The "kingpin" of drug trafficking organization was sentenced to 25 years in prison, prosecutors say. The "kingpin" of a drug trafficking organization that operated throughout the Baltimore region was sentenced to more than two decades in prison on drug-related charges in Baltimore County, authorities said. Baltimore County Circuit Judge Robert Cahill, Jr. on Thursday sentenced Charles Davenport, 29, to 40 years, with all but 25 years suspended, for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, and possession of large amounts of heroin, the Attorney General's office said. [continues 134 words]
Regarding "Drug abuse rises as presidential campaign issue" (Dec. 26): Alcohol and tobacco have America, and the rest of the world, in an addictive grip that cannot change. It's the money. For one thing, we promote those drugs constantly in our life, every day, all day, morning noon and night. You cannot read a book, watch TV, go to a movie, read a magazine - your senses are under assault 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Try going a day making an effort to notice every time your senses become aware of these drugs and how this happens. No wonder it is so difficult to quit using these drugs. C.J. Anderson Del Mar [end]
It's Highly Unlikely That Employers, Landlords, Hotels and Businesses in Portland Will Permit Pot Smoking. Portland may have become the first city on the East Coast to legalize recreational marijuana use, but residents who think this means they can light up, even in the privacy of their home, might need to think twice. Employers will still be able to forbid their employees to use marijuana, and if that employer receives any federal funding, it is expressly prohibited from allowing any employees to use the drug. [continues 901 words]
A correctional officer pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to smuggling drugs into the Baltimore City Detention Center for members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang. Adrena Rice, 25, could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for "frequently" bringing drugs into the detention center on the behalf of Tavon White, prosecutors said in court. Authorities identified White as a top-ranking Black Guerrilla Family member at the jail who worked with correctional officers to get drugs and cellphones into the jails. He also impregnated four of the officers. Rice was not among the officers accused of conceiving a child with White. [continues 248 words]
When members of Baltimore County's tactical unit burst into a Reisterstown home this summer, they were looking for potentially armed suspects in the attempted murder of a 15-year-old boy. But in the chaos of the raid, Officer Carlos Artson shot and killed the home's owner - who was not a suspect - after he thrust a large sword at the officer, police said. That raid - and its outcome - mirrored a 2005 Baltimore County police action, in which officers equipped with a battering ram and flash grenades stormed into a Dundalk home to search for drugs. In an upstairs bedroom, a 44-year-old woman pointed a revolver at Artson and he fired three rounds, killing her. [continues 1403 words]
There is no fairness in this article, just as there is no fairness in the current Marijuana Medical Access Regulations. As medical marijuana producers and users, we are forced to deal with such heavy-handed RCMP tactics every day. We are forced to watch the media report one-sided RCMP "reviews" as if they were the truth. The truth is that the current MMAR is a poorly planned program that was originally executed in bad faith by the government of Canada. The system is so terribly flawed and discriminatory that I no longer wish to be a part of it. Carl John Anderson, Kamloops, B.C. [end]
What do you think of when you think of Racine? Its beautiful lakefront, multicultural festivals, rich heritage, bike trails, galleries and theaters, affordable housing, participatory government... kringle? Or do you think of the community with the largest jail in relation to arrests in the state, a youthful offender prison plus a prison in Sturtevant, and a new probation/parole facility? Why does Racine need more jail space? Does Racine have an unusually large criminal population? Or is Racine victim of a "lock'em up" mentality? [continues 216 words]
Sophomore journalism major Shane Atkinson watched a movie last month that inspired him to get active in the community. "I never knew the history of marijuana legislation until I watched 'Grass,'" Atkinson said. "The movie really makes you think." Sophomore business major Jorel Pierce was also inspired. "I had to give a civic participation speech about something I was interested in," Pierce said. "I really feel marijuana should be legal, so I got involved in NORML." Together, Pierce and Atkinson decided to form a chapter of the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws, or NORML, on the UNC campus. Other schools, such as the University of Colorado-Boulder, already have NORML chapters. [continues 369 words]
As we win the war in Iraq, we should take a moment to consider another war here at home, a war we are losing and will always lose: the drug war. The number of people incarcerated in America passed the 2 million mark last year and continues to climb even as violent crime rates go down. Almost 60 percent of prisoners serving time in federal facilities are there for drug violations -- often minor ones. This is a sorry situation that we have brought upon ourselves in a puritanical quest to control personal behavior, albeit a behavior we abhor. [continues 563 words]
To the Editor: On March 22, 2001, the news media reported two disturbing stories: first, that the Federal Government is losing the "war on drugs" and second that the Tecumseh School District's drug testing policy has been declared unconstitutional. I fear that most people will regard these as just news stories and that they have forgotten that we, the citizens of this community, state and nation, are the federal government and that it is we who are losing the war. [continues 245 words]
WASHINGTON - Perhaps the greatest impediment in the quest for a constitutionally mandated right to privacy is the issue of drugs, and that issue is now on the front burner. Marijuana has become the primary test. The debate over marijuana focuses not only on legalization but also on medical benefits. In this past election, the ballot in Alaska had a petition to legalize the "possession, cultivation, distribution or consumption" of marijuana. For many proponents of legalization, it is more a question of privacy than anything else. Al Anders, chairman of the Free Hemp in Alaska group, considers it" a states-rights issue. It's a right to privacy and the right to privacy is not being respected by the federal government." [continues 475 words]
WASHINGTON - Ecstasy (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) works by targeting cells in the brain that release serotonin. The drug causes cells to release all of their supply of the chemical into the bloodstream, creating a powerful high. The street price for MDMA is between $20 and $30 per dosage unit. The main supply of MDMA comes from Europe, particularly from the Netherlands and Belgium. There is also a small amount being produced domestically. The Drug Enforcement Agency also reports that "Israeli organized crime syndicates - some composed of Russian emigres associated with Russian organized crime syndicates - have forged relationships with Western European traffickers and gained control over a significant share of the European market." [continues 408 words]
Washington - Perhaps the greatest impediment in the quest for a constitutionally mandated right to privacy is the issue of drugs, and that issue is now on the front burner. Marijuana has become the primary test. The debate over marijuana focuses not only on legalization but also on medical benefits. In this past election, the ballot in Alaska had a petition to legalize the "possession, cultivation, distribution or consumption" of marijuana. For many proponents of legalization, it is more a question of privacy than anything else. Al Anders, chairman of the Free Hemp in Alaska group, considers it "a states-rights issue. [continues 493 words]
Perhaps the greatest impediment in the quest for a constitutionally mandated right to privacy is the issue of drugs, and that issue is now on the front burner. Marijuana has become the primary test. The debate over marijuana focuses not only on legalization but also on medical benefits. In this past election, the ballot in Alaska had a petition to legalize the "possession, cultivation, distribution or consumption" of marijuana. For many proponents of legalization, it is more a question of privacy than anything else. Al Anders, chairman of the Free Hemp in Alaska group, considers it "a states-rights issue. It's a right to privacy and the right to privacy is not being respected by the federal government." [continues 496 words]
WASHINGTON — While teen use of marijuana has decreased, continuing a three-year trend, teen use of a drug called "ecstasy" has increased dramatically. MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is the scientific name for the drug more commonly known as ecstasy, XTC, X, the love drug, or Adam. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies the drug as a "Schedule I synthetic, psychoactive drug possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties." Similar in structure to amphetamine and methamphetamine, MDMA was first produced by a German company, Merck, in 1912 to serve as an appetite suppressant. The United States Army also tested it in the 1950s as a potential weapon. [continues 312 words]
WASHINGTON -- Methamphetamine, a stimulant drug that has been used since the 1960s, is also known as ice, crank and speed. In fact, there are actually more than 10 street names for the product. The drug is cheaper and easier to produce than cocaine. The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that methamphetamine is "a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked or ingested orally," and that users experience "a short yet intense 'rush' ... increased activity, decreased appetite and a sense of well being that can last 6 to 8 hours." Further, use of the drug can result in "addiction, psychotic behavior and brain damage." [continues 493 words]
WASHINGTON -- We must fight the Drug War or surrender. Surrender would be the legalization of drugs, which is simply the acknowledgement by government that individuals are responsible for what they consume or inject into their own bodies. On the other hand, drugs are poison, and if it is a poison we wish to eliminate, then we had better accept the idea that we are fighting a losing war. And make no mistake, the Drug War is here, not in the endless jungles of South America. The front lines of the Drug War are in America's inner cities. It is an urban war, not a jungle war, and our resources should be allocated accordingly. [continues 420 words]
WASHINGTON -- We must fight the drug war or surrender. Surrender would be the legalization of drugs, which is simply the acknowledgement by government that individuals are responsible for what they consume or inject into their own bodies. On the other hand, drugs are poison, and if it is a poison we wish to eliminate, then we had better accept the idea that we are fighting a losing war. And make no mistake, the drug war is here, not in the endless jungles of South America. The front lines of the drug war are in America's inner cities. It is an urban war, not a jungle war, and our resources should be allocated accordingly. [continues 420 words]
We must fight the Drug War or surrender. Surrender would be the legalization of drugs, which is simply the acknowledgement by government that individuals are responsible for what they consume or inject into their own bodies. On the other hand, drugs are poison, and if it is a poison we wish to eliminate, then we had better accept the idea that we are fighting a losing war. And make no mistake, the Drug War is here, not in the endless jungles of South America. [continues 450 words]
I couldn't help but gasp at the unmitigated gall of Linda Bayer, "senior writer and psychologist at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy" who, some 17 years after the Reagan administration declared the "war on drugs," chastises those who point out its abysmal failure and declares that it is not really a war after all (Counterpoint, Dec. 5). I suggest an alternative to the "sound long-range plan" she insists the government has. It's called honesty. [continues 115 words]
