In the last week of October, children don red ribbons to proclaim their stand against drugs, and display their personal commitment to stay drug-free during Red Ribbon Week. This week is also a time for communities to visibly take a stand against the devastating effects substance abuse can have on their youths through education, parent training, and networking. Red Ribbon Week was conceived after Kiki Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Agency undercover agent, was murdered in Mexico City by drug traffickers in 1985. [continues 405 words]
Gov. Gary Johnson brought his message that marijuana should be legalized to Silver City on Thursday, calling the war on drugs a misdirected approach that is "tearing the country apart." Johnson was the featured speaker at the 36th annual Drug and Alcohol Institute at Western New Mexico University. "Here's my message. Don't do drugs. Don't drink. Until you stop drinking you don't know what a handicap it is," said Johnson, who took his last drink 15 years ago. [continues 569 words]
Dear editor, I would like to apologize for my delay in responding to David Seymour's letter posing questions to county sheriff candidates. I have been on active duty with the New Mexico National Guard Homeland Defense Antiterrorism Detail, and am currently in school at Fort McCoy, Wis. I will end my temporary active duty on July 25 and settle down to campaigning for Grant County sheriff. With regard to Mr. Seymour's letter, I have a published platform that addresses most, if not all, of his concerns. [continues 319 words]
Dear editor, The new head of the drug enforcement administration says he will enforce the ban on medical marijuana. He says there is no scientific evidence of its therapeutic value. He is either lying or he refuses to read medical reports from the U.S. government, or other studies from around the world. Are we supposed be proud to have a head of the DEA who wants to arrest the sick and dying? These are the final conclusions from a U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine report from March 1999: "Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. [continues 72 words]
Dear editor, Thank you for publishing Rich Rytter's outstanding letter, "Decision time" (July 11). He is absolutely right on the mark. Our nation's policy of drug prohibition has been just as counterproductive as alcohol prohibition. Illegal drug buyers purchase drugs of unknown quality, un-known potency and unknown purity, not unlike the bathtub gin our grandfathers bought that resulted in needless deaths and needless blindings. Thanks to the counterproductive drug war, the nation that has the huge statue proclaiming liberty to all, has more prisoners than any other country in history. Perhaps, the statue should be re-named the Statue of Hypocrisy. (s)Kirk Muse Vancouver, Wash. [end]
Dear editor, Thank you for publishing Rich Rytter's outstanding letter, "Decision time" (July 11). He is absolutely right on the mark. Our nation's policy of drug prohibition has been just as coun-terproductive as alcohol prohibi-tion. Illegal drug buyers purchase drugs of unknown quality, un-known potency and unknown purity, not unlike the bathtub gin our grandfathers bought that re-sulted in needless deaths and needless blindings. Thanks to the counterproductive drug war, the nation that has the huge statue proclaiming liberty to all, has more prisoners than any other country in history. Perhaps, the statue should be re-named the Statue of Hypocrisy. (s)Kirk Muse Vancouver, Wash. Kirkem2@home.com [end]
Dear editor, It's decision time. It seems that we have a choice of living with violence and drugs or just drugs. We've been living with drugs and violence for at least 20 years. We've broken up cartels; we've smashed distribution rings, but to what avail? We've arrested millions of Americans, we've spent billions upon billions of dollars, but drugs are as cheap and as pure as they have ever been. I fail to see what has been accomplished other than building a prison industrial complex. The land of the free and the home of the brave has 25 percent of the world's prisoners with only 5 percent of the world's population. [continues 181 words]
If the report of the Drug Policy Advisory Group is any indication, Gov. Johnson appears to be on the verge of submitting a comprehensive legislative proposal on drugs. Such a proposal would reduce - but not eliminate - criminal penalties for drug possession and make treatment rather than imprisonment the cornerstone of drug policy. Let's hope so. Because it's time to do some serious thinking about reality vs. drug war propaganda and knee-jerk "incarcerationism." In short, it's time for a new approach. [continues 214 words]
Recently a funeral ceremony was held in El Salvador. Villagers buried 37 of their loved ones from among the 200 recovered 19 years after what has become known as the El Mozote Massacre. The ritual in the pre-dawn hours was broken by the tears that waited nearly two decades to fall. In 1981, U.S.-trained Salvadoran soldiers fighting in the war against communism gunned down 1,000 citizens and attempted to hide the action in a land-filled rubble heap. [continues 413 words]
Dear editor, It's wonderful that our local newspaper reaches from coast to coast and to Canada, and so went my letter of April 12, which put down Gov. Johnson's policy on the legalization of hard drugs. It should be known by now that this same governor rescinded his policy on heroin April 25 -- a fairly good indication of his management superficiality and flip-flop style on important governmental matters, but welcome news nevertheless. Four letters were published from out-of-state readers which upheld the governor's weird philosophy. I offer brief rebuttals: [continues 158 words]
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, or on the other hand maybe I've learned something - -- anyhow, I think it's disgraceful when our governor throws his drug legalization pitch to college students as he did at San Juan College recently. In an Associated Press article (Daily Press of March 24), he cited several quite high numbers related to deaths last year from tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs, but only 3,000 from cocaine and heroin during the same period. This is pulling numbers out of a hat and hoping they're accepted as fact. [continues 346 words]
Dear editor, I am thinking of buying two bumper stickers which would state: "I'm Republican, I voted for Chavez." I was surprised when so many Democrats voted for Johnson. The headline in the March 23 Daily Press stated, "Johnson renews drug legalization campaign." In the article, Johnson is quoted as follows: In 1999: 1. 450,000 people died from tobacco-related health problems; 2. 150,000 died from the health consequences of alcohol; 3. 100,000 people died from prescription drugs; 4. 3,000 died from cocaine and heroin. [continues 183 words]
