Regarding Judith McGinnis' thoughtful June 2 column, the U.S. drug war has given the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. Prohibition-related violence has caused upward of 35,000 deaths in Mexico over the past four years. Despite criminal penalties, the U.S. has higher rates of drug use than European Union countries such as Portugal that have decriminalized. With skyrocketing national debt threatening the long-term viability of the U.S. economy, this country can no longer afford to throw good money after bad drug policy. Robert Sharpe Arlington, Va. [end]
Martha Rivera Alanis deserves more than a certificate for "outstanding civic courage." She should get a medal for being a kindergarten teacher in a combat zone. Alaniz was recognized Monday for her quick thinking in the face of what is an all too common occurrence in Mexico. The sound of gunfire outside her Monterrey school activated Alanis' drop and cover instinct. She got a classroom of 15 terrified 5 and 6-year-olds to put their ears to the floor and wait for the shooting to stop. [continues 276 words]
Joe Brown does a service by raising the issue of whether to end marijuana prohibition ("Debate rages on legalization of pot," 5/20). But he frames the debate in a way that misstates the actual choice. Mr. Brown writes, "What do you readers think: A balanced budget or opening up the flood gates to wider use of the weed Cannabis?" But the assumption that regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol (which is what reformers actually propose) would lead to an explosion in use is not backed up by the data. [continues 127 words]
I've got 74 growth rings on my personal tree stump and can remember pretty far back, even today. At one time, Texas had legal horse racing at Arlington Downs, when that city wasn't much more than open pastures. But I can't recall if there was any legal betting at that time, or how Texas lost the race track that W.T. Waggoner was so involved with in the 1930s. But I do know that New Mexico, Oklahoma and even Louisiana had race tracks and betting. They still do. [continues 378 words]
GROOM, Texas (AP) - An Illinois sheriff's deputy and his traveling companion have been arrested on drug possession charges after Texas authorities say they found 138 pounds of marijuana and 4,000 grams of cocaine in their vehicle during a traffic stop along Interstate 40. Cook County Deputy Darryl Jenkins, 47, and [Redacted] both of Calumet City, Ill., were arrested Sunday evening after Texas Department of Public Safety troopers pulled over a minivan near Groom in Carson County, about 50 miles east of Amarillo. [continues 145 words]
Today, they're sixth-graders, wrapping up their final year at Fain Elementary School. Friends, family, school and the approaching start of junior high are just a few of the things on their minds. Flash forward a few years, and you might find some of these students at the front of their own classrooms as the teachers. Maybe one will be your doctor. One might be putting out fires and helping people during emergencies. You might find one of them topping the music charts, and you could see some of them in the pages of the magazines you read. [continues 3033 words]
Wichita Falls City Manager Darron Leiker went into the budget process for 2007-08 knowing that part of the undertaking would have to include salaries to fold six employees into the Wichita Falls Police Department. Those six had been part of the North Texas Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force, which appears set to shut down at the end of September as the interagency agreement funding it ends. The reality started to sink in several months ago as the Texas Legislature wrapped up its session without bolstering the task force, Leiker said. The city and surrounding areas had hoped some dollars would come through. [continues 800 words]
The future is looking hopeful as the North Texas Regional Drug Task Force goes into the final days of its efforts to stay afloat. The task force, which works drug cases in a 13-county area, lost much of its funding when national and state money was rerouted to other purposes. This week Cooke County and Throckmorton County voted to continue with the program, according to John Spragins, an officer with the unit. Bowie City Council members voted last week to send a strong message of support and more than doubled its contribution, allocating $25,000 to the task force. [continues 101 words]
Local Students Yielded No Postive Results All Wichita Falls high schools reported negative drug test results on the first round of drug testing for the school year, but one refusal at Rider High School spoiled any perfect record. One Rider student randomly selected to be drug tested declined to take the test. A refusal counts as an automatic positive test for the student and the school. This particular student had a history of two positive tests, and this refusal counted as a third positive. [continues 373 words]
Officers Seize $88,000 Worth Of Crystal Meth Wichita Falls police chiseled off the largest piece of "ice" yet in the city - but even the biggest bust to date could be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crystal meth cases. "Ice is something that's starting to show up a lot in our search warrants," Capt. Manuel Borrego said. "I honestly believe we're going to get bigger," Sgt. Larry Robinett said as police displayed almost two dozen plastic bags of drugs seized Monday. [continues 331 words]
Recommendation To Keep Offenders From Practices The new drug-testing policy for the Wichita Falls Independent School District is so new it hasn't even been officially tested yet, but it's already getting a tweaking. At least, it's expected to, once administrators get a chance to study a warning passed along by Dr. Harvey Graves, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Medical Management Corp., the company hired by the district to handle its drug testing. Graves advised WFISD officials that if athletes test positive for drug use and are suspended according to district rules, they should not be allowed to practice with their teams. [continues 282 words]
It wasn't unanimous, but almost. School board members for the Wichita Falls Independent School District voted Monday to put a drug testing policy in place, starting in August, for a cost of $15,000 to $24,000 annually. The as-of-yet-funded program will do random drug testing of 120 students in ninth through 12th grade on five to eight occasions throughout the year. All tested students will come from the pool of about 1,200 students who participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. [continues 511 words]
A week after the Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in California and nine other states are no bar to federal drug prosecution, the House voted down an amendment that would have stopped the Justice Department from bringing such cases. While medical marijuana advocates never thought they would have the votes to bar federal prosecutions, some had predicted that, because of the heightened interest after the Supreme Court's ruling, they would do better than the 264-161 vote they received Wednesday. [continues 447 words]
In his March 12 column, sports editor Nick Gholson claims that student drug testing has been proven to be "effective in discouraging drug use by some students" But the largest study ever conducted on the topic - funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse - found that drug testing is "not associated with either the prevalence or frequency of student marijuana use, or of other illicit drug use." Gholson also says that "usually the only people against drug tests are the druggies." But opponents of student drug testing include the National Education Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. [continues 82 words]
Expert Says Prevention at Early Ages Key to the Fight The drug war is a failing campaign, and it costs taxpayers billions of dollars to fight battle after losing battle, a drug policy expert said at a League of Women Voters meeting Saturday. Suzanne Wills, a board member of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas, outlined an unflattering history of what America has accomplished in its crusade against illegal drugs. Her history lesson is laced with tales of lawmakers who ignore the science behind addiction and corporate giants who profit from the drug war. [continues 484 words]
Thank you for publishing my letter: "Re-legalizing Drugs," July 2, and I would like to respond to Charlie Dudley who criticized my letter ("Reality Check" July 12). I'd like to explain to Dudley why drug-related crime would be substantially lower if all types of drugs were re-legalized. Mainly because the prices for the drugs would be substantially lower. When pure pharmaceutical-grade Bayer heroin was legally sold for about the same price as Bayer aspirin, drug addicts didn't have to rob, steal or commit acts of prostitution to obtain their drug or drugs of choice because the drugs were cheap. Now aspirin sells for about 2 cents a dose, but heroin sells for $20 to $50 a dose because of prohibition. [continues 122 words]
Mr. Kirk Muse from Mesa thinks that if all drugs were legalized there would be less crime. He also thinks that that would lead to more cops, judges, wardens and prison guards washing cars for a living. Let's just presume all dope was legal. You're telling us that the thieves, robbers and muggers wouldn't need to steal anymore to get the "money" for the dope, legal or not? That meth-heads wouldn't be driving like drunk monkeys anymore? WOW! You'd better start coming back to Earth every now and then and stop getting lost in the ozone. You may be surprised at how much reality you're missing out on. Charlie Dudley Iowa Park [end]
I'm writing about: "Methamphetamine's other plague." (6-28-04). I'd like to add that many judges and prison wardens have said that 70 to 90 percent of all property crime and violent crime is "drug related." Actually almost 100 percent of all so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by drug prohibition policies - not drugs. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. [continues 112 words]
Users Turn to Crime to Satisfy Addiction It's a double-barreled shotgun aimed at the heart of Wichita Falls - identify theft and methamphetamine addiction. Police say methamphetamine use is rising at a devastating rate, ruining lives and sending a seemingly infinite stream of cases pouring into the courts. Then there's the scene of the crime. Wichita Falls Forgery Detective Chris Gay said many methamphetamine raids yield stolen checks, stolen credit cards, piles of stolen mail or fake identification. The Connection? [continues 1479 words]
Computing Error Led To Overestimation Of Mushroom Doses Seized A calculating glitch appears to have caused the dollar amount to mushroom into the millions on a major psilocybin mushroom bust in North Texas. The 25 pounds of mushrooms seized last week were worth only a fraction of the money authorities originally believed, police said. The original figure topped $11 million. The North Texas Regional Drug Task Force said that amount was about 25 times too high. The Task Force, the Wichita Falls Police Department's Organized Crime Unit, Department of Public Safety narcotics officers and the Clay County Sheriff's Department worked together on the investigation. They say the mushroom distribution operation stretched from Wichita Falls to Austin. [continues 389 words]
