cannabisnews.com: Lawmakers Warned Not To Ease Pot Laws Lawmakers Warned Not To Ease Pot Laws Posted by CN Staff on December 12, 2003 at 15:09:23 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Kingston, Jamaica -- If Jamaica legalizes small amounts of marijuana for personal use, it could violate international treaties and bring sanctions from the United States, a Jamaican official has warned.Jamaica's Parliament is considering relaxing drug laws to make small amounts of marijuana legal to adults for personal or religious use. The proposal follows complaints by police that marijuana-related cases are clogging the Caribbean island's courts and jails. But speaking to a parliamentary committee Wednesday, Solicitor General Michael Hylton said any relaxation of drug laws could ''be in breach of [Jamaica's] international obligations'' on drug control.Jamaica has signed three international treaties that make possession of marijuana a criminal offense, including the 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.Hylton did not outline possible penalties for violating the treaties but said decriminalizing marijuana could put Jamaica at risk of losing its annual antidrug certification from the United States. Countries that lose U.S. certification can face economic sanctions.The U.S. government, which gives Jamaica up to $2 million in annual aid, has consistently opposed the island's efforts to loosen its drug laws.Jamaica is among the world's biggest exporters of marijuana and a chief supplier to the United States. Rastafarians on the island also say smoking it is a part of their religion that brings them closer to the divine.Last year, police seized more than 59,400 pounds of marijuana and destroyed 741 acres of marijuana fields.Source: Associated Press Published: December 12, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles:A Rational Decision on Marijuana, Please http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17959.shtmlNo To Ganja - Jamaica Gleanerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17954.shtmlDecriminalisation of Ganja Could Hurt Jamaicahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17953.shtmlJamaica: Go Easy on Ganja Users, Says Report http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17919.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #21 posted by Richard Paul Zuckerm on December 14, 2003 at 09:59:15 PT: HYPOCRISY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT An article posted on www.fromthewilderness.com shows the CIA drug money laundering in the amount of $800 billion/year. It was the U.S. whom initially violated the international nuclear treaty.Yet, Americans continue to be villified as criminals for using drugs.I will only vote for Dennis Kucinich, Green Party, Libertarian Party, candidates. My "America's 52 Most Dangerous Liberals" playing cards quotes Howard Dean as having said he would balance the federal budget by eliminating Defense, Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Pensions, and extend retirement age to 70. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by jose melendez on December 13, 2003 at 04:41:45 PT also, my comment below should read, " as well as profiting industries that would otherwise be forced to compete with or, in the case of the incarceration and urine testing industries, reduce scope if there were LEGAL cannabis." As if the BBC, CSPAN and NPR are going to broadcast the profitability of drug war policies to crooks with guns on both sides of the law, anyway.Also Rand Beers made it clear the Taliban likely INTENDED to increase heroin profits by criminalizing opium farming. Prohibition IS crime, same as it ever was. proof of treason [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by gloovins on December 13, 2003 at 04:37:30 PT Mayan....u are so right "The U.S. government, which gives Jamaica up to $2 million in annual aid, has consistently opposed the island's efforts to loosen its drug laws."Jamaica, you legalize, and go Dutch say & open up 2 "coffeeshops", I PROMISE you you will make $1 million + at each shop alone anually from locals AND tourists alike. Are you really worried about a paulty 2 million from the yankees?Do it right, go Dutch. You ain't gonna make it on Red Stripe, thats for sure. Tax n regulate my friendly island neighbor and I just might have to move (or at least holiday) there in your beautiful paradise. Ya, mon, I can see it.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by jose melendez on December 13, 2003 at 04:27:41 PT arguments exposed In my opinion, History in schools has been replaced by D.A.R.E.- Here's a snippet of a published letter to the editor, that uses fact and smack (think prohibitionist's faces) to expose drug war fraud.from: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1910/a02.html?397 The Jamaican studies of 1968-74 and 1975 by the National Institute for Mental Health found marijuana causes "no impairment of physiology, sensory and perception, and motor performance in tests of concept formation, abstraction ability, cognitive style and memory. Social studies report positive effects. There is no link to criminal behavior." The Nixon Blue Ribbon Report of 1972 found that marijuana does not cause violent aggressive behavior, does not lead to the use of harder drugs, does not constitute a major public health problem, does not lead to major chromosomal or brain damage, and does not lead to physical dependency. The commission advocated the decriminalization of marijuana for private use. This commission was disbanded after reporting these findings. I could give you dozens more, but what's the point? These are legitimate studies, some done by our own government, but, I still don't see Farley in favor of it. In fact, I'm seeing a callous disregard to the sick. And, instead of following the recommendations of these studies, the government still is following the same old "reefer madness" tactics of the past 89 years when the Harrison Narcotics Act was passed. That would be 89 years of dismal failure by law enforcement to stop people from using drugs, for any reason. No matter how long Farley keeps beating that dead horse, it isn't going to get up again. And if we could get the media to print a couple of these studies in the papers, I'm betting I get anti-medical marijuana people to eat their words, because these are real facts from medical institutes, and not the Disneyland garbage they keep coming up with.Also, here is an audio clip from a BBC story where Colombian coca spraying is shown to increase Peruvian coca smuggling. http://65.18.211.65/mp3/cocaDebate.mov (The indigenous population has used the drug for thousands of years. Demand has, by official admission, skyrocketed under prohibitionist policies. Yet, US anti-drugs official David Mary (special assistant to the drug czar) is quoted as claiming that, "It is not the war on drugs that is causing the difficulty, it is the drugs."This means they are responding to our arguments, and by easily disproving their false assertions, we EXPOSE THEM AS TREASONOUS, DISINGENUOUS FRAUDS. In fact, in a previous clip from CSPAN, posted at: http://65.18.211.65/mp3/waltersDisingenuousFraud.mov (you can hear Walters himself allude to and decry the idea that crimes are caused by these laws. What I'm saying is both Walters and his aide knowingly misstate the argument, which is that prohibition drives demand and increases at least the violent crime known as murder, as well as profiting industries that would otherwise be forced to compete with or, in the case of the incarceration and urine testing industries, reduce scope if there were cannabis. Also, note that anti-drug propaganda workers consistently omit crime behind bars when they suggest their efforts reduce crime. Omission of known material facts that would tend to exonerate the accused is a crime, no?Yet Rand Beers, who now works for John Kerry, and once pointed out that the Taliban's move to outlaw opium backfired, increasing the value of stockpiled contraband, had something to say about this: OPIUM POPPY SPREADING FROM COLOMBIA TO PERU (Top) Traffickers Are Moving Outside Drug War Areas WASHINGTON -- The opium poppy, the raw ingredient for heroin, has now been found in Peru, where it has spread from Colombia, underscoring the difficulty of containing the boundaries of the drug war. "We're finding it in high altitudes in Peru," said Rand Beers, assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement and narcotics affairs. [snip] Authorities are noticing "rapid increases in cultivation of opium poppy" in Peru as traffickers look for "geographic regions that are outside of the current target areas," according to a Web site of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Carlos Alzamora, Peru's ambassador to the United States, recently wrote that he is worried U.S.-financed aerial fumigation of coca and poppy plantations in Colombia will raise prices for the raw materials for narcotics, "motivating [Peruvian] peasants to return to coca cultivation." Pubdate: Mon, 20 Aug 2001Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)Copyright: 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386Author: Tim Johnson, Knight Ridder News ServiceBookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1525/a07.html proof of treason [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by CorvallisEric on December 13, 2003 at 03:35:32 PT Sparta (comment 16) Has This Country Become The Modern Equivalent Of Sparta? If you remember your history lessons from school, I'm sure you will recall that the main business for Sparta was to conduct war. They were real good at it, and all the other Greek cities were scared to death of them.I remember only one thing about Sparta from history class many decades ago, and it seems especially relevant. In contrast to Athens, where people were punished for criminal acts, in Sparta people were punished for the crime of having gotten caught. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by The GCW on December 12, 2003 at 22:51:34 PT Tell it like it is. US NC: Column: War On Drugs Targets The Wrong People(I think someone already posted this but...)Has This Country Become The Modern Equivalent Of Sparta? If you remember your history lessons from school, I'm sure you will recall that the main business for Sparta was to conduct war. They were real good at it, and all the other Greek cities were scared to death of them. We have the war on terrorism, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Liberia. We are thinking about one in North Korea, and maybe a few other places we haven't been told about yet. If that's not enough to chew on, we have the War on Drugs. I have lived through a lot of wars, but only one of them was a declared war. Has anyone noticed that with all the fighting going on, that the last war we declared on anyone was World War II? Does Congress take part in anything except to pass pork barrel legislation and raise its pay, retirement and benefits? I can't think of any way to get us out of all of the wars, but we should be able to end at least one. The War on Drugs. The last War on Drugs was prohibition, and I lived through a good part of it. I saw my father turn from a decent man into a drunk because of prohibition. He was a police officer, and in those days you drank the good bottled in bond whiskey that was saved by the police, or you didn't stay on the force. The rotgut was poured down the sewer to show the newspaper people and politicians. Then all of them -- cops, politicians and newspaper people -- took the good stuff home. We used to have cases of Old Granddad and other bourbon stored in our pantry. My mother told me that my father never drank any whiskey until he became a policeman. He started doing it to keep his job, and found a hobby that lasted almost 30 years. Prohibition corrupted a lot of public officials besides cops. The current War of Drugs may be doing the same thing, but it's worse. Not as many people were in jail during Prohibition. They weren't after the drinkers. Today's War on Drugs targets the user as much as the producer and is causing a lot of people to end up as criminals for only being a sucker for the drug. Jail doesn't help these people, but it does send them to a really good school on how to become expert criminals. About 30 years ago, I knew a judge who went to the same watering hole that I frequented, and many times his friends had to pour him into his car. He wouldn't let anyone drive him home. One day, I was in his court when a college student was brought in for possession of marijuana. He had his wife and baby with him. This was his first possession charge. The judge fined him $500 and verbally tore him up about his criminal life. I kept my mouth shut because I knew I would end up in jail if I blew the whistle on the old hypocrite, but I felt enraged and helpless. We need to come down hard on anyone driving under the influence of any drug, or endangering anyone with their actions, but I question the wisdom of jailing someone for using a drug in their own home peacefully. If they had done that during prohibition, half of this country would have become criminals in prison. At one time I was hooked on nicotine, and in the past I have used alcohol more than I should have, but it seems to me we need to rethink our war on drugs, and find some way to end this massive use of drugs without so many young people becoming criminals. (IS'NT THE CIA -ELITE POLICE?)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1910/a05.html?397 [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by RasAric on December 12, 2003 at 21:57:06 PT Attn: Watch MSNBC Dec. !3 7p.m. eastern MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia will discuss the need to change U.S. marijuana laws this Saturday, Dec. 13, on "Jesse Ventura's America," on the MSNBC cable network. Also scheduled to appear are Tom Riley, spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Stanton Levenson, one of the attorneys representing actor/comedian Tommy Chong, who is now serving a federal prison term for distributing marijuana paraphernalia.The program, hosted by the outspoken former governor of Minnesota, airs nationally at 7 p.m. Eastern time, 4 p.m. Pacific. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by SystemGoneDown on December 12, 2003 at 21:35:39 PT: MEDICAL CANNABIS IS THE ONLY WAY!!! Lester Grinspoon, M.D.: "Increasing medical use by either distribution pathway will inevitably make growing numbers of people familiar with cannabis and its derivatives. As they learn that its harmfulness has been greatly exaggerated and its usefulness underestimated, the pressure will increase for drastic change in the way we as a society deal with this drug."THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!!!! The most important thing we can do as anti-prohibitionists is push for state legislation on medical marijuana. Push for ballot initiatives EVERYWHERE. Get medical mariuana out there and regulate JUST medical marijuana. Over time, the people will realize the lies that's been fed and change will be inevitably be REQUIRED because the evidence will be too overwhelming to deny..............AND ON THAT GLORIOUS DAY when pot is regulated... even if it is 100 years from now, many drug corps, alcohol and energy corps will lose and go out of business, hemp will then be our #1 bio energy source and reverse the green house effect and take away the artificial ruins of pollution and global warming that hemp prohibition has caused... Medical Marijuana = step in the right direction. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by SystemGoneDown on December 12, 2003 at 21:23:57 PT: SUMMARY OF MARIJUANA LEGAL STATUS Lester Grinspoon, M.D.: "Increasing medical use by either distribution pathway will inevitably make growing numbers of people familiar with cannabis and its derivatives. As they learn that its harmfulness has been greatly exaggerated and its usefulness underestimated, the pressure will increase for drastic change in the way we as a society deal with this drug." [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Virgil on December 12, 2003 at 21:22:19 PT Jack Layton of Canadian NDP interview Another thing about Kucincinh that I admire is the fact that he wants to end NAFTA and the WTO. NAFTA is a tool of industry and is a way of minimizing the role of government. Jack Layton talks about NAFTA and other things in this article- http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca/v37/v37_6gp.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Virgil on December 12, 2003 at 21:11:01 PT CP is.... Cannabis Prohibition is not just. Cannabis Prohibition is legalized injustice.Cannabis Prohibition is an overdose on wrongness.Cannabis Prohibition is the only thing that can ruin a good buzz.Cannabis Prohibition is not just stupid. Cannabis Prohibition is a fucked-up kind of stupid.Cannabis Prohibition is asking the children to fund their father's failure and injustice.Cannabis Prohibition is something that anyone with any sense ought to be screaming to end. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by mayan on December 12, 2003 at 18:53:25 PT Just Legalize It! "The U.S. government, which gives Jamaica up to $2 million in annual aid, has consistently opposed the island's efforts to loosen its drug laws."Jamaica, if you legalize the herb, you will more than make up for that 2 million dollars...in tourist dollars!Here's another drug war related piece...AFGHAN OPIUM PRODUCTION DOUBLES: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/121103_afghan_poppy.htmlBy the way, here's the link to the poll that ekim posted earlier. Please vote for Kucinich! http://www.bartcop.com/ The way out is the way in...Ex-Senator Bob Kerrey appointed to 9/11 panel: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/dec2003/kerr-d12.shtmlGerman trial of 9/11 suspect collapses: http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1105153,00.html9/11 WIDOW CHARGES BUSH WITH FOREKNOWLEDGE AND ABETMENT OF MURDER IN RICO SUIT: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=33&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by The GCW on December 12, 2003 at 18:36:34 PT Cannada "Check out the (Canadian) flag. What is that? What is that a weed on there or what? C'mon give me a break, nice flag!"- Niagra Falls Sheriff Bud Boomer, "Canadian Bacon" by Michael Moore - [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Marc Paquette on December 12, 2003 at 18:24:36 PT: Re: Stop the Senseless Caging Hi GCW;Alain will be out of jail before Christmas :o) he will do less than 3 months of his 12 month sentance..some good friend helped him to get good legal advice..for free too.Peace,Marc http://www.medpot.net [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by The GCW on December 12, 2003 at 17:55:00 PT Stop the senseless cagings. Quebec Cannabis Cup founder gets a year in prison http://www.hempbc.com/articles/3143.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by sukoi on December 12, 2003 at 17:42:31 PT Unrelated: A tragedy, but poetic justice I haven't seen this posted, but I felt that it should be put out. It is a tragedy, but it kind of reminds me of what happened at Rainbow Farms, also a tragedy!Newsbrief: Cop Kills Cop in Methamphetamine Raid Gone Awry 12/12/03 Meth prohibition took another law enforcement officer's life in Huntsville, Tennessee, on November 27. Scott County Deputy Sheriff Hubert "John John" Yancey died after being shot by another raider, Scott County Sheriff's Department Drug Officer Marty Carson, the son of Scott County Sheriff Jim Carson, as the pair entered a mobile home near Oneida to check on a suspected methamphetamine lab. According to District Attorney Paul Phillips, Carson entered the trailer first after obtaining permission from a resident and made his way toward a back bedroom where he thought the meth was being cooked. Hearing a noise from the bedroom that sounded like a shotgun loading, Carson hid in the bathroom. Fearing an armed suspect was advancing, Carson shot when he saw a figure coming down the hall. "Tragically, it was Sgt. Yancey who had come to assist him," Phillips said told the Tennessean newspaper. "We have lost a wonderful public servant," Phillips said of Yancey, and Carson "has lost his partner and his best friend. He is completely devastated by this tragedy and needs the prayers of this community." Carson had been distracted by the screams of a woman in the trailer and blinded by the glare of police headlights shining on the scene, Phillips added. Two men and a woman were arrested and charged with three counts each of meth manufacture. No weapons were found. And the police habit of treating each drug bust as an adrenaline-fueled potential firefight just cost them another one of their own. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/315/accident.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on December 12, 2003 at 17:28:57 PT Canada Sounds like the new PM Martin may just be positioning himself on the winning side when the Supreme Court decision comes down....or am I being overly optimistic? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by The GCW on December 12, 2003 at 16:33:25 PT Newsbrief: Newsbrief: New Canadian Prime Minister to Revive Marijuana Decriminalization Bill 12/12/03 http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/315/martin.shtmlNew Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, who replaced Jean Chretien today, supports Chretien's cannabis decriminalization bill and will allow members of parliament (MPs) to vote on it next month, his spokesmen told reporters in Edmonton, Alberta, Tuesday. But that vote will be a "free vote," where MPs are not bound by party discipline, and enough ruling Liberal Party MPs could vote against it to kill it. Paul Martin The Chretien decriminalization bill would remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, but would increase penalties for all but the smallest marijuana grow ops. It has received a lukewarm reception from marijuana reform advocates, while exciting opposition from the US government. And US Ambassador Paul Cellucci was quick to respond to the latest noises. "Our concern is the perception of this is that this is a weakening of the law... that it will be easier to get marijuana in Canada," said Cellucci -- who must be visiting the wrong parts of Canada if he finds it difficult to find marijuana now. "Our customs and immigration officers, they're law-enforcement officers. If they think it's easier to get marijuana in Canada, they're going to be on the lookout," he told the Toronto Sun. Parliamentary vote or not, the issue could well be rendered moot by legal action. The Canadian Supreme Court is currently considering a trio of cases that challenge the government's ability to regulate marijuana possession. The decision in that group of cases could come any day. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 12, 2003 at 16:01:50 PT News Brief from The Associated Press Why would a large exporter of Cannabis need to import? ****Pot Headed for CanadaBy AP Friday, December 12, 2003 WARREN, Michigan -- A suspicious business owner and the police department's canine unit helped uncover almost 550 kg of marijuana destined for Canada. Narcotics officers and federal agents found the marijuana, valued at $1.2 million US, packaged in bricks weighing nearly half a kilogram each and stuffed inside beams of a semi-tractor-trailer. "It's part of a very sophisticated operation," said Det.-Lt. Mark Mazzone of the Warren police. Police said a woman phoned a trucking firm on Nov. 24, asking the company if it would haul the trailer to Canada. Police said the woman claimed the company she worked for had sold the trailer but needed it driven to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. When the owner, whose identity wasn't released, saw the trailer on his lot he told her his company does not accept such jobs. He suspected it was stolen and called cops. Police were trying to find the woman. Copyright: 2003 Associated Press [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Trekkie on December 12, 2003 at 15:54:58 PT I thought... Didn't earlier propoganda say that Canada was the largest producer of US smokage?And before that, wasn't it Mexico?And before that, ... (ad infinitum) [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by SystemGoneDown on December 12, 2003 at 15:28:16 PT: OUTRAGE!!!! This is absurd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Not only does this make us bullies but it makes me feel so alienated that we as the American people accept this. Who are we to extend our RIDICULOUSLY FLAWED laws on cannabis to other countries. This should be a violation of basic humane policy. IF ONLY the American people would wake up and smell the coffee... our problem(not mine) is that most people don't feel like this marijuana prohibition is worth fighting. They feel it will a)not succeed and b)make them look like pothead dopers who don't know what they're talking about.......THATS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT!!!, THEY want to strike fear in you... THEY want to control your thoughts and opinions and want you to be a slave to their coorperate buddies. THEY are evil people with masks. THEY view marijuana as a pleasure drug, while keeping Viagra and alcohol legal.... THEY will let tobacco kill the equivalent of a genocide while ignoring that marijuana has never been linked to a overdose death. THEY don't want you to know about the medicine/petroleum/energy/alcohol companies that will lose major profit if cannabis were legal. THEY are ignorant spoon-fed Daddy's boy that have no motives but greed...................WAKE UP AMERICA, this is our country, and it bleeds corruption, the System has flawed and now we need to take it back. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment