources on pursuing, arresting and imprisoning peaceful marijuana smokers. Instead of continuing this waste of money, while ignoring our state's most vulnerable citizens, Nevada should tax and regulate marijuana distribution. The extra money provided by such tax could improve our lackluster education system, while providing opportunities to our community's minorities and low-income students. If you agree that teaching children is better than punishing potheads, then please support Question 7 this fall. Howard Knudsen Reno [end]
Churchill County School Board trustees will review Thursday a proposed drug and alcohol policy that would allow district officials to request a drug test from employees involved in workplace accidents, or if there is reasonable suspicion the employee is using drugs or alcohol on the job. The 23-page draft policy will be discussed by the school board at its meeting in the pit at the Old High School. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. The board will not be voting on the proposed policy at this meeting. It is listed on the agenda for discussion only. [continues 436 words]
As the executive director of the world's largest organization of police, judges and other criminal justice professionals who oppose the policy of drug prohibition, I want to disagree with letter writer Phillip Beebe (Passing marijuana initiative would be a mistake - Aug. 6). The campaign to legalize marijuana in Nevada is smart business. Based on the combined experience of the cops and judges who make up our organization, there are few public policies more useless than using the criminal justice system as a hammer against people who elect to use marijuana. [continues 136 words]
ELKO -- The Elko Daily Free Press has joined with Newmont Mining Corp., Barrick North America, Cashman Equipment, Stewart Title, Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital and Dr. Stephen Price as a group of business leaders seeking to make a positive impact in the battle against methamphetamine use in Elko County and northeastern Nevada. "All too often, we, as community members, expect law enforcement and other social service agencies to bear full responsibility for this problem and for solving its direct and indirect effects on our residents," said Elko Daily Free Press Publisher Rhonda Zuraff. [continues 327 words]
To quote Steve Miller's letter to the editor: "Unlike with alcohol or tobacco, no one has ever died from using marijuana." Tell that to the cop in Reno that died because the girl that pulled out in front of him was high on marijuana. "In addition, while marijuana is not harmless, its risks are lower than those of many legal drugs." A little marijuana, then let's try a bit of cocaine, move on to the heroin, and finish off the day with a spot of meth. [continues 203 words]
In November 2006, the citizens of Nevada will face a difficult decision. Nevadans will vote on a ballot initiative that seeks to replace our failed marijuana laws with a system of strict regulation and control. Last year in the United States, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies arrested more people for simple marijuana offenses that hit an all-time high of 771,605 nationwide - more then one arrest per minute. That's equivalent of arresting the populations of Las Vegas and Reno combined. The Nevada Department of Public Safety has released its crime and justice report for the year 2005, which contains a monthly crime data report submitted by law enforcement agencies across the state. According to the monthly data, 5,532 marijuana arrests were made in Nevada. The crime and justice reports states; "Nevada Arrested More People for Marijuana Possession Last Year Than Murder, Manslaughter, Rape, Robbery, and Aggravated Assault Combined." [continues 318 words]
When the Appeal last month republished an editorial from Fallon's Lahontan Valley News endorsing a ballot initiative that would legalize small amounts of marijuana, the potheads rejoiced on the Appeal's Web site. But they must have been disappointed a few days later when Editor Barry Ginter reiterated this paper's longtime opposition to drug legalization. "There may be some readers under the impression that the Appeal ... has endorsed a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana," Ginter wrote. "We haven't." He rejected arguments calling pot a "harmless drug" and favored "whatever option results in the least amount of marijuana being used in Nevada," which sounds reasonable to me. Because, as my loyal readers know, I'm adamantly opposed to the legalization of marijuana and other dangerous drugs. [continues 773 words]
As a Colorado Christian, like citizens throughout America, I am hoping Nevada citizens vote to re-legalize cannabis and thank you for your editorial in helping see positive results. I also enjoyed Al Engleman's letter: "Time For Legalization Of Marijuana Is Now." I also encourage all Nevada politicians to join in ending the policy of caging humans for using the plant cannabis. And I encourage this Biblically by pointing out that God indicated He created all the seed bearing plants saying they are all good on literally the very first page of the Bible (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). Isn't it hypocritical and discrediting for government and politicians to say they support their constituents and support caging them for using a God-given plant at the same time? Truthfully, Stan White [end]
As a member of Nevada's Marijuana Policy Project from the start of this initiative, it is with gratefulness that I thank, and most of all laud, your recent editorial in support of our efforts. Your editorial has received national attention. Any rational person would concede that our present laws don't work, and as is the case with medical marijuana, have become so cumbersome so as to deny medicine to our sick citizens. It seems we have more to fear from knee-jerk authoritarian government than we do from pot. Even the August Federal Probation Report has stated that the biggest danger in using and possessing marijuana came from the laws against it. [continues 88 words]
I'm writing about Jason Haynie's not-so-thoughtful letter, "Marijuana piece lacked reasoning, a good solution." It was Haynie's letter that lacked reasoning and a good solution, not your thoughtful editorial, "It's Time To Enact New State Marijuana Policy." In the Czech Republic, citizens can legally grow and possess small quantities of marijuana. The Czech overall drug arrest rate is 1 per 100,000 population. The U. S. overall drug arrest rate is 585 per 100,000 population. [continues 109 words]
Topic: Meth epidemic Our View: Combating the phenomenon is a community project that calls for additional resources. Methamphetamine addiction is an epidemic that is ravaging our cities, our rural areas and our nation. It is a disease that everyone wants to cure, but hardly anyone fully knows how. Our tentative first steps involve a complex set of social-psychological, medical, legal and economic strategies. Getting well is a community project that requires more resources than are currently being invested. Some are trying. Law enforcement agencies, of course. And treatment facilities set up to manage drug and alcohol addictions. Quest Counseling and Bristlecone Family Resources in Reno, Vitality Center in Elko, the Partnership Carson City Anti-Meth Coalition in the state's capital and the new Meth Community Response Alliance are soliciting the full force of community resources to combat this scourge. Contacting any of them can turn a person back toward a normal, fulfilling, human existence. This society and this community can ill afford to ignore them. [continues 633 words]
I want to take the time to thank you for your very accurate and informative report on methamphetamine ["Meth: Shattering lives in Northern Nevada," June 25]. Just the title describes the true horrors of this drug. I am a recovering addict of meth. I once was considered a solid citizen, valuable employee and a loving mom and wife. Nothing could have separated me from my beautiful children until methamphetamine. I cannot describe to you the destruction meth had on not only myself but everyone directly involved in my life. If your report has kept one person from trying meth, then you have saved an entire family unit from the pain my family has endured. [continues 74 words]
My daughter, Kellie Parry, was murdered in 1999 by Brandon Allan. In your Sunday series on meth ["Meth: Shattering Lives in Northern Nevada," June 25], you quoted Allan's attorney saying, "An accident is an accident." This was no accident and your article was a slap in the face to me. You also indicated that Allan is serving two life sentences. Let me shed some light on that: Allan is serving "two 10 year to life" sentences and could theoretically be out in 13 years. The manner in which our prisons are being run, it wouldn't surprise me if they let him out earlier. If you are going to write about these victims, maybe you should ask the survivors instead of the defense attorneys. Then you will find out the truth. Gayle Weaver-Farley Reno [end]
The drug war has come down on women like a huge hammer in recent years. During the 1990s, drug offenders accounted for the largest source of the total growth among female inmates (36 percent). As of 2004, almost one-third of all women prisoners were convicted of drug offenses; in federal prisons, this figure was 65 percent. In 1979, only 10 percent of women in state prison were drug offenders. Much of the increase in women prisoners comes from the impact of mandatory sentencing laws, passed during the 1980s crackdown on crime. Under many of these laws, mitigating circumstances (e.g., having children, few or no prior offenses, non-violent offenses) are rarely allowed. A majority of women in prison are there for the first time; many had no prior felony convictions. When the harsh Rockefeller drug laws (New York) were passed in 1974, only 400 women were in prison and only 100 were in for drugs. [continues 618 words]
Carson City will get federal funding to help support its anti-methamphetamine program. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., announced the funding as part of the 2007 appropriations act. But a spokesman from his office was unable to say how much money Partnership Carson City will receive. She said the actual dollar amount won't be determined until the conference committee of House and Senate members meets. Carson City Manager Linda Ritter said the city asked for $350,000 but confirmed there isn't a dollar amount in the legislation at this point. [continues 287 words]
Inside Nevada
