Long Hours Amid a Labor Shortage Opens the Door for Stimulants. When Bruce Humphries broke into the energy business in 1975 as an oil-field laborer, he found two things king among roughnecks: booze and bluster. Now, Humphries, a rig manager in Duncan, says the hard work is still there, but he's seeing something new he doesn't like: "It seems like the drug of choice is the meth. It's just a scourge." Little federal or state data exist to show how bad the drug-abuse problem has become in the oil patch. But some industry officials are concerned about the dangers of methamphetamine in an industry where the work is known to be hazardous. [continues 505 words]
Government studies historically have discredited the gateway theory, and now additional research proves the same ("'Gateway' Drug Goes Up in Smoke," Dec. 6). Cannabis (a.k.a. kaneh bosm, marijuana) is less addictive than coffee and safer than alcohol. Contrary to the government's reefer madness propaganda, cannabis hasn't caused cancer. There are no dead bodies to show for it in over 5,000 years of documented use. So what on earth is the hold up to legalizing the God-given plant? Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
A New York Times study published in September finds modern journalists must act like drug dealers to avoid government spies and successfully report big issues of possible government corruption. Reporters should use erasable notes and disposable phones with untraceable numbers, the study suggests. This means the National Security Agency isn't only after terrorists. Brian Ross, the chief investigative reporter for ABC News, said in May he uses similar techniques to avoid government spies. Is it lawful for government spies to keep a check on reporters? It is by today's standard. [continues 599 words]
The rise in abuse is attributed to more of the drug being prescribed. A swelling number of Oklahomans are dying from methadone poisoning, a recent report shows. The numbers are alarming, a state toxicologist says. The prescription drug directly caused 43 deaths in the state last year, according to a report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. During that same time, methadone was found in various mixtures of drugs that killed 75 other people. The drug -- best known as a means to ease withdrawal symptoms of recovering heroin addicts -- is increasingly being used as a prescription painkiller and is showing up in illegal drug sales. [continues 691 words]
Students at Panama Public Schools were made aware of the following state and national statistics. State Population: 3,547,884; State Prison Population: 23,319; State Probation Population: 28,435; National Ranking: 14; 2005 Federal Drug Seizures: Cocaine: 62.9 kgs.; Heroin: 13.7 kgs.; Methamphetamine: 30.7 kgs.; Marijuana: 1,021.9 kgs.; MDMA: 61.7 kgs/197,839; Meth Lab Incidents: 217 (DEA, state, and local statistics) Jimmy Burnette, member of the National Guard, included the statistics as part of a presentation he presented to the Panama students in observance of Red Ribbon Week, Wednesday morning. [continues 1312 words]
Stomp out drugs. Stomp out drugs. This mantra could be heard echoing through the halls of Jefferson Early Childhood Center Wednesday as dozens of pre-kindergarten students paraded through the school with red ribbons in their hands. Jefferson Principal Karla Brock says it's important to get children involved in drug prevention and awareness programs at an early age. To Brock, the earlier Jefferson teachers can start teaching students about safety and taking care of their health the better. One way is to participate in Red Ribbon Week. [continues 324 words]
Across the nation, people will observe Red Ribbon Week the last week of October by wearing red ribbons and participating in drug-free events such as runs, parades and rallies. While OCCC isn't officially recognizing Red Ribbon Week this year, the college does have policies regarding drug use. The 2006-2007 Student Handbook, page 42, outlines that policy. It reads, in part, "Disciplinary actions will be taken against any student found to be possessing, using, or distributing illicit drugs or alcohol on College property or as part of any College activity." [continues 663 words]
Drummond Public Schools Will Participate in National Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-27. This is a week of drug awareness and prevention throughout the country. There will be activities, such as poster contests and coloring contests for the elementary kids, and a guest speaker will come and talk to students about drugs and peer pressure. There also will be special dress-up days: Monday, "Team Up Against Drugs," and wear favorite team jersey; Tuesday, "Sock it to Drugs," and wear crazy socks; Wednesday, "Put Drugs to Bed, " and wear pajamas; Thursday, "Turn Your Back on Drugs," and wear clothes backwards; and Friday, everyone wears red, and elementary students will release balloons. [end]
Speakers, Task Force Members Share Mixed Opinions on Possible Legislation OKLAHOMA CITY - Lahoma Horse would like to see Oklahoma legislators use some muscle to move cough syrup away from a minor's grasp. "In Oklahoma, our safeguard should be legislation," said Horse, prevention specialist at the Wichita Mountains Prevention Network in Lawton, Okla. "As it is now, kids can go into a store and purchase large amounts of cough syrup." Purchases, she said, that can be dangerous. Horse works a lot with the American Indian population in Oklahoma and sees a problem of kids taking excess amounts of cough syrup to get high. [continues 783 words]
The Osage Nation Counseling Center, Social Services and Drug Free Communities are sponsoring the annual Red Ribbon Pow Wow which honors those who have worked to rid the scourge of addictions in our communities. The Osage Nation will participate in the nation-wide observance on October 21, 2006 at Wakon Iron Hall in Pawhuska, OK starting at 2:00 pm with a pow wow. The dance remembers the life of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena who grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference. The DEA sent Camarena a former Marine, to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death. While American law enforcement searched for him, red ribbons were hung on trees in his California hometown. It was decided then to not forget his sacrifice by remembering him every year. The cartel he was investigating was selling marijuana. Some have suggested this is a harmless drug, but in truth it is protected and marketed with ruthless cruelty. Experts say anyone who smokes, or buys marijuana contributes to torture and death. [continues 263 words]
Regarding Ronald Fraser's Aug. 30 Column, Oklahoma Is Not The Only State Grappling With Overcrowded Prisons. Throughout the nation, states facing budget shortfalls are pursuing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A study conducted by the Rand Corp. found that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.48 in societal costs. There is far more at stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the promoter of family values that some would have us believe. Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and delinquency. [continues 158 words]
You and your law-abiding neighbors in Oklahoma might be just one street address away from a life-threatening midnight raid by a local paramilitary police unit. As these so-called SWAT squads increasingly become America's favored search warrant delivery service, bungled raids - including many to the wrong address - have skyrocketed. In these assaults on private property, scores of innocent citizens, police officers and nonviolent offenders have died. In a recent Cato Institute report, "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America," Balko writes: "Over the last 25 years, America has seen a disturbing militarization of its civilian law enforcement, along with a dramatic and unsettling rise in the use of paramilitary police - or Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units for routine police work. SWAT teams today mainly serve narcotics warrants, usually with forced, unannounced entry into the home." [continues 392 words]
"Disturbing" was the refrain uttered by the Norman Public Schools officials following the release of the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey results Monday evening at the Board of Education's regular meeting. Among the 2,918 district high school students surveyed, more than 40 percent of both males and females indicated they have had sexual intercourse and more than 30 percent of both genders were active with one or more persons during the past three months. More than 43 percent of boys and 39.8 percent of girls polled have used marijuana. The YRBS also revealed more than 30 percent of males and females have participated in binge drinking, or five or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours. [continues 518 words]
Long-running Drug Prevention Program Sees Changes, Possible Cuts The future of Oklahoma's largest and most-recognized anti-drug campaign is in doubt. This year, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program -- DARE -- was funded by a $42,742 Justice Assistance Block Grant. That grant expires in October, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Herbert McDonald, the state's DARE coordinator. The controversial program can be expensive for smaller agencies and has been both criticized and praised in numerous studies since the 1990s. DARE police officers who teach its curriculum must be re-certified every year, McDonald said, and the state DARE office handles those classes, as well as the training of new officers. [continues 1109 words]
Sadly, America's first national prison commission in 30 years failed to tackle head-on, our lock 'em up culture and to find ways to reduce the number of people behind bars in Oklahoma and elsewhere. The commission's recent report is little more than a how-to manual to help wardens cope with overcrowded prisons that breed violence, disease and recidivism. What America really needs is a road map to drastically shrink its prison population and, unlike other states, Oklahoma is already moving in this direction, [continues 654 words]
Sapulpa Public Schools Implements Drug Testing For Students Involved In Extracurricular Activities Sapulpa high school and junior high students returning to school this fall hoping to participate in any competitive extra-curricular activities will now be subject to random drug testing in order to participate. The drug testing policy was approved at a July school board meeting, and includes students participating in sports, choir, band, FFA and any other organization that participates in interscholastic competition. The policy passed with three of four votes by the school board, and was written in accordance with similar school policies that have withstood the Supreme Court and states that any student in a competitive activity is eligible for random testing. [continues 878 words]
This will be a busy week for 20,000 children going back to school in Moore. One class will fill a little more slowly -- but surely. The Moore Alternative School and Treatment (MAST) program is for Moore teenagers experiencing problems with drug and alcohol abuse. MAST provides education and counseling services to get kids back on the right track in school and in life. The program is an outgrowth of Moore Youth -- Family Services, Inc. and the Moore Alcohol -- Drug Center, Inc., both operating from a building on Northwest 5th Street. [continues 1172 words]
This will be a busy week for 20,000 children going back to school in Moore. One class will fill a little more slowly -- but surely. The Moore Alternative School and Treatment (MAST) program is for Moore teenagers experiencing problems with drug and alcohol abuse. MAST provides education and counseling services to get kids back on the right track in school and in life. The program is an outgrowth of Moore Youth & Family Services, Inc. and the Moore Alcohol & Drug Center, Inc., both operating from a building on Northwest 5th Street. [continues 1186 words]
Tulsa Police Forced to Reassess Priorities Federal grants to the Tulsa Police Department are drying up, forcing cuts to special projects including those that pay overtime costs for monitoring sex offenders and for meth-lab cleanups. Since 2002 -- the earliest year for which records could be located -- grants to Tulsa police from the U.S. Department of Justice have fallen from about $952,000 to about $373,000 in 2006, said Cpl. Art Surratt, the Police Department's grants coordinator. The grants, now called Justice Assistance Block Grants, totaled as much as $3 million one year, Chief Dave Been said. [continues 825 words]
Excuse me for a moment while I vent about the mind-boggling stupidity of the autocratic, bureaucratic, right-wing, Neanderthal numbskulls who keep pushing an insane, inane, and inhumane holy war against marijuana -- which is after all, a weed. The most embarrassing thing for these holy warriors is that the weed is winning! They've been at this war since 1937, spending billions and billions of our tax dollars, militarizing our borders, and stomping on our Bill of Rights. They've used phone taps, garbage searches, jack-booted raids, and draconian prison terms to... well, to do what? To nab peaceful, mellow tokers who aren't bothering anyone, that's what. [continues 209 words]
Fort Gibson School District is considering drug testing its high school students, and we wish they wouldn't. Undoubtedly, some students are involved in drugs, but the district is in danger of driving those students away with testing, not helping them steer away from drugs. Many districts in the United States in the last 10 years have begun random drug testing of students involved in extracurricular activities. Courts have not allowed the random testing of all students within a district, holding that it would be a violation of the Fourth Amendment. [continues 202 words]
The start of the new school year in Pauls Valley later this month also means the start of a new drug testing policy for all extracurricular students starting in the seventh grade. With that in mind, school officials have set up a time this week for anyone to come and get more information on the new testing. "This will give the community or parents an opportunity to ask questions or to be informed about this before it gets started," said Peter Campbell, Pauls Valley High School principal. [continues 356 words]
Tulsa Recovery House Focuses on the Spiritual "Jerred" (not his real name) had always been a violent person. There seemed within him an angst, a pain too deep for his understanding, yet prevalent in every part of his being. That pain expressed in rage, and that rage in violence. Where did the pain come from? It had always been there. Why was he different? He didn't know, but his difference would dominate. Power was essential, and that was the draw of methamphetamine, otherwise known as "speed", "crystal", "zoom", "ice". When he was on it, he felt powerful. [continues 1909 words]
Refugee Overcomes Obstacles Becoming A U.S. Citizen The federal courthouse in Tulsa has been the scene of some high highs and some low lows for Vietnamese immigrant Trung Truong. "This is a long story with a happy ending," said Truong, 57. Last year at this time, Truong was locked in a federal prison in Texarkana, Texas, serving a 15-year sentence. But his conviction was reversed and he was set free, only to return to the courthouse so a judge could swear him in as a U.S. citizen earlier this month. [continues 452 words]
The number of meth labs raided, found abandoned or dumped in Oklahoma decreased 67.5 percent from 2004 to 2005, the biggest drop in the country, a report by Drug Enforcement Agency indicates. An Oklahoma law that went into effect in April 2004, since followed by at least 37 other states, restricted the sale of cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine. The report released by DEA's El Paso Intelligence Center shows drug lab numbers in Oklahoma fell from 1,058 in 2003 to 667 in 2004 and to 217 in 2005. [continues 404 words]
But with the number of meth labs in the state falling, officials say the new concern is smuggling from Mexico. Oklahoma is leading the way in the eliminating meth labs, but state officials say that success is creating a new problem -- meth smuggling from Mexico. The number of meth labs raided, found abandoned or dumped in Oklahoma decreased 67 percent from 2004 to 2005, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration figures show. That's the largest decrease in the nation, and officials credit Oklahoma's first-of-its-kind restriction on the base ingredient for home meth labs: over-the-counter allergy medicine. [continues 389 words]
Preliminary approval for random testing of New Jersey high school athletes next year has not sparked much interest from Maryland athletic officials to follow the Garden State's lead. "We looked at that quite a few years ago and we studied it to see if there was any merit to it, and we determined that there wasn't," said Ned Sparks, executive director of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. On June 7, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association finalized a plan that would randomly test a portion of athletes who compete in state championship games. [continues 865 words]
Editor: Why not require candidates for public office to take a drug test? This is a question being asked by many citizens. Most major employers require their employees to pass drug tests. Athletes and many others have to also. So why not those who are elected by the voters to run and manage our governments at all levels, city, state and national? Soon many candidates will be launching their election campaigns These candidates are asking the people to hire them to manage our tax dollars and enforce our laws. At any level of government these elective offices are the most important jobs in our country. No doubt many will be elected without the education or experience to do the job. [continues 194 words]
The district attorney's office appealed a judge's ruling that dismissed drug trafficking charges against a man and woman arrested after 44 grams of methamphetamine were found at the couple's home. Cherokee County Associate District Judge Mark Dobbins ruled Friday the affidavit submitted with the search-warrant application failed to establish probable cause that drugs would be found at the home of Frank Deckard Sr., 46, and Linda Wilson, 41. Deckard and Wilson were arrested in March after Cherokee County Sheriff's deputies raided Deckard's Eldon-area home. [continues 177 words]
Boynton High School principal and coach Gary Wayne Calip is scheduled to appear in Muskogee Municipal Court Friday as a result of a traffic stop during which he was cited for marijuana possession and transporting an open container. City officials said Calip posted a bond May 4 in the amount of $882 for the three citations, which were issued April 17. According to the traffic citations, Calip was captured by radar driving 63 mph in a 45 mph zone on Peak Boulevard just west of York Street before he was stopped by a Muskogee police officer. [continues 163 words]
NORML Official Says Legalizing Pot For Medication Could Ease Load County jail crowding, a situation being monitored by the state health department, has persisted over the past month, Cleveland County commissioners were told Monday. A jail report indicates an average population of 167 in the County Detention Center last week is dangerously near the maximum 177 the state says the jail can safely hold. Exceeding the jail limit could result in hefty fines levied against the county, commissioners were recently warned. [continues 570 words]
Late official helped to create meth plan The state's landmark anti-methamphetamine law should include the name of the narcotics bureau chief who helped write the measure, the governor said Sunday. Gov. Brad Henry said he will ask legislators to name the measure in honor of Lonnie Wright, who died last week. "Under the leadership of Lonnie Wright, the state crafted an innovative and highly effective anti-meth law that virtually wiped out clandestine meth labs in Oklahoma and served as a model for the national war on drugs," Henry said. [continues 384 words]
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A class-action lawsuit challenging fines assessed on simple drug possession cases was filed Friday in Oklahoma County. The lawsuit alleges the Oklahoma County district attorney illegally extracts fines from criminal defendants under a statute that does not allow fines. Attorney Mike Gassaway said the statute shows the range of punishment for possession of a controlled dangerous substance does not include a fine. Debbie Forshee, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma County district attorney's office, said attorneys in the office received word of the lawsuit Friday and have not had the opportunity to look at it and research the statute. [continues 64 words]
CHILD welfare workers saw it happening before most of us realized there was a problem. The rise of methamphetamine use and addiction wasn't taking a toll just on adults. The nature of the drug and its hold on addicts left scores of children abused, neglected, ill and in some cases, dead. That's been the case in Oklahoma and many other states. Now it's a topic of discussion in Congress, where the Senate Finance Committee this week held a hearing on meth and its effects on social service agencies. The stories are all too familiar. [continues 264 words]
Trapped by Rules, the Mentally Ill Languish in Prison For Such Felons, Parole Is Rare, Recidivism Is Probable; Lack of State Hospitals 'It Scares the Hell Out of Me' LEXINGTON, Okla. -- Jesse James, a mentally ill prisoner, squinted into the gleaming sunlight toward the six-story guard station towering over Joseph Harp Correctional Center. "Kojack is up there in that tower right now, listening," said Mr. James, looking up. "He's got a rifle too. He wants me dead." Kojack isn't "Kojak" of the famous TV series. Mr. James, 59 years old, who is bipolar, paranoid and schizophrenic, believes that a medical aide called Kojack -- spelled with a "c," he insists -- has been stalking him for decades and has implanted a listening device in his prostate. [continues 2649 words]
Opinions Differ On Laws On Use Of Marijuana, Medically And Otherwise In Oklahoma, the law is almost simple — marijuana is illegal. But the issues behind America's most fought-against drug are much more complicated. The drug war is very profitable," said Ron Shewey, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma and advocate of Oklahoma's Compassionate Care Campaign. The police and prisons are the two largest growing industries in America today," Shewey said. "We've now got 2.2 million people behind bars in America. We're No. 1 in incarceration per capita in the world, and a substantial amount of that is drug war. Here in Oklahoma, 32 percent of our prison population is there for drugs." [continues 1225 words]
Hundreds of Oklahomans have been denied federal financial aid for college because they have drug convictions. A report by Students for Sensible Drug Policy states that 2,508 Oklahomans -- the 11th highest percentage in the nation -- could not receive aid the past five years because of a provision of the Higher Education Act. About 190,000 would-be students have been affected nationwide, or about one in every 400, said the group, which obtained the information through the settlement of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education. [continues 397 words]
A federal judge has ordered Muskogee County District Attorney John David Luton and an investigator to answer questions about storage of seized items. "If defendants do not maintain inventory logs or some other means of tracking the disposition of seized property, then plaintiff is entitled to inspect the facilities so she (plaintiff) may discover the process," states an order signed by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Kimberly West. The order was filed in one of two civil racketeering cases filed against Luton and five of his drug task force members in 2004 in federal court in Muskogee. [continues 471 words]
A small crowd gathers after the lunch hour in front of the Cleveland County Court House every Thursday. They are not lawyers preparing for their latest cases to go before judges. They are participants in Cleveland County's Drug Court, one of 46 such courts in Oklahoma. Collectively, the courts served more than 2,600 participants and saved taxpayers $30 million last year. They also gave drug abusers a second chance to turn their lives around rather than going to prison. The system combines the outcomes of substance abuse treatment and the hammer of the court system. [continues 204 words]
The school gives students random drug tests but tells the students a week in advance and provides them with the testing date. This is proving to be futile as many of the drugs are out of the body's system within a week. As a group of concerned high school parents, what would be the best way to get this changed? Can you help? I was doing my 13-year-old daughter's laundry and found a note in her back pocket from a friend. I know at this age, hormones are kicking in. But should I contact the other parent and let her know what is being said? This is my daughter's best friend since third grade, so I know her mother well. When I confront my daughter about certain issues, she is quiet and refuses to talk to me. I am not sure what to do. [continues 524 words]
Allegations against District Attorney Richard Gray and his office, that it facilitated illegal drug distributions, are disturbing to say the least. Though Gray has not been indicted, he should be forced to take administrative leave until these allegations have been thoroughly investigated. The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office reported last week it would employ in a felony case intercepted messages from a cell phone used by one of Gray's former prosecutors, Janet Bickel. Bickel was indicted by a grand jury and charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine and offering false evidence. [continues 119 words]
The 2005 Community Report Card, discussed at several civic club meetings recently, contains some encouraging numbers but it also notes some disturbing news in areas where we could do better in regards to our younger citizens. The Report Card began as part of the LINK Norman envisioning process that began nearly 10 years ago. The rationale for the report was that change either happens by chance or design. According to the report the number of juvenile liquor law violations increased from 20 in 2003 to 80 in 2004. It could be that the police are doing a better job of enforcing laws or it could be that alcohol is more readily available to teen-agers. [continues 87 words]
Envision a newborn child -- small and delicate, innocent and tender, helpless and shaking violently as it screams and struggles to kick a drug habit inherited from its mother. That's a scene that can turn heads, evoke a sense of shame or disgust. It's also one too often seen by doctors, social workers and law enforcers in Muskogee County and elsewhere. Appalled by this reality, local officials are grappling over ways to deal with mothers who give birth to drug-addicted babies. [continues 798 words]
A recovering methamphetamine addict who has been clean for two years joined the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department and Drug Task Force recently to tell students how drugs can destroy lives. Clark Combs said his problem started as a teenager when he began having a few beers with friends. "When I was about 16 years old, alcohol is the first thing I tried and I thought it was going to be all right," Combs recalled. "I drank a few beers. It became a problem too. It is a gateway drug. Alcohol led me to smoking marijuana. I had heard the word 'addict' or 'alcoholic,' but those were weak-minded persons, somebody different from me." In his early 20s, Combs was introduced to methamphetamine by a co-worker when he had a job laying tile. He had tried cocaine, but the high from cocaine lasted only a few minutes, while the high from meth may last days. [continues 481 words]
Law enforcers pledged to crack down on mothers who give birth to babies born addicted to drugs and immediately began honoring that pledge, filing charges in what one investigator said is the first case of this kind in Muskogee County. Jan Ray, an investigator for the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office, said she arrested a woman who gave birth Feb. 13 to a baby addicted to methamphetamine. Ray is seeking a second woman for whom an arrest warrant has been issued. [continues 194 words]
Regarding Sarah Waldrop's Feb. 14 column, the drug war is largely a war on marijuana, the most popular illicit drug. Punitive marijuana laws have little, if any, deterrent value. America is one of the few Western countries that uses its criminal justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis. The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. Unfortunately, marijuana represents the counterculture to many Americans. In subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors, government is subsidizing organized crime. Students who want to help end the war on some drugs can contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at www.ssdp.org. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
About Half Of First-Time Patients Will Relapse, Health Officials Say Get detoxified, learn about the roots and complexities of alcohol and drug addiction, and find a "Higher Power" along the way to supply the needed strength for recovery. Those are the basic steps of most alcohol and drug treatment programs - -- whether it's 28 days at the Betty Ford Center in California, 30 days at Valley Hope in Cushing or 100 days at Clay Crossing near Maud. Treatment is expensive, and about half of the people who go for the first time will relapse, health authorities said. Some insurance companies pay for it, others don't. [continues 498 words]
Some people call drug court "hugs for thugs." But the rules are simple and serious -- get clean or go to jail. Judges, lawyers, treatment providers and law enforcement and probation officers want to expand it to handle nearly double the number of offenders. About 350 people are in the Oklahoma County drug court program. Leslie Ames, 37, of Oklahoma City has paid thousands of dollars to urinate in a cup every week. The drug screenings are expensive but mandatory. She said the counseling, the meetings and the accountability demanded by drug court allowed her to shed a 25-year drug addiction. [continues 803 words]
GreenThum43215: Hey, are you the Phoenix guy? LeifMWright: Yes. Who's this? GreenThum43215: You interested in an internet story? LeifMWright: I'm all ears. GreenThum43215: Have you ever heard of overgrow.com? That Internet chat began the weirdest column I've ever undertaken, one full of international intrigue, secret marijuana gardens, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, a shady character with an Armenian name, a former movie actor turned marijuana seed dealer and tens of thousands of freaked-out potheads who started what I call the Marijuana Bean Field Wars. [continues 1680 words]
Inside Oklahoma
