cannabisnews.com: Why Washington's Worried About Us





Why Washington's Worried About Us
Posted by CN Staff on May 16, 2003 at 09:09:07 PT
By Doug Beazley -- Edmonton Sun
Source: Edmonton Sun
The drug problem in Canada is "out of control," according to John Walters, director of national drug policy for the United States. South of the border, of course, drug use is at an all-time low. Crack addiction has vanished from the inner cities, AIDS infection rates are in retreat and all the citizens of San Francisco have exchanged their bongs for Bibles. Amen. 
Getting harangued by an American drug czar on our nation's substance-abuse problem feels like getting a lecture on temperance from Dennis Hopper. But Republicans have always been impervious to irony, so let's examine the real reasons why Walters and official Washington are tearing their hair out over the Chretien government's modest plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of reefer. We'll say it again: Ottawa is not talking legalization. They wouldn't dare. What's being pitched here is a bill for the decriminalization of possession of 15 grams and under, alongside an ambitious new plan to go after marijuana grow operations and traffickers. It's a reshuffling of policing priorities, away from the college kid stocking up for a kegger and towards the biker gangs making millions. Will it change anything? Probably not. Cops rarely nail anyone with simple possession any more, and most cannabis users know their chances of actually being caught with the stuff are vanishingly small. Throwing more money at chasing traffickers and grow-ops might drive the price up, but it'll scarcely put a dent in the supply if past policing operations are any benchmark. Marijuana is simply too easy to grow. Health Minister Anne McLellan has voiced the fear that the bill will lead to a "spike" in consumption. The fear probably isn't well-founded; when two jurisdictions in Australia made small-scale possession a ticketing offence years back, they found that consumption stayed relatively flat. "There's a growing consensus among people who study these things that government policies aren't particularly relevant to consumption rates," said Andrew Hathaway, a sociologist with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health. "Factors like peer groups and concerns about health effects have far more to do with whether you consume." But with the current poisonous diplomatic climate between Canada and the U.S., even the prospect of a meaningless change to our drug laws is enough to cause cross-border conniptions. Walters is threatening major slowdowns in cross-border traffic, which could cost trucking and manufacturing companies major coin. Small wonder, then, that the feds balked at introducing the bill this week. Commons debate has been put off until the end of the month; the betting is the bill might be allowed to fall off the order paper. "This issue is running up against a diplomatic buzz-saw here," said Christopher Sands, who studies Canada-U.S. relations for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a D.C.-based think-tank. "You've got to remember that after Sept. 11, the responsibility for border control shifted from Customs people concerned with revenue over to law-enforcement experts. They come at the issue of drugs with a very hard edge." U.S. policymakers see Canada as a net exporter of high-test West Coast hydroponic weed to their cities. They compare it to their country's ill-fated experiment with Prohibition; everything would have gone just fine, they imagine, if it hadn't been for those Montreal mobsters running truckloads of Canadian Club across the Detroit River. Every time there's been a "regulatory disconnect" between Canada and the U.S., said Sands, it's led to a smuggling problem. "It's a lot like the handgun issue in reverse. Your cops know most of the handguns used in crimes in Canadian cities were smuggled in from the U.S." But there's another factor at work. The souring of Canada-U.S. relations that followed our no-show in Iraq has not been reversed. In Washington, said Sands, there are politicians who'd love nothing better than a chance to punish Canadians - through long border lineups, extensive background checks, the denial of travel visas. "The old special relationship with Canada is gone. The only way to get around border problems is to have a good working relationship between the two countries, and that just doesn't exist any more." Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Doug Beazley -- Edmonton SunPublished:  Friday, May 16, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmBad Buzz?: U.S. Keeping Close Eye on Canada http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16313.shtmlWhat Are You Smoking, Canada?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16311.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #11 posted by The GCW on May 17, 2003 at 09:04:43 PT
markjc
The shrooms,Are they green, do they have leaves, are they trees, can they be effeciently used for fuel, what types of illness are they known to help... etc. etc. ? How can shrooms help heal the Nations?I am not saying it can not be so, about the shrooms, because I don't know, but the promised Holy Spirit of Truth that Jesus Christ sent indicates that cannabis is perhaps the Tree of Life.What a connect.It would explain a lot. 5:17:3I said I am here to help gather what has been scattered.There are many things written about the Tree of Life that have a connect with cannabis. That is cannabis has many traits of the Tree of Life as described in the Bible and Urantia. It seems there is no description of the Tree of Life that would dismiss cannabis as the potential Tree of Life. Everything seems to implicate cannabis and nothing seems to dismiss cannabis as the Tree of Life.1 John 3:8, “...The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”The works of the devil have had the effect of scattering the children of the Son of God’s Father, which is Us. Caging the Son's of God for using a plant Christ God Our Father gave Us and said was good IS THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.Bush, Ashcroft, Walter's and Clinton before and Bush and all before, are the self-condemned, doing the works of the devil.& all their servants...(Don't puke, be strong, reach for the Holy Spirit of Truth to protect You from that deluding influence and prey to help others know to reach for protection themselves & help pull out of the moat those who wish for healing) What Jesus said He would send is what will be of great help. The Holy Spirit of Truth is going to be there.Where ever cannabis prohibition gets pushed back the Holy Spirit of Truth is going to be there.Ask to be sure to be given what Christ gave You. Thank Him for it and grow to know Truth in order to share it with Me and Our brother.If You have the Holy Spirit of Truth, share what is being given to YOu.And Our actions will have consequences, Yes. We will help save souls by bring the Holy Spirit of Truth and man together in the union so desired. And the souls We save will go on to save more souls.Spiritually Our growth seems to not be growing, but now I will help it grow.We all shall grow spiritually in what was given that seems has not be recieved untill now.Now what We have is in addition to what We had before, beccause now We have the Holy Spirit of Truth as Our guide.To Bush, the coke thief, to Ashcroft whos election lost to a dead man running for Senator in Missouri, and only got His unelected job because He could not get elected over a dead man, To those who do the works of the devil,1 jOHN 3:17, bUT WHOEVER HAS THE WORLD’S GOODS and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by markjc on May 17, 2003 at 08:29:36 PT
tree of life
the tree of life could be cannabis but i tend to think it is either amanita muscaria or psilocybin mushrooms.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by billos on May 17, 2003 at 03:28:53 PT:
New Trophy for the WoD
I'm not exactly sure what city it happened in, but I just heard that a narcotics squad raided an apartment complex, detonated a flash grenade at someone's door, and then barged in to arrest who they thought were people operating an illegal drug factory. What they found was a poor elderly woman scared to death. Unfortunatly for her, it litteraly scared her to death. GD nazis. Spread the news. Use the power of the internet. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on May 16, 2003 at 21:56:38 PT
The GCW
It's great to see you take on those "Christians" and set 'em straight! I never heard Jesus referred to as "Ecologician" - sounds pretty cool though. My most spiritual experiences have been out in the wilderness.These fundamentalists are pathetic. They totally ignore some of the cornerstone events of their own religion. Do you Jesus would have busted out a miracle to turn water into wine if he was an uptight Puritan? I think not! Did Jesus run around lobbying the Romans with lies to get his peoples' herbal remedies banned? No!I recently read the book "The Red Tent" - it's got some eye-opening revelations about the way some of the Biblical heroes actually lived.  Herbal medicine was at the center of their entire medical system! It also offers interesting perspective on abortion - in those days, any baby with the slightest birth defect was simply placed outside the tent at night to die in the cool desert air. I'm not saying that's right or wrong - I disagree with the whole idea of any religious doctrine as "gospel" - shouldn't be up to each of us to develop our own interpretations?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by The GCW on May 16, 2003 at 15:12:38 PT
Wolfgang and all Green Collar Workers...
Yes, Cannabis prohibition is holding the drug war together. But what is holding the Cannabis prohibition together. Why is cannabis prohibition so important? It is a very deep and complex issue that goes way way back to the very beginning. Cannabis may be considered the Tree of Life. Of all the dubious Fed. U.S. Gov’s goals, the most primary is to keep cannabis away from the people because of its known energy potential. To prohibit cannabis because of its extra energies, knowledgeable prohibitionists must attack the precepts of the Bible, since the Bible is the most potent form of info against keeping cannabis prohibited. The Tree of Life has extra energies and 33rd degree Washington types know it. To attack cannabis YOu must attack all that is good about the Bible and even have the regular church going members not even get it. You must have the regular Christian church going types even think it is ok to go to Iraq and Afganistan and kill, all in order to keep the Christian seperated from the full on potential of the Holy Spirit of Truth. IF YOU DON’T OBEY CHRIST, YOU DON’T GET ACCESS TO THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH, WITH OR WITH OUT THE PLANT CANNABIS. Urantia seems to indicate that which I just said. Look up Tree of Life in Urantia’s search engine and see what is writen and how it fits in with what the Bible says about the Tree of Life. I have posted a few examples from Urantia:Urantia paper 73; line 96, The Material Sons on the system capitals (is Washington one?) do not require the tree of life for sustenance. Only in the planetary repersonalization are they dependent on this adjunct to physical immortality. (Put tree of life into the Urantia search engine.) http://www.urantia.org/booksearch.html Urantia paper 73; line 102, This SUPERPLANT stored up certain SPACE-ENERGIES which were antidotal to the age-producing elements of animal existence. THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF LIFE WAS LIKE A SUPERCHEMICAL STORAGE BATTERY, mysteriously releasing the life-extension force of the universe when eaten.  Urantia paper 73; line 105, When the plans of the Material Son went astray, Adam and his family were not permitted to carry the core of the tree away from the Garden. When the Nodites invaded Eden, they were told that they would become as "gods if they partook of the fruit of the tree." Much to their surprise they found it unguarded. They ate freely of the fruit for years, but it did nothing for them; they were all material mortals of the realm; THEY LACKED THAT ENDOWMENT WHICH ACTED AS A COMPLEMENT TO THE FRUIT OF THE TREE. They became enraged at their inability to benefit from the tree of life, and in connection with one of their internal wars, the temple and the tree were both destroyed by fire; only the stone wall stood until the Garden was subsequently submerged. This was the second temple of the Father to perish. (if they were all material mortals of the realm and it caused them to not benefit from the Tree of Life, then perhaps it is those who are not MATERIAL mortals that benefit from the Tree of Life). (Further, many who use cannabis are less materially inclined and already contain potential for the combination of what cannabis offers and what Christ God offers through the Holy Spirit of Truth.) If cannabis is good and Christ God is good and the Holy Spririt of Truth is good, then how much better is the combo? The Father The Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the cloud. The Holy Spirit is not one thing but manny things and amongst them is the fact that the Holy Spirit is and is in cannabis.  Urantia paper 67, page 756, ...the priceless tree of life. ... fruit and leaves of this energy plant.Here is an example of what many Christians think about cannabis. Read the post and perhaps help with Christians to know the Truth on this issue according to the Holy Spirit of Truth. Cherubim posted at the Christians for Cannabis forum: http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=515&sid=c28786e489b55f049abc3badf24d96cb titled: My personal thoughts.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Lehder on May 16, 2003 at 13:55:39 PT
oh, conniptions
>>We'll say it again: Ottawa is not talking legalization. They wouldn't dare.That's because "Ottawa" is not listening to Candaians. It's listening to Washington, D.C. Canadians will just have to shout louder, and I am certain that they will. Mass public displays of contempt for the continuing repression will only grow in strength and number. If "Ottawa" wanted less noise over marijuana to infect children's ears, it would re-legalize, and let people go on about their business. Really, even reformers have better things to do with their time than argue over marijuana - just re-legalize, and you'll wonder if there ever was a drug war at all.>>But with the current poisonous diplomatic climate between Canada and the U.S., even
   the prospect of a meaningless change to our drug laws is enough to cause cross-border
   conniptions. It is most heartening to see such border acrimony and consternation in Washington, D.C. It means we are making good progress.>>"It's a lot like the handgun issue in reverse. Your cops know most of the handguns used
   in crimes in Canadian cities were smuggled in from the U.S." Finally someone has hinted at the obvious outcome of increasing the penalties for distribution and supply: more guns and more hard core criminals for Canada, courtesy of the United States and its drug-war wisdom. Is this what you want, Canada?Even for the case of medical marijuana, "Ottawa" has displayed nothing but backwardness over the question of supply. So many people seem just unable to get it: if you don't want to smoke marijuana, you don't have to. Just leave wiser people alone. The only conniptions would be the business of two crazed governments. The people could get on with life. It's so simple.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 16, 2003 at 11:43:41 PT
Prime
I know people like and dislike the current administration. I won't even comment about how I feel but will keep my eyes on reforming laws against Cannabis. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Prime on May 16, 2003 at 11:32:17 PT
Ending this administration...
I dont wanna turn this into a political debate, but this administration is the cause of more and more problems like this. This is just utter disregard for our neighbors and allies. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.We gotta get rid of Bush in 2004. My black lab could do better.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 16, 2003 at 10:44:07 PT
Wolfgang
You are so very correct. Cannabis prohibition is holding the drug war together. That's the bottom line.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by WolfgangWylde on May 16, 2003 at 10:34:07 PT
It goes a lot deeper..
...Marijuana Prohibition is the "Big Lie" that holds the Drug War together. Without it, the whole facade comes tumbling down. The U.S. knows this, and cannot have a country so close, where the results will be so readily visible, deviating from the Police State mentality.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 16, 2003 at 09:43:26 PT
Fears of More Pot Use Appear Groundless
Little hard evidence that decriminalization leads to more use. 
Susan Ruttan, The Edmonton Journal Friday, May 16, 2003 
EDMONTON - Health Minister Anne McLellan's concern that decriminalization of marijuana will cause more people to smoke pot is based on the Australian example, says her press aide.Questioned about the minister's stand on the issue, Farah Mohamed cited a 1997 study titled Marijuana in Australia that shows a rise in marijuana use in two Australian states after decriminalization laws were introduced.However, the study does not say the legal change caused the rise. It cautioned that "it is too soon to determine the impact of the changes in legislation."Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=32894A2A-6F49-401D-AEBA-EDB2196EAB71
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment