Narcotics-Related Violence Shows Systemic Failure In Drug Fight Take a look at the havoc in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, a lawless no-mans-land situated across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. It is the capital of the Mexican-monopolized North American illegal drug business and an exploding assemblage of murderous warlords and foot soldiers. The human and economic cost of the drug gang firefights is staggering. The body count for 2008 was upwards of 6,000 that included traffickers, police, soldiers and innocent civilians. The most tragic victims of the bloodshed are the teenage boys from the broken, impoverished barrios, which serve as incubators of crime and violence. Lured by the status and power that comes with cartel membership, they are recruited to become little daring assassins, or "sicaritos." The towns and cities of Mexico are overrun with narcotic syndicates engaged in disastrous turf wars whose gangsters mercilessly gun down opposition and torch business storefronts. [continues 656 words]
The lead contributor to the violence in Mexico is suffocating in its own cloud of smoke. Stringent in its attempt to win the war on drugs, the U.S. continues to drown itself in a haze of ignorance. The media has ignored the situation in Mexico, as it has in many other nations plagued with internal conflict in the past. Six thousand Mexican civilians died last year due to escalating tension between drug cartels, but the only prevalent issue covered involving Mexico was illegal immigration. [continues 536 words]
To the Editor, Stephen H. Frye hit the bull's-eye calling for credible drug law reform (Speaker Rebuts Drug Policy, Feb. 19, 2009) and that means Re-legalizing cannabis (marijuana) at the very least. One beneficial component of re-legalizing cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is that it will lower hard drug addiction rates. DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) brainwashes youth into believing lies, half-truths and propaganda concerning cannabis, which causes grave future problems. How many citizens try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful as taught in DARE type government environments? Then they think other substances must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs. The old lessons make cannabis out to be among the worst substances in the world, even though it's never killed a single person. [continues 78 words]
Students, Professor Discuss The Effects And Future Of War On Drugs American's fight against drug trafficking and abuse needs a fresh outlook, according to Students for Sensible Drug Policy's guest Stephen H. Frye. Frye researched the topic for three years and released his book "We Really Lost This War! Twenty Five Reasons to Legalize Drugs" in May of 2008. Each chapter discusses one reason to legalize drugs. Frye projected the table of contents of his book and talked extemporaneously about each topic, focusing on prisons, race, the government, children and solutions. [continues 554 words]
The Line Between Private And Public Should Be Reinforced In March, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for employers to require pre-employment drug tests, maintaining that such policies were in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Because the trial involved an applicant for a position in an Oregon library, its ramifications extend to all public, non-safety oriented jobs in Oregon, as well as Nevada, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana and Washington, all of which are under the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court. [continues 555 words]
Decriminalizing, Regulating Cannabis Would Eliminate Black Market As Well As Alleviate Misuse Of Tax Dollars An act in the House of Representatives would decriminalize the possession of 30 grams of pot, with further restrictions under certain conditions, such as when the possessor is driving. The vast majority of marijuana imported in the U.S. comes from Mexican drug cartels that supply mostly to inner-city street gangs. The herb is then distributed to neighborhood dealers before it seeps out to the surrounding areas and the rest of the country. [continues 826 words]
Credible drug law reform is gaining momentum as evidenced by Ron Paul's popularity (Ron Paul Attracts High Turnout, Nov. 29, 2007). At the very minimum it's time to re-legalize the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana) which is safer than alcohol especially when compared to whiskey. Cannabis hasn't killed one person in over 5,000 years of documented use while cigarettes murder over 1,000 Americans daily and the plant is less addictive than coffee. [continues 66 words]
Supporters Of All Ages Fill Ham Hall, Exhibiting Lively Vocal Enthusiasm Two days after Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addressed a crowd of 200 in Henderson, fellow Republican candidate Ron Paul's appearance at Artemus Ham Concert Hall Nov. 19 brought out nearly 1,000 energetic supporters. Jeff Greenspan, regional coordinator for the Paul campaign said the impressive turnout was a clear indication of Paul's growing popularity and part of a transition from long-shot contender to serious competitor to mainstream Republican candidates like Romney and Rudy Giuliani. [continues 456 words]
Regarding Nur Kausar's Mar. 22nd op-ed: Alcohol kills more Americans each year than all illegal drugs combined. Prescription overdose deaths are now second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death from unintentional injury. Television is filled with pro-drug messages paid for by alcohol and pharmaceutical companies. The Bush administration doesn't have a problem with corporate drug pushers. But hoist a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at an off-campus high school rally in Alaska, and they will fight you all the way to the Supreme Court. It is not clear how this nonsensical phrase somehow merits limiting free speech. [continues 112 words]
Justices should be able to see the obvious when determining the fate of student free speech The U.S. Supreme Court took on its first case about student free speech rights in almost 20 years this week. The case came from Juneau, Alaska, where a student was suspended for having a banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," the high school principal's reason for suspension being that the student was promoting drug use. In 2002, student Joseph Frederick held up the banner on a public sidewalk across the street from the school during school hours, in an attempt to be funny and get on television while the Winter Olympics torch relay passed. He was suspended for 10 days. [continues 678 words]
Nicholas Otis's article "Smoking Ballots" quotes opponents of Proposition 7 as stating "marijuana contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke". And yet, marijuana smoke, unlike tobacco smoke, does NOT cause cancer. Do a Google search on "marijuana smoke cancer" to see a list of research By: for example, this article: http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner07022005.html Note that in that article, a researcher who had identified carcinogens in marijuana smoke found, to his surprise, no evidence at all that smoking marijuana will cause cancer and, indeed, the possibility that marijuana smoking may protect against cancer. Sincerely, By: Michael Ham [end]
Students Comment on Question 7 One Week Before Election Day The subject of marijuana has become an issue for public debate in recent years, though its use is not necessarily a recent occurrence. In 2004, 771,605 people were arrested in marijuana-related situations, and many feel that these cases waste law enforcement agents' time that could be spent seeking out more "serious" criminals. Because of this, politically minded individuals have placed initiatives on ballots to alleviate the situation either by legalizing or regulating it with the government's oversight. [continues 633 words]
Dear Editor, UNLV students need to vote yes on Ballot Question No. 7. If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. [continues 111 words]
To the Editor, As the debate takes place on October 17th, keep this in mind. As an organization of hundreds of law enforcement professionals, we support the Nevada effort to have the governement, not criminals, regulate marijuana. Marijuana prohibition reduces public safety. Road officers in Nevada will spend about as much time searching for a baggie of pot, as they do searching and arresting DUIs. Detectives/narcs who bust those who sell adults an ounce of pot are not at that moment searching for child molestors, rapists and those breaking into our homes. [continues 60 words]
Debating the Merits of Question 7 at CSNU's 'Smoke the Vote' Event Giggles, sighs, applause and statistics echoed through the student union theater Tuesday night during a public debate over the legalization of marijuana. The CSUN-sponsored event showcased advocates for and against Question 7 on this year's ballot. If passed, Question 7 would allow adults over the age of 21 to legally possess and use up to one ounce of marijuana. "Our marijuana laws don't work," said Neal Levine, campaign director for the Committee to Control and Regulate Marijuana. "Anyone who wants it can get it ... you lose all ability to control it." [continues 391 words]
