cannabisnews.com: Medical-Marijuana Advocates Meet Medical-Marijuana Advocates Meet Posted by CN Staff on May 23, 2004 at 09:45:46 PT By Tammie Smith, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Source: Times-Dispatch Researchers at conference in Charlottesville are talking about new developments.Still being studied: a "pot patch" that would deliver the active ingredients in marijuana through a skin patch for patients who are prescribed medical marijuana. Also in development: alternative delivery methods for therapeutic marijuana, such as a marijuana vaporizer and a marijuana-based spray squirted under the tongue. None has made it to the market and that, medical-marijuana advocates say, is a tragedy for patients who could benefit from the medically proven, pain-dulling and appetite-increasing effects of cannabis."Our hope is that . . . public-health and health-care officials are made aware of the science and, once they understand the science, realize there is no excuse for it being prohibited," said Mary Lynn Mathre.She is a nurse and president and co-founder of Patients Out of Time, one of the sponsors of the third National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics being held in Charlottesville yesterday and today.On the other side of the argument is the federal government, which classifies marijuana as an illegal drug and advises that marijuana's active ingredient, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), is "up to no good in the brain," creates learning and memory problems, makes driving dangerous and can lead to lung cancer.Marijuana, called pot, reefer, ganja and weed on the street, is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health.Federal law prohibits marijuana from being used or sold but, in nine states as of the end of last year, including California, it can be prescribed for medical uses.Some cancer patients say it helps reduce nausea caused by chemotherapy treatments, for instance. Some multiple-sclerosis patients say it helps control painful muscle spasms. A court case in California is challenging the federal government's efforts to prosecute patients who use marijuana for prescribed medical purposes.Medical-marijuana advocates say the herb has medicinal properties that synthetic drugs created to mimic the herb's active ingredients do not have.Mathre said about 150 people have signed up to attend the conference, fewer than she hoped."I think it's still the stigma," she said. "People are afraid of being associated with it. That is a big challenge."Researchers, including the University of Kentucky pharmacist working on the transdermal patch, are scheduled to talk about new developments."New research is going to be discussed in its use to limit damage from traumatic brain injury," Mathre said. "Some other new clinical data is going to be discussed in its use in [attention-deficit disorder], mood disorders and other behavioral and mental-health issues."Dr. Billy Martin, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor and pharmacologist who has studied cannabis for years, gave a presentation yesterday about the risk of dependence."Almost any drug that makes people feel good is going to produce dependence," he said in an earlier interview. "I think it's become much clearer in the last five to 10 years that marijuana does produce dependence . . . certainly not the intensity which develops to cocaine, heroin and things like that."Martin said research on cannabis in the past decade has helped uncover the neurological systems that marijuana affects. That, in turn, has led to the development of animal models to study the drug's effects.Spinoff research is looking at drugs, called cannabinoid antagonists, that act on the same pleasure or dependence pathways affected by marijuana's active ingredients. One of those drugs, Martin said, is being developed as a treatment for obesity and smoking."We have this compound when you give it to people, it causes weight loss and helps people quit smoking," he said."The discovery of this . . . biological system that marijuana acts on has really caused an explosion in research."Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)Author: Tammie Smith, Times-Dispatch Staff WriterPublished: May 22, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Richmond Newspapers Inc.Contact: letters timesdispatch.comWebsite: http://www.timesdispatch.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Patients Out of Timehttp://www.medicalcannabis.com/Conference To Question Medical Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18835.shtmlNew Book on Women and Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15752.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #26 posted by FoM on May 24, 2004 at 10:39:00 PT Don't Tell Anyone This! LOL! I just am so excited I can't keep this in any longer. I will be meeting someone from CNews soon. I won't say who though. I'm bubbly about it. Now remember don't tell anyone! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by FoM on May 24, 2004 at 10:21:41 PT breeze Thanks so much! Ozzy for President! That made me laugh. He'd probably do as good a job as anyone else will! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by breeze on May 24, 2004 at 10:17:45 PT FOM- I certainly understand, and I am very appreciative of you. Your level of participation is indeed 30 times greater than most who "claim" to be trying to further the need for effective legislation- and it is obvious because of your dedication to moderator of this page. The news that is posted here is very important to all who needs this information, to make up their own minds about the issue, or to further the argument within the trenches- those who walk the walk AND talk the talk.OZZY FOR PRESIDENT!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by FoM on May 24, 2004 at 07:40:54 PT Virgil and Breeze Thank you for understanding. It's not easy picking articles to post particularly since this time of year there aren't many. I believe in all of us and we are the ones that are making the difference. Politicians have agendas. We don't have agendas. We just want free cannabis for everyone. I always have a picture in my mind of what I feel I should focus on. When I say we I mean all the people from all the web sites and organizations that are working hard to bring change. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by FoM on May 24, 2004 at 07:34:05 PT Article About Judge Jim Gray from Snipped Source Judge Takes Leave From Bench to Join Senate Race Libertarian Jim Gray is challenging Barbara Boxer in a longshot campaign. He believes changes are made by example. By Scott Martelle, Times Staff WriterMay 24, 2004UKIAH, Calif. — Jim Gray, rigid as a judge's gavel, stood at the front of a high-ceilinged tavern here and ran through a list of political positions he hoped would appeal to Mendocino County's famously idiosyncratic voters. Pot should be legal. Genetically modified foods should be labeled. The Patriot Act should be gutted. "We are galloping, racing toward a police state," said Gray, his voice curt and direct. "This Patriot Act is the most recent, but our civil liberties are in jeopardy."These are not political views normally associated with a 59-year-old Orange County Superior Court judge, a self-described "conservative dude" who left the Republican Party less than two years ago over its stances backing the war on drugs and the Patriot Act, and joined the more doctrinaire Libertarians. But in a life marked by anomalies — Gray once led an anti-Vietnam War protest while enrolled in USC's Navy ROTC program — the judge is engaged in yet another incongruous act: a yearlong leave of absence from the bench to challenge two-term Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer for the U.S. Senate.With a three-person staff, pocket change in his war chest and a campaign based mainly on legalizing marijuana, Gray's path to the Senate is steeper than the traditional uphill run. It's more like standing at the base of El Capitan, looking skyward and wondering just how high he can scramble before gravity drags him back to earth.But Gray sees his campaign as an act of personal responsibility. He might be a pragmatist on an impractical mission, but he believes current government policies are wrong and should be changed. And he believes you change things by example."How can I expect anybody else to come forward unless I do more than my share?" Gray told the crowd. So Gray has been making small forays like this one, going out for a few days to talk to supporters, troll for fresh votes and try to get himself interviewed by local media. Then he returns to Costa Mesa to map strategy from his office near John Wayne Airport, a rented first-floor space wedged between two fast-food joints and downstairs from a tanning parlor.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gray24may24,1,3451493.story [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by Had Enough on May 24, 2004 at 06:46:18 PT Fired For A Shy Bladder? This is interestinghttp://cbs4boston.com/water/watercooler_story_142092927.htmlDon't forget to VOTE. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by mayan on May 24, 2004 at 04:41:42 PT WE WANT OUR PLANT!!! Folks everywhere are beginning to question why this miracle plant was even outlawed in the first place. Nothing can justify this appallingly disastrous experiment known as prohibition. If our politicians can't explain why our money is being spent to oppress us they will be shown the door. We want our plant and we want it NOW!!!Yet another city blasts the Patriot Act...St. Petersburg City Council decries Patriot Act: http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/21/Southpinellas/St_Petersburg_City_Co.shtmlHere's an unrelated, yet interesting article regarding the Libertarian threat to Bush... Bush's Third-Party Threat: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/21/politics/main619019.shtmlThe way out is the way in...9/11 Whistleblower Edmonds Responds to DoJ Gagging Congress -- Pledges to Testify in Public Under Oath: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=267&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Howard Zinn Supports 9/11 Truth! http://www.septembereleventh.org/alerts/zinn.phpThe Great Whitewash: The 9/11 Commission and the Avoidance of the Truth: http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/05/con04230.htmlPalme d’Or for anti-war Moore: http://www.sundayherald.com/42223 [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by global_warming on May 24, 2004 at 03:48:54 PT freedom of speech Teacher Fired Over Student's Anti-War PoetryBy Bill Hill Daytona Beach News-Journal 5-22-4 Bill Nevins, a New Mexico high school teacher and personal friend, was fired last year and classes in poetry and the poetry club at Rio Rancho High School were permanently terminated. It had nothing to do with obscenity, but it had everything to do with extremist politics. The "Slam Team" was a group of teenage poets who asked Nevins to serve as faculty adviser to their club. The teens, mostly shy youngsters, were taught to read their poetry aloud and before audiences. Rio Rancho High School gave the Slam Team access to the school's closed-circuit television once a week and the poets thrived. In March 2003, a teenage girl named Courtney presented one of her poems before an audience at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Albuquerque, then read the poem live on the school's closed-circuit television channel. A school military liaison and the high school principal accused the girl of being "un-American" because she criticized the war in Iraq and the Bush administration's failure to give substance to its "No child left behind" education policy. The girl's mother, also a teacher, was ordered by the principal to destroy the child's poetry. The mother refused and may lose her job. Bill Nevins was suspended for not censoring the poetry of his students. Remember, there is no obscenity to be found in any of the poetry. He was later fired by the principal. After firing Nevins and terminating the teaching and reading of poetry in the school, the principal and the military liaison read a poem of their own as they raised the flag outside the school. When the principal had the flag at full staff, he applauded the action he'd taken in concert with the military liaison. Then to all students and faculty who did not share his political opinions, the principal shouted: "Shut your faces." What a wonderful lesson he gave those 3,000 students at the largest public high school in New Mexico. In his mind, only certain opinions are to be allowed. But more was to come. Posters done by art students were ordered torn down, even though none was termed obscene. Some were satirical, implicating a national policy that had led us into war. Art teachers who refused to rip down the posters on display in their classrooms were not given contracts to return to the school in this current school year. The message is plain. Critical thinking, questioning of public policies and freedom of speech are not to be allowed to anyone who does not share the thinking of the school principal. The teachers union has been joined in a legal action against the school by the National Writers Union, headquartered in New York City. NWU's at-large representative Samantha Clark lives and works in Albuquerque. The American Civil Liberties Union has become the legal arm of the lawsuit pending in federal court. Meanwhile, Nevins applied for a teaching post in another school and was offered the job but he can't go to work until Rio Rancho's principal sends the new school Nevins' credentials. The principal has refused to do so, and that adds yet another issue to the lawsuit, which is awaiting a trial date. While students are denied poetry readings, poetry clubs and classes in poetry, Nevins works elsewhere and writes his own poetry. Writers and editors who have spent years translating essays, films, poems, scientific articles and books by Iranian, North Korean and Sudanese authors have been warned not to do so by the U.S. Treasury Department under penalty of fine and imprisonment. Publishers and film producers are not allowed to edit works authored by writers in those nations. The Bush administration contends doing so has the effect of trading with the enemy, despite a 1988 law that exempts published materials from sanction under trade rules. Robert Bovenschulte, president of the American Chemical Society, is challenging the rule interpretation by violating it to edit into English several scientific papers from Iran. Are book burnings next? - Hill is a retired News-Journal reporter © 2004 News-JournalÝCorporation http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/03OpOPN62051504.htm Teacher Fired Over Student's Anti-War Poetry [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by Virgil on May 24, 2004 at 02:47:05 PT That did not come out right If he does become the Democratic nominee, the guy will be the first candidate for Senate of the two major parties to call for legalization, although now he has backed away from legalization. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by Virgil on May 24, 2004 at 02:43:05 PT I do not care about the article being posted FoM, you had me at "snipped." There were only three articles yesterday. I can say what I wanted to comment on right here without the article. I don't think they have had the primary yet, but the election commission expelled the leading Democrat leaving the expectation that this black man will be the first Senate candidate of either the Republicans or Democrats to run for Senate.I was hoping maybe someone could come up with the guys website and that Loretta Nall might interview him since she lives in Alabama. The thing that grabbed me about the content of the article was that his website called for Freed Weed. Then they interview him and he backs away from legalization. Now why would someone change their position when once your conviction calls for legalization that is not going to change easily. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by breeze on May 24, 2004 at 01:38:40 PT FOM- I can certainly understand your reserve in support of any particular political candidate, as a news model, doing so would certainly go against many logical and ethical purposes. I was just slightly taken aback by the way that you worded a comment earlier that seemed to project that you aren't really into politics-it kind of bent my head in the way you worded it, in that in fact you are in a very highly politically charged arena. Here is something a little more interesting than my previous babble-http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040522/NEWS/405220303/0/FRONTPAGE [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 23, 2004 at 23:37:01 PT breeze Your comment says a lot. What I am trying to say that posting about someone running for a political office isn't what I want to do. I understand what MPP is doing and why. I understand using the media as best as we can. I will vote this november. I believe I must. The politics of Cannabis interest me and are important but what has pushed us forward has been the courts. The people that are fighting for our cause are the ones that are stirring it up. Do you see what I mean? [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by breeze on May 23, 2004 at 23:13:03 PT FOM- may I ask a question? I realize that you hate politics, and I have to say honestly that I also hate politics. I understand that just about everyone in the USA hates politics and politicians- can't blame them for that either. But one thing that you must surely understand is that politics is what makes a society successful. Let me clarify- the economy of any given nation has been driven by politics for thousands of years, and likely to be for a few more thousand years. Politics is more central to the income, well being, and freedom of a human being on this planet than most people of modern day realize. The politicians govern what you are allowed to see, what you are allowed to drink, what you are allowed to do in privacy as well as in public. Politics are intrinquently(sp) entertwined with how a society thrives or dissolves. In our form of government, we have evolved into a system where more governmental agencies are designated as the law makers and policy takers of our society. There are millions of people in governmental positions that influence our society in ways that a common person can only fathom, and the only way to change those policies are through politicians- the people who are chosen by the people to do so. Too frequently it doesn't work that way, the politician spends money to get elected into a job that doesn't pay nearly what they spent on getting the title in the first place- thus comes the purpose for wanting the job- power. With that power comes great responsibility- which many abuse on both fronts. Many times a politician gains power only so that they may be able to make more money than they already own, and it is not through their office that they accomplish this- as I have already stated- the paycheck for the office is sometimes less than what the person spends to acquire votes. And so, politics is where one has to place their attention if they want to change the world for the better.Lobbying is where the people who want change, begins. People have to frequently PAY for their concerns and issues to be heard, it was supposed to be free per our orginal founding fathers- but our nation grew to the size it is today- so now you have to basically BUY the attention of the politician in charge. This is where lobbyists step into the spotlight- and they would certainly prefer to be outside of that spotlight, because they know the damage that their "neccesity" produces, it just so happens to be that most people do not understand how our system of government operates- and could care less simply because it is boring. But when boring makes my money go towards paying more for something today than it did yesterday- it suddenly moves from boring to important, and important means that I must resolve to pay attention.Look- I do not want to go into a tirade of how government works- I simply do not have the time. But, politics is something that we must ALL, as responsible adults, must learn about if we want a better world for our children. You may not ever have offspring, but you will one day see how the consequences of what you ignore today effects what happens to you 10, 20, 50 or so years down the road. Think about it like this- 40 years from right now, this moment- you may be bound to a wheelchair and sitting in that wheelchair on a side walk begging for spare change, and why? Because you ignored some of the major issues happening this moment in time. Issues, that deal specifically how the government is not regulating issues that deal with healthcare, social security or how they are putting laws into place that restrict the use of stem cell research- most people think that stem cell research is immoral, without even understanding what the research is all about- they simply go by what their friends, religou leaders and the politically driven media tell them, without ever understanding that this research could effect the entire way the human body is treated for disease, and injuries. In time, this research could possibly go beyond the need for stem cells PERIOD- but a politician said no to stem cell research a few months ago, and so we will never get past the point of knowing the good that such research could do in our future. Believe me, I would rather have the technology and the understanding of the use of that technology than have to go back for more surgeries, and chemo treatments.But you must understand that politics is more than just about how humans are treated, it is about enviroment, how technology is used and abused, how lowtech medication such as marijuana is being avoided in place of high tech medications that aren't nearly as effective, cheap, or user friendly. There are a wide varity of many uses for the plant, but politicians are the ones who stand in direct conflict of its developmental stage and at the same time, wasting money on a war that simply cannot be won- even after thirty years and another thirty to come. Cannabis news may be a site where a few writers gather on a regular basis to discuss ideas, share web sites, and current news in the here and now, but tommorows future is going to be so much more than you can possibly imagine- if our society is allowed to survive. By saying "allowed to survive," I mean specifically that because the politicians are the ones who effect so many things in our society. Every great empire to this day has managed to effectively destroy itself in its actions, or inactions. Mankind, human kind-- has managed to survive, but look at the many setbacks that have been created by one man creating an obstacle for another and eventually paid for their mistakes on a grand scale. In the last 100 years, our world has seen a technology explosion that could have only been dreamed of by people a thousand years ago- and politicians want to slow technology down, or at least use it for their own ill gotten gains. In the past week I have heard of how the politicians are looking for answers to our high gasoline prices, and are looking for alternative fuels- while for the past 10 years or more the mindset of people similar to those who write for this particular website have been screaming out the fact that a major alternative fuel can be found in cannabis- HEMP. This great work has been exhausting, but as I said- lobbyists are the ones who get the politicians attention because they get paid for their efforts, and the lobbyists on capital hill aren't about to mention the fact that cannabis HEMP is the answer, because they knew about this miracle plant and its usage as an alternative fuel twenty years ago, they just waited too long to discover its true potential. And so now, TODAY, people are paying the price for not paying attention, in particularly at the gas pump. Soon they will be paying for it in grocery stores, and other places where goods are sold- because it takes money, and GAS to ship goods from warehouse to shop. When the cost of gasoline rises, the cost of corn rises- trickle down economics. Now, add to the rising costs of living- you know, the basics such as clothing, energy, food- and toss in the growing budget that is directly attributed to the use of war- the war in Iraq, the drug war, who is going to pay for this? The politicians aren't going to pay for it, no- you the public are responsible for this huge bill. And because you, the public, found politics to be too boring to pay attention to who said what, and when they said it- people whom you don't know, people who are going to benefit from having certain friends in high places, laws that make their businesses successful, and benefit by having these elected officials in office who approve of, and encourage this activity by allowing this massive debt to grow- will pass the debt along to you and your children. But you see, these people are going to benefit from having these politicians in office in more ways than I can write about- these people are already millionaires, but they want more- their first human trait is greed. They are the ones who want- literally, have FINANCIAL desire for more prisons to be built, for more laws to be in place to put more people into those prisons because it makes them more money. Those people know it is easier to make money by demanding it from people than asking for it, and it is a side of society that is seldom examined by the media, because the media's wranglers are involved in the seediness of it all as well- watch FSTV if you have dish network sometime, you will find many answers there.FOM- I hate politics- I really do. But I have seen first hand how a simple understanding of something effects the direct consequences of how something is used- lets say, spending five minutes to read the manual on how to put together a computer desk can save hours of just looking at the parts and trying to fit them together to function just like the picture on the box. I asked you a few months ago, how many hits this site recieves each month- you responded at that time that it was in the thousands. That is more than just me and a few other folk looking at your website a few times a day. Your website is indeed a political machine- I have heard a few things that were discussed here pop up in conversation in the media- statements that were obviously lifted from points of view that were almost plagerism of this web site, I kid you not. And so, you have effectively become a part of a political machine- because in politics- the people make the final rule. It is going to take a LOT of people to say that they have had enough of wasteful spending, they have had enough of laws dictating what alternative fuels can be experimented with but are not because of the nature of the plants involved in producing said fuels. Its going to take a lot of people to see that the model drug war is just a financial demon that devours more than just tax revenue, but lives and futures of people as well. Is it going to be a politician that does this? It will almost certainly have to be, because the people elect the people who make the policy- the people who have the money to run for office- because as I said, lobbyists aren't going to do anything but push for those companies that pay them to do so- they aren't interested in making this world a better one, their key interest is in making more money. Kucinich was the man- and he had the spot light for a few hours, he even got my vote- but he failed to say that he was for effective and logical drug war reform at the right time to the masses- it would have been to his benefit if he had, and he did not. He had the oppurtunity, he wanted to push other issues instead. Nader is in the same position, he could do so, but he hasn't, and so the remainder goes to kerry and his camp. Kerry's wranglers tell him that to mention legalization of cannabis, or even researching cannabis as an alternative fuel would be political suicide- because their belief is that most voting Americans think that drug use is bad. Clinton released the idea that he was for reducing laws dealing with cannabis by making his jokes about his usage of cannabis at an MTV push for more youthful voters just before his election, and it swayed many voters to his side in false hopes that he would indeed end the drug war with some common sensibility. HE won the election, but arrests for cannabis actually increased during his term in office. Kerry isn't going to make the mistake of taking either side, because he is a typical politician- say one thing, do another, and he isn't about to promise any hope of making this nation a better place to live, hell, we cant even get the news media to report that prison in the US is equal or worse to that in Iraq, much less get JKerry to say that he is going to reduce the harm that some laws manufacture, be them about cannabis or otherwise.And so there, there is the reason every person who lives in this country who has so much as an inkling of desire to have cannabis legalized, needs to pay attention to politics- because it effects so many different aspects of society. Money is a huge influence, and it either goes where what the politician in charge wants it to go or it goes to what the people desire- and it is always in the hand of the people during the election, if not then by having effective representation. During the next few years, people need to press their representatives for their intents and purposes for being in office, and they need to vote those in office out if they haven't been satisfied with rising prices, fewer jobs, more prisons and scandals- if they are happy with this, then they need to keep the people who are in office in for another term. Believe them when they say they want to remain in office, they believe they can make a difference- because they already have made a difference, and they can always just make things worse than they already have. And that is why I have to pay attention to politics, not because I want too, but because someone has to stand there and watch the apparent and at least attempt to tell the other little guys about how they are getting screwed and whose doing it. At least to those who listen. Many others on this site have said- WRITE letters, go to demonstrations, organize a march! And while these activities have a momentary success rate for increasing the publics attention and awareness, the public has a serious case of mental distraction- they are akin to a roomful of toddlers with attention deficit disfunction high on a sugar buzz. They can only retain information in small tidbits for only brief moments at a time before they quickly focus on something else. A serious change can be made, but it takes a massive effort. It takes more than just litle old me preaching to the choir here at CN- it takes people on every street corner demanding change. It is a wonderful thing to read about how so and so state is legalizing marijuana for medical usage- it truly is, but its NOT going to be a success story until every state in the union makes it legal for everybody to use it for what ever purpose they deem nessecary- because of the ten or so states that are pushing for medical usage ALONE, there are forty other states that see things differently, and those states are ran by politicians who could care less about the people they govern, but by the money that those people can put into their politically charged bank accounts. That is why politics is such a major thing in regards to cannabis- its not which party is the greatest, its about electing people who are willing to allow other people to live their lives in peace and with freedom assured the masses by those who fought and died protecting such freedom. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by FoM on May 23, 2004 at 19:26:14 PT You're Right About Reform Being Political I guess I should have said politicians. That's one person who is a Democrat or Republican or Libertarian or Green. That's what I was trying to say. We have people from all parties involved in reform. If Bush or Kerry says they immediate will legalize Cannabis I'll post it because they have the power if they are president to do it. I hope this explains what I'm trying to say ok. The Internet has many web sites devoted to politics and that's a good thing but all things don't have to be about politics. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2004 at 19:03:56 PT Reform is all politics The article made like this guy is going to be the Democratic nominee, I guess mainly because most people would not run against an incumbent machine. I just looked at the census for Alabama in 2000 and 26% are African Americans or whatever term is more appropriate.Where EJ said the blacks were taking up the reform war, I thought of a choir again. It all has to do with the situation softening and making it clear that those that know know the laws must change. There is a built in chorus from the black community for reform and they were just waiting for the audience to gather so they did not sing to the wind. The suppression has been so harsh that nobody wanted to mess with the subject much in the realm of art. I think it is all about to change and the announcement of a tipping point for legalization will set off an explosive situation. From reading DU, Andy Rooney told it like it was on 60 minutes tonight. Here is the DU thread that I read- http://tinyurl.com/2xv9p Andy says how would you have liked to have seen the country become the envy of the world and now at the end of life at 85 you see that it has the distain of the whole world and with cause, using my words. He says the only thing that can save us is contrition. That is what Kucinich says. That we must admit we were wrong and pay reparations. Now I know that Kucinich will not be President but he should easily win re-election to the House where he will be a beacon for the best way.But the whole neo-con game is up. I think most people see Rumsfield going and Colin Powell is being exposed for the go along person that he is. The ship is sinking and the high gas prices are now relevanat to the reform of the cannabis laws. But the $2 billion a day growth on the national debt that I bore people with will bring it all in focus when people turn there attention to why interest rates will take off.The Simpsons tonight was about the rich man buying all the media to control his image. It is a case of art seeking to change what is clearly a collection of bad wrongs. We do not see fascism discussed on television, but it is coming even if it is with the second generation Internet that plays on a tv with a new fangled digital hard drive to replace the VCR. What amazes me is how the national debt does not make it to the business reports because the feds cannot keep borrowing in two weeks what the state governments of the Carolinas spend in a year.I did a search at Google earlier today for "We are ruled by treason." It has 23 results coming to cannabisnews and nowhere else. Well, I went off on Bush when he was at 90 percent approval and called him the dickhead he is. He cannot even eat pretzels or ride a bicycle. I guess I am the only one in the world that would call him "The Great Right Dope." People will come to see that we are ruled by treason and the fact that I am now alone does not discourage me. Actually it makes me think I should sell t-shirts and bumperstickers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on May 23, 2004 at 18:18:16 PT Virgil I'm sure NORML will have it in their weekly press release. I always post them. Maybe Map will post it if you send it in. I'm not sure if they do or not. You like to do politics but I am only concerned with reform. I don't back any one and that is best because of what I do here. That's why I asked Ron to remove Kerry's banner after I asked him to put it on CNews. It really bothered me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2004 at 18:10:38 PT Election results will be extremely interesting I think that it will be on NORML's Thursday release as it is highly important. A powerful incumbent supported by the Republicans can shred him with their media, but if his heart is in the right place the guy has a chance.I think it is something like Ashcroft losing to a dead man. I would hope that Loretta Nall picks up on this story as soon as possible and can interview him for pot-tv. That is the intersection of interest. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 23, 2004 at 17:48:35 PT Virgil I did read the article last night and wondered if I should post it. The Houston Chronicle is one of those snipped sources so I decided reading the article would be ok with most people. I don't want to do articles on politics because if I do one I will have to do another. I really don't like politics because politics make people angry. I hate fighting. I hope you understand. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2004 at 17:40:15 PT An important development There is a black Democrat running for Senate in Alabama. His competition crashed and he will run against one of those vile Republican incumbents that sent the country to hell. What makes this important is that he is for Freed Weed- http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2585319FoM, I wish you could post the article so that people might know of the situation if it given some prominance. With the discontent in the country and the need to send the incumbents home and the large black population in Alabama, who knows what would happen if we adopted him as our candidate to support. There is a thread on this at DU- http://tinyurl.com/2x4vu [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by breeze on May 23, 2004 at 16:41:08 PT Here is an interesting piece on fascism It defines facism- and what social structures it focuses upon- http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/Structure3.htmWhat is your opinion? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 23, 2004 at 11:56:20 PT Addictions, Dependencies, So What. They alwasy talk about the addiction and dependence of cannabis and other drugs like it's a bad thing. The human species are by nature habitual. We get addicted to work, love, chocolate, gluttony, and many other things like putting your left shoe on first.There's nothing wrong with addictions or dependence per se as long as your activities are moderate, and don't detrimentally affect your life, safety or health. Unless of course you're a government that is addicted to cruelty, prejudice, and hate. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by E_Johnson on May 23, 2004 at 11:56:05 PT Good point global_warming I think our economic and political system have become addicted to incarceration. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 23, 2004 at 11:55:28 PT I'm Dependent on Eating Food I don't like feeling hungry so I eat food and it makes me feel good. Maybe food should be illegal too by some standards of judgment."Almost any drug that makes people feel good is going to produce dependence," he said in an earlier interview. "I think it's become much clearer in the last five to 10 years that marijuana does produce dependence . . . certainly not the intensity which develops to cocaine, heroin and things like that." [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2004 at 11:42:19 PT Why don't the feds enforce their corrupt laws? Federal law prohibits marijuana from being used or sold It is against the federal law to have a joint or a seed, but then they do not enforce the law. Why don't they make a federal case out of it like the law requires. They have Meyers and their mouthpieces saying they don't make the laws, but just enforce them. Well, the DEA schedules drugs and plants too and calls them narcotics which is making the laws, so that is not entirely true. But then they say they enforce the laws, and that is just crap. They go after growers with a hundred plants, but they do not enforce the laws they do have. I guess it gives them something else to lie about which seems to be their mission statement. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by global_warming on May 23, 2004 at 11:28:06 PT Choose Your Poison "Almost any drug that makes people feel good is going to produce dependence," he said in an earlier interview. "I think it's become much clearer in the last five to 10 years that marijuana does produce dependence . . . certainly not the intensity which develops to cocaine, heroin and things like that."If we compare dependencies, I would rather depend on cannabis than the prison system that has been built to accomodate poor and sick people, and the belief that somehow, putting me in a cage is better for me and for you.I hope that you antis can see the disgrace that they are promoting in this world. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on May 23, 2004 at 10:10:51 PT Question for Dr. Russo ""We have this compound when you give it to people, it causes weight loss and helps people quit smoking," he said "If it does this by blocking cannabinoids, does that mean the side effects include sleeplessness, anxiety and cancer? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment