cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Myths Cloud Good Sense 





Marijuana Myths Cloud Good Sense 
Posted by CN Staff on May 04, 2005 at 10:55:10 PT
By Matt Fagnani
Source: Anchorage Daily News
Juneau, Alaska -- Despite hard evidence to the contrary, some people want Alaskans to believe that marijuana use is not bad for individuals. That marijuana use is not harmful to society. That marijuana is not a gateway drug. That marijuana users can easily cope with the 10-time increase in potency by smoking less -- fewer joints. Balderdash! These people are just plain wrong, which is why I applaud the governor for his efforts to settle this issue once and for all.
I congratulate the Alaska legislators who continue to stand up for a drug-free state. I say thank God for the strong majority of Alaska voters who just say no to further legalizing this dangerous drug.Alaskans have spoken with consistency three times over the past 15 years. Alaskans voted 54 percent to 46 percent in 1990 to recriminalize marijuana after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that residents had a constitutional right to possess a small amount of pot in the privacy of their homes. Alaskans turned down an effort to decriminalize marijuana in 2000 by a vote of 41 percent to 59 percent. And last fall, Alaskans rejected an initiative to legalize marijuana by a vote of 44.25 percent to 55.75 percent, despite a million-dollar campaign by the pro-initiative group.The governor's legislation, House Bill 96, is right in step with the majority of Alaskans and rights a wrong that dates back to 1975 when the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Alaskans' constitutional right of privacy protects the personal possession and use of marijuana in the home. The courts refined and revisited this decision several times over three decades but never updated the basic facts. The most recent ruling came in 2004 when the high court again reaffirmed the 1975 decision and allowed for possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana. Four ounces equals about 360 very potent marijuana cigarettes, an amount most Alaskans would consider more a "misuse" than a personal use. HB 96 includes findings that allow the courts to consider new and up-to-date research and information when rendering the next decision on marijuana. I think I'm like most folks who assumed the courts use new information each time a case is heard. Not so. The major court rulings on this issue are all based on decades-old information, even though the pot of the flower-child era bears little resemblance to the maryjane you can buy today. In fact, marijuana grown in Alaska has reached potency levels of more than 10 percent THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) versus the 1 percent level it was in the 1960s. THC is the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/cloud.htmSource: Anchorage Daily News (AK)Author: Matt FagnaniPublished: May 4th, 2005 Copyright: 2005 The Anchorage Daily News Contact: letters adn.com Website: http://www.adn.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Regulate Marijuana in Alaskahttp://www.regulatemarijuanainalaska.org/Governor Misrepresenting Effects of Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20490.shtmlMarijuana Bill Would Overwhelm Police http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20473.shtmlPot Less Harmful Than Alcohol or Tobaccohttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20448.shtml 
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Comment #17 posted by dongenero on May 09, 2005 at 08:54:58 PT
great LTE
Great letter firedog. Power to you.
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on May 06, 2005 at 07:52:06 PT
Firedog
Good one. I sure hope it gets ink.
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Comment #15 posted by firedog on May 05, 2005 at 17:41:23 PT
LTE
Dear Editors,I recently read the opinion piece "Marijuana Myths Cloud Good Sense", written by one Matt Fagnani, president of a drug testing company. The piece's title is very appropriate. His good sense has definitely been clouded by more than a few marijuana myths. The fact that his livelihood depends on the continued prohibition of marijuana might just be a small factor, too.Marijuana is not a gateway to hard drugs. Repeated studies have shown that there is no causal link. As far as marijuana being bad for individuals, the U.S. government has spent over 30 years and countless taxpayer dollars looking for hard evidence that marijuana is bad for you. The best they could do involved strapping masks on monkeys, pumping their lungs full of smoke, and claiming that the resulting brain damage was due to the marijuana, not due to the fact that the poor beasts were suffocated.I suppose there are some ways that marijuana use can be bad for individuals. It can lead to jail sentences, thanks to criminal laws based on lies, fear, racism, and ignorance. It can lead to loss of employment, thanks to drug testing, which is now a $1.5 billion per year industry. The resulting damage to lives breaks up families and destroys livelihoods. Children are encouraged to inform on their friends, parents, and neighbors.These laws are the cause of all this, and they need to be repealed. Almost half of Alaskans realize this, and the percentage is growing. Sincerely,Me
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Comment #14 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2005 at 15:38:39 PT
Indijo142
I just read and re-read your post, that's just poetry to me man, beautiful. People need to be slapped in the face, to wake up & realize what's going on these days, the corruption and brazen abuse of authority, the raw cruelty of these people that hide behind bureaucracy and corporate entities.You're right Fagnini is a vampire, some kind of urine-sucking creature of the night, slinking away into the shadows. He hangs out in offices and conference rooms, as the urine and money pour in.
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Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2005 at 15:21:19 PT
Blair
Blair is merely pulling a Clinotesque move, he won't do anything. Now decrim is on the positive side of the status quo, it will be tough to move it backward.Look at this from the WorkSafe website:What to Expect During Your TestAt our office, you’ll be greeted by WorkSafe staff and asked to follow what will seem like a very regimented procedure. In addition to being a federally regulated process, it helps us protect your privacy and your specimen.
Be sure to bring your photo ID and your referral form (if you’ve been given one). You may need to wait a few minutes in our waiting room, then you’ll be ushered into the collection area where you can produce your sample in private.Rest assured that at WorkSafe, you’ll be treated with dignity and respect — and that we’ll do everything we can to get you in and out of here quickly.
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Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on May 04, 2005 at 14:58:19 PT
It's not about law.
It's not about health. It's not about recreation. It's not about safety. It's not about mental illness. It's about Money.Except for the people who are just completely ignorant about Cannabis, anyone who is against this plant is against it because of the Money. No one who has educated themselves about this plant can deny it's positive benefits to medicine, ecology, religion or society, to name a few areas.There's only one law against Cannabis. Allow no free market competition from Cannabis Sativa. Because it would destroy profits for the legal free market competitors as well as the black market competitors.Can everyone say "Corporate conspiracy?"Peace. Legalize, then Revolutionize! (medicine)(energy)(nutrition) 
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Comment #11 posted by Taylor121 on May 04, 2005 at 13:22:25 PT
What is Blair talking about?
There is nothing scientific about his comments, it's all about getting reelected. If Britain goes back on its policy, it is going to give the propoganda hounds alot of fuel back here at home.
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Comment #10 posted by potpal on May 04, 2005 at 12:24:33 PT
heading
I took this, from the title, to be an anti-prohibition article. Blair may be hedging to get the anti-vote then back off. I'm sure they'd rather have the hooligans smoking the sweet leaf rather than pounding lagers.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 04, 2005 at 12:14:42 PT
UPI: Marijuana Policy Might Be Mistake
Blair: Marijuana Policy Might Be MistakeLancashire, England, May. 4 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Tony Blair told worried parents in Lancashire, England, the government may have been wrong to reduce the penalties for marijuana possession. Blair, meeting with patients, said marijuana is "not quite as harmless as people make out," thereby issuing the most striking acknowledgement so far that ministers believe the controversial policy was a mistake, The Telegraph reported.The government 15 months ago reclassified cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. Police were told people possessing small quantities of marijuana should not be arrested.Blair, a member of the Labor Party, made the comments during an election push in which he portrayed Liberal Democrats as being soft on the issue of drugs.Copyright: 2005 United Press Internationalhttp://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050504-021522-1968r.htm
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Comment #8 posted by Taylor121 on May 04, 2005 at 11:47:59 PT
Wow I wonder what his motivations are???
Oh wait, to make money at the price of thousands of Alaskans getting a criminal record and going to jail.
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Comment #7 posted by observer on May 04, 2005 at 11:43:05 PT
JAIL? PRISON? Big Bucks $$$ to Keep Pot Illegal
Despite hard evidence to the contrary, some people want Alaskans to believe that marijuana use is not bad for individuals. That marijuana use is not harmful to society. That marijuana is not a gateway drug. That marijuana users can easily cope with the 10-time increase in potency by smoking less -- fewer joints.He misses the point, intentionally so I am afraid. Jail is the issue. It is wrong to jail adults for using a plant, even if all the lies told about pot by the pro-jail people were true. Notice how studiously he avoids mentioning arrest, jail, or prison.JAIL.''and allowed for possession''Folks ... we have to hold their feet to the fire on this ONE issue above all others. JAIL. PRISON. Don't be led off the message, which is the issue of jailing people for using pot. Prohibitionists squirm. They wiggle. They use every lying euphemism in the book to distract the herd (very successfully I might add) from the crux of the matter: men with guns drag you to jail for using the pot plant.''and allowed for possession''Translation: We want to JAIL you, because you use cannabis. Matt Fagnani is president of WorkSafe Inc., and past chair of Alaskans Against the Legalization of Marijuana and Hemp.Matt Fagnani is president of an Anchorage drug-testing company. No vested interest in jailing potheads there, eh? Work Safe, Inc,
300 West 36th Avenue, Suite A,
Anchorage, AK 99503 . 
Phone: 1(907)563-8378
http://www.worksafeinc.com/
(a subsidiary of "Nana Development Corporation")
see our robot fetch the latest breaking pot news, 24/7!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 04, 2005 at 11:30:08 PT
Sam and Everyone
I copied this from the snipped part of the article.***Matt Fagnani is president of WorkSafe Inc., and past chair of Alaskans Against the Legalization of Marijuana and Hemp. Compass: Points of view from the community. 
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Comment #5 posted by indijo142 on May 04, 2005 at 11:25:41 PT
Fagnini is a Vampire
Fagnini is a blood-sucking sadist who loves to watch people suffer in pain, abuse alcohol, and kill each other, so he can suck their blood while they are weak and dying. His support for the governor is the support of a vampire who sucks blood for a vulture that picks the bones of the dead. They both profit from the weak, suffering, and death. Vampires and vultures rule the USA.
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Comment #4 posted by Darwin on May 04, 2005 at 11:19:26 PT
Clarification to Sam Adams' post
Matt Fagnani is president of an Alaskan drug testing company.
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2005 at 11:18:15 PT
LTE
hastily written, could have been better, but I"m in a hurry...Dear Editors,It's interesting that Matt Fagnini's article appears as an op-ed piece. I would have thought the ADN would've wanted a big check to print a large advertisement for Fagnini's business, WorkSafe. As Upton Sinclair said, ""It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."What's next, an op-ed by a timber company executive demonizing the evil pine trees? Not only do you lose advertising revenue by printing this marketing spiel as a serious op-ed, you also sacrifice your journalistic integrity as well. 
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2005 at 11:12:57 PT
Ah, I got it now
I was close, but wrong, it's not a statement of faith, it's a marketing spiel!  Look who's writing.Maybe he should mention at the end that Alaska's workers are all working to pay him. They're forced customers of his business. Maybe he should say "thank you". This is a great time to be blood-sucking parasite, no wonder he's so jovial.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2005 at 11:10:29 PT
Religion
Doesn't this sound like a religious statement of faith? Especially the 1st couple paragraphs.  In fact, he actually does mention "God". It's interesting that he's thanking "God" for the drug-free state. God sort of screwed up during Genesis though, didn't he? He loaded the Earth with psychoactive plants, and then specifically instructed humans to use them. All on the first page of His Bible.
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