Needles also was the first place train crews swapped out on freight trains headed east out of Los Angeles. But like many other small towns on the way to Los Angeles, Needles used to be a lot more important. The railroad cut the size of its train crews, and the elegant depot building in Needles is mostly empty. Mr. Williams spoke with doctors about the potential benefits and slowly got over some of the antipathy toward the drug that his parents and his years as a police officer had instilled. “This is a very politically conservative town — but it’s got a streak of libertarianism,” Mr. Daniels, the city manager, said.

Source: New York Times December 09, 2018 19:07 UTC