cannabisnews.com: Canadian Judge Upends Marijuana Program Canadian Judge Upends Marijuana Program Posted by CN Staff on January 09, 2003 at 18:18:34 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press A judge ruled Thursday that Canada's medical marijuana program was unconstitutional for failing to provide a legal source of pot to patients authorized to possess and smoke it. The ruling gives the federal government six months to solve the problem, or have the program considered "of no force and effect."While the ruling applies to the medical marijuana program that took effect in July 2001, it is the latest signal in Canada that possession of small amounts of pot could be decriminalized as soon as this year. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says he intends to propose legislation in the next few months that would make the penalty for possession of small amounts - probably less than an ounce - similar to a traffic ticket, leaving no criminal record. Two Parliament committees also have recommended easing marijuana laws.Thursday's court ruling challenged the regulations that allow Canadians suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions such as arthritis to legally smoke marijuana.Eight U.S. states have taken some kind of step toward permitting the medicinal use of marijuana: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Colorado. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled in 2001 that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana, so even those with state medical exemptions could face arrest if they do.Source: Associated Press Published: January 09, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmSix Months To Fix Medical-Marijuana Regulations http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15154.shtmlCourt Nixes Fed's Medical-Pot Regulations http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15153.shtmlFlin Flon Pot To Escape Fiery Fatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14782.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by paulpeterson on January 10, 2003 at 07:15:24 PT 2001 Supreme Court didn't say no MM right to use! Please note that the US Supreme Court did NOT SAY there is no exemption for people to USE MARIJUANA, there is only no exemption for the DELIVERY OR SALE of marijuana, in their 5/2001 decision, which is a pivotal distinction. For instance, in a dissenting opinion (or concurring, I can't remember which one) it was specifically noted that PATIENTS might have a better shot than a CLUB to argue medical necessity, so those ASSOCIATE PRESS GUYS have just blundered right into another BLATANT ERROR that gave the anti's some really good fodder for a good many months.My assessment of this situation is that the best thing that could have happened to our cause was the 911 war drum thingy, in that judges all around the country have become sick and tired of the total abrogation of constitutional freedoms of late, borne of the war frenzy. Of course, since you Canadians up there SHARE OUR SOCIETY, in almost all relevant ways, the really fine job your sovereign judiciary is working with the government to change things, and fast no less, will have a profound effect on the war mongers down here (present company not included in that monger group, please).And of course, there are some fine lawsuits on file and progressing through the courts here, mostly in the war zone that is presently called California, that is (but I have my own thing in the water in Chicago (I'm fighting a motion to dismiss right now against the locals on this one, the feds haven't come into play yet, wish me luck). [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by The GCW on January 10, 2003 at 06:06:31 PT Oh and Uh... home delivery... http://www.marijuanahomedelivery.ca/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by The GCW on January 10, 2003 at 05:57:35 PT Goods from NORML NORML To Launch New Marijuana "Truth" Campaign Next WeekJanuary 9, 2003 - Washington, DC, USAReport Will Offer Point-By-Point Rebuttal To Drug Czar's Office "Open Letter" To U.S. Prosecutors Claiming, "No Drug Matches The Threat Posed By Marijuana"Washington, DC: A point-by-point refutation to a recent "open letter" from the Drug Czar's office to America's prosecutors claiming, "No drug matches the threat posed by marijuana" will serve as the centerpiece of a new marijuana "truth" campaign to be launched by NORML next week."To definitively counter the increasingly extreme anti-marijuana rhetoric spouted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, NORML will be issuing a comprehensive report next week separating marijuana fact from fiction," NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said. "We encourage anyone who is interested in drug policy to read the ONDCP's letter, and then read NORML's rebuttal, and decide for themselves who is lying about marijuana and why."The ONDCP's letter and NORML's response will appear online next week on NORML's website.Continued... http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5507 [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by The GCW on January 10, 2003 at 05:22:54 PT Alvincool- & -And Jim White comes up to BAT. DRUG FACTS Given the debate on these pages between Kirk Muse and David Smith, perhaps some facts should be injected into the conversation. Fact: Science, the kind conducted by top government researchers, has repeatedly debunked the "gateway theory" for marijuana. Fact: The most commonly reported recreational drugs used first by children are alcohol and tobacco. Fact: Alcohol is the only drug directly linked to violent behaviour. Fact: Marijuana is not entirely harmless, it is however the least harmful recreational drug of choice, that has no known lethal dose. Fact: Marijuana is no more addictive than caffeine.\ Fact: Drug warriors directly contribute to the increase and spread of drug use among the young by dispensing disinformation, false information and resulting to scare tactics in place of factual education. Fact: Prohibition creates a violent black market; It creates incentive to "hook" more people on the hard addictive drugs, and generates billions ( $400 annually according to the World Health Organization ) of dollars that lead in turn to violence in the streets as gangsters fight over territory. Fact: The "drug warrior" mentality has made the United States the country with the highest rates of drug use in the free world. Jim White http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n039/a07.html?397 CN AB: PUB LTE: Drug Facts& Alvincool, Your not off subject. If You did not bring that up, I would have completely missed that news. I don't have TV and so this is where some of My news comes from.So the have a video of the kind officer killing the pooch. They make news of it, but not when it involves humans...It has been said that We should be able to get the animial rights groups to BAT for Us... I guess, We realy are less important than animals to some....(Call it My ignorance, and I don't play the game this way, just consider every move...) HATE TO GENERALIZE, (it's a time saver), but isn't that in the south?There's good people everywhere... yeah yeah, but the odds... the chances of that happening in the south compared to say Washington - Montana etc. are not the same...That may mean it is harder for Our Family to survive in some places, more than others...To My brothers living where life is even harder than mine, I pray for Your Truth and comfort and pray that the ignorant around You, catch wind of Truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by p4me on January 09, 2003 at 23:17:59 PT Thread at FreeRepublic about Stroup statements This thread post an article titled "Pro-Pot Group Challenges Bush Marijuana Policy" by David Brody.- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/browse?ao=1&more=820026The source is listed as Focus On the Family and it starts out with these words:A pot-legalization group is taking on the White House over marijuana. A group that wants to see marijuana legalized is angry with the Bush administration because they say the government is being too critical of pot. The issue all started with a letter from Scott Burns, the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control. In the letter, Burns told district attorneys across the country that they must better educate the public about marijuana use. Keith Stroup, who heads up the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), claims the administration is going over the top suggesting that marijuana is the biggest drug threat in America. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 09, 2003 at 20:20:06 PT AlvinCool Thank you for the link. I was getting ready to watch one of the videos and I couldn't. I can't handle it and I haven't even seen it. I appreciate your bringing it to our attention. I can imagine how bad it is and that's all I can deal with. Hurting animals gets me really upset. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by BGreen on January 09, 2003 at 20:19:31 PT Dr. Russo Posted That Link This Morning I read the story to my wife and it brought her to tears. I told her that the same thing happens to HUMANS because of cannabis but nobody seems to care. I said I think this will get peoples' attention because it happened to a dog.Sure enough, they showed part of the video on the local news tonight. I've NEVER seen a story on the execution of somebody over cannabis, even as a result of a botched raid or recklessness by the war criminals we call "police." [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by AlvinCool on January 09, 2003 at 20:09:56 PT Off subject delete if you wish I just want the Canadians to understand the state of affairs in the USA. Just how bad our law enforcement is and how gung ho they are and to hell with our rights. CNN has the story and I've posted the URL. The guy leaves his wallet on top of his car and as he drives off the wallet falls off and money comes out of it. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, who treat people horribly, pulled them over for CARJACKING with the Chatagoona police "backing" them up. This is a very clean cut man, his wife and his 17 year old son. They refused to shut the door of the car, after they had handcuffed all three, although they begged them to so their dogs wouldn't get out. They didn't check the wife or son's ID's against the plates they were only interested in handcuffing them and forcing them on their knees. Finially a dog got out and the officer blew his head off for no other reason than he walked toward him. I'm telling you these guys are borderline maniacs. Keep in mind that if you are too smart on the entrance tests for law enforcement you can't be hired. I kid you not this is the exact way people are treated in the US. It's terrible what the drug war does to our society. And they wonder why we are terrified of them. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/01/09/police.kill.dog/index.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 09, 2003 at 18:40:56 PT CTV.ca Video CTV Newsnet: Medical-Marijuana Rules Unconstitutional: Court Canadian PressTORONTO — A group of seriously ill people has won the latest battle in an ongoing war with Ottawa over a federal scheme to permit the use of medical marijuana that the patients say violates their constitutional rights. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1042152048341_1///?hub=Canada [ Post Comment ] Post Comment