The notion of alcohol consumers piously demanding that others stop using pot probably makes you think of the beer-swilling World War II generation berating weed-smoking hippies during the 1960s. Now, thanks to the United Nations, that caricature gets an update -- and the hypocrisy is at once amusing and depressing. You may have read the headline-grabbing news that in advance of its conference on drug policy this week, the U.N. issued a report urging the United States government to block Colorado and Washington state from moving forward with voter-approved laws that allow adult citizens to use marijuana as a less harmful alternative to alcohol. What you may not have heard is that on the very same day the U.N. released that report, U.S. ambassador Joseph Torsella slammed his U.N. colleagues for drinking too much on the job. Apparently, binging at the U.N. is so commonplace and excessive that it is hindering the organization from conducting its most basic work. [continues 473 words]
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - President Barack Obama says he won't go after pot users in Colorado and Washington, two states that just legalized the drug for recreational use. But advocates argue the president said the same thing about medical marijuana - and yet U.S. attorneys continue to force the closure of dispensaries across the U.S. Welcome to the confusing and often conflicting policy on pot in the U.S., where medical marijuana is legal in many states, but it is increasingly difficult to grow, distribute or sell it. And at the federal level, at least officially, it is still an illegal drug everywhere. [continues 835 words]
CULLMAN - Area law enforcement agents got the attention of Cullman County's drug culture when they rounded up 96 people on charges ranging from manufacturing to possession last week. Will the sweeping arrests bring illegal drug activity to a close in Cullman County? No. But perhaps this is the beginning of a tireless effort to do something about a problem that destroys the lives of far too many people in our area. Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey and Cullman Narcotics Enforcement Team director Joey Cone led a press conference after the arrests were announced and discussed the planning that was required to make such a large impact on the drug trade. A lot of people are grateful to see the arrests, and plenty of support exists in the community for law enforcement agencies to continue this cooperative effort in attacking the drug dealers across the county. [continues 225 words]
In response to 'Magic Mint' (The Cullman Times, June 23, 2008) I disagree that salvia needs to be banned and made a felony offense. If, as the headline implies, legislators know little about it then it doesn't even rise to the level of acknowledgement. Ms. Soule's attempt to make it illegal and apply the same penalties currently imposed on non-violent marijuana consumers is absolutely absurd. What -- we don't have enough people in Alabama jails and prisons for use of natural plants? [continues 261 words]
The hallucinogen salvia divinorum is legal and available in Alabama, but that may soon change. Deborah Soule, executive director for the Huntsville-based Partnership for a Drug Free Community, said efforts are currently under way to outlaw the drug once and for all. Since 2007, Soule has personally contacted many of Alabama's legislators and Gov. Bob Riley to bring attention to the drug. She had limited success during the last legislative session, when Sen. Roger Bedford Jr. sponsored a bill to make salvia a controlled substance. However, the bill never made it made it out of committee. [continues 561 words]
We at The Cullman Times bet a lot of our readers were surprised to learn how some young people in Cullman County are using a hallucinogenic drug, called salvia divinorum, to alter their minds in a fashion somewhat similar to LSD. We suspect you were also surprised to learn that salvia is perfectly legal to buy, sell and use in Alabama. We were definitely shocked. Here in Cullman County, a place where adults can't legally buy a glass of wine with their dinner, it's perfectly legal to sell a hallucinogen to a 15-year-old. Granted, the only local store we know that sells salvia requires the buyer to be at least 19, but that's not the law. It's merely by choice, a decision that we think is made more for public relations reasons than any sense of ethics on the part of the retailer. [continues 303 words]
