The Juneau School District's decision to go after former student Joseph Frederick to pay its court fees demonstrates how the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" saga has degenerated. The district appears to be acting out of spite, especially if one considers that $5,000 is just a drop in the bucket compared to its overall operating budget. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the school district did indeed have the right to suspend Frederick from school after he unfurled a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" at a 2002 Olympic torch rally, a school-sponsored event. [continues 321 words]
Enabling drug addiction, especially for a minor should be a serious crime. Unfortunately there's little investigation and even less punishment under the current application of the law. Who's responsible when a child becomes addicted to something like methamphetamine or crack cocaine? The obvious culprits are the dealers whom our Prime Minister has targeted. But sometimes it's also the parents. We're so busy treating drug use as a social problem that leniency is now the accepted norm. But in cases of hard-drug use, and chronic drug use of any sort, why not force the defendant to lead police to the dealer by threatening the maximum sentence unless he co-operates? The dealer would also face a maximum sentence unless he, in turn, led police further up the supply chain. [continues 600 words]
San Francisco -- Employers can fire workers found to have used medical marijuana even if it was legally prescribed, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The high court upheld a small Sacramento telecommunications company's firing of a man who flunked a company-ordered drug test. Gary Ross held a medical marijuana card authorizing him to use the drug to treat a back injury sustained while serving in the Air Force. The company, Ragingwire Inc., argued that it rightfully fired Ross because all marijuana use is illegal under federal law, which does not recognize the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states. [continues 163 words]
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Employers can fire workers found to have used medical marijuana even if it was legally recommended, the California Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The high court upheld a small Sacramento telecommunications company's firing of a man who flunked a company-ordered drug test. Gary Ross held a medical-marijuana card authorizing him to use the drug to treat a back injury sustained while serving in the Air Force. The company, Ragingwire Inc., argued that it rightfully fired Mr. Ross because all marijuana use is illegal under federal law, which does not recognize the medical-marijuana laws in California and 11 other states. [continues 357 words]
The second grow-op drug bust this year marks another in a series of crackdowns by police, increasing the number to a level never before seen even by drug officers. "It's a priority for the [RCMP detachment] inspector and the city and so it's a priority for the drug section as well," says Constable Tim Russell of the Terrace RCMP drug squad. Officers described this latest drug house as a small-scale commercial hydroponic grow operation after they executed a search warrant on a Simpson Cres. residence in the Copper Mountain subdivision at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 17. [continues 316 words]
Landlord Discovers More Than 100 Drums Of Precursor Chemicals At Live-In Business Of Man Shot Dead With Gangster Ricardo Scarpino More than 100 drums of precursor chemicals for making ecstasy and crystal meth were found this week at the Delta business of Gilles LePage, who was gunned down in Vancouver last Saturday with long-time gangster Ricardo Scarpino. The Vancouver Sun has learned that LePage's landlord in the River Road business, David Lloyd, went to check out the premises Wednesday after hearing that LePage was likely the second victim in a targeted hit outside the posh Gotham Steakhouse on Seymour Street Jan. 19. [continues 853 words]
Prosecution On Drug Charges A Ridiculous Misuse Of Law There are all kinds of Christian ministries and some of them go beyond the "norm." Some minister in prisons, some go to bars, others go to foreign countries, some work in small rooms just translating Bibles into rare languages. Bill Day, goes along the streets of San Antonio trying to ease the suffering of "the least" and now he and members of his group are threatened with going to jail themselves. Day, 73 and a retired real estate appraiser, co-founded the Bexar Area Harm Reduction Center some years back, with the idea of handing out clean syringes to poor diabetics and, yes, intravenous drug users. [continues 462 words]
Drug offences have leapt by 21 per cent in just one year, latest figures showed yesterday, piling more pressure on Gordon Brown to reverse the Government's "softly-softly" stance on cannabis. The number of drugs crimes recorded by police has now leapt by more than 60 per cent in the three years since Labour relaxed the law on cannabis possession - downgrading it from Class B to Class C so that most users no longer face arrest. Home Office crime figures also show burglary rising by five per cent year-on-year - reversing a long term fall - and a significant four per cent rise in gun crime. [continues 822 words]
Grab the nearest teenager you can find and explain to him or her that meth is dangerous. A 2007 survey of Idaho teens released on Tuesday shows that a vast majority of that population is unaware of the dangers of meth. The Idaho Meth Use & Attitudes survey shows that many Idaho teens see little to no risk in trying meth and have not tried to stop friends from taking the highly addictive drug. Twenty-two percent of teens believe meth will make them happy; 25 percent believe meth will help them lose weight and 17 percent said meth use would help them have increased energy. [continues 206 words]
