cannabisnews.com: Government Repackaged Pot Status Quo Government Repackaged Pot Status Quo Posted by CN Staff on June 22, 2003 at 08:06:35 PT By Alan Young Source: Toronto Star On May 27, the Canadian government introduced legislation purportedly designed to decriminalize marijuana possession. The media had a field day. The headlines read: "Up in smoke," "Gone to pot" and "Flying high." This cheap wordplay may make the grade at the Cheech and Chong school of journalism, but the hackneyed jokes detracted from the real news story. Most people seemed to miss that the government promised decriminalization but ultimately gave us nothing. All we received was a watered-down version that still exposes the marijuana smoker to arrest, incarceration and the mark of Cain (i.e. the criminal record). The status quo was merely repackaged to create the illusion of change. The government gave us a national drug strategy made in the U.S.A.. For a decade I have worked diligently as a lawyer and lobbyist on the campaign to decriminalize marijuana. May 27 was supposed to be a day of celebration for the activists. It was a huge bust. Most of the work we had done was designed to demystify marijuana and show it is a benign substance that poses no threat to the social order. Yet at the news conference announcing the proposed "change," three federal ministers all proclaimed that "marijuana is harmful to society." This was puzzling. If these three blind mice truly believe that marijuana is harmful to society, they are doing a grave disservice to Canadians by liberalizing the use of a dangerous substance. The entire foundation of decriminalization is built on the belief that marijuana is a relatively harmless substance, and I was led to believe by the government that it would change the law to reflect this understanding. Political promises often turn out to be a trap for the naive. Beyond the obvious problem of American intimidation, it remains unclear why this government would go the trouble of creating a mere illusion of change. If those in power did not want to decriminalize they should have just said so. Perhaps this would not have been easy to say, considering most of the Western world has decriminalized marijuana in the past decade. Perhaps this would not have been easy to say because every official, fact-finding body appointed to examine the marijuana issue recommends decriminalization. So it becomes easier to say you support law reform while remaining silently committed to waging war with a plant. What is the source of this neurotic fear of change?Here's where things become politically sinister. Canada's lawmakers do not care about the health of its citizens. Every supermarket in the country sells heavily promoted food items that lead to gastrointestinal distress, cardiac arrest and obesity. Life is full of risks to health and safety. I remember an odd newspaper story in 1997 reporting that 40,000 Americans injure themselves on their toilet seats and another 100,000 are victimized by their own clothes. Nobody has suggested that Sir Thomas Crapper should be demonized or that there should be a criminal prohibition on deadly pant zippers. We accept and live with these risks because we believe that flush toilets and fancy clothes have social utility. So if smoking marijuana poses some health risks, why are some lawmakers not prepared to accept and live with these risks?Remember Timothy Leary? His mantra for the drug-laden 60s was "tune in, turn on and drop out." Living by this mantra, many young people moved to communes, rejecting capitalistic aspirations and ridiculing traditional family values. Cannabis sativa does alter consciousness in a subtle way. Altering consciousness often leads to critical thinking and, for some, questioning authority is the product of drug-induced critical thought. It seems that at an unconscious level, lawmakers fear decriminalization will lead to increased pot smoking, which in turn will lead to non-conventional and non-productive lifestyle choices.This logic is both flawed and dangerous. First, empirical evidence clearly shows that decriminalization does not lead to increased consumption. The decision to use or not to use drugs rarely has anything to do with the law itself.Second, I would have thought that in a free society we have the right to evolve into critical thinkers and champions of non-conventional lifestyles. Who cares if getting high takes you to this critical junction, so long as you are not hurting anyone else by your actions?While politicians amuse themselves with games of smoke and mirrors, the courts have struck a temporary death blow to marijuana prohibition. For at least the next few months there is no existing law prohibiting the simple possession of marijuana. For those afraid that marijuana will lead to societal destruction, I would ask that you pay careful attention this summer. Ontario will survive this court-ordered experiment with decriminalization and I can assure you that the trillium will not wilt from the pungent smoke of those who choose to have a summer fling with temporary liberty.Note: Alan Young - Reasonable DoubtAlan Young is a law professor and criminal lawyer. Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)Author: Alan YoungPublished: June 22, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Toronto Star Contact: lettertoed thestar.com Website: http://www.thestar.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Growers No Worse Than Martini Drinkershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16670.shtmlThe Decriminalization That Wasn't http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16665.shtmlNo Laws Ban Possession of Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16321.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 29, 2003 at 18:00:10 PT GHB - Dateline NBC We just finished watching Dateline NBC. It was about a fathers addiction to GHB. I don't even know what GHB is. I am aware of it but why people use it and what is so good about it I don't have any idea. I hope some of you get to see the program. It was troubling to say the least. Thanks afterburner! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by afterburner on June 29, 2003 at 17:08:33 PT: Up-to-Date Info about Herb Reg's Is Hard to Find APPENDIX I: HERBS THAT ARE RESTRICTED OR NOT ACCEPTED AS MEDICINALS IN THMS [traditional herbal medicine]This list refers to all parts of herbs that may be cited in THM references but for which there is a safety concern. The list is intended as a guide only and is not necessarily all inclusive. Those herbs, or their concentrates, for which use is already prohibited or restricted by the Food and Drugs Regulations (Schedule F, C.01.038) are not included in this list.For other herbs not included in this list, it is the manufacturer's responsibility to support the safety of a herb where this is at any time questioned by the Drugs Directorate.The lack of acceptability of the herbs included in this list applies to all routes of administration unless otherwise indicated.COMMON NAME LATIN NAME COMMENT/LIMITATION* (1) -Arnica montana not permitted for internal use -Bayberry Myrica cerifera -Blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictoides -Chapparal Larrea divaricata, Larrea tridentata -Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara Not permitted as a single ingredient and Not permitted over 15% of reference dose in multi ingredient THM -Comfrey Symphytum officinale -Gelsemium Gelsemium nitidum, G. sempervirens Bignonia sempervirens -Germander Tuecrium chameadrys -Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis Not permitted as a single ingredient and not over 300 mg/day in a multi-ingredient THM -Gotu kola Centenella asiatica -Horsechestnut Aesculus hippocastanum, Hippocastanum vulgare -Magnolia Magnolia officinalis -Mistletoe, american & european Viscum album Phorandenron flavescens, P. serotinum, P.tomentosum -Pennyroyal Mentha pugelium Not permitted in a concentrated form, e.g., oil, extract -Peony Paeonia officinalis -Platycodon Platycodon grandiflorum -Pleurisy root Asclepias tuberosa -Senecio, Golden ragwort Senecio aureus -Stephania Stephania tetandra >Therapeutic Products Directorate: TPD-Web http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/tpd-dpt/tradherb_e.html Nine out of nineteen of the herbs listed are in my herbal, and I have used five of them myself. ego transcendence follows ego destruction, looks like we'll have to fight as hard to use herbs as we have to use cannabis. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 29, 2003 at 15:43:30 PT afterburner I have almost all of these herbs in my medicine cabinet. That is really strange when they help and aren't expensive. I use ginseng, ginkgo, gotu kola almost everyday.Aloe vera, Astragalus, Bilberry Capsicum, Cascara sagrada, Cat's claw , Chamomile, Dong Quai, Echinacea, augustifolia, Echinacea, purpurea, Ephedra (Ma huang), Feverfew, Garlic, Ginger, Ginkgo, biloba, Ginseng, Golden Seal, Gotu, Kola, Hawthorne, Kava Kava, Licorice, Milk, Thistle, Pau D'arco (Taheebo), Peppermint, Psyllium, Sarsaparilla, Saw palmetto, Yohimbe How do you make spagetti sauce without garlic? [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by afterburner on June 29, 2003 at 15:31:53 PT: Chamomile and Cannabis, Herbs of a Feather. Chamomile could be considered a drug or a food depending on whether or not a health claim is made. This has been interpreted as an attack on the Canadian Health Food Industry. The threat comes from German Pharmaceutical companies which are pushing for a nutritional CODEX in order to capture the international herbal market. Your Right to Choose Alternative Medical Treatment Is Endangered"The Codex is a nutrition code engineered by the big drug companies (the German giants the most aggressive) to set worldwide standards for foods, drugs, pesticides and their trade. They are after total control of the supplement market and of herbal meds. The latest German proposal includes the following provisions: 1. No vitamin, mineral, herb or food supplement can be sold for preventative or therapeutic use. 2. None sold as a food can exceed dosage levels set by the Commission. For example, 50 mg of vitamin C is the top dosage sold in Germany today. 3. CODEX regulations for dietary supplements would become legally binding in the USA through the GATT Treaty, which would involve enormous fines in America if we did not comply. 4. All new dietary supplements will be banned unless they pass the CODEX approval process. You can imagine what that means. The wording in the Congressional Bill uses the term "harmonization" which means that most senators and congresspersons are likely not aware of the implications. The delegates that make up and decide on the CODEX mandates are made up of 90% of the giant Multi-national Pharmaceutical corporations. The drug companies want to monopolize and create pharmaceutical versions of the Natural healthfood and nutrient business throughout the world. An example of the consequences: possession of DHEA is now a felony in Canada with the same penalty as that for possession of drugs. You could go to jail for having DHEA in your house....Further evidence of Canadian involvement is the HPB (Hocus Pocus Bunch)[Health Protection Branch] position on what is or is not a food or a drug. This bunch is either cleverly devious about their support of pharmaceutical concerns or just plain dumb. For example, garlic, ginger, licorice and peppermint are considered to be foods when sold as spices. If a grocery store manager makes claims for their therapeutic effects, they then become drugs via a hocus pocus mechanism which remains to be defined. As it now stands in Canada (and this changes on a regular basis given the current mood, blood sugar level or whims of officials at the HPB) the following list of currently available health food store nutritional supplements are considered nebulously to be either a drug a drug even in the absence of claims or a new drug with claims: Aloe vera, Astragalus, Bilberry Capsicum, Cascara sagrada, Cat's claw , Chamomile, Dong Quai, Echinacea, augustifolia, Echinacea, purpurea, Ephedra (Ma huang), Feverfew, Garlic, Ginger, Ginkgo, biloba, Ginseng, Golden Seal, Gotu, Kola, Hawthorne, Kava Kava, Licorice, Milk, Thistle, Pau D'arco (Taheebo), Peppermint, Psyllium, Sarsaparilla, Saw palmetto, Yohimbe This list is likely to expand over the next two years. If the Codex and the HPB have their way, your favorite supplements will be replaced by expensive, patented, over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Just look what has already happened to amino acids like tryptophan. Once available for under $20 for a bottle of 100 tablets of 500 mgs. at your local health food store, the same tablet is now only available by prescription at a cost of over $120 at your pharmacy. On top of that, in order to get a prescription for tryptophan, you will have to convince your doctor to give you one. This is easier said than done simply because most medical doctors have no clue what tryptophan does or believe it to be toxic. Project this shallow thinking on to the herbs listed above and it becomes quite clear that public access to natural remedies will be a thing of the past." -Goodbye To Our Rights http://www.helpinghandconsulting.com/_mformula/00000002.htm As for your suggestion about Rolling Stones and vendors, t-shirts, "summer of legalization" is a Marc Emery phrase, Pipes and Bowls, good idea, the details remain to be discovered. ego transcendence follows ego destruction, pipes and bowls are legal for smoking legal cannabis. I know some t-shirt artists as long as the Rolling Stones, Marc Emery, and the concert promoters don't mind. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 29, 2003 at 13:25:38 PT afterburner You mean chamomile is against the law in Canada? I grew it one year and it made such a nice tea. The flowers are small at least my variety was and they had a wonderful aroma.With the Rolling Stones playing in Toronto have you thought about t-shirts? I enjoyed reading people's t-shirts at the Neil Young Concert. This is the summer of legalization in Ontario and it would be so nice for some people to have a t-shirt that mentions it I think. Just an idea. Will vendors be able to set up? Pipes and Bowls etc. could be big business during the concert. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by afterburner on June 29, 2003 at 12:17:28 PT: FoM and Other True Believers in Medicinal Herbs "Marijuana-based pharmaceuticals were used throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas as recently as the last century. There is this myth that better drugs came along and made marijuana obsolete. Science is rediscovering that plant-based medicines can be safer and more effective than drugs produced by for-profit corporations." - Dr Michael Aldritch - Reading about the Canadian government's policy of labeling herbs for which any health claims have been made as "drugs" and prohibiting them in favour of nutraceuticals, standardized by multi-national pharmaceutical companies in a vain attempt to improve on nature, I was very unsettled. I see massive parallels to the refusal of Health Canada and the Canadian Ministry of Justice to deal with medical cannabis in a realistic manner. I am still mulling over this matter in my mind and heart, and researching further. Even chamomile is on the prohibited list in Canada. This whole situation cries out for a right to self-medicate as David Malmo-Levine has suggested to the Canadian Supreme Court. Until I have more facts and recommendations, you may find the following interview a soothing balm for the political violence we all have to face daily in our health choices.Thomas Jefferson At The Seattle Hempfest http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-201.html THC-TV with THC-TV http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse201.ram Running Time: 29 min Date Entered: 20 Aug 2000 Viewer Rating: 8.19 (16 votes) Number of Views: 588 Lawyers Kevin Zeese and Don Wirtshafter interview a historical Jefferson about his views on drug laws and the constitution ego transcendence follows ego destruction, it's the new manifest destiny. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on June 28, 2003 at 18:12:41 PT afterburner I have grown assorted herbs. Some are for cooking or for tea. I grew a Valarian Plant one year. It was pretty and when you harvest you only harvest the roots. Herbs are weeds that have value for human consumption. They have leaves and flowers. Cannabis is weed. It has leaves and flowers. I don't believe there is a difference and I've never understood why Cannabis is excluded from the herb category. Some herbs are poisonous but have medicinal value with proper dosing. I have never used any herbs with any overdose potential just for safety reasons though. Plants were the worlds medicine until little purple pills and all the other pills were manufactured. Herbs aren't manufactured. They come from the earth. Freedom to decide what to put into our own bodies should be the right of each individual I believe. If we make bad decisions we will suffer but at least we would have the right to see for ourselves. Just my 2 cents. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by afterburner on June 28, 2003 at 17:10:01 PT: Once upon a Thread... someone suggested that the cannabis movement join forces with the health food movement. Does anyone else see the heavy hand of Big Brother and Big Sister in the following link? Freedom of Choice in Healthcare Canada http://www.freedomofchoicecanada.org/ "Freedom of Choice in Health Care is a grassroots organization that is concerned with the federal, provincial and UN's legislative agenda aimed at taking away our individual health rights and freedoms. Our rights and freedoms are being replaced with privileges as directed by federal regulators in spite of the opposition by citizens."ego transcendence follows ego destruction, the right of medicine is a provincial authority in Canada, and federal government has been challenged for overstepping their authority. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by ekim on June 22, 2003 at 21:48:48 PT today on C-Span the Rainbow Push Debate today on c-span the dems had a debate of sorts. one of the two drug war questions was asked to the Black Woman Mrs.Carol Mossely Brun i think i misspelled her last name. she said she comes from a law enforcement family. not sure what she ment. she said many people are in jail for crimes that have not hurt anyone. Mr. Gephert i think i misspelled his name as well. said something i know because i saw his lips moving but he lost my attention with 26 years of govt speak. i wish all the candadates had to anwser that question. FYI moveon.org is haveing a Dem Pres poll June 24-25 if anyone is interested. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on June 22, 2003 at 10:29:42 PT: Voice of Reason Alan Young has tirelessly pursued judicial and legislative cannabis reform. It has been my honor to work with him on some of the recent cases. He is a consumate professional. His voice should be heeded by everyone on both sides of the border. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment