Drugs have been in use for centuries by many people both in the arts and other phases of life. Persons who want to use drugs will find a source, sometimes not a reliable source that is common knowledge. Let's give them a controlled source and reap the benefits. During prohibition, the "rum runners" were no different from the "drug runners" of today. They all made millions at the expense of others. If we legalize drugs, we could tax it the way we tax cigarettes, wine and liquor. The tax money could be used to pay off our debt. Just think. [continues 67 words]
The rush by numerous communities in the Big Country to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana has intensified, but Abilene officials are digging in their heels and hoping laws banning the sale of the substance will be enacted by state legislators in the 2011 session. During last week's City Council meeting, Mayor Norm Archibald encouraged residents to contact their legislators to consider a statewide ban on synthetic cannabis, known by brand names K2 or Spice. "I feel this issue could get priority treatment," Archibald said. [continues 1384 words]
The 20-year-old Amarillo man arrested on a charge of possession of medical marijuana in late June remains in custody at the Brown County Jail. Law enforcement officials in Brown County continue to stand by the arrest and incarceration of Chris Diaz, 20, who faces felony charges for having medical marijuana and hashish in his possession. He remains jailed on bonds totaling $40,000. Sam Moss, assistant district attorney in Brown County, said his office has received the case. "It has been given to us, and we'll proceed with it and probably present it to a grand jury, would be my guess," Moss said. [continues 506 words]
Diaz has a California prescription for marijuana to treat his asthma. Supporters of the 20-year-old man being held in Brown County for possession of medical marijuana have launched a campaign to secure his release by contacting government officials -- both state and local -- to plead his case. But law enforcement officials in Brown County are standing by the arrest and incarceration of Chris Diaz, 20, who faces felony charges for having medical marijuana in his possession. Diaz was on his way to Austin when he was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Martin Molotsky after a traffic stop June 27. During a search of Diaz's vehicle, the trooper said he discovered less than 2 ounces of marijuana and some hashish, a concentrated form of marijuana. [continues 749 words]
A 20-year-old man is in custody in the Brown County Jail after he was arrested in June and charged with possession of what his supporters call medical marijuana. Chris Diaz, 20, was traveling through Brownwood on June 27 on his way to Austin and was pulled over by the Department of Public Safety. A trooper reportedly searched his vehicle and discovered under 2 ounces of marijuana and some hashish (a concentrated form of marijuana) in the vehicle. Brown County Sheriff Bobby Grubbs maintains that pot in any form is illegal in Texas. [continues 345 words]
DENVER -- Inside the green neon sign, which is shaped like a marijuana leaf, is a red cross. The cross serves the fiction that most transactions in the store -- which is what it really is -- involve medicine. The U.S. Justice Department recently announced that federal laws against marijuana would not be enforced for possession of marijuana that conforms to states' laws. In 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana. Since Justice's decision, the average age of the 400 people a day seeking "prescriptions" at Colorado's multiplying medical marijuana dispensaries has fallen precipitously. Many new customers are college students. [continues 596 words]
The White House continues to ignore the lessons of history, and truth has been suppressed about marijuana's medicinal use, giving drug prohibition a very sinister aspect. Alcohol prohibition taught us, when drugs production and distribution is left to gangsters and cartels, it triggers more danger to users and society by increasing violent crime and corruption of public officials. It was called "the noble experiment," but did we learn anything? End border violence by ending the drug war. The Controlled Substances Act is one of those bad laws like the Fugitive Slave Act and the Volstead Act. When juries refuse to convict on "drug crime," drug warriors will be politically dead bodies. Jury nullification is a constitutional power tool we the people pack! [continues 144 words]
TORONTO - The University of Toronto has just played host to an important conference, titled "The Politics of Obesity," at which scholars from various academic disciplines examined the claim that North America is facing a health crisis because of increasing weight. The consensus was that we are not: a conclusion that will only surprise those who rely on diet doctors, rather than on social scientists, for information on the topic. America loves to export health hysteria, as illustrated by the comments of U.S. drug czar John Walters, who is upset by signs that Canada is implementing a rational policy in regard to marijuana. "The kind of marijuana coming from Canada is the crack of marijuana," Walters says. "It is dangerous. It is destructive." [continues 501 words]
In the midst of the soaring rhetoric of last week's Democratic Convention, more than one speaker quoted Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, invoking "the better angels of our nature." Well, there is an especially appropriate task awaiting those heavenly creatures - a long-overdue reform of our disastrous "war on drugs." We should begin by recognizing its costly and inhumane dimensions. Much of the nation, in one way or another, is victimized by this failure - including, most notably, the innocents, whose exposure to drugs is greater than ever. [continues 569 words]
What a pity to read of Abilene High School's newspaper editor, teachers and administrators spreading ignorance instead of teaching how things came to be the way they are. Under the tutelage of these people, high school teens have nothing to do but drive-by shootings or committing vandalism to join extracurricular clubs. Teens could review old movies and list movie starlets looking so sophisticated holding their cigarettes. What percentage died painful deaths from lung cancer? Humphrey Bogart's and John Wayne's cigarettes brought them cancer. John Bellushi, Janice Joplin and Mort Sahl were top-flight entertainers who led thousands into drugs. You can bet the Mafia funded much propaganda for Hollywood stars. I have personally autopsied several dozen of their follower groupies. [continues 104 words]
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Marijuana went on sale Monday at Dutch pharmacies to help bring relief to thousands of patients suffering from cancer, AIDS or multiple sclerosis. About 7,000 patients will be eligible for prescription marijuana, sold in containers of 0.16 ounces at most pharmacies. The drug will be covered by health insurance for the first time. Canada, Germany and Australia already allow restricted use of medicinal marijuana or its active chemical, but the Dutch go a step further by providing the drug and regulating its quality. In the United States, 14 states allow medicinal use despite a federal ban on the drug. [continues 126 words]
WASHINGTON -- Amid the increasing turmoil that surrounds the nation's criminal justice system, from the Patriot Act to the debate over the death penalty, few things in memory have shaken the faith in its basic fairness as has the monumental travesty that took place in Tulia. Even though Gov. Rick Perry has pardoned the 35 mostly black residents of this small town of alleged drug dealings, the reverberations from the injustices perpetrated by legal authorities will be felt for a long time -- as a warning, we hope, of what can happen when the process goes wrong. [continues 667 words]
TULIA - Gov. Rick Perry on Friday granted pardons to 35 people who were convicted of drug charges based on the testimony of an undercover agent later charged with perjury. "Texans demand a justice system that is tough but fair," Perry said in a statement. "I believe my decision to grant pardons in these cases is both appropriate and just." Perry said he was influenced by questions about the testimony of Tom Coleman, the only undercover agent involved in the busts. In June, Perry signed a bill allowing the release of the 12 Tulia defendants who were still in prison. [continues 480 words]
WACO -- Former Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss tried to cover up alleged NCAA violations by telling assistant coaches and players to lie and say a slain player had been dealing drugs to pay for school, secretly recorded audiotapes reveal. The recordings were made by an assistant coach who turned them over to Baylor and NCAA investigators on Friday. Copies of the tapes were obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The tapes reveal a desperate man trying to figure out how to cover himself and to cover up" NCAA violations, said Kirk Watson, counsel for Baylor's in-house investigations committee. [continues 488 words]
Attorney General John Ashcroft has asked his prosecutors to report to him any federal judges who on their own -- in other words, not as part of a plea bargain -- impose sentences that are more lenient than federal sentencing guidelines. Not coincidentally, a group of House Republicans allied with the very conservative and very activist majority leader, Tom DeLay, have formed the Working Group on Judicial Accountability to monitor and expose federal judges they suspect of being too lenient. It would be naive to regard these actions as a simple gathering of facts. Dispensing with such niceties as the separation of powers, Ashcroft and his like-minded friends in the House would like to intimidate federal judges into imposing the sentences they think should be imposed. [continues 206 words]
Colorado Independent School District trustees on Monday approved implementing a drug-testing program for middle and high school students in extracurricular activities. Earlier this year, the district joined a growing number of districts in the area considering drug-testing policies. Hawley ISD adopted a policy in April and will begin testing this fall. Breckenridge and Eastland school districts are considering a similar policy. Colorado ISD Superintendent Jim White said that as soon as state attorneys sign off, the policy will be implemented. [continues 463 words]
Recently I underwent minor knee surgery. For the post-operative pain, I was given Oxycontin, a powerful narcotic related to morphine. Oxycontin has been on the prescription drug market for about seven years. Soon after its introduction, it became a popular recreational drug in rural America, so much so that it acquired the moniker "hillbilly heroin." The drug has apparently moved upmarket, as evidenced by the news that the teenage son of rock musician and television star Ozzy Osbourne has become addicted to the substance. Oxycontin is both quite addictive and potentially dangerous: It's estimated that in the past couple of years, several hundred people have suffered fatal overdoses from the drug. [continues 501 words]
Abilene police Officer Adam Lopez slowly rolled down Mesquite Street and spotted two young men lounging in plastic lawn chairs on the curb. A darkened, boarded-up house loomed in the background behind them. "They're out early tonight," Lopez said, a little surprised to see suspected drug dealers already on the streets. "They're waiting for traffic, trying to make some money." Lopez crept by, making sure the men were aware of his presence. "We'll be back," Lopez said. "They're not going anywhere." [continues 1079 words]
Privacy is important to everyone, but when you live in a small town, it doesn't exist. Everyone knows everybody else's business even if they're not supposed to. By moving into a small town, you are surrounding yourself with eyes and gossip. Parents instinctively protect not only their young, but also others they care about. In a tiny town, people are often related or simply close to one another. You can't say, "It is not their right or business to monitor other people's children" when your environment is so close-knit. [continues 123 words]
If a student is partaking of illegal drugs at school or while representing our school in a school-funded function, then that student jeopardizes his or her right to privacy. The schools have the right to know whether their representatives are going to make them look bad or possibly cause the school legal problems. I commend our board for taking the initiative to remedy the problem that plagues our school as well as surrounding schools. It not only helps our school become a cleaner environment, but it also helps to keep our school clean of legal suits that would hinder the educational process by providing an unwanted distraction for teachers, students, administration and the community. [continues 167 words]
