The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Ashcroft v. Raich yesterday. The Court must decide whether the Commerce Clause in the Constitution allows the federal government to ban the use of medical marijuana. If they decide the federal government does in fact have that power, it will only be through a severe misinterpretation of the Commerce Clause. That clause allows Congress "[to] regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." But the medical marijuana in question is entirely grown within the state of California, and has nothing to do with interstate commerce. The only way anyone gets away with calling the ban constitutional is by interpreting the Commerce Clause to mean the federal government can regulate any commerce that can affect the national economy. [continues 425 words]
Yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments about the status of medical marijuana use in the United States. Currently, 11 different states have approved laws that allow for the use of marijuana with a licensed doctor's approval, despite federal code prohibiting its production or distribution. Yesterday's case, Ashcroft v. Raich, specifically questions federal jurisdiction over medical marijuana use in light of the government's claim to govern interstate trade. The case won the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' favor by arguing that the central government has no claim to oversee the use of the drugs being used if they are not sold or passed over state lines. [continues 440 words]
Virginia state police report that the use of methamphetamines is on the rise in the commonwealth. A recent rise in the popularity of the drug methamphetamine has officials on the hunt for "Beavis and Butthead" labs in certain counties of Southwest Virginia. Lt. W.R. Bess, of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), said more than 75 meth labs have been found in the state this year. In 2003, the total was 34. "Most of the labs we're finding are the 'Mom and Pop,' or 'Beavis and Butthead' labs that produce two or three grams at a time," Bess said. "The large labs that produce ounces and pounds are the Mexican national labs out in California." [continues 443 words]
With regards to the editorial "Marijuana too risky for pediatric care" (CT, April 21), the editorial board provides a compelling argument against prescribing marijuana to treat attention deficit disorder in children. This really speaks to the nature of ADD. Attention deficit disorder is not a pain-inducing disorder, except in cases where paying attention is necessary to avoid bodily harm. Traditionally, medical marijuana, even though it carries legality only in California, is prescribed to patients who experience extended periods of pain, loss of appetite, nausea, etc. or who are terminally ill. [continues 285 words]
The claim in your editorial that the medical benefits of marijuana are "purely speculative" is incorrect ("Marijuana too risky for pediatric care," CT, April 21). In a 1999 study commissioned by the White House, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana." Dozens of scientific studies document that marijuana and its active components, called cannabinoids, can relieve nausea, muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and pain from a variety of causes - -- including pain that is refractory to standard treatments. In an April 2003 review of the data, The Lancet Neurology noted, "Cannabinoids inhibit pain in virtually every experimental pain paradigm." [continues 115 words]
The U.S. Supreme Court decided yesterday to hear a case involving a driver charged with drug possession. The driver, Roy Caballes, was stopped for a routine speed violation when a canine unit searched his vehicle. $250,000 worth of marijuana was found in the vehicle and confiscated. The issue the Supreme Court will have to address is the legality of the search executed upon Caballes' property. Although he had declined to allow a search, a second officer arrived on scene with a canine unit just as the accused was about to be released. At this point, the officers led the dog on a search of the vehicle that indicated drugs were inside. Closer inspection yielded the large quantity of marijuana. [continues 318 words]
Budget cuts have provoked 25 states to scale back mandatory minimum sentences, largely affecting drug offenders. This reform includes reduced sentences and less-stringent parole oversight for low-risk criminals. Keeping these low-risk criminals in prison cells or paying for numerous strict parole meetings is costly and wasteful. Many states face overcrowded prisons, resulting in a need for the addition of new buildings in order to accommodate the growing number of inmates. There are now 2.1 million Americans in jail or prison - quadruple the number in 1980. Virginia drug initiatives have resulted in mandatory minimum sentences opposing reasonable thinking. [continues 288 words]
The two planned centers, the Life Center of Roanoke County and a clinic run by National Specialty Clinics within Roanoke city limits, have received public backlash as some Roanoke residents feel methadone clinics will present more public woes than benefits. With 42 states housing clinics, Virginia is in the minority with no clinics currently in operation. The common analogy for clinic proponents compares methadone's interaction with heroin to the use of a nicotine patch for cigarettes. Methadone clinics distribute liquid forms of the synthetic opiate, helping wean addicts off of heroin, oxycontin and morphine. Unlike its opiate brethren, methadone absorbs slowly in the body, so users can take part in normal activities including work-related tasks. [continues 269 words]
An estimated 11 million Americans, including nearly one in five 21-year-olds, have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs, the government says. WASHINGTON - An estimated 11 million Americans, including nearly one in five 21-year-olds, have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs, the government says. The numbers announced Tuesday were especially high for college students. Eighteen percent of students surveyed said they drove while on drugs last year, compared with 14 percent of their peers who weren't in college. [continues 232 words]
The Pros and Cons of Marijuana Usage Were Debated Last Night In Squires Student Center The debate about legalizing marijuana burnt up the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires last night. Steven Hager, editor of High Times, debated for the legalization of marijuana. In contrast to Hager's jean jacket and long hair, Robert Stutman, former head of the DEA office in New York, supported the continuation of illegalization. "Bob needs to get high," Hager said. Comments like "He wants to toke up" and "I'm here to support the feds" could be heard from the anxious crowd as Hager prepared his opening arguments. [continues 435 words]
The Office Of Judicial Affairs Said They Heard 75 Percent More Drug Cases This Year Tech students do not seem to be heeding the slogan "you use, you lose," with drug and alcohol cases rising for both on- and off-campus residents. The number of drug cases heard by judicial affairs has seen a 75 percent increase from 2001-2002 to the 2002-2003 school year, while the number of students involved has risen from 33 to 75, according to the office of judicial affairs. [continues 324 words]
In the past couple of years, the much-vaunted war on drugs entered a new phase when Congress decided to use public money to create a media campaign aimed at teenagers. Originally, the proposal included anti-alcohol themes, but that was soundly thwarted after intense lobbying by the alcohol industry. They decided public money was best spent trying to prevent teenagers from experimenting with marijuana, despite the fact alcohol is responsible for 145 times as many deaths. Instead of using the billions of taxpayer dollars to give facts about marijuana effects and abuse, they decided to go back to the government's "reefer madness" approach of the 1930s. However, their approach is failing. [continues 689 words]
The drug-terror ads covered in "Anti-Drug Messages Clouded in Smoke?" (CT, Feb. 27) revisited a campaign premiered amid beer commercials during the 2002 Super Bowl. International terrorists have apparently caught on to something gangster Al Capone learned in the 1920s during alcohol prohibition - there are enormous profits to be made on the black market. With drug war budgets at risk during a time of shifting national priorities, drug warriors are cynically using drug prohibition's collateral damage to justify more of the same. [continues 141 words]
The Office of National Drug Control Policy has been running ads that stretch the truth about marijuana, experts say. Smoking marijuana funds international terrorism and leads to such horrors as date rape, manslaughter and accidental shootings of children. This is the message put forth in the Office of National Drug Control Policy's ongoing advertising campaign. The only problem, said experts in economics and illegal drugs, is that the message in the ads isn't quite true. When looking at the facts, said Nicolaus Tideman, an economics professor at Virginia Tech, one quickly realizes the alleged link between terrorism and marijuana is just a bunch of smoke. [continues 685 words]
Around 1,250 American Citizens Are Arrested Abroad Each Year For Drugs, Prompting The U.S. To Urge Caution As spring break approaches for college students around the country, the State Department has issued a warning alerting young people to the dangers of illegal activities in foreign countries. The department fears many students are unaware of the potential consequences of risky behavior in foreign countries and, as a result, may find themselves in precarious situations. The State Department's warnings were surprising, said Sean Bixler, a sophomore finance major traveling to Acapulco, Mexico. [continues 321 words]
I find it ironic that such a highly touted, seemingly brilliant generation is so apt to be blatantly brainwashed by highly false propaganda. "The truth about legalizing marijuana should be weeded out," (CT, Jan. 15) certainly contained a few commonly heard reasons for the illegality of marijuana. In the column, the author contrasts marijuana and alcohol by explaining that alcohol's potency is far less than that of marijuana (less marijuana is needed to impair judgment). As always, the problems of marijuana addiction and healthcare costs were also presented. It is even mentioned that smoking marijuana most likely leads to some forms of lung cancer similar to those caused by cigarettes. [continues 703 words]
The debate circling around marijuana use has culminated over several articles and letters in the Collegiate Times for the past several months, and it appears that although some great arguments ranging from the economic to the biblical have been made, some important sentiments remain. First, although the Bible is a great tool of learning and a strong moral grounding may be attained by reading it, hardly a text so many millennia old can be the single or strongest basis for deciding the legality of this substance. [continues 508 words]
The article "Legalization of pot does not offer enough benefits for support," (CT, Dec. 6) is full of the drug-war rhetoric that has been misinforming American citizens for many years. First, the author claims all proponents of marijuana decriminalization merely want to "get high." This may be true for many lobbying on the drug's behalf (though the stereotypes of marijuana users propounded in the article are ignorant at best). However, it does not mean society would not benefit from decriminalization by letting non-violent "criminals" out of jail and expanding the government's revenue by taxing marijuana-like cigarettes. [continues 414 words]
