If It Isn't, Then Figure Out What It Is Oregonians have consistently signaled their acceptance of marijuana as a medicine that can alleviate the symptoms of everything from chemotherapy-induced nausea to severe back pain. And regardless of voter insistence on this point, the medical case study regarding marijuana and its effectiveness as a medicine to ease the symptoms of certain ailments is irrefutable. Who in their right mind, for instance, would deny a person suffering from cancer access to marijuana if it would ease that person's suffering? [continues 395 words]
Lou Bailey, 'tired of whispers' about teen drug and alcohol use, urges community to stand up, do something In a message sent to parents last week, West Linn High School Principal Lou Bailey took a bold stance against drug use in his high school. He flat out told the parents of his students: We have a drug and alcohol problem and, together, we have to try to do something about it. While Bailey acknowledged the school's responsibility, he was frank about the role of parents and the community in solving the problem. [continues 934 words]
Kudos to the Tidings and author Nick Budnick for the outstanding article, "One Meth Problem Leads To Another (Nov 29)." Superbly covered and well written, the article is a classic condemnation of our nation's prohibition-style drug policies. In drug policy reform circles, there is what is known as the "balloon theory." If you take an inflated balloon and squeeze it, it bulges. Try and push down on the bulges and they pop up elsewhere. So it goes with leaving the control of the few illegal drugs in the hands of gangs and cartels. [continues 139 words]
As State Labs Begin To Disappear, Mexican Drug Cartels Gladly Fill The Void It somehow seems wrong to hear police officers say these things. "There's a lot more meth than there ever was before," said sheriff's deputy Tim Wonacott of Multnomah County's Special Investigations Unit. "In the last year and a half we've seized more meth than we ever have," said Sgt. Ned Walls, who works with Wonacott on the Multnomah drug team. "The quantity of (meth) has gone up significantly." [continues 1876 words]
