Now that voters in the states of Colorado and Washington have legalized the sale of marijuana in their states, the showdown between these new state laws and current federal law that makes marijuana sales illegal in all states still looms. At least one Mississippi federal district judge and a pioneer in the drug court movement see Colorado and Washington as the first of many states to try to decriminalize marijuana - and he's worried about it. Southern District U.S. Judge Keith Starrett of McComb said in January that he had significant concerns about what is unfolding in Colorado and Washington - and that more states will follow. [continues 475 words]
STARKVILLE - After a recent column on the election results that made marijuana use and possession legal in two U. S. states, a thoughtful reader responded with a dissenting view. My column pointed out that now that voters in the states of Colorado and Washington have approved legalizing the sale of marijuana in their states, there is the inevitable showdown between these new state laws and current federal law that makes marijuana sales illegal in all states. The laws passed in Colorado and Washington allow the recreational use of marijuana and require that the states set up a bureaucracy to license, regulate and tax those sales. That regulatory system is expected to be very similar to the bureaucracies that exist in states to license, regulate and tax the sales of liquor, wine and beer. The reader wrote: "The federal government has no authority to regulate marijuana, and certainly none to ban it. It occurred to me recently that it took an amendment to the Constitution to ban alcohol, and the stroke of a pen to ban marijuana. What changed in the Constitution in the meantime? Nothing. [continues 377 words]
Almost 100 Students Graduate Friday From Drug Program The chances a good many students at Southeast Lauderdale Middle School will get into trouble later in life by taking drugs or drinking alcohol got much lower Friday as they graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. They are now armed with the single most important weapon against drug and alcohol abuse, knowledge. During a graduation ceremony, almost 100 students received their diplomas. Along with each diploma that was handed out, there also was an expressed promise on the part of the students they would not partake in drug, alcohol or tobacco use. They made a conscious decision to keep their bodies and lives clean thereby giving themselves a clear advantage to fight temptations later in life. [continues 273 words]
Anna Moreno has 925 kids! And they keep her very busy. "I've got five children of my own but all the kids here at Clarkdale Attendance Center are mine as well," she added with a smile. "I love all these children here." A deputy with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department, Moreno, and fellow deputy Robbie McClure, have good reason to get uniquely attached to the youngsters whose safety it is the two officers' task to protect. As school resource officers who've been recently certified to be D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officers, Moreno and McClure have gained a unique perspective into the lives of children as the students go to and from classes. Both officers believe the D.A.R.E. certification will help them to do their jobs even better than before. [continues 360 words]
Defendants indicted in November by a Lauderdale County grand jury made their initial court appearances, and entered pleas, Friday morning during "arraignment day" in Lauderdale County Circuit Court. Judge Robert Bailey presided over the three-hour session. After it was over, circuit court officials said 2005 had broken the record for the number of new felony cases logged in Lauderdale County in a single year - 1,077. The previous record was 932 in 2002. District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell attributed the increase to unusually high numbers of indictments for illegal drugs: "I think there were more drug cases than I've ever seen, especially in the November grand jury session." [continues 310 words]
Between 10 percent and 15 percent of the U.S. population has the genetic predisposition to become chemically dependent. "People who are dependent may not do as much alcohol drugs or for as long (as an abuser)," said Lee Holcomb, a therapist in the chemical dependency department at Alliance Hospital. "When they try to quit, they stop. But they have another part of the disease, the mental obsession, which keeps them coming back to it," Holcomb said. Worse yet, alcohol or other drugs can work as catalysts to trigger the disease of dependence. [continues 119 words]
Gov. Haley Barbour on Thursday signed a bill designed to help curb the devastation caused by the illegal manufacture and use of methamphetamines. The new law places restrictions on the sale of cold tablets that contain pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, identified by an agent of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics as the only active ingredient used by 90 percent of the clandestine labs in Mississippi that produce crystal meth. The new law requires retailers to store cold medicines containing either of these ingredients in locked display cases, behind the counter, within 30 feet of a store cashier or under video surveillance. It also limits the amount of cold tablets sold to a customer to no more than two packages per transaction or six grams of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. [continues 123 words]
A group of 10 Magnolia Middle School students graduated from a program Tuesday designed to show them they must care for themselves just like they must care for the environment. Weems Community Mental Health Center created Project Trail, a pilot summer substance abuse prevention program. Separate groups of boys and girls met twice a week for six weeks at Bonita Lakes. Kyra Wilson, a prevention specialist at Weems, said the nature-based program is meant to foster each child's relationship with the environment. [continues 314 words]
DRUG EDUCATION - Billie Jo Miller, a recovering drug addict, wants state lawmakers to use some of the money seized from drug busts and fines collected from drunken driving and narcotics arrests to help fund secondary drug rehabilitation programs. She also wants to educate adults and children about drug abuse. The energy Billie Jo Miller once spent looking for narcotics to feed her habit is now focused on making a difference in her community. A self-proclaimed recovering addict, the Bailey resident wants to inform and educate adults and children about the dangers of illegal drug use. She also wants to enhance the rehabilitation process locally. [continues 800 words]
A former Meridian police officer has been released from the Lauderdale County jail on $2,500 bond after being charged with felony illegal possession of more than 100 units of phenobarbital - a hypnotic sedative used to fight seizures. Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose said Donald Morgan, a former K9 handler, was arrested on Monday. It was the second set of charges against him stemming from a drug raid at his Clarke County home in early May. Morgan was initially charged with illegal possession of cocaine and illegal possession of crystal methamphetamine. [continues 108 words]
Don Morgan, a K9 officer fired from the Meridian Police Department after a drug raid at his Clarke County home, has appealed his termination to the Civil Service Commission. Police Chief Benny DuBose said Morgan was discovered in a "disoriented state" on May 3. He was on duty and in his police vehicle at the time. Morgan was transported to a local hospital, DuBose said, and a search of his vehicle turned up several bottles of unauthorized narcotics and drug paraphernalia. [continues 223 words]
While you hear a lot about Colombian cartels and Middle Eastern poppy farmers, drug dealers in Mississippi are more likely to be good ol' Bubbas cooking up methamphetamine in the kitchen. That was the message Wednesday night in Meridian, as U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering and Asa Hutchinson, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency, hosted a forum for law enforcement officers. "Meth is an epidemic that is sweeping the nation," Pickering said. The visit was part of Hutchinson's 30-state "Meth in America - Not in Our Town" tour. Hutchinson's goal is to raise public awareness, assess law enforcement readiness and figure out ways the DEA can help. [continues 290 words]
A Meridian police officer was charged Monday in Clarke County with illegal possession of cocaine and illegal possession of crystal methamphetamine. Officer Donald Morgan posted a $10,000 bond and was released from the Clarke County jail. The charges both specify "illegal" possession of drugs. This is because Morgan's K9 partner is trained in apprehension and narcotics detection, and has periodic practice sessions involving actual illegal drugs. Police Chief Benny DuBose held a press conference Monday to announce the results of a drug raid at Morgan's Clarke County home over the weekend. [continues 534 words]
A drug raid at the Clarke County home of a Meridian police officer turned up narcotics, drug paraphernalia and several handguns. Police Chief Benny DuBose said today that criminal charges will be brought against Donald Morgan, a K9 handler. "On Friday, May 3, Officer Morgan was discovered in his police vehicle in a disoriented state," DuBose said. Morgan was on duty at the time. He was transported to a local hospital. DuBose said while drugs are used in the training of police dogs, a search of Morgan's patrol car turned up several bottles of unauthorized narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Morgan was placed on administrative leave and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force was notified. [continues 96 words]
