More and more methamphetamine users are turning to identity theft as a way to pay for their illicit drug habits, law enforcement officials say. The problem has become so rampant in Riverside County that it "very likely" helped boost the county to No. 2 on the Federal Trade Commission's list of areas with the most incidents of identity theft, according to Steven Counelis. A Riverside County deputy district attorney, Counelis specializes in prosecuting computer and technology crimes. "My experience with the cases I've prosecuted leads me to believe there is a strong anecdotal connection between meth abuse and identity theft and that ranking," he said. [continues 930 words]
Methamphetamine - aka meth, speed, go-fast - is a chemical from hell that must be culled from American society before it kills our nation. Illegal drugs in general, such as heroin, cocaine and meth, have taken America to a place it never intended to visit. When I joined the Riverside County district attorney's office in 1987, I recall my then-boss, Supervising Deputy District Attorney Dave Downing, noting "the Coachella Valley would be a quiet place without dope or alcohol." What he was referring to was the criminal justice system. As I quickly learned, most of the cases we handled were related in some fashion to the usage or abuse of illegal drugs, alcohol or both. [continues 600 words]
Thank you for your extensive articles and opinion on the meth epidemic ("Meth lurks everywhere," Dec. 18, and "The Face of addiction," Dec. 19). It is so important that people understand the horror of this epidemic and how it destroys people and tears apart families, leading to increased crime and violence. Here in Warm Sands we have shown that persevering and remaining watchful, reporting to police and becoming proactive in a neighborhood environment can get results. Thanks to the police chief and his officers, the Coachella Valley Drug Task Force, City Manager David Ready and Councilwoman Ginny Foat, we have made a difference and are getting our neighborhood back. [continues 92 words]
I'm a recovering meth addict and was born in Indio ("Meth lurks everywhere," Dec. 18). I now live in North Carolina. I got hooked on meth in 1981, and used it heavily until 1997. I disappointed a lot of people down the road. I remember one time I had a minor heart attack, but that didn't stop me. I had to keep on following that euphoria that I once had and never got again. I've been to jail and went through detox programs. [continues 168 words]
In a meeting notable for its brevity and lack of controversy, the Palm Desert City Council on Saturday passed a 45-day moratorium on the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. The vote was 4-0, with Councilman Buford Crites absent. "The city is going to develop its own regulations," said Mayor Jim Ferguson. "I want to see people who need treatment get treatment." The moratorium may be extended for up to two years, but Ferguson envisions the city having regulations in place by April. [continues 260 words]
County's Temporary Ban On Dispensaries Leaves Users In Bind Since a stroke and four-week coma suffered 33 years ago, Sunshine Laue has used marijuana to deal with crippling body pains, depression, anxiety and a slew of other health problems. Now, the 60-year-old Yucca Valley grandmother and other area marijuana patients are wondering where they will get the medicine they've come to rely on. In what some view as a pre-emptive strike against the statewide marijuana use registration program, Riverside County has temporarily banned all medical marijuana dispensaries in all unincorporated areas. [continues 780 words]
On June 15, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to continue federal arrests of medical marijuana patients, even when those patients are acting legally under the law of their state and with their physician's recommendation. Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, supported a similar amendment last year, but this year she was among those voting to continue arresting the sick. We hope you will consider an editorial addressing this. Rep. Bono's vote was a surprise, given her support last year. Her vote ignored pleas from the United Methodist Church, American Nurses Association, National Association of People With AIDS and many others. [continues 65 words]
Drug Offenses May No Longer Block Eligibility Many students are not even aware of it, but an existing federal law bars college students from receiving financial aid if they've ever been convicted of a drug offense. That Higher Education Act provision, which was enacted in 2000, has prevented more than 160,500 students nationwide from receiving federal financial aid, according to groups trying to change the law. Legislation that would help some of those students is pending in Congress. On Friday, the Congressional Committee on Education and the Work Force passed legislation that would allow students with past drug convictions to receive aid. [continues 805 words]
December Sweep Targeted Probation, Parole Violations; More Ops Planned The Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force's holiday crackdown on parolees and probationers netted 32 arrests during its December debut. Agents made contact with 38 parolees or probationers during the month and found only six to be in compliance with the conditions put upon them by the court, said CVNTF Cmdr. Fred Fierro. "But we were targeting people who we knew were out of compliance or had not been checked on by probation," he said. [continues 432 words]
OAKLAND - Traditional drugs have done little to help 39-year-old Angel Raich. Beset by a nightmarish list of ailments that includes tumors in her brain and uterus, seizures, spasms and nausea, she has been able to find comfort only in the marijuana recommended by her doctor. It eases her pain, allows her to rise out of a wheelchair and promotes an appetite that prevents her from wasting away. Her Berkeley physician, Frank Lucido, said marijuana "is the only drug of almost three dozen we have tried that works." [continues 302 words]
With a bumper sticker that read "Character Counts!" on Isis Porro's desk, the Sunny Sands fifth-grader listened intently on how to be trustworthy. "You shouldn't lie or deceive. You should always tell the truth," she said. That is important "so when you grow up you don't end up in jail and you don't have to be an inmate," said Porro, 11. Trustworthiness is just one of six core values Mike Scacco, Cathedral City Police Department Youth Diversion Counselor, teaches fifth graders at five schools in Cathedral City. [continues 576 words]
COACHELLA VALLEY -- Research shows plenty of kids experiment with drug and alcohol -- many at very young ages. Judy Graham, an eighth-grade teacher at John Glenn Middle School in Indio, worries about that trend. She invited her friend, John, a recovering alcoholic and addict to speak to her classes for Red Ribbon Week this year. Graham wanted her students to hear from someone who had really been there, who began drinking as a child, struggled with drug addiction and made it through -- someone whose first-person account might make the kids sit up and take notice. [continues 471 words]
COACHELLA VALLEY -- Scott Saunders, A.J. Scott and Blair Tiedeman weren't scoring points on the football field or volleyball court but they still were getting cheers and applause. The enthusiastic audience was comprised of 500 students at Cahuilla Elementary School where the three Palm Springs High School athletes went Friday to deliver a "stay-drug-free" message. It's a message the Cahuilla students heard all week, as did students across the valley as part of the nationwide Red Ribbon Week observance. [continues 399 words]
Group Learns Specifics of Forming Cooperatives CATHEDRAL CITY -- California still hasn't issued identification cards to the state's medical marijuana users, but pro-pot activists are already gearing up to form cooperatives to grow the drug. United by a desire to use medicinal marijuana without police interference, approximately 35 people heard the specifics of starting or joining a cooperative to simplify the process of getting pot. While smokers would have to wait until the identification cards are implemented to prove they have prescriptions for the pot, Lanny Swerdlow said Sunday at the monthly Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project/ American Harm Reduction Association meeting that those interested should sign up now. [continues 362 words]
Sheriff's deputies took down a major marijuana growing operation early Monday, pulling thousands of plants with an estimated value in the millions of dollars. Riverside County Sheriff's Department special investigators and air units targeted the Tripp Flats of the San Bernardino National Forest area near Anza, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Earl Quinata. Sheriff's investigators spotted more than 3,000 plants, estimated to be worth more than $15 million. The plants were fed by what investigators described as an "extensive and sophisticated" water source, Quinata said. Chemicals and fertilizer were also found at the scene. [continues 62 words]
Group Will Ask County Officials to Assist in Bid to Ease Drug Laws CATHEDRAL CITY -- Nearly three decades after she started using marijuana following a stroke, Patty Thomas said she still relies on the drug for relief. Thomas of Palm Springs described how marijuana provides refuge from pain associated with her lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. "Yeah, it gets me high," Thomas told about 40 other people Sunday during a pro-marijuana rally in Cathedral City. "It makes me forget about my pain and I can get on with my life." [continues 381 words]
While the Coachella Valley boasts one of the country's most renowned adult drug and alcohol treatment centers -- there is no place for teenagers to get help. No single residential treatment center exists for children under 18 in Riverside or San Bernardino counties. "There is a definite need," said Jim Rothblatt, student assistance program specialist for Desert Sands Unified School District. "We have enough young people to fill a place up, but we don't have the financial backing to access service." [continues 564 words]
The drugs of choice for the Coachella Valley addict are alcohol, methamphetamines and heroin -- in that order, according to Riverside County Department of Mental Health Substance Abuse Program. "When I was a substance abuse counselor in the late 1970s, the No. 1 drug back then was alcohol, and heroine was No. 2," said Maria Lozano, behavioral health supervisor for Riverside County. "Methamphetamines is really making its presence known in the Coachella Valley." Methamphetamines is a powerfully addictive stimulant that is sometimes called "speed," "meth," and "chalk." In its smoked form, the drug is often called "ice," "crystal," "crank," "fire," and "glass," according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. [continues 826 words]
Proposal Establishes Guidelines For Medical Necessity, Police Senate Bill 187 The bill seeks to make enforcement of Proposition 215 more consistent by setting guidelines that determine how much marijuana a person can grow and possess for medical use. It would also create a voluntary identification system for medical marjuana users. Martin Victor says he suffers from cluster headaches that make his head feel like it's ready to burst. His wife, Lavonne, says she suffers from multiple sclerosis, which can cripple her movements. [continues 515 words]
IDYLLWILD -- With the marijuana harvest season just around the corner, narcotic agents say Wednesday's $19 million pot bust is just the beginning. "We are going to get real busy," said Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Andrew Neilsen of the Special Investigations Bureau. The marijuana-growing season begins with seed planting in early April and ends with the majority of harvesting in September and October. Officers seized 3,460 marijuana plants in the raid about a half-mile from Idyllwild near Strawberry Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest. The growing field was spotted by aircraft surveillance. No one was arrested. [continues 218 words]
