Wednesday, August 20, 1 975

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Nine

Wednesday, August 20, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine

California
softens laws
forbidding
marijuana
SACRAMENTO (UPI) - More
than a half million persons have
been arrested for marijuana
possession in Caliofrnia in the
10 years since the first big na-
tional whiff of pot billowed out
of San Francisco's Haight Ash-
bury district.
Now, joining a handful of
other states, California is soft-
ening up on marijuana smokers
who u s e the "recreational
drug."
A LAW taking effect Jan. 1
relaxes 60 - year - old possible
felony penalties for possession,
among the longest-running and
strictest marijuana statutes in
the nation. The maximum term
was 10 years in prison
Under the new law, posses-
sion remains a crime-but a
far less serious one. For small
amounts, there will be no
arrest. Violators will be given
a ticket and ordered to court
to pay a fine up to $10. Violat-
ors with more than an ounce will
be arrested and face a misde-
meanor charge with up to six
months in jail and a 500 fine.
Gov. Edmund Brown signed
the measure July 9 and later
offered this comment: "Arnholt
Smith gets probation for at-
tempting to take $27 million. I
don't know if 10 years for an
ounce of marijuana can be
eouated with not one day for
$27 million."
SMITH, A friend of former
President Richard Nixon, re-
cently pleaded no contest to
charges of defrauding his U.S.
National Bank in San Diego.
Elsewhere in the nation, Ore-
gon, which decriminalized pos-
session of small amounts of
marijuana in 1973, has gone a
step farther than California. The
same system of written citations
and fines up to $100 is consider-
ed a civil infraction in Oregon
and not a crime.
Alaska, as the result of legis-
lation and a court decision on
the right to privacy this year,
removed all penalties on pos-
session or private cultivation of
small amounts of marijuana.
Food
(Continuedfro Page 7)
panel, but looks of disappoint-
ment swept their faces as the
Gino's burger made the rounds.
"TOO DRY and tasteless,"
the panel reported.
No fast food meal is complete
without fries. Those available
at the three chains are similar
in nrice and amount but not in
taste. McDonald's and Burger
King charge 30 cents for a
small serving and 45 cents for
large fries. Gino's charges three
cents more.
The prize went to McDonald'
for fries which taste like real
protato. Both Burger King and
Gino's displayed a lack of
flavor.
GINO'S DOES excel in ona
area, chicken. While it was
greasy, it did taste good and
was well received by the panel.
The crust was well seasoned,
and was a welcome change from
the burgers.
While fast food is filling, it is
not the best nutritionally. Ac-
cording to Consumers Report
such meals are heavy on calo-
ries and fat while low on several
essential nutrients.

They recommend supplement-
ing a diet of fast food witn
beans, dark leafy green and,
yellow vegetables, and fruit.

EMERGENCY SURGERY CANCELLED
Respiratory arrests tied

(Continued from Page 1)
THE MOVE to halt all "elec-
tive surgery" yesterday follow-
ed a hospital decision Monday
to limit admissions to only
emergency cases also pending
the FBI investigation.
The FBI launched an investi-
gation into the unexplained rise
in respiratory attacks and the
related deaths Saturday follow-
ing a request from hospital of-
ficials.
Special Agent Gene Ward,
from the Ann Arbor FBI office,
is handling the case.
THIRTY-FOUR respiratory at-
tack cases, involving 23 patients
were recorded at the hospital
since July 28. Eight of the 23
patients died following the at-
tacks, however, five of the
attacks have not been specific-
ally attributed to the attacks.
The cause of death for the re-
maining three fatal cases has
not yet been determined.
FBI Special Agent Robert
Knapp stated yesterday, "We
are investigating that whole

chain of events involving the
high numbers of respiratory ar-
rests and the deaths."
A TEAM, headed by Foye,
from the Veteran's Administra-
tion headquarters in Washing-
ton D.C. arrived on the scene
yesterday to aid in efforts to
determine the cause of the in-
crease in attacks. The VA team
came after an in-house investi-
gation by the hospital failed to
turn up anything.
Foul play has not been ruled
out as a cause for the increas-
ed respiratory attacks, but few
other possible reasons for the
increased attacks have been
ruled out either.
Bishop said that a mystery
killer "is in the back of our
minds" as a reason for the at-
tacks, but Calhoun termed the
murdered theory as "the most
bizzarre and far out."
THE LABORATORY tests in-
clude urinalysis as well as tests
of the IV medications them-
selves. Calhoun reported that

the IV medications were differ-
ent for many of the victims
suffering from the respiratory
attacks.
He also emphasized that the
medications were drawn up by
different sources. Some of the
drugs came from commercial
firms while others were made
up by the hospital pharmacy.
Foye emphasized that the sus-
pected breath arresting drugs
were not prescribed to any of
the patients who died.
C A L H O U N STATED
that the 23 patients which had
respiratory attacks included
both blacks and whites and
spanned an age group from 25
years to men in their late 60's.
While most of the attacks were
reported in the intensive care
unit, the respiratory cases oc-
curred on t h r e e different
floors, he added.
More respiratory attacks
would be expected in the inten-
sive care unit, Calhoun ex-
plained, because patients in the
worst condition - and there-

to drug
fore more subject to attack-
are placed there.
Yet Foye pointed out that the
34 respiratory arrest figure is
unusually high in any case.
"Normally there would be on-
ly five to eight (arrests) per
month. We have an increase of
two or three times," he said.
THE VA OFFICIAL said that
that investigation "is coming
along fine. We are making good
progress," and added that he
expects to wrap up the affair
by the end of this week.
Foye's team is there to give
medical and technical advice to
both the hospital and the FBI.
He explained that his people are
to look at medical errors while
the FBI is concentrating on any
criminal involvement.
Agent Knapp stated yesterday,
"We' are investigating any vio-
lation of federal laws."
But Calhoun said that there is
no reason to believe any laws
have been broken. "We have no
evidence to point to that as
yet."

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