News

The two Ontario-bound shipments of medical-marijuana products seized by B.C. Mounties a couple of weeks ago contained unauthorized items, police said in a short statement posted on their website.

In what seems the natural next step to legalized pot, a Colorado company has brought forward a new vending machine that cuts out the middleman for marijuana sales and gives buyers a speedier, after-hours means of purchasing the drug.

Possession of Papers, Pipes Remains Criminal ANNAPOLIS (AP) - A new law that will decriminalize marijuana in October involves some ambiguities that police and prosecutors are just beginning to confront.

While 'Bootlegging' Is Still on the Radar, Illegal Drug Trade Now More of a Problem It's been about a year since a shift in the RCMP at the federal policing level came into effect.

Opinions

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.

The war on drugs has been one of the worst policy debacles in our nation's history. We incarcerate too many people for nonviolent offenses, spend too much money doing it and ruin too many lives -- especially among the poor and communities of color -- all without enhancing public safety.

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.