Bipartisan Bill Aims to Help Low-Level Drug Offenders Re-Enter Society

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July 31st, 2014/

A Senate bill sponsored by a Democrat and Republican who normally are on opposite ends of the political spectrum aims to help low-level drug offenders re-enter society. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, are co-sponsors of The REDEEM Act.

The bill is designed to shift the focus away from punishing low-level drug offenders,MSNBC reports. It would reform criminal background checks and the juvenile justice system. Criminal records for teenage offenders would be sealed, and adults could apply to have their records expunged.

The REDEEM Act would limit how long a person must answer employer questions about past convictions. Job applicants with a criminal record, even for low-level offenses, often find it difficult to find employment, the article notes. The act would also repeal the ban on federal welfare benefits for people convicted of non-violent drug violations who complete substance abuse treatment.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted to reduce terms for low-level drug traffickers who are already incarcerated. More than 46,000 drug offenders will be eligible for early release from prison. The sentences could be reduced by an average of more than two years, unless Congress stops the plan by November 1.

Each offender’s petition will be considered individually by federal judges. None of them will be released before November 1, 2015.

In April, the Commission voted to reduce the base offense for criminals caught with various amounts of drugs. The new vote makes the reduced sentencing guidelines retroactive for most drug traffickers.

Homeowners’ Associations Are Dealing with Marijuana Conflicts

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July 31st, 2014/

Many homeowners’ associations are dealing with conflicts among neighbors about marijuana use, in states where the drug is legal for medical or recreational use, theAssociated Press reports. The associations are also grappling with disputes about growing marijuana and hemp.

Associations cannot ban members from using marijuana in their homes if the drug is legal. But they can regulate its use as a nuisance or as a threat to children if neighbors can see or smell marijuana, the article notes.

“The fact that people may be legally entitled to smoke doesn’t mean they can do it wherever they want, any more than they could walk into a restaurant and light up a cigarette,” said Richard Thompson, who owns a management consulting company in Portland, Oregon for condominium and homeowners’ associations.

In his own condo development, neighbors complain about marijuana smoke in the warmer weather, when people are out on their patios and have the windows down, he told the AP.

“What we’re really seeing more now is regulating the associations’ common areas,” such as playgrounds and homeowners’ porches, said Erin McManis, a Phoenix laywer whose firm represents many homeowners’ associations.

New Electronic Device and Mobile App Designed to Detect ‘Date Rape’ Drugs in Drinks

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July 31st, 2014/

A company in Toronto is developing a new electronic device and mobile app to detect ‘date rape’ drugs in drinks, according to CNN Money.

The product, called Personal Drink ID (pd.id), sends an alert to a person’s phone if it detects their drink has been drugged. The device, which measures 3.5 inches long, looks like a small USB key, the article notes. It can be dipped in and out of a drink, and is small enough to fit in a pocket or purse.

The company’s founder, J. David Wilson, said he expects to release pd.id in April, at a cost of $75.

Earlier this year, researchers in Singapore announced they have developed a new test that can detect the date-rape drug GHB in drinks. GHB is predominantly a central nervous system depressant. It can be produced in clear liquid, white powder, tablet, and capsule forms. Because GHB is odorless and tasteless, it can be slipped into someone’s drink without detection. The drug incapacitates people who ingest it, making them vulnerable to sexual assault.

The researchers mixed a fluorescent compound with a sample of drink containing GHB and found the mixture changed color in less than 30 seconds. They said the color change was seen in clear and light-colored drinks, including water and vodka. Better lighting was needed to see the change in darker drinks, such as cola and whiskey. They are working with product designers to come up with a portable detection kit within a year.

JULY 31 Chp 107 v 10 v 11 v 12 v 13 v 14 v 15 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH  FROM THE PSALMS 

 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,

imprisoned in iron chains of misery.

 They rebelled against the words of God,

scorning the counsel of the Most High.

 That is why he broke them with hard labor;

they fell, and no one was there to help them.

 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;

he snapped their chains.

 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

STEP 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God !

This is why I try to study Gods Big Book (Bible) everyday . God has snapped my chains and I just don't want to give Him praise for that , I want to praise Him for the way He unconditionally loves me. God could have let me die in my sin and addictions , but He did everything He said He would in the Psalm . There are many in rebellion against God and society , you think your tough and your way is the way everyone should live .God will break you 

and send you to Hell ! God will be more than patient , He waited sixteen years for me to come back to Him . It broke Gods heart to see me one of His sons living sad , defeated drowning in my self made sea of uncontrollable urges to my addictions and sins. You matter to God and your rebellion will steal the wonderful life God has planned for you . It is time for you to wake up , the cemetery is already full of half lived lives with unfulfilled dreams . 

Psalms 68:6 God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

By Joseph Dickerson

As Drug Courts Expand, Critics Say They Aren’t Reaching Those in Greatest Need

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July 29th, 2014/

As the use of drug courts expand, critics say people with minor marijuana infractions are more likely than those with serious drug problems to end up in these programs.

Drug courts allow drug offenders to receive court-supervised treatment instead of punishment, the Los Angeles Times reports. These programs can dramatically improve the lives of people addicted to drugs, the article notes. But a growing number of people are ending up in drug court because of minor marijuana infractions, some longtime supporters tell the newspaper.

In many areas of the country, people charged with marijuana possession are the largest group of offenders sent to drug-court programs. Often, people who chronically abuse hard drugs are not allowed to participate in these programs.

“For serious drug offenders it has been a far better alternative than prison,” said John Roman, a senior analyst at the Urban Institute, who studies drug courts. “The problem is very few people who have those serious problems get into one of these drug courts. Instead, we take all kinds of people into drug court who don’t have serious problems.”

In some cases, people who might have faced a fine for marijuana use in the regular court system are instead moved into the drug-court system. They are often forced to pay for costly treatment programs, and could face jail time if they break the program rules. “Once you get that deep into the criminal justice system, it can be really hard to get out,” Roman said.

Rick Jones, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service in Harlem, New York, says his nonprofit group often sees people with low-level marijuana offenses being pressured into drug-court treatment, while people addicted to drugs are disqualified. “It is not working the way we thought or hoped it would,” Jones said.

Abuse of Painkillers, Illegal Drugs Growing in Silicon Valley

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July 29th, 2014/

In the high-stress environment of Silicon Valley, a growing number of high-tech workers are abusing painkillers and illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The issue of drug abuse among high-tech workers received intense media attention after Google executive Forrest Timothy Hayes died last year after being injected with a fatal dose of heroin aboard his yacht. A prostitute was arrested and charged with administering the injection.

“I’ve had them from Apple, from Twitter, from Facebook, from Google, from Yahoo, and it’s bad out there,” said Miami-based addictions coach Cali Estes, who says she has helped 200 tech workers. They are using prescription drugs such as oxycodone and Adderall, as well as cocaine and heroin, she says.

“And it’s a lot worse than what people think because it’s all covered up so well,” Estes told the newspaper. “If it gets out that a company’s employees are doing drugs, it paints a horrible picture.”

“There’s this workaholism in the valley, where the ability to work on crash projects at tremendous rates of speed is almost a badge of honor,” said Steve Albrecht, a San Diego consultant who teaches substance abuse awareness for Bay Area employers. “These workers stay up for days and days, and many of them gradually get into meth and coke to keep going. Red Bull and coffee only gets them so far.”

Many tech companies do not conduct drug testing on employees, Albrecht says. “They want the results, but they don’t want to know how their employees got the results.” Most large tech firms offer counseling, but many employees don’t want to use the services because of privacy concerns.