The Linn County Attorney’s Office is launching a limited marijuana diversion program, allowing some people charged with possession to avoid a criminal record. The program is for first-time offenders with no previous felony charges. Studies find black Iowans are far more likely than white Iowans … [Read more...]
Lehigh man going to prison for distributing meth
A Webster County man faces a federal prison sentence on a drug charge. Seventy-two-year-old Thomas Hendrickson of Lehigh has been sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Court documents say he was involved in a meth distribution operation most of 2019. In October of … [Read more...]
South Dakota will become second border state selling marijuana
Soon, two states that border Iowa will offer recreational marijuana for sale. Illinois started selling pot to Iowans in January, while next year, South Dakota will begin to grow, tax and sell it. South Dakota voters approved an initiative on Tuesday allowing medical marijuana, and a … [Read more...]
Iowa’s medical marijuana program seeks a new manufacturer
The state is looking for another company to produce medical marijuana products. The manager of the program, Owen Parker, says state law allows for two licenses to produce medical marijuana products. "Iowa Relief was our second manufacturer -- but they actually relinquished their license on June … [Read more...]
State receives grant to try and cut deaths from opioids and methamphetamines
Iowa has received a federal grant of nearly $18 million to address deaths from opioids and methamphetamine. The Opioid Initiatives Director at the state health department, Kevin Gabbert, says opioid deaths are still a concern here. "We did see a decline in 2018, however in 2019, those numbers … [Read more...]
Kits help seniors properly dispose of unused medication
Thousands of senior citizens in Iowa are being given kits that can render their unused medications worthless and harmless as part of an effort to reduce the misuse of prescription drugs. Trina Radske-Suchan, president of CHPcommunity in Clive, says the disposable drug deactivation kits are about … [Read more...]
Impact of pandemic on drug use and treatment not yet known
The head of the Office of Drug Control Policy and Prevention says his office is trying to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on drug use and treatment. Director Dale Woolery says he has heard some talk of problems. "Anecdotally we hear that with the social distancing and the stay-at-home … [Read more...]
Grundy Center man who sold drugs at music festivals going to prison
A man who sold a variety of drugs at music festivals in eastern and central Iowa will spend more than six years in federal prison. Twenty-two-year-old Jack Arthur Stumberg of Grundy Center pleaded guilty to conspiring and possessing with intent to distribute LSD, ecstasy and … [Read more...]
Convicted Iowa murderer executed in Indiana
A north-central Iowa drug kingpin today became the first Iowan in more than five decades to be executed. Fifty-two-year-old Dustin Honken of Britt was executed at the federal prison in Terre Haute Indiana. The Bureau of Prisons says Honken died at 3:36 Iowa Time after a lethal injection. His … [Read more...]
Execution delay denied for Iowa man
A north-central Iowa drug kingpin's requests to delay his execution scheduled for later this week have been denied. Dustin Honken's motions to delay his execution were denied on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand. Strand wrote on Tuesday he would not intervene due to the COVID-19 … [Read more...]