By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions COLORADO SPRINGS An attack seizes Chaz Moores body, stealing much of his breath. Spasms in his throat, lungs and diaphragm cause the 17-year-old to speak in hiccups, one syllable at a time. He says it feels like a grown man is jumping on his chest as the muscles in his belly roll like waves. Chaz opens a jar labeled MMJ, pulls out some fresh green buds and crumbles the marijuana into a small pipe. He lights up the bowl and inhales as deeply as possible through the spasms, turning to blow smoke out his…
News - Part 33
By Terrance R. Kelly The most important issue today in health care morality is crystal clear. It has nothing to do with birth control insurance coverage for employees of Catholic universities and hospitals, the Catholic hierarchy or Republican presidential candidates. Several cancer drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure several cancers,are not being manufactured in sufficient quantities to meet the life-and-death needs of cancer patients. Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, states, If you are a pediatric oncologist, you know how to cure 70 to 80 percent of patients. But…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions Shes not the stereotypical stoner, zoned out in a haze of smoke and flunking out of school. Emma is a graduate of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, known for its prestigious International Baccalaureate program and for attracting a diverse student body. But Palmer holds another distinction and so does Emma, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. The downtown Springs school posted one of the highest increases in drug violations reported by any Colorado school in the past four years. In 2007-08, Palmer reported two drug violations; in 2010-11, it was…
By Rebecca Jones of Education News Colorado and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions Sometime on Saturday, Steve Ackerman sold his last joint. His Organic Alternatives, a medical marijuana dispensary in Fort Collins, is one of 23 in this laid-back university town forced to close by Tuesday after residents voted to ban dispensaries. I wont continue in the medical marijuana industry, said Ackerman, who opened his comfortable saloon-like dispensary two years ago. But I will continue to support it, and Ill continue to help fight for what I think is right. Marijuana should not be prohibited. Cruise south a little less…
By Diane Carman Listening to the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination might lead your average health care consumer to think the system is on the verge of collapse. While the Affordable Care Act is not yet fully implemented and remains in large part unproven, some health care systems around the country are demonstrating the potential for significant improvements in cost control, access to care and better outcomes. They also are acting as testing grounds for such health care reform concepts as medical homes, virtual health care, electronic medical records, integrated behavioral health care and revenue pooling across care…
By Bob Semro Prescription drugs are a big part of the monthly budget for many seniors on Medicare, and provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are working to lower those costs. In 2011, 3.6 million Medicare recipients nationwide saved $2.1 billion in prescription drug costs, according to estimates released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In Colorado, 39,746 Medicare recipients saved $22.8 million on prescription drugs, or $579 per person on average, according to these estimates. HHS projects these savings will increase over time totaling nearly $4,200 for the average Medicare recipient by 2020….
Colorado schools have reported a 45 percent spike in drug violations in the past four years, even as the total number of other violations reported to state officials has declined. Interviews with school officials, health care workers and students across the state depict marijuana as the key factor behind the increase. Whats happening at your school? Search below to see a four-year history of drug offenses and their disposition, such as expulsion. Click here to load this Caspio Online Database. Search tips and data notes To compare schools or districts, hit Ctrl or command and click on as many names…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions and Nancy Mitchell of Education News Colorado A handful of students from Denvers East High School recently spent a warm January lunch period huddled against a brick home two blocks from the school, passing a joint and discussing the merits of medical marijuana. It smells better than what you get on the street, they say, and is more potent. The buds are whole, not ground up like oregano. I get top shelf, boasts a 16-year-old boy. My cousin works at a dispensary. So he brings maybe two zips (plastic bags) a day that theyre…