VANDERBILT - On March 22, attorney Bryan Graham presented several options to Vanderbilt village planning commission members as they consider zoning regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries within the village limits. Graham was on last week's agenda in response to Otsego County's first medical marijuana dispensary, which opened a month ago within the village limits. Earlier this month, Vanderbilt Holistic Apothecary owner Brad Worde described the marijuana dispensary, located on Old 27 South, as a "patient-to-patient business, here to help people who have tried conventional medical practices without relief." [continues 487 words]
VANDERBILT - Brad Worde had relied on word-of-mouth to advertise his newest business venture. But that hasn't stopped a steady flow of patients from coming into what is believed to be Otsego County's first medical marijuana dispensary, which opened its doors one week ago. Worde, an avid horticulturist, spent a number of years working as a chef in Europe and the United States and as a wholesaler of hydroponically grown heirloom tomatoes and lettuce to some of the finest restaurants in Northern Michigan, including the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. [continues 563 words]
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson urged U.S. lawmakers Thursday to resolve their differences over an aid package to help Mexico fight drugs, saying it would be "disastrous" for security on both sides of the border if the Merida Initiative fell through. In my opinion the Merida Initiative is another example of our government's addiction to the war on drugs. The call for approximately $450 million for Mexico to spend on resources to aid in their fight against their drug cartels is a call for further escalation of violence. The Merida Initiative would provide helicopters, planes, computer systems and police dogs. The process of escalation began during the Nixon administration and has continued without abatement ever since. It is a leapfrog process: good guys start to win, bad guys develop new tactics; bad guys start to win, good guys develop new tactics. If our officials were to step back and objectively consider the last 30-plus years of trying to control drug use by interdiction of supply or through fear of incarceration they would have to admit that neither approach has worked. During this process there has been a disturbing erosion of civil liberties and an increased level of police corruption. With all due respect to Gov. [continues 486 words]
"Partner With Southern Neighbors Against Drug Lords," the recent commentary by Antonio O. Garza, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, is another example of our government's devotion, some would say, "addiction" to the war on drugs. The opening paragraph is designed to cause fear specifically in New Mexicans. It was a nice touch to mention the Espanola Valley and the heroin problems that exist there, but the "Merida Initiative" is merely a continuation of a failed approach and a waste of $500 million of taxpayers' money. Neither the local fear-mongering approach, nor claims of Garza's convictions can justify the expenditure of one additional penny on the war on drugs. [continues 466 words]
TAOS-- Could the collision of the two worlds of Elton John Richard II and Daniel Romero have been avoided, and with that avoidance the tragic death and pending imprisonment that resulted? Of course; there are cusps on a reverse timeline where different decisions could have produced different results. Richard could have shown remorse for killing a man for a property crime; that may have provided the judge with an opportunity for even greater lenience in sentencing. Richard could have chosen not to shoot Romero. [continues 596 words]
In 1985, Drug Enforcement Agency's Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was killed while investigating a Mexican drug cartel in an undercover capacity. In honor of his memory friends and neighbors began to wear red satin badges. This recognition grew into the Red Ribbon Campaign. As a result, Agent Camarena's death has been co-opted for propaganda purposes. Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Karen P. Tandy wrongly asserts that our nation is "one large community unified in taking a stand against drugs." We understand the harm that drugs, including alcohol, can cause, but as with the banning of alcohol in the 1920s, today's prohibition of drugs has spawned a criminal underclass in which illicit drug traffickers arm themselves to protect or expand their markets. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is dedicated to the taxation, regulation and control of all drugs. This would end the drug war, dramatically reduce violence in our communities and make life much safer for our nation's brave law enforcement officers. J. Michael Jones Taos [end]
Many are calling for a political solution for the war in Iraq. It has become painfully obvious that a military solution is not aviable option. Perhaps now people can recognize too that a military/paramilitary-like approach is not a viable solution to the U.S. policy known as the War on Drugs. After 37 years of the enforcement ap-proach as national drug policy, we still have chiefs of police announcing new efforts to "target drug trafficking. The police force in Gainesville, Fla., where I served for more than 20 years including three tours as a narcotics officer and later, deputy chief of police, recently announced such a crack down. I use this example because it dem-onstrates the efforts of a chief to address the concerns of the citizens he serves. [continues 531 words]
I appreciate the concerns expressed by Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya and Diego Lopez in the Aug. 30 article, "Montoya takes on new pot law." However, fear might have clouded their minds. I do not advocate drug use. I do advocate personal responsibility and the legalized regulation of drugs. I share similar goals with Montoya and Lopez: the protection of, and chance for a better life for, our children. Who makes the decision to sell drugs to our children? Criminals, who aren't licensed or regulated, whose drugs vary in strength, purity and fillers because there are no standards. [continues 80 words]
Our Wrongheaded System Prohibits What It Should Regulate I am a retired deputy chief of police from Gainesville, Fla. My wife and I have lived in Taos for 10 years. I am a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. There have been front-page stories all over New Mexico about the attorney general saying the feds might arrest and prosecute Health Department employees who distribute medical marijuana. The production and distribution of marijuana is still a crime at the federal level, and that is something that state laws can't change, says Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. [continues 535 words]
Attorney General Gary King generated front page headlines all over New Mexico with his advice that the feds might arrest and prosecute Health Department employees that distribute medical marijuana. "The production and distribution of marijuana is still a crime at the federal level ... and that is something that state laws can't change," said Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. How wise is it to maintain the status quo that has wasted tens of billions of tax dollars during each of the last 37 years? Fiscal responsibility is often not compatible with government actions, but to spend a trillion dollars in about 40 years on a policy that was a failure before it was even implemented with nothing positive (but plenty of negatives) to show in return for the money is criminal. [continues 441 words]
LEAP, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, is a non-profit organization dedicated to drug policy reform. The founders were former drug warriors" and many members are former actors in the criminal justice system. The War on Drugs (WOD) isn't a war, it is a policy. "War" implies battle, struggle, defeat, victory, injury, and death. The so-called War On Drugs has all of those. Except victory. Victory simply is impossible to achieve because the very nature of human desire for pleasure would have to be eliminated. That desire is biologically hard-wired in humans, and other animals as well. Elephants and non-human primates ingest fermented fruit for the apparent purpose of experiencing pleasure. Humans, also, are "pleasure seekers" and we engage in an astoundingly broad spectrum of methods for achieving pleasure, and whether it's high risk sporting adventures or using various drugs and plants, the objective is to experience pleasure and few would be denied their quest. [continues 650 words]
For years I have bemoaned the absence of a rational approach to drugs and drug policy, repeatedly stating that if my fellow members of the criminal justice system had the courage, united and individually to say that the "War on Drugs" was a bad idea gone worse, then and only then could we as a society find a better way to deal with the problems associated with those who abuse drugs. When I moved to New Mexico, Gary Johnson was the governor; I was amazed at his efforts to legalize marijuana, but not at the success of those efforts. [continues 531 words]
Kanawha County officials say they have condemned 23 houses used to produce methamphetamine since last July when a public nuisance ordinance was passed to address public health issues. The ordinance forces a property owner to either clean the home or hire a contractor to raze the property. If neither is an option, the county will demolish the home and place a lien against the property. Of the 23 houses that have been condemned since the ordinance passed last year, five were demolished, six have been cleaned and are reoccupied, and 12 are being tested and awaiting a final decision. [continues 531 words]
Stronger Enforcement May Be Pushing Drugs To Smaller County, Kanawha Sheriff While area law enforcement agencies are glad for the dramatic drop in methamphetamine lab busts this year, they worry they're merely sweeping the problem to other counties in the state. Upshur County, for example, has seen a surge in meth busts, with 11 labs discovered so far this year. State Police statistics show West Virginia had a decrease in meth labs across the state this year, although nearly two-thirds of all labs were operated in Kanawha County. [continues 504 words]
An Emergency Personnel Worker Models His Suit for Hazardous Duty. GAYLORD - Last month's arrests in Otsego County of two women from Elkhart, Ind. for possession of methamphetamine - or "meth" - could be just the beginning of a wave of abuse of the powerfully addictive drug in Otsego County and the rest of northern Michigan, according to local law enforcement officials. Officials also have concerns about the potential safety hazards posed by the manufacture of methamphetamine, which is easily produced in makeshift labs using a variety of common household chemicals. [continues 1113 words]
