cannabisnews.com: The Other War 










  The Other War 

Posted by FoM on October 31, 2001 at 21:29:06 PT
By Michael Simmons 
Source: LA Weekly  

Unable to find Osama bin Laden or dismantle al Qaeda, the Bush administration has attacked an easier target — the 960 mostly AIDS and cancer patients of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center.Thirty agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration raided the West Hollywood center last Thursday. They detained eight patient/staffers for six hours and seized 400 plants, bagged marijuana and brownies, patient and doctors’ records, computers, and growing equipment. 
“The effect on people’s health will be devastating,” said center president Scott Imler, who has epilepsy. “I don’t understand why America is declaring war on its own.”No arrests were made. The center remains open, but the dispensary is closed, forcing members onto the black market to receive their medicine.The basis for the raid is the long-standing state-vs.–federal government dispute over who has say over drug laws. In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which gave patients the right to possess medical marijuana. The federal government has refused to recognize the law in California and eight other states and Washington, D.C., which have passed similar medical-marijuana measures. Last May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the reopening of an Oakland club, a decision cited in last week’s search warrant.The center’s leadership has yet to announce its legal strategy, or if it will try to restore its operation, which serves 960 members, 80 percent of whom have AIDS and use marijuana to combat wasting syndrome and the nausea from multiple medications. Another 10 percent have cancer, for which cannabis is a time-honored treatment during chemotherapy. The remainder suffer from assorted ailments, including glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.The center opened in 1996 with the help of the West Hollywood City Council and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. “I stand up in support of what Scott has been doing,” Sheriff Lee Baca told the Weekly in 1999. “He’s done an excellent job.” The West Hollywood City Council held a news conference denouncing the raid. Asked West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station Captain Lynda Castro: “Where’s the sensitivity level?”The center’s supporters say the raid points up the folly of America’s drug war, and its lack of compassion. Other countries are setting more progressive examples. Four months ago, Canada became the first country to legalize medical marijuana. The Dutch, who’ve already decriminalized recreational use, announced this month that cannabis will be available by prescription. And the British are reclassifying pot in their least restrictive class with antidepressants and steroids.“While the rest of the world moves steadily into the 21st century, the Bush administration is dragging its knuckles and America back into the Dark Ages,” said Imler.A candlelight vigil will be held across the street from the center, on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Gardner Street, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 6, the fifth anniversary of the passage of Proposition 215.Source: LA Weekly (CA)Author: Michael Simmons Published: Vol. 23 NO. 50 November 2 - 8, 2001Copyright: 2001 Los Angeles Weekly, Inc.Contact: letters laweekly.comWebsite: http://www.laweekly.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Los Angeles County Research Centerhttp://www.lacbc.org/Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmDrug Raids are a Waste of Time http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11229.shtmlUS Cracks Down on Med. Marijuana in California http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11227.shtmlMedical Marijuana Center in Mourning http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11220.shtml

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Comment #21 posted by FoM on November 05, 2001 at 17:53:10 PT

Over The Counter Drug War Heats Up
I thought this was interesting. Now will people have to go to a Doctor to get a decongestant? That's what it seems like.Cold Drugs, Diet Pills Being Taken Off the ShelfHeartCenterOnlineDec 7 (Heart Center Online) - Manufacturers have begun to take over-the-counter medications containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA) off the shelves this month, in reponse to alarming findings from the Yale Hemorrhagic Stroke Project. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked manufacturers in November to stop production of over-the-counter medications containing (PPA). The Yale Hemorrhagic Stroke Project interviewed 702 people who had had their first stroke. Researchers compared these data to telephone survey data from another 1376 people who were matched for age and race of the stroke survivors. Results suggested a significant link between hemorrhagic stroke in women and use of PPA within the previous three days. Although the risk of stroke from PPA appears to be quite low, the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee determined that the risk was high enough to warn people against its use. Until the substance has been completely removed from the market, people are urged to check the ingredients in over-the-counter pills and avoid any that contain PPA. Complete Article:
http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myheartdr/home/research-detail.cfm?reutersid=796SOURCE: 
The official web site of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/default.htm Copyright 2000 Heart Center Online 
 This information can be found by going to: http://www.heartcenteronline.com
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Comment #20 posted by Lehder on November 05, 2001 at 09:32:06 PT

Imagine 
The world was on our side after Sept. 11 but by resorting to military might rather than moral high ground, we've blown the opportunity to parlay that global empathy into a genuine assault on terrorism....This would have been the high road; taking it would have deprived Americans the emotional catharsis of striking back at something, anything. But it would have garnered America the kind of global respect worthy of a secure superpower. More important, it would have provided a model worth emulating to those fighting for Islamic democracy. Unfortunately, we took the road most traveled by the colonial West. The road of arrogance and military might, where suspending civil liberties and bombing civilians seems logical--the low road. 
http://commondreams.org/views01/1105-03.htmGeorge Bush and the U.S. Congress are have a giant-sized child's tantrum and calling it 'leadership'. The whole world is either angry or laughing, and George Bush will not last four years; a lot of Congress has less than two. 
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on November 01, 2001 at 21:59:16 PT

Interesting Article - The Other War on Drugs
Alternative Medicine

The Other War on Drugs

Most people know about the U.S. government's "war on drugs," so the fact that federal agents arrested James T. Kimball last fall for supplying drugs doesn't sound remarkable. However, Mr. Kimball was not selling any type of illegal "street" drug. His crime was distributing a botanical product that has been proven effective in treating symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This bust was an example of another kind of drug war that the government is waging: a war on nontoxic substances that compete with products of the pharmaceutical industry. 
http://www.alternativemedicine.com/AMHome.asp?cn=Catalog&act=GetProduct&crt=ProductKey=53444&Style=/AMXSL/ArticleDetail.xsl
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 01, 2001 at 17:54:04 PT

Mayan, Just a Note
I see the difference. Do you copy the URL from the address bar and paste it in the comment section? That's how I do it and it works and is easy which I like. I wasn't sure if you knew how to do that because I didn't know how myself for a long time so I thought I'd mention it.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on November 01, 2001 at 17:48:55 PT

mayan 
Please don't worry about it. I can't figure out why the ABC article didn't work in the first link. They look the same unless I'm missing something. I'm sorry if it is a glitch and if it is I'll report that there could be a problem. 
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Comment #15 posted by Lehder on November 01, 2001 at 17:16:18 PT

Imagine...
On September 11th, our great, new president addresses the nation: She tells of the attack, expresses her sorrow, tells what little is known of the terrorists behind it, how all airplanes have been grounded and all the other security measures that have been taken. She tells us that the situation calls for intelligence and restraint, that justice will be sought and found in a thoughtful and determined manner, and that even vengence, if it must be served at all, is "a dish best served cold." She then tells us that with the eyes of the world upon us we shall use this awful event to finally and forever end the madness of warfare on this planet. We will, she continues, use the UN and all the resources for peace and justice that have been developed since WWII in finding and trying those responsible. We'll use United Nations, the World Court, the International Criminal Court, and various extradition treaties such as the European Convention on Terrorism (under which Chilean dictator Augosto Pinochet was held), and agreements such as the Geneva Convention. Furthermore, she explains, the use of these institutions will be far more than a pursuit of justice in the present situation. It will in fact be a test and a learning exercise in the application of these institutions that lead to a strengthening and fuller definition of them by mutual evolving international agreement as we see their virtues and weaknesses throughout the process. She calls for a coalition of all the nations of the world in this endeavor to empower the international rules and institutions that will end war and international violence forever. 
 She explains that the strengthening of the institutions we are about to invoke will require a modest diminution of national sovereignty by the United States and suggests what such compromises will make the endeavor successful. She asks that other nations make the same compromises after full discussion. She explains too that these compromises are at international level alone, and that no compromise whatsoever of our internal rights or liberties will even be considered.I can see in my mind's eye a John Kennedy making a speech like this and following through, too. I think that a speech like this would have earned tremendous respect for America throughout the world and would have met with a tremendous degree of cooperation. The backdrop of utter disaster with the victim country calling for peace would have been an inspiration to the world and celebrated as a milestone of maturity for our species.This speech was a daydream I had after reading the paragraph from an article "Spitting in the Wind" at the site commondreams. We have done precisely the opposite of my imagined president's course. The actions that Bush has taken are uninspired, unimaginative, reckless, dangerous and stupid. I wish it were different and wonder what can be salvaged of our situation in the pursuit of a permanent end to war. I'm sure many are thinking about exactly that.During the 1900s, and especially after World War II, many international laws and institutions designed to prevent war and bring violent international criminals to justice have been developed or improved upon. Among these are the United Nations, the World Court, the International Criminal Court, and various extradition treaties such as the European Convention on Terrorism (under which Chilean dictator
Augosto Pinochet was held), and agreements such as the Geneva Convention. The U.S. is circumventing these agreements by bombing Afghanistan rather than using the established channels of justice. And though it might be tempting to extract an expeditious form of pseudo-justice by attacking Afghanistan, current American actions run the risk of undermining existing agreements and long-term global peace and security. 
http://commondreams.org/views01/1101-02.htmcommondreams is a marvelous website of the peace movement loaded with good and fresh ideas.http://commondreams.org/

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Comment #14 posted by mayan on November 01, 2001 at 14:47:33 PT

Bad Day...
sorry guys but bear with me.Going on 2 hours sleep here. Try this one:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/jointchiefs_010501.html 
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Comment #13 posted by mayan on November 01, 2001 at 14:42:03 PT

Operation Northwoods
Thanks Lehder! Her is another link regarding Operation Northwoods from ABC News. Imagine that!http://abcnews.go.com/selections/us/DailyNews/jointchiefs_010501.html 
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Comment #12 posted by mayan on November 01, 2001 at 14:11:51 PT

I mean it this time...
really, this one should work! If it doesn't someone please slap me!http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011101/ts/presidential_papers_1.html 
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Comment #11 posted by mayan on November 01, 2001 at 14:05:09 PT

OOPS!
Try this one:http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011101/t5/presidential_papers_1.html
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Comment #10 posted by mayan on November 01, 2001 at 14:01:51 PT

Bullsh*t Executive Order 
President Bush will issue an Executive Order allowing a sitting President to withhold a predecessors papers from the public. He's probably protecting Ronnie Raygun & his father,King George I.http://www.dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011101/t5/presidential_papers_1.html
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Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on November 01, 2001 at 13:41:40 PT:

I'll go you one better, Sr. Lehder
Many years ago, a political satire about a supposedly secret group of think-tank types got together and took a really hard look at what might happen (from an early 1960's point of view) if the Cold War ended.Leonard Lewin authored The Report from Iron Mountain and published it in 1967. The result was a huge firestorm of criticism for it's premises. Namely, that in order to keep the economy running, 'minor' wars would be needed to siphon off our 'surplus' population. Lewin to this day still holds that this was nothing more than satire. Yet, when you look at what has happened since the fall of the Soviet Union, you see nearly all of the methods of control being implemented, just as Lewin described.In invite the curious to go here:
The Report From Iron Mountain
http://guerrillacampaign.com/Report%20From%20Iron%20Mountain.htmand read for yourself whether the criticism was warranted; given the present insanity, I sometimes wonder whether Life is imitating Art.
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Comment #8 posted by Lehder on November 01, 2001 at 06:58:31 PT

Cuba Project
James Bamford, America's leading expert on the supersecret National Security Agency, has uncovered new information on the military's obsession with overthrowing Castro that will shock the most jaded critic of U.S. policy. His new book, "Body of Secrets," came out this May. "According to secret and long-hidden documents obtained for 'Body of Secrets,' the Joint Chiefs of Staff [circa 1962] drew up and approved plans for what may be the most corrupt plan ever created by the U.S. government. In the name of
anticommunism, they proposed launching a secret and bloody war of terrorism against their own country in order to trick the American public into supporting an ill-conceived war they intended to launch against Cuba," writes Bamford. "Codenamed Operation Northwoods, the plan... called for innocent people to be shot on American streets... for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked." Although President Kennedy had authorized aggressive paramilitary action against Cuba, his attitude softened. Operation Northwoods was rejected, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was denied a second term. http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1031-07.htm
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Comment #7 posted by Lehder on November 01, 2001 at 06:06:46 PT

treason and sabotage
i'm with you, zombie. the circumstantial evidence, the glaring presence of motive and the opportunistic manipulation of congress and the public ever since, warrant a thorough investigation. but by whom? where are woodward and bernstein? i do not believe that the attacks were planned by the bush crime family; but i have the dark and unrelenting suspicion that they were permitted.when the truth about the plane attacks is revealed, the drug war, the bush administration, and the federal apparatus as we know it will all collapse together. i have never expected that drug war would end independently of deeper issues or by any normal legislative process; for it is a foul religion and not a law that oppresses us.
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Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on November 01, 2001 at 05:18:51 PT:

Eisenhower warned us to fear the military industri
from: http://www.libertystory.net/LSTHINKACTON.html

Historian Lord Acton (1834-1902) issued epic warnings that political power is the most serious threat to liberty. 

  Born in Naples, he was educated in England, Scotland, France and Germany, developing an extraordinary knowledge of European political history. 

   While he never wrote the history of liberty he dreamed about, his essays and letters abound with memorable insights. For instance: "Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to to govern.  Every class is unfit to govern...Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Also, a quote from president Dwight D. Eisenhower
from: http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html

...A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. 

Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea. 

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations. 

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. 

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. 

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. 

Drug War is TREASON
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Comment #5 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on November 01, 2001 at 05:09:19 PT

       the quote
I have always had the impression that it was Plato or Aristotle; some ancient dude who recognized this ages ago.
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Comment #4 posted by lookinside on November 01, 2001 at 04:36:04 PT:

xxdr_zombiexx...
i've been using that quote since richard nixon was elected the first time...i can't remember it's source either...winston churchill comes to mind, but i'm not sure...
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Comment #3 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on November 01, 2001 at 04:26:10 PT

Power Corrupts
And Absolute Power Corrupts absoultely.I for get who saud that, but it just stays in my head these days. I haven't heard anyone say it: it just began popping up in my head after the DEA Raiding Parties began escalating thier Dirty War.Team Bush is corrupt with the power it has stolen from the American People. A stolen election, god-knows-how-much illegal wrangling behind the scenes to steal money and consolidate powers. We see Cheney getting off the hook he was on with the GAO wanting to subpeona lists of people who were in on the Selling of the Artic Wildlife Refuge.With the Patriot Act, Team Bush will be able to label any detractors of any policy as terrorists and get the bulk of the Sheep behind him as they, quite obviously, do what they want. It's pretty clear what is going to happen to the cannabis reform movement: terrorists.This article is so outstanding I had to doublecheck that it was from inside AmeriKa: I, understandably, thought it was British. Mr. Simmons is to be commended.Again, NO arrests. Just detaining professionals and other employees for 6 hours: HOME INVASION. Their computers and medical records were stolen : sabotage. The goal of the DEA: TERROR. They want the cannabis culture, and noone else, to know they are on the warpath. The DEA are terrorists and they have been instructed to terrorize. This will soon spread to Oregon, Washington, nevada and wherever else people have expressd a different opinion from team Bush.These action show that Team Bush doesn't give a rat's ass about this country, really. They have done little to stop the antrax thing because they get so much "terror mileage" from it. I won't be suprised if we someday find out that team Bush BOUGHT 19 terrorists from Osama bin Laden for $43 million dollars and were totally in on the attacks on ameriKa specifically to create the situation that would alow them to do what they are now doing (with complete public support), and that we are merely softening up the ground in afghanistan for a huge oil pipeline. The Bush Family has working ties to the Bin Laden Family. Its NOT that far-fetched. What are 6500 deaths compared to absolute control of the world' only superpower? The last stop before de facto control of the world?FREEDOM ENDURES
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Comment #2 posted by Rev0x on November 01, 2001 at 01:13:11 PT

OT: Children and marijuana...
Legalize the stuff so children don't get a hold of it! You don't hear stories of 6th and 7th graders spiking their teacher's drinks with vodka now, do you? The stuff is legal and we're in a country that has a zero tolerance drug policy yet you see and hear stories about kids baking marijuana brownies. Hello? Get a clue people.
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Comment #1 posted by Ron Bennett on November 01, 2001 at 00:22:07 PT

Drug War == War Against Our Selves
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of resources the U.S. government wastes on going after cannabis users when there are so much more serious problems...especially lately...bomb scares everywhere, anthrax in the mail, missing nuclear materials, etc and yet what does the U.S. do in these trying times...yep, the U.S. government continues to raid cannabis clubs/users and in the process they squander resources and hurt many Americans :-(

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