cannabisnews.com: Prosecutors to Fight Against Legalizing Marijuana





Prosecutors to Fight Against Legalizing Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on December 30, 2002 at 08:12:46 PT
By Scott Welton 
Source: Standard Democrat
Benton - Prosecutors around the country are being urged to take a stand against attempts to legalize or decriminalize controlled substances - in particular, marijuana. “Those who support drug legalization are well funded and highly adept at manipulating the media,” reads a Nov. 1 letter to prosecutors from the president of the National District Attorneys Association, Dan M. Alsobrooks. “And they do not mind deceiving the American public as well.” 
The letter warns of “incremental victories” by those in favor of legalizing drugs and notes the “key role” local prosecutors play in anti-drug efforts. Included with the letter was an open letter also dated Nov. 1 from Scott M. Burns, deputy director for state and local affairs for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, urging prosecutors “to take a stand publicly and tell Americans the truth” about marijuana and warning of “deceptive campaigns to normalize and ultimately legalize the use of marijuana.” “I think it would be a nightmare to legalize it,” agreed Scott County Assistant Prosecutor Paul Boyd. “It would lead to so many more people out there high operating machinery and other things.” Boyd will be sworn in as the next county prosecutor at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Of the 16 million drug users in America, 77 percent use marijuana and 60 percent of teenagers in treatment have a primary marijuana diagnosis, according to Burns. “No drug matches the threat posed by marijuana.” Marijuana, Burns writes in the letter, is not harmless but has risen as a factor in emergency room visits 176 percent since 1994, surpassing heroin. Burns writes of the increasing potency of marijuana and its addictive properties in addition to being a “gateway drug” for many people. “I would agree that marijuana is a gateway drug to hardcore drugs,” Boyd said. Marijuana is “the great seducer,” Boyd said, because “it breaks down a person’s defense to say ‘no’ to the harder drugs.” John McMinn of Charleston, administrator for the Circuit 33 Drug Court, also agrees that marijuana remains a problem for the courts. According to National Institute of Justice statistics on arrests, 39 percent of the males and 26 percent of the females test positive for marijuana, and 53 percent of male juveniles and 38 percent of female juveniles test positive. “Roughly 80 percent of adult offenders in the 33rd Circuit Court come in with some kind of a drug issue be it alcohol or some other drug,” McMinn said. “More people enter drug treatment every year because of marijuana as their drug of choice,” he added. McMinn said a 2001 study of students in grades 8-10 showed 20 percent of 8th graders had used marijuana and 9 percent were current users, defined as having used the drug within the past 30 days. By the 12th grade, nearly half of the students had tried marijuana and 22 percent were current users. McMinn does think research on medicinal and therapeutic properties should be pursued: “There is still so much research left to be done regarding the use of marijuana - the good and the bad.” However, “there are other drugs that will work as well as marijuana,” he added, with some of the alternatives being more addictive and others that are just as effective while being safer. Complete Title: Prosecutors are Urged to Fight Against Legalizing Drugs Like Marijuana Source: Standard Democrat, The (MO)Author: Scott WeltonPublished: December 29, 2002Copyright: 2002 DA Publishing, LLCContact: standem yahoo.comWebsite: http://www.standard-democrat.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NDAAhttp://www.ndaa-apri.org/GAO Report in PDF Formathttp://www.freedomtoexhale.com/gao.pdfFighting Drug Legalization Through Prosecutorshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15063.shtmlStudy Says Marijuana Does Not Lead To Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14880.shtmlMarijuana No Gateway To Cocaine and Heroinhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14879.shtml
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Comment #27 posted by knox42897 on January 02, 2003 at 14:01:24 PT:
Cannabis a preventive medication for Violence?
Without it, the bipolar behavior makes them dangerous. I wanted to comment on this condition. I am Bi-polar, I am non-violent because of medical marijuana. I can swear to this statement, if it wasn't for medical marijuana, I'd be a Pablo Escobar or Harvey Oswald. So me seriuos studies need t be coducted concernng the scientific invesgitation into medical marijuaa allieviating manic violent offenders!
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Comment #26 posted by The GCW on December 31, 2002 at 16:31:51 PT
BGreen
I am talking about MY hometown.I am from the state of Missery.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on December 31, 2002 at 16:13:36 PT
observer
I sent you an email to the email you used when you registered on CNews. I hope that is the right one and thought I should mention it unless it isn't. Thanks Again!
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on December 31, 2002 at 15:32:17 PT
observer
Right away! 
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Comment #23 posted by observer on December 31, 2002 at 15:17:02 PT
no email ....
No ... i do not have it ;-( send it to me please
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 31, 2002 at 15:04:30 PT
observer! 
Thank You! Do you have my email?
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Comment #21 posted by observer on December 31, 2002 at 15:02:33 PT
chat is ready!
Hi FoM! The cannabisnews.com chat server is ready and running now, I've created an administration page for you and am testing it all now. I will email you with the detail so you can make the Official announcement and give out the details.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on December 31, 2002 at 14:49:32 PT
Thanks observer
You are much smarter then me with computers and as Matt knows I don't know alot about them except what I do. What does "bot" mean?PS: Richard said you and Matt are working on a chat room for CNews. Do you know about when it might be ready? That would help here a lot so people can talk but not have it on a comment particularly if the discussion isn't related to the article.Happy New Year to you!
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Comment #19 posted by observer on December 31, 2002 at 14:43:39 PT
$drugwar_propaganda at 100% (testing)
I'm playing with a new toy ... a bot that tries to automatically classify prohibition propaganda. Here's what it did with this jewel. asserted: $drug_related at 100% ($prohibition $prohibition_agency $illegal_drugs) asserted: $drugwar_propaganda at 100% ("campaigns" $propaganda_theme1 $propaganda_theme2 $propaganda_theme3 $propaganda_theme4 $propaganda_theme5 $propaganda_theme7), 1 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme1 at 60% ("drug users" "users"), 4 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme2 at 80% ("harmless" "problem" "nightmare"), 3 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme3 at 50% ("American" "Americans" "America"), 3 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme4 at 100% ("gateway drug" "gateway" "lead" "drug users" "use marijuana"), 7 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme5 at 70% ("teenagers" "graders"), 3 hits asserted: $propaganda_theme7 at 100% ("legalize" "legalization" "legalizing" $legalization), 5 hits asserted: $illegal_drugs at 100% ($cannabis $various_illegal_drugs $narcotic) asserted: $drugs at 95% ($various_drugs) asserted: $drug_law at 80% ("controlled substances"), 1 hits asserted: $prohibition_agency at 100% ("Office of National Drug Control Policy"), 1 hits asserted: $legalization at 100% ("decriminalize" "legalization" "legalize" "legalizing" "drug legalization"), 8 hits asserted: $prohibition at 100% ("anti-drug"), 1 hits asserted: $cannabis at 100% ("marijuana"), 17 hits asserted: $narcotic at 100% ($opiate) asserted: $opiate at 100% ("heroin"), 1 hits asserted: $alcohol at 50% ("alcohol"), 1 hits asserted: $various_drugs at 95% ("drug" "drugs"), 21 hits asserted: $various_illegal_drugs at 100% ("Drug Court" "drug users" "drug issue" "gateway drug"), 5 hits
http://bot.gotdns.org/
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Comment #18 posted by veggiegardener on December 31, 2002 at 14:14:17 PT
Wheeeeee!
. “It would lead to so many more people out there high operating machinery and other things.” I work with 2 heavy equipment operators who "self medicate" all day long with Cannabis. I prefer they have their medication. Without it, the bipolar behavior makes them dangerous. FYI, I've known both of them for over a decade.
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Comment #17 posted by AlvinCool on December 31, 2002 at 12:43:50 PT
not just jail
BinkyIt isn't just jail Binky. Consider that the government requires any company that does any business with the government to drug test not just for employment but if you get hurt. Any time an accident shows that cannabis use occured in the previous 30 days you have to go to mandatory treatment or lose your job. You then become, quite unwilling, part of John Walters statistics. 
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Comment #16 posted by binky on December 31, 2002 at 12:24:54 PT
Something to ponder
I've never heard of anyone ever being admitted for 
treatment of cannabis in Canada. Or the Netherlands. Could 
all those people applying for treatment be doing it in lieu 
of a jail sentence like in the US where they've got 3.6 
million people undergoing treatment right beside Canada 
where we've got none? 
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Comment #15 posted by BGreen on December 31, 2002 at 12:12:18 PT
Bush Is A Liar And A Murderer
This is from an editorial in the Springfield MO Newspaper. Of course, they're just as guilty as Bush for perpetrating the lie on cannabis.Government puts public at risk Quashing EPA warning abdicates responsibility.Anywhere from 15 million to 35 million homes could contain insulation made with an extremely dangerous asbestos fiber, but the White House doesn't want the American public to know about it.
Government puts public at risk
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Comment #14 posted by BGreen on December 31, 2002 at 10:29:53 PT
Watch it, The GWC
Print this in some backwater town in Missery. I've ASKED you NOT to mention my hometown!LOL
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Comment #13 posted by BGreen on December 31, 2002 at 10:25:42 PT
That's Great, Sam Adams
This needs to be done nationwide. They are hypocritical bastards. Are there any other words that fit?
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Comment #12 posted by Sam Adams on December 31, 2002 at 08:51:46 PT
encouraging article!
Here is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism the way it used to be. A refreshing break from the unending stream of propaganda:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2337/a04.html?1042
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 31, 2002 at 08:41:43 PT
Just a Note
Here it is New Year's Eve once again. I haven't found any news to post but will look thru out the day. I want to wish you all a safe and Happy New Year! Maybe 2003 will be a good year for us. The world is in turmoil and heaven knows where it will take us but I can only hope it brings peace on earth. 
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 30, 2002 at 22:04:14 PT
Three New Year Related Articles
Hi Everyone, Here are three end of the year articles. I posted the related comments here with the links to the complete articles.Happy New Year!2002: In My Rearview Mirror (Part Two)Arianna Huffington December 30, 2002 John Ashcroft's holy-roller war against medical marijuana clubshttp://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/files/123002.htmlTHE YEAR'S BEST & WORST TV SPOTSBob Garfield Assesses 2002December 30, 2002Anti-Drug Ads The first clue that we're living in a different world came during the Super Bowl, when the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, via WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, New York, ran a spot linking casual drug use to the funding of terrorism. The evidence is a bit thin (especially concerning marijuana), and the legalization lobby correctly observes that removing recreational drugs from the black market would end drug crime virtually overnight. But the spot, and the rest of the campaign that followed, introduced a legitimate and compelling argument: As long as drug use is a crime, it is not a victimless one. There are ugly consequences up and down the supply chain. The next strange animal was the Freedom Campaign, an Ad Council effort to remind Americans that our freedoms aren't just some meaningless civics lesson but priceless blessings of democracy. The ads were generally well-crafted, but the most striking -- a Twilight Zone-esque glimpse at how an America without civil liberties might look -- was more chilling and ironic than intended. The supposedly apocalyptic scenario of federal agents shadowing our personal library activities had already come to pass, among other infringements, in the repulsively named Patriot Act. Beware. It can happen here. And it is. http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=36812The Year, From First Blush To Last Gasp By Peter Carlson, Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, December 31, 2002; Page C01 The cover of the January 2003 issue of High Times, the marijuana magazine, asks the question: "Was Jesus a Stoner?"Inside, the answer comes back and it's a resounding affirmative. Citing "outlawed Christian texts," the gospel according to High Times proclaims the good news: Jesus anointed his disciples with a powerful potion composed of olive oil and marijuana. The result, High Times reveals, was "knowledge of all things."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56843-2002Dec30.html
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on December 30, 2002 at 19:07:26 PT
If there IS a devil,
it is a cannabis prohibitionist.The Lord gives it to Us and the evil wants to take it away.Core Exposure.
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on December 30, 2002 at 18:28:05 PT
Is this from a prison newspaper, or what?
“No drug matches the threat posed by marijuana.” Print this in some backwater town in Missery.Some of these prohibitionists are not even headed toward Truth.
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Comment #7 posted by BigDawg on December 30, 2002 at 15:02:55 PT
Sorry to say but
they can't set their sights on the booze business. There is a coalition of alcohol companies that spends millions keeping cannabis illegal.I drink very little, and when I do... I drink my own home brew rather than support them.
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on December 30, 2002 at 13:34:59 PT
Green racism
Ah yes, it always comes down to the white girls.  Big, bad, black man, OOOPS, I mean stoned man, is gonna rape your little girl. uh, actually, no, your girl is stoned and a sober guy is going to rape her. Details, details, who cares? marijuana=rape of little white girls.Anyone who's been to college knows it's the alcohol that renders girls unconscious and vulnerable. Perhaps they should set their sights on Coors and Big Alcohol, which constantly links hot, seductive women with beer from when little boys first start watching sports at age 3 or 4.
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Comment #5 posted by p4me on December 30, 2002 at 11:14:25 PT
It is enough to sicken a person
“And they do not mind deceiving the American public as well.” Yes, the newspapers should quit mentioning the Schedule One Lie. There are over 10,000 government studies that prove cannabis/m-word has no medical value. Newspapers are disregarding science and the informatinal services of the ONDCP when they say different. Shame on those unscrupulous reformers that want to perpetuate these harmful substances in society. The government must now spend $200 million a year to keep the message of reason from being drown out of public discourse.Marijuana, Burns writes in the letter, is not harmless but has risen as a factor in emergency room visits 176 percent since 1994, surpassing heroin.Potheads are bombarding newsources that are advancing societies goals of a drug-free world. This is counter to government policy and the declared policy of the UN. Everyone kows cannabis/m-word is dangerous but anyone that says that is immediately attackeded as being an extremist. The potheads are trying to change the entire environment and even proclaim the WOD is a failure in an effort to demonize the entire governmental program that has a hundred years of accumulated knowledge in how to protect society from all these dangerous drugs. They cannot even stay on subject and insist on confusing the issue by broadening their attack on the entire policy that contains many nuances that can be twisted for public confusion. They don't care about the truth. They only want confusion and employ a mixed message approach and splinter things even more when they first talk of hemp, and then medical cannabis/m-word, and then recreational cannabis. It is time we speak with one voice to the children and they insist on confusion. 
“I think it would be a nightmare to legalize it,”Just look at history. Before the federal government began regulating cannabis/m-word in 1937, most people did not have electricity, or even cars for that matter. Most of America did not have indoor plumming. After the federal government brought all the regulation of harmful substances under their umbrella, you had nuclear weapons lift America to gobal military supremacy and an intellectual environment that transformed America from the radio age to the television age. Federal control has made America. Just look at history.Of the 16 million drug users in America, 77 percent use marijuana What makes reformers so dangerous is they twist this fct to say the good sense of society shows that cannabis is the pedominate illegal drug consumed because it is the ideal recreational drug. Now how far can you go when you start calling Schedule 1 Narcotics an ideal recreational drug. What kind of spinmasters do these rich reformers/destroyers-of-society employ and serve to the librul press that gladly print their liesHowever, “there are other drugs that will work as well as marijuana,” he added, with some of the alternatives being more addictive and others that are just as effective while being saferBesides that, they are taking money out of the scientific research conducted by the finest medical, chemical and biological scientist in the world. They are postponing the advent of lifesaving drugs yet undiscovered because the pill companies are denied vast sums of money needed for the $800 million dollars needed to bring a new drug to market. They do not care if they kill your grandmother by undermining the system. All they care about is getting high and getting pot made legal so they can grow pot for free and not even havs to work for their buzz.We should immediately call for the death penalty for m-word dealers and get these few radicals to shut up where the public can understand the true message about m-wod. If the pussies in government would not side with these m-word extremist and get some real penalties we would not be experiencing our moral slide to hell and the economy would not be suffering from deadbeat potheads. The federal government clearly dictates that a joint should be a year in jail. The libruls have ignored the law and now potheads think that any jail time is too much. Just how far out there can pot take the thinking of these warped potheads. You would think after 65 years of prohibition they would figure society does not want their "ideal recreational drug." The fact that they do not experience nasuea like I do with all these lies has even got me wondering if this dangerous drug helps nasuea. I am being confused by the potheads and their well-financed propaganda campaign of lies.1
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Comment #4 posted by greek_philosophizer on December 30, 2002 at 09:32:33 PT:
83 years of drug war hysteria 
This country has been locking people up for 
drugs for 83 years now. Those in government
power are too scared to admit it was a mistake.
Canada and Europe and the States will be setting 
American drug policy by example.      sincerely yours truly with kindest regards ,        ( call me ) poisoned_6_years_so_far 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 30, 2002 at 09:00:29 PT
Just A Comment
I am getting more then tired of the anti drug commercials. They must be pushing them so much because they want more money to do more of them I think. The one where it looks like the girl is going to get raped because of smoking marijuana really upsets me. Cannabis doesn't make a person lose their ability to say yes or no. The ones about funding terrorism " just a little " bother me too. Oil, diamonds also fuel terrorism " just a little " .
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Comment #2 posted by bongathon on December 30, 2002 at 08:57:20 PT
who are the liars ? ! ?
gee, i sure am glad they interviewed such an educated drug expert like John McMinn. A drug court administrator informing us that “there are other drugs that will work as well as marijuana,”. Let's see your research, mister smarty pants.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on December 30, 2002 at 08:28:43 PT:
Who Has a Strangehold on Truth?
If NIDA, PDFA, ONDCP and the other assorted acronyms are so incredibly honest, why is it that virtually every Western government is running headlong 180 degrees in the opposite direction? Perhaps they are listening to us devious reformers. Or, perhaps these groups are not really telling the truth.I never write anything on the subject that I cannot back up with science. These groups cannot even report their own data accurately. The House of Lords and Canadian Senate have figured out how to ferret out some meaningful insights from the flotsam and jetsam. Too bad our bureaucrats are not interested in the real truth. 
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