Flint - A seven-year study of a group of Flint high school students found that teens who were apathetic about school were more likely to use drugs. The study by the University of Michigan's School of Public Health also showed black students who are knowledgeable about their heritage were less likely to be depressed. These were two of several findings in the study, reported last week at a meeting of about 20 area health, university, government and school officials. "If an African-American felt that being black was very central to who they are, they had less stress and less problems with depression and anxiety," said Karen Schmeelk-Cone, a researcher in the project. "But if you were aware of who you are, you were also much more in touch with discrimination done to you. It's kind of a double-edged sword." [continues 645 words]
No one expects store owners to pull everything from their shelves that could potentially be used for an illegal activity, but some items obviously cross the line as drug paraphernalia and should not be sold. Pipe key chains that fit a rock of crack cocaine and other items that can be converted easily to pipes should raise red flags among merchants, especially when store owners risk fines and having the state yank their liquor license by selling the items. Yet this month alone, Flint police confiscated more than 50 of the converted crack pipes, including two hollowed-out glass pens from arrested prostitutes. They aren't quite buying store owners' claims that they "didn't know" such items could be used for illegal purposes. [continues 87 words]
Flint - Saying he was fascinated by constitutional issues related to a school drug-testing policy, a judge decided Monday a lawsuit challenging the policy should go to trial. "I remember reading about that when it came out in the newspaper and thinking, 'That's going to be a good one - I wonder which judge is going to draw that one,' " said Genesee Circuit Judge Geoffrey L. Neithercut. Micah White, then a student at Grand Blanc High School, sued the school district after he was told he couldn't join the wrestling team without taking a drug test. [continues 196 words]
Owosso - A law enforcement agency has posted an Internet site that concentrates on illegal drugs, including their appearance and their use and distribution in Shiawassee and Gratiot counties. The site offers information on signs and symptoms of drug abuse, and has photographs of narcotics and related paraphernalia. Such information can help viewers recognize drug abuse, said state police Detective Lt. Mark E. Piercecchi, commander of the Mid-Michigan Area Group Narcotics Enforcement Team, or MAGNET. The site gives statistics on drug use in Shiawassee and Gratiot counties and has a section for reporting suspected drug trafficking to MAGNET. The address: www.msp.state.mi.us/division/cid/mjtftcam/magnet/magnet.htm. Details: (989) 725-7254 or (888) MAGNET9. [end]
Elba Township - Robert E. Rees, 76, knew his tenant had parties, but he said he had no idea the parties may have included illegal drugs. But that is not how police and prosecutors see it. They have charged the septuagenarian with maintaining a drug house and say he obstructed and resisted arrest. "In my memory, (Rees) is the oldest person we have prosecuted for a drug-related offense," said Lapeer County Prosecutor Byron Konschuh. Rees, who is free after posting $2,500 bond pending a pretrial examination Thursday, said the rap on him is a bum one. [continues 374 words]
A skirmish of words and wills that played out this week at the Genesee County Administration Building invites disrespect for law enforcement and local government. The obvious rift between Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch and Sheriff Robert J. Pickell must have criminals applauding. The county's two top law enforcement officials appear to be feuding over how to attack the drug problem and who will get dibs on local and state money to finance investigations. For the moment, Pickell seems to have the ear of the majority of the county Board of Commissioners. But the public isn't interested in who is winning in the bureaucracy. It just wants to see drug-dealing diminished and lawbreakers dealt with. [continues 213 words]
A state-run drug team confiscated more than $3.75 million in drugs last year, the third-highest amount seized in the team's 15-year history. The Flint Area Narcotics Group also grabbed 20,000 units of LSD and 1,500 units of the drug Ecstasy last year, according to a year-end activity report. FANG has come under fire in recent months from Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell who started his own drug team after saying FANG was poorly run and concentrates too much of its efforts on lower-level drug dealers. [continues 177 words]
Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell is persuasive and ambitious as he sets up a new narcotics unit and withdraws some of his manpower from a countywide one. The sheriff accuses the Flint Area Narcotics Group of inflated and unwieldy bureaucracy, which renders it ineffectual against large-scale dealers. Whether or not that assessment is fair, Pickell now must see that the dramatic shift he has argued for and won will strengthen drug enforcement here, not weaken what there is. Pickell has been brandishing figures that suggest FANG, a state-run consortium of local police departments, has been specializing in small street buys from people probably just supporting a habit. It helps explain why young African-American males from Flint so disproportionately make up the jail population. Pickell said he will shift focus to the suburbs. [continues 218 words]
A carefully crafted message that encourages liberalized drug laws is reported to be working its way to Michigan. Let no one be misled by this propaganda. Michigan does have tough drug laws, but they are not excessive. The exception might be an old law that made a life sentence mandatory for anyone convicted of possession with intent to deliver more than 650 grams - about 1.4 pounds - of cocaine or heroin. But in 1998, the mandatory minimum was reduced 15 to 20 years. [continues 254 words]
Mass Transportation Authority drivers who test positive for drugs or alcohol will no longer automatically lose their jobs. MTA has dumped its zero-tolerance policy, a one-strike-and-you're-out rule that hasn't held up when challenged by union employee grievances. Instead, the agency will use a more gradual discipline process. The MTA adopted the old policy in March 1990 when such measures became popular nationwide after at least 133 people were injured in a New York subway train crash. The train operator was found legally drunk 13 hours after the incident. [continues 413 words]
Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch predicted Wednesday the county will have a specialized court for drug offenders if he is re-elected in November. In a campaign speech to a business group, Busch said he's committed to the drug court project now being studied under a planning grant. Chief Genesee County Circuit Judge Robert M. Ransom is leading the effort. The drug court would be his largest contribution as prosecutor, said Busch, who again called for revamping the county's approach to drug enforcement. Busch said investigators need to focus more on interdiction and high-level dealers, and less on street-level drug sales. [continues 287 words]
It took courage for Grand Blanc High School to lead the state in drug-testing of athletes, and the decision to continue the tests for a third year indicates the school is not weakening its resolve. It could be tempted to back down. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing on behalf of a former student, who claims the policy of randomly searching all student athletes violates constitutional freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. Other districts are steering clear of the policy, which is costly and involves lots of paperwork. [continues 294 words]
Two years and two positive tests later, the Grand Blanc School District has decided to continue random tests of student-athletes a third year. But other Genesee County districts are keeping an arm's length. Grand Blanc Superintendent Gary P. Lipe said data spanning 15 to 20 years indicates a youth drug problem that nothing - not DARE programs, parents nor community support groups - has touched. Until now. The Grand Blanc program, which is the only one of its kind in the state, seems to be having an impact. [continues 845 words]
The dozens of federal and local officers who raided homes in Flint and two neighboring communities Thursday returned with more than just suspects. At least eight children were taken to the Flint Police Department and turned over to Children's Protective Services as possible victims of abuse or neglect. Caseworkers from the state Family Independence Agency scrambled to identify the children and file paperwork in family court to arrange placement while the possible abuse or neglect is investigated. What ultimately happens to the children will depend on the case. [continues 513 words]
At first glance, it looked like a box of cookie dough. Mailed from California to a Flint man's home this year, a box seized by police contained $100,000 worth of methamphetamine, the drug the federal Drug Enforcement Administration says poses the greatest threat in America. A relative rarity on the Genesee County drug scene, methamphetamine has been an uncommon find for police departments accustomed to busting crack dealers and marijuana growers. But police say the Flint bust in January could be a signal the drug is gaining a stronger foothold in the area - a frightening prospect to the leader of the county's narcotics team. [continues 1436 words]
(Flint) - Thomas Allen fears that his chance to go to college could be dashed with the answer to one question on a financial aid form: "have you ever been convicted of an illegal drug offense?" Allen, who has two drug convictions, would have to answer yes, and that means he could be denied federal financial aid. "I do want to go to college," said Allen, 20. "and I don't have any income. I wanted to get my (General Equivalency Degree) and then go on to college to get a better job. Now I don't think I'll be able to receive any type of grant. And I don't have the income otherwise." [continues 684 words]
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00.n132.a08.html [end]
MT. MORRIS - Residents caught selling drugs could be put out on the streets. In an attempt to prevent drug dealing in local neighborhoods, police have reactivated a 5-year-old program to padlock the homes of people ticketed for the crime. "If you get ticketed for drugs, we're going to padlock your home, and I hope you get on TV and everything," township Supervisor Larry Foster said in announcing the program at Monday's meeting. A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the move, saying it denies basic tenants of justice to the accused. [continues 273 words]
