Vet again faces prospect of prison for what he says is medicinal marijuana. Delbert Mullins lifted his arm just above his shoulder to show how tall the marijuana plants were before they were confiscated last August. "Careful, don't hurt your shoulder," his wife Karen said. Delbert was arrested by the Columbia County Sheriff's office on Aug. 10 after law officials conducting an aerial survey spotted two marijuana plants in his backyard in Fort White. According to the arrest report, Delbert voluntarily showed the officers the location of the plants, where they also found three small seedlings, stalks from 15 marijuana plants and eight plastic gallon-sized bags full of harvested leaves. [continues 454 words]
Completed construction at Lake City Correctional Facility has caused growth in inmate population, staff and programming. The prison's inmate population nearly tripled from approximately 350 inmates to 893, said Warden Fred Lawson. The facility holds young inmates ages 19-24, called "youthful offenders," who come from all over the state. "With the construction and larger inmate population, we hired about 80 new employees, including 50 new correctional officers, and we paid for the tuition and basic training for the majority of the officers," Lawson said. "With the increase of inmates comes a need for increased officers, support staff, educational and vocational programs." [continues 799 words]
It's good to hear good news coming from both prison facilities in Columbia County. When words such as "expansion" or "budget increases" or "new jobs" all crop up with the prison facilities in this county, we get excited. Both Columbia Correctional Institution and the Lake City Correctional Facility represent the best in inmate housing offered in this state. There are not any better managed correctional facilities in the state and the growth of the units at these has been phenomenal. [continues 114 words]
All or most of the ingredients can be found under the sink or in the medicine cabinet. Ingredient lists and recipes are readily available online. And making it, though corrosive to one's body, is apparently not that difficult. Which is probably why Columbia County, like most parts of the nation, is experiencing a sharp rise in crystal methamphetamine users. According to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 12.4 million, 5.3 percent of the population, Americans age 12 and older had tried crystal meth at least once in their lifetimes, with the majority of users in the past year between 18 and 34 years of age. [continues 660 words]
In today's society, drug abuse and the problems associated with the epidemic surround our daily lives.People slip into the gutter with drugs. They become addicted. The foreign substance changes lives. It owns those who fall under the evil spell of illegal drug use. It leads to crime and other misfortune. We all have heard the news, but there are many stories out there, many different perspectives on the topic of "drug abuse" that seldom are exposed. Today we hope to shed additional light on this dark subject. [continues 175 words]
Watching a piece of paper turn black with smoke stains may not affect an adult's decision to smoke. But for a 10-year-old child, the display may stop the student from ever putting a cigarette to his or her lips. Exhibits about the dangers of drug, alcohol and tobacco use have taken center stage in schools this week as part of the National Red Ribbon Week Celebration, but local fifth graders have been learning about the dangers of drugs and alcohol for months through the Too Good For Drugs program. [continues 428 words]
Dear Mr. Limbaugh, As president-elect of our local Rush Limbaugh Fan Club, I've been deputized to write this letter regarding your recent legal problems. Here in Gopher County some of your loyal followers are upset about what they've been reading and hearing in the media, which is run by a bunch of liberal pansies. Anyhow, we were all real sorry to learn about you being a dope addict. Naturally we didn't believe a word of the story until it came from your own lips. [continues 596 words]
Who would ever have thought that it would come to this? Random searches in middle schools being done by dogs! As the drug war has escalated, drug prevalence among kids has actually increased. This should not be a surprise. It happened during alcohol prohibition. Read the resolution passed unanimously in April 1930 by the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform. They spoke of the "... the shocking effect (Prohibition) has had upon the youth of the nation ..." We adults have forgotten what forbidden fruit means to kids. Perhaps if we moved away from drug prohibition, those dogs could go home. John Chase, Palm Harbor [end]
An outside company has been hired by the Columbia County School System to check for drugs and other contraband in the county's schools. Joe Kirkland, Columbia County Schools deputy superintendent, said the searches are conducted by Daytona-based Sun State Specialty Canines, Inc. "This is simply to enhance what is already done by the sheriff's department using their dogs," Kirkland said. "It's not to take away from what they do, simply to enhance it." Kirkland said Sun State Specialty Canines is certified with the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration and this is the first year the school system has used the company. [continues 753 words]
Currently on the national level we are focusing on mobilizing and deploying our military forces; pondering how these actions will affect our economy; and guessing which way the interest will move tomorrow. Don't ever think for a moment that we are only about to go to war, WE ARE ALREADY IN A WAR and have been for a long time. Planning and preparations for sending troops overseas can be seen everywhere. From the president to the mayor, everyone is trying to make sure we are ready. And remembering some of our past conflicts, invasions and occupations that didn't seem to accomplish very much in relation to the costs in American lives, no one wants to be unprepared and no one wants to get into a fight that we are sure to lose. [continues 485 words]
Cost of Mandated Counseling Not Taken into Consideration The cost of counseling has become an issue in light of Tuesday's passage of a policy that calls for the random drug testing of students who participate in extracurricular activities and drive on campus. The cost of counseling was not taken into consideration before the Columbia County School Board voted 4-1 to adopt the policy which takes effect July 1. According to the policy, students in grades six-12 who test positive on a random drug test must enter a counseling program and take another test that yields negative results before resuming extracurricular activities. Also according to the policy, the student and/or the family will be responsible for the costs relating to six weeks of counseling. [continues 441 words]
I pen this letter minutes after reading Thursday's edition of the Lake City Reporter story covering the proposed (or should I say certain, since the school board has yet to seriously consider parent opinions prior to making a change in policy) policy change concerning random drug testing for students. I am extremely distressed about this and am appalled that this is even a consideration. We as parents have got to stop the government intrusion in our lives, homes, schools and places of employment. Our children are not prisoners. [continues 430 words]
Beverly Johnson offers excellent advice and valid criticism in her June 5 column. The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be overstated. School-based extracurricular activities have also been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're most prone to get into trouble. In order for drug education to be effective, it has to be credible. The most popular recreational drug and the one most closely associated with violent behavior is often overlooked by parents. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more lives every year than all illegal drugs combined. Alcohol may be legal, but it's still the number one drug problem. [continues 119 words]
Have you noticed the increasing number of anti-drug spots on TV lately, particularly variations on the theme, "Don't waste an opportunity to talk to your kids about drugs." While I readily applaud the overall theme because I believe that education is the key to battling this problem, I also feel it is my duty to speak up for weary parents everywhere. We could all use a gentle reminder now and then, but I'm sort of offended by the tone of these commercials. One spot shows a mom cheerfully gabbing on the telephone while the kid sits sullenly, apparently resentful that he's missing out on a lecture. [continues 356 words]
I read, with interest, the front-page article on the Supreme Court case dealing with drug testing of students involved in extra-curricular activities. I have done extensive research on the subject and feel the article was a misrepresentation of the original decision. The facts in that case were specific: there was rampant drug use in that high school, and the athletes were known to be involved. That is a much different circumstance requiring, at least, a modicum of probable cause. Previous decisions have forbidden universal random drug testing in schools because it violates children's rights. [continues 145 words]
Before your 17-year-old waves Tuesday's paper in your face and says, "See, man: Marijuana doesn't make you stupid," prepare yourself by reviewing the evidence. Tuesday's report, of a study by Peter Fried, a psychology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, actually found considerable harm done to intelligence levels among heavy marijuana users. The key is that the harm exists only during the period that they are using marijuana regularly, and not over the long term. Provided they stop, according to an editorial in the Toronto Globe and Mail. [continues 258 words]
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Monday it will review whether some three-strikes-and-out sentencing laws result in unconstitutionally harsh prison terms, such as up to life behind bars for shoplifting videotapes from Kmart. The court agreed to hear appeals involving two California thieves sentenced to terms ranging from 25 years to life for small-time crimes that might otherwise have meant just a few months in jail. The Supreme Court will consider whether long sentences were unconstitutionally cruel or unusual punishment for a heroin addict who shoplifted videotapes worth $153 and an AIDS patient who shoved three golf clubs down his pants leg and tried to walk out of a pro shop. [continues 663 words]
