The Man Everyone Forgot.

MayorBob.

Posted to Legal on Wed Sep 03, 2008 at 12:48:18 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Joseph Shepard could be a candidate for poster child for the Sixth Amendment Society, should such a society ever be formed. He's been sitting in a jail cell in Jennings, Missouri waiting to have his drug case resolved in court. He's been waiting for almost two years, most of it spent in his cell 23 hours out of each 24 hour day. He's been forgotten by the system.

(2 comments, 457 words in story) Full Story

Let's Talk The Hypocritical, Not The Hippocratic Oath When It Comes To Med Schools

MayorBob.

Posted to Etcetera on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 06:24:40 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

To hear the medical schools talk about it, they are training doctors who will practice medicine with their patients' best health in mind. There are those who say one of the things many doctors learn early in their careers is that pharmaceutical companies can be quite helpful to them. What they'll find is that pharamaceutical company reps are a wondrous source of money, gifts and free drug samples. There is a group that believes many doctors learn these things right when they're learning to become doctors - at medical school. They also believe the first steps in correcting the situation has to be taken at the medical schools. According to the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), it's about time to take stock of just what the medical schools are doing about this situation. Which is what it did and the initial results are quite disturbing.

(19 comments, 448 words in story) Full Story

This War On Drugs Is For Suckers

MayorBob.

Posted to Etcetera on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:41:31 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

America's drug warriors never seem to tire in their quest to have something to get their bowels in an uproar. It's not enough that they seem intent on creating another "illegal drug" they can prosecute. Although, they might have an argument here - the use of Salvia divinorum does produce hallucinations (although not addictions). But our drug warriors are now onto another insidious drug-related threat to America. This substance doesn't produce highs, lows, or much of anything beyond potential tooth decay. No, the main thing about this substance is that the damned pot suckers taste just like weed.

(5 comments, 398 words in story) Full Story

Parliament To Give Cannabis The Skunk-eye

MayorBob.

Posted to Legal on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:42:49 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Britain's Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced the UK is reclassifying cannabis.  It is currently a Class C drug and, in the future, it will be classified a Class B drug.  The difference is that possession of a Class C drug tops out at two years behind bars, while getting caught with a Class B drug could cost you five years of your life.  Smith said the government's decision, which still requires parliamentary approval, is part of a "relentless effort" to protect the nation's young people.

(2 comments, 438 words in story) Full Story

Shoe Tossing: The Definitive Non-Answer

thefadd.

Posted to Scoop on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 09:24:18 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Sneakers on telephone wires. Like white dog poop from the '70s they are one of those oft-seen, rarely documented phenomenons of every day life. How did they get there? Why did they get there? Possibly most importantly, who put them there?

(13 comments, 374 words in story) Full Story

Follow the rules you'll have mad bread to break up not 15 19 years on the wakeup

pO157.

Posted to Legal on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:18:10 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

After a monumental Supreme Court decision regarding sentencing disparity in Cocaine vs. Crack sentencing in December, the first inmates walked out of prison free men on Monday.

(4 comments, 259 words in story) Full Story

Is it wrong to tell stories of chasing the dragon while chasing high office?

pO157.

Posted to Politics on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 07:42:31 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

When touring a New Hampshire high school, candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il) was asked about whether or not he had used substances in his younger years. His candid reply resulted in an attack from fellow contestant Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

(17 comments, 392 words in story) Full Story

Tale of Woe: The Mark O'Hara Story

pO157.

Posted to Legal on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 09:23:28 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

In August, 2004 Mark O'Hara was picked up by Tampa Airport police after being found with 58 Vicodin pills and a small quantity of marijuana inside the bread truck he owned. He was soon sent to prison for 25 years for drug trafficking and lost everything. The twist in this case? Prosecutors admit he was not selling the drugs and the Vicodin was prescribed to him legally by his physician.

(8 comments, 544 words in story) Full Story

Happiness: Threat Or Menace?

pO157.

Posted to Business on Mon Jul 09, 2007 at 05:28:55 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

In 2005, a US government study found that of the 2.4 billion prescriptions written, 118 million were for one type or another of anti-depressant, making this the most commonly issued drug in the country.

(14 comments, 319 words in story) Full Story

How High?

pO157.

Posted to Business on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 03:02:28 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

According to the United Nations, opium production in Afghanistan has shot up 50% from the year before, while eradication efforts destroy production in almost every other state in the Golden Triangle.

(9 comments, 231 words in story) Full Story

A Prom's Proviso: Mandated Parental Training

pO157.

Posted to Business on Sat May 05, 2007 at 09:02:13 AM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

Every spring, like clockwork, thousands of high school students in the United States prepare to attend the prom. A good time, full of life changing experiences, is usually had by all, though there are times when it leads to trouble. Many school districts usually attempt to dissuade teens from letting the prom experience become deadly with graphic depictions of what happens when good proms go bad. However, one school district has turned the tables on who gets to sit through pre-prom education sessions by requiring all parents to go.

(6 comments, 358 words in story) Full Story

All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People Know And Love And Use Every Day

shane.

Posted to Politics on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 09:15:47 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

A study that was recently released in the UK under the direction of David Nutt, has called for a new framework for classifying drugs - a framework that classifies drugs based on "their actual risks to society" which would include adding alcohol and tobacco to the list of drugs needing regulated.

According to existing British drug policy, alcohol and tobacco are legal, while cannabis and ecstasy are illegal. "The current drug system is ill thought- out and arbitrary," said Nutt, referring to the practice of assigning drugs to three divisions, ostensibly based on the drugs' potential for harm. Tobacco causes 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is blamed for more than half of all visits to hospital emergency rooms. The substances also harm society in other ways, damaging families and occupying police services.

(8 comments, 234 words in story) Full Story