Newton - Even the lightest touch can bring Peter Hayashi extreme pain. Hayashi has tried physical therapy and a variety of medications to alleviate his allodynia, a condition he developed after surgery a decade ago. Not much helped until the Newton resident tried marijuana. The drug has improved his life so much that Hayashi is working with the Committee for Compassionate Medicine to pass ballot Question 3, which would allow him and other patients to get marijuana legally in Massachusetts. Opponents of the measure argue that it includes too few regulations and allows for loopholes that could be easily abused. [continues 445 words]
Newton - State Rep. Ruth Balser, a Newton Democrat, is one of four women legislators co-sponsoring a bill to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts. The bill, The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, was originally proposed more than a year ago and was heard Tuesday before the Judiciary Committee. The act, which Balser said is pending federal legislation, would repeal the ban on selling marijuana and create industry licensing, regulation and taxation standards. "The point of it would be to regulate the industry similar to what we do with alcohol, but we would be able to tax it," Balser said, adding that the current prohibition on marijuana hasn't been effective. Balser said officials have estimated that passing the bill would generate an estimated $18.5 million in tax revenue. The bill maintains current penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana and, like alcohol laws, it would prohibit minors for using it. [end]
Tewksbury - Not me. Not my kids. Nope. No way. Just more than a year ago, Tewksbury CARES showed Tewksbury parents that yes, it could be their kids who succumb to drug abuse when the non-profit organization conducted a local survey of 1,585 local seventh through 12th-graders revealing their marijuana and ecstasy use is above the national average. In 2005, Students Against Destructive Decisions found 9.9 percent of children between the ages of 12 to 17 were illicit drug users. [continues 1015 words]
Students Sue Government For Denying Aid To Drug Offenders Citing civil rights infringements, a student organization is suing the United States Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings for denying financial aid to students who have been convicted of drug misdemeanors. According to the Students for a Sensible Drug Policy v. Spellings lawsuit, the ACLU, which filed the suit on behalf of the SSDP, is accusing Spellings of violating students' rights under the due process clause by "singling out, for denial of financial aid, the category of individuals with a controlled substance conviction." [continues 461 words]
