cannabisnews.com: Commission Weighs Televising Marijuana Programs





Commission Weighs Televising Marijuana Programs
Posted by CN Staff on July 26, 2003 at 18:32:49 PT
By Mary Jo Hill
Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette 
Gardner -- A representative from the American Civil Liberties Union, a photographer from the Boston Phoenix newspaper, a local pro-marijuana activist and a Framingham man who makes a cable-television show turned out yesterday for a meeting of the city's Cable Commission. Marijuana brought them all together in the mayor's office. A controversy is brewing at the Cable Commission over whether to televise four tapes, part of a series of shows by Jim Pillsbury of Framingham. 
The tapes concern state budget savings from decriminalizing marijuana, medicinal marijuana, the first live hemp-clothing pageant ever on television, and the politics of pot, according to a flier. Steve Drury, an activist from Templeton, asked the city a couple of months ago to televise the tapes, sparking an ongoing discussion. The ACLU has joined supporters of the tapes to pressure the commission into agreeing to let them be televised. City Solicitor Scott Graves has written that the commission cannot deny access to this producer and program unless a court determines the program is obscene or defamatory or violates a law, such as copyright infringement or hate crime laws. At the meeting yesterday, Mr. Graves said that when he wrote the opinion last week, he was under the impression the issue was whether the cable station is required to show the program. Since then he has learned he needs to find out if any member of the public has the right to have a show appear on the channel, he said. Gardner's access channel does not appear to have been set up as a forum for people to air their views, Mr. Graves said. The city's channel is a hybrid of governmental and educational programming, said Vincent S. Ialenti, a commission member. The city needs to determine if there is an obligation to show material presented from outside these areas, he said. Mr. Graves said he would have to review the contract with Comcast, the cable system's franchise holder, and the history of the channel to see if anyone else has been allowed to present views on the channel. He expects to have his opinion to the city within a week, he said. The intention from day one was to use the channel as an opportunity for Gardner High School students to learn video production, Mr. Ialenti said. City Council and School Committee meetings are among the programs shown by students on the channel. As for the current discussion about the marijuana tapes, Mr. Ialenti said, "It's not the content. It's the request issue." As the commission was voting to refer the issue to Mr. Graves, Mr. Drury tried to speak. "This is not a public hearing. Don't start with me," Mayor Daniel J. Kelley said. Mr. Drury handed over what he said was a petition signed by 30 Gardner residents in support of airing the programs. Ronal C. Madnick, director of the Worcester County chapter of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said he would like to talk to the commission. He was told to send his comments in writing. Mr. Ialenti said the commission wants to find a solution because far too much time has been spent on the matter. "It's our goal to avoid litigation, which is a possibility," Mr. Madnick said. Afterward, Mr. Madnick said, "Obviously, one can view this as an issue of censorship." Note: Gardner considers marijuana videos.Complete Title: Gardner Commission Weighs Televising Marijuana ProgramsNewshawk: afterburnerSource: Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)Author: Mary Jo HillPublished: July 24, 2003Copyright: 2003 Worcester Telegram & GazetteContact: letters telegram.comWebsite: http://www.telegram.com/Related Articles & Web Site:MassCannhttp://www.masscann.orgFramingham Resident Advocates Marijuana Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16885.shtmlMarijuana Advocate, Town Settle Park Suithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16865.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on July 29, 2003 at 19:08:41 PT:
Cable TV POT Gardens air in Hawaii!
Wow! Aloha from Paradise!
Here in Hawaii we are blessed to have an old-style community with some respect for freedom. I produced , filmed, edited and aired 18 two-hour episodes of "Out There" on Public Access in Hilo in 1997 and 1998 that were basically a chronological documentary of my garden and medical and religious seminars on cannabis use and why it was legal. This aired island-wide for two years with few complaints and many applause from our community. There was no process for approval in light of the nature of the material being LEGAL use of cannabis./ I still have the tapes from seed to harvest. The County Council Chairman commented he thought it was relaxing and helped him to sleep. Good Show I guess!
Freedom never died, only we can make it grow by our actions.
Aloha, Rev. Jonathan Adler
Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on July 27, 2003 at 07:42:22 PT
cable access good place to debate
we here in Kalamazoo have done many shows on the subject. i am waiting for word on how to obtain the hemp display from the Hemp Industries org -- we are doing a show on how to get our local Univerisity --- Western MI to look at researching the uses of this plant. here are events comming up.http://www.thehia.org/news_reports/events.htmReggae on the River, 
August 1 - 3 French’s Camp, Piercy, CA 
http://www.reggaeontheriver.comAll Things Organic Festival, 
August 9 - 10
Mendocino Co, Fairgrounds, Boonville, CA 
707-895-3616HIA 10th Annual Convention, 
August 20-23
Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 
Click here to download a PDF info sheet
http://www.thehia.orgSeattle Hemp Fest, 
August 16 - 17 - Seattle, WA – http://www.seattlehempfest.comMAGIC
August 25 - 28 - Las Vegas, NV
www.magiconline.comYoga Expo
September 25 - 28
Los Angeles Convention Center
http://www.yogaexpo.comHemp Harvest Celebration 
September 27th 
Hempola Valley Farms - Barrie, Ontario
(800) 240-9215 
Wagon rides, guided interpretive trail through the hemp fields, musical concerts, arts and crafts, demonstrations and seminars, hemp straw home, hemp food village. http://www.hempola.comCHFA Expo East,
October 16 - 19 - Toronto, ON Canada http://www.chfa.ca 4th Hemp and Eco-Technologies Exhibition
November 7 - 9 • Paris, France
http://www.festival-du-chanvre.com
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 26, 2003 at 20:40:52 PT
Virgil
I liked your title. We are all alone together. I looked at the link and saw Cheryl's picture. So many good people are now gone. It's sad but I know they want us to carry on.A new web site that is under development.http://www.cheryldcmemorial.org 
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Comment #2 posted by Petard on July 26, 2003 at 20:40:51 PT:
It is about education
Just because the subject matter may not be politically correct it's still educational. A "Hemp Fashion Show" is educational on at least 2 fronts, clothing design and commercial viability of hemp. The "Politics of Pot" is obviously educational just by the title. The "Medical Marijuana" segment is probably educational, at least about the potential if not the facts. With minor tweaking (no pun intended) the Decrim segment could probably be transformed into an educational segment on "how to". So, the debate is not about the educational nature of the telecast, it IS about the subject matter. Silence of the Lambs, it's not just for sheeple any longer. 
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on July 26, 2003 at 19:29:49 PT
We are all alone together
How can you not applaude the man's singular effort. At least the ACLU figured the issue warranted their assistance. The article is not satisfying in that it leaves the requirements of public access for cable companies unaddressed.http://www.nextplayvideo.com/ has content and a place to learn something about public access channels. With the media blockade strangling all reason, a critical mass of individuals gaining information and content might nuke the whole blockade out of the water.The public access available to people that are not even customers of cable companies is a very, very big deal. If Marc Emery would release content of what is happening in Canada and a few individuals got the ball rolling it would really change things. I had forgotten about getting content from nextplay and getting it on cable. I thought someone else would have pioneered through it and told us about it here already.It seems more important than going to Canada. I will give it a go. 
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