Taboos about drugs are lying shattered across the U.S ., like broken debris after a party. But even as some states have begun to decriminalize or legalize marijuana, there is an argument that is making some Americans hesitate. They ask: Aren't many drugs, even pot, much more potent today than they were in the 1960s, when the boomers formed their views on drug use? Hasn't cannabis morphed into super skunk? Aren't people who used legal painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet sliding into heroin addiction - suggesting that legally accessible drugs are a slippery slope toward the abuse of harder drugs? [continues 610 words]
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-to-1 to implement an urgency ordinance that immediately prohibits outdoor marijuana grows and limits the number of indoor medicinal plants. The board also voted 4-to-1 to place the issue on the June 7 ballot, giving county voters the option to uphold or discard that ordinance. Supervisor Richard Anderson, who represents eastern Nevada County, opposed both votes. The vote on Sheriff Keith Royal's recommended ordinance, which allows only civil penalties such as fines, came after some five hours of public comment. The sheriff and several others detailed reasons to ban outdoor cultivation - the pungent smell marijuana brings, as well as butane honey oil labs, water theft and wildlife concerns. [continues 219 words]
They're Going to Consider the Characters Asking for Their Approval on Medical Marijuana Laws Some marijuana enthusiasts (whether they're legitimate users/growers or not) seem to think that they're entitled to grow and use marijuana as they see fit and that laws restricting them in any way are not real laws. And they also seem to believe that if everything were up for a vote, their side would win by a landslide. We think they're wrong on both counts, and we believe that if they want public opinion on their side, they've got a lot of work and convincing to do. Unfortunately for those medical marijuana supporters who want to legitimately use it and cultivate it in a responsible manner, the rowdy crowd at Tuesday's Yuba County Supervisor's meeting did them a disservice. [continues 410 words]
A Yuba County sheriff's deputy and drug task force agent facing drugs and guns charges in criminal cases spanning two states was released from custody Wednesday, according to jail records. Butte County Superior Court Judge James Reilley reduced Christopher "Mark" Heath's bail from $1 million to $15,000 Wednesday morning on the condition Heath not possess firearms or ammunition. His attorney, Roberto Marquez, said Heath would post a bail bond with money earned from his job as a sheriff's deputy. The county will continue to issue paychecks to Heath pending the results of an internal administrative investigation. [continues 262 words]
At a GOP presidential debate in September, Carly Fiorina stood out for a brave and deeply personal admission: She and her husband had lost a child to drug addiction. "I very much hope I am the only person on this stage who can say this," she said. "But I know there are millions of Americans out there who will say the same thing." In a country that's been ravaged by middle-class drug addiction, Fiorina's story struck political gold. Three days after that debate, CNN declared her the Number 2 favorite in the race. But, it turns out, she wasn't the only one on that stage with a deeply personal story about addiction. One by one, her rivals have come out to tell their own. [continues 485 words]
Raymond Schwab, an honorably discharged veteran, moved to Colorado last year to get medical marijuana treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. He didn't expect Kansas would take his children in return. "They're basically using my kids as a pawn to take away freedoms I fought for," he said. "It's a horrible position to put me in." He and his wife, Amelia, say Kansas took the five youngest of their six children into custody in April, and they've seen them only three times since. [continues 490 words]
J. Appleton's attempt to discredit me and North Kohala Community Association is based on his lack of knowledge on the marijuana issue and his ignorance on the pulse of our community. We are asking why the two dispensary licenses for this island and eight throughout the state? We have less than 14,000 medical marijuana cardholders in Hawaii, 5,550 on the Big Isle. Each patient can have seven plants. If they can't grow their own, others can grow the plants for them. Of the 5,500, only 12 Big Isle patients cannot grow their own. So to "assist" these 12 people, four Big Isle reps helped introduce the bill: Cindy Evans, Mark Nakashima, Richard Creagan and Joy San Buenaventura. [continues 222 words]
All across America last weekend, panicked drug users rushed to their dealers to stock up on marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine for fear of running out. The arrest of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, head of the biggest drug cartel in Mexico, was sure to cause a sudden shortage of illegal substances in this country. That's right. And I'm Queen Latifah. In reality, the capture of the narcotics kingpin is likely to have about as much impact on drug supplies as Martian solar storms do. You wouldn't expect long lines at the gas pump if the CEO of Exxon Mobil were suddenly unavailable because the company, its retailers and its suppliers would go on functioning. [continues 630 words]
Re: "Tennessee must get with the times on medical marijuana," by David Hairston, Dec. 13. Regarding Mr. Hairston's article about legalizing medical marijuana, I found the logic faulty for the following reasons: The statement that "God designed our bodies to use cannabinoids to maintain health " because cannabinoid receptors have been identified is like saying "God intends us to have cancer or diabetes because we have the genes for those." Our bodies adapt to the environment and use the food and chemicals we put in them trying to best achieve a balance of chemicals in the brain. However, when we are out of balance in one area, the brain will seek to remedy it in another, thus the reason for using mood-altering drugs. [continues 158 words]
States that permit qualified patients to access medical marijuana via dispensaries possess 24.8 percent lower rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths than states where medical marijuana is illegal, according to a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonpartisan think tank. In Tennessee in 2014, deaths from opioid overdose exceeded deaths by car accident and also exceeded deaths by gunshot. Opioid overdose deaths in Tennessee have also increased by around 10 percent per year since 2012. It is by all accounts an epidemic. In the meantime, no deaths have been reported from marijuana overdose, and the reason is that marijuana does not shut down a person's breathing. [continues 55 words]
Are we sure, Tennessee? Are we absolutely sure that marijuana legalization isn't in our best interest? While not a native of this state, I am rapidly learning that highway maintenance isn't a priority here. Now, I don't know about you, but if a citizen wants to blaze in his own home, it should be his right. Let that consumer go to his local dispensary, make his purchase and contribute (above the outrageous nearly 10 percent sales taxes) to the general fund. [continues 159 words]
Re: Addiction myths debunked, Opinion, Dec. 29 While Michael Pond supports using one substance to get off another to escape alcoholism or drug addiction, it's worth mentioning how cannabis (marijuana) has historically been used to help people. The plant is not physically addictive, hasn't killed anyone in over 5,000 years of documented use and should be available to citizens trying to get off hard drug addiction and alcoholism. Further, re-legalizing the plant in itself will lower hard drug addiction rates to begin with. Dillon, Colorado [end]
