Free Republic

The car and weed capital of the world has become one of the first major cities to roll out a breathalyzer for pot. Sort of. ABC News is reporting that the LA City Attorney is deploying oral swab tests in the field that can detect the presence of marijuana’s main active ingredient, THC. The swabs could lead to convictions for driving under the influence. issue of CULTURE magazine, such swabs are not breathalyzers in the traditional sense. They can’t tell officers how much THC you have in your system. But combined with ‘zero tolerance’ ‘per se’ laws like those in...

Vetting a candidate for elected office is commonplace in American politics, but sometimes the level of scrutiny isn't as thorough as it should be. Consider the recent troubles of Nadia Lockyer, an Alameda County supervisor who on Tuesday announced a leave of absence following an alleged assault two weeks ago. In an incident that still lacks clarity, Lockyer said she was the victim of an assault. Her husband, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, said the attacker was an ex-boyfriend and that the assault happened Feb. 3 at a Newark hotel. Then on Tuesday, Nadia Lockyer announced that she had enrolled in...

San Rafael, Calif. (AP) -- A state senator with Carole Migden's resume would normally cruise to re-election in the liberal San Francisco Bay area. But a wild ride on Interstate 80, a record fine for campaign finance violations and challenges from well-known members of her own party have made the San Francisco Democrat the most vulnerable incumbent on California's June 3 primary election ballot. "You have all the elements that create probably the most interesting race in the state right here in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties," said Al Pross, a coeditor of the California Target Book, which analyzes...

OAKLAND -- Citing a lack of evidence, a prosecutor announced today that he will not file charges against a neurosurgeon suspected of trying to perform surgery while intoxicated last month. Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers said he could not sustain allegations that Dr. Federico Castro-Moure was combative and under the influence of alcohol during a March 6 altercation with sheriff's deputies at Alameda County Medical Center. The surgeon allegedly screamed obscenities with breath "reeking of alcohol" and physically threatened hospital employees during a dispute in an operating room over whether to proceed with surgery on a patient. Castro-Moure,...

MARCH 24--Meet Natalie Peterson. The 23-year-old Utah woman was arrested yesterday afternoon when she showed up naked to take a shower in a stranger's home. According to cops, prior to Peterson wandering into the home in Roy, she had been in an argument at a relative's house. There, she stripped off her clothes and jumped into her '98 Ford Escort and drove off. A half mile away, Peterson walked into a house occupied by three young siblings, who she ordered to leave "her home." Peterson told the trio she was going to take a shower and headed for the basement....

Cannabis poses a greater threat to health than tobacco, lung experts have warned. The warning comes on the day that Home Secretary David Blunkett is due to make a Commons statement about the future of government drug policy. Many young people are simply not aware that smoking cannabis may put them at increased risk of respiratory cancers and infections . Dame Helena Shovelton: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recommended that cannabis is downgraded from a class B drug to class C. This would mean that possession would lead to a caution, rather than arrest. The British Lung Foundation is...