Partisan antagonism rules the capital, drowning out most attempts at constructive compromise. But on at least one issue, reasonable lawmakers from both parties strongly agree: reforming the criminal justice system to reduce the prison population and enable former inmates to become more productive members of society. This growing consensus is both surprising and heartening, especially at a time when Congress can't seem to agree on anything else. Listen, for example, to Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky, and Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, who have co-sponsored legislation that would seal the records of juvenile offenders and give nonviolent adults a chance to expunge their criminal past. [continues 673 words]
Later this year, Pennsylvanians should be able to purchase the first at-home medical device that administers a drug that reverses opiate-related overdoses. The Evizo auto-injector should be available to the general public starting July 1, under the tentative FDA approval that was secured last month. The hand-held device is designed to deliver Naloxone, a drug that binds to the opinoid receptors in the brain to stop a potentially fatal overdose within minutes. The Federal Drug Administration's approval of Evizo is significant in Pennsylvania and other states where Naloxone - also known under the brand name Narcan - can now be administered only by trained medical personnel, including nurses and paramedics. [continues 729 words]
WASHINGTON - Coffee? Tea? Beer? Wine? A joint? The times, they are a-changin'. Fast. In Colorado and the state of Washington, it's legal for adults 21 and older to possess and use small amounts of recreational marijuana. In 20 states and the District of Columbia, it's legal to use weed for medicinal reasons. In Tuesday's election, three Michigan cities and Portland, Maine, legalized small amounts of marijuana in landslide votes with almost no opposition. In Colorado, about 65 percent of voters approved establishing a 15 percent tax on the wholesale sale of marijuana for adult use and a 10 percent sales tax on retail marijuana sales, in addition to standard state and local sales taxes. The money will be used in part to oversee the sale of grass in state-licensed stores. [continues 551 words]
BOSTON - During some of the bloodiest years of the drug wars of the 1980s, crack was seen as far more dangerous than powdered cocaine, and that perception was written into the sentencing laws. But now that notion is under attack like never before. Criminologists, doctors and other experts say the differences between the two forms of the drug were largely exaggerated and do not justify the way the law comes down 100 times harder on crack. A push to shrink the disparity in punishments got a boost last month when reduced federal sentencing guidelines went into effect for crack offenses. Then, earlier this month, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which sets guidelines for federal cases, voted to make the reductions retroactive, allowing some 19,500 inmates, mostly black, to seek reductions in their crack sentences. [continues 830 words]
From a suspected drug-dealing mother of two to a heroin operation where a homemade bomb was found, Quakertown police and state police have teamed up for some high-profile drug busts in Upper Bucks. A Quakertown detective says the arrests are the fruition of increased collaboration between his department and troopers at the Dublin barracks. The crackdown appears poised to continue. "Every investigation we have leads to another one and it snowballs," said Quakertown Detective Donald Bender, who frequently works in conjunction with state police. [continues 625 words]
