cannabisnews.com: Experts Disagree on Merits of Legalizing Marijuana










  Experts Disagree on Merits of Legalizing Marijuana

Posted by CN Staff on September 24, 2002 at 11:12:48 PT
By Stefanie Peterson, Daily Staff Writer 
Source: Iowa State Daily  

Campus experts believe what could be an emerging trend of marijuana legalization may have a big impact on campus. The state of Nevada is considering legalizing the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana for residents over 21 years of age. Nevada voters will make the decision in November. Derrick Grimmer, scientist at Iowa State’s Microelectronics Research Center, believes prohibiting drug use is a method the government uses to control citizens.
“Prohibition has nothing to do with worries about health,” said Grimmer, member of the Ames chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It has nothing to do with the well-being of the citizens of any country.”He said the United States treats drugs differently than many countries.“Various states have tried to liberalize the access of drugs for medical use, but these efforts always run up against federal law,” Grimmer said.If marijuana were legalized in Iowa, safety concerns — including lowered inhibitions and driving under the influence — would be a serious problem on campus, said Denise Denton, lecturer on health and human performance.Marijuana is “not worse or better than cigarettes, but different,” she said. But marijuana is typically taken in more deeply and held in the lungs longer, and has no filter, Denton said.“The half-life for marijuana is seven days, meaning half of it is still in your system seven days after consumption,” she said. “One marijuana joint is equal to about 10 cigarettes in terms of cancer-causing properties.”“Marijuana is stored in fat cells … It can stay in your system for 30 days.”Grimmer said Nevada’s efforts to legalize the drug are reasonable.“Nevada is trying to come up with some sanity to this problem,” he said. “We need to look at the problems due to any substance, then look at the problems due to the prohibition of that substance and try to maintain a balance between the two.”Prohibition, Grimmer said, has produced negative outcomes.“The iron laws of prohibition are the source of organized crime, street crime, alteration of substances, refinement of substances, involvement of children in the drug trade and disrespect for the law,” he said.He said drug use is a personal decision and can be handled responsibly.“At worst, people are only hurting themselves,” he said.There are alternatives to using marijuana medicinally, Denton said.“I think people are accepting of the idea that marijuana has medicinal properties, but for everything you can do with marijuana medicinally, there are other drugs that do those things as well,” she said. Newshawk: Leon C.Source: Iowa State Daily (IA Edu)Author: Stefanie Peterson, Daily Staff WriterPublished: September 24, 2002Copyright: 2002 Iowa State DailyContact: letters iowastatedaily.comWebsite: http://www.iowastatedaily.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Iowa NORMLhttp://www.iowanorml.org New Breed of Voters May Stir Pot of Politicshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14214.shtmlLegalizing Marijuana: Five Major Sticking Points http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14204.shtmlGoing to Pot: Nevada Plan to Legalize Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14104.shtml 

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Comment #20 posted by DANA on September 24, 2002 at 22:27:40 PT
awesomeness
Al Martin is also quite awesome on most non oil topics...indeed 
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Comment #19 posted by p4me on September 24, 2002 at 20:06:12 PT
Mayan, Al Martin was awesome on oil
Mayan put up this link in comment18 to yet another great piece by Al Martin: http://almartinraw.com/column72.html
It was talking about oil and the parties that big financial interest in oil and what they want concerning Iraq. One thing is for sure, a barrel of oil is a lot higher than it was when Busch came to office. This article has three great paragraphs that follow:The proof is to look at another coincidental index maintained by the American Policy Institute which tracks the total amount of private wealth held by the top one percent of the people, of whom 78% are Republicans.  It's not exactly true when economic pundits say that since the election of George Bush II, there has been $5 trillion of market equity lost. The stock market is after all a zero sum game. The $5 trillion that was lost just belongs to other people. And who are those other people? People who were short. It was just a giant transfer of wealth.  And who owns that $5 trillion, which was previously in the possession of all the little people? Just look at the coincidental indicator of the top 1% of the nation. On the very day that George Bush was elected, the top 1% of the American people controlled 61.9% of all of the private capital in the United States. Twenty months later, the top 1% of the population now controls 66.5% of all the private wealth of the nation. Therefore it isn't hard to figure out where the $5 trillion went.1,2
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Comment #18 posted by mayan on September 24, 2002 at 18:16:56 PT
More Frightening Stuff...
Thanks for the link GCW! That is frightening stuff! unrelated - Report: Moussaoui Warnings Ignored(An FBI supervisor, sounding a prophetic pre-Sept. 11 alarm, warned FBI headquarters that student pilot Zacarias Moussaoui was so dangerous he might "take control of a plane and fly it into the World Trade Center," a congressional investigator said in a report Tuesday.) 
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=512&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20020924/ap_on_go_co/attacks_intelligenceTrue Believer(David Schippers on 9/11)
http://chicagomag.com/news/1002true.htmOddities of 9/11:
http://www.falloutshelternews.com/9_11_ODDITIES.htmlSept 11th - Unanswered Questions:
http://falloutshelternews.com/Sept11th_Unanswered_Questions.htmlThe President as Incompetent Liar: Bush's Claim that he Saw TV Footage of 1st Plane Hitting WTC-
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/liar.htmVideo of Bush at Booker Proves 9-11 Attack Was No Surprise:
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/indict/vid.htmEVIDENCE OF HIGH-LEVEL COMPLICITY IN THE EVENTS OF 9-11:
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/911page.htm#1Longs vs. Shorts:Realpolitik, Economics and the War on Iraq:
http://almartinraw.com/column72.html
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Comment #17 posted by DdC on September 24, 2002 at 17:46:04 PT
They're running Out of Rational Propaganda!!
Experts??? Disagree on Merits of Legalizing Marijuana
    
Campus experts??? believe what could be an emerging trend of marijuana legalization may have a big impact on campus. The state of Nevada is considering legalizing the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana for residents over 21 years of age. Nevada voters will make the decision in November. Derrick Grimmer, scientist at Iowa State’s Microelectronics Research Center, believes prohibiting drug use is a method the government uses to control citizens. Control and profit“Prohibition has nothing to do with worries about health,” said Grimmer, member of the Ames chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It has nothing to do with the well-being of the citizens of any country.”
 boys raped in juvi prison can testify on that one...He said the United States treats drugs differently than many countries.
differently is one way of looking at cutthroat fascism...“Various states have tried to liberalize the access of drugs for medical use, but these efforts always run up against federal law,” Grimmer said.If marijuana were legalized in Iowa, safety concerns — including lowered inhibitions and driving under the influence — would be a serious problem on campus, said Denise Denton, lecturer on health and human performance.
Bushit!
Cannabis/Driving Studies
Crancer Study, Washington Department of Motor Vehicles 
 "Simulated driving scores for subjects experiencing a normal social "high" and the same subjects under control conditions are not significantly different. However, there are significantly more errors for alcohol intoxicated than for control subjects" Australia: No Proof Cannabis Put Drivers At Risk (2001) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1849/a09.htmlUK: Cannabis May Make You A Safer Driver (2000) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1161/a02.html University Of Toronto Study Shows Marijuana Not A Factor In Driving Accidents (1999) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases\1999\03\990325110700.htm A-MOTIVATION 
Dr. Andrew Weil (Rubin & Comitas Ganja in Jamaica, 1975) 
"a-motivation [is] a cause of heavy marijuana smoking rather than the reverse" Marijuana is “not worse or better than cigarettes, but different,” she said. 
No additional chemicals added for one thing...But marijuana is typically taken in more deeply and held in the lungs longer, 
The better the ganja the less needed to smoke. Cannabis doesn't go deeper into the lungs, it opens the lungs capillaries, to relieve asthma symptoms. It is also an expectorant, meaning it will make you cough up any tars and gunk before it does damage.
LUNG CLEANER AND 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). (See section on asthma - a disease that closes these passages in spasms - UCLA Tashkin studies, 1969-97; U.S. Costa Rican, 1980-82; Jamaican studies 1969-74, 76.) Statistical evidence - showing up consistently as anomalies in matched populations - indicates that people who smoke tobacco cigarettes are usually better off and will live longer if they smoke cannabis moderately, too. (Jamaicna, Costa Rican studies.) Millions of Americans have given up or avoided smoking tobacco products in favor of cannabis, which is not good news to the powerful tobacco lobby - Senator Jesse Helms and his cohorts. A turn-of-the-century grandfather clause in U.S. tobacco law allows 400 to 6,000 additional chemicals to be added. Additions since then to the average tobacco cigarette are unknown, and the public in the U.S. has no right to know what they are. Many joggers and marathon runners feel cannabis use cleans their lungs, allowing better endurance. Cannabis high hopes for cough medicine
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=195.topicCannabis less harmful than cigarettes or booze
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=32.topicand has no filter, Denton said.
or the chemicals and plastic used in the filters. Eating cannabis has no filter either.
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Comment #16 posted by DdC on September 24, 2002 at 17:45:24 PT
They're running Out of Rational Propaganda!!2
“The half-life for marijuana is seven days, meaning half of it is still in your system seven days after consumption,” she said. 
Toxins can not store in the fat cells, thats why heroin and cocaine can't be traced in the system after 24 hours, while thc stores in the fat cells up to 30 days, doing so means it can't be a toxin. But it can test positive in a pisstest. Thats the bottom line.“One marijuana joint is equal to about 10 cigarettes in terms of cancer-causing properties.”
Expert? ¶8)
In Spain a professor is making the first test with people against brain cancer by injecting pure THC into the brain , that he demonstrated in August 2000 that he can heal cancer in rats and mice with pure THC injected into the brain part where the cancer has being found?
Cannabis has several uses in the treatment of cancer. As an appetite stimulant, it can help to slow weight loss in cancer patients.2 It may also act as a mood elevator. But the most common use is the prevention of nausea and vomiting of cancer chemotherapy. About half of patients treated with anticancer drugs suffer from severe nausea and vomiting, which are not only unpleasant but a threat to the effectiveness of the therapy. Retching can cause tears of the esophagus and rib fractures, prevent adequate nutrition, and lead to fluid loss. Some patients find the nausea so intolerable they say they would rather die than go on. The antiemetics most commonly used in chemotherapy are metoclopramide (Reglan), the relatively new ondansetron (Zofran), and the newer granisetron (Kytril). Unfortunately, for many cancer patients these conventional antiemetics do not work at all or provide little relief. 
Bottom line is there is not one victim, only theory and conjecture or rather lies.Marijuana Doesn't Cause Lung Cancer  
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10025.shtmlStudy: Pollutants Can Trigger Heart Attack    http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10032.shtml“Marijuana is stored in fat cells … It can stay in your system for 30 days.”Grimmer said Nevada’s efforts to legalize the drug are reasonable.“Nevada is trying to come up with some sanity to this problem,” he said. “We need to look at the problems due to any substance, then look at the problems due to the prohibition of that substance and try to maintain a balance between the two.”Prohibition, Grimmer said, has produced negative outcomes. “The iron laws of prohibition are the source of organized crime, street crime, alteration of substances, refinement of substances, involvement of children in the drug trade and disrespect for the law,” he said. He said drug use is a personal decision and can be handled responsibly.  “At worst, people are only hurting themselves,” he said.There are alternatives to using marijuana medicinally, Denton said.
More fascism 101, dictate treatment in a Free Enterprize Free Economy or supposidly Free people. As stated before, all Pharm aids have side effects not in cannabis. And it doesn't matter how many alternatives with meds anymore than laundry soap. Its our choice. And with no victims to back any of the numerous government lies I see no valid reason to print this dribble.“I think people are accepting of the idea that marijuana has medicinal properties, but for everything you can do with marijuana medicinally, there are other drugs that do those things as well,” she said. 
Yes the FDA reapproved thalidomide (flipper babies) as an appetite stimulant. Cerebral Palsy victims still use barbituates and opiates, sinamet for Parkinsons and Chemo are alternatives but they are 10 times more costly and have side effects not known of with cannabis. Again if it relieves pain or nausea in the patient, then it works. If they grow it for nothing then only the Pharmaceuticals and politicians not getting taxes tend to lose. At least she slipped and told the truth about it having medicinal properties. The thugczar still says its us hippies plot to legalize so we can toke again. Guess what. I never stopped in the first place. So many addy's to back up what I say, I'll spare FoM's boards with repeats.
Fascism the same as Farbin's Dupont and Bayer fascism, only more of it today. These wod junkie ammatures should refrain from speaking in public...Peace, Love and Liberty or the FRCn D.E.A.th!...DdC The Village Idiots 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=279.topicThe Village idiot
http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/36/36294.gif
D.E.A.th Deceptions
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Comment #15 posted by Tim Stone on September 24, 2002 at 16:59:55 PT
Bob Wallace, RIP
Apologies for the digression, but a search of the site shows no info on a recent news item which might be of interest to some site users. So I'm just cramming it in here. Again, apologies.Reliable news reports confirm that Bob Wallace of the Promind.com entheogenic book site has passed away suddenly, apparently of natural causes, aged 53. He was one of the Original Microsoft bunch, and after retiring from Microsoft and the need for necessary daily toil, he retired to Sevastopol, CA. and championed entheogenic causes. He was an informed voice in alt-drug... Usenet groups, and a generous donater to anti-prohibition research. Very sorry news. 
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Comment #14 posted by Dan B on September 24, 2002 at 16:47:08 PT
Marijuana is stored in fat cells!
“Marijuana is stored in fat cells … It can stay in your system for 30 days.”Yep, it's stored right there in the fat cells--the whole product, right there for your enjoyment. In fact, if you harvest the fat cells from an avid marijuana user, you might get lucky enough to find some seeds. Just plant the fat cell, seeds, sticks and all, and watch your marijuana grow. Yessiree, that's what marijuana does.What a ridiculous statement! THC does not remain active for seven days. In fact, the truth is that the THC that is not flushed out of the body through normal elimination ( and a good deal passes through urine, feces and sweat, is coughed up from the lungs, etc.) makes its way to the fat cells, where it is stored until it breaks down. What remains, however, is not active THC, but the metabolites of THC which have a half-life of about seven days (far less, by the way, than that uranium the United States keeps dropping on Iraq). If THC were active in the body for seven days, we wouldn't have to hit the bong every half-hour or so to stay high.Someone, please correct me if I am wrong.Dan B
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Comment #13 posted by Had Enough on September 24, 2002 at 16:28:57 PT
Noelle Bush:Ruling delayed on clinic workers AGAIN
Here is just a few lines that appears in the article about Noelle Bush on September 24, 2002. 
Click on the Link for the rest“Judge Perry had to spend time on other court matters, such as the Huggins sentencing last Thursday," said court spokeswoman Karen Levey. The Bush "case involves a complicated issue that requires lots of research."“Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton said he did not mind the delay. But he said he was surprised to learn that the judge's cousin, Ken Allison, is with the center's Drug Court program.”“Levey said Perry did not tell the attorneys who appeared in a closed hearing on the case Wednesday about his cousin because the chief circuit judge did not think it was relevant.”“Perry said through his spokeswoman that he sees his cousin usually once a year and did not think the relationship was significant because Allison is not one of the people subpoenaed.”“Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead, who oversees Orange County's Drug Court program, canceled a regularly scheduled Friday status hearing for Bush after Perry's announced delay.”http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locnoelle24092402sep24.story
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Comment #12 posted by karkulus on September 24, 2002 at 15:33:02 PT
Busting these Clubs!
It's as though they're "Daring" the media to report on it,or something..There's no way this could be "positive publicity" with the Referendums coming up!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 24, 2002 at 14:33:18 PT

Duzt 
I was tired and turned off the computer and did some work around the house and when I got back on line I checked me email and found the ASA Alert. I quick looked for news but nothing yet. This is really depressing. 
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 24, 2002 at 14:22:35 PT

ASA Alert - Raid in Progress
The Shelter from the Storm garden is being raided right now. DEA agents have cut down the plants and have them loaded into the back of the truck. No arrests that we know of yet. People in San Diego are coming down to the house to give support - 4763 Wilson ave- and ASA has launched the emergency response with noon protests at the federal building nearest you tomorrow, 9/25!McWilliams sits on the SD Medical marijuana taskforce which has been creating guidelines. As Kevin Zeese pointed out recently "They are operating well within draft city task force guidelines for cuiltivation for patients; within state law and well under the traditional 100 plant limit the feds use before getting involved. They thought they were acting within the law, were not having problems with the police (even called them recently when there was an attempted burglary) until they exercised their First Amendment rights."This is another case of federal harrassment towards those who speak out, and this must stop. I know many of us are tired from our successful action yesterday, but will be spending our lunch hour tomorrow protesting.
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Comment #9 posted by Duzt on September 24, 2002 at 14:21:30 PT

Raid
Actually, I think it's being raided at the moment, or just was. The address is 4763 Wilson ave in San Diego to go to protest if anyone lives there. This info is from a news group as well and I still can't get a hold of 2 of my friends coops which makes me a bit nervous, we'll see.
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Comment #8 posted by Duzt on September 24, 2002 at 14:16:56 PT

FOM - Shelter from the Storm
Not sure if you had heard anything back about the raid. I heard that it for sure happened and that there will be more protests tomorrow. 
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Comment #7 posted by p4me on September 24, 2002 at 13:55:43 PT

One more link before shutdown
I just want to put up this one link that raises the importance in oil in the Sudan civil war where 2 million people have died over the last 20 years. I think this is has some implications towards our involvement in Columbia and Venezula and for that matter Iraq and the world.The wealthy's money is much more important that the lives of millions or the freedom of millions even if by chance they are Americans. Money and Oil v Lives and Freedom with Money and Oil chosing the judge. Here is the link: http://www.yaleinsider.org/article.jsp?id=14We are just batteries for the fascist machine.1,2
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Comment #6 posted by p4me on September 24, 2002 at 13:19:55 PT

Good Yellowtimes article- part1 of 2
This is the entire article from yellowtimes.org. Please note the 4th paragraph and the reports of the CIA being in the drug business towards the end that is in part 2 that follows:''Who's paying the price of U.S. dysfunction?''
Printed on Monday, September 23, 2002   12:23:55 EDT  ( )By Doreen MillerYellowTimes.org Columnist (United States) (YellowTimes.org) – Looking at any aspect of the U.S. government, one can readily observe two very telling principles at work. The first represents total incompetence, real or feigned: "The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing." The second one I simply refer to as the Teflon Principle: "Always point the finger of blame at someone else." Taken together, they are symptomatic of a highly dysfunctional society unwilling to accept responsibility for its actions. Nowhere is that more obvious than in our ineffective, decades long struggle in the War on Drugs.On the one hand, the U.S. has been waging a war on drugs, carried out for the most part in low socio-economic classes, mainly against blacks and other minorities. Between 1985 and 1999, the number of people imprisoned for illegal drug use quadrupled, with blacks making up nearly 50 percent of prison inmates although they total just 12 percent of the U.S. population. (1) At the height of the drug war in 1989, blacks were being arrested five times more often than whites, even though both groups were using drugs at the same rate. (2)A class war based upon racial discrimination is blatantly evident in a criminal justice system that differentiates between crack cocaine, the drug of choice in the ghettos, and powder cocaine, the preferred drug of the wealthy, mostly white, upper classes. Mandatory penalties for crack are up to 100 times more severe than for powder cocaine. (3)Any intelligent human being has to wonder on what basis it is decided that certain drugs are illegal while other equally or more addictive substances like tobacco and alcohol are not. It can't possibly be due to lethal effects since the annual number of deaths from illegal drugs lies well below the deaths caused by tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs. The most recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) peg the annual death rates as follows: Tobacco: 406,290; Alcohol: 116,000; Prescription Drugs: 106,000; and illegal drugs (excluding marijuana to which there has never been a fatality attributed): 19,102. (4)Next, one has to question why addiction to a legal substance is handled so differently from an addiction to an illegal one? For tobacco, alcohol or prescription drug addiction, all sorts of treatment facilities and outreach programs are offered to help people overcome their addiction. On the contrary, those addicted to and in possession of illegal drugs are first and foremost strictly punished. Not only are they thrown into the slammer, but their assets are confiscated, their families and relatives evicted from public housing, their eligibility for federal assistance or publicly financed college loans taken away. My cynical side tells me it's all tied in with an ongoing legitimized form of class warfare, racial targeting and discrimination. After all, who would dare question the noble intentions behind the War on Drugs and society's efforts to purge itself of those "evil, second- class citizens" engaged in the vile act of illicit drug use? It's a different story entirely when first-class, wealthy citizens are caught with drugs. Take Noelle Bush, for instance, daughter of Jeb Bush, governor of Florida. When she was caught trying to procure pharmaceutical drugs with a forged prescription last January, she was put into a rehab program. This past July while in rehab, she was again found in possession of stolen prescription pills belonging to one of the workers at the rehab. Now, two months later, she was discovered in the possession of crack cocaine. Do you really believe for one moment she will do any serious jail time for these felonies? Do you think she would be receiving this same kind of preferential treatment if she were a nobody from some inner-city slum? In keeping with my initial premise of a dysfunctional society in which "one hand does not know (whether real or feigned) what the other hand is doing," the very same system that so viciously wages war on drugs (read: on the poor and minorities) also has a hand in bringing these very same drugs into the country. CIA involvement in drug smuggling dates at least as far back as the Vietnam War when the CIA was conducting its secret war in Laos in the late 60's. Our allies were opium growing tribesmen whose heroin trade was supported and augmented under General Secord from 1966- 68. (5) This coincided with a sudden monumental influx of drugs into urban areas, totally devastating inner-city communities. In his book, "The Politics of Heroin," Professor Alfred McCoy of the University of Wisconsin states that before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, zero percent of U.S. consumption of heroin came from the Pakistan/Afghanistan region. By 1985-86, a full 40 percent was coming from that region, now controlled by the CIA which protected and oversaw six heroin labs run by the locals with Osama Bin Laden as one of the pointmen. Normally at that time, under federal law, any employee of the CIA caught breaking a federal law had to be reported. This minor problem was circumvented by then-U.S. Attorney General William French Smith in a 1982 letter to the CIA, wherein Smith stipulated that all non-case officers in the CIA were now designated as "non-employees" of the CIA. Voilà, problem solved! Any drug- related activities of these "non-employees" no longer needed to be reported. During the 80's, the Iran-Contra scandal involving guns for drugs was brought to light. In Costa Rica, an American rancher and CIA agent by the name of John Hull received shipments of illegal contra weapons from the United States via planes landing on air strips on his ranch. These planes were then refueled and sent back to the United States filled with cocaine. Retired Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent Celerino Castillo exposed direct CIA involvement in drug smuggling operations run from a CIA hangar at Llopango airfield in El Salvador. (6)
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Comment #5 posted by p4me on September 24, 2002 at 13:18:15 PT

Yellowtimes- Part 2 of 2
The CBS program "West 57th," aired on April 6, 1987, featured jailed American pilots who testified in front of millions of viewers how they would fly arms down to the contras, return with their planes loaded with cocaine and land, guided in by radar, at Homestead Air Force base in Florida. The trucks would come up, unload the drugs and take them away to be distributed on the streets of America. Much of this information and more is documented in the Kerry Report issued in 1988 by the sub- committee chaired by Senator Kerry investigating the allegations of arms and drug smuggling by the CIA during the Contra War. The Teflon-coated U.S. continues to live in denial and rejection of responsibility for its drug problems. Instead, it dysfunctionally points the finger of blame at the coca and poppy growers in oil- rich Colombia where U.S. helicopters and equipment are currently being used to wage chemical warfare on poor farmers as part of Plan Colombia initiated two years ago. The chemical of choice being used to destroy the coca and poppy plants is produced by none other than U.S. corporate giant Monsanto. Roundup Ultra, a combination of poisons twenty-two times more toxic than glyphosate alone according to biologist Elsa Nivia, is being sprayed in concentrations as high as 26 percent, whereas the Roundup sold in U.S. stores may not exceed concentrations of one percent due to health hazards. According to an article in the National Catholic Reporter (16 Nov. 2001) written by Luis Angel Saaverda, between December 2000 and February 2001, 150,000 gallons of Roundup Ultra were sprayed over 30,000 hectares of which only ten percent were actually planted in coca. Traditional food crops of coffee, bananas, cassava, manioc, corn, rice, palms, and sugar cane were destroyed. Drinking water was contaminated, and fish went belly up. Animals and livestock were killed. During this time, thousands of indigenous people reported symptoms of rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, skin lesions, difficulty breathing, fever, severe headaches, nausea, and vision problems - all indicative of mass herbicide poisonings. By all accounts, the spraying campaign has been a failure, endangering local residents and causing extreme harm to food crops and livestock. Colombia's chief anti-narcotics officer, Ruben Olente, testifies that in spite of spraying efforts, coca production continues to rise. The U.S. trains and supports the Colombian army which in turn works together with paramilitary groups, responsible for many of the egregious human rights abuses in Colombia, who finance their operations by selling the very drugs the U.S. is allegedly out to eradicate. (7) Talk about a conflict of interests! A Rand Corporation study found that funds spent on domestic drug treatment were 23 times more effective than "source country control" (Plan Colombia). (8) So, why are we wasting our money waging war in Colombia? Of the $1.3 billion in aid to Colombia, 70 percent goes to the U.S. weapons and chemical corporations and the U.S. military: Monsanto produces the herbicide, United Tech and Sikorsky receive millions from the sale of Hueys and Blackhawk helicopters, and Rockwell benefits from its sale of surveillance systems. (9) War is profitable for big business. The number one reason the U.S. is involved in Colombia is, to quote a 1997 Pentagon document stating the purpose of the use of U.S. military, "to protect U.S. interests and investments." Spelled out in plain English: O-I-L and M-O-N-E-Y. Addiction is both a symptom of and contributor to dysfunctional relationships to oneself, to one's family, to others in society. Whether it be an addiction to alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs, or in the case of the United States an addiction to oil and money, everyone ultimately suffers the consequences of behaviors driven by mindless addictions. The world has suffered enough from U.S. addiction to oil and to our country's incessant pursuit of money, power, and control. It's time for the U.S. to admit its addictions, wean itself from its hunger and greed for oil and money, and put itself on the road to rehabilitation and healthier relationships with other nations. The whole world would be much better off for it in the long run. [Doreen Miller lived, studied, worked and traveled abroad for several years, and is currently a Senior Lecturer and educator of international students. She dedicates part of her time to serving the elderly and Alzheimer patients. Mother, musician and poet, she pursues an avid interest in Buddhist and Eastern philosophy. She advocates human rights, social justice, fair trade, and environmental protection. Doreen lives in the United States.] Doreen Miller encourages your comments: dmiller YellowTimes.org1,2
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on September 24, 2002 at 13:16:05 PT:

The GCW 
I said a prayer of protection for the courageous brothers and sisters working and writing for compassionate and reasonable marijuana laws. Work in peace to secure the blessings of liberty.
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on September 24, 2002 at 13:03:09 PT:

another half-truth
re: Denise Denton, lecturer on health and human performance. There are alternatives to using marijuana medicinally, Denton said.“I think people are accepting of the idea that marijuana has medicinal properties, but for everything you can do with marijuana medicinally, there are other drugs that do those things as well,” she said.... 
 
Comment: If this is true, then the medical marijuana patients are all lying, and her so-called alternatives are cost-effective and have fewer side-effects. Do You believe this? If this were true, there would be no medical marijuana movement. Please stop stigmatizing the sick and dying with these weasely aspersions. Peace. End the suffering.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on September 24, 2002 at 13:01:38 PT

FoM
Can You post this one?Snitch culture 
http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2499.html...in pursuit of people who want open debate on drug policies....anti-drug treaties require criminal prosecution of people who advocate drug law reform. The UN urged the US to arrest people who convinced voters to approve medical marijuana initiatives.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on September 24, 2002 at 12:43:21 PT

READ THIS!
Snitch culture http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2499.htmlThe UN's Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, although besieged by corruption scandals, is cyberpolicing the Internet in pursuit of people who want open debate on drug policies.Redden says the UN's International Narcotics Control Board believes that anti-drug treaties require criminal prosecution of people who advocate drug law reform. The UN urged the US to arrest people who convinced voters to approve medical marijuana initiatives.
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