Props on the outstanding discussion in The Appalachian on the drug war. I appreciate Professor Matthew Robinson's clarification on cannabis (marijuana) deaths. In 1988, after a lengthy study of available data and research Drug Enforcement Administration Administrative Law Judge Francis Young declared cannabis to be "one of the safest therapeutic substances known to man." Following the Reefer Madness dictum of "hide the truth" Young's report was dismissed and shelved. In 2007, DEA Administrative Law Judge Mary Bittner recommended that Professor Lyle Craker and UMass be licensed to grow research-grade marijuana that would be used in approved clinical studies into cannabis' therapeutic uses and declared it would be "in the public interest" to do so. Bittner's recommendation was ignored. [continues 53 words]
This letter is to correct a misstatement by Edward Sztukowski in his article "Panel discussion challenges war on drugs." In the article, Sztukowski wrote that I said "... between 1979 and 2005, there were 1.5 deaths per year attributed to marijuana in the District of Columbia ..." In fact, the 1.5 deaths per year are for the entire country, which I said "includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia." This is a small but very important difference. Of course, the point remains true that when one compares use of drugs like marijuana with other drugs (in all of the United States), it becomes obvious just how safe marijuana really is. [continues 165 words]
Why, every time someone talks about drugs, they want to decriminalize? Is there a good reason that we must keep the criminals fully employed? Are the outlaws the only ones who can control and deliver the products that people want? Is there a rule that states criminals deserve the black market profits they currently collect? Just the same as booze and tobacco, we need to stop pretending that making something illegal will stop people from using it. So, after 35 plus years of abject failure, it's time to change. [continues 84 words]
The student American Civil Liberties Union partnered with the Campus Anti-War Network to hold a discussion about the War on Drugs Monday. The event was initially intended as a debate, but the plan went up in smoke because the police could not make it to the event. Three members of the community led the panel discussion. Mathew Robinson and Renee G. Scherlen, both associate professors in the government and justice studies department, led the discussion for decriminalization. On the other side of the room Charlie Byrd, assistant district attorney for Watauga County offered input and answered questions from the audience regarding legal aspects. [continues 401 words]
"This is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history," News of the World writer Georgina Dickinson said. Dickinson' statement used in describing a controversial picture of Olympic superstar Michael Phelps allegedly inhaling a marijuana pipe is indicative of the media's vicious nature. This event is yet another example of American cultures underbelly, with fame and fortune, a normal life becomes almost impossible and while a person such as Phelps should be more aware of their actions, it is unnecessary to tarnish a legacy over one mistake. Phelps has been scorned because of his status as a role model to children and adoring fans alike but the media should be scorned because they are the reason children are seeing Phelps smoking marijuana. [continues 514 words]
How the war on drugs will be handled under the new presidential administration remains hazy, especially with regard to marijuana as state laws slowly continue to adapt lower penalties for those using it to get high. Most recently, a Massachusetts voter-approved law to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana went into effect Jan. 2. Violators will be issued a citation and must either pay a maximum $100 civil penalty or request a civil hearing before a clerk or judge. [continues 623 words]
According to a recent structure-activity study by Italian professor Giovanni Appendino, there is enough evidence to suggest the cannabinoids in marijuana may provide a cure for a dangerous strain of staphylococcus infections. The MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a super-bug, a strain of the infection that evolved from overuse of usually effective antibiotics, according to the study. MRSA is a particularly relevant threat to students on college campuses who are likely to contract the infection from living in close quarters. [continues 184 words]
BOONE - Jerry Cameron will present the talk "America's Criminal Justice Policy: Addicted to the War on Drugs" April 5 at Appalachian State University. The program begins at noon in room 011 Old Library Classroom Building. Parking will be available in the parking deck on College Street. A 17-year law enforcement veteran, Cameron provides audiences with a look at the failed "War on Drugs" through the eyes of a front-line veteran. He has presented to audiences across this country and in England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Canada. [continues 221 words]
"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed." No, that's not a quote from a half-baked hippie at Mellow Mushroom. That's George Washington speaking. There is a foolish misconception rampant in today's society that hemp and marijuana are synonymous terms. While marijuana, like industrial hemp, is indeed a byproduct of the cannabis sativa plant, the latter is a nearly tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-free, soil-enriching, multi-faceted resource aE" which the United States doesn't grow. It didn't always used to be that way. [continues 596 words]
If someone were to mention the terms "bright red" and "strawberry-flavored," it would probably bring up images of ice cream or candy, not drugs. However, two arrests in the High Country in September by the Ashe County Sheriff's Office and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation have brought light to a possible new trend in crystal methamphetamines drugs that the terms "bright red" and "strawberry flavored" describe perfectly. "[These flavored and colored drugs] are the same crystal methamphetamines that we've had for a long time," said Carson Puckett, a narcotics investigator with the Boone Police Department. "They've just added food coloring and flavoring to entice users." [continues 284 words]
According to the Appalachian State University annual crime report, there were 42 on-campus arrests and 144 judicial referrals for drug violations in 2006. Josh C. Kleinstreuer, a senior electronic media broadcasting major, is working to change marijuana policies. It is estimated that in the United States, one person is arrested every 72 seconds for marijuana violations, said Kleinstreuer, president of the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) club. "I don't think people know what a waste of taxpayer dollars it is," he said. "$8 billion were spent on drug arrests." [continues 399 words]
Abuse of prescription and illegal drugs among college students is on the rise, according to a recent report conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The report revealed that approximately 49 percent of college students binge drink or abuse prescription or illegal drugs. "We have had one case this school year, last semester, where a student was charged with having Ritalin in his possession that was not his," University Police Capt. Eddie Rector said. Scientists and professionals are speculating as to what the many factors could be that stimulate students to abuse prescription and illegal drugs. [continues 559 words]
Indie rock has taken a lot of undue criticism these days. Thanks to the genre's burgeoning popularity, due in part to television shows like "The OC" and movies like Zach Braff's "Garden State", music that's an alternative to empty-headed radio pop is making a comeback in the charts at last. But with this comes the inevitable backlash. "Scene kids" are often maligned and stereotyped for their so-called elitism, their fashion choices, and the obscurity of the music they listen to. [continues 613 words]
"I gave them a chance to fess up, that's more than I even had to do," Appalachian State University Police officer M. Eric Miller said. He held in his hand the paper work he needed to get a search warrant for a room in Cone Residence Hall. One of the Cone RAs had smelled marijuana smoke coming from the dorm and had called University Police. Miller said he told the students if they turned over whatever drugs they may have had in their possession, he would only write them a university citation instead of a state citation. [continues 500 words]
Last year marked the largest number of marijuana arrests in U.S. history, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of the 786,545 citizens arrested, 88 percent were charged with possession only. "This should call us to question the amount of money we're putting into the drug war," Clark C. Anderson, Appalachian State University American Civil Liberties Union President, said. "It's still easy to find drugs. The drug war is unsuccessful." The United States has seen a gradual increase in marijuana arrests every year since the 1980s, Kris Krane, executive director of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., said. [continues 468 words]
Editor's Note: This is the third article of a four-part series on drug policies. With a strong drug policy reform movement and a former chancellor speaking out against drug laws, Appalachian State University has long been a battleground for drug debate. Since December 2000, the Appalachian American Civil Liberties Union has voiced opposition to the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty, which denies financial aid to students with one misdemeanor marijuana conviction. Supporters of HEA reform were led by then-Appalachian student Ian Mance, a former ACLU co-president and initiator of a proposal to pass a bill in student government to fight the HEA aid elimination. [continues 564 words]
In the midst of this year's cold season, it may prove more difficult to buy medicine for sore throats and runny noses. Consumers must purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine as a regulated over-the-counter drug. A prescription is not required for purchase of such medicines, however, due to state and federal regulations, drugs such as Sudafed, Contac and PediaCare must be purchased behind the pharmacy counter. This precaution exists as a byproduct of methamphetamine use, which has increased across the nation and in the Boone area. [continues 393 words]
The Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty passed into law to discourage students from getting high, but critics say it discourages education. Due to the HEA, one convicted possession of a controlled substance, which can include a small amount of marijuana, makes a student ineligible for federal financial aid for one year. Rep. Mike Souder (R-Ind.), a congress HEA promoter, introduced the aid elimination penalty because he wants to prevent federal money from being spent purchasing drugs, Kris Krane, executive director of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., said. [continues 685 words]
Dear Editor, "No financial aid for drug offenders" [Nov. 9], reveals the big picture for citizens to see, since the government's war on drugs primarily targets cannabis users. Do students lose financial aid if caught with alcohol? Focusing on the plant cannabis has allowed America's meth problem to get out of control. Further discrimination exists because students convicted of murder or rape, are still eligible for financial aid in school. Government's attempts to persecute, prohibit and exterminate cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) is ludicrous to begin with since Christ God Our Father indicates that He created the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is the it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). This provision of the Higher Education Act is bad law and should be amended or terminated. Truthfully, Stan White [end]
No Financial Aid for Drug Offenders Smoke pot? If so, your federal financial aid is in jeopardy. The Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty, signed by former President Bill Clinton and passed into law in 1998, requires students to reveal drug convictions to the government when applying for federal aid. The drug conviction question was added to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2000-01 school year. "oeThe question encompasses everything from a single marijuana cigarette up to heroin trafficking," Tom J. Angell, campaigns director of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., said. [continues 388 words]
