The recent seizure of hundreds of pounds of marijuana in Lincoln, apparently harvested in states where it can be grown legally, raises the question of how long the country will tolerate the current patchwork of laws. In one case deputies with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Deputies seized 1,517 pounds of pot worth an estimated $7.5 million. The marijuana was stuffed into 39 duffel bags in a rental RV traveling from Oregon, where marijuana can be grown legally, to Georgia. [continues 425 words]
Medical cannabis is again being addressed in the legislature. I pray the elected officials who oppose the legislation will see the ironies in their stances on LB 643, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, and rethink their opposition ("Veteran promotes legalization of medical marijuana, Garrett's bill," Jan. 6). First, opponents of the bill say they don't want medical cannabis to be abused. When asked to name even one person they could save from abuse opponents of the bill, they can't because they're talking about hypothetical people. There are thousands of living, breathing Nebraskans who would benefit. Ironic that it appears that representing hypothetical abusers takes precedence over sick and suffering Nebraskans. [continues 192 words]
The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska is considering getting into the lucrative marijuana business, but at least one tribal expert fears doing so could put the tribe at risk of losing any investment it may make in marijuana industries. The tribe plans to hold a referendum Tuesday in which members will vote on whether the tribe should allow recreational use of marijuana, medicinal use of marijuana, and growing industrial hemp on its northeast Nebraska reservation. Ultimately, however, the Omaha tribal council will decide all three questions. The referendum vote simply will give the council guidance on whether to move forward, according to an information sheet distributed by the tribe. [continues 388 words]
Here's a news flash for you, Gov. Ricketts: Alcohol is a dangerous drug, nicotine is a dangerous drug, caffeine is a dangerous drug, aspirin is a dangerous drug ("Governor signals his position on medical marijuana," April 28). How many of these drugs do you and billions of others use? The three medications prescribed for my blood pressure by my primary care physician and my cardiologist cause swelling to the point where I can't flex my toes and, some days, I can't get my shoes on. I must use a walker to get around, even room to room in my home. Medical marijuana does not cause feet to swell. [continues 203 words]
If I were arrested in Nebraska or Oklahoma for possessing a small amount of marijuana, and the arresting officer asked where I got the marijuana, I would say Colorado, and 99 percent of others would probably do the same. Would we rat out a friend, neighbor or co-worker? No. Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Mandatory and random drug testing in the workplace will still get you fired for trace amounts of cannabis. Unlike alcohol, where the the drug's effects are processed by the liver, THC hangs in there after the effects are gone. However, the testing cannot tell whether it is residual or freshly consumed. For example: I personally do not want to be working alongside an electrician working on live circuits, with him being stoned. Make sense? There is no way to tell in a test whether he is stoned or that the last time he smoked was days ago. Mike Rockefeller, Lincoln [end]
I applaud the two recent thoughtful articles about marijuana ("Cindy Lange-Kubick: A legal doobie for Nebraska?," Jan. 6, "Cannabis Crazy: It could happen to you," Jan. 7). Both Cindy Lange-Kubick and Susan Shapiro spoke from their own experience as well as citing research which supports their opinions. Both reinforce my belief that marijuana possession and use should not be criminal. While I agree with Shapiro that "marijuana essentially fries your brain," I also believe that alcohol, gambling, pornography, sugar, caffeine, football, tv, and violence are not good for our brains but we don't have laws to prohibit those things. What "sins" do we let people make their own choices about? How do we teach people to make mature choices about behavior which can be harmful to themselves or others? [continues 89 words]
I respectfully disagree with a letter submitted by Kim Mayhew opposing AG Bruner's suit against Colorado due to the increased enforcement costs to the state to combat the flow of marijuana into Nebraska ("Letter, 12/26: Open eyes to marijuana," Dec. 26). Too many lives have been lost or ruined by this "gateway" drug. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that one in eight people over the age of 12 use marijuana in Colorado. Studies suggest that marijuana use shrinks brain size. I have seen what marijuana can do to people as they lose friends, family, respect and resources. Support Nebraska's efforts to curb the use of this dangerous drug. David Christensen, Beatrice [end]
Many people want to place the blame for the reason this country is in so much of a deficit on our president. What they need to do is take a look at how our tax money is being spent. Much of what we consider necessary spending is not at all needed. Consider drug testing of welfare recipients/potential recipients. This would be a grand idea if only the government were actually preventing drug users from using government programs such as Aid to Dependent Children, Medicaid, and/or food stamps. [continues 77 words]
I am a 55-year-old mother of three and grandmother of two and believe Nebraska should reverse its 86-year-old ban on marijuana. We need to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and open a new market for our farmers with industrial hemp. In 2012, Nebraska had 1,779 alcohol-related auto crashes, 1,209 alcohol-related injuries and 81 deaths. I was unable to locate any statistics for accidents, injuries or deaths related to marijuana use in our fair state. [continues 106 words]
Jim Lerdahl ("Sell seized marijuana," letter, Nov. 12) suggested the state sell seized marijuana to Colorado. I've got a better idea: The state ought to legalize marijuana like Colorado and Washington did, end the pointless War on Drugs and release all those first-time drug users. Because of the War on Drugs, the United States (aka Land of the Free) has the highest prison population. We lock up more people than any other country in the world. That is not something to be proud of. Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana. We often hear stories of someone getting drunk and hitting somebody, but not of anyone smoking marijuana and hitting somebody. Sam Sticka, Lincoln [end]
Our federal government continues to refuse to acknowledge the medicinal value of cannabis/marijuana, despite the mountain of well-documented studies that conclude otherwise. More states are disagreeing. In July, New Hampshire became the 19th state to allow medicinal marijuana. It was followed by Illinois on Aug. 1. Other countries are moving more quickly than the United States. The Uruguayan House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize cannabis. Its Senate is expected to approve it. Uruguay will become the first country to regulate production, distribution and sale of the plant. New Zealand is the first country to have a law allowing recreational drugs to be legally approved if shown to be safe. [continues 99 words]
A federal judge has ordered the government to return more than $1 million in suspected drug money to a California woman. The Nebraska State Patrol trooper confiscated the money after a traffic stop near North Platte last year, but the judge said there wasn't enough of a connection between it and drugs. "There is no nexus between the currency and any illegal activity," U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon said in an opinion this week. He said Tara Mishra, of Rancho Cucamonga, was entitled to the money - all $1,074,900 of it. [continues 570 words]
As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot. Until now, Obama has been remarkably adept at taking positions that seemed to be ahead of their time -- and getting ahead of them. For example, when he declared his full support for the right of same-sex couples to marry, there were fears among his supporters that he would lose important votes before his re-election campaign, particularly among black churchgoers. Those fears proved to be exaggerated. [continues 619 words]
When the recent Summit of the Americas in Colombia decided to commission a study on whether to decriminalize drugs, many thought that would be the end of it, and the whole thing would be forgotten quickly. Well, maybe not. For starters, it was the first time that such a large group of heads of state ventured into that once-taboo area. And there are several other unrelated factors that may contribute to put decriminalization in the front burner later this year or in early 2013. [continues 619 words]
I avoid debates about the war on drugs, because the debate has become nearly as useless as the actual war. The letter Jan. 12 ("No to legalization") forced me to make an exception. In what other subject would a reference to an 1858 China law be considered an acceptable point of comparison when addressing a modern government policy? On May 13, 2010, The Associated Press reported that after 40 years and $1 trillion, the war on drugs has been completely ineffective. [continues 85 words]
It's not often a letter like Susie Dugan's gets published ("Don't legalize marijuana," Dec. 29). Space constraints make a line-by-line refutation of her letter impractical, but she makes three particularly egregious claims that warrant correction. First off, states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes have not seen increases in use among youths, but in fact have seen significant reductions, according to a number of studies referenced in an American Academy of Pediatrics publication. Secondly, states that have legalized medical marijuana have actually seen a reduction in the number of traffic fatalities, a study from university researchers published in November shows. [continues 189 words]
Anne Greff's letter ("No to legalization," Jan. 12) would have been more convincing if her letter dealt with marijuana. Instead, she talked about "other drugs" and opium; she did not discuss marijuana, and that is what Proposition 19 is concerned with. The letter spoke about "some countries that have legalized drugs" and brought up China and opium. The Chinese were quite literally forced to buy and use opium produced by British mercantilists, who had heavy investments in opium. The Chinese did not want opium. Nor does Proposition 19 have anything to do with opium; it deals with marijuana for industrial and recreational purposes. [continues 80 words]
This letter is in response to the letters stating that drug legalization could be a good thing. I am not going to deny our country has a drug problem -- we do have one, a big one. However, legalizing drugs would not necessarily make things better. Take a look at the past. Some countries that have legalized drugs have not benefited at all, such as China. China legalized the use of opium in 1858 and soon became the biggest producer of it. Many people became addicted to it, which had many negative side effects. What if legalizing drugs in the United States had the same effect that legalizing opium had on China? [continues 149 words]
Len Schropfer's letter to the editor (LJS, Dec. 26) was factual about the state process to legalize hemp/cannabis/marijuana (Proposition 19). It touched on hemp uses, including as biofuel. Susie Dugan's response (LJS, Dec. 29) made 14 nonfactual assertions about pot. Cannabis can be abused, but causes a decrease of aggression, not an increase, as alcohol does. After significant time scrutinizing this plant's potentials and shortcomings, 16 states and the District of Columbia -- one-third of the U.S. population -- have approved medicinal cannabis by legislature or voter action. Legalizing, regulating, producing and taxing this plant makes sense. [continues 101 words]
