No matter if advocates were arguing whether or not to decriminalize marijuana or debating whether or not to go forward with California's attempts to curb greenhouse gases, the root of all arguments came down to numbers. How many jobs will a proposition create? How many will it destroy? How many people smoke marijuana every day? How much would legalized marijuana cost the healthcare industry? At a Thursday debate on propositions 23 and 19 put on by the Ventura County Civic Alliance and the League of Women Voters of Ventura County at California Lutheran University's Oxnard facility, passion over the issues ran high as advocates for both sides of the issues tried to persuade the roughly 30 people in the audience to vote their way on Nov. 2. [continues 613 words]
They're Designed So Police Will Know Patients Have Medical Need Starting Monday, medical marijuana patients in the county can apply for an identification card that shows proof they can legally use the drug. The program, which was enacted under Senate Bill 420, is designed to alleviate confusion between police and those who are legally allowed to transport and consume the drug. Though 41 other counties in California have enacted similar state-mandated programs, Ventura County officials wanted to see how a series of lawsuits played out before starting a program here. [continues 390 words]
'He Was One Of The Few Cops Who Looked Out For You,' Said A Northwest Resident A federal grand jury indictment accuses Roanoke Police Officer Frederick Pledge of drug charges. Officer Frederick Pledge says that being a hands-on cop is the best way to work a beat. Talk to the people. Get to know them. His beat was one of the toughest around, working the streets of Northwest Roanoke, where the majority of the city's drug crimes occur and police respond to reports of gunshots almost nightly. [continues 1007 words]
Federal marshals arrest Roanoke Officer Frederick Pledge Pledge's lawyer said Monday he will plead innocent to charges of racketeering and drug conspiracy. Frederick Pledge was a seven-year beat cop who knew the bad guys. He knew them all too well, according to a federal indictment that said Pledge used his position as a Roanoke police officer to buy and sell drugs, have people "roughed up," tip dealers about upcoming busts and orchestrate drug shipments to New York. In a federal magistrate's courtroom Monday, Pledge stood in a military stance, his body shaking as he sighed while reading the racketeering and drug conspiracy charges against him. Among other things, they allege that he took more than $2,000 in bribes, provided security for a deal involving 10 to 15 kilograms of cocaine and went to strip parties with drug dealers. [continues 677 words]
