Locals Weigh The Green Option Arkansas Sen. Randy Laverty, a Democrat from Jasper, may plant a legislative seed in 2011. In an effort to aid the state's overburdened prisons, Laverty may bring a budding discussion to the state Senate floor on the topic of legalizing medicinal marijuana in Arkansas. Laverty told The Associated Press legalizing or lessening criminal penalties for marijuana may be one way to "curb overcrowding in Arkansas' prisons." But District 4 State Sen. Michael Lamoureux said he would be surprised if the issue was turned into a law anytime soon. [continues 1011 words]
River Valley Would Receive Up To $125,000 For Potentially 10 Years The River Valley Prevention Coalition (RVPC) approved a proposal for a drug-free communities grant at its meeting Tuesday. Project director Patti Butler said by receiving this grant, the coalition would attempt to establish and strengthen its connection with communities, private nonprofit agencies and federal, state, local and tribal governments in order to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth. The coalition's second goal is to reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults by addressing the factors in Pope County that increase the risk. If granted, up to $125,000 per year could be awarded, with a 100 percent in-kind match from members of a committee made up of 12 different sectors of the community; businesses, youth-serving organizations, law enforcement agencies and healthcare professionals to name a few. [continues 475 words]
Teachers, Counselors Use Games, Programs, Prizes To Help Get The Drug-Free Message Across For the state-wide Red Ribbon Week, a program designed to prevent or stop drug and alcohol abuse among students, schools in the Russellville School District acknowledged the week in a variety of ways. Although it is not tied to the state Red Ribbon Week, the secondary school's Alcohol Reduction Grant from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the United States Department of Education provides funding to promote drug-free activities all year, according to Jenny Barber, federal programs coordinator at the district. [continues 1052 words]
County law enforcement officials across 44 states recently reported methamphetamine as the No. 1 drug problem in their county, according to a survey released last Tuesday by the National Association of Counties (NACo). Almost half of the counties surveyed reported meth has caused more problems than cocaine, marijuana, and heroin combined. But despite proposals from the Bush administration to eliminate the grant that funds drug task forces around the country, local and national public officials have proved they are willing to take a stand. [continues 650 words]
Through a joint effort of the River Valley Meth Project and two Arkansas Tech University sociology classes, Pope and surrounding counties are expected to soon know more about the meth epidemic sweeping the state and the nation. Within in next several months, the two Tech classes will be conducting research, developing surveys, collecting data and writing reports on the effects of methamphetamine in the Arkansas River Valley. "We want to alert the community that a survey related to substance abuse in Pope County will be coming out, and we would like a response to it to better understand this problem," said Marti Wilkerson, lead facilitator for the River Valley Meth Project (RVMP) and associate professor of Rehabilitation Science at Tech. [continues 582 words]
Students Encouraged To Participate In Variety Of Events To Encourage Drug-Free Lifestyles Schools throughout the Arkansas River Valley are encouraging students to choose drug-free lifestyles this week as they celebrate Red Ribbon Week, seven days coordinated throughout the country by the National Family Partnership. According to information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Web site, National Red Ribbon week serves as a tribute to Special Agent Enrique Camarena, who was kidnapped and brutally tortured and murdered by drug traffickers in Mexico. [continues 454 words]
A man who was facing up to 40 years in prison for drug charges only two years ago is now leading a normal, happy life with his wife and daughter, thanks to a new area judicial program. Josh Renfroe, 24, the first graduate of the 5th Judicial District Drug Court, made a Pope County courtroom a place of celebration instead of tragedy Tuesday when his friends, family and the Drug Court staff came to congratulate him for completing the program. Renfroe was arrested in October 2003 for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a Class Y felony punishable by 10-40 years or life in prison. However, looking back, he said getting caught was the best thing that ever happened to him. [continues 512 words]
The sale of cold medicines that contain essential methamphetamine ingredients should be restricted in Arkansas, following the lead of surrounding states that have controlled drug-component sales, a local prosecutor told a congressional subcommittee this week. David Gibbons of Clarksville, the prosecuting attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, said over-the-counter cold medication containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine should be distributed by pharmacists rather than from store shelves, a move that would likely reduce drug makers' access to the substances. Those components are major ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine, the most-used illegal drug in Arkansas. Gibbons was testifying before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources in Bentonville Monday, as one of a handful of experts in the tracking of methamphetamine production and use invited to testify during the four-hour hearing. Congressman Mark Souder of Indiana, the chairman of the subcommittee, hosted the hearing Monday, along with U.S. Rep. John Boozman, Arkansas' 3rd District representative. Boozman said Souder has acknowledged that Arkansas has a significant methamphetamine problem. [continues 529 words]
A Cannabis Cooperative Buyer's card from Oakland is not a get-out-of-jail-free card in Pope County, one of four California men and women learned during bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. After landing in the Pope County jail following a traffic stop on Interstate 40 Sunday morning by Arkansas State Police Trooper Roby Rhoads, the 25-year-old Clovis, Calif., man will not pass go or collect $200 after bond was set at $75,000 commercial by Russellville District Judge Don Bourne. [continues 305 words]
Rock musician and avid sportsman Ted Nugent will speak out against alcohol and other drugs in Russellville during a regional planning meeting aimed at addressing the methamphetamine problem in a 10-county area. The meeting will be held Sept. 29 at Tucker Coliseum at Arkansas Tech University. The event is being hosted by the prosecuting attorneys in three judicial districts -- David Gibbons (5th District, which includes Pope, Johnson and Franklin counties), H.G. Foster (20th District, Faulkner, Van Buren and Searcy counties) and Tom Tatum II (15th District, Conway, Yell, Logan and Scott counties). [continues 363 words]
