"The greatest enemy of the truth is very often not the lie-- delierate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth persistent, peruasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."
--John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Is the Nation's Marijuana Policy Misguided? By Russell Goldman
CN Source: ABC News August 01, 2007 USA

Since the Marijuana Tax Act - the first anti-marijuana federal law - was signed by President Roosevelt 70 years ago Thursday, the debate over the drug's effects, dangers and criminalization has raged unabated.

The Bush administration has made marijuana its prime target in the war on drugs, spending billions of dollars on education campaigns and law enforcement activities. Critics, however, contend that the war on pot has allowed for the proliferation of other more dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and crack cocaine.
Continued...cannabisnews/23227

Reefer Inanity: Never Trust the Media on Pot By Maia Szalavitz
CN Source: Huffington Post July 30, 2007 USA  

Watching the media cover marijuana is fascinating, offering deep insight into conventional wisdom, bias and failure to properly place science in context. The coverage of a new study claiming that marijuana increases the risk of later psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia by 40% displays many of these flaws.

What are the key questions reporters writing about such a study needs to ask? First, can the research prove causality? Most of the reporting here, to its credit, establishes at some point that it cannot,though you have to read pretty far down in some of it to understand this.
Continued...cannabisnews/23220

How The Canadian Media Import Counterfeit News From The States.
The Drug Czar Lies and Even The Best Papers Don’t Check the Facts.
Posted by Richard Cowan on 2005-03-17 16:20:00
“But it is time to acknowledge that the nation's news organizations have played a large and unappetizing role in deceiving the public….”— The New York Times

Front Page Fantasy: The New York Times Pushes Fact Free Journalism
Supposedly About “BC Bud”
Posted by Richard Cowan on 2005-03-17 16:20:00
This article was cited in the Canadian Parliament as proof that Canada cannot even decriminalize cannabis because of US opposition, “causing costly cross-border delays.” Lies have consequences, which is why people lie.

Bad research makes headlines

Anti-pot propaganda 14 Mar, 2005
US feds are addicted to making up fake anti-pot news.



Insanity is doing the same old thing over and over again and expecting a different result...
--Bill Clinton

Media Marijuana Mania Part Duh By Maia Szalavitz
CN Source: Huffington Post July 31, 2007 USA
 
Ok, this is getting really tiresome. Earlier this week, I debunked media coverage that claimed that marijuana increases risk of schizophrenia by 40% -- but none of the media bothered to mention that despite massive increases in marijuana use, schizophrenia rates have not increased.

Comes now a new study claiming that one joint is as bad for your lungs as five cigarettes. Comes now another flood of "reporting " that fails, once again, to raise and answer the question readers are most likely to consider when they read the story.
Continued...cannabisnews/23225

Filthy Rotten System Jul 20 2007

No cancer or bronchial problems with using Ganja. The female flower tops of the Ganja plant. And very few in America smoke pure tobacco, they smoke cigarettes. A totally different subject with totally different problems. Organic Tobacco has been used by Native Americans, Egyptians and Turkish for hundreds of years without any cancer or lung problems.

Only when the Chemical Ag Biz started spraying the crops in the 30's and the ad agency push with Ronnie Rayguns. Adding flavors and fregrance and hundreds of unatural ingredients did we even start seeing cancer associated with cigarettes. Still not with smoking tobacco, only with the adulterated products. Can't tax nature. Flame retardants, preservatives and burn enhancers lit and sucked into the lungs seems to be a likely problem.

These poisons are not added to organic tobacco products or Ganja, so the comparison is false. Not added to many discussions scapegoating the tobacco farmers either. Leaving the multi-national petrochem corporations off the hook. The left is silent building a new prohibition to cash in on as Nixon rekindled from Anslinger in the war on some other "bad" plants.

Then you have the expectorant factor with Ganja, so even if you smoke American cigarettes with the chemicals. It will be coughed up before it can settle and cause damage. ... DdC

ALL CLEAR: An interview with Dr. Donald Tashkin 2006-08-17
In this exclusive HIGH TIMES interview, Dr. Donald Tashkin, the UCLA lung specialist behind one of the most comprehensive cannabis/lung cancer studies in history, explains how his research has failed to link marijuana use to lung cancer.

No Link Between Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer

Lung Cleaner & Expectorant

Cannabis is the best natural expectorant to clear the human lungs of smog, dust,
and the phlegm associated with tobacco use.

Marijuana smoke effectively dilates the airways of the lungs, the bronchi, opening them to allow more oxygen into the lungs.

It is also the best natural dilator of the tiny airways of the lungs, the bronchial tubes—making cannabis the best overall bronchial dilator for 80% of the population.
(the remaining 20% sometimes show minor negative reactions)


ACTUAL PARTNERSHIP
FOR A DRUG FREE AMERICA POSTER CIRCA 1974

More bad reporting (excerpted)
DWR: Monday, July 30, 2007

It really is pathetic the way the drug czar is forced to look for damaged goods in the press to get excited about in its "blog."

Buried near the end, they do finally look at another perspective

Professor Tim Kirkham, a psychologist at Liverpool University, argued: "Cannabis has been used safely for many thousands of years," and says there have been "concerted efforts to demonise the drug's use." Dr Trevor Turner, former vice president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, says: "I don't think it causes mental illness. I have never seen a case of so-called cannabis psychosis."

Dame Ruth Runciman, the chair of UK Drug Policy Centre who set in motion the downgrading of cannabis, disputes that the drug of today is any different to the weed that Ms Smith would have toked back in early 1980s.

"How do you know it's stronger?" she said, adding: "There is indubitably some skunk that is stronger about the place, but the evidence has been hugely exaggerated and does not support such an alarmist view... Cannabis as Class C is exactly where it should be."

Of course, the drug czar isn't interested in that part of the story. Nor are the reporters interested in any kind of factual balance. They're looking for the reefer madness -- it sells papers. So they lead with the bad reporting.



Getting Busted for Pot Can Cost Your Right to Vote By Silja J.A. Talvi
CN Source: AlterNet July 31, 2007 USA  

Once you've been arrested for the harsh anti-marijuana laws on the books, you can be denied everything from food stamps to voting rights to the right to adopt a child.

When a person is sent to prison for the first time on a drug-related felony charge, there is little chance that he or she will be told about the "collateral consequences" of their sentence
Continued...cannabisnews/23221

DEA implements US police state

The 3-Minute Interview with Michael Goldstein By Adam Martin   
CN Source: San Francisco Examiner July 31, 2007 San Francisco

Last week, Michael Goldstein, a 53-year-old progressive activist, was elected as one of two co-chairs to steer the newly formed Marijuana Offenses Oversight Committee.

The committee was formed as part of a law that officially made marijuana infractions the lowest priority of law enforcement in San Francisco. Goldstein, former president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, said he became interested in San Francisco politics back in the late 1970s.
Continued...cannabisnews/23224

Drug War Police Tactics Endanger Innocent Citizens

Santa Cruz Lowest Priority Initiative

Santa Cruz Low LEO Initiative Headed to Ballot!

Santa Cruz Marijuana Measure Could Face Challenges?
Barisone Challenges New Marijuana Law
Santa Barbarian's Wiley Hyena

Virtues' of Ganja


saferchoice

Medipot Harassment Lets Illicit Use Thrive By Thomas Elias   
CN Source: Auburn Journal July 31, 2007 California

There's something almost idiotic about the obviously confused and misguided way in which federal authorities are trying to enforce anti-marijuana laws in California today.

Nothing better illustrates this than the headlines that appeared together in newspapers this spring and summer about numerous pot raids in middle-class neighborhoods across the state and those about the second trial of medical marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal of Oakland, an author sometimes known as the "guru of ganja."
Continued...cannabisnews/23223

Marijuana Laws Have To Change By Gerald Ensley   
CN Source: Tallahassee Democrat July 31, 2007 USA

The insanity continues. Last week, law-enforcement officials busted two local marijuana-growing operations. They arrested two men growing more than 80 plants in the Apalachicola National Forest and one man growing more than 730 in Gadsden County.

The cops were just doing their job, enforcing the law. But that's the problem: We continue to ban marijuana even as people continue to smoke it.
Continued...cannabisnews/23222



Why Don't More Republicans Oppose The DEA's Raids? By Jacob Sullum
CN Source: Town Hall.com July 31, 2007 Washington, DC

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted for a measure that asked the federal government to stop harassing medical marijuana users in California. Minutes later, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided 10 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles County.

The disrespect for local judgments on local matters could not have been starker. Determined to maintain anti-drug orthodoxy, the DEA is running wild in the laboratories of democracy, smashing experiments in reform and injuring innocent bystanders.
Continued...cannabisnews/23226

Conservatives Argument for Legalization


Junior Johnson quickly became famous for his hardcharging, daring, aggressive style, applying what he had learned on the backroads of Wilkes County North Carolina running whiskey. Johnson was known for his power slide technique, in which he would keep on the gas through the turns and turn the wheel hard, sliding without ever slowing down. It worked for him running moonshine, and it worked for him on the race track. Johnson was out of racing in 1956 and 1957 due to his prison sentence

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I have often said that the leadership in the African American community need to speak up more against the drug war. Well, here's the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson speaks out in Pleas on Larry King for Lohan, But What About Other Drug Offenders?

Radley Balko has an update on the death of innocent Issac Singletary at the hands of cops for protecting his own property.

Bill Conroy has coverage and questions about corruption and the disappearance of federal funds in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

And now for something completely different: DEAsy Pickings. Operation Low-Hanging Fruit, indeed.

If you're looking for more news, check out The Speakeasy -- They've got a number of good posts there.



Direct Action

Phillip Smith is also doing some navel-gazing today in his post: Taking it to the Drug Warriors -- Is it Time for Direct Action?

You know, a guy gets tired fighting for decades for the right to do something which should be our right anyway. Yeah, I know the litany: We've got to play the game...if you don't like the law, change it...the political process is slow...we can't be impatient...we have to educate politicians and cultivate law enforcement....blah blah blah.

Well, in the face of the no-progress Hinchey-Rohrabacher vote and the continuing defiance of the will of California voters by the DEA, not to mention all the other drug war horrors, I'm prepared to once again make inciteful (if not insightful) calls for direct action against these downpressors.
Continued...dwr/salon/a2381

Sick and Tired of Begging...

Providing people with the tools to be self-advocates

Regular readers of Drug WarRant probably assume that the main blog page is the most visited. It's not.

I've recently started tracking site information with Google analytics and some of it is quite interesting. In the past month, the top four visited pages on this site were:

* 51.67% -- Why is Marijuana Illegal?

* 31.40% -- Drug WarRant

* 2.86% -- Drug War Victims

* 1.39% -- Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Help Prevent the BC3 From Extradition With Just One Phone Call!
There is a way you can help us with just a phone call! Call the Justice Minister of Canada, Robert Nicholson, and leave a message saying he should not committ Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, or Greg Williams to extradition! (613) 957-4222 ...
We urgently need people worldwide to voice their opposition! full story:cc/5039

No Extradition for the BC3!


Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, and Greg Williams are Canadian citizens who were heavily involved in anti-prohibition activitism for over ten years. The United States Justice Department and DEA want Canada's government to extradite these three political activists to face 10 years up to life in US prison! The extradition hearing has been scheduled to begin on November 5th, 2007.


bcmarijuanaparty


pot.tv

More Shoddy Reefer Madness Reporting
DWR: Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Steve at Transform takes on the recent rash of media madness with More shoddy reefer madness reporting of cannabis risks

When you are in the midst of a fully fledged media cannabis panic, as we currently seem to be, you can be quite sure that any new research on the drug:

* will be pounced upon by lazy journalists
* will be trawled for any vaguely shocking sounding statistics (by non-scientists and non-statisticians)
* will have these statistics spun into sexy 'shock' headlines
* will have any negative findings, statistical ambiguity, commentary on confounding factors/ context / significance etc conveniently glossed over
* will see politicians responding to the media coverage of the research rather than the research itself *insert daft quote from David Davis*



Radley Balko: FBI to Congress: Murder, Wrongful Imprisonment May Be Necessary to Preserve Drug Investigations

Assistant Director of the FBI Directorate of Intelligence Wayne Murphy in testimony before Congress....

The context: Lundgren and Delahunt have cited incidents in the past in which the FBI has covered up evidence that its confidential drug informants have committed violent crimes (including murder) in order to protect their identities, so that they could continue providing the bureau with information. They've cited other incidents, including the case above, in which the FBI has hidden exculpatory evidence, and allowed innocent people to go to prison. Lundgren and Delahunt want Murphy to assure them that the FBI has instituted policies to ensure that these sorts of incidents won't happen again--that murderers won't be protected and innocent people sent to prison in order to preserve drug investigations.

Remarkably, Murphy refuses to make such assurances.

This kind of attitude on the part of public servants is the reason why the Stop Snitchin movement is gaining steam.

In the context of the latest medical marijuana raids in California, Jacob Sullum explores the positions of the Presidential candidates in this area and finds the Republican field, for the most part, lacking: Spliff Split.

He has an interesting conclusion:

These partisan tendencies do not mean Democrats have greater respect for the division of powers between the federal government and the states. When it suits them, they're happy to support federal involvement in policy areas the Constitution leaves to the states. It's just that Democrats are, by and large, more comfortable with the therapeutic use of cannabis than Republicans are.

It's hard to find a logical explanation for this split. Republicans, conservatives especially, are traditionally critical of overly cautious regulators who prevent people from using drugs that could relieve their suffering safely and effectively. They have a record of supporting the freedom to use herbal home remedies without unreasonable bureaucratic interference.

The prevailing Republican stance on medical marijuana, which is at odds with what most Americans tell pollsters they think about the issue, can be understood only in light of the connotations that cannabis acquired as a result of its accidental association with the 1960s counterculture. In fighting a symbol of their opponents' principles, conservatives have sacrificed their own.



Commercial locksmith?
DWR: Tuesday, July 31, 2007

So the feds had another massive raid yesterday serving a warrant...

Federal law enforcement agents raided [...] home in Girdwood on Monday, hauling off undisclosed items from inside and taking extensive pictures and video. [...]

Neighbors said agents showed up between 11 a.m. and noon and that a commercial locksmith was called to open the front door.

Locksmith? When did they start using locksmiths? Feds know what a locksmith is? And that a locksmith isn't a battering ram? Where's the tank knocking down the door? Where's the 4 a.m. surprise raid with flash-bombs and shooting the dog?

Oh, I see -- this is simply a corrupt U.S. senator who is suspected of violating his oath to the Constitution, committing high crimes and misdemeanors, and stealing millions of dollars from taxpayers, not some dangerous pot smoker.

Report incidents of drug war propaganda



Authorities Seize Assets of Medical Marijuana Club

The Los Angeles Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the assets of a Berkeley marijuana club Tuesday, following a raid of its sister club in Los Angeles. The Berkeley Patients Group, one of three medical marijuana clubs in Berkeley, serves about 3,000 people in the East Bay. Medical marijuana is against federal law but California, under Proposition 215, allows dispensaries to operate.

Berkeley Patients Group
The Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) is dedicated to providing safe and affordable access to medical cannabis (marijuana) for patients who are recovering from or living with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and other serious illnesses.

DEA's Scarlet Letter By Celeste Fremon
CN Source: LA Weekly August 03, 2007 Los Angeles, CA

The DEA and the city of Los Angeles are at war over medical marijuana. On one side of the fight is the Drug Enforcement Administration, which seems to be doing all within its power to shut down the 180 or so medical-marijuana collectives (as dispensaries are called) in Los Angeles County.

On the other side is the Los Angeles City Council — which voted on Wednesday, August 1, in a 10–2 vote, to officially regulate the medical-marijuana business, so that scam artists can be rooted out and those who depend on cannabis for health reasons can get the stuff safely from licensed purveyors without threat of arrest and criminal prosecution.
Continued...cannabisnews/23234

Drug Sense Weekly

Drug War Chronicle - Issue #496 - 8/3/07

* Feature: Snitching in the Spotlight -- House Committee Holds Hearing on Informant Abuses
* Feature: Colombia Annouces Shift to Manual Eradication of Coca Crops
* Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
* Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
* Law Enforcement: FBI Lowers Bar on Past Marijuana Use by Would-Be Agents
* Search and Seizure: Arizona Supreme Court Limits Vehicle Searches
* Search and Seizure: California Supreme Court Just Says No to Seizures of Drug Buyers' Cars
* Marijuana: Yesterday Marked 70 Years of Federal Pot Prohibition
* Southwest Asia: State Department Says US Afghanistan Drug Policy Will Shift, But Not Much
* Weekly: This Week in History


gstlnorml

Happy Birthday, Marijuana Tax Act
I'm a day late in this... celebration. But 70 years ago Thursday, the Marijuana Tax Act was signed into law by Roosevelt.

Jacob Sullum has a nice reminder: Return With Me Now to the Thrilling Days When Marijuana Was Spelled With an H.

And ABC news wonders: Is the Nation's Marijuana Policy Misguided?

For more on the history of the Marijuana Tax Act, see The Schaffer Library

Hands Up, And Back Away From The Brownies By Christopher Palmeri
CN Source: Business Week August 02, 2007 California

Raids and arrests are up, but so are the number of dispensaries—and more states are coming aboard. Activists say regulation could help.

When California voters approved the nation's first medical-marijuana law in 1996, the idea was to help people like Jamie Green, a 73-year-old cancer patient who says he can't stand traditional painkillers such as morphine and Vicodin. "One puff and my pain is gone," he says. Alas, medicinal marijuana is producing nothing but pain for California politicians and law enforcement officials.
Continued...cannabisnews/23231



Older Americans Overwhelmingly Support Legalizing Medical Pot

Stephanie Landa, the definition of injustice

Elderly Inmates Swell Prisons, Driving Up Health Care Costs.

Present Drug Czar John P. Walters criticized ABC News for reporting on the Montgomery case. Walters showed no concern for Montgomery but rather complained, "Apparently ABC couldn't find a grandmother on death row for carrying a roach clip..."

Granpa's Ganja Pad
Evan Keliher, author of Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook and a glaucoma patient since the early 60s, has used marijuana for thirty-five years to prevent further loss of sight and suffered no ill effects. Evan is convinced that marijuana is essentially harmless when used by responsible adults and he recommends its use for his fellow citizens as a preventative against the hazards of growing old. "They'll still grow old," he says, "but they won't care."

Orissa woman at 125 among oldest tokers in India

Xinjiang Celebrates 2,500 Years of Continuous Funkiness
This story caught my eye on Christmas Day:

Chinese scientists have carefully stripped a 2,800-year-old mummy, only to find the corpse underneath the delicate attire of a possible shaman priest had decayed and broken at the neck and arms.

But research work on the mummy would continue, said Dr. Li Xiao, head of the heritage bureau in Turpan, of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region... Archaeologists found a sack of marijuana leaves buried alongside the mummy. He also wore huge earrings of copper and gold, and a turquoise necklace, and held a copper laced stick in his right hand and a bronze axe in the left. His hands were crossed in front of his chest. "From his outfit and the marijuana leaves, we assume he was a shaman," said Li. "He must have been between 40 and 50 years old when he died." George Clinton?

But now they've gone a step forward in an article that will no doubt be translated soon titled "2500 Year old Marijuana Unearthed in Turpan Cemetary", in which researchers declare that it is quite possibly the worlds oldest grass. According to Dr. Jiang Hong'en, when the pot was unearthed in 2003, "it was still green, as if it had just been plucked, and completely intact". Dr. Jiang said the Kunming Botanical Insititute confirmed the bud was 2,500 years old.

"When the pot was unearthed in 2003, it was still green, as if it had just been plucked, and completely intact".
--Dr. Jiang Hong'en


"2500 Year old sack of Marijuana Unearthed in Turpan Cemetary"

Editorial: Only Congress Can Resolve Pot Battle
CN Source: Daily Breeze August 03, 2007 California

Following in the footsteps of Torrance, Carson and a number of other South Bay cities, the Los Angeles City Council this week approved a moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries.

In the meantime, the city is preparing to draw up tighter restrictions on existing dispensaries.
Continued...cannabisnews/23233

Drug War Foes King of Capitol Hill Softball League
Via Dare Generation Diary: August 2, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC

The One Hitters, a softball team sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, took over the #1 ranking in the Congressional Softball League last night. The team's 13-3 record has vaulted them to the top of the league, which is made up of Congressional offices, lobbying and consulting firms, non-profit organizations, and local businesses.

Team leaders are especially proud of the ranking, which contradicts negative stereotypes of drug policy reformers as unmotivated "stoners." "The drug policy reform community is made up of dedicated, hardworking people who take the issues of drug abuse and drug prohibition very seriously," said One Hitters captain and SSDP Executive Director Kris Krane. "We take pride in fielding a fun but competitive team that dispels myths and stereotypes about people who care about ending the so called 'War on Drugs.'"

The One Hitters have competed in the league for five years. Two years ago they made national headlines when the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy refused to play a game due to ideological reasons. "Everyone knows that ONDCP backed out because they were scared of losing to us on the field, much the same way they are afraid to debate us because their policies fail in the court of public opinion," said center fielder David Guard, who is associate director of the Drug Reform Coordination Network. "We have an open challenge to the Drug Czar to play or debate anytime, anywhere."


The One Hitters are a team in the Congressional Softball League sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, with players representing a variety of drug policy organizations including the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, and the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative.

*** The One Hitters' next game is against the No Talent AZ Clowns on Tuesday, August 7 at 6:30PM on 23rd and Constitution. ***

Congratulations to the one-hitters (what a great name).

And, of course, while we're certainly not implying that the one-hitters use drugs on or off the field, we're happy to have them stick that whole nonsensical "stoner" stereotype of being unmotivated and unproductive where it belongs -- in the garbage bins of historical bigotry.

Plenty of sports figures have used marijuana -- and generally the only ones to get in trouble are those who get caught through testing. I've never heard of an athlete who had problems because his private marijuana use hurt his game.

Add to that the jazz musicians and writers and artists. And Carl Sagan . And millions of other hard working, talented, and creative people in all walks of life.

It is the people who demonize and stereotype all pot smokers who are lazy, unintelligent, uncreative, and bigoted. Unfortunately, I fear that they may be beyond the power of cannabis to cure.

Turkish Smoking Parlors

And so, during that era, cannabis gained favor and was even recommended as a way of helping alcoholics and addicts recover. Some temperance organizations even suggested "hasheesh" as a substitute for (wife beating) "demon" alcohol.

At America's giant 100-year 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, fair goers took their friends and family to partake (smoke) at the extremely popular Turkish Hashish Exposition, so as to "enhance" their fair experience.

By 1883, similar hashish smoking parlors were legally open in every major American city, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans, and so on.

American High Society

THE HASHISH CLUB' was the name given to a the group of French writers and artists who first banded together in the years just before the Second Republic to experiment with, and record their experiences, of hashish ....... All were united in a search for new forms of expresssion and enlightenment...

Celebrity Stoners



CN Source: NORML August 2, 2007 Washington, DC, USA

Failed Pot Prohibition ‘Celebrates’ 70-Year Anniversary

The federal prohibition of marijuana was signed into law seventy years ago today, and stands as one of the government’s greatest public policy failures, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said today.
Continued...norml/7325

For more information, please visit: normlaudiostash or myspace/natlnorml
Media inquiries should be directed to Allen St. Pierre, NORML National Director, at (202) 483-5500.

Nixon, Marijuana, and the Shafer Commission
Special Release 35 Years After Nixon's Marijuana Commission Advocated Decriminalization, Report Findings Are Still Valid Nixon Never Read His Own Report, President Bush Should

1972 US Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,
US National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse

Nixon's private comments about marijuana showed he was the epitome of misinformation and prejudice. He believed marijuana led to hard drugs, despite the evidence to the contrary. He saw marijuana as tied to "radical demonstrators." He believed that "the Jews," especially "Jewish psychiatrists" were behind advocacy for legalization, asking advisor Bob Haldeman, "What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob?" He made a bizarre distinction between marijuana and alcohol, saying people use marijuana "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun."



Self Perpetuating Lies

Marijuana Harmless? Hardly, Says Drug Czar By William H. Janes
CN Source: Tallahassee Democrat August 03, 2007 USA  

I ask Floridians to consider the evidence. Marijuana is illegal because it is harmful. Studies consistently correlate marijuana use with adverse health issues. Marijuana that is grown today is more potent and potentially more harmful. Appropriately, our government has drawn a line saying we are not going to add marijuana to our long list of alcohol and cigarette problems. Do not change the marijuana laws.
--William H. Janes is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control.

Marijuana Link To Lethal Behavior
--Bill "Mary" Janes, Florida Drug Office of Control



NORML Responds To New Rash Of Pot And Mental Health Claims
August 2, 2007 - Washington, DC, USA

The results of a recent British review reporting an association between pot use and mental illness neither implicates cannabis as a cause of psychotic behavior, nor suggests that cultures with abnormally high rates of cannabis consumption have experienced increased incidences of mental ailments, NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano said today.

The widely reported meta-analysis, published Friday in the British medical journal The Lancet, cites a series of previous published studies that have observed a dose-dependent association between cannabis use and increased incidences of mental illness. However, authors of the study affirmed that this association "does not necessarily reflect a causal relation" between consuming cannabis and triggering psychotic behavior.

Armentano said that there are several explanations for the observed correlation. "Individuals suffering from mental illness such as schizophrenia tend to use all intoxicants – particularly alcohol and tobacco – at greater rates than the general population," he noted. "Not surprisingly, many of these individuals also use cannabis."

Armentano also noted that many of those patients who use cannabis report consuming the drug to self-medicate various symptoms of their illness, such a depression or mania.

Lastly, Armentano emphasized that investigators failed to report any evidence that trends in mental illness have paralleled rising trends in cannabis use around the globe. "Despite the enormous popularity of cannabis in the 1960s and 1970s in numerous Western cultures, rates of psychotic disorders haven't increased since then in any of these societies," he said.

Armentano concluded by stating that those concerned over pot’s potential impact on health should support legally regulating cannabis rather than criminally prohibiting its use.

"By legalizing and regulating marijuana, public officials would better be able to educate users to its potential risks, and they would also be able to more effectively enact safeguards restricting its use among potentially vulnerable populations, especially young people," he said. "Even if taken at face value, The Lancet’s findings no more warrant the continued criminalization of pot than does the desire that pregnant women refrain from alcohol warrant the blanket prohibition of booze."
Continued...norml/7326

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Additional information is available in the NORML White Paper, "Cannabis, Mental Health, and Context," available online at: norml/6798
Additional audio commentary on the Lancet report is available on the August 1, 2007 broadcast of the NORML Audio Stash at: normlaudiostash

Drugwar Lies Linked to Schizophrenia



Editorial: Reefer Madness
CN Source: Chico News & Review August 02, 2007 California

Recently, more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers launched a huge marijuana-eradication effort in the mountains of Shasta County. The strike, dubbed Operation Alesia, was so big that even President Bush's drug czar, John Walters, flew out to Redding on July 12 to kick it off.

"America's public lands are under attack," Walters said, charging that heavily armed Mexican drug cartels had turned the national forests into "ground zero for drug cultivation. These violent drug traffickers are endangering America's outdoor enthusiasts and sportsmen, and the sensitive ecosystems of our wilderness."
Continued...cannabisnews/23229

Plan To Limit New Marijuana Dispensaries OK'd By Rick Orlov
CN Source: Los Angeles Daily News August 02, 2007 Los Angeles, CA  

Pitting itself against the U.S. government, the Los Angeles City Council approved plans Wednesday to limit new medical-marijuana dispensaries, regulate existing ones and urge a moratorium on recent clinic raids by federal agents.

Despite warnings that it is treading on legally treacherous ground, the council voted 10-2 to adopt the plan amid concerns that hundreds of illegal clinics have sprouted up since 1996, when California voters approved Proposition 215 allowing the use of medicinal marijuana.
Continued...cannabisnews/23228

consider it done. God bless you folks!

Casting the first stone at the mote in the prodigal son's eye...
DWR: Sunday, August 5, 2007

Perhaps because I'm a preacher's kid, it bothers me especially when I see so-called "Christians" who appear to have never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
Link

Becknell -- a devout Christian known to many as "Brother John" -- pulls out a pen and an inch-thick docket, mostly of drug and alcohol cases. For the next three hours, he takes diligent notes on the judge's actions, the attendance of police officers, repeat offenders making another appearance, and so on.

The purpose? To make sure drug offenders in eastern Kentucky are getting what they deserve. [...]

The Community Church of Manchester is leading the way through "Court Watch," a program in which volunteers attend court hearings to monitor judges overseeing drug-related cases. [...]

Becknell began to work with Operation UNITE, a federally funded drug task force that covers 29 counties in southeastern Kentucky and which created Court Watch. He said that during his first few sessions as a court observer, he noticed officers not showing up, cases getting dismissed, judges doling out lenient sentences and the same defendants appearing before the same judge. [emphasis added]

I've heard my dad talk about his times working with prison ministry, so I can definitely connect better with Rev. John Rausch, director of the Catholic Committee on Appalachia...

Churches should focus on drug counseling and ministering to inmates, he said, citing part of the Gospel of Matthew (25:36) concerning the final judgment: "When I was in prison, you came to see me."

"It isn't 'I was up for charges and you made sure they threw the book at me,"' Rausch said.

Bush. Religious drug treatment in Texas
MapInc Source: Washington Post (DC) 05 May 2000 CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex

Putting Faith In a Social Service Role; Church-Based Providers Freed From Many Rules

Over the door of one church-based drug treatment center in Houston, a sign printed in foot-high letters announces: "Drug Addiction Is NOT a Disease. It's a Sin." At another, clients pass by a poster of an addict in a hospital bed, ripping IV tubes out of his arms and throwing his pills in the garbage. An angel hovers nearby, offering her protection from this plague of prescriptions.

And at a Christian young adult home in Corpus Christi, police recently took the unusual step of arresting a supervisor after teenagers complained that they were beaten and roped to a bed, all in the name of Christian discipline. More arrests are anticipated, authorities say.

These are some of the results--expected and unexpected--of Gov. George W. Bush's "bold new experiment in welfare reform." With his conviction that religious groups can transform lives in ways government can't, Bush sponsored laws in 1997 that allow churches to provide social services their own way, outside the intrusive glare of the state.
Continued...endingcannabisprohibition/13

Warning To States on Funding Faith-Based Charities

McCaffrey's Brain On Drugs by Paul Rako
mapinc Source: Liberty Magazine June 2000 WA (US)

May 1993, 50 senior federal judges, including Jack B. Weinstein and Whitman Knapp of New York, had exercised their prerogative and refused to hear drug cases. Federal District Judge Stanley Marshall remarked, "I've always been considered a fairly harsh sentencer, but it's killing me that I'm sending so many low-level offenders away for all this time." A Gallup poll of 350 state and 49 federal judges who belong to the American Bar Association found 8 percent in favor of and 90 percent opposed to the federal mandatory minimums for drug offenses,
famm

Christian Extremism and Terrorism In History



Sacramental Cannabis

Cannabis Culture Archives: Sacrament

forbiddenfruitpublishing
Chris Bennett a collection of writings and video



Illegal Crops Creep Into the Suburbs By Kari Lydersen
CN Source: Washington Post August 05, 2007 Barrington, Ill.

This town of 10,000 in the northwest Chicago suburbs is home to upscale subdivisions, one of the wealthiest Zip codes in the country, and borders a leafy forest preserve popular with bird-watchers, hikers and runners.

So, to many people, it was a shock when federal and state agents raided the preserve two weeks ago and eradicated 18 fields of about 60,000 marijuana plants, some of them 8 feet tall.
Continued...cannabisnews/23235

Mitt Romney sends the wrong message
DWR: Saturday, August 4, 2007 Link

It doesn't help that he's a bit vague on the order of the recent Presidents.
More at the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy

"That's why, as the federal government, and I as a candidate, support keeping marijuana illegal, because I don't want to encourage more involvement in or allow more people to get involved in the marijuana and the drug culture."
--Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)
Granite Staters: Your Guide to the Candidates' Views on Medical Marijuana

"The penalty for refusing to participate in politics is that you will be governed by bad men."
- Plato



POLITICS/CORRUPTION Archives

Politicians get money because they are SELLING SOMETHING. Right now they sell you and your children to a warring foreign government. Or they sell you as customers to the drug criminals. Or some other "deal with the devil" that has yet to make itself known.

The bottom line, as we go into 2008, is that candidates with vast sums of cash should be viewed with a deep suspicion, because it is impossible to know where much of that money comes from, or what promises were made by the candidate to get it. We do know that AIPAC (accused of spying on the US for Israel) boasts of its ability to control the US Government, and they are among the richest of the donors out there.

Merriam-WebsterDictionary: Mitt
Pronunciation: 'mit Function: noun Etymology: short for mitten
1 a: a woman's glove that leaves the fingers uncovered 1 b: MITTEN
1 c: a baseball catcher's or first baseman's glove made in the style of a mitten

2 slang: HAND



Would these Unfettered Capitalists lie about Ganja?

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
From Jurgen Fauth & Marcy Dermansky

Unfettered Capitalism Running Amok

Guide Rating - As somebody who routinely skips over the newspaper's business section, I'll confess that I found the prospect of a documentary about Enron, the energy company that imploded in the spectacular scandal, less than enticing. Even I already knew the basic storyline: in their greed, the managers overextended themselves, perpetuated a gigantic fraud, and eventually the entire house of cards collapsed, taking billions of dollars and the employees' retirement funds with them. Was this really worth 110 minutes of celluloid?


Would you buy a kilowatt from these men? Ken Lay and Jeff Skillig

Why Should We Care? It's Only the Constitution By Nat Hentoff
CN Source: Progressive December 10, 2001

Two nights after the September 11 attack, the Senate swiftly, by voice vote after thirty minutes of debate, attached to a previously written appropriations bill an amendment making it much easier for the government to wiretap computers of terrorism suspects without having to go to various courts to get multiple search warrants. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, and Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. "Terrorism" was not defined.
Continued...cannabisnews/11532

STATE SUPPRESSES REPORT SHOWING POT USE AMONG CALIFORNIA STUDENTS LEVELED OFF AFTER PASSAGE OF PROP 215

The $150 Billion `Welfare' Recipients: U.S. Corporations

Elkhorn Manefesto

"We should resist the temptation to identify our religious convictions with the platform of a party or the platitudes of favored politicians."
--Ralph Reed, 1996

Clothed in secrecy since its founding in 1981, the Council for National Policy is a virtual who's who of the Hard Right. Its membership comprises the Right's Washington operatives and politicians, its financiers, and its hard core religious arm.

Enron's Shadow Government

Enron Owns GOPers

Bushît Cheneynagans D.E.A.th & Oil!

Journey for Justice

"...somebody has to take governments' place, and business seems to me to be a logical entity to do it."
- David Rockefeller - Newsweek International, Feb 1 1999.

Editorial: Drug Raids Add Up To Federal Intimidation
CN Source: Clovis News Journal August 07, 2007 USA  

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has started playing hardball with medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, but it’s unclear how far it will move beyond symbolic intimidation.

The DEA, which has discretion when it comes to setting priorities, would do well to abandon this effort to deprive seriously ill people of medicine to which they are entitled under state law. Such efforts are unworthy of it.
Continued...cannabisnews/23240



Freedom Next Time: Filmmaker & Journalist John Pilger on Propaganda, the Press, Censorship and Resisting the American Empire
democracynow August 7th, 2007

Ironically, I began to understand how censorship worked in so-called free societies when I reported from totalitarian societies. During the 1970s I filmed secretly in Czechoslovakia, then a Stalinist dictatorship. I interviewed members of the dissident group Charter 77, including the novelist Zdener Urbanek, and this is what he told me.

"In dictatorships we are more fortunate that you in the West in one respect. We believe nothing of what we read in the newspapers and nothing of what we watch on television, because we know its propaganda and lies.

Unlike you in the West. We've learned to look behind the propaganda and to read between the lines, and unlike you, we know that the real truth is always subversive."

Vandana Shiva has called this subjugated knowledge. The great Irish muckraker Claud Cockburn got it right when he wrote, "Never believe anything until it's officially denied."

One of the oldest clichés of war is that truth is the first casualty. No it's not. Journalism is the first casualty.

Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia by John Pilger


johnpilger

First, They Attack the Past by John Pilger

Cannabis: the Goose that Lays Golden Eggs! By JOE PIETRI
counterpunch February 23, 2005

The Redistribution of Marijuana Wealth

The DEA chomps at the bit in anticipation of kicking every medical marijuana grow ups door down and seizing everything as well as their souls. They well remember the 1980s when Reagan for the first time let the police sell you loads of marijuana as a way to infiltrate marijuana syndicates. And the biggest mass redistribution of wealth in the history of the US occurred when they shut down the good old boy marijuana networks that operated in the 1960's thru the late 1980s. It was Vietnam style body count, the more people they arrested the more possessions they confiscated. The best properties, the best of all the spoils went to further power the police state that had all ready been created when they declared a Drug War. They only other country in the history of mankind to have such search and seizure and confiscation and forfeiture laws was Nazi Germany.

Interpreting Hazy Warnings About Pot
By Paul Armentano and Mitch Earleywine  
CN Source: Huffington Post August 07, 2007 USA  

Smoking pot won't make you crazy, but trying to find the truth behind the recent rash of headlines regarding a supposed link between cannabis and mental illness might.

According to the Associated Press and other news sources, a new study in the British medical journal The Lancet reports that smoking cannabis -- even occasionally -- can increase one's risk of becoming psychotic. It sounds alarming at first, but a closer look at the evidence reveals that there's less here than the headlines imply.
Continued...cannabisnews/23239


radicalparty

Concept Dictionary 2007-07-25
drug war propaganda, players, and substances

I read the other day that John Wayne was the most influential movie who ever lived. I a saw the Green Berets starring John Wayne on a Saturday night in 1968 in Montgomery Alabama. (I was down there to interview the then-infamous governor George Wallace).

I had just come back from Vietnam, and I couldn't believe how absurd this movie was. So I laughed out loud, and I laughed and laughed. And it wasn't long before the atmosphere around me grew very cold. My companion, who had been a Freedom Rider in the South, said, "Let's get the hell out of here and run like hell."

We were chased all the way back to our hotel, but I doubt if any of our pursuers were aware that John Wayne, their hero, had lied so he wouldn't have to fight in World War II. And yet the phony role model of Wayne sent thousands of Americans to their deaths in Vietnam, with the notable exceptions of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
--John Pilger, speaking during the Socialism 2007 conference in Chicago


drugwarfacts

STOPPING THE MADNESS
by Robert E. Martin
CC Source:Review Magazine 02 Aug 2007 Michigan

Ex-Police Detective Howard Wooldridge on the Costly Failure of the War on Drugs

Since the War on Drugs ( or Drug Prohibition ) began back in 1971 under the Nixon Administration, United States taxpayers have spent over $1 trillion dollars and arrested 36 million Americans with zero return on the investment, as hundreds of warehouses filled with illicit drugs continue to spread across our country.

As a result of this 36-year campaign, street drugs today are cheaper than ever to acquire and easier to buy than when Nixon first declared his war.

If you don't believe me, consider this excerpt taken from a current Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) pamphlet: "Drugs are readily available to America's youth, and many see little risk in using illicit drugs."

Howard Wooldridge is a rare breed of police officer. Now in his mid-50s, he spent 18 years as a working cop, twelve years working the streets and three years as a Detective in Lansing, Michigan.

In 1994 Wooldridge moved to Texas and began involving himself with a campaign to educate the public and address the economic & human travesty of drug prohibition by forming a national organization called LEAP ( Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ).

In four years, LEAP went from five founders to a membership of well over 5,000 law enforcement professionals across the United States, mostly comprised of former drug warriors including fellow police officers, judges, prosecutors, DEA and FBI agents, and prison wardens.
Continued...cannabisculture/1438751

If you would like to learn more about LEAP ( Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ) or make a contribution or become a member, you are encouraged to phone 781-393-6985.

Oct 5 05 End of Ride Press Conference NYC 03:00 PM
Board Member Howard Wooldridge brings his cross country horse back journey to an end today when he attends an "End of Ride Press Conference" at Castle Clinton National Monument, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Howard and his faithful horse Misty (with help from friend horse Sam) have riden over 3,300 miles across America to bring attention to the failure of America's war on drugs. Howard has spoken to thousands of concerned and supportive citizens on this trip and has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, as well as appearing in many newspapers. Howard and Misty will be joined by Executive Director Jack Cole, Audrey Silk, the Libertarian candidate for Mayor of New York City and supportive citizens to celebrate Howard's successful journey.
http://www.leap.cc/howard

Back in Saddle, Preaching Drug Legalization
October 05, 2005
By Corey Kilgannon 
Source: New York Times 
New York -- After blowing into town yesterday on a one-eyed painted pony, a lanky Texan named Howard Wooldridge looked a bit beleaguered.

He had just arrived in Manhattan from the West Coast, but not on the red-eye, having left Los Angeles on March 4 on horseback and riding some 3,300 miles to New York. He rode, he said, about 25 miles a day, six days a week.
Read More... http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21166.shtml

Howard Wooldridge interview
http://leap.cc/audiovideo/howard.mp3

Howard 's Home Page
http://leap.cc/howard/index.html

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.leap.cc



The items posted here describe the growing disillusionment with the War on Drugs in the law enforcement community, the growing support for reform, and some of the ways in which the Drug War corrupts police forces and encourages a war mentality that is at odds with a police officer's intended role as an officer of the peace.

DRCNet: Cops Against the Drug War
http://www.drcnet.org/cops/mcnamara.html

Five Article Series from The Seattle Weekly
Cops Against The Drug War By Nina Shapiro
The Bud Report
Taking Another Pot Shot
Mr. Narc's Neighborhood
The Bong Blues

"Dedicated to our brother, Constable Gil Puder
a good cop and a fearless fighter for sensible drug policy."

The Joseph McNamara Collection
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/mcn/mcntoc.htm
Joseph McNamara is a former police chief in Kansas City, Mo. and San Jose, Ca..
He holds a doctorate in public administration and is presently a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

DRUG PROHIBITION A CASH COW FOR POLICE AGENCIES

Of course we in law enforcement lie about the number of drug users, etc. ( Editorial, Aug. 6 ). How else to force politicians to give us more money, which means more cops, which means more promotions to sergeant or lieutenant?
As a retired police officer and a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, I know drug prohibition is a cash cow for those in police work and they have milked this baby for 30 years, even though we have never eliminated one drug job as a result. All drug dealers arrested or killed are quickly replaced.
Prohibition, you gotta love it.
Howard J. Wooldridge
Keller, Texas

Cops say legalize pot - ask me why

An interview with Nick Pastore
former Chief of Police in New Haven, CT, from the Spring 1998 issue of the Drug Policy Letter

Statement of Edward Ellison
former head of Scotland Yard's anti-drugs squad, March, 1998.

Address of Dr. Joseph McNamara
former Chief of Police, San Jose and Kansas City; Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Police chiefs question merits of drug-war policies May 17, 1995



Howard and Misty Ride Again! War on Drugs DdC Mon Mar 21 2005



When Rupert Murdoch won his bid to take over Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal last week, the Australian media baron brought one of America's oldest, most respected and widely circulated newspapers into his vast media empire. Murdoch's News Corp media conglomerate owns more than 175 other newspapers as well as the Fox Television network, 21st Century Fox film studios, several satellite networks, MySpace.com, HarperCollins, and much more. Besides amassing a media empire, Murdoch has repeatedly been accused of using his media holdings to advance his political agenda. In 2003, all of Murdoch's 175 newspapers supported the Iraq invasion.
--John Pilger

Prohibition Driving Pot Growers Into Public Forests!

Forest Service Chief Says Pot Farmers Daunting By David Benda
CN Source: Record Searchlight August 07, 2007 California



Drug Czar Polluting Environment with Prohibition.

Wallstreet's Spontaneous Abortionists

Use Fungus To Destroy Drug Fields, Souder Says

Souder Fungus Déjà Vu!

Souder: Call for biowar on drugs

Spraying Misery

Colombian War///Fungus Eradications

Marijuana Crops Also Bad for Environment By Alex Breitler
CN Source: Stockton Record August 06, 2007 California


“Highest” cellulose content. Industrial Hemp has twice the cellulose content of corn. Hemp is the answer for our short and long term energy needs

Open letter to Willie

Nelson's Freedom Fest Focuses On Marijuana
CN Source: KXAN-TV August 08, 2007 Austin, TX USA  

A fundraising concert this week focuses on the benefits of marijuana, and Willie Nelson is using music and some star power to push for relaxing the laws related to usage. Nelson sat down with KXAN Austin News' Michelle Valles at his Pedernales studio to discuss the Austin Freedom Fest.

He is still recording music and still touring with his band, but Nelson's latest project is a first. Nelson came up with the idea for a concert at the Backyard on Friday.
Continued...cannabisnews/23241

willie nelson


Coalition for Hemp Awareness
Willie Nelson Hemp

Federal farm aid bill should tax and regulate marijuana By RONALD FRASER
CC Source: COMPASS: August 4, 2007

Points of view from the community

Once a small part of Alaska's farm economy, marijuana is now the state's top money crop and, nationally, with an annual market value of $35.8 billion, marijuana ranks ahead of corn and wheat crops combined. As Alaska's congressional delegation helps piece together a new federal farm bill in Washington, it should consider how marijuana, long an agricultural outcast, would better serve the folks back home as a legal, regulated crop -- like tobacco.

A good starting point for this policy review is "Marijuana Production in the United States (2006)," a study by Dr. Jon Gettman, a regional economics expert and adjunct instructor at Shepard University.

"Despite intensive eradication efforts," says Gettman, "domestic marijuana production has increased tenfold over the last 25 years, from 2.2 million pounds in 1981 to 22 million pounds in 2006 ... and its proliferation to every part of the country demonstrates that marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the national economy."

Currently, marijuana use is discouraged through Draconian law enforcement policies. Using crop eradication tactics, federal and state agents attempt to wipe out the annual marijuana crop, but they only reach about 8 percent of it, leaving the rest to enter a thriving underground marketplace. What is needed is a new policy capable of controlling not just a fraction of the marijuana crop, but one that effectively deals with the 92 percent now reaching marijuana buyers.

In 2006, Alaska's marijuana crop was valued at more than $129 million and topped the state's next leading cash crop: hay at $6 million. Alaska is not unique. In 11 other states marijuana is the top cash crop, and in 18 more it ranks second or third.
Continued...cannabisculture/1439131

BUSH UP IN SMOKE
Wednesday, 20 December 2006 in BUSH WATCH

One of the core reasons America's political machinery and moral and ethical center is in crisis is our national inability to connect dots.  As I've said before, as a people we seem incapable of remembering anything that happened before the current season of Lost, Entertainment Tonight or Days of our Lives.  Our understanding of history is based on syndicated sitcoms.

Case in point: Marijuana.

Dare I suggest that if you connect the dots you discover yet another example of this administration's relentless incompetence and gross mismanagement?
Continued...rjr10036


rjr10036

So the big illegal drug news this week is that America's largest cash crop is not wheat, not corn, not soy but rather it is marijuana. In fact, U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion worth of marijuana annually, bigger than corn and wheat combined.   And while one can claim that Afghanistan's bumper opium crop is in remote and inaccessible areas, the American marijuana crop is grown primarily in California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii and Washington.  California's annual production alone is now at about $13.8 billion.

Trial in Case of Medical Cannabis Doctor and Attorney Begins
Mon Jul 30 2007 (Updated 08/02/07)

Fry and Schafer's Trial is Ongoing in SacramentoAfter almost six years of persecution,

Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband, attorney Dale Schafer will soon have their day in court. The trial will begin on August 1st, 2007 at 8:30am in the Federal Courthouse at 501 I St. in Sacramento before Judge Damrell, and will continue from Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30am to 3:30pm, and on Mondays from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Patients and advocates will rally outside of the courthouse on August 1st at 8am with signs in support of the couple.
Continued...indybay/18437773

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO, "TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH"?
by Bobby Eisenberg-Fry/Schafer Defense Committee
Fry/Schafer Awaiting Trial July 23rd, 2007

After almost six years of persecution, Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband, Attorney Dale Schafer will soon have their day in court. A trial date of August 1st, 2007 has been set and the trial will take place at the Federal Courthouse, 501 I St., Sacramento, CA. Supporters are welcome and encouraged to come. Dr. Fry was diagnosed with breast cancer and ended up surviving a double mastectomy over eleven years ago. After unsuccessfully dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, Dr. Fry turned to medical cannabis. Her success with cannabis compelled her to provide others with the same opportunity. (CONTINUE)


Doc Fry

The People of California voted through Prop. 215 in 1996 to allow patients to use medical cannabis with a Doctor's recomenndation. Prop. 215 also provided for " safe & affordable" access and promised the Doctors immunity from prosecution for recommending cannabis.

IT IS THE LAW IN CALIFORNIA

Medical cannabis offers patients a safe alternative to dangerous pharmaceuticals. Patient's are finding relief for some of the following conditions: Aids, Anorexia, Arthritis, Cancer, Chronic Pain, Depression, Glaucoma, Migraines, PMS, Insomnia.

Willie Nelson To Perform At Marijuana Benefit By Jay Root
CN Source: Star-Telegram August 09, 2007 Austin, TX  

It's been decades since Willie Nelson smoked that first joint in Fort Worth, but -- Ain't it funny how time slips away? -- he's still singing the praises of pot.

On Friday, the country music legend headlines Austin Freedom Fest, a benefit concert for four pro-marijuana groups, including the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Nelson co-chairs NORML's advisory board.
Continued...cannabisnews/23244

Ganjawarnews: 10-16-4



They've outlawed the number one vegetable on the planet.
TIMOTHY LEARY

The Great Marijuana Hoax by Allen Ginsberg

Reefer Madness By Abbie Hoffman



Why Is This Canadian Pot Dealer Campaigning for Ron Paul?

CN Source: NORML August 09, 2007

Latest Pot Smoking Warnings Call For Education, Not Prohibition, NORML Says-Respiratory risks may be mitigated by vaporization, regulation
August 9, 2007 - Washington, DC, USA

Recent media reports alleging that the daily use of cannabis may impede certain lung functions should be seen as an opportunity to better educate marijuana consumers about ways to mitigate the health risks associated with smoking, NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano said today.
Continued...norml/7330

Additional information is available in the NORML White Paper, "Cannabis Smoke and Cancer: Assessing the Risk," available online at: norml/6891

Cannabis Receptor System Offers Novel Target For Osteoporosis Treatment, Study Says
August 9, 2007 - Jerusalem, Israel

The endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in skeletal remodeling (the process whereby old bone is removed and new bone is added) and is an ideal target for anti-osteoporotic drug development, according to a forthcoming review to be published in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Continued...norml/7331

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org

Full text of the study, "Regulation of Skeletal Remodeling by the Endocannabinoid Sytem," will appear in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Additional information on cannabis and osteoporosis is available in NORML’s booklet, "Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids," available online at: norml/7002

Pot Shots By Mark Honigsbaum
CN Source: Guardian Unlimited August 08, 2007 USA  

What is the most valuable cash crop in America? If you answered wheat or corn then either you've been eating too many Fruit Loops or you haven't been inhaling deeply enough. As any fan of Weeds - Showtime's hit series about a dope-dealing suburban mom - will tell you, when it comes to hard cash these days, cannabis is king.

According to a study by (Jon) Gettman of the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, marijuana cultivation in the US is now worth a staggering $35bn (£17.3bn) a year, making old Mary J bigger than corn and wheat combined.
Continued...cannabisnews/23242

Marijuana, Science, and Public Policy

The Cannabis Rescheduling Petition
This petition seeks to provide medical access to cannabis under current US law. The 2002 Cannabis Rescheduling Petition contains a detailed summary of the scientific and medical findings in the late 1990s that support the medical use of cannabis(marijuana) in the United States. The 2002 petition was written by Jon Gettman, Franjo Grotenherman, and Gero Leson and filed with the Drug Enforcement Administration on October 9, 2002 by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis.

The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis
The Coalition was formed for the purpose of filing the Cannabis Rescheduling Petition and representing the interests of medical cannabis patients in related federal administrative and judicial proceedings. The sponsor of the rescheduling petition. The member organizations of the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis are also excellent sources for more information about the medical marijuana issue


Jon Gettman is a long time contributor to HIGH TIMES. A former National Director of NORML, Jon has a Ph.D. in public policy and regional economic development and consults with attorneys, advocates, and non-profits on cannabis related research and public policy issues. On October 8, 2002, along with a coalition of organizations, he filed a new petition to have cannabis rescheduled under federal law. This column will track that petition's progress

Disabled Coarsegold man faces federal charges By Farin Montañez
The Fresno Bee 08/06/07



Creepshow -- A Disturbing Glimpse into DEA Mentality 6/17/05

Man prescribed pot is arrested

A 64-year-old disabled Coarsegold man who uses marijuana for medicinal purposes on the advice of his doctor faces federal drug charges after a Madera County prosecutor dropped his case against him.

Donato Canceleno will appear in Fresno's federal court on Friday. He was arrested July 27 -- the day before his state trial was scheduled to begin -- outside the Madera County Superior Court after a county drug crime prosecutor, Michael Keitz, dropped state charges. Keitz did not return calls for comment.

In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, making it legal for the seriously ill and their caregivers to grow and process marijuana for medicinal purposes if approved by a doctor.

In June 2005, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could prosecute people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Since then, the federal government has arrested more than 100 Californians on medicinal marijuana charges, according to the California branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Now Canceleno joins them. If he is convicted, he would face up to 10 years in prison for federal charges of growing marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a weapon in connection with a drug crime, said his attorney, William Panzer.
Continued...cannabisculture/1439129



Madera Co. Prosecutor Has 63-Year-Old Medical Marijuana Patient
California NORML Release July 27th, 2007

Over 100 federal medical marijuana arrests in California since Prop. 215.

Man arrested 2nd time for growing 'medical' marijuana By Maria Miranda
maderatribune Saturday, July 28, 2007

A 63-year-old disabled Coarsegold man was arrested a second time Friday morning for growing marijuana after the district attorney's office dropped state charges so he could be prosecuted federally.

Federal Medical Marijuana Cases in California & elsewhere
(Sept 11, 2001 - Jul 27th, 2007)
 

norml

Hayward: Compassion Given the Boot
Weedbay Peace&Pot on 01 Aug 2007

Hayward city council decided last night not to allow Hayward Patient’s Resource Center to move. This effectively closes the club opened by Jane Weirick who died in 2005. For the first time in almost 10 years the patients of Hayward will be without safe access to the cannabis they use with a doctor’s recommendation. The quaint downtown area of Hayward was once home to 4 such clubs. With a downtown area comprised of smaller businesses built in an era when we all watched black and white TV the HPRC stood as the lone surviving club. The DEA raided another club, LPC, less than a block away in 2006.
Continued...weedbay/285



Patients and Supporters Rally for Sanctuary City in Berkeley
Thu Aug 2 2007 (Updated 08/04/07)
Patients Protest Seizure of Medical Cannabis Dispensary's FundsSome 75 medical marijuana supporters rallied at a July 31st Berkeley City Council meeting to protest the LAPD's seizure of the bank account of the Berkeley Patients' Group
Continued...indybay/18438458

The LAPD's action was a follow-up to the recent DEA raids in LA, where the BPG's sister facility, California Patients' Group, was raided. The CPG has reportedly closed, but the BPG is remaining in operation along with another sister facility in West Hollywood, the Los Angeles Patients' Group, whose bank was also account seized. California NORML writes, "Contrary to the report in the Chronicle... the LAPD appears to have acted on its own without DEA in seizing the BPG's assets."



Canada Approves Cannabis Spray For Cancer Pain
NORML: August 9, 2007 - Ottawa, ON, Canada

Canadian health officials granted regulatory approval this week to Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, as an adjunctive analgesic treatment in adult patients with advanced cancer.
Continued...norml/7332

For more information, please visit: gwpharm.com

GW Pharma says Sativex gets Canadian approval
reuters.co.uk Aug 7, 2007 LONDON

Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals Plc (GWP.L: Quote, Profile , Research) said on Tuesday that Canada's federal health department, Health Canada, had approved its cannabis-based medicine Sativex for treatment of cancer patients.

The treatment will be used by advanced cancer patients suffering from moderate to severe pain, GW said.

Last month GW announced a delay for the possible roll-out of the treatment in Europe after drug regulators requested a further clinical study.

Canada backs marijuana cancer drug By Anna Lewcock
US-PharmaTechnologist.com, UK

"Satviex has a much more benign side effect profile than some of the opioid treatments," GW managing director Justin Gover told US-PharmaTechnologist
Continued...cannabisculture/1438976&


Satviex

No recorded deaths because of Sativex?
MedPotMarc Aug 07 2007

There is no risk of respiratory depression, there have been no recorded deaths, and there isn't the addiction risk that's associated with some treatments such as morphine."

Can Sativex exacerbate on other serious health conditions - resulting death?
Maybe no recorded deaths for using cannabis - but Sativex?

Please see: cannabisculture/1439057

* Experimental trial death inquest
* Patient died after cannabis trial, inquest hears
* GW Pharma hit as inquest links death to Sativex
* Grieving family's drug trial plea
* 'Scrap drugs trials'
* Cannabis medicine is implicated in death of pensioner
* Call for Cannabis Trials to Be Halted After Mother Dies
* Cannabis medication 'turned my mum into a stranger'

Is Sativex a totally safe drug even if it's based on the natural cannabis plant?
Marc

Legalization proposal
DWR: Friday, August 10, 2007

I found a very interesting proposal regarding a comprehensive scheme for legalizing and regulating drugs. While I'm not sure I agree with every particular, it's really not bad at all.

What do you think? Does North have what it takes to be Drug Czar?

Of course, it wouldn't do any good. The problem, as I noted over at StoptheDrugWar.org, is that the ONDCP's authorization from Congress prevents, by law, having a drug czar that is reform-minded (unless they want to break the law and just try to destroy the agency).

For example, this part of the job requirement of the Drug Czar:

(12) shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 812 of this title and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that--

(A) is listed in schedule I of section 812 of this title; and
(B) has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration;

The ONDCP needs to be eliminated or changed. Otherwise merely appointing a new drug czar (even the blogger referenced above) won't help.

Moralism and the United States Gulags
In The Nation, Daniel Lazare has an amazing piece about the drug war and incarceration in the United States.



High Time? By Barbara Taormina
CN Source: North Shore Sunday August 10, 2007 Beverly, MA  

If you have teenage kids, sometimes the most gracious thing you can do as a parent is to fade into the background. You probably shouldn’t shop at Abercombie and Fitch, you don’t need to play air guitar and regale your kids with stories about The Who’s reunion concert and you really don’t need to end up in the police log of your local newspaper for possession of marijuana.

From 1990 to 2002, roughly 6.2 million people across the United States were arrested for possession of pot.
Continued...cannabisnews/23246

Journey for Justice

prisons: slave labor factories
History teaches us that slavery was abolished in the United States after the Civil War. History has taught us wrong.

Slavery was never abolished in the United States. Go ahead, take a look at the Constitution. The 13th Amendment reads as follows: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted shall exist within the United States.” That means that if you’ve been convicted of a crime, you are legally allowed to be a slave.



Freedom Rally 2007

Dedicated to the thirty+ Massachusetts citizens arrested each day of the War on Marijuana Users.

For the sake of all those who will be arrested today and tomorrow and the day after, please take just ...
7 easy steps To changing the Marijuana Laws! And 1 hard one

Mass Cann/NORML
P.O. Box 266
Georgetown MA 01833-0366.
781-944-2266 / Email: masscann@pobox.com


norml

"THERE ARE NONE SO BLIND AS THOSE WHO WILL NOT LOOK"
--source unknown

State Workers Could Face Charges for Marijuana Law By Deborah Baker
CN Source: Associated Press August 10, 2007 New Mexico  

The state Department of Health and its employees could face federal prosecution for implementing New Mexico’s new medical-marijuana law, the attorney general has cautioned.

And they wouldn’t get any help from the attorney general: That office isn’t authorized to defend state workers in criminal cases, according to a letter released Thursday.
Continued...cannabisnews/23245

New Mexico Law Requires State to Grow Marijuana
July 2, 2007

New Mexico Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Bill into Law
Richardson Becomes First Presidential Candidate to Sign a Medical Marijuana Law; New Mexico Becomes 12th State to Legalize Use of Medical Cannabis.


stopthedrugwar

Federal Raids Against Medical Marijuana to End If Democrat Elected By Steven Edwards
CN: Wired August 10, 2007

2008 Presidential Election, Drugs & Alcohol, Policy

Federal raids of medical marijuana users will end under a Dennis Kucinich administration, implied the Democratic Presidential candidate in last night's LGBT Presidential forum. Competing candidate Mike Gravel went further by saying marijuana should be sold alongside alcohol in liquor stores and that all hard drugs should be decriminalized.

The answer was prompted by a question from cancer sufferer Melissa Etheridge -- who noted that federal raids still take place in the 11 states have legalized medical marijuana -- as medical marijuana can be used to ease pain by many people in the LGBT community who have "AIDS and HIV, and then many people in general with cancer."

Every Democratic candidate has taken a similar position, with Barack Obama being the only one who has yet to explicitly state he will end federal raids in states where medical marijuana is legal, according to Granite Staters. Obama did, however, vote against an amendment offered to undermine state medical marijuana laws.

Tommy Thompson and Ron Paul are the only Republican candidates who agree with this stance -- the majority saying they will not stop the federal raids, as other pain management options need to be researched and explored.

Melissa Etheridge Says She Used Med Marijuana

Transcript: Etheridge on Medicinal Marijuana

I decided instead of signing up for the drugs that— well, there’s the drug that you take for the pain. But that constipates you. So, you have to take the constipation drug. But then that actually gives you diarrhea. So, you need a little diarrhea drug. Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go a natural route and smoke medicinal marijuana.

Every doctor I talked to that I asked about it said that’s the best thing to do. The doctors know. From the surgeons to the oncologists to the radiation. Every single one was, “Oh, yeah. That’s the best help for the effects of chemotherapy.
--Melissa Etheridge

Kucinich Office Vandalized After Gay Rights Debate
FoM August 10, 2007 Excerpt:

Kucinich used the word "love" more than a dozen times in answers to questions from moderator Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg News, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart, and lesbian rock star Melissa Etheridge. He touted his support for gay marriage, legalization of medical marijuana, and universal health care coverage.

Kucinich: .us/issues

Marijuana Decriminalization

Medical Marijuana

Hemp

"We have people running for president who say they were fooled by George W. Bush,'' "What a recommendation. You're running for president, and you can be fooled by George Bush.''
---Dennis J. Kucinich



Pot to the Rescue of California Budget Woes

High Time? sure give 'em more money...

"There would be a fine of $100 that would go to the city or town in which the offense was committed."

"On the flip side, the new law would be bring some cash into communities"

"Like adults, juveniles would be subject to a $100 fine, but unlike adults they would be mandated to attend a drug education program. And if they fail to complete that drug education program within a year, them fine would bump up to $1,000 with both the juvenile and parents liable for that fine."

And this is "good news?"

I've already seen first hand what a 'community' (white-dominated-rich-mans-social-club) will do with such a situation. As if the cops weren't bad enough already, with laws and ordinances like this their job gets so much easier, they get to do what the cops here in my county have been doing for years, bust teenagers at a rate of about 100 a week during the summer, and if you add up those numbers at $100 a pop, that's an average of around $40,000 a month -without the added fees and penalties (that they can dream up to charge you as well.)

The cops in this county have gotten so used to the pot gravy train, they don't even bother answering 911 calls any more. The citizens of the county voted them out, and Bush sent this county 19 million dollars to reinstate them, so not only are they lazy and incompetent, but they have contempt for the citizenry, almost as bad as I have contempt for them.

Throw money at it. It's the American solution.
museman August 10, 2007



Scott Morgan has an excellent piece at StoptheDrugWar.org: Cocaine Shortages Don't Prevent Violence, They Cause It

The 1969 marijuana shortage and "Operation Intercept"
"Far from rejoicing at the marijuana shortage," Miss Murrell's  Wall Street Journal dispatch continued, "some narcotics officials are now afraid that pot smokers may switch to other, more dangerous routes to euphoria." 4 One of these officials was William Durkin, head of the New York Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, who was quoted as saying: "Youthful drug experimenters, if they can't get one kind of drug, will look for something else."



Drug War Chronicle - Issue #497 - 8/10/07

* Editorial: Why Do People the Government Says Don't Exist Keep Writing Me?
* Feature: Yellow Journalism -- San Francisco Exchange Programs Scored Over Dirty Needles
* Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
* Europe: Dutch May Join Trend and Ban Magic Mushrooms
* Law Enforcement: Illegal Search Kills Prosecution in Largest Heroin Bust in California History
* Racial Profiling: Kansas Police Agencies Honor Reporting Law Mostly in the Breach
* Southeast Asia: Probe into Thai Drug War Killings Getting Underway
* Latin America: Massive US-Mexico Counter-Drug Aid Package in the Works
* Middle East: More Drug Executions in Saudi Arabia
* Canada: Health Canada Gives Okay to Sativex for Cancer Patients
* Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
* Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle
* Web Scan
* Weekly: This Week in History

Is Addiction a Brain Disease?
Biden Bill to Define It as Such is Moving on Capitol Hill

Report incidents of drug war propaganda.


No Extradition for the BC3!

60 Minutes
(CBS - From March 5, 2006) His name is Marc Emery and he is called the "Prince of Pot." He claims to have sold more marijuana seeds than anyone in the world and, to date, no one has disputed that claim. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the culture is rather permissive concerning marijuana. The Canadian government, for the most part, has left Emery and his business alone.
Continued...cannabisculture/4686

Prince of Pot plants the seeds of activism By Debby Reis
Canadian University Press (CUP)

Marc Emery: Drug kingpin or political target?

Ore. Subpoenas Worry Medical Marijuana Avocates
CN Source: Associated Press August 11, 2007 Portland, Ore.

Federal subpoenas seeking medical records of 17 Oregon medical marijuana patients have growers and users upset and nervous even as a federal judge considers whether to throw the subpoenas out.

"It's crazy. It's really scary. If they can get my records, they can get Gov. (Ted) Kulongoski's, they can get yours," said Donald DuPay, a former Portland police officer and 2006 candidate for Multnomah County sheriff.
Continued...cannabisnews/23247



Treatment Interrupted By Alan Bock
CN Source: Orange County Register August 12, 2007 California  

Eleven years after California voters, by passing Proposition 215, created exceptions to the marijuana prohibition laws for medical patients using marijuana, or cannabis, with the recommendation of a licensed physician, the issue of safe access to this medicine is still in turmoil.

Orange County just became the most recent county in California to comply with California law and begin the process of setting up a voluntary ID cards program for patients.

The Los Angeles City Council has declared a temporary moratorium on new medical cannabis dispensaries, but under the leadership of Dennis Zine, a former policeman, it has declared its clear intention to set up a regulatory and licensing regime for them.
Continued...cannabisnews/23249



Marijuana Growers Could Fix Budget By Thadeus Greenson
CN Source: Times-Standard August 12, 2007 California  

Conventional wisdom holds that pot heads are the last ones to turn to in a budget crisis, but one advocacy group is asking the state of California to do just that.

As the state's budget impasse plods into its 42nd day, a coalition of marijuana growers and sellers is begging the state to let them help -- to the tune of $1 billion. The group, Let Us Pay Taxes, says legalizing and taxing marijuana is a simple solution to the state's revenue woes, and one that is long overdue.
Continued...cannabisnews/23248

Rock And Roll Hall Moves To Adopt A Zero Tolerance Drug Policy

Taking Its Lead From Baseball, Rock And The Roll Hall of Fame Plans To Expunge The Careers Of Any Inductee Who Used Illegal Performance Enhancing Drugs.

Pat Boone And Anita Bryant Will Most Likely Be Only Members Of Hall Left



"When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly... When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it."
-- Bill Clinton : US President, April 19 1994, on MTV

ACLU Applauds Oregon Attorney General's Statement that Medical Marijuana Program Remains 100 Percent Legal (6/17/2005)
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon expressed satisfaction that the state attorney general's office acknowledged today that Oregon's medical marijuana program remains in full force and effect despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Gonzales v. Raich.
Continued...aclu/20050617

The Fifth Amendment, Self-Incrimination, and Gun Registration by Clayton Cramer
A recurring question that we are asked, not only by gun control advocates, but even by a number of gun owners is, "What's wrong with mandatory gun registration?" Usually by the time we finish telling them about the Supreme Court decision U.S. v. Haynes (1968), they are laughing -- and they understand our objection to registration.

In Haynes v. U.S. (1968), a Miles Edward Haynes appealed his conviction for unlawful possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun. His argument was ingenious: since he was a convicted felon at the time he was arrested on the shotgun charge, he could not legally possess a firearm. Haynes further argued that for a convicted felon to register a gun, especially a short-barreled shotgun, was effectively an announcement to the government that he was breaking the law.

If he did register it, as 26 U.S.C. sec.5841 required, he was incriminating himself; but if he did not register it, the government would punish him for possessing an unregistered firearm -- a violation of 26 U.S.C. sec.5851. Consequently, his Fifth Amendment protection against self- incrimination ("No person... shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself") was being violated -- he would be punished if he registered it, and punished if he did not register it.

While the Court acknowledged that there were circumstances where a person might register such a weapon without having violated the prohibition on illegal possession or transfer, both the prosecution and the Court acknowledged such circumstances were "uncommon." The Court concluded:

We hold that a proper claim of the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination provides a full defense to prosecutions either for failure to register a firearm under sec.5841 or for possession of an unregistered firearm under sec.5851.
Continued....newsmax/200747



Medical Marijuana - Registration
Statement of Patricia Good
Chief, Liaison & Policy Section, Office of Diversion Control
Drug Enforcement Administration
Before the House Committee on Government Reform
Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources
April 1, 2004

“Marijuana and Medicine: The Need for a Science-Based Approach”

Chairman Souder, Congressman Cummings, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate your invitation to testify today on the process of applying for a registration under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to grow marijuana for scientific research. While I cannot discuss specific pending applications or apply the relevant factors to hypotheticals, I am pleased to explain the general process.

Bulk Manufacturing of Marijuana Registration Application Considerations
Continued...dea.gov/ct040104

BOTCHED PARAMILITARY POLICE RAIDS
AN EPIDEMIC OF "ISOLATED INCIDENTS"

The proliferation of SWAT teams, police militarization, and the Drug War have given rise to a dramatic increase in the number of "no-knock" or "quick-knock" raids on suspected drug offenders.

Because these raids are often conducted based on tips from notoriously unreliable confidential informants, police sometimes conduct SWAT-style raids on the wrong home, or on the homes of nonviolent, misdemeanor drug users. Such highly-volatile, overly confrontational tactics are bad enough when no one is hurt -- it's difficult to imagine the terror an innocent suspect or family faces when a SWAT team mistakenly breaks down their door in the middle of the night.

But even more disturbing are the number of times such "wrong door" raids unnecessarily lead to the injury or death of suspects, bystanders, and police officers. Defenders of SWAT teams and paramilitary tactics say such incidents are isolated and rare. The map below aims to refute that notion.

Anger Spills Over at Killing of Kathryn Johnston



Will Canada Stand Behind You?
CC: JodieGR First Lady Aug 10 2007
It doesn't even matter who the people are, or what the crimes are - it's just wrong, plain and simple, for a foreign state to apply laws to a foreign citizen in a foreign country, then ask that country to hand that citizen over.

Nice feature on Showtime's excellent series 'Weeds' at USA Today

Kohan, a veteran producer and writer who wanted to do a show about an outlaw, says Weeds' pot-selling-mom premise was a novel but relatable concept. With government estimates that 96 million Americans have tried pot, Weeds "crosses all social, ethnic, political and economic lines." [...]

The show's pot-centric theme hasn't drawn much ire outside of anti-drug advocacy groups, says Showtime entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt...

"a-motivation [is] a cause of heavy marijuana smoking rather than the reverse"
--Dr. Andrew Weil (Rubin & Comitas Ganja in Jamaica, 1975)

What No One Wants to Know About Marijuana by Dr. Andrew Weil
From The Natural Mind by Dr. Andrew Weil
(last half of chapter four pg. 86-97)

Because marijuana is such an unimpressive pharmacological agent, it is not a very interesting drug to study in a laboratory. Pharmacologists cannot get a handle on it with their methods, and because they cannot see the reality of the non-material state of consciousness that users experience, they are forced to design experimental situations very far removed from the real world in order to get measurable effects. There are three conditions under which marijuana can be shown to impair general psychological performance in laboratory subjects. They are:

1.by giving it to people who have never had it before;
2.by giving people very high doses that they are not used to
(or giving it orally to people used to smoking it); and
3.by giving people very hard things to do, especially things that they have never had a chance to practice while under the influence of the drug.

Under any of these three conditions, pharmacologists can demonstrate that marijuana impairs performance. And if we look at the work being done by NIMH-funded researchers, all of it fulfills one or more of these conditions. In addition, the tests being used by these scientists are designed to look for impairments of functions that have nothing to do with why marijuana users put themselves in an altered state of consciousness. People who get high on marijuana do not spontaneously try to do arithmetic problems or test their fine coordination.

What pharmacologists cannot make sense of is that people who are high on marijuana cannot be shown, in objective terms, to be different from people who are not high. That is, if a marijuana user is allowed to smoke his usual doses and then to do things he has had a chance to practice while high, he does not appear to perform any differently from someone who is not high.

Now, this pattern of users performing better than nonusers is a general phenomenon associated with all psychoactive drugs. For example, an alcoholic will vastly outperform a nondrinker on any test if the two are equally intoxicated; he has learned to compensate for the effects of the drug on his nervous system. But compensation can proceed only so far until it runs up against a ceiling imposed by the pharmacological action of the drug on lower brain centers. Again, since marijuana has no clinically significant action on lower brain centers, compensation can reach 100 percent with practice.

These considerations mean that there are no answers to questions like, What does marijuana do to driving ability? The only possible answer is, It depends. It depends on the person - whether he is a marijuana user, whether he has practiced driving while under the influence of marijuana. In speaking to legislative and medical groups, I have stated a personal reaction to this question in the form of the decision I would make if I were given the choice of riding with one of the following four drivers:

1.a person who had never smoked marijuana before and just had;
2.a marijuana smoker who had never driven while high and was just about to;
3.a high marijuana smoker who had practiced driving while high; and
4.a person with any amount of alcohol in him.
Continued...deoxy/pdfa/marijuana


drugwarfacts

US: Why I Support Medical Marijuana, by Dr. Andrew Weil

Stop The Federal War On Medical Marijuana by Dr. Andrew Weil

No Bad Drugs: The Newservice Interview: Dr. Andrew Weil

Feds wage war on cancer patients
Dr. Andrew Weil Commentary

Pot Smoker of The Month Dr. Andrew Weil
"I said, in The Natural Mind, that I often have the suspicion that everything that we do in the name of stopping the drug problem is the drug problem. It's not just the laws but the whole mentality that sees drugs as the problem and tries to fight them. By doing that I think we've made it all worse.

Whats the Straight Dope on Pot?
(Published 09/19/1997)
Marijuana, an ancient drug, is a product of Cannabis sativa, a plant long used to provide fiber, an edible seed, an edible oil and a medicine, as well as a psychoactive drug. Marijuana has been known in China, India and the Middle East as a medicine for thousands of years.

In Western countries it was used as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, painkiller, sedative and anti-convulsant for decades. Then, in 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act was enacted in order to discourage what was considered dangerous recreational use. The law stopped medical and food use as well...

I suggest you check out a great new book called "Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts" by Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. (a distinguished sociologist) and John P. Morgan, M.D. (a pharmacologist) (The Lindesmith Center, 1997). The authors started with a list of common perceptions -- and misperceptions --

Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts
Lester Grinspoon
Tod Mikuriya

Toronto Hemp Company (THC) - Information - Marijuana Myths
According to testimony before the US Congress by Dr. Andrew Weil, "a smoker would have to theoretically consume nearly 1500 Pounds of marijuana within about 15 minutes to induce a lethal response." By comparison, he adds that "eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response," and that aspirin "causes hundreds if not thousands of deaths each year."


Dr. Andrew Weil

Marijuana Advocates Defend Law By Raymond Rendleman
CN Source: Portland Observer August 25, 2007 Oregon

A conservative Oregon Republican is attacking the law with a referendum to appeal the statute. The Drug Enforcement Administration has also stepped up enforcement of federal laws against marijuana.

Drug War Chronicle - Issue #499 - 8/24/07

Push for Medical Marijuana Underway in Kansas
Feature: A Republican former Kansas attorney general spoke out for medical marijuana last Friday as a push to get a bill passed there gets underway.

Pot Peace in Seattle
Feature: Another Hempfest Celebrates Cannabis Nation. An estimated 150,000 people attended Seattle's two-day Hempfest last weekend. Billed as the world's largest drug reform rally, Hempfest is also a celebration of the Cannabis Nation.

Is An Ohio Initiative In the Works?
Medical Marijuana: With a medical marijuana initiative effort well underway in Michigan, some drug reformers are turning their attention to a similar effort next door in Ohio.

Obama Says End Raids
Medical Marijuana: All Democratic Presidential Candidates Now on Board. With Sen. Barack Obama saying Tuesday he would end DEA raids on patients and providers in states where medical marijuana is legal, every Democratic Party presidential candidate (and two Republicans, too) are in agreement that the raids should end.

Humboldt County Supervisors Say Legalize It
Marijuana: Humboldt County this week became the second county in Northern California's "Emerald Triangle" to call for the legalization of marijuana.

First German Patient Approved to Use Medical Marijuana
Europe: Following a court ruling requiring the government to individually consider medical marijuana applications, a German federal institute has for the first time approved its use by a patient.


intraspec.ca

Cannabis Culture Recent Media Headlines

Cannabis Conundrum
Canada: PUB LTE: Globe and Mail

Legalize Pot Like Tobacco
US CA: PUB LTE: Times-Standard

Organized Crime Numbers Level Off: RCMP
CN SN: Regina Leader-Post

Bono Bogarts It
CN ON: PUB LTE: Toronto Sun

I Can Choose Which Laws to Follow?
US CA: PUB LTE: The Modesto Bee


Aaron Russo, director of "Freedom to Fascism"
(February 14, 1943 – August 24, 2007)

America: Freedom to Fascism - Director's Authorized Version

Crooks & Liars



Craig X of Temple 420 Convicted
- Sentencing Friday, August 17

On Friday, August 3, Craig X Rubin was convicted of possessing marijuana with intent to sell and aiding and abetting the sale of marijuana at The Temple 420, the beloved centerpiece of Craig X's serious religious life. The maximum sentence is 7 years. The Prosecuting Attorney is seeking 4 years and 10 months.
full story:cc/5041

Temple420.org


All across the nation people are flocking to the this Judeo-Christian message that includes marijuana as a religious sacrament.

The Pope of Pot
Finds Success on the Internet with Temple420.org

Brad Pitt's Bong Dealer, CraigX, Tells All in '9021GROW'

Letter to City Attorney Pleas for Justice By Rose Hunt
temple420 February 14, 2007

Rev. Rubin Told by Arresting LAPD Officer that He Wasn't Practicing a Real Religion

When the LAPD came to arrest the messianic Jewish Reverend Craig X Rubin in his temple, the reverend asked for the special rights for clergy under California Penal Codes 1524 and 1525. These codes give special protocol procedures to be followed for clergymen, physicians, psychotherapist or attorneys, such as a magistrate.
Continued...temple420/2847

What's in a faith?


The Rev. Craig X Rubin , a minister ordained by the interfaith Universal Life Church and founder of the temple, sued the LAPD for $30 million Wednesday, claiming his religious and civil rights were violated when narc officers raided his sanctuary/head shop in November and purportedly told him it was not a "real religion."

State Medi-Pot Laws Not Associated with More Drug Use Aug 16 2007
College Station, TX: The enactment of state laws legalizing the medical use of cannabis is not associated with an increase in the drug’s recreational use, according to statistical data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy. Investigators at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, analyzed cannabis use trends among two high-risk subgroups (arrestees and emergency room patients) in five cities and five metropolitan areas in states that have enacted medical cannabis laws. In the four states (California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington) analyzed, researchers reported, "[T]he introduction of medical cannabis laws was not associated with an increase in cannabis use."
Continued...cannabisculture/1441021

World.Wide.Weed By Michelle Goldberg
Will the easy availability of drugs on the Internet open the door to a depraved new world? If current trends are any indication, U.S. drug policy is an endangered species



Study shows marijuana increases brain cell growth Aug 27 2006
Supporters of marijuana may finally have an excuse to smoke weed every day. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that smoking pot can make the brain grow. Though most drugs inhibit the growth of new brain cells, injections of a synthetic cannibinoid have had the opposite effect in mice in a study performed at the University of Saskatchewan. Research on how drugs affect the brain has been critical to addiction treatment, particularly research on the hippocampus.
Continued...cannabisculture/1286227

Michigan Medical Petitioneers Needed!! Look Here!! May 08 2007

BIG Collection of MJ & MENTAL HEALTH Resources Jan 18 2006

“Chronic Cannabis Use in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program: An Examination of Benefits and Adverse Effects of Legal Clinical Cannabis” by E. Russo, MD and M.L. Mathre, RN, confirmed that for four of the federal patients studied including Irv (the others wished to remain anonymous) the government was right.
View * PDF * HTML


Medical Conditions
* Alzheimer's disease * Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis * Diabetes mellitus * Dystonia * Fibromyalgia * Gliomas * Gastrointestinal disorders * Hepatitis C * Hypertension * Incontinence * Multiple sclerosis * Osteoporosis * Pruritis * Rheumatoid arthritis * Sleep apnea * Tourette's syndrome

Lawsuit: Taxman's bite of marijuana treat too big By CLAUDIA PINTO
The Tennessean Aug 26, 2007

A little snap, crackle and marijuana got a concertgoer popped at Bonnaroo.

Now William J. Hoak is suing state officials for over-taxing the confiscated "rice creeper treat," a Rice Krispies treat that contains marijuana. In court papers, Hoak claims the marijuana was taxed based on the weight of the Rice Krispies treat — which includes cereal, marshmallows, among other ingredients — not just the marijuana.

Hoak has been fined $11,506 in taxes, interest and penalties by the state's Department of Revenue for the rice creeper treat, according to the lawsuit.

"It's not like it was a pan of Rice Krispies treats like your mama would bring you," said Jonathan A. Street, Hoak's Nashville lawyer. "It wasn't a large amount of Rice Krispies treats. These taxes are just really high."

Drug stamps are issue

Through the state's Taxation of Unauthorized Substances Act, people arrested for illegal drug possession are taxed based on the drug's weight, Street said.

Anyone with illegal drugs can avoid being fined for tax evasion by anonymously buying stamps from the Tennessee Department of Revenue. But possession of the drugs is still against the law, he said.

"It's the penalties for not getting these stamps beforehand that really costs people who get arrested," Street said. "Who in their right mind is going to go into a state building and purchase stamps for their illegal drugs? I'm sure they haven't sold any of them."

Hoak specifically names Loren L. Chumley, former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue and Paul G. Summers, the former attorney general, in his lawsuit.
Continued...tennessean/708260377


Tennessee's Unauthorized Substances Tax on illegal drugs has generated more than $600,000 in collections and $15 million in assessments since it took effect Jan. 1