A former editor of High Times, a magazine that advocates marijuana culture, who once did federal prison time at Ray Brook has planted the seeds for a run at New York state's highest office. Richard Stratton has filed initial paperwork with the state Board of Elections to run for governor in 2014. In a phone interview with the Enterprise on Monday, he said he "plans to mount a campaign and run" against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He said he wants to run as a Republican and will soon begin meeting with GOP county committees around the state. [continues 1296 words]
The state Senate has passed a bill that would criminalize the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana. Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, sponsored the legislation, which would make selling or possessing fake pot brands like K-2 or Kush a punishable criminal offense. The bill would also criminalize the sale and possession of hallucinogenic chemicals known as "bath salts." Little said in a prepared statement that synthetic pot and bath salts are just as dangerous as illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin. [continues 483 words]
Officials, Teens Urge State Legislature to Criminalize K-2, Kush and Similar Products ELIZABETHTOWN - More than 200 people, mostly teenage students, gathered on the lawn in front the Essex County government complex Monday morning to support a ban on synthetic marijuana. The event was organized by the county district attorney's office and Community Resources Department. County lawmakers, community members and students from across the region turned out for the rally, which concluded with a march around Elizabethtown. These students and officials want the state to criminalize the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana, and the state Senate passed legislation on Monday to do just that. The bill now awaits approval in the Assembly. [continues 737 words]
Fifteen arrests on charges of illegal drug possession were made at the Olympic Center this past weekend during the Snoe.down music festival, and seven other arrests were linked to the event, leaving some leading members of the community doubting whether Lake Placid should host to Snoe.down in the future. Mayor Jamie Rogers said the people who were arrested, most for drug possession, have a negative impact on the community. "The minority of people who impact the community for this type of event has the potential of putting a very negative label on our community," Rogers said. Rogers, along with his father Jim Rogers, said the heritage of Lake Placid's community is in sports, not events that bring drugs into the area. [continues 657 words]
SARANAC LAKE -- A state corrections officer faces state prison after pleaded guilty Friday in Franklin County Court to attempting to deliver narcotics to the Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Malone, where he worked. Michael D. Bradish, 34, was caught on tape last September receiving 37 bundles of heroin from a St. Lawrence County man in a joint investigation that included state police, the state Department of Corrections and the Franklin County District Attorney's Office. State police intercepted Bradish the next day on his way to work and found the drugs following a search. He has pleaded guilty to two felonies: attempted promoting prison contraband and attempted criminal possession of controlled substance, plus misdemeanor official misconduct. Following the plea, he was remanded to the Franklin County Jail in Malone without bail and is scheduled to be sentenced next month; he could receive from one-and-one-third to four years in state prison. [continues 113 words]
