Children merit every diligent consideration and care we can provide them. One of the most important concerns in the current debate about marijuana should be in regard to the health, safety and welfare of the children in this community. Despite the importance children should take in this controversy, I barely hear it discussed at all. There is a lot of talk about the rights of medical marijuana users, but what about the rights of the children we are raising here? Before we cast our votes on Measure B, each of us should answer this question in our hearts: What effect does the rampant growth of the marijuana industry have on children in our community? [continues 702 words]
What information does the public need to make informed decisions about changing marijuana laws? Does marijuana cause lung cancer, other kinds of cancers, other respiratory illnesses or other medical problems? What proportion of users become addicted and what are the costs of this to society? Is marijuana harmful to a foetus if used during pregnancy? Does such use lead to later behavioural and learning problems in children? What are the effects of second-hand smoke on children in the home, on the elderly or people with respiratory problems? [continues 77 words]
NEW YORK -- More than 100 members of seven drug gangs, including the notorious Bloods, were indicted Friday, charged with operating a $5.5 million-a-year crack cocaine business that catered to the "suit-and-tie" crowd in midtown Manhattan, police and prosecutors said. Seventy-seven of the 102 defendants charged in what Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau called "one of the largest drug busts in city history" were already in custody. They will be arraigned Tuesday. The others are being sought. [continues 340 words]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City judge has a dubious new honor. Drug dealers have decorated thousands of $10 bags of heroin with the likeness of State Supreme Court Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder, known for meting out tough sentences to members of murderous drug gangs, officials said on Monday. Imprinted on glassine envelopes containing a type of heroin nicknamed ``25 to Life'' is a masked man clad in prison garb, standing before a robed judge with flowing blond hair. The heroin bags with Snyder's likeness first turned up two months ago in a raid by federal drug agents. [continues 207 words]
