As the subject of medical-marijuana treatment for pets is bandied about in the veterinary community, Dr. Robin Downing comes down squarely on the side of orthodoxy. She agrees with the American Veterinary Medical Association that studies are needed before pot therapy is practiced. And Downing, a Windsor veterinarian who is one of the top animal pain management specialists in the country, isn't afraid to swim against the tide of veterinary dogma. She has little patience for vets who settle for euthanasia and don't go the limit for animals. But where pot is concerned, she goes with the conventional flow. [continues 475 words]
Re "State needs to clean up medical marijuana mess" (Editorials, Oct. 11): It's about time that The Bee's editorial board took a stand against the proliferation of these drugs in our community. "Medical" marijuana, provided in response to a political requirement engendered by Proposition 215, should be subject to strict protocols established by medical professionals and dispensed in pharmacies similar to other medication. The situation as it exists today is fraught with problems. What happens when someone decides to light up his "medication" in a public place? Even though tobacco is forbidden, a case could be made that marijuana use is OK because it has been recommended by a "doctor." Must those of us who treat our headaches with aspirin be subjected to fumes from people who have a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana? The path we are on is pushed by a cadre of dope dealers who have suckered the state and its people in order to make big bucks. Enough! John Davidson Sacramento [end]
County Coroner Says Pain Killer Fentanyl Mix Is Probably Cause Of Luzerne Man's Death WILKES-BARRE - Fentanyl is the new rat poison for heroin addicts. Spicing up heroin with rat poison, strychnine or other chemicals has long been a practice of dealers seeking to attract customers looking for an even greater high. But sometimes the mix can be deadly - especially if the cut is fentanyl. Daniel Dominick, 27, died Friday at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital after taking what was likely a fentanyl-heroin mix, according to Luzerne County Coroner's Office. The Luzerne man's death placed Wilkes-Barre on a growing list of cities where the deadly heroin concoction has been circulating in recent months. [continues 415 words]
Drug Use Wilkes-Barre Has Seen A Spike In Overdoses In Past Week, Including Five Friday "I've been here 12 years and I've never dealt with this many overdoses in one week." Sgt. Joe Novak WILKES-BARRE - A man who died of an apparent drug overdose Friday afternoon may have been using a tainted batch of heroin that's been blamed for more than 100 fatal overdoses nationwide in recent months, the county coroner said. A rash of drug overdoses broke out across the city this week, according to police and medics, who reported five overdoses on Friday alone, one of which was fatal. [continues 380 words]
Frustration Grows With Homicides "Law enforcement needs help and until they get it, it's going to get worse. It's not going to get better." Paul Lindenmuth King's College criminal justice teacher Tom Kupetz, a 13-year veteran of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, recently described a typical shift: "You have six patrol officers and two supervisors. Right now I'm tied up tracking down a guy who's out of state. Say we got another officer who's got to watch prisoners. So now we're down to four guys patrolling the streets. If there's a traffic accident, now you got two more guys tied up. If there's a robbery or another accident, then that's everybody." [continues 1015 words]
Mat-Su -- Next week at the polls, voters could make Alaska the first state in the country to completely decriminalize marijuana, setting a precedent for other states and emboldening prohibition opponents nationwide. Passage of Ballot Measure 2 -- the third ballot initiative since 1998 to deal with the decriminalization of marijuana -- would remove all civil and criminal penalties under state law for Alaskans over age 21 who possess, use, sell or give away marijuana. The initiative would also enable state lawmakers to tax and regulate the plant as they do with alcohol and tobacco. [continues 725 words]
MAT-SU -- Yes on 2, a group supporting the marijuana decriminalization initiative on November's ballot, filed a lawsuit Tuesday morning against the state of Alaska and lieutenant governor Loren Leman for drafting the official election pamphlet's statement in opposition of Ballot Measure 2. The official complaint, signed by ballot sponsors Tim Hinterberger, David Finkelstein and Bill Parker, states that the lieutenant governor's role in drafting the statement of opposition, "is a violation of the applicable statutes of the State of Alaska and of the duty of that office to act neutrally and impartially with respect to the conduct of elections." [continues 566 words]
The November Ballot Will Have Voters Answering the Question: Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Alaska? In the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln kept hammering away on a few basic points about American law and society. One of those often-overlooked points was a fairly simple one: Laws instruct citizens. Even if the citizens create them, over time, laws inform public sentiment and eventually alter social mores. So what do citizens do when their laws send them mixed messages? How do conflicting laws instruct a body politic? [continues 1566 words]
