The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has long noted that there has never been a recorded case of an overdose death attributed solely to marijuana. Johnson, a Forest Park Democrat, has started a much-needed discussion at the state Capitol about decriminalizing a substance that even President Barack Obama, who used marijuana […]
marijuana
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In session
Dozens of laws are proposed for this year’s state Legislature, including changes for judges, divorces, marijuana legalization, militias and more. BY TIM FARLEY As the Oklahoma Legislature convenes on Feb. 3, hundreds of bills are stacked and ready for its consideration. From legalizing marijuana to changing how divorces are considered, some may have more impact […]
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Up in smoke
Without a doubt, the prospect of legalizing marijuana in Oklahoma will draw opponents when a new measure is introduced during the next legislative session in February. Obvious critics will be law enforcement officials and conservative legislators, but they won’t be alone. Some predict the alcohol and tobacco industries also will join the fight. For decades, […]
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Drug deal
Law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma continue to fight the War on Drugs, but it’s not solely for noble purposes. For certain, illegal drugs are seized and bad guys are put in prison. Still, agencies like the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug […]
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Lockdown
Locking up nonviolent drug users and perpetuating the 42-year-old War on Drugs has become a profitable and political tool used by Oklahoma’s elected officials and the for-profit prison industry. Many of those offenders have a recognized need for treatment or a halfway house setting instead of incarceration, said state Rep. Gus Blackwell (R-Laverne), an advocate […]
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Open-and-shut?
See update Dec. 20 update: UPDATE: Court unseals Ed Shadid’s divorce records When asked about the records, acquired from Gazette sources, Shadid said he is ready for the anticipated public reaction later this week if the full divorce file is unsealed. “But I don’t want (ex-wife) Dina (Hammam) or the children to be hurt. I don’t […]
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What’s to hide?
Joey Senat, author of Mass Communication in Oklahoma and associate professor of journalism at Oklahoma State University, said divorce filings are as much a public record as lawsuits and criminal charges.“Divorce records are not private and are included in the public court system,” he said. Senat’s comments come on the heels of a legal battle […]
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Budding prospects
Recent survey data from SoonerPoll.com shows 71 percent of likely Oklahoma voters support amending the law to allow for physician-authorized patients to consume cannabis for therapeutic reasons. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar measures since 1996. Other survey results show 57 percent prefer treating minor marijuana violations as noncriminal, fine-only offenses. […]
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‘Tightening the noose’
Basically other states have come to their senses about pot, both medical and recreational and the associated prison reform. Once again, Oklahoma is tightening the noose on its citizens. When Oklahoma uses human incarceration as a major economic model, it is helpful to keep the private prisons and the legal system clogged with nonviolent drug […]