Alan Caruthers, of Waco, says he was 18 years old the first and last time he tried marijuana. It didn't do much for him. Until this year, he saw no reason to try it again, and he dismissed arguments for decriminalizing it as pothead talk. It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind. His leukemialike bone marrow disease gives him constant bone pain. The chemotherapy gives him nausea that makes him vomit daily. The Vicodin, Ativan and other drugs he's taking to relieve those symptoms are losing their effectiveness, and he's afraid of getting addicted to them. [continues 1546 words]
In an election season full of turmoil, marijuana proved to be a central - and hotly debated - issue among Massachusetts voters. On Tuesday, however, the conversation was more one-sided than many had expected. Voters in the Commonwealth overwhelmingly expressed their support for Question 2, a ballot measure aimed at softening penalties for people found possessing up to an ounce of marijuana. As of 1:50 a.m. Wednesday, with 87 percent of precincts reporting, 65 percent of voters chose to weaken the penalties, while 35 percent preferred leaving the law unchanged. [continues 763 words]
A family with personal experience in addiction and recovery is opening a 32-bed drug treatment center in the wide-open spaces of western Coryell County. Serenity Ranch Recovery Center on FM 183, 10 miles west of Purmela, was licensed this week by the Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and will begin signing up patients immediately, said executive director Glenda Chipps. The center will be the only licensed drug treatment center in Coryell County that is not part of the state prison in Gatesville. [continues 473 words]
