The only time I ever thought about where the illegal drugs I was purchasing might have come from was when I lucked up in the purchase of some particularly potent cocaine. I didn't ask about the urgency to move such product at such cheap prices, but when we got the eight ball back to our dinghy hotel room and started to break it up, we saw it: a mysterious-looking stamp pressed in the smooth side of the lump of coke, a skull and some words in Spanish prominent in the indention. The sight of it filled me with a little bit of unease, because it was further proof that we were indulging in a game that could have had potentially deadly consequences. It was obviously from someplace south of the border, and rather than contemplate the violence that had accompanied it north to the streets of Myrtle Beach, S.C., we busted it up and proceeded to get high and not think of it again. [continues 850 words]
Why the misinformation about marijuana, its use, history and benefits? Doctors and patients are discovering the curative and palliative benefits that traditional medicine has practiced for about 5,000 years. Who wouldn't support legalization? Except the drug lords who take in about $5 billion annually, banks that launder the cash and are too big to indict, politicians profiting from "political contributions," enforcement agencies warring against drugs and confiscating property, even U.S. growers who don't want things to change. It is time to end prohibition. Steve Smith Spokane [end]
We argue about the law and complain about gangs. We accept the situation and hope it doesn't get worse. However, it does get worse, here and in other countries. Prohibition all over again. The murders and bombings of the 1930s are mild stuff today. The gangs that terrorize Mexico are growing in power, even in our own country. We know that the largest part of the cash flow to the drug cartels is from marijuana sales billions per year. Is there a billion-dollar industry that would not spend millions to influence favorable legislation? I think not. Is this why the bulk of enforcement is against growing your own? Steve Smith Spokane [end]
I wrote a month ago about the mixed message being sent to Costa Mesa residents through the enforcement of the city's medical marijuana dispensary ordinance versus the mandate in Proposition 215, which California voters passed in 1996 ("Adult consistency has gone to pot," March 9). I also discussed the widespread use of marijuana nationally and in our school district. This November, California voters have an opportunity to formally legalize weed by voting in favor of a new initiative that would allow adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce for personal use. [continues 581 words]
Hooray to the El Paso City Council for its courageous attempt to pressure the feds to legalize drugs. Sure, it's a political hot potato, but so was any mention of stock derivatives being worthless. Then the shoe dropped and now everyone is wondering why our government was promoting this garbage. Nobody expects to be able to buy heroin at the corner Walgreens, but how about allowing drugs in a locked, clinical setting? For the cost of the present drug-enforcement program, drugs could be given for free and doctors provided. And no lives would have to be lost. [continues 91 words]
If Sarasota County Commissioner Shannon Staub has her way, anyone convicted of a drug-or alcohol-related infraction may soon pay an extra fine, which would go into programs designed to address those problems. Staub said the fine -- mandated in a new ordinance -- would be very useful in this time of countywide budget cuts. "A large percentage of our convictions come from alcohol- and drug-related infractions, such as DUI and so on," Staub said. "This fee would come on top of what they would have to pay, serving as another source of income to programs that would provide treatment, such as First Step of Sarasota." [continues 388 words]
I have a challenge for the advocates of marijuana use in Santa Cruz. Try telling the truth for a change. Measure K isn't meant to reallocate Santa Cruz Police Department resources to give them "more resources to fight violent crime." Like the medical-marijuana initiative, it is just one more attempt at de facto legalization through misinformation and yes, lies. Ultimately, Measure K will decrease the ability of the police to justly apply their discretion and further remove the real issue of legalization from public discussion. [continues 561 words]
A co-worker shared a press release with me the other day from an organization called Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The release detailed how senators are considering legislation addressing the provision of the Higher Education Act that denies federal financial aid to students with drug convictions. The organization (which you can check out yourself online at www.daregeneration.com) opposes such provisions, arguing that they force students convicted of drug charges to drop out of school, making them more likely to continue abusing drugs and engaging in criminal activity. The organization claims such provisions will disproportionately affect minorities and students from low- and middle-income families, since better-off students can afford to pay for tuition on their own (and hire good lawyers to avoid drug convictions in the first place). [continues 534 words]
At one time in my active addiction, I was so desperate to escape the cycle of getting and using and finding ways and means to get more, I considered enrolling in a methadone program in Knoxville. I went so far as to go by the methadone clinic in Knoxville and inquire about the waiting list for enrolling in the program. At the time, it was a week to 10 days before I could get started, too long for an opiate addict to wait. [continues 693 words]
Here are some things Aaron Long learned from the program he and dozens of other youngsters recently completed: Marijuana smoke contains 50-75 percent more cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. Too much alcohol can slow down the body and lead to coma and even death. Per serving, beer, wine and liquor all contain about the same amount of alcohol; "there are so many alcohol advertisements," he said, "and I think that's horrible." There are 200 poisons in cigarette smoke, "and that can harm you even if you don't smoke." [continues 957 words]
I agree with Calvin Barr that the war on drugs is a tough one, but legalizing pot isn't the answer. There is currently no plan in place for laws on the effects of pot and driving or how cops can monitor it and penalize drivers under the influence. There's also the possibility of more users. If it becomes legal, with even a percentage moving onto stronger drugs, higher demand would further exacerbate other parts of the drug trade and crimes associated with it. That those four policemen gave their lives is a horrid thing, but a knee-jerk reaction from the feds could make things worse. Steve Smith (We must not allow Canada to go to pot.) [end]
Anyone who's ever struggled with addiction -- either through personal experience or through trying to help a loved one -- knows how difficult it is to get help. With virtually every other disease, medical help is only a phone call away during a crisis. If you have high blood pressure and start having chest pains, you'll have no trouble summoning an ambulance or sailing through an emergency room. Unfortunately, it's much more difficult to get help when you suffer from the disease of addiction. [continues 716 words]
As a recovering addict, I know addiction well in the ``street'' sense of the term. I know about conning and manipulating and hustling and chasing dope, but I've never given much thought to the scientific approach to addiction. A week ago, while attending a conference in New York sponsored by the Addiction Studies Program for Journalists of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and National Families in Action, I received more information than I know what to do with right now. [continues 559 words]
Four years ago, as 2000 came to an end, the Center for Economic and Policy Research -- a group of five newspapers in Charlotte, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; San Diego; Milwaukee; and Portland, Ore. -- released a list of 10 New Year's resolutions aimed at Congress that would, in their words, "actually help the people of the United States and the world." At No. 4 on their list -- "End the drug war and the incarceration explosion. It's a national disgrace: two million people behind bars, the highest rate of imprisonment in the world, hundreds of thousands in jail for non-violent drug offenses. African Americans somehow end up with the majority of all drug convictions, despite being only about 15 percent of drug users nationally. First step: provide drug treatment instead of prison for all first-time non-violent drug offenders, and repeal of federal mandatory sentencing laws. Put an end to racial profiling in drug arrests." [continues 647 words]
A look at the headlines over the past week reveals just how problematic drugs still are in our community. A heroin ring busted up; a suspect dying in police custody of possible drug-related causes. There's no shortage of work for law enforcement officers and treatment officials alike. Sometimes, it can be downright depressing -- it's a never-ending war, trying to lend a helping hand. Often, those who need it don't want it, and the ones who do don't know where to start. I thought about that the other night, after stopping by the halfway house in Knoxville where I got started in recovery. [continues 745 words]
Earlier this month, Dr. Roger Nooe of the University of Tennessee released the results of his bi-annual study of homelessness in Knoxville and Knox County, and the numbers show that the problem isn't getting any better. Nooe's 2004 report, titled ``Homelessness in Knoxville/Knox County,'' examines many factors contributing to homelessness in Knoxville and Knox County, but of particular interest to me was the examination of substance abuse as a contributing factor. According to Nooe's studies and his examination of findings by colleagues scattered across the nation, 75 percent of homeless people at an inner-city soup kitchen reported they had used illegal drugs in the preceding month -- and this was back in 2000. In addition, government policies have placed an additional burden on substance abusers. [continues 692 words]
One of the biggest lessons recovery has taught me is to stand up and take responsibility for my actions. One of the 12 Steps, in fact, involves taking a personal inventory on a regular basis, and when I'm wrong ``promptly admitting it.'' Which is why I have no problem talking about my history with drugs and the accompany behaviors and actions that went along with them. They were wrong, and a few were downright illegal. I'm not proud of those mistakes, but today, I can say I made them and do what I can to make amends. [continues 815 words]
Just For Today It's fascinating to me how certain things -- a sight, a sound, a smell -- can trigger a landslide of memories long forgotten. I had one of those episodes Friday morning, when I awoke to dawn spreading into clear skies, the grass wet and heavy from Thursday's rain. I sat outside, on our deck, and smoked a cigarette. The air was cool, delicious against my skin. And it took me back. As a general rule, addicts lead pretty sorry, pathetic lives. When drugs dictate everything you do -- when you eat, when you sleep, how much money you're going to spend, what you're going to do to get that money or that dope -- nothing else really matters. [continues 564 words]
I used to get high with a guy named Lee, and I still think about him from time to time. I don't think you could rightly call us friends; after all, friends don't steal from one another and shoot dope in each other's kitchen and then pass out and burn holes in the carpet with a smoldering cigarette. But we were partners in crime, so to speak. In the war of active addiction, we did our tours of duty. I got out and found recovery. I don't know what happened to Lee. [continues 658 words]
Just For Today When it was announced that WMEN-AM 760 was switching formats -- from contemporary Christian and gospel to ``conservative'' talk radio -- I scratched it off my mental list of stations that interest me. Mostly, that's because the conservative point of view conflicts with mine. But after reading the announcement that the station -- now known as WETR-AM 760-- was adding the program ``Steppin' Out'' to its lineup, I'm planning to tune in. WETR is operated by Orlando-based Foothills Broadcasting (owned by Moffit Media) and is part of the same conglomerate of stations that includes WYLV-FM Love 89. The weekday lineup includes former Reagan and Bush (Sr.) cabinet member Bill Bennett, the Mike Gallagher Show, The Dennis Prager Show and more. [continues 575 words]
