cannabisnews.com: Puff Don't Pass

Puff Don't Pass

Posted by CN Staff on November 08, 2004 at 22:28:54 PT
Opinion
Source: State News

Medicinal marijuana is just fine with Ann Arbor residents.Last week, they approved a proposal that protects patients who use marijuana for medical purposes, such as soothing pain or increasing appetite. East Lansing and Detroit are two other Michigan cities that have approved pro-pot proposals like this.
To really understand the debate you'll need to know that marijuana has only been illegal on the federal level since 1937. Until the federal government reconsiders its stance, laws passed on a local or state level will remain symbolic.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved some magical strain of the drug for medical use. Even in California, medical buyers have to organize to form special pharmacies, getting weed from dealers. Buyers must prove every customer has a prescription, or face the consequences.We applaud the residents of Ann Arbor for standing up for a patient's right to receiving the best available care they can. Yes, marijuana is an illegal drug, but when it can be used for legitimately useful purposes, it's time federal and state lawmakers take notice.Several legitimate illnesses can use marijuana as a treatment. Doctors could potentially use the drug to combat loss of appetite in HIV patients, the painful after-effects of chemotherapy, glaucoma or even as a muscle-relaxant for those suffering from epilepsy.Doctors already can dole out marijuana's prime ingredient, THC, in pill form. But doctors usually give it to chemotherapy patients with nausea so bad they can't keep the pill down. It's much easier for patients to derive pain relief by smoking.The cases where doctors would use marijuana, though, are limited. This won't cause mass availability of weed. You won't find people on chemotherapy pushing extra weed on grade-school children. We're not calling for recreational use here.It's confusing and somewhat illogical that Gov. Jennifer Granholm would send a letter to the city of Ann Arbor reprimanding them for their medical marijuana proposal. Hasn't she heard of "Hash Bash?" It's twisted then, that the nominal, slap-on-the-wrist charges in Ann Arbor for small-scale possession of weed or the annual mass celebration of it don't bother her as much as those who smoke for medical purposes.Go figure.Even the American Medical Association has called for more controlled experiments to determine the exact effects of marijuana. There's a lot about marijuana that scientists just don't know - maybe it's time to find out.Scientists deserve the chance to make a final, definitive determination on whether or not pot can serve for more than just black-market entertainment. Serious questions - like the ethical balance of prescribing a drug to cancer patients linked to lung cancer - remain unanswered.It's not like marijuana would be a first. Narcotic drugs such as morphine and Vicodin are used, even despite their potential to addict patients. Patients trust their doctors to know how to properly administer them, and the same could ring true for marijuana in the future.In the end, it should come down to a patient's decision. Once the real risks and benefits are known, doctors will have the wealth of knowledge they need to make the right call for their patients. Note: Ann Arbor proposal to protect marijuana use for patients offers as many options as possible. Source: State News, The (MI State U, MI Edu)Published: November 9, 2004Copyright: 2004 The State NewsContact: opinion statenews.comWebsite: http://www.statenews.comRelated Articles & Web Sites:Ann Arbor MMJ Initiativehttp://www.aammi.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmCity Could Face Suit Over Pot Proposalhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19788.shtmlAnn Arbor Proposal Lights Up E.L. Debatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19787.shtmlMedical Marijuana Vote Called Invalidhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19771.shtml

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Comment #52 posted by dr slider on November 10, 2004 at 07:49:08 PT:
afterburner
Add to that Bush's "guest worker" immigration reform and the picture becomes clearer. Soon enough the only way for the economically depressed to get ahead (ironically mostly in the "red" states) will be to join the military. Damn right they'll be no draft (until a new theatre of operations opens), the poor'll line up for their shot at being all they can be. Why would he rich offer up their son's and daughters?Sieg heil!
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Comment #51 posted by afterburner on November 10, 2004 at 04:46:40 PT
Clarification of Comment #43
It is not that I am opposed to prison work and/or training, per se. The goal of giving inmates usable job skills is a worthy one. However, when a nation incarcerates a much larger percentage of its citizens (largely due to the drug war on victimless perpetrators, mandatory minimums, zero tolerance, and three strikes laws) than an other nation on earth, the law of supply and demand is being subverted. Having way too many prisoners in United States jails and prisons results in an ?unintended? economic consequence: a comparative advantage of low paid prison labor over the minimum wage working poor, trying to survive and raise a family on part-time work with no benefits. This is the dark underbelly that Larry D. Thompson seems to be loathe to see. Do we want another clueless Attorney General?
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Comment #50 posted by CannabisMark on November 09, 2004 at 19:04:38 PT:
Medicinal Marijuana Works!!!!!!!!
i was in mexico during the summer with my friend. somehow i must have drank the water there and i got Montezuma's Revenge...i experienced the worst pain in my life during vacation and after it. When i was in pain in mexico i bought some weed at a bodega off the resort. A few hours later as i was sitting in pain waiting to lite up i was prayin for the pain to go away. Presto! wen i was done i felt little pain ..i was in complete relaxation. No pain watsoever. Smoking also makes me feel better wen im sick with a cold.
MEDICINAL MARIJUANA IS A PANACEA
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Comment #49 posted by CannabisMark on November 09, 2004 at 18:57:46 PT:
answering ur ?
hey...i definetly believe that your grandmother should use it..for a fact i no that medicinal marijuana works
without a doubt in my mind it would help her
~one love~
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 18:12:07 PT
mayan
It really doesn't matter why he conceded. He's been in politics forever and they all act differently then we all do. That's why politics aren't interesting to people I have talked to locally. It doesn't mean anything they've said. That's how I see it all. I'm not angry or sad just realistic.
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Comment #47 posted by mayan on November 09, 2004 at 18:03:39 PT
FoM
If this country can make it through this next four year "bottleneck" we can make it through anything! Here's the article I was looking for which explains Kerry's concession...Why Kerry Conceded Defeat despite Electoral Fraud:
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_13427.shtml
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 17:51:21 PT
mayan
I can't even worry about if Kerry runs in 4 years. He could die. He had cancer so even though he is in remission we all know how health can turn. We have 4 years with this administration that very well could make the last 4 seem like a walk in the park. I'm glad I can't see the future. I'm afraid it would really scare me if I could.
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Comment #45 posted by mayan on November 09, 2004 at 17:44:14 PT
Kerry's A Quitter
The fact that Kerry conceded while knowing there was mass vote fraud indicates he is only a part of the machine formerly known as democracy. Vote for Kerry in four years so he can concede prematurely again? No thanks. The CFR/Bonesman is as far on the inside as you can get.Look where voting for the lesser of two evils has put this country! Jesse Ventura may be our only hope.
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Comment #44 posted by John Tyler on November 09, 2004 at 17:37:42 PT
Medical question
I have an aunt in her late 60's who is being treated for leukemia. She is in remission at this time. Would medical cannabis be benificial to her medical condition and mental health? I'm thinking yes, but I would like a second or third opinion. Thanks.
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Comment #43 posted by afterburner on November 09, 2004 at 17:23:27 PT
Larry D. Thompson, Another Apologist for Prisons
...from the link page of Comment #34 posted by siege Federal Prison Industries: Fair to business, vital to society,
Federal Times, March 1, 2004,
Larry D. Thompson, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies and Governance Studies
http://www.brook.edu/views/op-ed/thompson/20040301.htm{Shortly before Congress' holiday recess, the House of Representatives passed HR 1829—the Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act. This bill is designed to cut the Federal Prison Industries (FPI) program substantially, purportedly as a means to provide relief for American manufacturers and small businesses that have suffered the brunt of this country's recent job losses.{In reality, restricting the FPI program would provide little, if any, relief for industries claiming to be adversely impacted by "unfair" competition from FPI. Rather, the only certain result from reducing the FPI program is the revictimization of the communities to which inmates return, when they are unable to maintain employment because they were denied the opportunity to develop a work ethic and learn job skills in the FPI program while in custody. Although the FPI program produces products and performs services, the real output is inmates who are more likely to return to society as law-abiding taxpayers because of the job-skills training and work experience they received in the FPI program.}I hope *he* doesn't get Attorney General.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 16:50:58 PT
cloud7
I'm glad you like it. I can turn off the news on tv and turn on music and still know faster and with more variety what is happening in the world and the USA.
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Comment #41 posted by cloud7 on November 09, 2004 at 16:26:33 PT
Google News
I just wanted to second this site as a great place for news. Ever since I found out about it, it has been my homepage.http://news.google.com/
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Comment #40 posted by freedom23 on November 09, 2004 at 16:07:34 PT
Text of Ashcroft's resignation letter
Office of the Attorney GeneralWashington DC 20530November 2, 2004Dear Mr. President:Nothing in my life compares to the high honor of serving America as Attorney General in your administration.The cause of justice is indeed a serious calling. Americans have been spared the violence and savaging of terrorist attack on our soil since September 11, 2001.During the last four years our violent crime rate has plunged to a 30-year low.Under your “Project Safe Neighborhoods” the number of gun crimes has fallen to its lowest level in modern history. Drug use among America’s young people has fall and continues to fall significantly.Corporate integrity has been restored with the work of your corporate Fraud Task Force. As a result United States Markets have reinforced their position as the trusted allocators of the world’s capital resources.Thank you for your leadership which has made these and many other justice-related achievements possible.The demands of justice are both rewarding and depleting. I take great personal satisfaction in the record which has been developed. The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved. The rule of law has been strengthened and upheld in the courts. Yet, I believe that the Department of Justice would be well served by new leadership and fresh inspiration. I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons.Therefore, I humbly state my desire to resign from the office of United States Attorney General.It would by my pleasure to structure the announcement of this resignation and the ensuing transition in conjunction with you so that your administration and the course of justice are served optimally.I have handwritten this letter so its confidentiality can be maintained until the appropriate arrangements mentioned above can be made.I am grateful to you for the profound honor of serving under your clear, principled leadership.May God continue to bless, guide, and direct you and your family as you lead American forward in freedom.Most Sincerely,John Ashcroft-----Scans of the letter:http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041109/ashcroft-1.320w.jpghttp://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041109/ashcroft-2.320w.jpghttp://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041109/ashcroft-3.320w.jpghttp://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041109/ashcroft-4.320w.jpghttp://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041109/ashcroft-5.320w.jpg
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #39 posted by freedom23 on November 09, 2004 at 15:55:47 PT
Ashcroft quote from his resignation letter
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."The man is clearly delusional. I think he's on drugs! ( Sorry, couldn't resist =) )
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 15:54:56 PT
freedom23
Thank you. If you find anymore information please post it.
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Comment #37 posted by freedom23 on November 09, 2004 at 15:47:30 PT
FoM - Larry Thompson information
Deputy Attorney General Larry ThompsonAugust 2004: Senior vice president and general counsel of PepsiCo.1967 graduate of Culver-Stockton CollegeMasters degree from Michigan StateJD from the University of MichiganFormer U.S. attorney in AtlantaFormer partner at the King & Spalding law firm in Atlanta* Lead on "Operation Pipe Dream" with Karen Tandy (now head of the DEA) *Complaint that he hid severe problems financial while he was director of Providian Financial Corporation. He was also chairman of Providian's audit committee.
Lake v. Providian Financial Corp. et al., No. 02-03933, complaint filed (N.D. Cal., 8/13/2002)http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/11/national/main567619.shtmlTop DOJ Official Stepping Down (Aug. 11, 2003)Former Brookings Scholar
http://tinyurl.com/6elrm (tinyurl used because the real url is 217 characters long).-----I'll research any comments he's made about marijuana to get a better idea of his positions on the subject and post them. Let's hope he was just following Ashcroft's orders on pipe dreams and disagrees with Darth Vader on the subject. More to follow.
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 15:29:58 PT
How About Attorney General Orrin Hatch?
Utahns to Get Positions in Bush Cabinet?By Christopher Smith, The Salt Lake Tribune November 9, 2004
WASHINGTON - The Beltway rumor mill and the chattering class are in overdrive speculating on President Bush's post-election Cabinet shake-up. And Utah's Washington players are included in pundits' predictions. Sen. Orrin Hatch as the next U.S. attorney general? EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt as the new secretary of homeland security? Not likely. But those scenarios are among many being bandied about after Bush spent the weekend at Camp David plotting strategy for his second term. In a news conference before the retreat, Bush said it was "inevitable" that there would be changes to his Cabinet, but he has told members to be wary of the intense speculation about turnovers. "I said, 'It's a great Washington sport to be talking about who's going to leave and who their replacements may be, and handicapping, you know, my way of thinking,' " Bush said after his first meeting with his Cabinet since his re-election victory. Although every prominent member of the administration has been the subject of rumored departures or job switches, most of the reported speculation over potential exits has focused on U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Treasury Secretary John Snow, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. The Wall Street Journal listed Hatch as a possible successor to Ashcroft as head of the Justice Department, while lobbyists for industry associations and environmental groups were spreading speculation via e-mail that Leavitt is "actively angling" to replace Ridge as head of Homeland Security.
Snip:Complete Article: http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2442475
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Comment #35 posted by The GCW on November 09, 2004 at 15:29:48 PT
How about Michigan going statewide?
Ann Arbor, East Lansing and Detroit...How about Michigan? 420Bush was in Ohio on election day?420It was disappointing to hear Kerry's resignation. Perhaps, Kerry skipping quick is not surprising when You consider they're both bonesmen.420Don't be surprised if Democratic Presidential Nominee Dennis Kucinich is there again.
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Comment #34 posted by siege on November 09, 2004 at 15:25:29 PT
Larry D. Thompson
Larry D. Thompson http://www.brook.edu/scholars/lthompson.HTM
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 15:23:53 PT
Ashcroft's Last Hurrah Maybe?
Bush Administration Appeals Over Oregon Suicide LawNovenber 9, 2004WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold Attorney General John Ashcroft's power to stop Oregon doctors from helping terminally ill patients commit suicide, despite a state law allowing such assistance. Oregon is the only state to allow physician-assisted suicide and since 1998 it has enabled more than 170 people to end their lives. In appealing to the high court, administration lawyers argued that Ashcroft correctly construed federal law to prohibit distribution of lethal controlled drugs to assist suicides, regardless of the state law. The move had been expected after a U.S. appeals court in San Francisco ruled in May that Ashcroft's directive was unlawful and unenforceable, and that he had overstepped his authority. Snip:Complete Article: http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6763842
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 15:11:22 PT
freedom23
I was just checking it out. I saw they mentioned someone named Larry Thompson maybe will take his place. I was trying to find something out about how he thinks on issues but I haven't found anything important so far.
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Comment #31 posted by freedom23 on November 09, 2004 at 15:02:34 PT
John Ashcroft has just resigned!
Ding dong the wicked witch is dead! Ok, resigned but it still just as good. Lets home he leaves Washington ASAP.This is the best news I've heard in a long time. news.google.com for more.
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #30 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 09, 2004 at 14:40:49 PT
The best summary of our situation so far:
is brought to you by Buzzflash, the busiest website I know of, with 300,000+ hits daily at times, and always posts updates on Cannabis issues, as they are on my email list, and get C-News articles forwarded to them. We have a great website on our side, as Cannabis issues now take center-stage with the positive election results over the last few days.What was bush doing in Ohio on Election Day? This question must be answered, and it should be enough to indict bush:Another Rigged Election? The Elephant in the Voting Boothby Maureen Farrell"Citing concerns about potential terrorism, Warren County officials locked down the county administration building on election night and blocked anyone from observing the vote count as the nation awaited Ohio's returns. County officials say they took the action Tuesday night for homeland security, although state elections officials said they didn't know of any other Ohio county that closed off its elections board. Media organizations protested, saying it violated the law and the public's rights. The Warren results, delayed for hours because of long lines that extended voting past the scheduled close of polls, were part of the last tallies that helped clinch President Bush's re-election." -- The Cincinnati Enquirer"Bush was to supposed to have watched the election from Crawford but was spirited back to Ohio today [election day] by his jittery advisors. Now he's in Washington. "(Why?!)" -- Max Blum, Nov. 2, 2004http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/11/far04038.html
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Comment #29 posted by Sam Adams on November 09, 2004 at 14:39:46 PT
dr. slider
So what were some of the ways the Nazis took over? I thought that, in addition to propaganda, it was Hitler's army of Brownshirts, unemployed men that were WWI vets. They literally just kicked the other factions' butts in wide-open street brawls. When the Brownshirt army finally got big enough, the military & rich elite had to agree to join Hitler. At least this is what I remember from the History channel special on Hilter.In today's post-violent information age, it's Rush Limbaugh that has built up the army of intellectual Brownshirts. They don't need to win street brawls, they just vote en masse.
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Comment #28 posted by siege on November 09, 2004 at 13:42:14 PT
talks the talk,
Alexander: Govt funding website on dodging drug lawsA Youth Law website, partly funded by the Government, gives teens advice on how to dodge drug laws and sends them to a drug-legalisation website for further information, United Future law and order spokesman Marc Alexander revealed in Parliament today."This is just another sign of a government that talks the talk, but never backs it up," Mr Alexander said after tackling Justice Minister Phil Goff on the issue.http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0411/S00206.htm
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 13:36:47 PT
dr slider
I don't think concerns of how we got into this mess are off topic. This is an established forum with many years under it's belt. If we can't talk about how things can be changed then we might as well forget changing the laws on Cannabis. When we watch the two shows ( Discovery Channel on Hussein and Mandela ) last night you can't help but think how it all happened and where we are now and where we are going. The way to make people fall in line is to scare them. Scare them even in areas that are just moral issues to most people. Fear controls everyone that lets it take hold. The only way to survive when in a state of fear is a confusing and depressing state and people are easy to manipulate that way I think.
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Comment #26 posted by dr slider on November 09, 2004 at 13:26:23 PT:
off topic?
Being the only other country in which I've lived as a native, Germany has always been very special to me. I've agonized over the following question. How did the Germans of the thirties justify going jackbooted along with their psycopathic leader?When I saw some of the truths revealed by such hideous behavior, such as those in Viktor Frankl's "From Deathcamp to Existentialism", I got a glimpse of the true why of WWII. It it with a very heavy heart that I'll have such condolences for my own jackbooted countrymen who survive what is to become.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 12:44:42 PT
Sam
They are clueless but now maybe they will look at why they need to stand for issues and stand hard for those beliefs. Global Warming is very important and not much was said about it and it should have been. That's just one area where they need to get stronger. I'll think of others as time goes by and hopefully they will too. PS: Generalizations just aren't acceptable anymore in politics. Stand for what you believe and don't be afraid of offending some parts of the Party. By the way I'm not a Democrat. I'm just a concerned citizen.
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Comment #24 posted by Sam Adams on November 09, 2004 at 12:34:55 PT
Dems don't get it
The Democratic party is so clueless, it borders on pathological incompetence. The first reaction after Gore and Kerry lost is "let's do it again in 4 years"?!?!? Oh yeah, we just need better organization on the ground, blah blah blah. It shows their institutional arrogance. They don't even understand that voters look at the man himself, not the DNC or its organizational skills. Spend another $100 million on ads, it won't make a bit of difference..All I see is a party that is getting its butt kicked. Here's my point: they lost everything this year, while taking such a moderate, mainstream, corporate position that they're virtually undistinguishable from the right. In both 2000 and 2004, they COULD have walked around talking drug legalization, ending corporate subsidies, signing the Kyoto treaty and going even further, funding alternative energy, scaling back the military, etc. The worst that could have happened is that they'd be exactly where they are now! And they've abandoned their traditional base, instead of showing some leadership & developing a new generation of supporters.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 11:40:16 PT
Nuevo Mexican
I don't mind your posts. I am not into approaching it like you but I know many people are fired up. I am upset but I decided I would respect John Kerry's concession speech. Without people looking around the corner for possible problems nothing ever would change. They had scouts when wagon trains went out west. They'd go out and look for problems and come back with a solution or two. We all should do what we feel we should. I don't like comments on violence but proper procedure to uncover something important is investigative journalism in my mind.
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Comment #22 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 09, 2004 at 11:31:19 PT
Hold the Govenor accountable, start at the top!
'It's confusing and somewhat illogical that Gov. Jennifer Granholm would send a letter to the city of Ann Arbor reprimanding them for their medical marijuana proposal. Hasn't she heard of "Hash Bash?" It's twisted then, that the nominal, slap-on-the-wrist charges in Ann Arbor for small-scale possession of weed or the annual mass celebration of it don't bother her as much as those who smoke for medical purposes'This comment by the Govenor makes it clear that there is no interest by our govenment in being held accountable, or in living up to the demands of the electorate.
Thus our need to put fear in the hearts of those who think they can pillage the constitution with the excuse of fighting the war on drugs.
Thus the posts here in the comment section that encourage C-Newsers to push the envelope and demand that all the votes be counted, (or risk being victimized by those who treat Cannabis uses as sub-humans, as observers posts so well describe).The subject of a stolen election deserves discussion here, along with Cannabis, as John Kerry was the subject of many posts before the election, and should not be dropped due to complaints by possible freeper-like posters here at C-News, Just my two cents! I don't complain about off-topic posts, and never will. The news is slow, but the events of the day are Breaking News, and we need to reach thousands now, before its too late. Harpers joins MSNBC re: voter fraud :Check out the latest Harpers Weekly Review regarding indications of voter fraud."Lines at Ohio polls were extremely long; one was estimated at 22 hours. [New York Times] Election software in Onslow County, North Carolina, miscounted the votes for county commissioners. [Jacksonville Daily News] Some voting machines in Broward County, Florida, started counting backward once they reached 32,000. [Palm Beach Post] An electronic voting machine in Ohio added 3,893 votes to President Bush's tally in a district that had only 800 voters. [New York Times] Four thousand five hundred and thirty early electronic votes in Carteret County, North Carolina, were lost. [New Bern Sun Journal] Votes were also lost in Palm Beach County, Florida, and [Bradenton Herald] in Tampa. [St. Petersburg Times] Journalists were still trying to figure out why exit polls -- which projected that John Kerry would win in Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Iowa -- turned out to be completely wrong. "Exit polls are almost never wrong," wrote Dick Morris. "Exit polls cannot be as wrong across the board as they were on election night. I suspect foul play." [The Hill] It was noted that anomalous voting patterns in Florida (where a disproportionate number of Democrats apparently voted for George W. Bush) were all confined to counties where optical-scanning machines are used to read paper ballots. Such votes are tabulated by Windows-based PCs that are vulnerable to tampering."It is important to raise awareness of this issue with the mainstream press. Otherwise, a very real, perhaps institutional, problem in our election system will fade away until the day after the next presidential election. That is not good enough! Spread the word...http://openthread.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/9/121146/960Now back to listening to Green Day sing 'American Idiot'!
Here are the lyrics!GREEN DAY LYRICS"American Idiot"Don't wanna be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new mania.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mindfuck America.Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.Don't wanna be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/americanidiot.html
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 11:19:45 PT
Current News from Google
I think most of you know about Google and check out this link for news that is currently happening around the world. I haven't found a better up to date news page then this one. For those who maybe aren't familiar with it here's a link.http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&ned=us
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 10:59:50 PT
siege
I never have been into reading books ( I have trouble absorbing things in books ) so I'll not sure what you are talking about but a lot of things go over the top of my head. We watched The Times-Discovery Channel last night and it was a program on Saddam Hussein and then a program on Nelson Mandela. These problems have been going on for a long time and I believe there are no simple answers. I don't read because my eyesight is getting really bad. I can't even read the scroll bar on the tv news. This computer is killing my eye sight. I am getting ready to order a new computer and a satellite upgrade. My computer is coughing and making new sounds so I think it is necessary now. I'm calling Gateway today and have picked the one I want. I hope the transfer over to a new system will go smoothly but I will let you all know here so if I am not around it would be because of doing this. It won't be for a week or two. I wanted to wait until after November 29th so I don't miss that event if I have problems.
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Comment #19 posted by siege on November 09, 2004 at 10:46:27 PT
FoM
"And not a shot is fired!" a good read but you have to stay with IT.
The author of the document was Jan Kozak, a Czech.The Founding Fathers clearly understood the dangers of placing power in the hands of Congress. In The Federalist, No 47; Par. 5, Madison wrote: "...it is against the enterprising ambition of this department [the Congress} that the people ought to indulge all their jealousy and exhaust all their precautions."
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 10:19:33 PT

siege
I think the board that dongenero posted will be a good board to talk about how to get a Democrat in office in 4 years. I am really happy to read that Kerry might run again. Now we have 4 years to maybe make it happen. Revolting against the government only empowers the RR and gives them ammunition to fight us I believe.
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Comment #17 posted by siege on November 09, 2004 at 10:08:11 PT

FoM
And I though I was the one that had the bad additude on the board!! I have not called for a revolt, this is not the board too! this would be more like it CITIZENS FOR LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT (http://www.legitgov.org)
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 09:43:20 PT

Thank You So Much Dongenero
I've bookmarked the site and you are right. We are trying to change the laws concerning cannabis here and politics of this nature should have their own forum. I will probably register and post on this board.http://commongroundcommonsense.org/
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Comment #15 posted by dongenero on November 09, 2004 at 09:35:16 PT

better place for election communication
Here is the web site run by the former moderators and admins of the Kerry -Edwards Online Forums. There was a lot of interest in keeping the various discussions ongoing.
It may be a better place for discussions unrelated to Cannabisnews. Many, many topics are represented including the drug war. There used to be discussions of hemp and of medical marijuana on the site as well.CommonGroundCommonSense.org
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 09:16:56 PT

psthbng
That isn't really nice to say. Many people like Kerry including me. I'm not into changing anything until the next election. Bush won't be able to be elected again so we stand a chance.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 09:11:06 PT

saintrambone
I know you are new here and we aren't into militias. I sure don't want to have to worry about the powers that be ( Government ) coming down on CNews because we talk about things like that here.
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Comment #12 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 09, 2004 at 09:10:07 PT

Here's the scoop on the need for a recount FOM:
From the blog on the recount at Democrats.comOhio recount could put Kerry in the Whitehouse:
http://blog.democrats.com/ohioWE MUST ACT NOW! The blogosphere will force the media to cover this, as Keith Oberman at MSNBC is grudingly covering, a first, in his lame, but 'concerned' way.
Where are all the REAL journalists! Will you please stand up and do YOUR JOB! Go to Democracynow.org and watch 'Orwell rolls in his Grave' on the internet, or just watch Amy Goodman, as Free Speech TV raises money to fund putting this REAL news program on a major TV Network! This is where cutting edge Jounalism lives, as it does at C-News, Buzzflash.com, thedailykos.com, Astroworld.us and many, many more that we all visit through links posted here. Meanwhile, while we bomb hospitals in Falujah and everything else in sight, killing many innocent civilians, and freedom fighting insurgents, (what we here at C-News are), Americans go about their business, paying taxes that support killing non-whites the world over.What makes the U.S. so superior, that we think we will escape the grim Karmic reality we are creating for ourselves? Here is some good news FOM:Tony Blair going down fast, how long for bush?:http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/300830.html
Foreign Office Minister: Iraq war 'was illegal'
Richard N, 09.11.2004 06:32Foreign Office minister, Bill Rammell MP, seemed to reveal more than he intended during an interview with Jon Snow on last night's Channel 4 News. Foreign Office Minister, Bill Rammell MP, on Channel 4 News 8/11/04 (pressured by Jon Snow): 'The key judgment within this, as it's been all along, is the judgment of the Attorney General, which makes it abundantly clear that the original conflict with Iraq was illegal.'
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Comment #11 posted by psthbng on November 09, 2004 at 09:05:09 PT:

Boo-hoo 4 Kerry
Get over it. Kerry lost and conceded. He was too wishy-washy and flip-floppy to ever stand up for medical mj. Besides this gives you four years to campaign for Ms. H. Clinton. This woman probably couldn't even carry her own state of Arkansas. Back a real loser!!
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 09:04:04 PT

Good News in My Opinion
"Fired Up" Kerry Eyes 2008 Race, Plans on Visible Role in Senate By Mike Allen, The Washington PostWASHINGTON — Democrat John Kerry plans to use his Senate seat and long lists of supporters to remain a major voice in U.S. politics despite losing the presidential race last Tuesday, and he is assessing the feasibility of trying again in 2008, friends and aides said yesterday. Kerry will attend a post-election lame-duck Senate session that begins next week and has said he is "fired up" to play a highly visible role, the friends and aides said. Aides said Kerry is relishing the prospect of renewed combat with President Bush, fighting such measures as the president's proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Kerry's plans contrast starkly with the approach taken by former Vice President Al Gore, who all but disappeared from the political scene after losing to Bush in the disputed 2000 presidential election. Kerry fueled talk about a 2008 bid during remarks at a Washington restaurant Saturday night. He provoked a thunderous reception by reminding about 400 campaign aides and volunteers that Ronald Reagan twice sought the Republican nomination for president before winning it in 1980. "Sometimes God tests you," Kerry told the crowd, according to an aide. "I'm a fighter, and I've come back before." Bob Shrum, Kerry's chief campaign consultant, told reporters during a Democratic panel yesterday that Kerry "will be active and vocal. He has one of the most powerful lists in the Democratic Party and one of the most powerful fund-raising bases ... and I think he intends to use it to speak out." But several Democrats expressed skepticism about Kerry's plans, saying they think the party needs a fresh face and must turn a corner. "I can't imagine people are going to say, 'It worked pretty well last time. This is what we need next time,' " said one Democrat involved in Kerry's campaign strategy, who requested anonymity.

Kerry has mostly remained at his Boston home since Election Day and has spent some of that time preparing for his return to the Senate. The friends and aides said he wants to use his new following and credibility to become a major force on a range of legislation that will extend well beyond his previous portfolio of national-security issues. He also is contemplating establishing a political-action committee and perhaps a think tank to elevate his role during the jockeying over the definition and leadership of the Democratic Party. Kerry lost to Bush by three percentage points in the popular vote and by 34 electoral votes. The president carried 31 states to 19 for Kerry. Shrum made his remarks during an appearance at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with James Carville, chief strategist of President Clinton's first campaign, and Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster. The session started out as a clinical dissection of what went right for Bush and wrong for Kerry. But it quickly became a blunt, emotional discussion of the future of the Democratic Party. "I'm not in denial. Reality hit me," Carville said. "Let's take the greatest morality story of all — we're born again," he added, in a play on words connoting both his view that the party needs a fundamental change, as well as the importance of evangelical Christians to Bush. "The purpose of a political party is to win elections, and we're not doing that," he said. Washington Post staff writer Dan Balz contributed to this report. Copyright: 2004 The Seattle Times Company http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002085778_dems09.html
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Comment #9 posted by saintrambone on November 09, 2004 at 09:02:21 PT:

Under Seige
Dead men at the federal deposit insurance corporation in San Francisco, which is a federal banking regulator. Two attempts on my life, an ex bank examiner for the FDIC. Obvious money launderers getting charters.Now Pot is selling for the price of gold and the government is hounding people so that it stays that way. Get it? We are swallowed up by people who do not care about Americans. Beware of government buildings as their security systems can be modified to render you into a unconscious or semi-conscious state. They have other apparatus also. Forced experiments on vets. It is sad.Oakland needs to lower their pot price at the coffeehouses. GW Bush is not what he appears. Bush Sr. robbed the Savings and Loans and now Jr. wants to rob social security. We are under seige. We need a militia with modern apparatus and more exposure to educate the public. This is no joke and we all know it. Who are those feds anyway? Some are revolting silently.
Mobile Audit Club, Free Music, Art, Comedy,Science, Horror Investigating FED
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 08:53:58 PT

Nuevo Mexican
Everyone I know worships Bush here. He's a messiah sort of to people. I live in this state but I am a person who should live in a blue state.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 08:46:24 PT

Nuevo Mexican
What organization is calling for the recount? How did anyone vote for Bush? I can't get past thinking something is really wrong with many americans that can't see how bad this is going to get. If Kerry had been elected we would have had a little hope. Even concerns about global warming aren't an issue. I feel like I'm living in a nightmare or horror movie. It's a horror movie that isn't a dream though.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/betherain.htm
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Comment #6 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 09, 2004 at 08:43:04 PT

M. Moore on the election being stolen in OHIO!
Here's something to do while things are slow FOM, since you live in OHIO, and a lot of posters, readers, and lurkers either live, or know someone who lives in OHIO. Contact anyone you know, that voted in Ohio, and encourage them to TAKE A STAND on the stolen election. Kerry may come out after the 12th and question the results, if we make enough noise NOW! Before its 'too late', as there is no point in living in a sham-media-ocracy, if our votes are so easily manipulated by the Republican owned vote counting machines.
How can we sit back while our government lies daily about the dangers of Cannabis, ignoring the hard-drug epidemic, and the criminal profits extorted from Freedom loving victims of the Drug War? We can't, as the articles here a C-News attest to.

We Want to Hear from You!We want to hear your stories! Tell us of your victories, your experiences, your drama. If you have specifics on your turn-out numbers, specific races, demographics, visibility actions -- share them here. We build our movement by learning from and supporting each other. Break it on down. Submit Story Here >>Read Leaguer's Stories >>
CALL FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS IN OHIO!!!They might have conceded - but we haven't conceded our right to have our votes count.The Ohio Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections (CASE-OH), Common Cause Ohio, Ohio Election Reform Now, Columbus Institute for
Contemporary Journalism, WVKO Radio, and the Columbus League of Pissed Off Voters are calling for public hearings to investigate voting irregularities and voter suppression in Ohio surrounding the 2004 General Election.THIS IS A NONPARTISAN STATEWIDE CALL TO ACTION. VOTERS AND POLL WORKERS FROM AROUND THE STATE ARE INVITED TO TESTIFY.

Comment #5 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 09, 2004 at 08:28:09 PT

Here's what we should do while we wait for news...
From a poster at Astroworld.us, asking everyone who voted for Kerry, (or not), to demand an investigation into voter fraud, and NOT to certify the election results until ALL of the Votes are counted, and demanding a re-count as well.
How hard did we work for Kerry and the Dems, only to be dropped like a hot potatoe immediately after John Edwards came out and said they would wait until EVERY VOTE IS COUNTED! PLEASE PASS THIS ON:WE WANT AN INVESTIGATION OF VOTER FRAUD! WE WANT EVERY VOTE COUNTED! WE WANT A RECOUNT! DON'T CONCEDE THE VOTE!!LET'S DO IT MONDAY (this was posted Monday)!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!We (the people) are planning as large an action as we can get going on Monday. Let's do this en masse. We are spreading the word on bulletin boards, chatrooms, groups. We are going to have a phoning, faxing and emailing blitz to our representatives, our senators, the Sec. of State of each state, especially the swing states, esp. Ohio and Florida, especially where bush won that didn't match the exit polls, the FEC, the democratic party, letters to editors, and anyone else we can think of. Please let me know if you think of anyone who should be added to this list. (See below)The elections were stolen by the bush machine and we won't stand for it! We are going to let them know that by contacting as many officials as we can on the same day, Monday, and we will do it en masse. Come on everyone...we have a great group here. Please also put this info on the msg boards and send to absolutely everyone you know. When you call, tell them you want to talk to someone who will confirm they will do as you ask and that you would like a call back. Then keep calling back until you get someone. Try to find the democrats who ran in your state/area who lost because the cheating was done on all levels. If we can find a senator or governor or someone whose numbers did not match exit polls, maybe we can get them to work with us. If we can find someone like that, we all need to get behind them because they will have a bigger voice than us. Demand recounts, demand an investigation. See that all the votes are counted. Why can't we mobilize like we did with Sinclair? Let's get over whatever is stopping us and do it again. Email/call/fax your Democratic city committee, town committee, county committee, state committee, the DNC, the FEC, your senators, your representatives, the Sec. of State of each state, especially the swing states, esp. Ohio and Florida, especially where bush won that didn't match the exit polls, and tell them:
WE WANT AN INVESTIGATION OF ELECTRONIC VOTER FRAUD! WE WANT EVERY VOTE COUNTED! Contact Elected Officials:
http://www.firstgov.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
for senators, representatives and Sec. of StateDemocratic National Commitee:
Main site: http://www.democrats.org/index.html
ALSO:http://www.democrats.org/feedback/
Email: (it's a form) http://www.democrats.org/contact/
Democratic National Commitee
430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone 202/863-8000Google for the chairs of your local and state Democratic Committees.National Association of State Election Directors:This one is important!
http://cadca.org/CoalitionResources/ElectionGuide/EG-Appendix3.asp
Your local elections officials trusted a group called NASED -- the National Association of State Election Directors -- to certify that your voting system is safe. This trust was breached. NASED certified the systems based on the recommendation of an "Independent Testing Authority" (ITA) that was hired by the VENDORS OF THE ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES! CALL THEM ALL TO TELL THEM WHAT YOU THING OF THE JOB THEY DID! A list of all the state election directors, with phone numbers and their websites, can be found at http://cadca.org/CoalitionResources/ElectionGuide/EG-Appendix3.asp
Original story at http://www.blackboxvoting.org/There is also a list of these directors at htttp://www.electioncenter.org/commit/nased/nased.htmlBefore writing to the committee members you have to obtain their authorization and e-mail address. You can click on the name to get the e-mail address request form. At that point there is a comments section, so you can express yourself there.Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, NW, Washington
DC 20463 (800) 424-9530
In Washington (202) 694-1100
For the hearing impaired, TTY (202) 219-3336
The only email address we have is webmaster fec.govMore contacts to be added soon.We are also trying to get MoveOn, United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink,, ACT, etc. on board. If you have any connections there, please let me know and see if you can get them on involved in this. WE WANT A RECOUNT! WE WANT AN INVESTIGATION! WE WANT EVERY VOTE COUNTED! First, this is the "mandate" for bush, not the vote, but our rolling over and letting him steal the election. That's his mandate. Now he thinks he can get away with anything.Second, if everyone who voted for Kerry started demanding a recount and/or investigation, they couldn't ignore us. They would have to do it. 55,000,000+ citizens DEMANDING a recount and/or investigation? Half of that? A quarter of that? We'd still blow them out of the water!!!!Third, we were there for the Democratic Party. We donated money, made phone calls for Kerry-Edwards, MoveOn & ACT, registered voters, put up lawn signs, knocked on doors, monitored polls, etc. etc. WE WERE THERE FOR THEM WHEN THEY NEEDED US!!! NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE CANDIDATES WE SUPPORTED TO BE THERE FOR US."First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
- - Mahatma Ghandi "If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They'll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government."
- - Dwight D. Eisenhower"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
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Comment #4 posted by westnyc on November 09, 2004 at 08:20:12 PT

Orasure?
My biggest problem with random drug testing is that it doesn't pass the constitutionality test. However, I think that this test is far superior and fairer if it's purpose is to measure impairement and not the measurement of inactive metabolites from a month prior. As everyone here understands, the repercussions of a failed drug test are astonishing. It's consequences for most people are so catastrophic that most could never recover. To lose your job and stability is devasting; worse, to lose your reputation and be labeled as a "drug abuser" so that you can never work in any safety-sensitve field again (which today, most jobs are) is the true injustice.I think most people who have failed, whether guilty or not, probably give-up on life, perhaps me - since there is nowhere to turn. What I don't understand is why our banking and mortgage systems havn't spoken-out, since they are left with the bill when the disenfranchised and blackballed can't pay their own.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 07:32:43 PT

Just a Note
Usually during the week there is news but since Bush got elected the news has almost stopped. I'll keep looking though. These really are sad times for us all.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 09, 2004 at 07:16:59 PT

Press Release from ORALscreen
Avitar Introduces the ORALscreen(R) DRUGOMETER(TM) http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/11-09-2004/0002399218&EDATE=
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on November 09, 2004 at 03:01:25 PT

Health Issue, Not Justice Issue, ''Dr.'' Granholm
"To really understand the debate you'll need to know that marijuana has only been illegal on the federal level since 1937." Untrue, the US Supreme Court declared the Marijuana Tax Act *unconstitutional* in 1969. The Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970. Therefore, marijuana has only been "illegal" on the federal level since *1970*.The Antis Have Objected to Our Piecemeal Approach http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/19/thread19769.shtml#2"2. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970: This flawed legislation from the Nixon/Mitchell Department of Justice is the framework for federal and state anti-drug social policy. The Department’s own handpicked scientific advisory committee quit en masse in outrage over the irrational classification scheme that was set up."This Act and 'uniform' state laws are utterly irrational and devoid of any medical or scientific legitimacy. The resultant rapidly growing multi-billion dollar drug abuse industry complex is not just ineffectual in suppressing trafficking and use, but actually creates many of the problems whose genesis may be traced to the laws criminalizing drugs."Humanists should press for hearings to investigate the genesis and effects of these laws with an eye to reform...."5. Intrusion of the police into the medical consultation room: We now have police and lawyers writing the drug laws as well as dictating their implementation."A contemporary example is the California research Advisory Panel’s (CRAP) attempt to dispense cannabinoids for the treatment of side effects of nausea from cancer chemotherapy. Edward P. O’Brien, assistant attorney general for the State Attorney General’s office, the chairman of CRAP, has successfully exerted his influence to be the most restrictive in making cannabis available to cancer victims. Despite his valiant efforts the federal bureaucratic obstruction and budget cuts subvert the original intent of the law to permit cancer victims compassionate access to cannabinioids. There are normal medical channels. We do no need another state office."Putting attorneys and police in charge of medical programs is malpractice. "Humanists should confront the California state administration for not putting this program under the health department where it belongs, if the state should be involved at all."
--The Significance of Cannabis in the History of Medicine http://www.mikuriya.com/cansig.html"We applaud the residents of Ann Arbor for standing up for a patient's right to receiving the best available care they can. ...when [marijuana -- sic] can be used for legitimately useful purposes, it's time federal and state lawmakers take notice."Hear, hear! Let's restore cannabis to the State (and National, as a bridge to removing federal interfere in state regulation of medicine,) Pharmacopoeias where it belongs, and stop treating cannabis patients as Justice violators, but instead as Health patients!Medical Freedom Amendment for 2004: to restore the state rights to regulate medicine as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment to the Bill of Rights.The Democrats shoot themselves in the foot by championing candidates with a Law Enforcement background for Governor, Senator, Member of Congress. If the Democrats cannot show compassion as the party of social justice, then we need a new political party. Or ... the Dems *might* learn a lesson in survival! Keep your fingers crossed and knock on wood.
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