cannabisnews.com: 'War on Drugs' a Campaign Against Sin





'War on Drugs' a Campaign Against Sin
Posted by CN Staff on June 02, 2003 at 10:08:14 PT
By Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun 
Source: Vancouver Sun 
The holy war is upon us, but don't go looking for the men with the black beards. This jihad is entirely domestic, a homegrown product of hysteria and heresy that's far more menacing than a motley mob of misguided Muslims.Okay, a little less alliteration, I promise. The holy war I'm talking about is, of course, the war on drugs, which is now heating up thanks to the federal government's marijuana bill.
Though the bill is astonishingly innocuous -- it would merely decriminalize, rather than legalize, possession of less than 15 grams of ganja -- it has nevertheless provoked outrage on both sides of the border.United States drug czar John Walters warned that decriminalization could lead to snarls at the border, and Canadians opposed to the liberalization of drug laws have trotted out the usual litany of scary scenarios lifted directly from the script of Reefer Madness.The gloom and doom prophecies fly in the face of all available evidence: One-third of North Americans have tried marijuana, and few have experienced any problems. And on a societal level, potent pot has caused much less strife than potent potables.The apocalyptic talk surrounding the pot bill is all the more curious given that our culture is not, contrary to popular belief, against drugs. We live in the most pro-drug culture in history.Have a problem with that beer belly? Pop a pill for that pot. Find you can't relax? Take a downer, man. Feeling a little down? Down some Prozac, or some Viagra, depending on what it is you're trying to get up. Our love affair with chemicals reveals that the war on drugs isn't really about drugs at all. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/sin.htm  Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)Author: Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun Published: Monday, June 02, 2003Copyright: 2003 Vancouver Sun Contact: sunletters pacpress.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmDon't Bully Canada, U.S. Toldhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16336.shtmlU.S. Warns Canada Against Easing Pot Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16149.shtmlU.S. Says Canada Cares Too Much About Liberties http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16130.shtml 
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Comment #11 posted by Dave in Florida on June 02, 2003 at 18:45:38 PT
Tulia
Published 6/2/2003 6:33 PM
View printer-friendly versionAUSTIN, Texas, June 2 (UPI) -- Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation Monday that will free 13 residents of Tulia, Texas, who were arrested on questionable drug charges four years ago.The inmates will be released from state prison after posting bonds within the next 10 days to await the outcome of investigations in the case. Thirty-eight people, mostly blacks, were arrested in the controversial case based on one investigator's testimony.A special judge recommended to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that the cases be dismissed after finding that former investigator Tom Coleman was not credible. It could take the appeals court months to rule in the case.State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and state Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, sponsored the unusual bill with specific language that grants the defendants immediate freedom with the governor's signature."This bill does not make a determination about the innocence or guilt of the Tulia defendants, but it does allow the remaining individuals behind bars to be released until the justice system has finally spoken," Perry said. "That may sound unusual, but this is an extraordinary case, and I believe it demands extraordinary action."Perry has also asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to begin an immediate investigation of the 38 convictions and recommended whether some form of clemency is appropriate. State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, commended Perry for signing the bill and Whitmire and Keel for pushing the legislation through the session."If this had happened to three people instead of 13, we might never had heard about it," said Ellis. "We should find out how this happened in the first place and prevent it from happening again. My Innocence Commission bill would have done just that."Ellis' legislation would have created a commission to study the cases of those who have been found innocent after serving time in prison. It was passed out of the Senate but did not get a hearing in the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee.The Justice Department and the Texas attorney general are also conducting investigations into the Tulia case.Coleman, the undercover agent who conducted the one-man investigation, was indicted April 23 in Tulia on perjury charges related to his testimony before a judge who reviewed the case for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He faces three counts of perjury.Retired State District Judge Ron Chapman recommended to the appeals court that the 38 convictions in the case be dismissed. The new special prosecutor has said if the court recommends new trials, he will not prosecute the suspects again.The task force arrested a total of about 46 people in the small town of about 5,000 people. Thirty-nine of them were black, nearly 10 percent of the black population of the town. Eight cases were tossed out initially for various reasons.Eight of the 38 remaining cases went to trial and brought convictions. Twenty-seven other defendants pleaded guilty and served prison time or received probation. Three others went to prison because their probations on other convictions were revoked. Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030602-062052-6653r
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Comment #10 posted by mayan on June 02, 2003 at 18:22:41 PT
No Other Purposes?
"But why should recreational drugs be singled out for such ignominy in our pharmaceutical-friendly culture? The answer is simple: Unlike prescription drugs, which are taken for ostensibly therapeutic purposes, recreational drugs are used for no other purpose than to induce pleasure in the user."Cannabis can be used for recreational,medicinal,spiritual or material(industrial hemp) purposes. Many sick people would rather not use cannabis but really have no choice. It's my body. Get out of it! The war on consensual "crimes" in a supposedly free society is absolutely absurd. Peter McWilliams hit the nail on the head. God bless his soul.The way out IS the way in...Classified: Censoring the Report About 9-11?
http://www.msnbc.com/news/917942.asp?cp1=1Showdown Looms Over 9/11 Reports:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usinte313309389may31,0,643973.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlinesSenator says too much of 9-11 report would be classified:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/05/30/national1725EDT0668.DTLWashington Post Headline on 9/11 Inquiry May Prove Prophetic Says Watchdog Group:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/6d/21/200305281016.258acdf4.htmlSeismic Evidence Points to Underground Explosions Causing WTC Collapse:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/shake2.html9/11 -- What Really Happened:
http://www.cosmicpenguin.com/911/
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Comment #9 posted by Jose Melendez on June 02, 2003 at 18:07:46 PT
Governor Signs Bill to Release Tulia Defendants
Texas Governor Signs Bill Allowing for
Release of Defendants in Discredited BustBy Kelley Shannon Associated Press Writer 
Published: Jun 2, 2003AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - More than
a dozen people, most of them
black, who were sent to prison in
a drug case that was built on the
word of a now-discredited
undercover agent will be released
under a bill signed into law
Monday by the governor. The 1999 drug raid in Tulia
resulted in the arrest of 46
residents. Civil rights activists
claimed the busts were racially
motivated, and undercover agent
Tom Coleman was indicted in
April on perjury charges. "This bill does not make a
determination about the
innocence or guilt of the Tulia defendants, but it does allow the remaining
individuals behind bars to be released until the justice system has finally
spoken," Gov. Rick Perry said. (Snipped)
Complete Article
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on June 02, 2003 at 17:30:10 PT
War on cannabis IS THE SIN.
6:2:3 There are 2 kinds of Christians: obedient and disobedient!Disobedient Christians are the only Christians that support caging the temple of God for using what He gave Us and said was good, starting on the very 1st page of the Bible.Disobedient Christians would even cage Christ himself for using what He created. The following is but another example of how Our Father through scripture has attempted to hold Us fast to what is said at the beginning, that is difficult for people to adhere to. That is that all the green plants are good. The Bible seems to indicate, through out that if We cease to grasp that all the plants are good, that We will begin the road toward destruction by way of violence since We did not believe from the very beginning, since the prohibition that comes from leaving the word about the green plants will in fact prohibit the very plant that guarantees peacefulness, that plant being cannabis / kaneh bosm. God knew long ago that if We allow the man of lawlessness to prohibit cannabis as the devil would have it, that peace would no longer be easy, and may be impossible. That is the leaves of the tree of life will heal the nations and with out the tree of life the nations can not heal, and so must never be prohibited Our ancestors are plants, and like no other living creature or thing, the plants rely on the light for survival. The light they rely on is beyond the light We understand, but We have access to that light, through the plants. We have access to plant light, which is different to physical light that initially man considers as light with out considering all the potential of light.And then while the plants have a connection to the light of God, unlike beast and creature, if We do not obey, the plant cannabis gives and contains light potential, like no other plant. With out access to the light plants receive and contain, We will always be beast, which, in the order of things does not rise up above plants but stays below the evolution potential of even the plant. That would indicate Bush, unable to know peace is still beast with less than what the plants know. The beast is only greater than the plant once it moves past the peacefulness of the plant potential, that the plant will share when accepted as a member of the family with wisdom to offer. Deny what the plant gives and You are unable to achieve what comes when We think beyond the beast. And with out the Truth, We are just beast.2 Peter 3:4, subtitled The Coming Day of the Lord. “...For ever since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (this reverts back to the very 1st page of the Bible, again, speaking about the beginning where We are told in no uncertain terms that all the green plants are good) and then: 2 Peter 3:16 “...some things are hard to understand, which the untaught and the unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (this indicates that from the beginning, which is the very 1st page, where it seems the separation starts, that because the untaught and the unstable will then screw up from that beginning 1st page... ALSO THE REST OF THE SCRIPTURES, from that beginning, on.) (it seems to tell Us that the destruction will emanate from the beginning and then go forward, as is happening, as is what We are warned against, yet now the man of lawlessness in present, as the apostasy foretells) (Bush is here, is proof). And do not forget, as it is persistent and consistent: 2 Peter 3:14, “... be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.” And if that all is not enough: 2 Peter 3:17, “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness...” To deny that the plants are all good, is to deny the word of God from the very beginning. That is not new, and now the man in charge is the most demanding that the plant is evil, with His servants claiming cannabis is worst that cocaine etc... and as We examine this 2 Peter area We see clearly it speaks about how the heavens will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. in 2 Pet. 3:10 and continues ... and the elements will melt with intense heat! Is this any longer avoidable? Our Pres. is now speaking about going into Iran and Syria, which may lead to Korea etc. which may piss off one of the Pakistan or India bunch that has the nuke potential along with us which can melt the elements with intense heat. It may no longer be avoidable, the man of lawlessness IS here and in control, (temporarily), and in fact it is clear from 2 Peter 3:11: "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,...?" Well 2 Peter even tells Us what sort of people We ought to be in 3:14: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,..." Christ even told Us how to do that, when He told Us to love Our brother, which would then include do not kill, and do not prohibit the plant cannabis, since We are told all the plants are good. The Green Collar Worker 
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Comment #7 posted by afterburner on June 02, 2003 at 17:08:24 PT:
Deja Vu?
Despite the once near-impossibility of repealing Prohibition I (of alcohol), the Great Depression changed everything. [A Drug War Carol http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=78 Thanks, Kap ] Anyone else see a parallel to today?ego transcendence follows ego destruction when survival trumps propaganda.
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Comment #6 posted by 312 on June 02, 2003 at 16:24:24 PT
Belgium
"Cannabis oil or cake cannot be interpreted as for personal use, no matter how small the amount. "Funny, I would consider these two to be the more healthy options for consuming cannabis. Smoking oil is very much like using a vapouriser, as the oil only needs heating to evaporate.When it becomes class C in UK in less than a month, ALL forms of cannabis ('herbal' cannabis, cannabis 'resin' and cannabis oil) will become class C. At present, weed and hash are class B, and oil is class A.I wonder if it's OK to make yummy skunky garlic bread? Maybe you would have to have the weed on a separate plate and chew them together?
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 02, 2003 at 13:15:41 PT
Swampie
It seems that the walls are crumbling down with Belgium too while the U.S. still clings to prohibition. Maybe someday they will see! Gotta have hope.
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Comment #4 posted by SWAMPIE on June 02, 2003 at 12:37:06 PT
Canna-Belgian-Waffles,Anyone?
 Hopefully,notwithstanding the possibility of being shot for driving under the influence of cannabis,I think this is what everyone wants anyhow,short of full taxation and complete legalization....allowed one plant?No problem,it'll grow the size of a tree with the right care..Heh..heh..I hear its cheap to live there too...the climates warm too..
 onward through the fog!!!! SWAMPIE
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 02, 2003 at 11:50:59 PT
News from Belgium
BELGIUM: New Package of Drug Laws Enter Into Force 02/06/2003The new package of drug laws, and accompanying directive, are published in the legislative journal of Belgium and enter into force today. One law creates a new system of cooperation for a global and integrated drugs policy. It establishes an interministerial conference to be held at least once a year, presided over by the Minister for Public Health, and a permanent co-ordination unit to assist the conference. Two penal laws modify the main drug law of 24 February 1921, and a royal decree modifies earlier royal decrees accordingly. A binding ministerial Directive guides prosecutors on the new policy. Together, this means: · Psychotropic substances and precursors are included in the scope of the 1921 law; 
· Narcotic and psychotropic substances are now separated into two categories, namely cannabis and other substances; 
· Penalties for possession of cannabis for personal use have changed; 
· Use of drugs in a group is no longer considered a specific offence; 
· Use of drugs in front of minors is introduced as a specific offence; 
· The concept of judicial and health case-managers is established. These will follow the cases of problematic drug users through the court system and ensure that they receive the most appropriate treatment. From now, an adult found in possession of up to 3g of dried cannabis plant or resin for personal use, without any aggravating circumstances or signs of problematic use, will receive a simple warning and a police fine of 15-25 euros. The same applies for possession of one cannabis plant in cultivation. Should the offender be found with cannabis again within one year, there will be a fine of 26-50 euros, and a third offence within a year of the second may result in imprisonment for 8 days - 1 month. Cannabis oil or cake cannot be interpreted as for personal use, no matter how small the amount. If there is an element of public nuisance, such as smoking in the presence of minors, near schools or army barracks, the penalty will be from 3 months to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of €1000 - €100 000. If there is evidence of problematic use, the offender will be assigned a case manager by the prosecutor to receive appropriate therapeutic counselling. In all cases, the substance will be confiscated. Penalties for possession of other controlled substances, for any reason, remain the same; prison sentences of 3 months to 5 years. http://eldd.emcdda.org/databases/eldd_news_detail.cfm?id=02/06/2003BELGIUM:%20New%20package%20of%20drug%20laws%20enter%20into%20force
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 02, 2003 at 11:34:20 PT
Alan Young
They just did a detailed news piece on News World Internationl about Alan Young. I haven't found it on line so far but I'll keep looking. Pot and Politics: Canada and the Marijuana DebateIn 1923 it became illegal for Canadians to possess marijuana. But the laws have always been flouted, by recreational users who just want to get high, and by medicinal users seeking relief from pain and illness. From cannabis cafés to courtrooms, doctors and patients, rabble-rousers and senior statesmen have engaged in a passionate debate over marijuana possession. But the laws have endured.http://archives.cbc.ca/300c.asp?IDCat=69&IDDos=652&IDLan=1&IDMenu=69
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Comment #1 posted by RevHappy on June 02, 2003 at 10:33:46 PT:
This Is What Im Saying
So why is it NORML not only ignores, but hides religious use?Im glad there are a few of us coming around...
Cannabis Charities
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