Critics Say It's Part of Future Push for Stricter Gun Law Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday started to sell his idea of loosening Illinois drug laws for possession of illegal substances like marijuana, heroin and cocaine, but some of those he has to convince said they're skeptical because he'll want tougher gun laws in return. The reception to Emanuel's plan to decriminalize marijuana statewide and reduce minor drug possession to a misdemeanor illustrated the difficult slog the mayor faces as he tries to secure a signature victory on violent crime, an issue that's been at the forefront of his tenure. [continues 1603 words]
State police investigators posing as drug dealers arrested 74 people this week. The five-hour investigation, which involved authorities selling fake drugs to unsuspecting buyers, took place Tuesday morning in the 400 block of State Street. The drug of choice in the neighborhood is heroin, said state police Sgt. George Sabol, who helped lead the investigation. Those arrested face misdemeanor charges of loitering with intent to commit a controlled dangerous substance offense. The charge is punishable by a $500 fine. Sabol said he is convinced the sting eventually will help make a difference. [continues 86 words]
Arizona's bulging prisons are being packed even fuller with hundreds of probation violators whom the state's judges are locking up in record numbers. Since last fall, probationers who run away, miss meetings, test positive for drugs or break other rules have increasingly been sent to prison rather than given another chance on the street. The result: Rather than staying on probation at an annual cost ranging from $751 to about $5,000, they are being locked up at an annual cost of about $23,000. [continues 588 words]
We learned this through the Volstead Act, which prohibited alcohol in the United States. It made a great opportunity for organized crime, and much adverse health effects from illegal alcohol. It did not stop alcohol abuse. Our present system of drug prohibition is tantamount to subsidizing the illicit drug purveyors by $400 billion a year -- about the amount of our defense budget. Bill Lockhart Alpine [end]
