News

The mother of a man believed to have taken his own life as a result of drug addiction will stage a protest Tuesday in the hopes of getting government to provide more services for addicted Islanders.

Changing Medical Marijuana Regulations Have Left Users in a Smoky State of Mind and Doctors Fuming With Rage.

Your 4/20 Calendar While July 10 makes its push for relevancy - the date, "710," is the word "OIL" upside down, a reference to increasingly popular variations of butane-extracted hash oil - April 20 reigns supreme on the cannabis calendar. So with that in mind, here's where to celebrate this Sunday. (Note: All events are 21 and up.)

Federal Tracking System Is Snaring Law-Abiding Private Pilots Ken Dobson, a retired police officer, said he received quite a welcome when he landed his single-engine Cessna in Detroit two days after leaving his home in Palm Desert. Gina Ferazzi

Opinions

Tips for harvesting your own sustainably grown medical weed. Spring has sprung, and if you're thinking about growing some medical cannabis this year, it's time to get cracking. Growing pot organically in one's backyard can be a safe, rewarding, affordable way to obtain the botanical remedy. But coaxing decent medicine from the soil takes plenty of time and attention to detail.

Maryland Is Right to Be Cautious About Legalizing Pot, but Decriminalization Addresses Some of the Worst Problems of the War on Drugs

Wasn't so long ago police officers used to kick Ed Forchion in his nether regions before they'd arrest him. Now, they ask for his autograph.

Workplace drug testing tipped to rise I have used drugs and that is why I am coming forward to tell my story. I am a lawyer and my drug use has no connection with my job. It is a choice I have made.

Letters

Medical marijuana is a bit of an oxymoron. Cannabis sativa has been on Earth longer than we. Should the day arrive that my doctor gives me a prescription for "medical marijuana," I will go to a proven & trusted source - the black market.

Columbia, SC - It is good news that legislators are considering a law to allow doctor-prescribed use of marijuana. More than 20 states that have approved its use for nausea. The primary reason, as I understand it, is that most pain medication has after-effects of severe nausea.

The arrest of Joaquin Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was described by Attorney General Eric Holder as a landmark achievement.

As a university student, I have been taught to examine all sides of an issue to form an educated opinion. Instead of blindly arguing one side, I try to weigh the pros and cons and form an opinion that takes bits and pieces from all sides.

Alan Chartock's recent argument that New York lawmakers are "stuck in cement" regarding medical cannabis is completely true. But Mr. Chartock, unfortunately, gives readers the impression that cannabis is only helpful to people who are dying. That is flat-out wrong.

EDITOR: With all of the recent hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth over the prospect of legalizing marijuana, I have a few questions.

Georgia Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon is to be commended for making the case for medical cannabis. While there have been studies showing that cannabis can shrink cancerous tumors, medical cannabis is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends cannabis to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical cannabis is a quality of life decision best left to patients and their doctors.