News

Ex-Chicago cop given 18 years in prison for helping kidnap, rob drug dealers With prosecutors seeking a 30-year prison term for him, former veteran Chicago narcotics cop Glenn Lewellen closed his eyes tightly and held his palms together in prayer Monday as the judge was about to announce his sentence on federal drug conspiracy charges.

COCAINE in toys and meth in curry paste are among the alarming discoveries Australian authorities are making as they battle record numbers of drug traffickers, a government crime report has revealed.

With prosecutors seeking a 30-year prison term for him, former veteran Chicago narcotics cop Glenn Lewellen closed his eyes tightly and held his palms together in prayer Monday as the judge was about to announce his sentence on federal drug conspiracy charges.

Two weeks after the California Supreme Court ruled that cities could bar medical marijuana dispensaries, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a separate case Monday brought by disabled Californians who claimed the local bans violated federal disability law.

Opinions

The Washington Liquor Control Board left no would-be stoner unturned, developing comprehensive rules for marijuana sellers and growers.

Look - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is not venal, malevolent or a cheat. That said, just the sound of his name now makes me want to lie down with a cold cloth on my brow.

This week, the Colorado General Assembly put the finishing touches on legislation aimed at taxing and regulating the commercial distribution of marijuana for recreational use. The process has been haunted by the fear that the federal government will try to quash this momentous experiment in pharmacological tolerance -- a fear magnified by the Obama administration's continuing silence on the subject.

OPINION: Is this the start of the legalisation of cannabis in Australia? Last week, a parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales recommended the government in that state change the law to allow the legal use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Letters

Thousands of Americans die every year from Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. That is why the federal government set up a bureau to regulate these products a century ago, but they still are legal to possess and use.

Re: "Marijuana rule defies First Amendment," May 13 editorial. A proposed rule forcing pot magazines behind the counters is not only in violation of the First Amendment, but it is just plain stupid. If the under-21 crowd wants information on marijuana, they only need to check their smartphones. Print magazines are sooo last decade, dude.

Regarding "Suburbia's deadly secret" (Page A-1, May 5): How many more young adults and kids must die before we relearn the lesson that our nation painfully learned between 1920 and 1933? Prohibition doesn't work, it can't work and it will never work.

The government justifies the drug war by saying it "takes drugs off the street". What it really does is raise the price so high that casual users quit. But they were no problem in the first place. Problem users will do almost anything to get the cash to pay the price.

Thanks for publishing Edward R. Arnold's thoughtful letter: "Marijuana is safer than tobacco or alcohol" (May 12).

Health care professionals report America is suffering an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. What if a widely used substance could prevent and maybe "cure" diabetes? There is, and cannabis is that substance.

To the Editor: The legalization of marijuana is a huge issue. It should be legalized for many reasons.