A California company hopes to grow medical marijuana in Pocono Township. The company, CannaMed of Thousand Oaks, has asked the Monroe County township's Board of Supervisors to clarify its zoning definitions to allow it to start up a processing operation, PennLive.com reported. A company representative recently told supervisors the building, would be about 45,000 square feet and would grow the marijuana and process it into forms including pills and oils. The company expects to employ between 30 to 50 people. [continues 123 words]
Citing a dramatic increase in heroin-related deaths, Delaware County officials announced Thursday they are pushing for legislation to allow police officers to carry a drug that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. They said they also are exploring the possibility of a pilot program with the Pennsylvania Department of Health that would equip police, often the first to arrive at the scene, with naloxone nasal spray, more commonly known as Narcan. They said 52 heroin-related deaths were reported in the county in each of the last two years, with 12 so far in 2014. By contrast, 19 deaths were reported in 2007. [continues 328 words]
Alarmed by a surge in heroin deaths, Delaware County officials joined together for the first time Friday to attack a problem they see devastating families and communities. There were 33 heroin-related deaths in the county in the first six months of the year. In 2011, there were 62 deaths, and in 2010 there were 50, said Frederic Hellman, the county's medical examiner and a member of a task force newly appointed to address the issue. In contrast, there has been one heroin death in Chester County. In 2011, that county saw 13 deaths where heroin was involved, and four in 2010. [continues 436 words]
The eldest son of Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted using heroin before causing a traffic accident this week in Montgomery County, court documents show. Garrett Reid, 23, "acknowledged using heroin... on Tuesday," according to a search-warrant affidavit released yesterday. He made the admission in a written statement he gave police after the accident. "Reid also acknowledged possessing drug paraphernalia including hypodermic syringes," the affidavit said. Police obtained search warrants that led them to a handgun, ammunition, suspected drugs and other items in two vehicles owned by the Eagles head coach. A second gun and more ammunition were found in the Reids' Villanova house. [continues 876 words]
