BARBOURVILLE, Ky -- Deep in the Appalachian woods, Kentucky State Police Trooper Dewayne Holden's Humvee struggled up what once was an old logging trail. As his three-truck convoy stopped at a clearing atop a 3,000-foot ridge, Holden grabbed a machete and joined eight other armed troopers and National Guardsmen, hiking toward a hill under some power lines. But the pot growers had beaten them to the prize: Gone were the 40 to 50 marijuana plants worth as much as $100,000 that Holden spotted from a helicopter more than a week earlier. Only six spindly plants and some fresh ATV tracks were left. [continues 680 words]
A former high ranking Vancouver police officer predicts illegal drug injection sites will open if the federal Conservative government shuts down the city's legal site. Ken Frail said the illegal sites would then put Vancouver police in a difficult situation because of police support for Insite at 139 East Hastings. "It'll put the department in conflict with the community because [the illegal sites] will need to be shut down," Frail told the Courier. "We've worked with the community and established contacts that could be in jeopardy." [continues 239 words]
VANCOUVER - NPA Coun. Sam Sullivan wants the federal government to ditch the heroin maintenance trials and simply start prescribing the drug to addicts throughout the city. Sullivan said the sooner the government dispenses heroin, the sooner crime such as break-ins caused by addicts will decrease in Vancouver. "Right now, we have a trial, and I understand this is a proper way to go about this, but personally, I question why we need a trial. We know it works. It's been tried in Europe." [continues 68 words]
Longtime BH resident, attorney Bruce Margolin is one of the 135 names on the ballot for the October 7th recall election. Margolin joins fellow BH candidates Angelyne, Gary Coleman, Larry Flynt and Mike McNeilly in a race for the governor's seat. In an interview with The Courier, Margolin said he believes there is a tremendous amount of money wasted on prosecuting marijuana offenders. He said this "hypocrisy of spending of money on the enforcement of marijuana laws" could be better used for education. [continues 199 words]
