Black Hamilton County residents are sent to prison on drug convictions 19 times more often per capita than whites, but local District Attorney Bill Cox challenged the recent study that reached the conclusion.

The study, compiled by the nonprofit Justice Policy Institute, compared the nation's 200 largest counties. It stated that 97 percent of those counties sent blacks to prison more often than whites for drug-related convictions.

Mr. Cox said the Justice Institute's claims are tied to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study showing that in 2006 about 8.9 percent of blacks admitted to using drugs in the last month, and 8.5 percent of whites admitted to the same practices.

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U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon has helped to secure $1.1 million in federal funding to help state and local officials fight methamphetamine production and abuse.

"Strong state and federal laws are making an impact on meth production, but we still have too many meth labs in Tennessee," said Gordon. "Last year, Tennessee had more meth lab seizures than all but four states. Law enforcement needs better ways to detect clandestine meth labs and more resources to educate the community about the dangers of meth abuse."

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More than one-half of the parents of dependent and neglected children admitted abusing alcohol and drugs, reported the Court Appointed Special Advocate of Rutherford County.

Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport removes about three to six children from their parents' custody each week.

CASA volunteers work for the best interest of the child by making recommendations about the child's welfare to Davenport. Of 255 children served by CASA, 156 parents were identified with substance abuse problems.

"Drug issues are some of our worst issues," Davenport said. "It's on the incline. We need something more intense for parents to be involved with the court than once every three months as dictated by the statute."

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To the Editor:

I was happy to see The Tennessean's support of legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. Perhaps this will be the start of the end of the money pit referred to as the "war on drugs."

This massive failure absorbs billions of our dollars and accomplishes nothing except to line the pockets of the producers and distributors of illegal drugs. The war on drugs has caused contempt for the sanctity of our borders. It supports corrupt governments around the world and it is generally responsible for high crime rates, murders and turf wars among those in the business and their unfortunate "customers."

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To the Editor:

Tennessee has such a fine bunch of representatives and lawmakers. We have them so drunk in session they can hardly walk, so enthusiastic about stuffing graft in their pockets they need more pocket space, too ashamed of the American flag to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance and now Sherry Jones wants to sell us some weed ("Plan is to implement safe, effective program," Nov. 30).

Makes me all tingly when I think about it, I suppose this is how it will work: "Try this kid, it never killed anybody, it's all natural and it will be legal soon, if Sherry Jones gets her way." So, pot is the only drug that will help sick people. No legal drugs on earth can do the trick.

Well, if you buy that one, try this - pot makes you so stupid the voters in the 59th district will likely vote for old Sherry one more time.

Ron Miller, Hendersonville 37075

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WISE -- In spite of its fes tive name, holiday greetings were not particularly cheery for 56 individuals targeted for arrest during the latest mass drug roundup in Wise County on Monday.

Law enforcement authori ties announced "Operation Holiday Cheer" as the seventh in a series of Wise County's "Street Sweeper" series to crack down on illicit drug use.

Wise County Common wealth's Attorney Ron Elkins said officers with the Virginia State Police, Wise County Sheriff's Office and the police departments of Big Stone Gap, Coeburn, St. Paul, Wise and the city of Norton were taking part in the arrests of 56 indi viduals indicted by the multi-jurisdictional grand jury on a variety of drug charges. The first Street Sweeper drug roundup resulted in charges filed against nearly 50 individuals in April 2006.

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Medical Marijuana Gets a Second Look

Tennessee lawmakers should not only consider legislation allowing the medicinal use of marijuana, they should pass it into law.

A study committee of the General Assembly recently heard testimony on the issue, where various voices from interest groups and the medical profession expressed their opinions. Rep. Sherry Jones, D-Nashville, has a draft version of a bill for consideration. Efforts to legalize the use of the drug for medical reasons should move straight ahead, and caring citizens should urge legislators to approve the legislation.

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Have you ever had a friend or loved one who was being treated for cancer, and the medicine prescribed by their doctor simply did not help relieve the constant nausea or pain?

Have you ever known a family member or friend in chronic pain due to bone degeneration, diabetes or neuropathy? Have you known anyone who has suffered from Crohn's disease, glaucoma, MS, convulsions, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, severe spasms, AIDS, arthritis, epilepsy, Parkinson's or anorexia?

There is a natural remedy used by many civilizations for more than 5,000 years, that was a significant part of our country's medical profession until 1937. Canada, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Israel have all concluded that, unlike many prescription drugs, this medicine provides significant medical benefits with virtually no side effect. The Medical College of Virginia in 1975 concluded this medicine is a powerful tumor fighter and has been confirmed by scientists in many other countries. This wonder drug is cannabis. You may know it as marijuana.

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In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report stating that there are "no sound scientific studies supporting the medical use of marijuana ... and no data to support the safety of marijuana."

The American Medical Association has recommended that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I controlled substance which is a drug that has high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use, and has a lack of acceptable safety. Even former Sen. Bill Frist has weighed in on the matter, stating "based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms."

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Seventeen years ago, my 61-year-old mother died of cancer. I saw her suffer. So, for me the issue of smoking marijuana for "medicinal" purposes is not a purely clinical and impersonal issue.

But compassion for the sick and dying is not the real issue. It is about allowing our compassion to be manipulated by those with a larger agenda -- legalization of marijuana and even other illegal drugs.

I do not say this to cast aspersions upon my former legislative colleagues backing this bill. I don't believe they intend to encourage the general legalization of marijuana. But if we start down this road, intent does not determine our final destination.

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I have a growing dislike for the phrase "drugs and alcohol." This term strengthens the notion that the two are separate entities.

However, there is little difference between the two substances. According to hypno linguistics (www.hypnolinguistics.com), they both are substances that alter the mind. As a teenager, I was taught frequently about sex in school.

Why shouldn't drugs and alcohol be treated the same way?

As our generation has aged, we have been conditioned to buy into the dangers of drugs.

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As a Christian, it is disturbing to read that a woman who uses the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) for glaucoma is confronted and has a child take from her ("Mother vows to fight abuse, drug charges," Nov. 5).

Politicians and voters need to fix this sin, 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 of the Bible (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).

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NASHVILLE - Tennessee lawmakers heard testimony today on legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana, although the idea has failed in the General Assembly before and its future is uncertain. A bill sponsored by former state Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, was rejected by a Senate committee last year before being pushed off to a summer study committee.

Members of the House Health and Human Resources Committee heard testimony on a similar bill sponsored by Rep. Sherry Jones, a Nashville Democrat.

Opponents of the bill, including law enforcement and family advocates, say current research does not show that marijuana is an effective and safe drug for treating symptoms of chronic illnesses.

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Prescription drug abuse is on the rise with college students and society as a whole, and online pharmacies have made prescription drugs more accessible, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Ramon Ryan, a medical review officer and doctor of internal medicine, said he believes that as a whole, "Our society has become more drug oriented."

Ryan said many people look to prescription drugs just to get through the day. "People will take amphetamines to stay awake all day then barbiturates at night to get to sleep," Ryan said.

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If Suzette Evans lived in North Carolina, where marijuana possession is decriminalized, it's unlikely she'd have gotten more than a $50 citation when police found a pipe in her home.

In Grainger County, however, like most of Tennessee, possession of a marijuana pipe can cost nearly $1,000 - and your children.

Evans' 15-year-old son was taken away from her the night of Aug. 10, to remain in protective custody for 34 days. They are reunited now, after a special meeting with the Department of Children's Services, but a hearing set for Nov. 16 will determine whether Evans' medicinal use of marijuana constitutes child abuse, neglect or endangerment.

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A table in front of Citizen Police Academy students was covered in drugs -- everything from Ecstasy to LSD, along with paraphernalia used to do drugs and common items people use to hide them.

Agents Daryl Pace and Brad Crowe gave the students a crash course in drugs, beginning with a video of police using undercover agents to bust several sales.

Crowe, who worked 12 years with the Clarksville Police Department Drug Unit, said that no matter what anybody thinks, drug use "is a problem."

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Millions of people are sentenced to prison correctional facilities every year because a variety of criminal charges, but Lindsay Lohan walks away unfettered from cocaine possession due to her fame and fortune. What kind of message is this sending to society?

Many celebrities over the years have used their fame and success as a way of avoiding actual consequences for their reckless behavior. Their carefree conduct and persuasive personalities have repeatedly factored over the years in various cases. Whether it's O.J. Simpson's murder trial or Hugh Grant's prostitute scandal, the justice system seems to favor these rich individuals by merely giving them a warning before patting them on the head and releasing them back into society. Both of these gentlemen and many more celebrities have been acquitted of all charges against them and set free, but the justice system finally has began to crack it's crude whip on celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton and most recently, Michael Vick.

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Matthew Adair is to be commended for raising awareness of the Higher Education Act's denial of student loans to youth convicted of drug offenses ["Say 'No' to Cutting Student Aid," Oct. 18]. Instead of empowering at-risk students with a college degree, HEA limits career opportunities and increases the likelihood that those affected will resort to crime. Speaking of crime, convicted rapists and murders are still eligible for federal student loans.

Most students outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving illicit drugs. An arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering. After admitting to smoking pot (but not inhaling), former President Bill Clinton opened himself up to "soft on drugs" criticism. And thousands of Americans have paid the price in the form of shattered lives. More Americans went to prison or jail during the Clinton administration than during any past administration.

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The number of college students being caught with drugs nationwide has been rapidly increasing over the past few years, according to officials.

Not only are these students facing criminal charges, but their access to education may be limited if they are convicted. Enacted in 2000, the Aid Elimination Penalty provision of the Higher Education Act states that federal aid may be taken from any student that is convicted of any drug-related charge.

John Delaney, vice chancellor of student development, said that the law is "rather half-baked. Students are expected to self-report their status when they apply for federal financial aid." According to Delaney, "There is not a good working mechanism for the application of this law.

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We're told a great number of things are important as we're growing up: a good work ethic, the ability to listen and a strong sense of proper hygiene, for instance. Topping the list, though, is honesty. Without honesty, we're told, we can't have anything else. Families, businesses, even countries are unable to function if we cannot depend on knowing that we are speaking the truth to one another.

With that said, we should be appalled to know that our government is lying to us, the students of this university, as well as schools across the country. It isn't even that we are being lied to, but that, by lying to us and spreading misinformation, thousands of students are being denied access to financial aid to help pay for a college education.

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