Monthly Archives: February 2013

6 year old expelled over toy gun allowed back into school

"A 6-year-old South Carolina girl will be allowed back in school after being expelled early in January for bringing a toy gun for 'show and tell,' school officials said Thursday. Naomi McKinney was expelled from Alice Drive Elementary in Sumter, S.C. on Jan. 7, according to a Wednesday report WLTX-TV. Her father Hank objected to the decision as well, saying that pencils are more dangerous than the clear, plastic water gun Naomi brought to school. 'I know there is a lot going on with guns and schools and that is tragic, but a six year old bringing a toy to school doesn’t know better,' he said." Continue reading →

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Study: Drugged Driving Laws Have Little Or No Impact On Traffic Deaths

"Since 1990, 11 states have passed so-called zero-tolerant per se drugged driving laws which make it illegal for one to drive with detectable levels of a controlled substance in his or her system. Five additional states have passed similar laws specifying non-zero limits for controlled substances or their metabolites. Using state-level data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the period 1990-2010, authors examined the relationship between the adoption of controlled substance per se thresholds and overall incidences of traffic fatalities. They found that the relationship is statistically indistinguishable from zero." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudy: Drugged Driving Laws Have Little Or No Impact On Traffic Deaths

ACLU takes on the DEA for seeking prescription records without a warrant

"The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to block the Drug Enforcement Administration from obtaining prescription records without a warrant in Oregon. The state of Oregon filed suit against the DEA last year after the agency sought to access the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), a database of prescription records for certain drugs. The ACLU and its Oregon affiliate hope to join the lawsuit on behalf of patients and doctors." Continue reading →

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FDA panel pushing for new limits on access to Vicodin

"Citing concern over increasing reports of addiction and overdoses, a FDA safety panel has recommended new restrictions on access to the commonly-used painkiller Vicodin and other products. The panel voted 19-10 to suggest that Vicodin and other products containing hydrocodone be reclassified as Schedule II, placing it alongside narcotic painkillers like cocaine and percocet. The proposed change would mean that hydrocodone — currently a Schedule III substance — would be subject to stricter regulation regarding access, storage and prescribed dosage." Continue reading →

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Obama’s Drug War: After Medical Marijuana Mess, Feds Face Big Decision On Pot

"The Department of Justice has cracked down hard on medical marijuana, raiding hundreds of dispensaries, while the IRS and other federal law enforcement officials have gone after banks and landlords who do business with them. Fours years after promising not to make medical marijuana a priority, the government continues to target it aggressively. U.S. attorneys in the states helped beat back local efforts to regulate the medical marijuana industry, going so far as to threaten elected officials with jail. The willingness of top prosecutors to use their power in brazenly political ways is, in many ways, the untold story of Obama's first-term approach to drug policy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Drug War: After Medical Marijuana Mess, Feds Face Big Decision On Pot

Oregon family uses medical marijuana to manage son’s autistic rage

"The Echols researched Oregon's medical marijuana program, and in 2010, a doctor approved Alex for medical marijuana use. Alex is now one of 58 minors currently protected under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. While autism is not a qualifying medical condition like cancer or severe pain, in Alex's case, his seizures were. And after a few months of treatment, the Echols said they saw a dramatic improvement. Echols said Alex's group home will not administer the marijuana, so, about three times a week off-site, his parents give Alex a liquid form of the drug by mouth." Continue reading →

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Are You a Sociopath? If So, You’d Be A Successful Prosecutor

"For several years, the federal government sought to confiscate the family-owned Motel Caswell in Tewksbury,Massachusetts. The owner, Russ Caswell, had cooperated with police investigations of suspected narcotics activity. He was never charged with a crime. Yet a DEA official filed paperwork to steal the property through asset forfeiture because of drug offenses that took place without the owner’s knowledge. Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, is reportedly considering an appeal of the ruling that dismissed the forfeiture suit against Caswell. Ms. Ortiz was the same prosecutor who drove 26-year-old internet wiz Aaron Swartz to suicide." Continue reading →

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Prison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan ’13)

"Our nation's nannies, scolds, and buttinskies started 2013 with a renewed hunger to mind other people's business. For reminding us of how far we've come since restaurant smoking bans, the January 2013 Nanny of the Month goes to Oregon Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland)!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan ’13)