From the Associated Press:

Photo of indoor marijuana plant. Click here for larger image.

"Man arrested in fatal stabbing, marijuana grow-op found in house

BOTHELL, Wash.—Investigators found more than a dead body when they checked on a report of a fatal stabbing at a house in this suburb northeast of Seattle. They also found signs pointing to a marijuana growing operation.

Bail was set at $1 million Thursday in Everett District Court on William Douglas Lance, 44, hours after he was arrested for investigation in the death of his roommate."

Read the whole story here.

Marijuana: Harmless?

A well-researched story on marijuana ran in the Des Moines Register over the weekend.

"The drug of choice among children in Iowa isn't what most parents might expect, or even fear.

It isn't alcohol. Methamphetamine? Not even close.

Marijuana—more than all other drugs combined, including alcohol—is what juveniles want most. It is the state's No. 1 illicit drug problem among people of all ages, and is catching on among children as young as 11. Yet parents, many of whom think back to their own days of "casual" marijuana use, tend to be less concerned about their child's experimentation with a joint than a drink.

They shouldn't be, medical and law enforcement authorities say.

This is not your parents' pot. Today's marijuana is at least 10 times more potent than it was in the 1970s, according to Iowa's crime lab officials.

The result is a stronger, longer-lasting high whose effects reach far beyond the so-called munchies and drowsiness caused by marijuana available decades ago. Today's pot can leave users in a stupor for hours, slurring their speech and precariously limiting certain body movements. Young users interviewed for this story said even one hit from a joint can have immobilizing effects."

Read the whole story here

Good turnout and positive press coverage marked our latest random drug testing summit. Deputy Director Mary Ann Solberg met with concerned parents and school administrators to discuss this powerful tool.

From the Fox affiliate in Milwaukee:

"She says testing has led to a drop in teenage drug use, but the results must be kept confidential and never made available to police. That way testing is just another reason that teens can use to fight peer pressure, and say no to drug use.

She added, "When I was a kid, as I said during my speech, all I needed to say was my mother would kill me, and she would have. Things are a bit different today and kids need a little stronger reason to say I can't use drugs."

Pewaukee High School is in its second year of random drug testing. Officials there say there have been no complaints from students or parents so far."

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also covered the event. Responding to criticism from drug legalization groups, a local principal who oversees a drug testing program in his school explains how well their program has worked:

But Pewaukee High School Principal Marty Van Hulle said he would urge colleagues to adopt random drug testing as his school did two years ago, saying it was a "reasonable and practical" thing to do.

He said roughly 75% of the student body is subject to the random tests, which courts have ruled are only legally applicable to students who receive certain privileges from schools, such as extracurricular activities or on-site parking. So far, he said, a few students have tested positive for drugs, and at least one came up clean during a second test, a result Van Hulle described as positive.

While critics say drug-testing programs can cost up to $30,000 a year for a school, Van Hulle said his school has spent $3,200 on the program each year and used federal funds earmarked to combat drug use, not local funds or money that could have been otherwise used for teacher salaries or textbooks."

Dr. David Murray, Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of National Drug Control Policy discusses the FDA's dismissal of marijuana as smoked medicine and reviews the current science behind marijuana research. Dr. Murray also clears the record regarding claims that a 1999 Institute of Medicine report supports smoking marijuana as medicine.

Here's a Reuters story covering the F.D.A. position on smoked marijuana.

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From the F.D.A.

Claims have been advanced asserting smoked marijuana has a value in treating various medical conditions. Some have argued that herbal marijuana is a safe and effective medication and that it should be made available to people who suffer from a number of ailments upon a doctor's recommendation, even though it is not an approved drug.

Marijuana is listed in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most restrictive schedule. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which administers the CSA, continues to support that placement and FDA concurred because marijuana met the three criteria for placement in Schedule I under 21 U.S.C. 812(b)(1) (e.g., marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision). Furthermore, there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use. There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana.

FDA is the sole Federal agency that approves drug products as safe and effective for intended indications. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act requires that new drugs be shown to be safe and effective for their intended use before being marketed in this country. FDA's drug approval process requires well-controlled clinical trials that provide the necessary scientific data upon which FDA makes its approval and labeling decisions. If a drug product is to be marketed, disciplined, systematic, scientifically conducted trials are the best means to obtain data to ensure that drug is safe and effective when used as indicated. Efforts that seek to bypass the FDA drug approval process would not serve the interests of public health because they might expose patients to unsafe and ineffective drug products. FDA has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease indication.

A growing number of states have passed voter referenda (or legislative actions) making smoked marijuana available for a variety of medical conditions upon a doctor's recommendation. These measures are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are proven safe and effective under the standards of the FD&C Act. Accordingly, FDA, as the federal agency responsible for reviewing the safety and efficacy of drugs, DEA as the federal agency charged with enforcing the CSA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as the federal coordinator of drug control policy, do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes.

From the North County Times in California comes this shining example of how communities can combat pro-drug influences in young people's lives:

"Many parents will wake up this Thursday morning, get ready for work, converse briefly with their children, and set about on their day unaware that April 20 is widely recognized as a pot-smoking holiday for many youth in our society.

[…]

Several years ago, when an on-campus student assistance program in Carlsbad noted that many young people relapsed or began to use marijuana on April 20, they decided to change the campus culture. For the past three years, the Carlsbad Village Academy has hosted a celebration of sober and drug-free life choices on April 20 for all middle- and high-school-age youth in the district.

The purpose of the event is to provide an alternative activity for students to counter the pro-marijuana influences that are common in mainstream media and in our communities, as well as to educate parents about the risks of youth marijuana use and the "code of 420."

From its small beginnings, the event has grown to include many community partners, and has expanded to the Oceanside Unified School District as well."

Read the whole story here.

The Arizona Republic reports on several school districts experiences with screening young people for substance abuse:

"Student athletes, cheerleaders and musicians who participate in after-school activities have increasingly been subject to random drug testing.

Paradise Valley public school officials began testing students more than a decade ago and spend about $33,000 a year to test students in five high schools.

The 1,300-student Queen Creek High School began three years ago, and so far, no student has tested positive for illegal drugs or alcohol.

The Chandler Unified School District started in February randomly testing high school students involved in activities governed by the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which includes band and cheerleading.

School officials say drug testing is an effective way to keep students away from illegal substances such as marijuana and cocaine.

And the threat of a drug test helps students resist peer pressure, said Tot Workman, Queen Creek athletic director.

"This (drug testing) provides them an opportunity to say no," he said."

"By and large, parents have supported it," said Regina Wainwright, Chandler's testing coordinator.

[…]

If students test positive, it neither affects their academic standing nor is it reported to law enforcement."

ONDCP will bring experts together in Milwaukee next week to discuss the benefits of random testing. For more information, or to register for the summit, click here.

Today, ONDCP released a press release summarizing the latest data dealing with the illegal market for Ecstasy (MDMA). Once again, here is proof that when we push back against the drug problem, it gets smaller.

Some key findings:

• The latest Monitoring the Future report has found that the use of Ecstasy (MDMA) has declined by nearly two thirds since 2001.

• Current use dropped 66 percent among 8th graders (from 1.8 percent to 0.6 percent), 61 percent among 10th graders (from 2.6 percent to 1.0 percent), and approximately 64 percent among 12th graders (from 2.8 percent to 1.0 percent).

• Perceived harm of using Ecstasy among high school seniors almost doubled, from 33.8 percent in 1997 to over 60 percent in 2005.

• At its peak in 2001, total domestic seizures of MDMA reached 11 million tablets. In the past 2 years, however, total domestic seizures declined to less than 3 million tablets.

• Dutch MDMA seizures increased from 3.6 million tablets in 2001 to an average of 5.5 million tablets a year for 2003 and 2004.

Read the whole press release here.

Parents and schools are not powerless against the drug problem. Here's yet another school district that has started a drug testing program. From the NBC affiliate in Whitesboro, Texas:

What You Need to Know About Starting a Student Drug-Testing Program

"When parents in Whitesboro learned of a high school student's drug problem, they kicked into over-drive to demand a change in the school district's drug-testing policy. At Monday night's meeting, the school board agreed.

The Whitesboro School District used to have a voluntary oral drug-test, but now, the new program will require all athletes, students enrolled in extra-curricular activities, and anyone who drives to school to sign a release, agreeing to be tested.

If anyone refuses, they will not be allowed to drive to school, or participate in their sport or club activity. Administrators hope it'll make a difference. Students say there is a need."

Read the whole story (with video) here.

From the Nevada Appeal:

"In 2004 Carson City Justice of the Peace John Tatro told me that at least half of the meth abusers who appear before him also tested positive for marijuana. And just last month the Appeal published a graphic example of how marijuana can lead to the use of hard drugs. It was the story of 17-year-old Cyndle Bell of Carson City and her personal battle against meth addiction, which she chronicled in a 15-minute documentary produced as her senior project at Carson High School...

...Well, that's exactly what a group of East Coast potheads Ð I call them drug legalizers—want to perpetrate in our drug-afflicted community by means of an initiative petition that will be on the ballot in November. Two years ago, a similar petition was rejected by a 60-40 margin and I see no reason to vote any differently this time around. In fact, given the devastating impact of illicit drugs on young people (and others) in our community, I hope the margin of victory against the measure is even more decisive this fall.

A few days after Ms. Bell's moving story was published, 32-year-old Michael Cordero-Perez admitted that he was under the influence of beer and marijuana last December when his vehicle crossed the center line on Jack's Valley Road in Douglas County and crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by 42-year-old Robin Moroney, of Gardnerville, who died on the spot. And that's just the latest driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs story in our state ...

... According to the highly respected Mayo Clinic, regular marijuana use can cause health problems ranging from memory loss to cancer. Specifically, the clinic has reported that marijuana smoking can inhibit short-term memory; reduce hand-eye coordination, reaction time and muscle strength; limit attention span; increase the risk of schizophrenia, and may even cause paranoia, anxiety and/or panic attacks.

If you want to make marijuana available to your children and grandchildren at local convenience stores, that's your business. But when it becomes an expensive community health and law enforcement problem, as illicit drugs clearly are in Carson City, then it's everyone's business, and we don't want any part of it."

Read the whole piece here.

ALASKA STATE FLAG

Pro-drug groups have been seeking to legalize drugs in the United States for decades. They've never been able to convince Americans that more drug use in our comminutes is a good thing. Alaska isn't falling for it either. Here's an Associated Press report that covers the increased potency of marijuana in Alaska and Governor Murkowski's efforts to update their laws on marijuana to match the reality of the drug's dangers:

"The Murkowski administration insists marijuana is a different drug now than it was in the 1970s and 1980s.

The bill says marijuana's psychoactive ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, is far more potent and dangerous today, especially for young people.

"If they're going to look at whether today's marijuana is still entitled to the same privacy protection, they need to look at what kind of drug we have now," said Dean Guaneli, the state's chief assistant attorney general.

The state claims THC levels have risen tenfold or more over the last three decades. The state Department of Law provided legislators 30 years of data on THC potency of marijuana seized in Alaska.

But opponents say the data are flawed because testing in the 1970s was faulty.

The potency-versus-privacy issue is testing Alaska's image as a bastion of rugged individualism.

"It's the old thing of, you can do anything you want as long as you don't step on someone else's toes doing it," said Marc Hellenthal, an Anchorage-based pollster who grew up in Alaska.

He says Alaskans' Libertarian-style leanings are alive and well in spirit.

Rival pollster David Dittman disagrees. He points out Alaskans voted to criminalize marijuana once again in 1990—later struck down by the state Supreme Court—and twice turned down citizen initiatives that would have legalized the drug.

"I think it's just kind of an urban myth, that laissez-faire Libertarian element," he said.

Bill Parker, a former state legislator, thinks a majority of Alaskans fall somewhere in the middle.

"I don't think Alaska is ready to say, just like Safeway has a tobacco shop, there ought to be a marijuana section," said Parker, now a lobbyist for Alaskans for Marijuana Regulation and Control."

Read the whole story here.

From Reuters comes this report:

"Colombia, April 11 (Reuters)—The last fighters of Colombia's most feared paramilitary militia, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, blamed for the killing of thousands of civilians, laid down their weapons on Tuesday, the government said.

The last 1,765 members of the paramilitary army known by its Spanish initials AUC handed in their arms to the government in the town of Casibare in Meta province, central Colombia, in a ceremony presided over by government peace negotiator Luis Carlos Restrepo.

All of the AUC's 30,140 members have now handed in their arms in a demobilization that began in late 2003, said Restrepo, announcing the end of an organization classified as "terrorist" by the United States and responsible for many of the worst human rights abuses in Colombia in recent years.

"We can say that the AUC formally stopped existing today," Restrepo said.

President Alvaro Uribe says the demobilization—achieved in return for the promise of freedom in civilian life or steeply reduced jail sentences for crimes including murder—are a major factor in the sharp fall in violence related to Colombia's four-decade-old guerrilla war."

Read the whole story here.

John Walters, the Director of National Drug Control Policy, has returned from a week-long trip to Afghanistan, Belgium, and The Netherlands. This week, he briefed foreign media outlets at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C. During his remarks, Director Walters addresses anti-drug progress in Afghanistan and cooperation with European nations.

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While most teens say no to drugs, the pressure is on during prom and graduation. In fact, although drug use has declined over the past four years, surveys show nearly one in three high school seniors was drunk in the last month, and more than one in five used an illicit drug. To help further this important message in your community, we are encouraging you to use and distribute this Senior Year Open Letter to local media, community activists, and parents.

The Senior Year ad launched nationally this weekend in Parade magazine, reaching over 75 million readers in more than 340 newspapers. Beginning this week, the ad is also running in 25 of the nation’s major newspapers and consumer magazines such as Newsweek and Family Circle. The ad calls on parents to stay vigilant during this prom and graduation season.

Senior year is not the time to let go. Instead, it is a time when graduating teens need their parents’ guidance more than ever.

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"CARSON CITY—Nevadans strongly oppose a ballot question to legalize the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana by adults 21 and older, a Review-Journal poll shows.

The poll found just 34 percent favor the question placed on this November's election ballot by the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana. The measure is opposed by 56 percent of 625 Nevadans who responded to the poll; 10 percent are undecided.

"I think it shows the public is smart enough to realize they are being hoodwinked by a group that wants to legalize drugs," said Lt. Stan Olsen with the Metropolitan Police Department. "The state, the country, the community is tired of it."

The results show a change in the public attitude about marijuana in the last four years. A Review-Journal poll in July 2002 found almost an equal number of residents backing and opposing the legalization of three ounces of marijuana. During the 2002 general election, citizens rejected the proposal by a margin of 39 percent for, 61 percent against.

Olsen, the Police Department's legislative lobbyist, said citizens see that methamphetamine and other serious drugs are ruining lives and they have grown to hate all illegal drugs, including marijuana.

"They see the accidents committed by people high on drugs, they see the violent crimes committed by people on drugs," he said."

Read the whole story here.

President Bush has proclaimed April 11, 2006 as National D.A.R.E. Day.

In 2005, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America launched Above the Influence, an advertising and online campaign to encourage teens to reject drug use and other negative pressures. My Administration has also hosted a series of summits to educate community leaders and school officials on successful student drug testing.

The struggle against alcohol abuse, drugs, and violence is a national, state, and local effort. Parents, teachers, volunteers, D.A.R.E. officers, and all those who help our young people grow into responsible, successful adults are strengthening our country and contributing to a future of hope for everyone.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 11, 2006, as National D.A.R.E. Day. I call upon young people and all Americans to fight drug use and violence in our communities. I also urge our citizens to support the law enforcement officials, volunteers, teachers, health care professionals, and all those who work to help our children avoid drug use and violence.

Read the whole proclamation here.

From AP comes this story out of Arkansas:

"MENA, Ark.—An apparent robbery at an indoor marijuana growing site near Mena has left two people dead and another two wounded, officials said.

The gunfight on Sunday occurred when four men from Henryetta, Okla., tried to rob the owner of the parcel, Bradley Webster, 40. Polk County Sheriff Mike Oglesby said about 500 marijuana plants and a hydroponic growing system were found inside a building,

The two men killed were identified as Chris Pangle, 35, and Thai Flores, 23.

Oglesby said Waylon Null, 18, was shot in the face and that the other person involved, Preston Edmonson, drove Null to a home on Arkansas 8, where he told residents he ran out of gas."

Read the whole story here.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors banned marijuana-flavored candy this week. Read the whole story here.

Here's a front page, above-the-fold story from USA Today which covers reductions in teen drug use. The data comes from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health:

"Fewer teens using drugs
Study: Biggest drops in Midwest, South

By Donna Leinwand
USA TODAY

Drug use has edged downward among teens nationwide, with the biggest decreases driven by teens in the Midwest and South,

Click here for larger image

according to a national survey on drug and alcohol use.

Children 12 to 17 years old who reported using any illicit drug in the past month declined from 11.4% to 10.9% between 2002 and 2004. States that saw the biggest declines in teen drug use were Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Carolina, Virginia and Vermont."

Read the full story here.

Today the Government of Canada announced its plans with regard to marijuana legislation proposed by the previous government:

"OTTAWA—Canada's new Conservative Party Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday that Ottawa does not intend to reintroduce legislation to legalize small amounts of marijuana.

Speaking to the Canadian Professional Police Association, Harper received applause when he reiterated that the legislation drawn up by the previous Liberal Party government would not be reintroduced when the new Parliament sits Monday.

The bill, which had alarmed law enforcement officials in Canada and the United States, died on the floor of the House of Commons after the Liberal Party lost elections in January."

Read the whole story here.

From the UK's Guardian:

Click here for larger image

"Doctors from London University have revealed details of what they believe is the largest amount of ecstasy ever consumed by a single person. Consultants from the addiction centre at St George's Medical School, London, have published a case report of a British man estimated to have taken around 40,000 pills of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, over nine years. The heaviest previous lifetime intake on record is 2,000 pills.

Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent..."

The story continues with his use of marijuana:

"Mr A was also a heavy cannabis user, and when he was encouraged to decrease his use, his paranoia and hallucinations disappeared and his anxiety abated. But his memory and concentration problems remained, leading the doctors to suspect that these may be permanent disabilities.

When he was admitted to a specialist brain injury unit and put on anti-psychotic medication, he did start to show some improvement."

Read the whole story here.

Thanks to increased security, foreign investment confidence and strong leadership by President Uribe, Colombia's economy grew at its fastest pace in a decade:

"March 31 (Bloomberg)—Colombia's economy expanded last year at its fastest pace in a decade as a strengthening peso and falling interest rates spurred consumer demand.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of a country's output of goods and services, expanded 5.1 percent in 2005, following growth of 4.8 percent in 2004, the government said. The economy grew 3.7 percent in the fourth quarter, less than the 5.2 percent median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of 15 economists, after growing 6.4 percent in the third quarter....

...Total investment in Colombia last year rose to 22 percent of GDP, the highest since 1994, from 15 percent in 2002, the year President Alvaro Uribe took office, according to the National Planning Department. Retail sales rose 9.3 percent in the year through December compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the statistics agency."

Read the whole story here.