Disable Rebels With Opium Crackdown: Military Boss Taliban forces are weakening, but the way to ultimately eradicate insurgents in Afghanistan is by robbing them of their chief source of income: drug money. That's the opinion of Maj-Gen. Tim Grant, former leader of Canada's military operations in the wartorn country. Afghanistan is the world's largest heroin producing country, growing at least 90 per cent of the world's opium poppy supply in 2006. Permanently dismantling Afghanistan's opium industry requires more than just destroying the poppies, Grant told the Herald on Thursday. [continues 473 words]
If success in Afghanistan depended only on defeating the Taliban on the battlefield, it could be thought well on the way to done. But, the struggle has an economic dimension. Victory in the marketplace is as much the prerequisite for a new Afghanistan as military control and perversely, it will take more troops to win that battle, too. Its challenges are as formidable, in their way, as those this country's young men and women have confronted with such elan in Kandahar province. [continues 369 words]
As a retired Michigan police officer, I am stunned that Canada is now marching down the same, failed road as the U.S. -- namely getting tough on drug prohibition laws. Increased penalties have been a spectacular failure to curb drugs in the States. We are rolling back our harsh sentences. Why oh why does Mr. Nicholson believe Canada will have a different result? Ask any economist or sociologist or police officer why this approach will fail. There is so much money to be made, there is always someone greedy or desperate enough to make and sell drugs. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Washington, D.C. [end]
Police who confiscate medical marijuana must give it back when drug charges against the user are dismissed, a state appeals court has ruled in a case that could settle a hotly disputed issue of conflicting state and federal drug laws. Statewide police and prosecutors' organizations and 16 city governments from around California joined officials of the Orange County community of Garden Grove in arguing that the court-ordered return of a patient's pot supply would condone drug use, interfere with federal enforcement and even expose police to possible federal prosecution for distributing marijuana or aiding in its use. [continues 678 words]
Medical Marijuana Gets a Second Look Tennessee lawmakers should not only consider legislation allowing the medicinal use of marijuana, they should pass it into law. A study committee of the General Assembly recently heard testimony on the issue, where various voices from interest groups and the medical profession expressed their opinions. Rep. Sherry Jones, D-Nashville, has a draft version of a bill for consideration. Efforts to legalize the use of the drug for medical reasons should move straight ahead, and caring citizens should urge legislators to approve the legislation. [continues 328 words]
Have you ever had a friend or loved one who was being treated for cancer, and the medicine prescribed by their doctor simply did not help relieve the constant nausea or pain? Have you ever known a family member or friend in chronic pain due to bone degeneration, diabetes or neuropathy? Have you known anyone who has suffered from Crohn's disease, glaucoma, MS, convulsions, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, severe spasms, AIDS, arthritis, epilepsy, Parkinson's or anorexia? There is a natural remedy used by many civilizations for more than 5,000 years, that was a significant part of our country's medical profession until 1937. Canada, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Israel have all concluded that, unlike many prescription drugs, this medicine provides significant medical benefits with virtually no side effect. The Medical College of Virginia in 1975 concluded this medicine is a powerful tumor fighter and has been confirmed by scientists in many other countries. This wonder drug is cannabis. You may know it as marijuana. [continues 344 words]
In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report stating that there are "no sound scientific studies supporting the medical use of marijuana ... and no data to support the safety of marijuana." The American Medical Association has recommended that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I controlled substance which is a drug that has high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use, and has a lack of acceptable safety. Even former Sen. Bill Frist has weighed in on the matter, stating "based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms." [continues 374 words]
Seventeen years ago, my 61-year-old mother died of cancer. I saw her suffer. So, for me the issue of smoking marijuana for "medicinal" purposes is not a purely clinical and impersonal issue. But compassion for the sick and dying is not the real issue. It is about allowing our compassion to be manipulated by those with a larger agenda -- legalization of marijuana and even other illegal drugs. I do not say this to cast aspersions upon my former legislative colleagues backing this bill. I don't believe they intend to encourage the general legalization of marijuana. But if we start down this road, intent does not determine our final destination. [continues 401 words]
The Czech Republic is the only country in the world where adult citizens can legally use, possess and grow small quantities of marijuana (In the Netherlands, marijuana is only quasi-legal). The Czech drug arrest rate is 1/585 of our drug arrest rate and the Czech robbery rate is less than 1/72 of our robbery rate. According to our drug war cheerleaders, tolerant marijuana laws cause people to use other, much more dangerous drugs; this doesn't happen in the Czech Republic. [continues 91 words]
Re: "Hemp helps with green movement" Nov. 21, 2007 To the editor: "Since hemp can grow in virtually any climate including northern and desert climates, it offers nutritional support and protein for developing countries." This is exactly why Hemp is illegal in the U.S., and suppressed in most other countries. Hemp can be used for food, and for the fuel used to grow and transport food. In fact, the top of the plant is used for food, and the stalks are used for fuel and fibre, meaning there are actually two crops in one. [continues 200 words]
Addition Of $125,000 Will Help Expand Services, But Facility's Neighbours Unlikely To Be Appeased The Vancouver Island Health Authority will inject $125,000 into cleaning up Victoria's controversial needle exchange, but to the disappointment of neighbours, the site won't be moving anytime soon. The health authority's action plan, stemming from a $12,000 independent review, will include hiring an extra staff member, alternate needle dropoff and pickup sites, and agreements with clients to improve their behaviour. VIHA funds AIDS Vancouver Island, which runs the needle exchange on Cormorant Street. [continues 577 words]
