recreational substance use

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.

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

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.

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.

End America's failed war on marijuana

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Physicians need periodic checkups in medical marijuana use

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Crime reports from around Harford County

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."

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.

Obama wrong to compare pot with alcohol and cigarettes

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

We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the dangers of marijuana.