cannabisnews.com: Dems on Drugs: Any Questions?





Dems on Drugs: Any Questions?
Posted by CN Staff on November 13, 2003 at 08:08:16 PT
By Jordon Smith
Source: Austin Chronicle 
Last week's youth-oriented CNN Democratic candidate forum, "America Rocks the Vote," was forgettable for many reasons -- except for the admissions by three candidates that they had, in the past, inhaled. Democratic hopefuls Howard Dean, John Edwards, and John Kerry each admitted they'd used marijuana in the past, in response to an e-mailed question posed to the candidates. But those confessions don't necessarily reflect any progressive political positions regarding either medical marijuana or decriminalization.
Only Kerry has spoken publicly in favor of medical marijuana for seriously ill patients. As governor of Vermont, in 2002 Dean successfully opposed the passage of a law to legalize medical marijuana for qualified patients. And according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Edwards has said it would be "irresponsible" to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to cease arresting medical marijuana patients using the drug in compliance with state laws. Conversely, Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich said during the debate that although he'd never actually tried marijuana, if elected president, he'd seek decriminalization. Candidates Wesley Clark, Al Sharpton, and Joe Lieberman denied ever having tried a toke; Carol Moseley-Braun declined to answer the question. NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup notes that Dean, Kerry, and Edwards are examples of folks who have smoked pot and lead successful lives. "The real question is not whether a candidate has smoked marijuana -- nearly half of the adult population ... admit that they have," he said, "but whether or not that candidate believes that otherwise law-abiding Americans should be arrested and jailed for engaging in the same behavior that they once did." In other drug news, UT social work professor Lori Holleran has received a $622,465 Mentored Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to get further training and continue research on acculturation and drug prevention programs for minority youth. According to UT's press release, half of the funding will allow Holleran to receive "mentored training" from adolescent drug abuse experts; half will go to fund Holleran's research -- including the development of "prevention intervention" that addresses the needs of Mexican-American youth. "I am convinced that prevention is the way to go because it is better to intervene before serious problems arise, and treatment interventions tend to have limited success," she said. More research regarding the efficacy of prevention programs is needed, she said, specifically among high-risk youth outside of school settings. "There are just too many young people falling through the cracks." Source: Austin Chronicle (TX)Author: Jordon SmithPublished: November 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Austin Chronicle Corp.Contact: louis auschron.comWebsite: http://www.auschron.com/Related Article & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Explaining Why They Didn't Inhalehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17760.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by DeVoHawk on November 13, 2003 at 13:14:09 PT
Dennis Kuci... anyone anyone
"Only Kerry has spoken publicly in favor of medical marijuana for seriously ill patients." Wrong, Dennis Kucinich has stated many times that he supports medical marijuana and it is on his web site http://www.kucinich.us/issues/issue_medicalmarijuana.phpOne funny point the article makes is: 'half of the funding will allow Holleran to receive "mentored training"' in Vail, Florida, Hawii, and Jamaica most likely
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on November 13, 2003 at 11:50:48 PT
Blood clot: and I just had a Red Stripe with lunch
from:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3266819.stmGuinness good for you - official
                                 
The long-running ad campaign is well-knownThe old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers. A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as an aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks. Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from Wisconsin University told a conference in the US. Guinness were told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink. The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease. They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager. (snipped)
Because you don't drink, don't smoke; what do you, do you do, do you do? 
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Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 13, 2003 at 11:31:28 PT
escapegoat and invite to war
Bush is a horror show.When the planes slammed into those buildings I felt it was an invite to war. In effect, a sucker play to bring the war to them. Obviously, they don't have the $$$$ to come to us. And, as the moron Bush is, he took the bait, more or less I feel for political brownie points. Remember Bush landing on the aircraft carrier. Well, it backfired. The enemy now has the Americans where they wanted them all along, in their territory where they could be killed.Now the media powers are saying the economy is improving. However, jobless claims are 360,000 a week, with a slight increase in hiring. These powers want Bush in, he's good for tax breaks and he's a corporate boy.It'll be terrible thing for the world if Bush comes back.
Britian is setting up zones for Bush when comes to visit. Bush is really hated over there.I think Bush has the IQ of a toad. He's not the right guy to confront the intelligent evil that confronts a mostly peaceful world.
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Comment #3 posted by escapegoat on November 13, 2003 at 10:29:17 PT
You're 100% correct MikeEEEEE
It's funny that Bush and co. started a war because "research" (weapons inspectors) were taking too long. Yet, they use the same excuse to ignore positive cannabis findings. We should nail them on their inconsistencies cross issue, and not let them get away with saying "it's a special case, about our children, yadda yadda."Rest assured this IS part of their strategy. They all know they have lost the debate: now, they're just trying to muddle and deflect on the issue. It's only a matter of time...
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Comment #2 posted by 420toker on November 13, 2003 at 10:05:39 PT
Hey wasn't she
Didn't she say in a DEA convention in Montana that Austin's problem is that it has too many stoned hippys?
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 13, 2003 at 08:35:29 PT
Stalling Methods
"More research regarding the efficacy of prevention programs is needed, she said, specifically among high-risk youth outside of school settings. "There are just too many young people falling through the cracks." More research = wasted time, and things remain the same.
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