Drug Problem

As a former drug abuse counselor, I was appalled by the statement made by a school administrator that it's the teachers who have to shape up in to quell violent behavior by students ("School behavior policies shifting," Feb. 20). Better have the student take a drug test. Where there is harm to people or property, there usually is drug use. Alcohol is a drug. It changes people, intensifies their emotions, so if people start out angry, they will be angrier later on. If the student is the victim, or observes violence in the home or neighborhood, it is more likely that that behavior will be copied.

Cortly "C.D. " Witherspoon, a Baltimore minister and activist, has been scoping out convenience stores that sell products such as "Scooby Snax. " The glossy package features a picture of a dazed-looking cartoon character, Scooby Doo. A sticker advises that the contents have a blueberry flavor, though the package contains dried herbs, not candy. The minister's mission has been to get such products out of the hands of Baltimore's youth, who are smoking the stuff in hopes of getting high.

This week, mega-superstar Michael Jackson admitted an addiction to painkillers.Last week, actor River Phoenix's autopsy revealed an overdose of cocaine and heroin caused his death.When celebrities are arrested, confess or worse -- die -- because of drugs, does all the media attention help the struggle to control the drug epidemic?"What it does is focus the general public's attention on the use of drugs by celebrities or middle-class people," says Richard Lane, director of Man Alive Research Inc., a Baltimore methadone treatment center.

Regarding your recent article about Baltimore's drug problem, anyone whom has visited a city courthouse, taken a police ride-along or grown up in one of the city's poorer black communities knows there is a war going on here ("Anti-drug-war cop wants Baltimore police commissioner opening," July 26). That war is being fought for unclear reasons with horrific results. The official name for it is the "war on drugs," but a more apt name would be the war on reason. Prohibition has failed, and the effects it is having on Baltimore are far worse than those of the city's high property tax rate.

As promised by the principal of Westminster High School, a state trooper and an emergency room physician delivered a strong warning to parents and students at an anti-drug forum last night.The trooper recited statistics that he said are evidence of a growing drug problem in Carroll County.The Carroll County General Hospital emergency room physician told of three heroin-related deaths and more than 50 cases of heroin overdose in the past six months.Knowledge is essential in the battle against drugs, but Sherri-Le W. Bream, the principal, asked for more than avid listeners.

Last week, Perspective published the text of a letter fro Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke to Bob Martinez, the federal "drug czar." The Schmoke letter said law enforcement efforts were not controlling drugs, which needed to be treated more as a public health problem. Here is the text of the reply from Mr. Martinez, dated September 30.Mayor Schmoke:Thank you for sharing your views on the President's National Drug Control Strategy. I welcome not only your comments, but those of all the mayors, legislators, and other city and state officials around the country who have shared their experiences and insights with us. I sought this counsel in good faith, and I regard it as an important contribution to the process by which the National Strategy is developed.

"OUT OF SIGHT, out of mind." All too often that is how parents feel about the increasing drug problem among young people in Carroll County. Mike College, a retired Maryland State Police narcotics officer, said society often forgets about heroin use until it becomes front-page news. "Heroin has been here before, and it's still here," he said. College said statistics can't be ignored. Heroin overdose deaths in Carroll County rose from two in 1999 to eight last year. Perhaps more frightening for parents, nine of 10 youths treated at the Carroll County Drug Treatment facility were approached with drugs by friends.

Paul still breaks into tears when he thinks about how close he came to dying before finally breaking free of 19 years of drug addiction and crime.The 38-year-old Anne Arundel Community College student took the first steps toward recovery when he enrolled at the college two years ago, to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine.And thanks to the efforts of an English teacher at AACC, Paul can take advantage of a support network geared to help him make it through the days at school -- a network he has found so helpful that Paul now volunteers to help others with similar problems.

London. -- The other day, my 23-year-old daughter arrived back in London from an eight-month stint as a sports instructor in Aspen, Colo. To her shock and dismay, she learned that while she was in America, one of her London girlhood chums was put away for six years for dealing in cocaine.Cocaine is everywhere in London. She knows that and so do I. But even by her standards, what she saw in Aspen was an abundance that the Cornucopians of London couldn't match in their wildest dreams.In her opinion, and I couldn't find a credible argument to dissuade her, the police of Aspen must be privy to the marijuana-cocaine life-style, otherwise so plentiful a trade could not survive relatively unmolested.

Bywater Mutual Homes was designed more than 20 years ago as an idealistic experiment aimed at turning tenants into homeowners. Now, many dwellers say drugs, not residents, own the community."

When Harford County's chief prosecutor, State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly, reached a plea agreement with a repeat-offending burglar that gave the 28-year-old admitted drug abuser 28 years to serve in prison, there was a lot to like about the deal. Asked about the plea agreement, Cassilly said: "If you're going to break into houses to steal stuff for your drug problem, we're going to ask for jail time. If you have a history of breaking into people's houses, we're going to ask for serious jail time.

As a former drug abuse counselor, I was appalled by the statement made by a school administrator that it's the teachers who have to shape up in to quell violent behavior by students ("School behavior policies shifting," Feb. 20). Better have the student take a drug test. Where there is harm to people or property, there usually is drug use. Alcohol is a drug. It changes people, intensifies their emotions, so if people start out angry, they will be angrier later on. If the student is the victim, or observes violence in the home or neighborhood, it is more likely that that behavior will be copied.

I woke up this morning with one thought -- The night is finally here! Well, maybe not quite, but I know I don't speak only for myself when I say that I've been waiting for this episode since it was first teased in the series opener. Whenever"Revenge" is discussed, at some point the question arises: “Do you think Daniel is really dead?!” Now we know the answer: Nope! I think most knew it was unlikely that Daniel would actually be killed off the show, but we have also learned that nothing is predictable on "Revenge.

A year after the U.S. Naval Academy expelled seven midshipmen for using synthetic marijuana on the zero-tolerance Annapolis campus, the "spice" investigation is over, and college officials say the drug problem is past. Sixteen midshipmen were expelled from the academy for use or possession of synthetic marijuana between December 2010 and August 2011, when the formal investigation ended. Only one midshipman has been investigated for spice since, said Cmdr. William Marks, academy spokesman.

Rules keep it clean Dave Fairbank Newport News Daily Press It probably lies somewhere between a Latter-day Saints church retreat and world-class cycling. Two guys pinched for selling weed, out of hundreds of pit jockeys and wrench-turners, isn't exactly cause for alarm. That said, in just about any population sample from the planet's wealthiest and most pharmacologically dependent society, there's going to be a notable number of recreational users.

As the judge in charge of the Baltimore City District Court Drug Court for the past 17 years, and the current chairperson of the state's Judicial Conference Commission on Problem Solving Courts, I am disturbed by recent articles in this paper and elsewhere attacking drug courts as ineffective, essentially calling for drug use to be treated outside of the criminal justice system, and incorrectly asserting that drug courts are most effective for individuals...

WELL AFTER he had retired from his career as a high school teacher and principal, Oliver Stendgren still kept active, hunting, fishing and tending his garden. Tall and broad-shouldered, he'd been an imposing figure in his prime. And even when he reached his 80s, age seemed to have touched Stendgren's body only lightly.His mind, unfortunately, was another matter. By the time Stendgren was 84, his daughter Sheila (the names of Stendgren and his daughter have been changed to protect their privacy)

Cortly "C.D. " Witherspoon, a Baltimore minister and activist, has been scoping out convenience stores that sell products such as "Scooby Snax. " The glossy package features a picture of a dazed-looking cartoon character, Scooby Doo. A sticker advises that the contents have a blueberry flavor, though the package contains dried herbs, not candy. The minister's mission has been to get such products out of the hands of Baltimore's youth, who are smoking the stuff in hopes of getting high.

Drug addiction is a health problem. So why are U.S. drug policies still seeking solutions within the criminal justice system? The use of drug courts — programs that seek to reduce drug use through mandated drug treatment and close judicial oversight — has grown drastically over the last 20 years thanks to moving success stories and enthusiastic proponents within the criminal justice system. In Maryland, the Drug Treatment Court Commission was established in 1993, and Baltimore City's first drug treatment court started in 1994.