recreational substance use

• Maryland

Md. marijuana laws may lead to battle over probable cause

Recently-passed legislation decriminalizing marijuana paraphernalia as well as smoking in public may set the stage for a Fourth Amendment probable cause battle if Gov. Larry Hogan signs it into law.

• Baltimore City Paper

Mr. Wrong: Why do you think they smoke it, dope?

• Sports

Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory admits failed combine drug test

Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory acknowledged he failed a drug test for marijuana at the NFL scouting combine in February.

By Aaron Wilson

Mar 26, 2015

• Opinion

Pre-booking diversion: an alternative to conviction and incarceration

People may make their own choices whether to use and/or sell drugs, but independent decision-making is steadily reduced as factors such as addiction and economic disadvantage come into play. Given the failure of the so-called "war on drugs" to stop illegal drug use and the violent crime that often flows from it, the question becomes how to end this cycle of arrest and re-arrest and the concomitant expenditure of resources to deal with these cases in ways that will meaningfully reduce crime.

• Baltimore City Paper

Fox 45 botches apology for Tawanda Jones segment; not the first time reporter has made a major error

• Maryland

Man arrested for allegedly selling drugs near library

A Westminster man is charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and related charges for allegedly selling marijuana near the Westminster branch of the library.

• Baltimore City Paper

Wandering Eye: The vaping debate continues, scandal in the Environmental Control Board, and Baltimore signs explained

• Opinion

End America's failed war on marijuana

End America's failed war on marijuana

• Opinion

Marijuana legalization is the only option

The longer Maryland waits to end criminal penalties for pot, the harder it will be for addicts to seek treatment.

• Opinion

Fixing Md.'s marijuana law [Editorial]

Already critics are poking holes in the state's pot decriminalization law are becoming clear; lawmakers should fix the obvious problems but otherwise wait to see how it works in practice.

• News

Residents put gates on alleys to shut out criminals

Fed-up residents in Southeast Baltimore banded together to shut the T-shaped alleyway off from the rest of the neighborhood with a locked gate — illustrating a movement that is spreading to neighborhoods across Baltimore.

• Maryland

Identify trends in drug use [Editorial]

• Baltimore City Paper

And now the superlatives for last weekend's Moonrise Festival

• Opinion

'Harm reduction' approach key to preventing deaths at electronic dance music events [Letter]

A 'harm reduction' approach is key to preventing deaths at electronic dance music events.

• Opinion

Addicts need compassion -- and treatment [Commentary]

On June 21, the Vatican press office published the presentation made by Pope Francis to the 31st International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in Rome. The Pope told the conferees, "The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs! … Substitute drugs are not an adequate therapy, but rather a veiled means of surrendering to the phenomenon." These comments represent an unfortunate, categorical rejection of "maintenance" treatment of opioid addiction with medications such as methadone.

• Maryland

Brian DeLeonardo, Republican [Profile]

• Maryland

Pa. man sentenced to three years for Westminster armed robberies

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to serve three years in the Carroll County Detention Center for a series of robberies, some armed, he committed in Westminster.

• Opinion

Physicians need periodic checkups in medical marijuana use [Letter]

Physicians need periodic checkups in medical marijuana use

• Sports

After a tumultuous year, red-hot Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz has never been happier

After the most difficult year of his professional life, Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz is reborn as the American League's top slugger.

• Opinion

Narcan won't solve the problem of addiction [Letter]

Mike Gimbel says 'harm reduction' strategies like outfitting police officers with Narcan will do no good without treatment on demand.

• Baltimore City Paper

Baltimore, you gun-crazed, crabby, syphilitic, drug-sucking date raper...

• Baltimore City Paper

License approved, Berger factory to reopen; only non-critical violations found

• Baltimore City

Baltimore study indicates family influences academic, work place success

While Americans like to believe that a child can rise above a low-income family background to go to college and then a high paying job, research by a Johns Hopkins University sociologist over a quarter of a century in Baltimore proves it rarely happens in Baltimore.

• Maryland

District 5 legislative candidates discuss legalizing marijuana

• Maryland

Carroll County state's attorney candidates discuss preventing drug use, distribution in schools

• Maryland

Parents give testimonials about drug use

• Maryland

Brian DeLeonardo: Time for fresh leadership

• Maryland

Jerry Barnes: Continue to keep Carroll safe

• Maryland

Brian DeLeonardo: Time for fresh leadership

• Harford

Harford mall, Looney's Pub report thefts [Police blotter]

Maryland State Police, Harford Sheriff's Office, Aberdeen Police, Bel Air Police and Havre de Grace Police report:

• Harford

Harford sheriff says legalizing drugs would 'compound our problems'

Drugs continue to be Harford's biggest problem, and legalizing any of them would only make things worse, Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane said.

• Opinion

A step toward sanity on marijuana [Editorial]

Maryland is right to be cautious about legalizing pot, but decriminalization addresses some of the worst problems of the war on drugs.

• Baltimore City Paper

Puffing through the great "vape" debate over electronic cigarettes

• Maryland

Testimony continues in trial of man accused of child sex abuse; jury to begin deliberations Wednesday

• Opinion

O'Malley should sign marijuana decriminalization bill [Letter]

Gov. Martin O'Malley should sign legislation decriminalizing marijuana.

• Maryland

Pa. woman charged with possessing heroin, paraphernalia

• Opinion

Up in smoke [Commentary]

A Maryland Senate bill to decriminalize marijuana is unnecessary, because, in fact, most Maryland counties are already not criminally charging for possession of small amounts, but rather putting offenders into a program that includes drug education and community service. Also, while there were 19,828 violations in Maryland in fiscal year 2013 for possession of less than 10 grams, there were only four convictions.

• Politics

Bill would allow doctors to write marijuana 'recommendation' for their patients

The House of Delegates approved legislation Monday that would allow specially licensed physicians to recommend marijuana to patients with debilitating medical conditions.

• Politics

State Senate votes to decriminalize marijuana

Possession of small amounts of marijuana would be treated as a civil offense rather than a crime under a bill that passed the Senate Friday.

• Harford

Identity theft reported in Aberdeen [Harford police blotter]

Crime reports from around Harford County

• Opinion

Supporters of marijuana legalization misread history [Commentary]

Expect more social disorder if a country that took a century and a quarter to learn to handle its liquor legalizes marijuana. Being stoned is a condition that loosens civic bonds, so tolerating, if not encouraging use, should contribute to, not lessen, what historian Norman H. Clark described as an "attenuated sense of community."

• Sports

Ayanbadejo says teammates on one of his Super Bowl teams used marijuana week of game

Without offering specific details, former Ravens and Chicago Bears linebacker and special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo delivered some explosive allegations about his Super Bowl experience with one of his former NFL employers.

• Opinion

Pot not same as tobacco, alcohol [Letter]

Obama wrong to compare pot with alcohol and cigarettes

• Maryland

Tom Zirpoli: Inconsistencies in our national norms

• Politics

Baltimore wants to give out thousands more needles to drug users

Hoping to curb the spread of HIV, Baltimore officials want legislation allowing them to hand out thousands more needles to drug addicts.

• Maryland

Tide shifting toward legalizing marijuana in Maryland

• Maryland

Law enforcement combats drug problem with varying tactics

• Maryland

Health education in Carroll public schools covers heroin, other drug use

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Harms of Marijuana Use

• News

City hall crash driver pleads guilty in incident that killed worker

A driver who sped into downtown Baltimore hitting a killing a city worker pleaded guilty Thursday in the crash and was sentenced on the spot to 11 years in prison.