DrugSense

Vail Daily, 15 Aug 2012 – Regarding Butch Mazzuca’s Aug. 12 column: There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland’s heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with illicit heroin use. The Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in several countries, including Canada. Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs.

Pueblo Chieftain, 15 Aug 2012 – High country harvest SAN ISABEL – Law enforcement agencies on Wednesday conducted the largest marijuana bust in Pueblo County history and one of the largest ever in Colorado. A crop of 7,000 to 9,000 pot plants with an estimated value of $15 million were seized in steep, secluded terrain in what appears to be the work of a Mexican drug operation.

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Fruita Times, 16 Aug 2012 – The Mesa County commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution opposing Colorado Amendment 64, an amendment to the Article 18 of the Colorado state constitution legalization of recreational use of marijuana in Colorado. Voters will get a chance to address the measure on the November ballot and will consider the Amendment as follows:

Wall Street Journal, 11 Aug 2012 – Support in Colorado for an initiative to legalize marijuana is gaining ground, according to a new poll-a development that could help President Barack Obama in that battleground state by driving turnout among young voters. The poll, conducted by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling, found support for the initiative at 47% to 38%-up from 46% to 42% in mid-June. It is especially popular among young people, who tend to favor Mr. Obama. According to the PPP poll, Colorado voters under 45 years old support the initiative-which would make it legal to possess as much as one ounce of pot for recreational use-by 58% to 30%. Older voters oppose the initiative by 44% to 39%.

Vail Daily, 12 Aug 2012 – Several weeks ago two 12 year-old girls were gunned down after being caught in the crossfire between rival gangs in Chicago. Chicago isn’t alone. Cities across America are experiencing greater incidences of gang violence centered on one thing: drugs.

Broomfield Enterprise, 10 Aug 2012 – Broomfield Drug Bust Among Report’s Examples A new report from a Congressional drug control group says medical marijuana from Colorado is being diverted and resold illegally both in and out of the state.

Denver Post, 11 Aug 2012 – Re: "Colorado’s medical pot industry fuels illegal trade, review shows," Aug. 2 news story. In your article on how medical marijuana is trickling down to unregistered users, couldn’t you have balanced it a bit by at least mentioning the legalization initiative that is on the state ballot in November? I believe it deserved mention because it would render a lot of this irrelevant, at least as far as in-state self-medicators are concerned.

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