Drugs & Vice

Pot And Pregnancy: It’s Harmless, So Why Are Moms Still Prosecuted?

"Weighing decades of research, it’s fairly safe to say that marijuana during pregnancy has very little to no effect on the developing fetus. Unfortunately, child welfare laws in many states do not agree. Some states equate smoking marijuana while pregnant — whether to alleviate nausea, vomiting, stress or depression — with felony child neglect or abuse. Given that marijuana is the most widely used drug by women of child-bearing age, and the potential for women to use marijuana without knowing they’re pregnant, this is a women’s rights issue. Why should a woman surrender autonomy over her body, her children and her approach to motherhood to civil authorities, whether she uses cannabis or not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPot And Pregnancy: It’s Harmless, So Why Are Moms Still Prosecuted?

FDA rewrites opioid narcotic labels to limit use for pain

"The new guidelines will not place formal new restrictions on prescriptions by physicians who treat patients for pain, but administration officials announcing the change made clear they hope to chasten physicians who prescribe the medications for anything other than ongoing, intractable pain. The revision made by the FDA would not just remove 'moderate pain' from the agency’s list of approved uses for the medications: It aims to get patients and their physicians to focus not only on levels of pain, but on how long it can be expected to persist and what alternatives exist to relieve it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFDA rewrites opioid narcotic labels to limit use for pain

Medical pot: Will Colorado’s “green rush” last?

"Twenty states have now legalized the medical use of marijuana for the treatment of things like glaucoma, the effects of chemotherapy, and chronic pain; defying federal laws that still consider marijuana more dangerous than cocaine and methamphetamine. In Denver, if you want to find a medical marijuana dispensary, just look for the green cross. You won't have to go far. There are 204 of them in the Mile High City -- that's roughly three times the number of Starbucks and McDonald's combined. They come in all sizes and shapes. There is the health food store motif and '70s style head shops. There are storefronts pitching low cost weed, and boutiques offering gourmet ganja." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMedical pot: Will Colorado’s “green rush” last?

Federal marijuana decision clears way for Oregon hemp production

"Oregon is one of seven states with laws that permit the production of industrial hemp, a non-intoxicating relative of marijuana grown for its sturdy fiber and seeds. Elsewhere in the country, hemp advocates have reacted to the federal government's new position on cannabis by moving ahead with legal hemp production. Kentucky's top agriculture official said the Cole memo is all he needs to move forward. India is the largest market for Canadian hemp by weight, though the United States buys more hemp seed than any other country, generally for food and beauty products. China, also a major international exporter of hemp, tends to produce hemp that's used for textiles." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal marijuana decision clears way for Oregon hemp production

Fighting marijuana … or reality?

"Americans are becoming deaf to the critics of pot legalization. Their hyperbolic claims about the dangers of pot -- along with the realistic ones -- are being dismissed by a justifiably cynical public. Anti-marijuana propaganda isn't stopping the march toward national legalization, but the opposition is losing its voice as it screams about the falling sky. A majority of Americans favor full legalization. So why can't the opposition discuss these problems realistically? It's simple: Because the only rational conclusion is that the dangers of pot are not sufficient to warrant its prohibition. Yet those who have an ideological opposition to legalization appear immune to reason." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFighting marijuana … or reality?

Kansas rejects marijuana advocacy group’s bid to adopt a highway

"State officials say that it’s not their beliefs that the state finds problematic, but the fact that what they advocate directly contravenes state law. The possession, distribution and consumption of marijuana is illegal in Kansas. 'We don’t want to advertise for that because their name is gonna be on our signs and I don’t think that’s acceptable,' said Benny Tarverdi of the Kansas Department of Transportation. The Department also told Eyewitness News 12 that this is only the second application it’s denied in the past decade. The first was from the KKK." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKansas rejects marijuana advocacy group’s bid to adopt a highway

French navy intercepts Syrian ship carrying 20 tons of marijuana

"The French navy said Thursday it had made a record cannabis seizure in the Mediterranean sea after intercepting a ship carrying 20 tonnes of cannabis worth up to 50 million euros. 'To the best of our knowledge it is the biggest seizure by the French state in the Mediterranean,' vice-admiral Yves Joly told a news conference in Toulon. The market value of the cannabis was 'between 40 and 50 million euros ($53 and 66 million),' said regional customs head Hugues-Lionel Galy. The eight-member crew, who claimed to be Syrians, set the cannabis on fire and a part of the clandestine cargo was destroyed. The men will be tried in France and could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench navy intercepts Syrian ship carrying 20 tons of marijuana

New Orleans Cop Gets Four Years For Fatal Drug Raid Shooting

"On March 7 of last year, Colclough was among a group of officers who raided her home on Prentiss Street in Gentilly, looking for evidence of drug dealing. As they marched up the stairs, 20-year-old Wendell Allen appeared at the top of the staircase. He was shirtless, wearing only pants and a pair of sneakers. He had nothing in his hands, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said Friday. He was unarmed. But Colclough fired his weapon once. The bullet tore through Allen’s chest, into his heart and his lungs. He fell on the landing and died within seconds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Orleans Cop Gets Four Years For Fatal Drug Raid Shooting

Is it time to get rid of the DEA?

"There is no doubt the agency should be reformed. It is also worth asking if it should continue to exist. According to a Reuters investigation, the DEA has been gathering information from other agencies, as well as foreign governments, for years. The DEA has also been collecting its own arsenal of data; constructing a massive database with about 1 billion records. This information is shared in secret. By hiding the origins of its data from defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges, the agency and its partners effectively are undermining the right of the people it targets to a fair trial." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs it time to get rid of the DEA?

Drug-Sniffing Dogs Pose a Problem in States That Legalized Marijuana

"Police in Tacoma, Wash., aren’t ready to retire their four-footed marijuana sniffers. 'There are several instances where marijuana is still illegal,' says officer Loretta Cool. 'If you are under 21, you cannot possess marijuana. If you have more than an ounce, it’s illegal.' But half an hour north in Seattle, police have stopped teaching drug dogs to recognize pot. 'There’s constant training to make sure their sniffers are up to snuff, where we use real drugs from evidence and a dog is rewarded for sniffing it out,' says Sergeant Sean Whitcomb, a spokesman for the Seattle Police Department. 'Marijuana is not something they are training on—that skill is no longer being reinforced.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrug-Sniffing Dogs Pose a Problem in States That Legalized Marijuana