Eight Federal Inmates Convicted of Crack Cocaine Offenses Have Sentences Commuted

By Join Together Staff | December 20, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Government, Legal & Legislation

President Obama on Thursday commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates who had been convicted of crack cocaine offenses, The New York Times reports. Six of the inmates were sentenced to life in prison. All eight inmates will be released in 120 days.
The inmates likely would have received much shorter terms under current drug laws and sentencing rules, the article notes.
While powder and crack cocaine are two forms of the same drug, until recently, a drug dealer who sold crack cocaine was subject to the same sentence as a dealer who sold 100 times as much powder cocaine.
The Fair Sentencing Act, enacted in 2010, reduced the disparity from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, for people who committed their crimes after the law took effect. As a result, many defendants who are caught with small amounts of crack are no longer subject to mandatory prison sentences of five to 10 years. Those convicted of crack-cocaine crimes tend to be black, while those convicted of powder-cocaine offenses tend to be white.
In a statement, President Obama said, “Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness. But it must not be the last. In the new year, lawmakers should act on the kinds of bipartisan sentencing reform measures already working their way through Congress. Together, we must ensure that our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, and that our justice system keeps its basic promise of equal treatment for all.”
A bill under consideration by Congress would make changes to crack cocaine mandatory minimum sentences in the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive. This would allow approximately 8,800 federal prisoners who were sentenced before August 3, 2010, to mandatory minimum terms for crack cocaine crimes to petition the court for a sentence in line with the Fair Sentencing Act, according to the advocacy group Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

Alcohol-Related Car Crashes More Likely on New Year’s Eve Than Christmas

By Join Together Staff | December 20, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol

Fatal car crashes are more likely to be caused by alcohol on New Year’s Eve, compared with Christmas, according to the National Safety Council.

Bloomberg reports between 2007 and 2011, over the New Year’s holiday period—6 p.m. December 31 through 11:59 p.m. January 1—there were an average of 108 traffic deaths a day, with about 42 percent linked to alcohol. In contrast, there were 93 alcohol-related deaths between 6 p.m. December 24 and 11:59 p.m. December 25, with 35 percent linked to alcohol.

This year, the group estimates that during Christmas, there will be 105 traffic deaths and 11,200 injuries requiring a medical professional, and 156 traffic deaths and 16,700 injuries during New Year’s.

“The difference between the two holidays is that everybody on New Year’s Eve is going out to parties and at their parties, they’re having the alcohol,” Capt. Nancy Rasmussen, Chief of Public Affairs for the Florida Highway Patrol, told Bloomberg. Christmas is more of a “stay-in-the-house, do-the-family thing, so there’s less drinking,” she added.

Traffic deaths are more likely during the July 4, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends than New Year’s, Thanksgiving or Christmas, the article notes. These warmer-month holiday periods average 140 traffic deaths each per day.

The National Safety Council advises drivers not to get behind the wheel even if they think they’re “just a little buzzed.” Designate a non-drinking driver, or take a cab, and refuse to ride with an impaired driver, even if it’s a friend or spouse.

Kentucky Bill Aims to Strengthen Heroin Treatment, Penalties
 
By Join Together Staff | December 20, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Legislation & Treatment

Kentucky lawmakers will soon consider a bill that would make the opioid overdose antidote drug naloxone more available, while stiffening penalties for high-level drug dealers. The bill also would expand anti-drug education, the Courier-Journal reports.

Kentucky Medicaid would be required to pay for a broad array of substance abuse treatment options for people seeking opioid addiction treatment. Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said he thinks this provision will give an incentive for more organizations to provide treatment for heroin addiction.

The proposed law would increase penalties for high-volume drug traffickers, and allow them to be charged with homicide, according to a news release.

Van Ingram, Director of the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy, said heroin accounted for 36 percent of the 639 overdose deaths in the first nine months of 2013 in Kentucky, compared with 3 percent in 2011.

December 20 v 22 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Do not say, “I will recompense evil”;
Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

STEP 5 :Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Recompense - to repay; remunerate; reward, as for service, aid, etc.
At the age of ten something very traumatic happened to me at the hands of a family member.Being that young  I was unable to handle or understand why or how could this happen.From that point until I reached thirty two years of age, my life was ruled by anger resentment and fear.Dealing with people was something I was unable to do until I discoverd drugs and alcohol. No body was going to hurt me again ,at least so I thought.Ninety five percent of my time was spent of thinking of ways to get even (recompense ) with every single person that harmed me. This way of living poisioned everthing I did ,bitterness and misery were the only true friends I had , and they were taking the life right out of me. Living this way was not living at all and thankfully it did not end there for some it does ,but for us lucky few I took step one and found GOD. After thirteen years of twelve stepping I can sit here and finally realize the Proverb is true and I can share my step five with you.

December 19 v 5 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.

STEP 10 :
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Lying is one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves and to our loved ones.Some cannot tell the truth ! My problem with this one , I like to exaggerate a story add facts and gorey details to make it more interesting. My wife calls me on it all the time . I literally have to stop myself and think before my mouth takes off and I am telling tall tales. Punishment mentioned in the Proverb is what we do to our character and our relationships. Some one told me Lying is like weaving a web and once caught in the web their is no escape.Think about it ,If you have watched an insect caught in a spider web how much it struggles too get it free but it can't. Our lies are a snare and we bound by them not just that they set the course of our lives .I want to be known for honesty and integrity ,not the lying ,thieving monster I used too be. Sincerely following step ten and applying it to everyday life will keep you out of the web.

Synthetic Marijuana Added to Defense Department Drug Testing

By Join Together Staff | December 18, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Military & Prevention

The U.S. Defense Department will start randomly testing service members for synthetic marijuana, the Air Force News Service reports.

“The message we’re getting out now is that when you participate in our random urinalysis program, synthetic marijuana products or synthetic marijuana will now be tested along with our other drugs,” Army Lt. Col. Tom Martin, who heads the department’s drug testing program, said in a news release. “It’s been known in the general population, both in the medical community and various media reports, that synthetic marijuana drug use is a serious health concern.”

He said that while the military generally has a much lower level of drug use than society at large, synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or Spice, “still poses a significant risk to both the safety and readiness of our force.”

The military also randomly tests service members for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and Ecstasy, as well as prescription drugs including oxycodone, hydrocodone and benzodiazepines.

“Any service member who tests positive for either an illicit drug or misuse of a prescription drug falls under any actions deemed appropriate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well actions that are appropriate as deemed by their commander,” Martin said.

Efforts to educate members of the U.S. military about the dangers of synthetic drugs, coupled with improved drug testing, are starting to have an effect, the Navy Times reported in November. The Navy and Marine Corps reported a drop in members using Spice and bath salts.
The Defense Department first began responding to use of synthetic drugs in the military in 2010. The department banned the compounds, and began to develop tests for them. In 2012, the military started an awareness campaign about synthetic drugs.