cannabisnews.com: From The Statehouse: Carcieri Way Off on Pot Facts





From The Statehouse: Carcieri Way Off on Pot Facts
Posted by CN Staff on July 05, 2005 at 09:31:43 PT
By Joe Baker, Daily News Staff
Source: Newport Daily News
Providence, R.I. -- If the state House of Representatives joins the state Senate and overturns the governor's veto of medical marijuana legislation it will represent a triumph of compassion and reason over indifference and ignorance. When Gov. Donald L. Carceiri vetoed the measure - overwhelmingly approved in both legislative chambers - he cited a host of reasons, including the following, some of which left people scratching their heads.
- "Marijuana is an addictive narcotic." C'mon, that sounds like something out of the 1960s, when ignorance of marijuana had paranoid people comparing it to heroin. That ludicrous idea sent those smoking pot into gales of laughter and had the side effect of negating those spouting such tripe of any shred of credibility. I have never known anyone - and I've known plenty of people who smoked pot regularly for years - who became "addicted" to marijuana. Most of those I knew from my younger days have long since moved on to legal - and probably more addictive - highs of liquor.- "This bill will increase the availability of marijuana on the streets of our state." The governor must be referring to the fact that approved patients who, it must be stressed, suffer from very serious maladies, and their caretakers will be allowed to grow up to 12 marijuana plants for the patient's use. Growing marijuana isn't easy, so I would guess that most approved patients will buy their pot from admittedly illicit sources.I'm not sure how that will increase the availability of marijuana "on the streets of our state." (Oddly enough, in the next sentence the governor says, "Marijuana is already the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in Rhode Island.")- "Children who smoke marijuana are more likely to commit suicide, do poorly in school, join gangs and engage in other problematic behavior." Wow! I'm going to have to rent "Reefer Madness" again to see if the governor cribbed those lines directly from the movie. Issues of potential plagiarism aside, the pot isn't for children, although those who suffer from any of the severely debilitating diseases could qualify if a parent administers the pot.It's mostly for adults. And if you start in on the argument that kids will have access to it if a parent has it, don't they already have access to any liquor or prescription drugs (which are far more dangerous and addictive than pot will ever be) already present in their parents' house? We trust the parent to keep those substances from their children. Why can't we trust them to keep the pot from them, too?- "Nearly anyone would be allowed to grow marijuana in nearly any private location in the state." Approved patients and their approved caretakers may grow pot, but only in their own homes. How that will transfer into "nearly everyone" and "in any private location in the state" is beyond me.- The governor claims the definition of who is eligible is so broad that it will lead to abuse. He cited a similarly broad definition in Oregon's law, and claims there are a total of 14,154 people legally using medical marijuana there. Oregon has a population of 3,521,515. That means that less than one-half of one percent of Oregonians has qualified under this "broad definition." In Rhode Island that would amount to 4,300 people. Holy epidemic, Batman!- Here's the kicker: According to Carcieri, the debate about the effectiveness of medical marijuana rages on, and "well designed studies have not been performed or are inconclusive on the effectiveness of smoking marijuana plants over taking THC (one of many natural substances in pot)." I guess the governor is talking about well-designed studies like those performed on the recently recalled Vioxx.The 2001 Nursing Drug Handbook does list what the FDA found out about Vioxx. Possible adverse reactions included: headache, asthenia, fatigue, dizziness, hypertension, lower-extremity edema, sinusitis, diarrhea, dyspepsia, epigastric discomfort, heartburn, nausea, abdominal pain, urinary tract infection, back pain, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infection and flu-like syndrome. But other than that, it was all right. Oops, I guess those "well-designed studies" missed the part about increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.The bottom line is that nearly every legal prescription drug carries warnings about possible impacts or reactions. The worst thing opponents of medical marijuana can say about pot is that there is no evidence of possible long-term impacts.And, as supporters said last week, there is a smidgen of hypocrisy in the governor's philosophical position on the issue. He claims smoking marijuana still would be against federal law and it was not fair to put state police officers in a compromising position between contradictory state and federal laws. But last year Carceiri signed a bill that would allow Rhode Islanders to purchase cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, despite a federal law prohibiting the practice.I would just echo Sen. Michael J. Damiani, D-East Providence. A retired police officer, Damiani spoke eloquently about the issue on the Senate floor. "If we can do anything to alleviate the pain or increase the appetite of someone ... let's do it. I have never seen anyone die of a marijuana overdose."Source: Newport Daily News, The (RI)Author: Joe Baker, Daily News Staff Published: Tuesday, July 05, 2005Copyright: 2005 Newport Daily NewsContact: Editor NewportRI.comWebsite: http://www.newportdailynews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:MMJ Information & Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htm Marijuana Veto Voted Down in Senate http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20926.shtmlSenate Overrides Medical Marijuana Vetohttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20923.shtmlSenate Overrides Medical Marijuana Vetohttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20923.shtml
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Comment #11 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 06, 2005 at 04:10:18 PT
What A Wave Of Good News!
duh da dat Dat da, I'm lov'in it!Kudos to the Newport Daily News and NOW!I'm astonished that a STAFF WRITER wrote this article. It's good to have friends in low places. It would be nice if the Associated Press would go ahead and run with this article. And now N.O.W. is getting involved? Outstanding! I'm waiting with baited breath to see what kind of fanatical counter-measures our old nemisis at the dirty ONDCP comes up with next to drive the paranoia about weed. Should be interesting.
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Comment #10 posted by ekim on July 05, 2005 at 20:21:21 PT
united we stand --------u no thee rest
http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/
This in via email. The National Organization for Women adopted a resolution that opposes the War on Drugs and in its stead supports an approach to drug use, abuse, and addiction that fosters compassion, health, and human rights.www.drugwarrant.com http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/
SSDP Executive Director Scarlett Swerdlow, also a member of the National Organization for Women's National Young Feminist Task Force, spent the weekend in Nashville with Deborah Small of Break the Chains, Jean Marlowe of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform, Angelyn Frazer of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, and Wyndi Anderson of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Deborah moderated an amazing session exposing the War on Drugs as a stealth attack on women, children, communities of color, and other traditionally underrepresented and -served populations. 
SSDP Executive Director Scarlett Swerdlow, also a member of the National Organization for Women's National Young Feminist Task Force, spent the weekend in Nashville with Deborah Small of Break the Chains, Jean Marlowe of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform, Angelyn Frazer of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, and Wyndi Anderson of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Deborah moderated an amazing session exposing the War on Drugs as a stealth attack on women, children, communities of color, and other traditionally underrepresented and -served populations. 
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 05, 2005 at 19:28:05 PT
runruff
I knew you meant 1700. It's very easy to make mistakes. The sad part is if it's 1700 or 17000 any soldiers or civilians killed is not acceptable to me because of how this war was started.
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Comment #8 posted by runruff on July 05, 2005 at 19:07:23 PT:
oops!
1,700+ dead in Iraq not counting Iraqies who are no less 
human than Americans. Only they are at home. We are the invaders. Sorry but thats just wrong.
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Comment #7 posted by mayan on July 05, 2005 at 18:24:38 PT
Right On, Joe!
What a great article! If your not pissed off after reading it your not human. The msm is getting bolder by the day because they have to keep up with the internet. It seems that seeking the truth is becoming fasionable again. The politicians better get on board or they'll find themselves unemployed. Carceiri has been exposed and is wearing no clothes. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN... Emergency Truth Convergence, July 22-24:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0507/S00035.htm One-On-One Interview With Ray McGovern:
http://www.arcticbeacon.citymaker.com/articles/article/1518131/28552.htmThe Secret Service at Booker Elementary: The Dog That Did Not Bark:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/9-11secretservice.html9/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #6 posted by runruff on July 05, 2005 at 17:12:39 PT:
Flys!
In the reality of a Whitehouse idiot: Time flies like an arrow but blackflys like a corpse. 17,000 dead in Iraq. 4 still dead in Ohio.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 05, 2005 at 15:24:21 PT
Off Topic: Odd Article in The Los Angeles Times
When It's Pot Versus Pet, There's a Bad Trip in Store***In Northern California, man's two best friends make a poor mix when canine companions gobble their owners' marijuana stashes.By Andrew Strickler, Special to The TimesJuly 6, 2005When Tank, a 3-year-old male pit bull mix, arrived with his owner at a veterinary office in Humboldt County, his jaws packed with white powder, it was clear that something was seriously wrong.Earlier, Tank had mysteriously consumed an entire box of baking soda — odd behavior, even for an animal with famously indiscriminate eating habits.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-et-potdogs6jul06,1,5635319.story?coll=la-headlines-lifestyle
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on July 05, 2005 at 14:04:53 PT
freedom23
There is a thread over at DrugWarrant called, "Any idiot can send out a press release...", that's very interesting.Steven Steiner is watching the thread and actually posted.http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/
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Comment #3 posted by freedom23 on July 05, 2005 at 13:12:38 PT
OT: Steven Steiner Sr.
Steven Steiner Sr. has been making some small waves as an anti medical marijuana crusader and has an odd background. It seems his website focuses almost exclusively on medical marijuana and does occasionally mention meth. I have seen no mention of prescription drug abuse. Steiner claims that he started DAMMADD (dammadd.org) after his son overdosed on OxyContin (made by Purdue Pharma L.P.). His son OD'd in January 2001 and three weeks later he registered the domain. Steiner also crashed a speech George Soros was giving at the National Press Club, in which he was forcibly removed.BTW, Purdue Pharma has been accused of knowing of the potential abuse risks of OxyContin and suppressing internal research supporting the same before it was released.What's odd is that Purdue Pharma has given Steiner's site $100,000USD. Now maybe it's just me but doesn't seem odd that he focuses his attacks on medical marijuana, with a history of causing zero deaths, with money from a company that made the drug that killed his son? IMO it seems rather perverse. I mention this not to make light of the tragedy of the death of his son but to bring to light his activities. He is also being sued by MADD for trademark infringement.Article mentions Steiner's son's OxyContin OD and Purdue Pharma giving him $100k
http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/Police/news/article.asp?ID=54Other sponsors (http://www.dammadd.org/sponsors.asp)$25k to $50k: Janssen Pharmaceutica$5k to $25k: Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alpharma, UCB Pharma, Rite Aid Foundation$2.5 to $5k: Walgreens, CVS
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #2 posted by jose melendez on July 05, 2005 at 10:30:23 PT
Drugs Maker: Truth Would Spoil Trial
From: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB13TC0SAE.htmlMerck to Seek Delay in First Vioxx Case to Reach TrialBy Theresa Agovino The Associated Press
Published: Jul 5, 2005	
SAGAPONACK, N.Y. (AP) - Merck & Co. wants to delay the first wrongful death trial over its pain reliever Vioxx, arguing that it cannot receive a fair trial if the Texas case begins next week as scheduled.The company wants the trial postponed for at least 60 days, citing recent publicity about the drug. Merck withdrew the drug in September when research showed that patients who took it for 18 months or longer more than doubled their risk for heart attack and stroke. Since then, more than 2,400 Vioxx lawsuits have been filed nationwide.A hearing on Merck's motion was slated for Tuesday in Wharton, Texas. Mark Lanier, a Houston attorney for a woman suing New Jersey-based Merck over her husband's 2001 death, said he will oppose a delay.In the motion, which was filed Friday, Merck said a lawsuit brought Thursday by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott seeking $250 million in damages for Vioxx purchases has "effectively eliminated any possibility Merck can receive a fair trial beginning July 11."It also noted that a law firm which helped the attorney general's office on the lawsuit represents at least six plaintiffs suing the company."The timing of the (state) lawsuit is hardly a coincidence," according to Merck's motion.The filing also said a story in the "national media" which cited a privileged attorney-client communication could prejudice a jury against it. The Associated Press reported June 22 that Merck scientists had contacted company attorneys in 2000 about reformulating Vioxx over concerns it could cause negative cardiovascular side effects. (snipped)
What the Department of Justice Avoids Conceding About Drugs
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on July 05, 2005 at 09:57:32 PT:
Light.
If the vast majority of Americans were as enlightned as the posters on this website the war on the provincial American 
population would be over, "The war on drugs". That along with many Federaly perpetrated facist policies.Check out this DVD, "The Future of Foods", by Debora Koons Garcia. I guarntee you will learn much.Bread and games,
Namaste
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