cannabisnews.com: Potheads Set Up Shop Potheads Set Up Shop Posted by FoM on December 03, 2001 at 15:51:52 PT By Shane Holladay, Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun The Marijuana Party of Alberta is setting up shop downtown - right across the street from the provincial courthouse. Leader Ken Kirk said the offices are moving to 10253 97 St., and will operate much like a cafe and a "head shop" selling pot paraphernalia. "It's possible this operation will get shut down right after it opens, because we're going to be doing things the police don't like," said Kirk. Edmonton's last luncheon locale linked with marijuana use was the Hemp Cafe near Whyte Ave. Almost exactly one year ago, tactical cops and south division officers swooped down on the Hemp Cafe after undercover police officers bought drugs inside the cafe. Police seized marijuana and arrested four men on drug possession and trafficking charges. They also charged the owner of the cafe, a man in his 30s, under the Gaming and Liquor Act for alleged illegal sales of marijuana on the premises. Kirk vowed there would never be any kind of pot sales in his new shop, although patrons will be able to pick up reefer-related necessities like pipes and bongs. He didn't rule out the occasional tokes on the premises by brave customers, however. "If there's any pot smoking going on in my place, it's going to be legal." Also, Kirk said he's set up a sort of franchise arrangement with Hempen Things, a home-grown Saskatchewan company making hemp-based soap products. Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Shane Holladay, Edmonton SunPublished: Monday, December 3, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: sun.letters ccinet.ab.ca Website: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/edmsun.shtmlMarijuana Party of Canada http://www.marijuanaparty.org/FTE's Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCannabisNews Articles - Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by Rambler on December 05, 2001 at 06:44:12 PT An Outstanding Article can be found; here http://www.almartinraw.com/column41.html It has some fabulous stuff concerning the Roman model for todays America.I guarantee you will like it.If for some reason you dont like it,simply return unused portion for a full refund of the time you wasted by hassling with reading it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by lookinside on December 04, 2001 at 11:22:39 PT: polarization... there are ALOT of folks who are unhappy with the current course of our government...eventually coalition building will begin...the greens, libertarians, NRA, NORML, and many others will see that there IS common ground(our constitution)...as long as the 2 major parties sing in harmony, the ranks of dissenters will grow... [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on December 04, 2001 at 05:40:43 PT: E_J, an answer...maybe Robbie's already said a lot of what I was going to say, but I'd like to add my own take on this, as well.There's an interesting idea many of you might want to consider: that our culture is changing. Nothing new, that; cultures change all the time. Unfortunately, that change is usually presaged by conflict, as the old culture, fearful of change, reacts violently against the new one.Some people I've been reading about have gone extensively into mapping this changing culture, and you might want to take a look at what they have to say:Cultural Creatives. http://culturalcreatives.org/home.htmlAccording to these folks, we are in the midst of a cultural change. Actually, we have been for quite some time, but that change was 'arrested' by the resurgence of what they refer to as Moderns and Traditionalists...the kind of people that goneposthole is referring to. And needless to say, cannabis use is attributed to the new culture as just another example of how 'bad' or 'wrong' it is...and must be stamped out like all other aspects of that culture. But such cultural imperatives can not be denied; like the blade of grass that buckles a concrete sidewalk, our time is coming.This is what gomers like Bill Bennett mean when they rail against anything not reeking of the tobacco and booze sodden, work 12 hours a day to keep a roof over your head, don't get involved in anything but the 'right' politics culture. They are truly afraid that something with 'alien values' (like respect for the ecology, which doesn't necessarily involve hugging a tree, just not cutting one down to make throwaway toothpicks from it) might supplant them and their wastrel, bullying ways...and eventually demand an accounting from them for them. That's what they truly fear; they know what happens the minute cannabis in the US is re-legalized. The inevitable questions, all devolving into one: Why was it made illegal in the first place?. A truly dangerous question, as it lifts a corner on a rug piled high from all manner of corruption swept under it from decades of lying to the public about this and so much else.This is partly why antis behave the way they do, why they are so violent as opposed to our relative passivity. They know that they have to keep the lid on this as long as they can; many know that if they don't, some day they may stand in the docket and be made to answer for crimes against humanity...which they thought weren't crimes at all, just good clean, pothead bashing, throat-crushed-by-jackboot fun. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dddd on December 04, 2001 at 03:02:22 PT Outstanding roamin' ...I really liked that Roman thing Professor Posthole....true words,,well said.. ..The Roman/American paralells,,are indeed numerous,and remarkable......I think it all boils down to that one basic saying,,that Power Corrupts.....Even those who begin with the best of intentions,become gradually corrupted by the glitter of POWER,,add the luster of MONEY,and/or FAME.......well,,,the influences of the influental,are far insidious,and addicting than the best of Drugs.....like coke could make a nun into a crackwhore,,,POWER and wealth,,,is the "CRACK" of political posers,,...corruption is far more devestating than crack,,,and we got a real problem with the corporate crack cartels,and collusions with the Monster ,that is now loose!....Americans are no longer in control..The media has been virtually bought,and secured. The military is fighting an undeclared war,,on a thing called "terror"......Law enforcement is in the loop, both domesticly,and internationally....the airports are occupied by a national gaurd,that is under the control of the military/defense team....... ..It seems as if it just keeps getting more absurd every day!...I often think of it as being so bizzarre,,,, that it is SURREAL....like some epic fiction novel ,,,,,,,,written by some L.Ron hubbard wanna-be ..... ...The worst part,,is that no one KNOWS.....the Sheeple have been subconciously lulled into under the influence of the biggest CULT of indoctrination of all time.....in fact,,,that is one of the most alarming differences between the US today,and the Roman empire,,,,,the exsistance of a controlled media!...Imagine if the Romans had the communication tools of today!?................................... .... reporting from Outer Space...........................4d [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on December 03, 2001 at 23:48:01 PT EJ, Hate and Intolerance does make one so irrational.. I do not know if it is possible to understand the motives of irrational human beings. I often wondered why World want to get rid of folks who happen not to hear. We are not that any different from a group of potheads or any one "group" of people except for the fact we the "group" of people being so targeted for abuse. It's probably true that the largest group of people believe in Intolerance and Hate. Otherwise, we would not be in this mess in this sad world. Today, men in Somaila rape women and bury them alive. They even put bombs in their vaginas. In Nigeria, the court sentenced a woman to death by stone because she had an affair and a baby. They will let her have the baby and wean the baby before killing her. It is not 200 years ago but today. World Health Org. still proclaim that Deafness is a diease. Our Drug-free fools think that cannabis use is not a diease but a choice.The truth is for me and probably some of you, we probably would never really want to understand why some would want to practice Intolerance and Hate. We probably could not afford to because it means we would have to embrace this ideology that kill the humanity.Man, I just do not understand Intolerance and Hate. What is the point? It is just not worth it.ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by goneposthole on December 03, 2001 at 20:02:15 PT The Romans Why did the Romans more or less cut down all of the forest along the Mediterranean? To build ships for their Armada and merchant fleet. Why did they wipe out the wild life of northern Africa? To feed Christians to lions and crocodiles. It was great sport.Let the gladiators have at it, send in the lions to feed on the dead and dying. Flood the killing ground, send in the crocodiles to feed on the offal. All in good fun, great cheers, and a happy drunken throng of blood thirsty Romans. A great civilization preoccupied with how death could be accomplished to please the Roman gods. The Roman Senate screamed for freedom. The patricians were great orators. In the end it was all for naught. They did not know that war at all costs had a cost that was to dear.Thr Appian Way was paved with a two foot thick bed and the curbs were 18 inches thick. All done with slave labor. The lead sewer pipe that had the emperor's stamp on them were still in use in the 1970's. Engineering accomplishments last, poor political policy lead to their downfall.The same applies to the US government, the foolish leaders that occupy the positions of power at this present time also do not realize that poor political policy decisions may lead to a downfall. Too bad for them. That is life moving west.The only reason why pot is not allowed is because of poor political policies enforced by stupid jackasses who think that they know better. They do not. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 03, 2001 at 19:12:06 PT My Feelings Cannabis is not a hard drug. It shouldn't be referred to in the same sentence with hard drugs when Marijuana is debated. Every time a good debate gets going Heroin or Cocaine enters into the talk and my heart sinks. I'm not saying laws on hard drugs don't need to be changed because they have to change. The laws are wrong but I also feel it is guilt by association if that makes sense?PS: I do want drug laws reformed but my heart is to see this wonderful herbal medicine freed of it's bondage. First things first and it is very important to me and I'm sure many of you too that this happen. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by CongressmanSuet on December 03, 2001 at 18:50:22 PT Of course a great point EJ... but I bet you have never been to an AA meeting. You are encouraged to give your "story" of alcohol addiction, how it ruined your relationships, how it devastated you financially, how it destroyed your ambitions and dreams, all with the agreeing nods of your "peers"[ if you happen to be over 40, and fit a certain profile they will love you even more], but God forbid you carelessly mention that DRUUUGS other than alcohol were involved in your ruination. You will likely be asked to leave. And thein lies one of the problems. Its generational.Older, "establishment type" alcoholics cannot make the connection that alcohol is a drug. According to them, only the most despicable, low lifes get involved with drugs. And therein lies society's opinion in general. To them illegal drugs are illegal drugs and thats that. No reasoning, no compassion, its illegal and thats that. Cocaine is the same as Cannabis, as is the same as Heroin, they make no distinction. They cling to the idea that drugs even as innocous as Cannabis are horrible, mind twisting, vestiges of a movement that questioned preconcieved ideas, that attacked the very foundation of the "picket fence, 3 beautiful kids, 2 car family". And now the banner has been taken up by the materialistic, 4 hour a day TV embeded generation we call modern society. Reason seems absent, we are so wrapped up in acquisition, we are losing any compassion we had. I hope I make some sense with my rambling, because, with all thats going on in the name of "America" I truly feel this is becoming a lost cause. When you can turn a blind eye to everything thats going on in the world in the area of drug policy reform and want to get tougher here, well, you tell me what the true answer is? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Robbie on December 03, 2001 at 18:34:23 PT OT: drug-policy decision from Undernews (http://www.prorev.com/indexa.htm)DRUG REFORM NETWORK COALITION - The Justice Department's campaign to use federal crack house laws against rave club owners took a serious hit when jurors in federal court in Florida declined to convict two Panama City Beach club owners targeted by state and federal law enforcement officials.Club La Vela bills itself as the nation's largest nightclub, with the multi-tiered playpen accommodating thousands of people. In addition to holding numerous raves, it is a significant live music and performance space. Brothers and co-owners CEO Patrick Pfeffer, 31, and general manager Thorsten Pfeffer, 30, were charged with conspiring to use the club, or allow it to be used, for the use and distribution of drugs. If convicted, they faced up to 20 years in prison, fines and the possible forfeiture of the club.But after six weeks of testimony, it took the jury only 75 minutes to come back with "not guilty" verdicts on all counts. Undernews [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on December 03, 2001 at 16:26:31 PT Why so much abuse of such a benign population? Compare the average pothead with a suicide bomber in Israel. Who do we need to be worried about?Why is modern society resorting to all of this fuss and bother, using methods of violent coercion and intimidation, to target a subpopulation of society that disobeys marijuana laws and wants to see them changed?Everything has an explanation, but marijuana prohibition seems to defy explanation. There is no rational reason according to impact on social security and personal health, why alcohol should be legally regulated while marijuana is completely prohibited even to people whose own physicians say need it to live comfortably or even just to live at all.Everything has to have a reason. Barijuana prohibition has to have a reason behind it, but what is it? We know the excuses, but what is the reason?Why is one group of people being so targeted for abuse out of all sense of proportion to their actual impact on society? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment