To the Editor: Legalize drugs? This is for Roger Sharpe, Steve Evans and anyone else who believes that any drug like marijuana or meth should be made legal. It is not prohibition of these drugs that ruined peoples lives; it was their abuse of them. You are right about one thing: It is the families responsibility to teach their children right from wrong. I wonder what you are, will be or have taught yours? Steve Alfred, Mitchell [end]
To the Editor: Re: Meth, Jan. 27 "The drug is made up of stuff that can be purchased at stores, a nasty concoction - including such things as lye, engine starter and anhydrous ammonia -that the drug dealers "cook" to produce the drug." So what? Lye, engine starter and anhydrous ammonia are legal substances, as is rat poison, but, more to the point, what business is it of the cops if I decide to poison myself? "It's a drug that can be dangerous and ultimately deadly, which should be obvious from the fact that anything made up of drain cleaner, among other things, is not the best for one's insides." [continues 164 words]
Use Of Notorious Club Drug Increasing, Survey Says The Partnership for a Drug-Free America survey shows that teen-age drug use remained steady with one exception. Ecstasy use jumped by 20 percent over last year and 71 percent since 1999. There seems to be an impression that ecstasy is harmless. That's why a the anti-drug group also unveiled Monday, in addition to its survey findings, an ad campaign to warn parents, educators and teens about the dangers of popping the drug. [continues 418 words]
To the Editor: Thanks to Robert Sharpe (2/1/02) for a realistic view on the drug problem facing both NE and our nation. Our noble attempt at eliminating alcohol (a dangerous and addictive drug that kills over 100,000 Americans a year) was a miserable failure. Over 30 years of marijuana prohibition has done nothing but fill our prisons, ruin thousands of lives, and cost billions of dollars. It seems our governments efforts at dictating morality (the job of family and Church) are as effective as police efforts at drug education and prevention (the job of families and schools). Authorities admit at best they are intercepting only 10 percent of illegal drugs. Would we continue to support an education program that produces a 10 percent literacy rate when proven models are available at less cost and a much higher success rate? [continues 159 words]
To the Editor: The hazardous methamphetamine labs mentioned in your Jan. 27 editorial are reminiscent of the deadly exploding liquor stills that sprung up throughout the nation during alcohol prohibition. Meth is the latest dangerous drug to be making headlines, but it won't be the last until policymakers acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do push highly profitable, addictive drugs like meth. Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to the $50 billion drug war. There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with enforceable age controls. Right now kids have an easier time buying pot than beer. [continues 85 words]
The use of methamphetamine and the theft of its ingredients are becoming more and more frequent in the Panhandle, according to local law enforcement. Most recently, Kevin Hendricks of Scottsbluff reached a plea agreement based upon the distribution of meth. Albert Vernon Dillon of Mitchell has been handed a federal indictment for possession of a firearm by a known drug dealer among other drug charges relating to the sale of meth. The Western Intelligence and Narcotics Group (WING) Task Force investigated a total of five clandestine narcotic producing labs in the Panhandle in 2001. [continues 851 words]
Retailers And Farmers Can Lend Police A Hand In Combating Its Production Methamphetamine is a growing problem in the Midwest, and the Panhandle and eastern Wyoming are no exception. A front-page article in today's Star-Herald details the problem and what can be done to combat its production. The drug is made up of stuff that can be purchased at stores, a nasty concoction - including such things as lye, engine starter and anhydrous ammonia - that the drug dealers "cook" to produce the drug. [continues 415 words]
