Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Drug Czar Sends Mixed Messages On Marijuana Policy

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 8, 2011 News

Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske claimed on Thursday that the regulation of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs has not worked, so regulation of marijuana could not be expected to work, either

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Thursday announced the latest results of the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. As is their annual custom, the federal officials used the event — and the survey itself — as an opportunity to decry the use of marijuana in the United States.

“What we saw today was just more of the same stale old rhetoric and exaggerations about marijuana use,” said Morgan Fox, communications manager for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). “The analysis SAMHSA included with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health seeks to blame what they claim is a significant increase in teen marijuana use on relaxed perceptions of harm, caused by the ongoing discussion of marijuana reform, particularly medical marijuana.

Drug Treatment Doc Arrested For Attempted Rape of 10-Year-Old

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 8, 2011 News

KOMO News

Addiction counselor David Scratchley is accused of attempting to rape a 10-year-old boy

David Scratchley, a “Christian drug-treatment manager” based in Seattle, has been arrested and charged with attempted rape of a child in the first degree and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail, and is scheduled for arraignment on September 21.

Scratchley, 52, presents himself as an expert on such topics as “power parenting” and “treatment options for addicted teens,” subjects that he has addressed in both books and in online videos, reports Nina Shapiro at Seattle Weekly.

Missouri Technical College Begins Mandatory Drug Testing

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 News

The Gilmer Free Press

I know it’s the “Show Me” state, but this is ridiculous. A state technical college in central Missouri has begun what could be the most extensive drug testing policy at a public college or university in the United States.

The demand that students provide urine specimens for drug testing welcomed new enrollees at Linn State Technical College, a two-year school with about 1,200 students, reports Alan Scher Zagier at the Huffington Post.

More limited drug testing of college and high school students — say, of student athletes, or at private colleges — has been consistently upheld by courts at both the federal and state levels. But Linn State’s testing of the general student body appears unprecedented.

VH1 Documentary Delves Into History of Crack Cocaine

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 Culture, News, Products

VH1

Twenty-five years after crack cocaine ravaged American cities, a new VH1 Rock Doc explores how the drug also transformed popular culture, especially hip-hop. The latest addition to the Emmy-winning franchise, “Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation” premieres Sunday, September 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.

Narrated and executive produced by Ice-T, “Planet Rock” is the first documentary to focus specifically on the connections between crack and hip-hop. Based primarily on the first-person accounts of four famous dealers turned rappers, the film also widens its lens at times to show how crack changed America culturally, socially and politically.

1,500 Rally At Michigan Capitol In Favor Of Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 Dispensaries, Medical, News

Chris Collins

Official media estimates of the crowd ran as high as 1,500, but according to activist Missy Griggs of Clinton Township, who attended the rally, it may have been closer to 3,000 or even 4,000 people there.

Greg Deruiter/Lansing State Journal

Protesters converged on the Michigan state Capitol on Wednesday because of a recent court decision banning the sale of medical marijuana in dispensaries

About 1,500 supporters filled the Capitol lawn Wednesday afternoon at the state capitol in Lansing, carrying signs reading “Patients Are Not Criminals” and “Weed Deserve Better” in what is being called the largest pro-medical marijuana rally in Michigan.

What Marisa Schultz of The Detroit News called a “spirited gathering” came after an Appeals Court ruling last month that resulted in the closing of many of the state’s estimated 400 to 500 medical marijuana dispensaries.

The ruling banned patient-to-patient marijuana sales for the nearly 100,000 carriers of Michigan medical marijuana cards, effectively limiting the ways in which patients can get medical marijuana and leaving them with few safe options to get their doctor-recommended cannabis, according to supporters.

Boise’s First Hemp Rally: Idaho HOPE Fest Coming Sept. 25

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 Culture, Products

Idaho HOPE Fest

Boise, Idaho’s first hemp festival is coming to Julia Davis Park on September 25. According to organizers, the Idaho HOPE Fest is the first annual event being held in Boise to advocate for the end of the federal government’s war on cannabis consumers, and to promote the re-legalization of industrial hemp.

“We will feature live entertainment, guest speakers, vendors, and educational exhibits on cannabis and the politics, culture science and controversy surrounding it,” event organizers say on the HOPE Fest website.

Organizers said they have a number of goals for this year’s inaugural event:

• To collect signatures for the Idaho Medical Choice Act, a citizen’s initiative to legalize medical marijuana for Idaho’s seriously ill patients

• To promote the re-legalization of industrial hemp

• To educate the public on the growing cannabis industry, a legitimate market providing jobs and economic growth to states that have legalized its medical use

• To push for public discussions on the legalization of marijuana.

Vietnamese Drug Centers: Forced Labor, Human Rights Violations

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 Global, News

Julian Abram Wainwright/Vinaland

Recovering drug users share buckets of water for a communal bath at a drug rehabilitation center in Vietnam

Vietnam subjects patients at so-called “drug rehabilitation centers” to abuse and forced labor, according to an international human rights group which called for the facilities to be shut down.

Human Rights Watch, based in New York, on Wednesday called on international donors to check the programs they fund inside the drug rehab centers for possible human rights violations, reports Mike Ives at Forbes.com.

The United States and Australian governments, the United Nations, the World Bank and other international donors may “indirectly facilitate human rights abuses” by paying for drug dependency and HIV treatments for addicts inside the centers, according to the group.

ACLU Challenging Florida Drug Test Law For Welfare Recipients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 7, 2011 Legislation, News

Sentimental Journeys

Florida Governor Rick Scott: “We don’t want to waste tax dollars.” The new welfare drug testing program costs about $5 for every $1 it saves.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says it is filing a lawsuit challenging a Florida law that requires new welfare recipients to pass a drug test.

The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of a 35-year-old Orlando man, Luis Lebron, an ACLU spokesman told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The group said that Florida’s drug testing law is unconstitutional, violating the Fourth Amendment’s constitutional protections against search and seizure.

No further details of the ACLU lawsuit were immediately available.

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the welfare drug testing bill into law in July, saying it is “unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction.”

MMB&J Offers Medical Marijuana Bottles For Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 6, 2011 Dispensaries, Products

MMB&J

MMB&J (Medical Marijuana Bottles & Jars) was created in 2009 by a small group of registered Michigan medical marijuana caregivers and patients. “Our ultimate goal is to offer the highest possible quality of containers for your medicine,” says the company, which markets recycled plastic medical marijuana bottles to dispensaries.

All MMB&J medical marijuana bottles are made of 100 percent recycled plastic, and are odor-free, UV-resistant, waterproof and childproof. In other words, short of investing in glass, these are some of the best medical marijuana storage solutions available.

Marijuana Users Have Lower Risk Of Obesity: Study

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 6, 2011 Medical, News

Red Bubble

Never mind the munchies. Marijuana users may have a lower risk of obesity than those who don’t smoke pot, according to a new study.

The results show that prevalence of obesity is lower among people who frequently smoke cannabis compared to those who never use, reports Rachael Rettner at My Health News Daily.

“We found that cannabis users are less likely to be obese than non-users,” said Dr. Yann Le Strat, a French psychiatrist and co-author of the new study, reports Philip Caulfield of the New York Daily News. “We were so surprised, we thought we had [made]a mistake.”

“Cannabis is supposed to increase appetite,” Le Strat said, reports The Week. “So we hypothesized that cannabis users would be more likely to have higher weight than non-users and be more likely to be obese.”

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