WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is studying new policy that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers, according to people with knowledge of the discussions, a sign that the White House wants to make a strong statement in addressing the opioid crisis. President Donald Trump last week suggested executing drug dealers as a way to make a dent in opioid addiction. Opioids killed nearly 64,000 people in 2016, and the crisis is straining local health and emergency services. [continues 845 words]
Legalizing marijuana nationwide would create at least $132 billion in tax revenue and more than a million new jobs across the United States in the next decade, according to a new study. New Frontier Data, a data analytics firm focused on the cannabis industry, forecasts that if legalized on the federal level, the marijuana industry could create an entirely new tax revenue stream for the government, generating millions of dollars in sales tax and payroll deductions. ''When there are budget deficits and the like, everybody wants to know where is there an additional revenue stream, and one of the most logical places is to go after cannabis and cannabis taxes,'' said Beau Whitney, a senior economist at New Frontier Data. [continues 629 words]
Recovering Addicts, Others Make Addiction Key Part of Their Speeches The nation's epidemic of opioid abuse, which has killed thousands of people over the past decade through powerful prescription painkillers and heroin, has taken on a prominent role at the Democratic National Convention - a sign of the issue's growing importance in both parties. On Monday night, a woman whose daughter has struggled with addiction gave a prime-time speech, followed by the former governor of New Hampshire, where more than 400 people died of drug overdoses last year. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, people packed into a Quaker conference center in Philadelphia to hear delegates, elected officials and others talk about recovering from substance abuse and what needs to be done to combat it. [continues 887 words]
25 Years Sober, Man at Helm of Nation's Substance Abuse Effort Has Firsthand Experience LYNN, Mass. - America's top drug control official had a confession. Michael Botticelli was seated on a tattered purple couch in an old Victorian in this city just outside Boston. Above his head was a photo of Al Pacino as a drug kingpin in "Scarface" and gathered around him was a group of addicts who live together in the house for help and support. On one door hung a black mailbox labeled "Urine," where residents must drop samples for drug tests. Botticelli was listening to their stories of addiction and then offered this: [continues 1453 words]
LYNN, MASS. - The nation's top drug-control official had a confession. Michael Botticelli was seated on a tattered couch in an old Victorian in this city just outside Boston. Above his head was a photo of Al Pacino as a drug kingpin in "Scarface," and gathered around was a group of addicts who live together in the house to receive help and support. On one door hangs a black mailbox labeled "urine," where residents must leave samples for drug tests. Botticelli is listening to their stories of addiction and then offered this: [continues 1667 words]
BANGOR, Me. -- For years, the location of this city's needle exchange program, in a nondescript strip mall close to highways and bus lines, was seen as a major asset. But now, AIDS activists say, that very location could undermine what happens inside the exchange. A bill working its way through Congress would lift a ban of more than 20 years on using federal money for needle exchange programs. But the bill would also ban federally financed exchanges from being within 1,000 feet of a school, park, library, college, video arcade or any place children might gather -- a provision that would apply to a majority of the country's approximately 200 exchanges. [continues 1060 words]
Chronically ill patients who want to use medicinal marijuana began submitting applications under a new state law. In January, Rhode Island became the first state to sanction the use of medical marijuana since the Supreme Court ruled that the authorities could prosecute marijuana users, even in states that allow it to be used medicinally. Four people submitted applications, and 51 others are being completed, said Maria Wah-Fitta, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Health. The state has 30 days to verify with a physician that the patient is eligible for the program. A patient and a caretaker can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana or up to 12 plants. The patient and caretaker must carry cards that identify them as part of the program at all times. [end]
Rhode Island has become the first state to enact a law sanctioning the use of medical marijuana since the Supreme Court ruled in June that the authorities could prosecute users, even in states with laws that allow its use. The State House of Representatives overrode the veto of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican who rejected the measure last year, 59 to 13. Rhode Island is the 11th state to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. [end]
Boston -- Hearing that the Rhode Island legislature approved the use of medical marijuana Tuesday night, Rhonda O'Donnell sat in her Warwick, R.I., living room and giddily thought about legally sauteing the drug in some butter and putting it into a cake mix. Ms. O'Donnell, 42, who has multiple sclerosis, hopes ingesting marijuana will ease the stiffness and numbness in her legs that leave her unable to work or move without pain. "It's not going to cure me, and it's not going to let me walk normally, but hopefully it can make me a little less uncomfortable and allow me to relax a little more and enjoy life a little more," Ms. O'Donnell, whose disease was diagnosed in 1994, said in a telephone interview. [continues 743 words]
