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(01/31/10 8:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fourteen states have legalized marijuana for medical use, and nearly 100 million Americans older than 12 have admitted to smoking it. Weed is more visible and available than ever these days, and thanks to the Internet, advocacy for its legalization has never been so vocal.After the Ogden Memo was issued last year, in which President Barack Obama instructed federal prosecutors to stop pursuing drug cases against medical marijuana patients, many lobbying for marijuana legalization across the country began feeling as though this would be the first administration to address the issue seriously. After all, unlike Bill Clinton, Obama did inhale, and in his own words, has done so “frequently” in the past. Though he insists that a legalization-regulation-taxation trifecta wouldn’t help the still struggling economy, he has publicly supported the prescription of pot by physicians to treat certain ailments.“There’s been no better time for reformers as far as who’s in power,” said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.But St. Pierre said it’s not likely that Obama, who has taken the lighthearted approach of smirking and making jokes when asked about the subject in town-hall meetings and interviews, will do much more with the issue prior to 2012 – not because he doesn’t want to or doesn’t believe the issue is important but because of the stigma firmly associated with it. “The chuckles he responds with when he’s confronted, I think that’s gallows humor,” he said. “It’s someone who wants to do something about it, but damn well knows they can’t. He knows it’s important to a lot of people. But with the economy such as it is and the health care situation, I don’t see it happening.” Addressing such a polarizing issue any further now, when there are so many pressing things on his plate, could cause a large base of voters to call his priorities into question, harming his chances at re-election.St. Pierre insists that much of the opposition is driven by those with professional interest at stake and ignorant lawmakers who simply want to maintain the status quo. Steve Johnson, executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council, said those in favor of maintaining the drug’s illegality take their stance for ethical reasons.“It’s a gateway drug, it leads to the use of other illegal substances,” Johnson said. “There are studies that have shown it has harmful effects on humans. Just because something is widely used doesn’t mean it should be made legal.” But there are those who rely on marijuana for relief. Studies have explored its effectiveness as treatment for several diseases and disorders from epilepsy to insomnia, and medical users insist that there’s no prescription drug on the market that can provide them with the kind of relief they need quite like weed.Dr. Neil Irick, a pain specialist at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, has issued prescriptions for Marinol to HIV/AIDS patients in the past. Marinol is a THC-based pill that has been on the market since 1985, and is supposed to produce similar effects to marijuana. He was unimpressed with its results and believes it to be inferior to similar drugs used for pain relief. Irick, who said he has never smoked marijuana, said he believes that those who feel smoking marijuana is more effective in treating their disorders than marketed prescription drugs are experiencing a placebo effect.“These people have turned to marijuana for whatever reason, and it serves as a way for them to perceive the world differently,” he said. “They believe it offers them something that it doesn’t. So, they report effects that are greatly exaggerated because they want to believe its doing these things for them and they want to continue it.”St. Pierre, on the other hand, points to the number of previous non-users who smoke marijuana strictly because of the relief it provides for diagnosed medical conditions.“This is their Prozac, their pain-killer, their sleep-inducer, their appetite-regulator,” he said. “Everyone responds to medication differently. Some people find their greatest relief in smoking cannabis.”Universally, the medical community decries the act of smoking anything, and if marijuana is going to make a run at being legalized on a larger scale from a medical standpoint, alternative pharmaceutical forms must be developed, ones that can deliver a consistent dosage of THC without the by-products that enter the body when it’s inhaled, according to St. Pierre. He said he believes this is going to happen, but until it does, there’s only one solution for dedicated marijuana users.“There’s no question that smoking cannabis is the best and quickest way to get it into the body,” St. Pierre said. “Until there’s something better, people aren’t going to change.”
(04/09/08 1:12am)
A project that has been deemed one of the most significant in the city’s history by Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan is now set to begin construction after a low bidder was named last week. \nConstruction of Phase 1 of the B-Line trail is on track to begin sometime in May after Tri-County Builders of Bedford submitted the low bid to the Indiana Department of Transportation on April 2. The firm’s $2.9 million bid was nearly $200,000 below the INDOT engineer’s estimate, fitting in with the city’s planned budget for the project. \nThe next step in the process will be a three-day bid review period during which INDOT will review the bid to make sure it meets all required specifications, but the fact that all submissions were pre-qualified by the state has left Bloomington Parks and Recreation Director Mick Renneisen feeling confident that the city has found just what it was looking for.\n“We’re very pleased to have Tri-County on board for this project,” Renneisen said. “We’ve worked with them before on the construction of the Clear Creek Trail, and it’s nice to know that you have a competent and efficient company working with you.”\nThe B-Line trail is a 3.1-mile stretch of abandoned railroad running directly through downtown, which the city purchased from CSX in 2005 with hopes of turning it into a walking and biking trail. The city has separated construction of the trail into five phases, the first of which covers slightly more than a half mile running from Rogers Street to Second Street. \nWhile one of the goals for the trail is to provide citizens with another mode of transportation through downtown, it is likely that the trail will serve an important economic purpose as well. Jim Murphy, president of property management and development company CFC, sees the trail opening up more opportunities for consumers and local businesses alike.\n“Whereas the railroad really divided the city before, now it will be more of an asset, an amenity,” Murphy said. “Businesses located along the trail that previously had only one storefront may now have two. The trail will be a great attraction in itself, but it will also help to maximize the value of the businesses and the number of people who use them.”\nIf everything goes according to plan, Renneisen said he expects construction on the trail to begin by Memorial Day. Renneisen hopes the trail will be ready to use by this time next year.\n“It’s exciting,” Renneisen said. “This is a big deal for the city of Bloomington, and we can’t wait to get it finished.”
(02/29/08 5:31am)
The IU men’s lacrosse club has kicked off the 2008 spring season on a tear, going 3-0 and grabbing its first national ranking in years in the process. After a disappointing end to last year’s season that included the team missing its conference tournament because of scheduling issues, it is an exciting start for the club, which is looking to improve in its first season under head coach Matt Karweck. \nThe team’s biggest win so far came in a game played in snowy conditions in Indianapolis last weekend, when the Hoosiers were able to knock off conference rival Illinois 6-5. Senior attacker and team captain Brad Perez, who is leading the team in both assists (15) and total points (17), recorded assists on four of the team’s six goals to lead the way. Another senior attacker, Sam Angelotta, scored three goals of his own to seal the victory. It was the second loss to IU in four months for the Illini, a team that was ranked 18th in the nation in the preseason. The first came in a preseason matchup on the same field in November. \nBut the win against Illinois, the team’s most significant so far, hasn’t been its most impressive in the young season. \nOn Feb. 9 in their second game of the year, the Hoosiers rallied from an 8-2 deficit at halftime against the University of Tennessee to score 14 second-half goals, capping a 16-13 comeback win that energized the team. Sophomore attacker Matt Loveland led the Hoosiers with five goals in the contest, while Angelotta poured in four goals of his own in another big performance.\n“Thankfully, we were able to really get it going in the second half and made a come back,” said junior defenseman Ben Kalfas. “It was a crazy game. I don’t know if I’d seen that many goals in one half before.” \nThe club is receiving major recognition for its hot start. It’s ranked 22nd in the latest national poll and it garnered National Team of the Week honors this week from the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association, Kalfas said. \n“It is still too early in the season to be celebrating, but we are very excited to be where we are,” said senior defenseman Brennan Matthews. “We set out this season to surprise people, and I think that is what we are doing.”\nWinning is nothing new for the club, which has enjoyed some success against tough competition in the last few seasons. But Kalfas, whose two seasons with the club have been spent without a true head coach, believes the addition of Karweck might have taken the team to the next level.\n“He’s made all the difference,” Kalfas said. “We’ve had a good team the past few years, but the difference between a good squad and a great squad is organization. He’s come in here and really gotten us on the ball.”\nWith its new-found leadership on the sidelines, the club hopes to make a run at the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association conference tournament title, which will be up for grabs in May. Last season, the club was unable to compete in the tournament because the competition was scheduled too close to graduation – a problem for the club’s older players – and the end of the school year, which caused residential issues for the club’s younger players. If the Hoosiers win the conference championship, they would earn one of 16 spots in the national tournament, which is held in Dallas each summer.\nAlso circled on the club’s calendar is its annual matchup with Purdue, scheduled for April 25. \n“It’s always a big game, and it’s always competitive,” said sophomore midfielder Michael Steffen. “They’re not in our conference, but just like in every other sport, they’re our biggest rival.”\nThe team will continue to face off against premier competition when it travels to St. Louis this weekend to play Fontbonne on Saturday, and Lindenwood, which is ranked 14th in the nation, on Sunday.
(02/20/08 6:16am)
The average student at IU has limited knowledge about the ancient sport of fencing. While it has been a pastime for centuries in countries like France and Russia, the same level of mainstream interest in fencing has never quite materialized in the U.S.\nBut IU junior and Fencing Club President Rick Gunyon could care less about all that. This weekend, Gunyon and his club will participate in the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. For him and others on IU’s team, fencing is what they love. \n“I started when I got here two years ago, but I feel like I’ve been doing it forever,” said Gunyon, who practices the sport up to six hours a day. “It’s my passion.”\nThose who have developed a zest for the sport and who strive to master it know it takes plenty of time and effort to develop a precise and effective fencing technique. While athleticism is a valuable asset in a fencer, physical ability can be trumped by tact and the ability to read one’s opponent. The three types of weapons used in fencing are the foil, the sabre and the epee. Each has its own shape, purpose and assigned target region for scoring points. For example, to score points with a foil, fencers must strike their opponents in their torso region with the tip of the weapon. For a sabre, the target region is anywhere above the waist (excluding the hands), and points may be scored with a strike from any part of the blade. An epee can earn points by hitting any part of the body.\nMost fencers pick one weapon in which to specialize, and during competition, fencers compete against others of the same gender who share the same specialization.\nThe club participates in several tournaments each year, and the competition is fierce. While other club sports also feature top-notch athletes and high levels of competition, few experience the level of competitive discrepancy that the fencing club does. Most of the club’s tournaments feature not only other club teams from throughout the Midwest, but several varsity teams, whose members are mostly scholarship athletes. The Hoosiers even belong to the same conference as Ohio State, a fencing powerhouse that is known to recruit not only the top fencers in the country, but in the world. \n“(OSU’s) head coach is a former Olympic fencer from the Soviet Union,” Gunyon said. “We’re a great team, one of the best clubs in the country, but that’s tough to compete with.” \nDespite the tough competition, the team can look forward to the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships on Saturday, a tournament that recognizes club teams on a separate level from the varsity teams.\n“It’s nice, because they recognize that we don’t have the funding and facilities that these (varsity) teams have,” said senior Corinne Avenius, who also serves as the club’s vice president. \nThe tournament, which takes place at Notre Dame in South Bend, also allows the team to gauge its progress this year.\n“It’s at the end of the season, and you face a lot of teams you see at the beginning of the year. So, it sort of lets you see the progress you’ve made,” said senior Samantha Kuykendall, who is in her third year with the club.\nIt’s not all hard work, though. Of the roughly 80 members in IU’s club, only 30 compete in tournaments. The remaining members range from those just picking up the sport to others who just enjoy it on a casual basis. \n“Anyone with an interest in fencing should look into the club,” Gunyon said. “It doesn’t have to be on a competitive level. It’s just a great sport and a great thing to be involved in.”
(10/25/07 3:47am)
The IU club baseball team’s fall exhibition season will conclude this weekend with home games against Michigan on Saturday and Sunday. In the program’s third year of existence, the Hoosiers have been dominant in the fall, posting a record of 13-1, and look forward to continued dominance in the spring. \nAfter going 20-4 and finishing 16th in the nation last spring, the Hoosiers’ season ended on a sour note last year when they were knocked out of postseason contention by Illinois in a three-game series. The Illini went on to have a successful playoff run, culminating in a trip to the National Club Baseball Association World Series, while the Hoosiers were sent home with a bitter taste in their mouths. \nTheir first chance at revenge came the weekend of Oct. 14 when IU traveled to Jasper, Ind., for the Great Lakes Region Fall Tournament, an exhibition tournament featuring none other than the sixth-ranked Fighting Illini. The Hoosiers took care of business immediately, knocking off Illinois in the tournament opener behind a solid pitching performance from sophomore Bryant Gastineau and a go-ahead home run in the bottom half of the sixth inning from junior Josh Tulledge. \nThe next day, IU destroyed Wisconsin-Whitewater 15-2 in the first half of a day-night doubleheader, and followed up that performance with a 3-2 win over Ohio University to earn a spot in the tournament championship – a rematch against Illinois. The game proved to be a pitching duel fueled on the Hoosier side by seven shutout innings from sophomore Bret Jensen. It was then that IU got the only offensive production they needed. After Tulledge reached base on a leadoff walk, freshman Britt Myers connected for the Hoosiers’ only hit, a walkoff double, stripping the tournament title from the defending champions.\nThe club followed the strong tournament showing with a sweep of Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday. IU’s fall success sends the team into the winter on the right foot, but by no means are the Hoosiers the division favorite. That title is still reserved for Illinois. \n“They’ve still got the target on their back,” said senior catcher Matt Ostrega. “They won it last year, and they’re going to come out hungry.” \nAt least one thing is certain for this young program: It has some quality new and returning talent to aid it in the quest for a postseason berth, including Ostrega, who founded the club two years ago, and defending Regional Pitcher of the Year, Gastineau. Ostrega said he expects big things from newcomers Myers and Michael Mezansky, both freshmen, as well as returning veterans Tulledge and junior pitcher Jacob Redmond.\nOstrega also singled out sophomore Jake Wunderlin, who has had a big bat this fall.\n“Wunderlin has been a monster. Our coach doesn’t want us to get too high on stats this early, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s batting around .500 for the fall,” Ostrega said.\nFinishing the year strong will be key for the club come spring. After a 14-0 start last season, IU dropped 3 of the final 4 games. The Illini, responsible for two of those three losses, will no doubt be circled on the Hoosiers’ calendar. But the monkey is already halfway off their back. \n“It was only exhibition, but beating them definitely gives us confidence.” Ostrega said. “We know we can compete with anyone.”