cannabisnews.com: Fighting Drugs a Wasted Effort





Fighting Drugs a Wasted Effort
Posted by FoM on November 19, 2001 at 17:47:59 PT
By Salim Muwakkil
Source: Chicago Tribune
Our newly urgent need for collective security has revealed deficiencies in many of our public institutions. The U.S. Postal Service, our woeful system of public health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and many other agencies charged with serving public needs are themselves in need of assistance. The FBI has even asked the public for help in tracking down the anthrax terrorists.Despite the need to better utilize our national resources for this new war on terrorism, we still are squandering them in the old war on drugs.
Last month, agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration raided the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center, a source of marijuana for AIDS patients, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis sufferers, or any other patient with a doctor's prescription for medicinal marijuana. Californians voted overwhelmingly to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes in 1996.And California wasn't the only state to take such a stance in favor of medical marijuana. Since 1996, eight other states (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing marijuana to be used medicinally. Congress has prevented D.C.'s initiative from taking effect and Arizona's attempt has stalled. In a poll taken by the Pew Research Center in March, 73 percent of Americans said they favored medical use of marijuana with a doctor's prescription.But all of those efforts were called into question this spring when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the argument of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club that medical necessity trumped a federal injunction that had shut it down. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas declared federal laws prohibiting the manufacture and distribution of marijuana take precedence over a patient's medical need for the drug.While the top court's ruling didn't exactly render the states' measures moot, it did provide federal prosecutors with potent legal ammunition to use against the marijuana centers that were beginning to proliferate.According to The Sacramento Bee in Sacramento, Calif., the feds began their assault on medical marijuana by uprooting a marijuana garden run by the Los Angeles club and seizing 342 plants. Buyers' clubs typically cultivate their own marijuana crops to avoid purchasing the drug on the black market. Federal agents then raided the club and confiscated the records of the doctors who recommended marijuana treatment.What makes this federal action even more perplexing is the claim by DEA chief Asa Hutchinson that his agency is being stretched thin by the war on terrorism. In a Nov. 6 news conference, Hutchinson said the war against terrorism is diverting agents, patrol boats and other resources from the war on drugs. "It's a battle of resources right now," he told the assembled journalists.Hutchinson apparently is doing that by deploying DEA agents to prevent nearly 1,000 people with serious illnesses from seeking relief from a drug they insist provides it.And there is a growing body of evidence that suggests marijuana effectively reduces the nausea of chemotherapy and reverses the "wasting syndrome" of people with AIDS. For example, clinical trials in England, where the British parliament currently is considering legalizing cannabis, have revealed that "80 percent of those taking part in the study have derived more benefit from cannabis than from any other drug, with many describing it as `miraculous'," reported the Nov. 4 edition of The (London) Observer.Hutchinson's action is strongly supported, perhaps even prodded, by U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, who promised during his confirmation hearings to hold his ideological zeal in abeyance and apply the law objectively after assuming office. Instead, Ashcroft is betraying California's voters with heavy-handed federal attacks on relief-seeking AIDS patients and multiple sclerosis victims. He also has gone after Oregon's citizens, who passed a physician-assisted suicide initiative not once, but twice.By disregarding both the wishes of the public and the wisdom of science, Hutchinson and Ashcroft are fulfilling the worst predictions of the Bush administration's critics. These two appointees of our compassionate conservative president are showing very little compassion to those seeking hard-won relief from pain and torment.Moreover, the crusade against medical marijuana is the least justifiable aspect of an already ridiculous war on drugs. Diverting resources from the real war just to stop people from getting prescriptions of marijuana adds a bit of irony to the absurdity.Salim Muwakkil is a senior editor at In These TimesNewshawk: ddddSource: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Salim MuwakkilPublished: November 19, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.com Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Los Angeles County Research Centerhttp://www.lacbc.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmPot Club Crackdown - Mother Joneshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11360.shtmlThe Feds Crack Down -- on Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11283.shtmlCannabis a Medical Miracle - It's Official http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11254.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #15 posted by dddd on November 21, 2001 at 00:18:26 PT
yet another interesting piece of war memorabilia
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1647-04.jpg
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by dddd on November 20, 2001 at 20:21:04 PT
here's another for you Lehder
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1645-52.jpg
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by Lehder on November 20, 2001 at 16:51:10 PT
man guns
okay, as long as we're having a few laughs, I'll join in. Here's some propaganda from WWII:http://www.openstore.com/posters/manguns.jpg
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by 7777 on November 20, 2001 at 08:40:20 PT
...Illegal
...yea,,,,if they tried to outlaw blowjobs,,,that would really get the attention of the Sheeple!., and all of a sudden,alot of politicians would be talkin' about the Constitution again,,,and Ashcroft himself would probably try to pass the 69th Amendment,which would include a strict gender clause...dddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by Silent_Observer on November 20, 2001 at 08:34:54 PT
qqdd..
"...The Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida,,a terrorists network composed of pot smoking,drug takin' freaks.."I'm laughing so hard I can hardly type! Thanks buddy!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by Silent_Observer on November 20, 2001 at 08:29:10 PT
dddd...
"it's like Bill Clinton trying to outlaw blow-jobs..."More like Bill Clinton trying to get people from inhaling...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by qqqq on November 20, 2001 at 08:06:55 PT
here's something else to think about
...who the hell is the "Al-Qaeda"?,,,and how do ya know one when you see one?.....shit,,the next thing ya know,they'll be saying that there is a new terrorist group in Amerika,,,The Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida,,a terrorists network composed of pot smoking,drug takin' freaks,who are out to destroy the children of flag waving SUV drivers,,druggies who are against "united we stand"...........we might as well put on tie-dye shirts and turbans,roll up a big tuna reefer,,hop in the flower-power van,put the Iron Butterfly 8-track tape,"Ball" on full blast,,and drive around giving any pigs we see the finger,and get it over with.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by dddd on November 20, 2001 at 07:36:18 PT
Good Morning Lehder
...you are cool,brother..........about propaganda,,you said;"... that propaganda, like the sleazily contrived stories on U.S. "news" reports, very rarely fools or persuades anyone. But it does intimidate people. It makes people imagine that their dissenting views are those of only a small and disrespected minority so that they are then reluctant to express their true opinions for fear of being castigated by an imaginary
 proper majority.".............Yes....this is true,,,,but the real,grizzly,,double-whammy of propaganda,occurs,when the propagandists,(gov/media),,,makes it appear that a dissenting view is being presented,by asking fake "tough questions",concerning the issue at hand,thereby diverting attention from the real questions of dissent,,,,for example,,someone like Tim Russert,asking Condeleeza Rice some "tough"questions about the Northern Alliance taking over Kabul,,,but no questions about what the hell the fake war is about in the first place have ever been asked...This diverts the publics attention from any actual questions about the "war", yet it gives the impression that opposing views are being aired by a "free press",and makes it appear as if the "war on terror",is a legitimate thing to begin with,and that a concerned media is asking "tough questions",and it effectivly gives the illusion of a "free press",that is not afraid to mess with the empire of war..........I know that this was an akward explanation,,,,I guess another way to put it,would be sorta like arguing over a dead chicken.The chicken was killed by a cruise missle,and instead of talking about why the chicken was killed by the cruise missle,,,the argument is routed towards whether or not the chicken was a civilian bird,or a terrorist chicken,and the question of why you would shoot a cruise missle at a chicken in the first place,goes unaddressed......That was probably even more of an akward explanation,,but I guess you know what I mean.........Propaganda is a highly developed,and somewhat complex science...Observer is very hep to it all........Propaganda is a far more dangerous weapon than any bomb......with bombs,,people end up dead,,with properly used propaganda,people can be convinced to kill other people....One might argue that a nuclear bomb is more powerful than propaganda,,but if everyone is dead,then there is no reason to fight,but if you can win the hearts and minds of people who are alive,,then ya got something....  dead people dont matter much,,because they are dead,,,,live people are much more productive,and benificial,as long as they can be controlled..............but.....all this is quite strange......indeedddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by goneposthole on November 20, 2001 at 07:05:35 PT
Waxing philosophical
We are all just being brutally frank. Sainthood awaits us.I have been looking everywhere for my keys for days now.They are probably nearby the posthole where I dropped a few hemp seeds.There are acres and acres of the 'stuff' throughout Canada. Bins full of seeds, we need not worry.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Lehder on November 20, 2001 at 06:31:41 PT
Keep Shouting!
,"fighting the war against terrorism",in Afghanistan,and bombing the hell out of anything that even might be connected to "terrorists",,and we have the krass gall,to suggest that we can somehow try to make a "peace" al,between Isreal,and the Palestinians!!..It's like losing your keys and looking everywhere! The most obvious ideas are often the most difficult to see, but dddd is always great at revealing them.I read recently, maybe here, that propaganda, like the sleazily contrived stories on U.S. "news" reports, very rarely fools or persuades anyone. But it does intimidate people. It makes people imagine that their dissenting views are those of only a small and disrespected minority so that they are then reluctant to express their true opinions for fear of being castigated by an imaginary proper majority.So it's important that we be brave and keep shouting. Let people know that their unsaid opinions are those of a growing majority and not a minority.A Gallup poll linked here recently showed that narrow majorities of the populations in only three countries (U.S., Israel, India) approved of bombing Afghanistan. All other national populations were overwhelmingly opposed. Bush's "coalition" is a coalition of governments that have been collared into mouthing support, but those governments do not represent the sentiments of their people any more than Bush represents you and me. That gallup poll was taken at the beginning of the bombing, and support can only wane.The coming collapse of Bush's coalition offers hope for ending the drug war, too. For the drug war, besides government's attempt to associate it with the war on terror, has so infiltrated and corrupted U.S. institutions, media, and every aspect of American life that it is inseparable from all the other issues we face. And when one card falls, the whole house will fall, just as the Berlin Wall fell, just as the USSR fell.But the fall of the horrific House of Bush and the drug war too can come only if we keep shouting. On the Internet, to our friends and families, to the media, and in the streets. Don't make Carl Sagan's mistake of speaking only from the grave. Keep Shouting!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by dddd on November 20, 2001 at 05:27:15 PT
Thank you Goneposthole
...My comments make me seem like a brash,blatant brute,,who has gone very near to being off the edge, ,,but I am actually somewhat sensitive,and I appreciate your appreciation......May JAH Shine on You... Sincerely...dddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on November 20, 2001 at 04:42:58 PT
Observations by four d
are real and for real. Fighting for peace is like "making love" for virginity.
How can the US Govt be so wrong and bull headed. You got me.50 billion a year by the US Govt, 40 Billion a year from the states to wage a needless and wasteful campaign to fight the scourge of druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs will not last.90 billion times 30 more years brings a grand total of 2700 billions dollars or 2.7 trillion dollars.
It cannot be afforded and will probably abandoned. However, the US govt can't see straight, so how can they figure. They can't. They are but a caricature of themselves, a comic book scene.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by dddd on November 20, 2001 at 00:30:52 PT
Somewhat off topic,and ill advised observations
..It is indeed,,getting sorta scary to try and politely speak out against our ASSHOLE government of amerika,, ,,but I will try to remain as polite as I can in this offbeat commentary,concerning the shitheads of the shrub empire....
What I want to comment on,is the disgustingly absurd dichotomy,,as our idiotic government,somehow tries to make "peace",between the Palestinians and Isreal,while we continue to bomb the shit out of Afghanistan.? .. In other words,,,here we are,"fighting the war against terrorism",in Afghanistan,and bombing the hell out of anything that even might be connected to "terrorists",,and we have the krass gall,to suggest that we can somehow try to make a "peace" deal,between Isreal,and the Palestinians!!......It's kindof reminiscient of the tobacco thing,,where,here in California,we have a bunch of idiotic anti-tobacco commercials,funded by numerous "settlements",with tobacco companies,yet ,the federal government is still in bed with the tobacco conglomerates,who are now the same companies who sell us mayonaise,and pizza....
...yes,,,,it's true...the 4d is a hypocrite,and that's not good,,,,but when the federal government gets to the point of hypocracy,where they are fighting some fake "war on terror",and at the same time trying to suggest some peace deal between Isreal,and the Paletinians,,that's World Class hypocracy...that's like Hugh Hefner,calling Larry Flint disgusting,,,,that's like Harry Potter calling Barney the purple dinosoaur depraved,,,,it's like Bill Clinton trying to outlaw blow-jobs...
..the worst part of all this is,the lack of recognition between all this middle east peace making talk,and the Afghanistan slaughterfest......... Akwardly,yet respectfully submitted for your perusal...dddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by p4me on November 19, 2001 at 19:43:09 PT:
Some democracy
You could keep reading the articles here and you would not go far before you read that 70% of Americans are for medical marijuana. So much for the idea of majority rule. If California would have started a Constitutional Amendment the issue may have well been settled by now.Congress knows best and Bush is a great moral leader. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on November 19, 2001 at 19:38:33 PT
marijuana is not a drug.
It is a plant. "Showing very little compassion to those seeking hard won relief from pain and torment" is dumb.  You get what you pay for. You can't buy compassion. As I have written before, compassion is a result of goodness. "Ah, gee, I didn't know this stuff works as good as it does." "What do you think I am?" "Smart or somethun'?"The kettle is black. The pot is black. Red, green and blue are colors.
These guys need to be re-educated, beginning with kindergarten."To strive to seek to find and not to yield."
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment