Recently there was a story of Mexican Bishop Miguel Patino Velazquez, who is heroically battling the drug gangs who are inflicting death and destruction upon the Mexican people to such an extent that the rule of law itself is jeopardized. What wasn't said but should have been is that it is Americans who are responsible for this violence and chaos.

It is Americans who are consuming the marijuana, the methamphetamine, the cocaine that the drug cartels are producing. I believe American drug users, thus, are directly responsible for the death of Mexicans; the blood of these Mexicans is on their hands.

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Arkansas would be the first state in the South . . . .

WHO KNEW the election concerning "medical" marijuana two years ago would be so close? And in Arkansas, too. What a small, wonderfully idiosyncratic state. The same state that re-elected a Republican, Winthrop Rockefeller, as governor in 1968 also voted for a feisty little demagogue playing the race card in presidential politics that strange year- George Wallace. For good measure, Arkansas re-elected a Democrat-J. William Fulbright-as U.S. senator. Can we split our votes or what?

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But 2 Proposals Vying for Funding

Sponsors of two proposed constitutional amendments to allow the medicinal use of marijuana expect their measures to get on the ballot in 2014 and to pass.

But they'll have to compete for campaign funding at a time when marijuana activists are shifting their focus to complete legalization. And instead of having a united front, two Arkansas pro-marijuana groups will be vying for support.

The two proposed constitutional amendments - The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act by Arkansans for Responsible Medicine and The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act by Arkansans for Compassionate Care - would allow certain people legal access to marijuana, but would not legalize recreational use of the drug.

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Attorney General Dustin McDaniel for the sixth time Monday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal laws banning the production, distribution and sale of marijuana.

McDaniel cited ambiguities in the text of the proposal, which would also ban the Legislature from passing laws prohibiting or limiting the production, distribution or sale of the drug, in rejecting the measure.

The proposed constitutional amendment, called Ban Prohibition of Cannabis, was sponsored by Marjorie LeClair of Shirley.

McDaniel wrote in a letter to LeClair that his office previously rejected the measure in opinions dated from July through October and that some of the same issues remained.

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Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Monday for the sixth time rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal laws banning the production, distribution and sale of marijuana.

In rejecting the measure, McDaniel cited ambiguities in the text of the proposal, which would also ban the Legislature from passing laws prohibiting or limiting the production, distribution or sale of the drug.

The proposed constitutional amendment, called Ban Prohibition of Cannabis, was sponsored by retired Lt. Col. Marjorie LeClair of Shirley.

McDaniel wrote in a letter to LeClair that his office previously rejected the measure in opinions dated from July through October and that some of the same concerns remained.

[continues 70 words]

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Arkansas' attorney general's office has rejected language proposed for a petition that would ask voters to end the state's anti-marijuana laws.

Marjorie LeClair hopes to place a marijuana-related ballot issue before voters next November. Its language would repeal all laws restricting the production, distribution and sale of cannabis or any products derived from the cannabis plant.

The attorney general's office said Monday that it had rejected the proposed language, saying it was ambiguous.

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Judge Notes Ex-Lr Officer's Dishonesty, Lack of Remorse

A former Little Rock police officer who a judge said failed to show remorse and lied on the witness stand last week was sentenced Wednesday to 81/2 years in prison for helping transport marijuana through the city on March 22, 2012, while on duty.

Mark Anthony Jones, 46, who was fired after his arrest in what was actually an FBI sting operation, faced five to 10 years in prison in connection with his guilty plea earlier this year to a charge of attempting to aid and abet the possession of 1,000 pounds of marijuana with the intent to distribute it.

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LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has again rejected the wording of a proposed ballot measure aimed at legalizing marijuana in the state.

McDaniel on Tuesday cited several problems with the proposed constitutional amendment submitted by retired Army Lt. Col. Marjorie LeClair of Shirley. McDaniel must certify the wording of an amendment before supporters can begin gathering signatures in an effort to qualify for next year's ballot.

The proposal would repeal all laws pertaining to the production, distribution and sale of the cannabis plant and any products derived from the plant.

McDaniel has rejected previous versions of the proposed amendment.

Arkansas voters last year narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized medical marijuana.

Supporters are trying to get similar measures back on the ballot next year.

[end]

While reading the recent editorial vilifying medical marijuana, I kept expecting the writer to claim it would cause madness and for my babies to be born naked.

Until you watch someone you love dying in misery, it's easy to be dismissive.

Marijuana was used for thousands of years as a medicine. It was standard in American pharmacies until the 1930s when it was outlawed, but not because it was a dangerous drug. Recently the truth has come to the surface again, not via High Times Magazine, but from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and Alzheimer's researchers. Studies have shown that cannabis can kill cancer cells. Researchers have declared that it works better than the best-selling Alzheimer's drug, Aricept, at slowing the progression of the disease. The tremors of Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis are controlled better by cannabis than with drugs with none of the side effects caused by those drugs. Its efficacy is well-known to cancer patients suffering from nausea and wasting syndrome.

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A couple of months ago, I watched my mother die in excruciating pain, her mind fogged by morphine. We turned on Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," and I held her beautiful face in my arms as she squeezed out her final, painful breath.

For years, my mom suffered from chronic arthritis and glaucoma, and the only legal medicine that her doctors, in both Arkansas and Georgia, could provide was morphine. Several of them implied that they wished they could have prescribed marijuana. But we live in a cruel state where editorial writers and Christians apparently are more worried about kids getting into the stash than the unbearable pain that my mother suffered.

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Here's my two cents in support of a yes vote for medical marijuana. I am 77 with back pain called sciatica. I have used every pill, injection, X-ray and specialist that my insurance will provide, plus $7,000 of my own money for time on a chiropractor's wonder machine, all complete failures. Hydrocodone usually helps slightly.

Twice I smoked a half of a marijuana cigarette. Both times the pain was completely gone in 20 minutes. Recreational use? I have no opinion.

Greenbrier

[end]

Enough is enough! I surrender. Apparently, medical marijuana has its benefits and should be made available to those who need it. As I see it, the problem is the establishment of "head shops" that will dispense it, creating more need for government oversight and potentially distracting from the neighborhoods in which they locate.

I would bet a dollar to a doughnut that many of the supporters are already poised to open these shops and make a fortune.

Solution: Legalize it, let doctors prescribe it and pharmacies carry it. Surely all that is needed is the drug itself and old-fashioned cigarette paper. This would take most of the negative aspects out of legalizing it.

One more thing, it should be covered by all anti-smoking laws already in place.

Little Rock

[end]

Re medical marijuana: Yes, pain sufferers should be able to get relief from a pill provided by a pharmacist. The problem is that most of these pills make it very difficult for people to lead the normal lives they so desperately want to continue to do. Pain pills make it almost impossible to stay focused and alert. More importantly, they do nothing to help the person with nausea and weight loss, which are extremely problematic in fighting off a life-threatening illness.

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Barely had approval been announced for the second medical-marijuana petition when the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's editorial column pulled out its tired bag of factoids in opposition to any such measure. Under the outdated exhortation to "just say no," I believe the editorial reveals an abysmal knowledge deficit about this natural herb.

Despite stacks of evidence to the contrary, it says anyone in need of pain relief should get that relief from a pharmacist. Many patients using "legal" medications suffer disabling side effects. Most legal pain meds are extremely addictive; for those with long-term pain issues, marijuana is a safe, effective alternative.

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Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Wednesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal all of the state's marijuana laws.

McDaniel wrote in a letter to the proposal's author, Marjorie LeClair of Shirley, that he was rejecting the measure for the fourth time because of ambiguities in the text that would make it unclear to voters.

The proposed constitutional amendment, titled "Ban Prohibition of Cannabis," was unclear about its effect on future legislation, didn't say what laws were covered under the proposal and was misleading about current federal regulations, McDaniel wrote.

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'Medical' Marijuana Back in the News

"The people of Arkansas gave medical marijuana a thumbs down. But just barely. The measure got 49 percent of the vote. The state might have dodged that bullet, but there's no telling when medical marijuana will be back on the ballot in this sometimes all too Natural State." - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 12, 2013

WHO COULD have known that what supporters call "medical" marijuana would have come so close to being available in Arkansas? Back in the fall of 2012, a measure to make medical marijuana legal in this state got 49 percent of the vote.

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Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Thursday cleared the way for medical-marijuana supporters to start collecting signatures to qualify Arkansans for Compassionate Care's proposed initiated act for the 2014 general election ballot.

McDaniel certified a popular name and ballot title for the proposed ballot measure for Arkansans for Compassionate Care, whose campaign director is Melissa Fults of Hensley. The measure will be called The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act.

Fults said Arkansans for Compassionate Care will begin collecting signatures Oct. 11 at the Arkansas State Fair.

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Parental Guidance Required

"I care not who makes a nation's laws but who writes its songs." - -Attributed to Andrew Fletcher, 1703

THE YOUNG lady, to use the term advisedly, has been in the news of late, but not for any good reason. The entertainer formerly known as Hannah Montana seems to have made the usual spectacle of herself. Naturally it was on morning television. Isn't everything vulgar?

Ah, well, there's no accounting for tastes. Especially the atrocious kind. But there's something remarkable going on with said young lady/popular entertainer. Remarkable as in something needs to be said.

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LITTLE ROCK (AP) -Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has rejected the wording of a proposed ballot measure aimed at legalizing marijuana in the state.

McDaniel on Friday cited several problems with the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment submitted by Marjorie LeClair of Shirley. McDaniel must certify the proposed amendment before supporters can begin gathering the 78,133 signatures needed to place it on next year's ballot.

The proposal calls for repealing all state laws related to the cannabis plant.

[end]

Attorney General Eric Holder's speech to the American Bar Association in San Francisco was a bit like hearing from a stockbroker after trading has closed.

"Well, of course the market went down." Well, of course the U.S. needs to rethink drug laws and enforcement.

Decades after America righteously declared a zero-tolerance policy toward all drug crimes and nonviolent crimes involving drugs, Holder and others want to stop the abuses. Seize the belated insights whenever they come along. Support for being "Smart on Crime," in the AG's words, is aimed at undoing laws that maintain "a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality and incarceration" that "traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities."

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