Students for Sensible Drug Policy," or SSDP for short, is an organization comprised of student-run chapters at more than 100 colleges and universities around the country. Its goal is to achieve "a just and compassionate society where drug abuse is treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue." They work towards this goal by encouraging "young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies . . . while fighting back against counterproductive drug war policies." Recently, the outreach director of the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, Stacia Cosner, contacted me in regard to a column I wrote a few weeks ago about medicinal marijuana. She wanted to know if anyone would be interested in starting an SSDP chapter at N.C. State. I told her that I'm sure there are students here who would be interested and that an SSDP chapter would be beneficial to students at State - I'm hopeful I'll be able to find enough students w! ho agree with me.

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The voters of trendsetting California may well decide this November to legalize marijuana - there's a ballot referendum, and 56 percent of Californians are in favor - and no doubt this would be great news for the munchie industry, the bootleggers of Grateful Dead music, and the millions of stoners who have long yearned for an era of reefer gladness.

Seriously, this is a story about how desperate times require desperate measures. Legalization advocates, including many ex-cops and ex-prosecutors, have long contended that it's nuts to keep criminalizing otherwise law-abiding citizens while wasting $8 billion a year in law enforcement costs. That argument has never worked. But the new argument, cleverly synced to the recession mind-set, may well herald a new chapter in the history of pot prohibition.

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The creators of the Greenville Million Marijuana March Facebook event, which over 7,000 ECU students and Greenville locals have been invited to, are having troubles getting the permits required for the event.

The Greenville Million Marijuana March is scheduled for Sunday, May 2, from "high noon to 4:20 p.m." at the Mendenhall Brickyard and will have a picnic, T-shirts and variety of live music from alternative rock to experimental death metal to hip-hop. Bands include An Eternity Incognito, Consume the Stars, HNL, Jakeleg, En Serenade and many others.

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - He was happy to see shoppers, the Ciudad Juarez tourist official made it clear, and yet the fact that he had time to sit down for a beer with us in the middle of the day made him morose. It was the week between Christmas and New Year's, and in happier times, his city would have been swarming with tourists from El Paso. These days, the sight of two lone gringos walking across the bridge had brought him scurrying, waving his ID card like a flag of peace.

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District Attorney Dewey Hudson reported Friday that the charges against six Willie Nelson band members are still pending and have not been dismissed.

"I have been inundated with letters and people asking me about the situation with Willie Nelson that involved his band, so I have decided to give an update today," Hudson said during a press conference he called Friday at the Duplin County Courthouse. "Our office has received the initial investigative report and we have spoken with people in ALE (Alcohol Law Enforcement) about the charges against the band members."

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A virtual reality simulator at Methodist University will soon help authorities learn how to spot a methamphetamine lab. On Tuesday, the university received a $150,000 federal grant to provide training to social workers, teachers, law enforcement and others who could potentially identify a dangerous clandestine lab. Students who strap on gloves and goggles can take a virtual walk through a house where they have to decide whether a pack of Sudafed, for example, is being used to make drugs or treat a cold based on what they see.

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A few weeks ago, my fellow columnist Sam Daughtry wrote a piece,"Medical Marijuana: a personal decision," describing some of the issues surrounding medical marijuana use. While it is still illegal under federal law, 14 states have passed legislation legalizing medicinal marijuana, and North Carolina may be set to be the next.

There are currently bills in the N.C. House of Representatives, House Bill 1380 and 1383, introduced in the House by Rep. Earl Jones (D-Guilford), which would legalize medicinal use of the herb, license farming of it and tax it as a source of revenue. WRAL reported March 5, that "supporters say legalizing marijuana for health-related reasons would generate more than $60 million in state taxes in the first year alone." The bill passed a vote last year and is now waiting in the Health Committee; state lawmakers could be voting on the bill this spring.

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Some people might have been shocked in September when several UNC students were arrested for selling cocaine. And, if the charges prove true, they probably weren't making the best career choice in the world. I wouldn't be too surprised. After all, illegal drugs are big business. In 2003, the United Nations estimated that the global illegal drug trade was worth nearly $322 billion. Cannabis is America's top cash crop, with a market value greater than corn and wheat combined. In a survey of more than 1,700 UNC students I conducted through Facebook, cannabis use was consistently more common than tobacco use.

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Lenoir's Libertarian city councilman has entered the 25th District's District Attorney's race.

T.J. Rohr, a criminal attorney, is in his second term as a Lenoir city councilman.

He was elected as an unaffiliated candidate in a non-partisan race. He said he's held fast to his Libertarian beliefs as a councilman, consistently refusing to vote for tax increases or spending he considers wasteful.

In November, Rohr will face Democratic challenger Jason Parker and the winner of May's Republican primary between incumbent Jay Gaither and Shawn Clark.

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Stop me if you've read this before: Daily reports of drug arrests published in the Observer. A meth lab discovered off Ramsey Street. Residential break-ins all over, many of them committed by people hooked on drugs who steal for money to get enough dope to get them by, until next time. Gangs powered by guns, crack and cash; innocent bystanders hurt, and not just in beleaguered Bonnie Doone. Meanwhile, look to our borderland with Mexico. Have you read "No Country for Old Men"? You should. It's stark. It's brutal. It's what's happening in parts of our Southwest. Last week our top national security officials met with Mexican leaders to talk about the bloodbath that has claimed nearly 18,000 Mexican lives in violence involving drug cartels. It's because we Americans, in this land of plenty, can't control our appetite for drugs.

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Another reason to stop caging sick humans for using the relatively safe, God-given plant, cannabis (marijuana), that doesn't get mentioned in Tuesday's column, Medical marijuana: a personal decision, is that it is Biblically correct since God indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants - saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (see 1 John 3:17).

Jesus Christ risked jail to heal the sick.

Stan White

Dillon, Colorado

[end]

Regarding the March 19 article "Speakers promote cannibis for health":

Another reason to stop caging sick humans for using the relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, The Ecologician, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (see 1 John 3:17).

Jesus Christ risked jail to heal the sick.

Stan White

Dillon, Colo.

[end]

Medical Marijuana. You may have heard the term, and many states are amending laws changing the face of what federal administrators deemed an illegal and harmful drug. Some states currently have programs that allow patients with a doctor's order to purchase and use medical marijuana.

The debate continues and may prove to be a leading contributor in how health care reform and public policy is rewritten.

While states allow medical marijuana, its usage, possession and paraphernalia still violate federal law. This battle in states' rights versus federal law creates a new war of federalism with a possible Supreme Court case written all over it. One of the major criticisms of cannabis as medicine is opposition to smoking as a method of consumption. The harm caused by smoking can be minimized or eliminated by the use of a vaporizer.

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Regarding your editorial published on March 11 about marijuana laws, the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers.

In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use.

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On your front page March 16 is your article regarding Amy Frink's convicted rapist, torturer and murderer being considered for the second time in two years for release from prison after just 12 years into his sentence of 30 years. His partner in this horrible crime was released on parole in 2008. Since the second man returned to society he has had no less than 23 infractions, but is still in the midst of our society.

Before this state's "mutual Agreement Parole Program" went into effect, these murderers would have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Further back into the 1950s they might have paid with their own lives. Now they walk free? My barber is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence, first offense, handed down a year ago, in Brunswick County, for possession of prescription drugs with intent to sell.

He had no record. What is wrong with our judicial system?

Lowell J. Carr, Southport

[end]

Since the early 1990s, Jean Marlowe has smoked marijuana. She's been arrested four times and spent time in federal prison. It's something she doesn't mind people knowing.

Marlowe, executive director of the North Carolina Cannabis Patients Network, a licensed nonprofit organization based in Mill Spring, advocates for legislation to allow people to use marijuana for medical purposes. The organization's goal is to educate the public about medical marijuana legislation in North Carolina.

Marlowe spoke about the issue Thursday at a Civitan Club of Salisbury meeting. Along with Marlowe, club members also heard from Perry Parks, the veterans outreach director for the Network.

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BEAUFORT - Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck said strict policies for documenting and tracking drug fund money have been in place since he took on the job nearly four years ago.

"When I first came into office I implemented a policy to track and document every dollar spent in our drug fund," he said.

Buck was elected sheriff in November 2006, moving from deputy to take on the post held for 20 years by former Sheriff Ralph Thomas Jr., who retired. Buck said he can't speak to how drug funds were administered before his administration but said that he saw a lack of documentation that needed to be corrected.

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When a seizure strikes, Joshua Cook typically hits the ground.

His hands clench spastically into fists. His torso contorts. His body shakes uncontrollably for several minutes.

The condition first struck the 25-year-old National Guard veteran while he was serving in Iraq three years ago. After receiving a medical discharge, he was prescribed a slew of drugs that either made him sick, caused headaches or simply didn't prevent his convulsions.

Then he tried a notorious herbal remedy that's more widely known as a recreational escape.

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Law enforcement agencies across Western North Carolina are hauling in loads of drugs this week. Pills, patches and liquid doses are coming in by the thousands.

The difference between this and most large drug operations is this one doesn't involve informants, drawn weapons or jail time. The drug holders are coming willingly.

Officers are sitting behind folding tables at police departments, pharmacies and grocery stores across the state this week collecting old or unneeded prescription and over-the-counter drugs from the community as part of Operation Medicine Drop. Agencies have already raked in tens of thousands of pills. An Asheville man who pleaded guilty Monday to supplying methadone that killed his friend is the latest example of a growing problem with prescription drug abuse that has had a disproportionate impact on the western part of the state.

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RALEIGH -- A former Carteret County sheriff and a former deputy who served under him face federal charges alleging they stole federal funds intended for covert drug investigations.

Ralph Thomas Jr., Christopher Cozart and unnamed co-conspirators are accused of illegally taking more than $5,000 and putting the drug funds to personal use, according to criminal information filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The alleged thefts occurred on multiple occasions between about 1997 and October 2006 according to the charges. Thomas retired in 2006 after a 20-year career as sheriff.

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