cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Counter-Culture Takes Hit 





Marijuana Counter-Culture Takes Hit 
Posted by CN Staff on April 25, 2003 at 08:21:26 PT
By Daniel Axelrod
Source: Daily Orange
Past the skateboards, clothing and wooden racks of records at 167 ½ Marshall St. lies a tiny room where the black carpet-lined shelves of Skye High showcases are nearly empty for the first time in the shop's seven-year history.Usually the shelves are covered in an array of multi-colored glass pipes, but a recent Drug Enforcement Agency crackdown on stores marketing illegal "tobacco" paraphernalia led to a half-price sale.
More than a month after the DEA conducted its largest paraphernalia confiscation mission to date, worries have faded and some local sellers of bongs and pipes are now restocking.The crackdown on Internet sites and shops, known jointly as "Operation Pipe Dreams" and "Operation Headhunter," involved more than 1,000 local, state and federal authorities across Pennsylvania, Texas, Iowa and Idaho. DEA spokesperson Frederick Geiger said there were no "take downs" or arrests in New York during the busts."Operation Pipe Dreams and Headhunter are significant victories for parents across the country," said DEA spokesperson Will Glaspy."Paraphernalia dealers are as much a part of drug trafficking as the drug dealers. How can parents tell little Johnny not to use drugs when he's walking by a headshop each day after school?" Glaspy added. The operations, which originated from Pittsburgh and Des Moines, Iowa, took 18 months of planning and led to charges against 55 people across four states. In the press, Attorney General John Ashcroft hailed the confiscation of thousands of tons of paraphernalia as a victory against the $50 million industry.But while government and law enforcement officials rejoiced at the $2 million dollars worth of confiscated materials, which ranged from pipes to bongs to "dugouts" or pipes disguised as high lighters, phony cigarettes and lip stick cases, not everyone was pleased after the arrests. This crackdown is just the latest battle in the government’s perpetual war against drugs. A Recovering Journalist In 1996 Bruce Mirken, the future communications director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project (a lobbyist group that fights for medical marijuana legislation), was a freelance journalist in California. At the time, California voters were preparing to vote proposition 215, which allows for medical marijuana use, into law. Mirken was asked to write an article for "AIDS Treatment News" on what society knows about the medical benefits of marijuana. Mirken, who characterizes himself as "a recovering journalist," began to get angry at what many people regard as government persecution regardless of the facts about marijuana."First off, MPP is not a pro-marijuana group, we're an anti-jail group. And the facts are that this is a drug that is measurably less addictive than tobacco or alcohol and we arrest 750,000 people a year on marijuana charges," Mirken said.Mirken believes that declassifying marijuana as a "Type 1" hallucinogen and introducing new marijuana legislation would cause a great shake-up in law enforcement agencies across the country."You have to realize there is an enormously well-funded drug-war-industrial-complex. Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug by far and if it was made legal, a lot of law enforcement people stand to lose their jobs," he added.In support of its case, the MPP cites the following facts: eight states including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Alaska, Nevada, California and Colorado have legalized medical marijuana use.Additionally, 80 percent of Americans in a recent Time/CNN poll think adults should be able to use marijuana legally for medical purposes. A Zogby Group poll found that 66 percent of New Yorkers agreed with such legislation. Cannabis Campaign Last month, the New York State Assembly Health Committee voted 16 to 6 on a bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana. The bill will go on to the Codes and Ways and Means Committees and then to the state's Senate for a vote.The bill would allow physicians and other health care professionals who can prescribe controlled substances to certify that a patient has a life-threatening, degenerative or permanently disabling condition that is best treated with medical marijuana, according to the office of Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, chairman of the Health Committee and sponsor of the bill. A patient would be allowed to possess a small amount of medical marijuana, which he or she could purchase from a strictly regulated non-profit organization that was registered with the state. "If a patient and his or her doctor agree that marijuana is the most effective treatment for a serious illness, government should not interfere," Gottfried said. "The choice between swallowing a medication in a synthetic pill or inhaling the natural form should be a medical decision, not a legal or political issue," he added. For some, marijuana reform isn’t even a medicinal issue. The rainbow colored glass pipes that greet customers who stroll into Underground Leather on the SU Hill represent the perpetual dissent of the marijuana counter culture. Tucked between a parking garage and The Varsity restaurant on South Crouse Avenue, no one there seems worried. Sidebar: "Notable Numbers" 50 - Million dollars spent each year on illegal drug paraphernalia (illegal pipes are classified by the DEA as any pipe or bong which conceals the use of whatever is being smoked or which is clearly not meant for tobacco). 8 - States with legalized medical marijuana laws on the books. The validity of those statutes is currently being challenged in court by the government (i.e. whether they can exist when they clearly conflict with federal law). 80 - Percent of Americans think adults should be able to legally use marijuana for medical purposes according to a November poll by Time/CNN. 750,000 - People arrested each year for marijuana offenses in the United States. 2 - Major lobbying groups in the U.S. for medical marijuana, both based in Washington, D.C.: The National Organization for The Reform of Marijuana Laws and the Marijuana Policy Project. Other groups that have supported limited-use marijuana legislation in New York State include: the New York State Nurses Association, Gay Men's Health Crisis and the New York AIDS Coalition.1986 - The year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency approved THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in synthetic pill form. Many doctors believe smoking marijuana is more effective.60 - Known chemicals in marijuana.Complete Title: Marijuana Counter-Culture Takes Hit from Legislative CrackdownSource: Daily Orange, The (NY Edu)Author: Daniel AxelrodPublished: April 24, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Daily Orange CorporationWebsite: http://www.dailyorange.com/Contact: http://dailyorange.com/main.cfm?include=submitRelated Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/NY Panel OKs Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15911.shtmlCannabisNews -- Paraphernalia Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml
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