NEWS
By Devon Hutchins | June 4, 2009
The week before the legislative session ended, Maryland's General Assembly hosted Michael Phelps to recognize his achievements at the Beijing Olympics. Just two months after critics claimed his career and reputation would never recover from the infamous photo of him apparently smoking marijuana that circulated the Internet, state senators and delegates honored him with a standing ovation. The incident underscores what some recognize as a shift away from the disproportionately "tough on crime" attitude for which Maryland legislators have been known.
NEWS
By DANIEL K. BENJAMIN | July 31, 1992
Clemson, South Carolina. -- Are you ready for the fastest jump in heroin use in this country's history? Are you ready for heroin to take the place of cocaine as the illegal drug of choice? Well, get ready, unless we reform our current, federally dominated drug policy.The federal government's marijuana interdiction program has sharply decreased imports. The result: The price of high-quality marijuana has skyrocketed to twice the price of gold. No part of the federal government's drug program operates in a vacuum, however.
NEWS
By Steve Chapman | April 20, 2005
CHICAGO - For some time, critics have been saying that the war hasn't been going well, has forced us to overextend ourselves and is gobbling up far too many tax dollars. But many of them were skeptical about this effort from the start. The surprise is that President Bush now seems to be moving their way on the war. Not the war in Iraq - the war on drugs. Early on, the Bush administration took a consistently hard line against recreational substances and those who use them - vigorously opposing state medical marijuana initiatives, objecting when Canada considered decriminalizing marijuana and accusing potheads of subsidizing terrorism.
NEWS
By Paul Shread and Paul Shread,Staff writer | March 13, 1991
Annapolis Drug Policy Director Eric Avery resigned yesterday, leaving the future of the department in question.Avery said his decision to resign came after weeks of talks with Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins over the direction of the department, but he did not give specifics. Hesaid the decision was "mutual.""We're just not compatible in our philosophies of how to solve the problems, and you have to decide whether you can get the support todo the things you want to do," Avery said. "I'm really happy and proud of what we've been able to do here.
NEWS
By Jay Merwin and Jay Merwin,Evening Sun Staff | January 24, 1991
Carroll County school system officials stand behind a decision to suspend two 5-year-old girls for unauthorized possession of a prescription medicine. The suspensions were in line with the county schools' drug policy.School board President John D. Meyers Jr. said yesterday he had not yet reviewed details of the case, but he generally favored a strong and consistent discipline in the schools.The two Westminster Elementary School kindergartners, whose names were not released, were suspended last Thursday and Friday after reportedly exchanging prescription bottled medicine while riding a school bus.Westminster Elementary Principal Larry Thompson confirmed the suspensions, but he was reluctant to say much more about the decision, except that it was "uncommon."
NEWS
By TAYLOR W. BULEY | June 28, 2006
Two years ago, my 23-year-old brother became addicted to painkillers after breaking his leg and undergoing several operations to repair it. Last year, while he was checking into rehab for abusing OxyContin, I was drafting a chapter in my new book calling for drug legalization. It was a difficult moment to believe in individual liberty: I felt firsthand the effects of what it's like when people make bad decisions. I saw how hard my brother struggled to get clean, first moving forward and then backsliding again into substance abuse.