Politicians Are Willing to Look at Alternatives to Prison Sentences. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Despite a recent pro-marijuana rally at the Oklahoma Capitol, there is little appetite in the conservative Oklahoma Legislature to join other states in legalizing cannabis, even for medicinal purposes. Legislators from both sides of the aisle say that while attitudes may slowly be shifting toward loosening laws that prohibit Oklahomans from smoking pot, the idea isn't worth the potential political fallout in a state with a tough-on-crime reputation that predates statehood - especially during an election year. [continues 738 words]
They're Standing Firm Despite State's Growing Prison Population OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Despite last week's largest pro marijuana rally at the Oklahoma Capitol in recent history, there is little appetite in the conservative Oklahoma Legislature to join other states in legalizing cannabis, even for medicinal purposes. Legislators from both sides of the aisle say that while attitudes may slowly be shifting toward loosening laws that prohibit Oklahomans from smoking pot, the idea isn't worth the potential political fallout in a state with a tough-on-crime reputation, especially during an election year. [continues 238 words]
Committee Votes 6-2 Against Legalization OKLAHOMA CITY - A Senate committee on Monday defeated a proposal to legalize the medical use of marijuana in Oklahoma, but the bill's author said she considers it a victory that the measure was even granted a legislative hearing. Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 6-2 against the measure in a party-line vote with Republicans in opposition. "I consider it a victory for the citizens of this state," said Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, who has introduced several bills over the last six years to allow for the medical use of marijuana or ease the penalties for possession of the drug. "I think it's a step in the right direction in terms of moving it forward and getting some indication of what people's reservations are so we'll know what to address." The bill would have allowed a qualified patient or designated caregiver to possess up to 8 ounces of dried marijuana and 12 plants. [end]
Sen. Constance Johnson Believes Attitudes Are Changing. OKLAHOMA CITY - A longtime proponent of medicinal marijuana, state Sen. Constance Johnson, acknowledges she has few open advocates in the conservative Oklahoma Legislature. But the Oklahoma City Democrat said she remains optimistic that attitudes toward easing Oklahoma's tough marijuana laws are shifting, and she said her hopes are buoyed by the possibility of the Republicancontrolled Senate approving a study on the benefits of medicinal marijuana. Johnson, D-OklahomaCity, has introduced a medicinal marijuana bill every year since she was first elected in 2005, but has yet to receive a hearing in committee. Now she is petitioning the Republican chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to allow a study before the Legislature reconvenes in February. [continues 733 words]
Suit Challenges State Finding That Cocaine Was Factor Alfonso Santana spent the last moments of his life face down on a sidewalk in Lawrence in 2005. Now, a jury is set to decide whether Santana's death, at age 39, was caused by cocaine intoxication, by police who restrained him in a choke hold, or by some other factor. Santana's family has brought a wrongful death lawsuit against two State Police troopers and a Lawrence police officer that is scheduled to go to trial Monday in US District Court in Boston. At the center of the case is a specimen of blood the state medical examiner says was taken from Santana during an autopsy. [continues 1117 words]
Parents might not guess an empty soda can with holes punched in it could be a pipe for smoking marijuana, but after a series of seminars slated for next month, they will be able to spot these and other telltale warning signs of a child with a drug problem, according to Dedham Police Officer Richard Huyler. The "Citizens Drug Recognition Academy" is a free program for parents running on Nov. 2, 9, 16, and 30 from 7-9 p.m. at the Dedham Middle School auditorium. Huyler said the program will teach participants how to recognize different types of drugs and drug paraphernalia, and how drugs affect behavior in kids. [continues 156 words]
An 11-year-old graduate of Norwood's DARE program has been caught with pot at school. Police said the girl, who is not being identified, had "a small amount" of marijuana in her locker. Police Officer Richard Giacoppo, the resource officer at the middle school, said the presence of drugs is an unfortunate reality in schools today, but admitted Monday's incident "was really unusual for that age group." Police said school officials acted on a tip and went looking for the pot. The girl was not arrested but will be summoned to juvenile court. [continues 91 words]
US Alters Demand to Its Libraries The Government Printing Office has rescinded a week-old order that libraries nationwide destroy five US Department of Justice pamphlets. The office announced the decision in a letter sent yesterday to about 1,300 libraries across the country. Last week, the printing office invoked its authority to order the removal of the pamphlets, which provide instructions about prosecuting asset forfeiture cases. A Justice Department spokesman said in an interview that the material was meant for internal use and not for public distribution. [continues 270 words]
The federal Government Printing Office has ordered libraries across the country to destroy five US Department of Justice pamphlets that provide how-to instructions on prosecuting asset forfeiture cases, invoking a rarely-used authority to order the removal of items the government routinely sends to hundreds of libraries. The pamphlets are among the material the office sends each year to about 1,300 depository libraries. Those facilities, at least two in each congressional district, are designated by Congress to receive and make available copies of virtually all documents the federal government publishes. [continues 792 words]
As she announced plans this week to improve the criminal justice system, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey took aim at DARE, one of the funding darlings of the 1990s "war on drugs." "We have known for a long time DARE doesn't work," Healey said of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which puts police officers in classrooms to lead talks with students on drugs and crime. The criticism was news to those who champion the program -- and had invited Healey to deliver the keynote speech in a four-day conference cosponsored by DARE in Sturbridge on April 20. [continues 175 words]
School Programs Labeled Ineffective A commission reviewing the Commonwealth's criminal justice system recommended yesterday that the state take a computerized, research-based approach to fighting crime while de-emphasizing some strategies that have been popular in the past, including school-based programs and the so-called scared-straight approach. Among the recommendations are building a new forensics laboratory center, increasing the links between agencies for sharing data, establishing a central computer repository for forensic information; and mandating an associate's degree as the minimum education level for anyone going into law enforcement. [continues 711 words]
A House committee killed a proposal Tuesday that would have allowed law enforcement officials to write a ticket for people possessing small amounts of marijuana. Rep. Larry Ferguson, R-Cleveland, said the bill was a request from the Department of Public Safety that would allow state troopers or police officers to write a ticket for persons possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. The offender would have to sign a written notice promising to appear for arraignment. "If they make one of these arrests, it just about uses up their day," said Ferguson. "This bill would allow the troopers to stay in the field for much more of the day than what they do now." [continues 247 words]
OKLAHOMA CITY - Not only does Oklahoma lead the nation in the number of women it sends to prison, but the cost of locking up those women is 31 percent more than the average male prisoner, officials reported Tuesday. David Wright, a researcher with the Criminal Justice Resource Center, said Tuesday that because of higher medical costs and the additional social services required for female prisoners, Oklahoma taxpayers spend an average of $5,637 more annually on women than men. Testifying before the Special Task Force Women Incarcerated in Oklahoma, Wright said the annual cost for incarcerating a female inmate, including social services, is $23,684, compared to $18,047 for males. [continues 344 words]
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma House of Representatives overwhelmingly defeated a plan Monday to reduce the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Rep. Bill Nations is the House author of a bill designed to make possessing less than one ounce of marijuana a misdemeanor. Currently, simple possession of any amount of marijuana can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Nations, D-Norman, said police officers and court systems across the state are getting bogged down dealing with minor drug offenses, like marijuana possession. [continues 663 words]
