cannabisnews.com: Legalizing Mary Jane Has Its Pot-roblems
Legalizing Mary Jane Has Its Pot-roblems
Posted by CN Staff on October 05, 2002 at 22:34:42 PT
By Shannon Moneo
Source: Sooke News Mirror
Tory Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, involved in the September report recommending the legalization of marijuana, said prohibition is a cop-out. The Quebec senator has a compelling reason for making pot-smoking legal. “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue,” Nolin said. Canadians should be allowed to “choose whether to consume or not in security.”
Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Don Brown said if alcohol was discovered today it would be illegal, so where does the line get drawn? The organization representing Canada’s law-enforcers doesn’t buy the health aspect. Canadian Police Association executive officer David Griffin said pot combines the mind-altering effects of booze with the cancer risk associated with smoking. Brown agreed, saying that legalization would lead to big health issues. “You don’t see people with marijuana cigarettes with filters on them,” he said. Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin doesn’t draw parallels between the hallucinogenic plant and booze. His aim is to eliminate punitive drug laws which result in piles of police paperwork and court tie-ups. In the process it would allow the redirection of money and resources spent on marijuana enforcement. The way charges are dealt with now, it’s almost like it is decriminalized. When RCMP discover less than 30 grams of the drug it can be a summary charge so the person is not photographed or fingerprinted. If convicted, they have a criminal record but it can be pardoned after two years. Brown thinks issuing tickets would be more expedient. It would mean less paper shuffling and less court time going up in smoke. This is the approach Martin advocates, with the penalties being dealt with on a civil level rather than criminal. Cpl. Ray Champagne, of the Sooke RCMP, said in the last year there have been only about eight search warrants executed for marijuana investigations. In previous years the detachment averaged about 30 to 40 but because of other files, a staff shortage and different priorities, pot pickings have taken a back seat. “We’re still working at it,” Champagne said. Climbing rates of cocaine and ecstasy use are resulting in stepped-up investigations locally. In 1923, cannabis was first banned in Canada under the Opium and Drug Act. Since May 1997, illicit drugs like marijuana fall under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. In July 2001, Canada was the first nation to regulate the medicinal use of marijuana. According to Martin, over 23 per cent of Canadians reported using cannabis at some stage in their life. About 20,000 people are arrested each year on pot-related charges and an estimated 600,000 Canadians have criminal records for marijuana possession. Produced by the Senate’s Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, the legalization report advocates that harm reduction, prevention and treatment should be the approach. Report guidelines state marijuana use would be restricted to adults but criminal law would still apply for producers and sellers. Note: A federal senator thinks pot belongs in the same pot as booze. Source: Sooke News Mirror (CN BC)Author: Shannon MoneoPublished: October 1, 2002Copyright: 2002 Sooke News MirrorContact: editor sooke.vinewsgroup.comWebsite: http://www.sookenewsmirror.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmTo Legalize or Not to Legalize http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14360.shtmlCanadians Suggest Legalizing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14333.shtmlU.S. Warns Against Liberalizing Laws on Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14331.shtmlSenate Report on Cannabis: Get Whole Story http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14319.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #39 posted by Matt Elrod on October 10, 2002 at 08:19:23 PT:
Origin of pot
"I'm not sure where P-O-T originated. Anyone know?"The word "pot" is derived from the Mexican Indian name
for cannabis "potaguaya"ME
My homepage
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #38 posted by DANA on October 07, 2002 at 20:15:13 PT
...Phasetheory..
..I appreciate your response,and even though we have our differences politically,I'm confident we share some common ground on the issues discussed here at CNews.....I am as much to blame,as you for stirring up the political sidetrack,and it's true,that this is a rather inappropriate place to debate such things...I would be glad to discuss politics with you,via email.If you are interested,DanB,or FoM will give you my email address.Sincerely.......D...
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #37 posted by FoM on October 07, 2002 at 18:18:54 PT
Phasetheory
Do you like Cannabis News? I'd appreciate your helping us stay on topic. It's like you don't care. I hope I'm wrong about that. Thanks for working with me. Iraq isn't in the article at all.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #36 posted by Phasetheory on October 07, 2002 at 18:09:58 PT
I'll try Dana
What business does America have in going into Iraq? Well, over a decade ago, the UN drafted a resolution that stated that Iraq must be rid of all weapons of mass destruction. For the 7 years inspectors were in place, Saddam never intended to obey the resolution. He developed mobile labs to transport chemical and biological weapons when inspectors were close. He would tap their hotel rooms to discover where they were headed next. I waited to respond to you until Bush's speach just a few minutes ago. This is his words, we won't attack until inspectors are given another chance. But this time, we need to back them up with the threat of military action. If Saddam again prevents inspectors from doing their jobs, then it would be time to act.Do you disagree with this? Newest reports say that Saddam could have a nuclear weapons within one year. Do you doubt that once he has it, the "holy grail" of weapons in sense, that he's not going to use it. Ten years ago, when he attacked Kuwait, he did so because he thought America, and the rest of the world would do nothing. He was wrong, but what stops him from doing it again. But with a nuclear weapon or two, he could hold the entire middle east hostage. He could announce that if he was attacked, 10 million israelis would die.Another question, what stops Saddam, when he achieves the ability to split the atom, from giving it to a terrorist to smuggle into the US. Properly placed in a major city, it could kill millions of Americans.You've been bombarded from every direction with the peace movement of the last 50 years. In which I complete agree with. War is one of the worst things of human nature. But the idealism we have, the level of morality we have reached only streaches to us, and other democratic civilizated nations. Saddam, doesn't share any of this. And to believe that peace is the answer when our enemy believes war and destruction are the answers will ultimately destroy us. I don't think I'm brainwashed. I think you guys might be.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #35 posted by krutch on October 07, 2002 at 11:03:13 PT:
Is David Griffin also a doctor?
I find his statement:
"pot combines the mind-altering effects of booze with the cancer risk associated with smoking."
the hieght of ingorance. Perhaps he does not realize that ethanol has been shown to be a carcinogen all by itself. It is even worse when combined with tobacco. He seems to be giving alcohol a clean bill of health.Clearly he has never been high either. If he had ever been high he would realize that the alcohol high is much more debilitating than the pot high. Nobody ever forgets where they are and starts fighting with their best friends on pot.I hope, in the future Mr. Griffin will spare us his opinions on matter which he has no expertise.I am one of those crazy people who believe that the police should concern themselves with arresting criminals and not with protecting the public health. I am no more interested in his opinion of the dangers of a drug than I am of a doctor's opinion about how to secure my property from burglars.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #34 posted by SWAMPIE on October 07, 2002 at 10:32:02 PT
GEEEZZZ....ISN'T LIFE FUN?
As the wars go on,between"US and THEM",some are thinking out of context.I for one favor taking out Saddam,but only him,No others.Do we have a covert-action group that can do this,or do we call in "Superman"??I don't condemn or condone any talk on C-NEWS aboutwhat is happening in the world besides cannabis,as it affects us all in one way or the other,but I try to respect others' wishes.We are ALL friends here,and if you need to say something,dammit,say it!Just don't make it so long as to be boring!I find the title kinda' goofy as well,but if I were a journalist,maybe,well,you know...We are who we are,and you gotta say what you think if you want to live in a free-world!!!I come here to see what everyone has to say,even if it is off-topic,so let the words flow,lust not too many!LOL! PEACE,AND ONWARDTHROUGHTHEFOG!!!! SWAMPIE
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #33 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 07, 2002 at 10:08:19 PT
Pot-roblematic title
I, too, thought "pot-roblem" was a stretch for the title. I picture the editor saying, "We need a marijuana pun that nobody has done before!" Since most journalists love pot puns in titles of pot stories, the best they could do is pot-roblem. However, when it comes to the content of the article, I have seen much worse. (Usually, it's written by someone who is paid out of my tax dollars...)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #32 posted by FoM on October 07, 2002 at 09:08:28 PT
Thanks Dan
I appreciate your advice to everyone in this thread. That helps so much.
What's New
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #31 posted by DANA on October 07, 2002 at 04:43:52 PT
..sorry...
..you are quite right DanB.....My apologies for pursuing my off topic ramble,,,I had already posted by the time I saw your wise words.....this is not the place for political fillibustering...
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #30 posted by DANA on October 07, 2002 at 04:38:21 PT
Earth to Phasetheory..Earth to Phasetheory...
..do you read me?............Phasetheory,,,just what makes you think that the US has any business attacking Iraq?...Did I miss something?,,Am I unaware of some new reality that makes the US military into some sort of F*****ing global; SWAT team?....How bout if we send your ass over there to slaughter Iraqi civilians!(?)....If your Mom,and Grandfather lived in Bagdad,would you still be behind this plan?...Do you trust that the US military machine will use delicate,and prudent bombing techniques to protect the innocent???....If you ask me,,America has no business doing this s**t!!!....WAKE UP Phasetheory!!!You are living in a strange ,small world,designed by a political beast!...Am I full of crap ???Perhaps I am the one who has been brainwashed????If so,,perhaps you would care to take a moment to edify my old ass!!!respectfully,,,,,yet adamantly.......D
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #29 posted by Dan B on October 07, 2002 at 04:34:39 PT:
With regard to this article . . .
Pot-roblems? That has to be the worst "wordplay" I have ever seen in any context. I mean, really!Dan B
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #28 posted by Dan B on October 07, 2002 at 04:33:16 PT:
Phasetheory
Check out this link regarding how Iraqis feel about a U.S. invasion. If you want to respond, please do so via email (my green name above is the link), as I don't want to be responsible for a plethora of off-topic comments here.http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1004-01.htmHaving said that, let's get off of this track (that goes for you too, DANA, and everyone else who keeps egging Phasetheory on). Cannabis News is for news about cannabis. Cannabis should be legal; on that all of us can agree, right?I am open to a respectful debate on any topic, as I hope I have demonstrated here by not calling people names and such. But let's have this debate elsewhere.Dan BP.S. No offense taken, and none intended. Just trying to do my part to stay the course.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #27 posted by DANA on October 07, 2002 at 04:09:58 PT
..Good Grief Phasetheory!!!!
...No offense,,but I think you have succumbed to some sort of brainwash!...I think you should QUIT smoking weed! Read this if you want to... http://www.almartinraw.com/column74.html..You shock me Phasetheory!...I still respect your right to have your own point of view,,but I gotta say,that I wonder where you learned what you think you know???
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #26 posted by Phasetheory on October 07, 2002 at 03:32:08 PT
to war we go
I sorry, but the majority of Americans do support a war on Iraq, or better put on Saddamm. In fact, the majority of Iraqis... the citizens of Iraq, support the US removing Saddamm. Why? He is a ruthless brutal dictator that starves and tortures his own people. If are against removing Saddamm, then you are FOR the oppression and the starvation of the Iraqi people. It's easy for you to sit at your computer and call Bush evil, beliving your demented views about the world. It's not obvious to you that America really is the source of freedom and liberty in the world. Do any of you realize that other countries had no problem with America, until liberals told them that they should dislike America for our moralism and sense of justice. They listened and followed. Two days after the US media brought up the "conspiracy theory" that Bush wants to attack Iraq to have access to it's oil, on Donahue, and Meet the Press, an Iraqi offical states that the only reason American is attacking Iraq is to control it's oil.They're listening...Something to chew on... estimates put loss of civilians lives less than the number who will die because of Saddamm's regime, for 6 month period. (although this doesn't include the civilians saddamm would kill and blame it on Americans troops to stop the war, like he did in Desert Storm).
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #25 posted by Had Enough on October 06, 2002 at 19:32:41 PT
Ddc Movie
I had to work the daily grind today, and while I was there doing it, I thought how come somebody like Oliver Stone, Stephen Spielberg, Mel Gibson, Ron Howard, I even thought about Dennis Miller, doing a move about the true story about cannabis. Low and behold, I come here and find DdC must have been thinking too. A cool movie sure would open the minds of many people. Let it show all the false hype that has been submitted over the years. Let it show all the benefits of hemp oil freeing us from Middle Eastern Oil. Let it be known by all, the possible medical benefits. There has been so much hysteria its hard to explain to people all the facts a one time, but a movie would do it. People would pay attention for 2-2-1/2 hour movie. Keeping it interesting with actors people can associate themselves with, like Kevin Costner cast as Harry Anslinger, so on and so on. Let it Roll Baby Roll.I like the song Signs also. Always have always will.Stamina, Yep, Plenty of it too.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by DdC on October 06, 2002 at 17:56:57 PT
Where does P-O-T originate???
Cannabis is Latin, Ganja Hindo, Cannabis in Japan (Taima) / Hemp (Asa). A "lid' and "shotgun" came out of Vietnam. A bent coffee can lid to measure a bag full and the rifle or shotgun barrel to increase the hit of a joint. Bongs are backward hookah's without hoses, Bhang is a drink and Hasheesh from the resin of the gods.I assume Napal or India. Reefer's been around a while, at least since Reefer Madness. Not sure how it started. Gage was a jazz term. Cronic and Kynd are modern terms but I'm not sure where P-O-T originated. Anyone know?Marijuana or Maryjane was a derogitory term coined by Hearst as a "Madison Avenueish" commercial. The story goes that a prostitute from Corsica, an island off of Mexico named Mary Jane was servicing Poncho Villa's troops as he fought the Fascist. Who Hearst and other US publishers supported. Saying she would drink tequilla and smoke ganja, the cause of her "sinning" So Hearst headlines became "maryhuana, killers of youth" later updated to marijuana, or maryjane. Relating the cannabis plants use to "lazy" oversexed Mexicans and Blacks. Causing white women to fall under a trance and have sexual relations. Causing boys to go insane and grow large breast. Causing musicans to flip out and play "jazz and swing" the devils music or "n-music. Hearst, the propaganda minister of Walters, I mean Anslinger, had good reason to outlaw cannabis and not for the sake of women or kids safety. Hemp threatened his papermills and forest business along with the Puritan dysfunction he craved worse than any junkie. Fascism and Cannabis prohibition go hand in hand to this very day. The business of cannabis prohibition thrives on the weak minded contented. Causing rational citizens to go berzerk in lynch mobs rallying a cry of Nationalism unheard of in decades. Read the DARE wod junkie dribble, this is tomorrows History! Remember their names...For the children we place them in kiddy prison, to suffer for their own good, rape rampent as a deterrent. To put otherwise law abiding adult citizens in the criminal system, to profit the criminal system and create jobs, arresting citizens,pilaging the Constitution and filing paperwork on all of it but the D.E.A.th expenditures for security reasons. More dead trees that would make Hearst proud. Overzelousness and greed are potent drugs causing addiction and deterioration of health. It cares not whom it afflicts. It afflicts all. Stop the witchunts and persecution. Set our people free!Conspiracies can be amuzing. Kennedy's assassination has a tad of theory and tad of facts backing the odds against Oswald being alone. Discovering what I have on cannabis, with undisputable evidence in the products backing the facts of tensile strength and nutrition etc. I am very skeptical of the government and big business, especially as one entity. Yet I still consider Kennedy's assassination a theory or conspiracy. How can we still keep cannabis illegal on what amounts to less than theory. Not even a true fact or a victim is brought forward. Censoring and avoiding debate, sneaky underhanded wheeling and dealing behind the citizens backs and their will. And with the 30,000 websites and countless books and research papers, disregarded but obtainable. We find no major motion picture or rock song or book on the best seller list in 70 years of shamming the public. Not even a conspiracy movie on this prohibition that paid for a lot of Hitlers war. ET and Shindler but no Cannabis Speiling Stephen? Besides the cannabis benefits there's the obvious vested interest legislating for profits. How much is the media, including the gerbals in Holywood, part of this wod junkie insanity? I'll be waiting for some flicks to answer that. Homegrown comes close to reality but doesn't disclose the reality of prohibition. Most have been banned in the theaters and drive ins that bring us Halloween and the Texas Chainsaw massacre, a cousin of Bush but no reality of prohibition. MTV and Beavis get airplay but not the medicinal value of cannabis while citizens get handcuffed to their wheelchairs no one can find this a human interest story for the Womans Channel or Family Channel? Oh thats owned by Pat Robeertson, I forgot. Saturday Night Live? Who cares? Maybe someday Vanna White will turn over a letter and the phrase will be Legalize Cannabis! Peace, Love and Liberty or a Viscious D.E.A.th!
DdCBlatant Bigotry
http://www.jackherer.com/book/ch04.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #23 posted by DdC on October 06, 2002 at 15:51:06 PT
So Far FoM, Imagine That...
We'll see if they respond and let me know for sure. And possibly even a reson.I had a preacher try to stop me from entering a church once. Said I wasn't dressed in proper attire and jeans weren't apropriate. At least I think thats what he said cause I never stayed to listen to the whole message. I was already half way through the doors and never looked back. No one said a word once I was in. I listened a while, then left and wiped the dust from my sandals and never returned. Imagine that...Peace, Love and Liberty or the D.E.A.th WoDDdCAnd the sign said long-haired freaky people need not apply So, I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do" So I took off my hat and said, "Imagine that, huh me working for you"And the sign said "anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight" So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house "Hey, what gives you the right? To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in If God was here, he'd tell it to your face man, you're some kind of sinner" you've got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat you can't even watch, no you can't eat you ain't supposed to be here" and the sign said, "You got to have a membership card to get inside"and the sign said, "everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray" and when they passed around the plate at the end of it all I didn't have a penny to pay So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign I said, "thank you Lord for thinkin' 'bout me. I'm alive and doin' fine" whoaaaa signs, signs, everywhere a sign blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind Do this, don't do that. Can't you read the signs?
A People's History of the United States
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #22 posted by FoM on October 06, 2002 at 15:04:49 PT
CorvallisEric
Thank you for the compliment. I don't know if it happens on Cannabis.com's board. I never tried to put long lines or urls that I can remember when I posted there regularly. I forgot to ask Ron about that the last time I talked to him but will put it on the list of a few other questions I have. I think the site is working much better now then it was. I hope it is for you all too. Since I have a high speed connection I don't get drag on loading anymore but when I had my isp it could take quite a while to load the page when html was being used in the comments. I've done so many articles I started thinking about pleasant reading of articles more and more as time went by. Even when I put copyright info on the page I try to make it look like it tapers down and I do the same thing with web links. I have found for me that one thing that can take my train of thought away is an article that gets cluttered. I try to assume that the same thing occurs with all of us. Having an article pleasant to read allows us to absorb what we are reading without interruptions because of clutter. I'm weird. I guess I've done news too long and am just going wacky! LOL!
What's New
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #21 posted by CorvallisEric on October 06, 2002 at 14:44:28 PT
Page formatting - FoM's comment #13
The problem that seems to affect individual comments (or the main news story) is that the minimum line length you can set by changing the browser's window size is equal to the longest single word. Long single words can be a link or a long string of dots, etc. I don't know enough about HTML to know if there is an easy override the programmer can do. This is not unique to CNews, happens on most websites, and happens in both Internet Explorer and Mozilla (hence probably Netscape 6 and 7) but not in some other obscure browsers. It's very annoying because I find narrow columns usually easier to read. One thing I especially like about CNews compared with most other websites (including Mapinc) is that - except for this occasional problem - CNews is very readable and attractive.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #20 posted by FoM on October 06, 2002 at 14:42:44 PT
mayan
Hey mayan you're welcome! Glad I could help!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 06, 2002 at 14:40:30 PT
Thanks DdC
You mean you were banned from the Christian Science Monitor?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by DdC on October 06, 2002 at 14:32:57 PT
Okfine...Sorry FoM
The other day I went to the Christian Science Monitor Poll
Do You Think It Is Wise for Canada to Decriminalize Marijuana? 1. Yes -- 250 votes (87%)
2. No -- 37 votes (13%)
286 people have voted so far
October 03, 2002 at 16:21:10 PT
Vote: http://monitortalk.csmonitor.com/cs-global/messages?msg=1232.1 I found it at the story here called Canada Poised To Ease Pot Laws
By Eric Beaudan, Special to the CSM
Source: Christian Science Monitor
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/14/thread14339.shtmlI posted the same response I posted on the above canews thread, Comment #12 posted by DdC on October 03, 2002 at 21:28:02 PT, and was deleted in about 20 minutes. Then reposting it again deleted and banned from posting. I received several responses in agreement with my post, and reminded them by email the CSM was also a supporter of Mussolini and Fascism, but I thought we had grown up since then. I sent a letter to the csm powers that be and we'll see. Not a problem either way. I found these as I looked for a response address to write to. But the Christians seem to want money for them. I don't remember any CPA's collecting for Jesus' information...But if anyones interested...Peace, Love and Liberty or The Censoring D.E.A.thDdCDrugs becoming a rarer sight in schools
from the Aug 21, 2002 edition, By Patrik Jonsson RALEIGH, N.C. Most American high schools probably have at least one real-life version of drugged-out surfer Jeff Spicoli in their
senior class. Like the lovable but invariably stoned bad boy from "Fast
Times at Ridgemont High," he's the one constantly crowing, "Hey bud,
let's party!" But unlike the Sean Penn character, today's high school party
animals are not feeling as laid-back using the lunchroom as a drug den
as they apparently did in Redondo Beach, circa 1979. Onc... (1090 words)Brothels, blackjack, and ... bongs? Oh my.
from the Aug 14, 2002 edition, By Steve Friess LAS VEGAS This famously live-and-let-live state, where
legal prostitution has given rise to $7 million brothel-resorts and where
legal gambling includes video poker machines in grocery stores, may
now be poised to break another vice barrier. A first-in-the-nation initiative
appearing on Nevada's ballot in November asks the public to legalize
marijuana. Not just for medicinal purposes. For recreational use, too. If
the initiative is approved, it would then have to pass aga... (958 words) Portugal assesses its softer approach to drug users
from the Aug 08, 2002 edition, By Sara B. Miller PORTO, PORTUGAL In the shadowy labyrinth of
cobblestone streets around this port city's 12-century Se cathedral, heroin
addicts have long been selling drugs and shooting up. Police had hoped
that the narcotics-infested neighborhood would change after Portugal's
decision to decriminalize the use of all drugs. But a year after the
sweeping initiative took effect, they say the scene, and their jobs, have
changed little. "There are no fewer people here today than a year ago...
(1161 words) Tough-on-drugs Britain softens its line on marijuana
from the Jul 12, 2002 edition, By Jenny MacKenzie LONDON For Lauren Ringwood, Britain's debate
over drug laws hits close to home. At her local bus stop in Brixton, a
neighborhood where police have experimented for a year with relaxed
enforcement of marijuana laws, the dealers are growing more brazen -
peddling bags of "skunk" to commuters during the day. "It's frightening,"
she says. You never know if they have a knife or a gun." On Wednesday
Britain said that - though marijuana is still technically illegal - it woul...
(954 words) Drug testing in schools is counterproductive Regarding "Searching children's bodies" from the Jul 02, 2002 edition Letters (June 28, Editorial): Student involvement in
extracurricular activities has been proven to reduce drug use. Forcing
students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only
discourage such activities. Drug testing may also compel users of
relatively harmless marijuana to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing
positive. Marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long
enough to... (658 words) Illicit drug use grows among the elderly
from the Mar 27, 2002 edition, By Alexandra Marks NEW YORK Susie Richardson is not your average
recovering addict. She was 50 years old when curiosity got the better of
her and she tried crack cocaine. The result was a "devastating" addiction
that for 10 years robbed her of her family's trust and her own dignity. "I
had no control over myself," she says quietly. "My husband and kids, they
would give me money for bills and instead I spent it on drugs." Today,
after 27 months in a rehabilitation community, Ms. Richardson... (973
words) Search the Monitor ArchiveWhile articles from the past 5 days are free, a fee will be charged to retrieve the full text of all other articles. Pricing is as low as 15 cents per article. Please see our Fee Schedule for more information. http://csmonitor.com/archive/pricing.htmlFast searchResults will be limited to 25 articles. For more results, use advanced search.Enter keywords: marijuana
http://www.csmonitorarchive.com/csmonitor/display.jhtml;jsessionid=12VOIWJDVOBPNKGL4JASFEQ?_requestid=64702Archive pricing options are listed below.Single Article $1.50 24-Hour Pass $4.95 30-Day Pass $9.95 One Year Pass $89.95 From Whom Did the Fascists Get Support?
Italian fascism and German Nazism had their admirers within the U.S.
business community and the corporate owned press. Bankers, publishers, and
industrialists, including the likes of Henry Ford, traveled to Rome and Berlin
to pay homage, receive medals, and strike profitable deals. Many did their
utmost to advance the Nazi war effort, sharing military industrial secrets and
engaging in secret transactions with the Nazi government, even after the United
States entered the war. During the 1920s and early 1930s, major publications
like Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, Saturday Evening Post, New York Times,
Chicago Tribune, and Christian Science Monitor hailed Mussolini as the man
who rescued Italy from anarchy and radicalism.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by CorvallisEric on October 06, 2002 at 14:22:47 PT
A&E Poll
You can go directly to A&E American Justice with this link (also skips the Flash intro):http://www.aande.com/tv/shows/amerjustice/index.jspMaybe pot will be legalized one day when the Prohibition side on internet polls drops from 17% to the typical British and Canadian 11%. New generation, tech savvy, blah, blah.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by afterburner on October 06, 2002 at 12:50:43 PT:
Prohibition and U.N. treaties AND wiggle-room!
Prohibition and U.N. treaties,
Paul Armentano,
Research & Publications Director,
NORML and The NORML Foundation,
for High Times magazine:The United States is a signatory to the world’s three main international drug control treaties: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention Against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Prohibitionists historically have maintained that these treaty obligations require us to uphold a national policy of criminal pot prohibition. In truth however, experts from around the globe have repeatedly reached a much different conclusion: that international treaties, in fact, do not prohibit countries from relaxing legal restrictions on the personal use or cultivation of marijuana. In August, a legal study released by the U.K. think-tank DrugScope concluded that governments have considerable room for maneuver under the terms of the three drug control Conventions, adding that the treaties allow for measures such as education, rehabilitation and social reintegration [to] be substituted for conviction and penal sanction in drug cases. Authors noted that several EU nations, including Italy and Spain, have replaced criminal penalties for minor drug crimes with administrative sanctions without running afoul with U.N. treaties. (They did question, however, whether the Dutch tolerance policy toward coffee-shops meets conventional obligations.) Researchers speculated that these and nations with similar laws justify their approach by either calling on constitutional principles, principles of proportionality or public interest criteria with regard to use or possession offenses which are considered minor in nature, [or by invoking their] right to apply alternatives to punishment for offenses which have been established as punishable.While the DrugScope report is the latest research body to draw such conclusions, it is hardly the first. In fact, even the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) admits, None of the conventions require a party to convict or punish drug abusers who commit offenses [that] have been established as punishable. Specific to the pot issue, several advisory panels have concluded that nations may institute systems of decriminalization or partial prohibition without conflicting with international conventions. As early as 1972, the US-led Shafer Commission determined that the word possession in Article 36 of the Single Convention refers not to possession for personal use, but to possession as a link to illicit trafficking. The commission went on to recommend a national policy decriminalizing the use, possession and non-profit transaction of the herb.One year later, the U.N.‘s official Commentary on the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs confirmed this interpretation, stating that whether or not pot possession for personal use requires the imposition of penal sanctions is a question which may be answered differently in different countries.A 1979 Canadian government report agreed. Its authors found that international treaties granted governments considerable constructive latitude in dealing with cannabis offenses. They concluded, Even if Canada should elect to continue criminalizing consumption-oriented conduct, it is not required to convict or punish persons who have committed these offenses.A 1997 discussion paper by the New Zealand Drug Policy Forum Trust went even further. It declared that a policy of partial prohibition “ defined as permit[ing] adults to possess up to a defined amount of cannabis and cultivate up to a certain number of plants“ would appear to be in compliance with international conventions. While the researchers did acknowledge that a policy regulating and legalizing marijuana commerce is likely prohibited by provisions of the 1961 treaty, they added that governments wishing to enact such a system may simultaneously denounce the Single Convention, as permitted under article 46, while re-ratifying with reservations concerning cannabis in accordance with Article 49, which allows signatories the right to permit temporarily in any one of its territories the use of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for non-medical purposes under limited circumstances.In sum, although the US treaty obligations are often regarded as an impediment to marijuana-law reform, the truth is that our nation possesses wide-ranging flexibility regarding its pot policies despite our international commitments. Legally, drug conventions implicitly acknowledge that criminal prohibition is far from the sole or ideal drug strategy for dealing with cannabis, and unlike federal law, they permit sufficient wiggle-room for reformers to immediately enact sensible change. How drugs are classified
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1615851.stm
Rescheduling prohibition
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by mayan on October 06, 2002 at 12:15:28 PT
Thanks FoM!
Thanks for yet another poll link FoM! Current results:Where do you stand on Canada's Marijuana Debate? Should we: Legalize Marijuana - 80.92%Decriminalize Marijuana - 6.87%Continue Prohibition - 12.21%
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by VitaminT on October 06, 2002 at 12:06:24 PT
Take this poll
Bill Curtis' show "American Justice" is offering this poll:Should marijuana be subject to the same stringent penalties as other drugs?
Yes 17%No, it's basically harmless 13%No, it should be legalized 70%Total Votes: 810
Poll from "American Justice"
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by FoM on October 06, 2002 at 12:04:39 PT
DdC
Got a request for you. When you put the yellow dots across the page I have to go in and fix it. I will ask Ron why that happens but until it is fixed I'd appreciate you keeping that part short. I can use all the help I can get. Thanks!
What's New
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by DdC on October 06, 2002 at 11:53:30 PT
What Spies Beneath (Your PC) -- by Chris Taylor
"Chances are you haven't read the Bush Administration's 'National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.' Since it weighs in at a hefty 65 pages, who can blame you? Still, a surprising amount of the draft report is aimed at home-computer owners... Spyware is any kind of program installed in your computer without your consent to gather information about you or your organization." Continued... http://www.time.com/time/columnist/taylor/article/0,9565,357339,00.html?cnn=yesAh Breakfast of Bacon and Myth!!!Peace, Love and Liberty or D.E.A.th! DdC,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Tory Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, involved in the September report recommending the legalization of marijuana, said prohibition is a cop-out. The Quebec senator has a compelling reason for making pot-smoking legal. “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue,” Nolin said. Canadians should be allowed to “choose whether to consume or not in security.” The organization representing Canada’s law-enforcers doesn’t buy the health aspect.It would cost them too much in budget money... Canadian Police Association executive officer David Griffin said pot combines the mind-altering effects of booze with the cancer risk associated with smoking. Why don't we go back to law enforcement enforceing laws and not legislating or politicing? If laws are bad, then change them for the betterment of the citizens, not the cops job bennies.Brown agreed, saying that legalization would lead to big health issues. Brown is told to agree. Prison safer than cannabis? Adulterated Schwagg? Buying from the black market is never safer or healthier...“You don’t see people with marijuana cigarettes with filters on them,” he said. Filters made of plastic? We don't toke out of brown paper bags either. Science says cananbis is an expectorant and safer than tobacco's added chemicals no one is mentioning. Chemicals not added to cannabis. Babykiller!Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin doesn’t draw parallels between the hallucinogenic plant and booze. His aim is to eliminate punitive drug laws which result in piles of police paperwork and court tie-ups. In the process it would allow the redirection of money and resources spent on marijuana enforcement. Sounds like a threat to copshop money. NO glazed doughnuts for you bubba!The way charges are dealt with now, it’s almost like it is decriminalized. Except for the eradication and overtime funding, and those new spy gadgets and snoop devices. And what to do with all the junkie and drunk snitches? When RCMP discover less than 30 grams of the drug it can be a summary charge so the person is not photographed or fingerprinted. If convicted, they have a criminal record but it can be pardoned after two years. Pardoned for minding ones own business in the privacy of their own homes?Brown thinks issuing tickets would be more expedient. It would mean less paper shuffling and less court time going up in smoke. This is the approach Martin advocates, with the penalties being dealt with on a civil level rather than criminal. Civil smivle, Free the Weed!!!Cpl. Ray Champagne, of the Sooke RCMP, said in the last year there have been only about eight search warrants executed for marijuana investigations. Sooke sooke sooke sue....Isn't that from Steppenwolf?In previous years the detachment averaged about 30 to 40 but because of other files, a staff shortage and different priorities, pot pickings have taken a back seat. Then why keep driving this lemon?“We’re still working at it,” Champagne said. Climbing rates of cocaine and ecstasy use are resulting in stepped-up investigations locally. No one snorts coca leaves without corporate chemicals and lab equipement. Same with XTC. When will UpJohn and Monsanto get busted for manufacturing hardrugs?In 1923, cannabis was first banned in Canada under the Opium and Drug Act. Since May 1997, illicit drugs like marijuana fall under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. In July 2001, Canada was the first nation to regulate the medicinal use of marijuana. Yes for thousands of years it was used safely without government regulation though...According to Martin, over 23 per cent of Canadians reported using cannabis at some stage in their life. About 20,000 people are arrested each year on pot-related charges and an estimated 600,000 Canadians have criminal records for marijuana possession. Thats a lot of taxes and government payrolls...Produced by the Senate’s Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, the legalization report advocates that harm reduction, prevention and treatment should be the approach.Preventing wod junkies!!! Report guidelines state marijuana use would be restricted to adults but criminal law would still apply for producers and sellers. Homegrown or Bust!!!Note: A federal senator thinks pot belongs in the same pot as booze. That would end up an elixer...three ways of extracting THC...Fat, Oil or AlcoholIt will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule, which is little known, and less fixed? -- James Madison, Federalist Papers
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by Toker00 on October 06, 2002 at 10:42:44 PT
Higher and higher
Now at 77%!Legalize, and stop destroying the lives of American Citizens!Peace. Realize, then, Legalize.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by FoM on October 06, 2002 at 09:37:01 PT
Poll from Global Sunday
This Week on Global Sunday Just say yes to marijuana... that's the message from Canada's Senate, legalize it and tax it. The Chretien government says they'll consider decriminalization, making possession the equivalent of getting a parking ticket. Meanwhile, the White House wonders what Canadian politicians are smoking. Join in this week's debate, with Toronto law professor Allan Young and John P. Walters, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Vote: http://www.canada.com/national/globalsunday/Current Results: Where do you stand on Canada's Marijuana Debate? Should we:72.60% -- Legalize Marijuana 10.96% -- Decriminalize Marijuana 16.44% -- Continue Prohibition
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 06, 2002 at 06:19:08 PT
LTE + comments
Sirs, The approach Brown and Martin endorse in this article would not do anything to deal with the problem of the black market. By keeping cannabis sales on the black market, we will not get rid of the problems of the unregulated grow-ops. Growers would still have no legal way to settle disputes, and they would still have to turn to violence to solve their problems. Police would still be spending money to combat cannabis, instead of reaping the tax benefits legal cannabis could provide. And criminals would still have an easy income. Why do people buy cannabis from criminals? Because the government allows no alternative. Cannabis consumers would be happy to stop giving money to organized crime, if the government would only let them.-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-That BS about "pot combines the mind-altering effects of booze with the cancer risk associated with smoking" is complete BS any way you look at it, and is the kind of tripe I used to believe before I got enlightened. "If alcohol is legal and pot isn't, pot must be worse". I swear, I did think this way, and for far too long. But even if this BS is true - which it isn't - why are the two evils he says are combined in pot legal? You can smoke a cig and drink. But you can't smoke cannabis, which he claims has the same properties as the two legal substances. Quelle poop. And if cigarettes were illegal and you had to score some tobacco on the black market, do you really think illegal tobacco users would be using filters?? Filters are there because they're a REGULATED PRODUCT and as such they are IMAGE-CONSCIOUS. The filters don't stop people from getting cancer anyway. But these are all topics which didn't fit into the scope of my LTE above - perhaps you can use them in yours?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by mayan on October 06, 2002 at 05:17:23 PT
DANA...
Bush IS "evil"...and I don't use that term lightly either. I believe that this is the most critical moment of all time. We must stop this war before it starts!!! As Americans it is imperative that we stand & oppose this tyrant! I hope the rest of the world realizes that the vast majority of Americans do not support George W. Bush. I am terribly ashamed of my president & all who support him God help us all.October 6-7:National Days of Resistance to War and Repression -
http://www.notinourname.net/events.htmlBush to deliver televised address on Iraq Monday:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?artid=25087975Attack On Iraq Likely To Begin October 9, 2002:
http://www.jihadunspun.com/newsarchive/article_internal.php?article=27754&list=/newsarchive/index.php&Across the Rubicon - by Mike Ruppert
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/100102_across_rubicon.htmlBanks, Oil, and Drug Trafficking: An Overview of Mike Ruppert's "The Truth and Lies of 9-11" http://www.bankindex.com/read.asp?ID=1275Controlled Demolition At WTC - New Revelations: http://rense.com/general30/cont.htmThe coming military draft: http://onlinejournal.com/Commentary/LThomas100302/lthomas100302.htmlThe president's real goal in Iraq:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/0902/29bookman.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by CorvallisEric on October 06, 2002 at 05:07:43 PT
Axis
I think the point Phasetheory makes here and elsewhere is that the desire for cognitive freedom is not limited to a small minority which has totally lost faith in Western democratic institutions. Nevertheless, I like the quote about the Vietnam debate (assuming the context is correct).
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by DANA on October 06, 2002 at 01:03:46 PT
...Phasetheory...
..How do you feel about Bush?.............In my opinion,he's an Evil Idiot!,,,and BGreens axis of evil is alot more legitimate than the one Dubya tried to describe!WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a transcript of President Bush's weekly radio address to the
nation today: THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week leaders of the Congress agreed on a strong bipartisan resolution
authorizing the use of force if necessary to disarm Saddam Hussein and to defend the peace. Now both the House
and the Senate will have an important debate and an historic vote. Speaker Hastert and Leader Gephardt and Leader
Lott did tremendous work in building bipartisan support on this vital issue. The danger to America from the Iraqi regime is grave and growing. The regime is guilty of beginning two wars. It has a
horrible history of striking without warning. In defiance of pledges to the United Nations, Iraq has stockpiled biological
and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons. Saddam Hussein has
used these weapons of death against innocent Iraqi people, and we have every reason to believe he will use them
again. Iraq has longstanding ties to terrorist groups, which are capable of and willing to deliver weapons of mass death. And
Iraq is ruled by perhaps the world's most brutal dictator who has already committed genocide with chemical weapons,
ordered the torture of children, and instituted the systematic rape of the wives and daughters of his political
opponents. We cannot leave the future of peace and the security of America in the hands of this cruel and dangerous man. This
dictator must be disarmed. And all the United Nations resolutions against his brutality and support for terrorism must be
enforced. The United States does not desire military conflict, because we know the awful nature of war. Our country values life,
and we will never seek war unless it is essential to security and justice. We hope that Iraq complies with the world's
demands. If, however, the Iraqi regime persists in its defiance, the use of force may become unavoidable. Delay,
indecision, and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror. Should force be required to bring Saddam to account, the United States will work with other nations to help the Iraqi
people rebuild and form a just government. We have no quarrel with the Iraqi people. They are the daily victims of
Saddam Hussein's oppression, and they will be the first to benefit when the world's demands are met. American security, the safety of our friends, and the values of our country lead us to confront this gathering threat. By
supporting the resolution now before them, members of Congress will send a clear message to Saddam: His only
choice is to fully comply with the demands of the world. And the time for that choice is limited. Supporting this
resolution will also show the resolve of the United States, and will help spur the United Nations to act. I urge Americans to call their members of Congress to make sure your voice is heard. The decision before Congress
cannot be more consequential. I'm confident that members of both political parties will choose wisely. Thank you for listening. END "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says: Fool me once, shame
on . . . shame on you. . . Fool me . . . you can't get fooled again." - Bush at East Literature Magnet School in Nashville. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" "My [tax cut] plan is realistic because it avoids meaningless 15-year projections." "The fundamental question is: 'Will I be a successful president when it comes to foreign policy?' I will be, but until I'm
the president, it's going to be hard for me to verify that I think I'll be more effective." I don't remember debates. I don't think we spent a lot of time debating [Vietnam]. Maybe we did, but I don't
remember." "Drug therapies are replacing a lot of medicines as we used to know it." "The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country." "People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history." "I have
made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future." "I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs." "I'm
hopeful. I know there is a lot of ambition in Washington, obviously. But I hope the ambitious realize that they are more
likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure." "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." "If I'm the president, we're going to have emergency-room care, we're going to have gag orders." "The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law."
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by Phasetheory on October 06, 2002 at 00:16:33 PT
Haha
Ashcroft, Walters, Bush and Hutchinson... the true Axis of Evil?... ha ha... haahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha... sorry I've been smoking... but I think you have been smoking toooooo much!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by knox42897 on October 05, 2002 at 23:39:27 PT:
Filters
“You don’t see people with marijuana cigarettes with filters on them,” he said. If you relegalize it, and if it makes you happy I will sell some with filters.However, I prefer to vaporize, its so much cleaner than those yucky cigarettes with filters
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by BGreen on October 05, 2002 at 23:27:44 PT
SHOW ME THE BODIES!
Canadian Police Association executive officer David Griffin said pot combines the mind- altering effects of booze with the cancer risk associated with smoking.Brown agreed, saying that legalization would lead to big health issues.“You don’t see people with marijuana cigarettes with filters on them,” he said.If there was ANYBODY suffering ANY negative health effects, ESPECIALLY CANCER, that person would be in EVERY advertisement and EVERY public appearance the true Axis of Evil (Ashcroft, Walters, Bush and Hutchinson) makes.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by BGreen on October 05, 2002 at 23:17:22 PT
My gosh, do these people THINK before they speak?
Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Don Brown said if alcohol was discovered today it would be illegal, so where does the line get drawn?Cannabis existed before humans, but it took humans to make alcohol. Cannabis was, therefore, discovered long before alcohol, so where's the logic in that statement?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by afterburner on October 05, 2002 at 22:58:10 PT:
David Griffen: read the Senate Report
Broaden your perspective. Police officers tend to see all citizens as law-breakers since they spend so much time with criminals. The mind-altering effects of marijuana do not compare to the mind-altering effects of alcohol. “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol ...,” Nolin said. Slurred speech, weaving, and aggression, these are manifestations of the alcohol mindset, not the cannabis mindset. The so-called cancer risk of cannabis has not been scientifically documented. It is mere speculation, not fact.
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment