Patients in Pennsylvania who may benefit from medical marijuana are one step closer to getting the help they need after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday. However, medical professionals in York County are still wary of taking the leap of prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients without knowing the benefits and risks it. "There is a fair amount of research out there already, but it's patchwork studies and studies done overseas," said Dr. D. Scott McCracken, a member of the York County Medical Society. "We'd prefer to see long-term research before we prescribe it. We want to make sure it's used in a safe and effective way." [continues 797 words]
It could be years before patients have access to medical marijuana in Pennsylvania despite a bill to legalize it clearing the House with overwhelming support on Wednesday. Before officials can start implementing the bill, it first has to pass the Senate and be signed into law. The legislation, Senate Bill 3, is now back in the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee and is awaiting a concurrence vote on the floor. Since the bill was essentially gutted in the House, where at one point more than 220 proposed amendments were attached, senators will likely thoroughly vet the alterations. [continues 470 words]
First things first: I don't smoke tobacco. I don't chew it, either. I tried that once when I was a teenager, maybe 13 or so. I filled my cheek with some of my grandfather's chewing tobacco -- it came in a red pouch as I recall -- and I darned near choked to death on the juice. I literally turned green and purple trying to get that nasty stuff out of my mouth. The only stuff I've ever put in my mouth that tasted as bad as chewing tobacco was liquid Geritol, liver and Brussels sprouts. And I once took a single sip of whiskey -- again, I was a stupid teenager -- which was enough to convince me I never wanted to try it again. [continues 752 words]
Camacho...says police held off on arrests to keep drug dealers in the dark. Police say they put the smackdown on York City's street-level drug dealers and their customers during a two-month investigation that involved 11 police agencies and more than 50 officers. "Operation Smackdown" recently wrapped up -- for now -- and culminated in 84 arrests for felony and misdemeanor drug offenses. "We'll take the big guys, we'll take the little guys," York County District Attorney Stan Rebert said at a press conference yesterday. [continues 545 words]
As a retired police captain, I applaud the police work that went into the recent breakup of the drug ring that netted 937 grams of cocaine. But, if my years of experience in those positions has taught me anything, it is that nothing will change except the lives of those arrested and their families. Ever since President Nixon declared a war on drugs in 1970, U.S. taxpayers have paid over $1 trillion to arrest our way out of our drug problems. We have made over 35 million arrests and currently spend $69 billion a year on this war. [continues 608 words]
York Prison Population Mirrors National Trend They are mothers, daughters and sisters. More and more, women are finding themselves locked up behind prison cell doors, and the national trend isn't leaving York County behind. While women historically accounted for about 10 percent of admissions to the York County Prison, that figure has gradually increased over the last several years. Now it's hovering around 16 percent, according to Warden Tom Hogan. Almost 1,900 of the 11,777 people committed to the jail were women, according to year-end figures. [continues 525 words]
Students Urged To Call, Report Dealers A series of talks about teenage drug and alcohol use among South Eastern School District students prompted police to take matters into their own hands. The Borough of Stewartstown is footing the bill for a 24-hour tip line that so far received two reports about area drug dealers, said Stewartstown police Chief Charles Reid. The department, along with more than 1,000 citizens in the school district, took a hard look at drug and underage drinking problems in May. [continues 242 words]
