cannabisnews.com: Web Sites Selling Marijuana and Paraphernalia 





Web Sites Selling Marijuana and Paraphernalia 
Posted by CN Staff on July 06, 2005 at 14:39:40 PT
By Ely Portillo, Knight Ridder News Service
Source: KRT
Washington, D.C. -- The world of marijuana trafficking once existed mostly in shady places where the right dealers hung out or in exotic locales such as Amsterdam. But technology, which has revolutionized almost every other aspect of our world, has changed that.Now, a simple Google search reveals a universe of online pot, including hundreds of Web sites offering to sell marijuana and paraphernalia such as bongs and marijuana seeds as well as free, detailed directions for growing marijuana.
How many marijuana growers the Internet has instructed or how much marijuana changes hands online each year isn't known. But experts agree that the Internet has become the world's biggest head shop and that stemming that digital tide will be difficult for governments.Drug users "can obtain whatever they want (online) with more ease than in the conventional illicit street market," the International Narcotics Control Board, an arm of the United Nations, said in a news release in April. The board said serious steps must be taken if governments hope to control the Web-based drug trade.The European Union, citing increased European marijuana use during the past decade, adopted a resolution last July encouraging its members to crack down on marijuana cultivation and promotional Web sites.Allen St. Pierre, the director of the pro-legalization group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said there were at least 200 to 400 varieties of marijuana seeds available online, specially bred for every type of growing condition in North America."Despite the federal government's efforts here, (marijuana) seeds pour in," St. Pierre said.Interstate marijuana trafficking carries a penalty of up to five years in jail and a possible $250,000 fine for first offenders, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.St. Pierre pointed out that marijuana seeds' lack of odor and small size make them hard to detect in the mail."It's very unlikely that they will be intercepted," he said.Never before has so much drug culture been so readily available, especially to the estimated 21 million American teens who use the Internet.Marijuana use among 12th-graders has fallen 4 percentage points within the past year since its most recent peak, in 1997, but 34.3 percent of 12th-graders still said in 2004 that they'd used the drug within the last year, according to Monitoring the Future, an annual survey of drug use funded by a research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.Marijuana Web sites are particularly insidious because parents don't realize their danger, said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Even parents who do realize that marijuana is a serious problem still think ... their teens are going to be exposed to marijuana from a shady character in the street - not on the computer, possibly sitting a few feet away from them," he said. "It's a serious problem that this is on the Internet."The DEA's hot line, 1-877-RxAbuse, part of the government's efforts to shut down illegal online pharmacies selling prescription drugs, also can be used to report marijuana Web sites, DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said.U.S. law enforcement agencies work together to search suspicious packages entering the country and often receive tips leading them to drug shipments sent through the mail.In fiscal year 2004, for example, the Postal Investigations Service worked with the Customs Service and the DEA to arrest 1,724 people suspected of mailing controlled substances and to seize 8 tons of drugs.Payne acknowledged, however, that distribution via Web sites is hard to stop."Because of the magnitude and growth of the Internet, this is something that's difficult for the DEA to enforce," he said.The problem for law enforcement isn't only the size and scope of the online marijuana trade. Online drug vendors can easily hide their identities and locations, and marijuana Web sites often are registered to people in countries such as Canada or the Netherlands, where drug laws are more liberal and less stringently enforced.Canada has rapidly become a major supplier of potent varieties of marijuana with names such as Quebec Gold and BC Bud. The cultivation and sale of the plant is estimated to be at least a $7-billion-a-year industry in Canada, according to the National Post Business magazine, a Canadian journal.Marc Emery, a Canadian marijuana activist, claims to have sold at least 4 million pot seeds through his Web site. "We have never heard of anyone ever having a problem as a result of ordering or receiving seeds from us," his site declares.Payne said that though the DEA worked closely with law enforcement agencies in other countries, it didn't have jurisdiction over foreign Web site operators."We can't go into Mexico and arrest somebody," he said. "Again, it's really difficult to enforce."Gisela Wieser-Herbeck, a drug control officer based in Vienna, Austria, said multinational efforts such as a rapid information-sharing system for law-enforcement agencies from different countries must be developed to shut down the Internet drug market."You have to depend on international cooperation," she said. "In a concerted action you can go very far in closing down these operations."Robert DeMuro, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Investigations Service, thinks the postal service makes a significant impact on trafficking but acknowledged, "That doesn't mean it's going to stop. As long as there's a market for (drugs), people are going to try and sell it, and people are going to try and buy it."Still, DeMuro thinks online pot is anything but safe for Web site operators."People who sell drugs are obviously violating the law and obviously engage in this activity because they think they can get away with it," he said. "Can they for a while? Yes. Can they forever? No."Complete Title: Web Sites Selling Marijuana and Paraphernalia ProliferateSource: KRT (Wire)Author: Ely Portillo, Knight Ridder News ServicePublished: Wednesday, July 6, 2005Copyright: 2005, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information ServicesNORMLhttp://www.norml.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #38 posted by ekim on July 08, 2005 at 21:04:07 PT
Flex Your Rights
http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/I received this link from more than one source but most notable was from the new blog in town, FYR Blog, brainchild of Flex Your Rights, the brains behind the essential video - Busted. When it comes to drug reform and justice issues, these guys really are rocket scientists. 
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Comment #37 posted by jose melendez on July 08, 2005 at 20:35:36 PT
emerging markets
Got commerce? Laughing all the way to the bankhttp://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=931871&fid=980 Citizens Against Government Waste Exposes Fraudhttp://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/665898.html Economic Protectionism: Trade restrained unlawfullyhttp://www.turnto10.com/news/4698031/detail.html Agribusiness: Free trade law entertainedhttp://www.farmandranchguide.com/articles/2005/07/07/ag_news/regional_news/news05.txtY2K Plus Prescription for disater: Youth pill use follows marijuana crackdown - almost identically to 90's heroin boom among eighth graders!http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1505450/20050708/index.jhtml?headlines=true 
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Comment #36 posted by John Tyler on July 08, 2005 at 18:54:53 PT
another lame article
This article is misleading. It says that cannabis is available on line, but all that was mentioned were seeds and nothing about paraphernalia. Name some websites give some more details. I am also getting the impression that some foreign countries are more “free” than we are. Seems like another dumb prohibitionist scare article.
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Comment #35 posted by mayan on July 07, 2005 at 15:15:51 PT
Bin Laden
Let's not forget that Bin Laden met with our CIA in July of 2001. That was shortly after we gave the Taliban 43 million dollars(knowing that they supposedly harbored Osama). He has been a CIA asset since the Iran-Iraq war. Connect the dots...Ben Laden was met in July at the American hospital at Dubaï(Scroll down for English translation) 
http://whatreallyhappened.com/osamainhospitalThe Fake bin Laden Video Tape:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/osamatape.htmlOsama bin Laden: A dead nemesis perpetuated by the US government:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/osama_dead.htmlMore Osama Links:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/articlesosama
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 15:14:31 PT
mayan
I also believe it will get worse. I was just telling my husband how happy the people in the UK have been with a tremendous success with Live 8 and winning the Olympic rights yesterday and then the bombings today. Who is responsible? I'm really not sure but we will learn over the next few days. It's like the world is becoming mentally ill.
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Comment #33 posted by mayan on July 07, 2005 at 14:59:44 PT
Inside Job
FoM, Britain had just announced a plan on the fourth to start withdrawing it's troops from Iraq. Any withdrawal now seems unlikely and in fact the "war on terror" will likely expand. Who gains? The Brits won't accept the official version of today's events as most Americans did with 9/11. Look for things to get real ugly over there.Flashback...Galloway Wary Of Staged Terror Attack As Pretext For Iran Invasion:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2005/010605gallowaywary.htmLooks like another inside job...Cui bono? Stupidity Versus Logic in the Latest “Terror” Attack:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_anthony__050707_cui_bono__stupidity_.htmExplosions In London - Who Stands To Gain? Israel Warned, Cover-up In Progress:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/july2005/070705standstogain.htmWho Knew About London???
http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htmLondon Terror Attacks:
http://www.djpauledge.com/blog.php?id=97London Bombing has the Scent of an Inside Job:
http://blog.myspace.com/theranter
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 11:59:02 PT
Sam
You could be right. I don't blame bin laden for everything only 9/11. They don't want us in their land and don't like how we support the Jews in Israel. It is a holy war that goes back centuries and this is just the trigger point but it does make us aware of how old this war really is.
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Comment #31 posted by Sam Adams on July 07, 2005 at 11:47:40 PT
FOM - bin laden
Bin Laden has said himself that the reasons for his attacks against the US are because of our attack & interference on another Muslim country (Iraq in '91) and, in particular, the basing of US soldiers on holy land in Saudi Arabia which started in '91 and continues to this day.  I'm sure he hates Jewish people & Israel but I believe he's stated that he was cool w/ the US until we put troops on Saudi Arabian soil in '91.
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Comment #30 posted by jose melendez on July 07, 2005 at 10:34:40 PT
fight real crime
FoM and Taylor, I have a trusted and knowledgeable friend that returned from his military post in (and knowing him, beyond) Iraq. He firmly states this was about oil interests. - - -Energy Policy?Test prep question #15 from the Foreign Service Officer Written Examination 2002:"The most economical route for an oil pipeline from Turmenistan to world export markets would cross:A. only Iran.B. only Afghanistan.C. both Iran and Pakistan.D. both Afghanistan and Pakistan.hints:http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/afghan.html http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/maps/Turkmenistan1.gifhttp://www.bilderberg.org/usglobal.htm http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread4933/pg2
Bout Making a Killing, Along with Other War Profiteers
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 10:33:04 PT
Taylor
I thought maybe I should post a couple links as to why I believe this war will only escalate if we don't pull out and let them fight it out themselves. That won't happen though. I look at this war more in the lines of my background then politically.http://www.templemount.org/http://www.ldolphin.org/psalm2.html
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 09:24:34 PT
Just a Note
I have a medical marijuana article to post but because of the bombings I'm waiting. I don't know why but I just think I should wait for a while. This bombing is a serious tragedy and for me it is a respect thing because of this terrible event.
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 09:07:39 PT
Taylor
I have strong feelings as to why Bin Laden did what he did. This is a religious war. It's all about Israel and do the Jewish people or the Muslims have the rights to Jerusalem. Both religions believe God gave them the land. How do we fight that?
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Comment #26 posted by Taylor121 on July 07, 2005 at 08:51:24 PT
Not that I favor the war in iraq OT
"I haven't heard anything about the DSM for a while but I think the British people will blame Bush more then Blair. Bush was the one who started this and Blair made the mistake of standing with him. We will soon see what caused this disaster. Live 8 was wonderful and now this. Maybe Blair will pull out of the war if the people of the UK want him to."But pulling out of the war... what kind of message does that send to terrorists? 30 UK citizens die and the UK changes its foreign policy? I think we need to pull out of Iraq in a systematic fashion over a one year period regardless of how bad the attacks are. As for the terror war, we need to keep buffing up our intel and striking at targets. I would like to ask all our politicians why they aren't examining our last century of foreign policy as having something to do with America and its allies being the target. Let's see, we created Israel, a few million jews in the wake of millions of arabs, we have sanctions and all kinds of intangling policies in the middle east, giving weapons here and there... no wonder we ticked somebody off.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 08:04:56 PT
Blasts Rock London, Blair Breaks Off G8 Meeting
LONDON (Reuters) - Four blasts ripped through London at rush hour early on Thursday, killing people, wounding 150 seriously and disrupting a meeting of Group of Eight leaders in Scotland in attacks Prime Minister Tony Blair called "barbaric."http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-07T132702Z_01_N07307031_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-BRITAIN-BLAST-DC.XML
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 07:39:40 PT
PainWithNoInsurance 
I agree that Hemp is not a drug. To me drugs are man made. 
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 07:30:17 PT
mayan
I haven't heard anything about the DSM for a while but I think the British people will blame Bush more then Blair. Bush was the one who started this and Blair made the mistake of standing with him. We will soon see what caused this disaster. Live 8 was wonderful and now this. Maybe Blair will pull out of the war if the people of the UK want him to.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on July 07, 2005 at 07:05:23 PT
mayan
I slept late today and just turned on the tv. This is terrible. I almost want to cry. The war will escalate now. It's all so sad.
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Comment #21 posted by mayan on July 07, 2005 at 06:20:26 PT
Details
At least 12 dead in London mass bombings; 185 injured: 
http://tinyurl.com/89qo9
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Comment #20 posted by mayan on July 07, 2005 at 05:26:08 PT
Terror in Britain
There have been "terror attacks" in Britain this morning as Blair is at the G8 Summit. Blair can now push his national ID plan and the Downing Street Memos are now on the back burner. What timing for Bush and Blair! The British people are overwhelmingly against the Iraq war and against Tony Blair. Why would terrorists hit the British people? If our so-called leaders hadn't already demonstrated that they are cold-blooded murderers I probably wouldn't question this event but I must ask...who stands to gain? Of course, "Al Qaeda" is already getting the blame although nobody has claimed responsibility.Here's Alex Jones' take on it...BREAKING: Scotland Yard says it got a warning before the attack and told Israel:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/Pages/Jul05/070705explosions_London.htmlThey did it once...Brief Summary of Evidence Demonstrating that the Administration Orchestrated 9/11: 
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/On The Record: The Controlled Demolition Of The WTC:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2005/060705controlleddemolition.htmIs 'Al Qaeda' the Modern Incarnation of 'Emmanuel Goldstein'?
http://whatreallyhappened.com/goldstein.html9/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/They can do it again.
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Comment #19 posted by jose melendez on July 07, 2005 at 04:09:44 PT
ahem!
I would like to point out that since endocannabinoids are present in mother's milk(1), anandamide is in every brain(2) and many, if not most of us have used caffeine and many other 'drugs', intoxicants and medications(3), no one is genuinely against drug use.If anything, we have all learned here that prohibitions have increased abuses of contraband, especially by youth(4). Certainly, Americans never consumed cannabis at the rates precipitated by the fraudulent and demonstrably counter productive war against hemp before Harry Anslinger's attempts at job security by way of economic protectionism(5) in violation of Constitutional, antitrust and common law.Such fraudulent efforts have emboldened and directly funded terrorism and violence against the innocent to this very day(6).Death and destruction of innocent people by those with the desire to oppress will be met with the full force and weight of the truth. Our weapons are pens and computers, speech, and video. Our opponents, while powerful and corrupt, do not stand a chance against the truth. - - -1.) http://www.ebmonline.org/cgi/content/full/230/4/225http://www.nel.edu/pdf_/25_12/NEL251204A01_Fride_.pdf2.) http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/aa101499.htm http://apu.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainBriefings/brain_stash.html http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/features/anandamide.shtml3.) http://www.thefreedomfoundation.org/drugs_myths.html http://www.procon.org/AddictChart.htm4.) http://www.councilonalcoholism.net/heroin.htm http://www.medhelp.org/NIHlib/GF-420.html5.) http://www.stolaf.edu/people/becker/antitrust/summaries/175us211.htmhttp://www.4lawschool.com/conlaw/healy.htm6.) http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/13/135754.shtml
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A23384-2004Jun7?language=printerhttp://www.encod.org/an%20ideal%20enemy.html http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2001/tst110501.htm http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/prohibition/prohibition_terrorism2.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by kaptinemo on July 07, 2005 at 03:51:38 PT:
Editorializing as reportage
Look at the words being used: "insidious"; "danger"; etc.These are value judgements, not simple reportage of facts. Yet this is supposed to be a news article, sticking to basic "Who, what, when, where, why & how"? Looks more like editorializing to me, and that's where it belongs, on the Opinion page, not presented as factual information but someone's (none-too-logical) belief system.Once more proof that many so-called 'journalists' are not worth the college tuition they paid to get a sheepskin saying they're journalists; anyone who uncritically swallows a government source anymore (given the stink caused recently by revelations that false intelligence from foreign sources led to the Iraq War and has led to 'reporter' Judith Miller now taking up residence in the Gray Bar Hotel for her sloppiness) deserves all the opprobrium they get. This one is just another spoon-fed stenographer, not worthy of following in the footseps of such giants like I.F. Stone or Jack Anderson. 
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Comment #17 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on July 06, 2005 at 23:42:10 PT
Free speach message about hemp
What about hemp? Hemp is not a drug and it is prohibited to grow in the land of the free. Is this right? Can I abide by the constitution and say my opinion here or will that law be changing too?  If hemp milk is cooked, it curds and yields around 5 times the volume originally put into it. Thus, one cup would makes 5 cups of cream of hemp (which is comparable to cream of wheat and is a delicious cereal). A tofu can be made from hemp which yields about five times the volume that was put into it, which could be made into a meat substitute.My point here is that hemp would make a good food for a starving country, not to mention all of the world. This food is way more abundant than soy, by far.This food gives a cheap and abundant yield for all to benefit!!  Feed the world and abolish poverty!!
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 22:15:26 PT
 runderwo 
I guess it could be taken that way. I am against drug use. I think drugs can cripple a persons mind and cause harm to their health. I personally don't feel the way drugs are dealt with by arresting and locking up people is the answer. I believe that education and a family life where the children are under close supervision of their parents is the best antidrug. If a person gets into drugs heavily jail just will make it worse for them.
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Comment #15 posted by runderwo on July 06, 2005 at 22:05:57 PT
FoM
Actually, I was thinking it was the comments that might get CNews targeted as a "pro-drug" site as opposed to an "anti-drug-war" site. But in any case, the disclaimer below ought to be sufficient.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 21:24:07 PT
Taylor
It's good to see you. I hope you had a nice holiday.
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Comment #13 posted by jose melendez on July 06, 2005 at 19:57:57 PT
1-877-RxAbuse, (877) FTC-HELP
If enough people call 1-877-RxAbuse or the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Fraud Complaints hotline at (877) FTC-HELP or (877) 382-4357 to file complaints against the Office of National Drug Control policy, the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the pharmaceutical companies that fund PDFA for LYING about the comparative safety and efficacy of cannabis versus approved intoxicants and medications(1,2), we could make short work of criminalizing prohibition.If harassed, be sure to respectfully but firmly remind the federal employee answering the phone that it is a criminal offense to threaten any person who seeks to report federal crimes: Title 18 U.S.C. û 1513. Retaliating against a witness,
 victim, or an informant.Title 18 U.S.C. û 1512. Tampering with a
witness/informant.Title 18 U.S.C. ß 4 (misprision of felony).TITLE 15 > CHAPTER 1 > § 15§ 15. Suits by persons injuredRemember, the very officials sworn to protect and defend us all will look you in the eye from their perch at C-Span and swear that approved drugs are safer than pot. Of course, drug manufacturers support such false claims(3), even as they make billions covering up harm from dangerous and defective products that kill over a hundred thousand citizens every year.Under the Commerce Clause, consumers and producers alike are supposed to have free access to every market as protection against such exploitation(4). Also, the Constitutional definition of treason is unambiguously clear, in case there is anyone in Congress or the "Justice" Department with a shred of integrity:Article III, Section 3: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."Finally, any and all federal employees should be encouraged to exercise their rights under the Civil Service Reform Act (5 U.S.C. § 2303) and the Whistleblower Protection Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 2302(b)(8)& (b)(9)), and immediately investigate and disclose the breaches of felony U.S. laws described, not only to the courts but also and especially to the public.
 - - -References:1.) The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy is
running paid advertisements claiming that cigarettes
are safer for kids than a joint:http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr20050414.htmlhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/content.cfm?
content_type=article&content_type_id=14982.) Perhaps not coincidentally, tobacco firms originally
funded the Partnership for a Drug Free America,
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/pdfa1.html which
currently publishes pharmaceutical companies as 15 of
their top donors:http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/Partners/list.aspxsee also:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4258.htmlAltria is by far one of the world's largest political
contributors:http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/Script/
DisplayPressRelease.php3?Display=706http://www.fsa.ulaval.ca/personnel/vernag/EH/F/cons/lectures/
Up%20in%20Smoke.htmhttp://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=132The products that would compete with cannabis kill
millions globally, every year:from:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/hnp/hddflash/
hcnote/hrn001.html"The annual global tobacco death toll is already about
three million--about 1 million in developing
countries-- and will rise to more than ten million by
the 2020s according to current trends. Most of this
increase will occur in developing countries. Of all
the people aged under 20 alive today in China, 50
million will die prematurely from tobacco. For men,
the epidemic of premature death from tobacco has
already become substantial in all developed countries.
The death rates in middle-aged men from all causes are
especially high in eastern Europe"Of course, Altria owns Kraft Foods, another
manufacturer selling products that would otherwise be
forced to compete in a legal market with cannabis.
This industry makes extra profits thanks to defective,
dangerous and deadly ingredients (partially
hydrogenated oils, saturated fats, excessive refined
sugar):http://www.udoerasmus.com/articles/udo/fthftk2.htmDrug war IS crime. Any questions? Perhaps they ought
to be disclosed:http://www.altria.com/Proxy2004/2004proxy_11_0400.asp3.) The False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq., provides for liability for triple damages and a penalty from $5,500 to $11,000 per claim for anyone who knowingly submits or causes the submission of a false or fraudulent claim to the United States. The statute, first passed in 1863, includes an ancient legal device called a 'qui tam' provision (from a Latin phrase meaning 'he who brings a case on behalf of our lord the King, as well as for himself'). This provision allows a private person, known as a 'relator,' to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the United States, where the private person has information that the named defendant has knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false or fraudulent claims to the United States. The relator need not have been personally harmed by the defendant's conduct.http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/pae/Documents/fcaprocess2.pdfUnder authorizing legislation (Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended) NIDA's estimated budget for 2005 is reportedly $1,019,060,000:http://www.nida.nih.gov/Funding/Budget05.htmlIn working with other Institutes and Centers and external groups, NIDA, DEA, ONDCP and the Partnership for a Drug Free America, consistently make or publish misleading, speculative and outright false statements about cannabis' comparative safety and efficacy.(Note: I strongly feel that a careful review of comments made under oath by officials that in fact approve or receive federal funding and do represent those groups in public and before Congress on this concededly contentious issue will reveal that said statements are wildly apocryphal in nature, and in fact may be correctly classified as fraud or perjury.)Follow the MoneyTop Partnership for a Drug Free America funding sources include some of THE SAME pharmaceutical, health care and drug precursor chemical firms:http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/Partners/list.aspx4.) 
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/hood.html"Our system, fostered by the Commerce Clause, is that every farmer and every craftsman shall be encouraged to produce by the certainty that he will have free access to every market in the Nation, that no home embargoes will withhold his export, and no foreign state will by customs duties or regulations exclude them. Likewise, every consumer may look to the free competition from every producing area in the Nation to protect him from exploitation by any. Such was the vision of the Founders; such has been the doctrine of this Court which has given it reality."H. P. HOOD & SONS V. DU MOND
336 U.S. 525http://www.stolaf.edu/people/becker/antitrust/summaries/175us211.htmThe power to regulate interstate commerce, and to prescribe the rules by which it shall be governed, is vested in Congress, and when that body has enacted a statute such as the act of July 2, 1890, c. 647, entitled "an act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies." any agreement or combination which directly operates, not alone upon the manufacture, but upon the sale, transportation and delivery of an article of interstate commerce, by preventing or restricting its sale, thereby regulates interstate commerce to that extent, and thus trenches upon the power of the national legislature, and violates the statute.http://www.4lawschool.com/conlaw/healy.htmThe Commerce Clause also limits the power of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to adopt regulations that discriminate against interstate commerce. Thus, state statutes that clearly discriminate against interstate commerce are routinely struck down ... unless the discrimination is demonstrably justified by a valid factor unrelated to economic protectionism. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/ts_search.pl?title=15&sec=4515 U.S.C. § 45. Unfair methods of competition unlawful; prevention by Commission  (a) Declaration of unlawfulness; power to prohibit unfair
    practices; inapplicability to foreign trade - - -Note that my beef is not with tobacco smokers or fatty, sugary and hormone laden food consumers, but with the multinational corporations that conspire to suppress the safety data about their defective and often deadly products, a financially successful pattern of fraud mirrored to this very day by Big Pharma.It is high time our politicians were reminded that they work for US, and will be exposed if not brought into compliance with law and morality. Democracy and freedoms are rights, not rhetoric.For more evidence drug war is crime, see http://CCCCP.org
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 19:29:25 PT
freedom23
I have been following the Live 8 concerts and what Tony Blair believes. I saw him being interviewed on MTV with Sir Bob Geldof. As I watched the interaction between the two I couldn't help but wonder how he supported Bush with the invasion of Iraq. Blair seems to have a good sense about what is important when it comes to climate issues and helping Africa. I also have decided that the best musicians come from the UK and Canada. The UK and Canadian musicians seem to have a good sense as to what to sing about compared to here. We are so different in the states then in other countries and I believe it is because of the religious right pulling so many of the strings and big powerful companies too.
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Comment #11 posted by freedom23 on July 06, 2005 at 18:48:19 PT
England and the WoD
A two year old report from PM Blair's office basicly says the WoD is a lost cause. The report seems fairly level headed. Lots of "alcohol is worse than cannabis" (duh) stuff. For those in North America: IMO it's worth forwarding on this report to your Rep/Senator/MP. Here's some links:Blair Strategy Unit drugs report, in full:
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2005/07/05/Report.pdf"Secret report says war on hard drugs has failed": 
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1520248,00.html"Revealed: how drugs war failed": 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,2763,1521501,00.html"Burying bad news":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,1521223,00.htmlLots of related links:
http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_LatestNews_05_07_05_Blair_Strategy_Unit_Drugs_report_in_full.htm
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #10 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 06, 2005 at 18:20:01 PT
I agree FOM
I don't really think you have too much to worry about. This guy is just spouting the standard prohibitionists hatefulness. Maybe someone someday will tell him to free his mind, and the rest will follow. Dennis
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 18:14:34 PT
OverwhelmSam
There isn't anyway to stop activists I agree. If one site gets taken down we find another. That's one reason I made this forum below just in case. I even have another one if this one would go down. It's smart to think ahead like I said just in case.
In Case of Emergency
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Comment #8 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 06, 2005 at 17:58:47 PT
This Is Just Another Delay Tactic
By now they should know that no matter what they do, we'll accept the challenge, work around it, and continue to stand up for our RIGHTS! Good luck sensoring the web - we'll move to every chat room on the web, like we're not already there now.I love COPS when they're busting a guy on the side of the road for a joint, and you can see the tractor-trailers speeding by on the highway in the background. Probably one in fifty is loaded down with literally tons of pot. They're so intelligent. Whatever.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 17:23:15 PT
runderwo 
I agree that web sites that promote drug use in anyway might be threatened. Information about how to change the laws should be one of the last to be bothered I believe. We are 100% non profit but when the line gets crossed into making money it might get difficult for some.
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Comment #6 posted by runderwo on July 06, 2005 at 17:15:57 PT
overgrow the government
Seriously, I bet we see a federal bill within the next five years that will have the effect of making web sites like CNews or Erowid illegal to operate. It will probably be worded like "Any web site operator who knowingly runs a web site that advocates or promotes the use of drugs or sells items that are associated primarily with the consumption of drugs..."It'll look like a baby step forward from the outside, but in reality that would give prohibs everything they need to shut down the relatively open season we have had in the past ten years.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 06, 2005 at 16:37:47 PT
NPR: In Canada, Marijuana Grows Like, Well, a Weed
All Things Considered, July 6, 2005 · Some would call marijuana British Columbia's largest export to the United States. The border patrol and local sheriffs have recently stumbled across massive shipments in cars, trucks -- even a kayak. And now the Canadian government is considering whether to decriminalize recreational use of the drug.Listen Here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4732092
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Comment #4 posted by Taylor121 on July 06, 2005 at 15:40:57 PT
Rhode Island Act Now
We're halfway to a medical marijuana veto override -- act now to finish the jobTonight -- just one day after Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) vetoed the Edward Hawkins-Thomas Slater Medical Marijuana Act -- the Rhode Island Senate voted 28-6 to override the veto. But the act will only become law if the House follows suit.That's where you come in ...Thank you for the hundreds of e-mails sent to support the legislation to date ... but we still need your help if this bill is going to become law. Please urge your representative to override Gov. Carcieri's veto and ask your friends and family to do the same.After that, please call House Speaker William Murphy at 222-2466 to politely ask him to call the bill to an override vote: Please thank him for voting for the medical marijuana act, and then let him know that you were disappointed by the governor's veto and would like him to call a vote to override that veto. You could also remind him that the Rhode Island Medical Society, the Rhode Island Nurses Association, and AIDS Project Rhode Island have all endorsed this compassionate act.Email your Rep now!: https://ssl.capwiz.com/mpp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5981031
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Comment #3 posted by Taylor121 on July 06, 2005 at 15:01:03 PT
Mass Decrim
DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA POSSESSION (S 1151) - A bill heard by the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee would make possession of less than an ounce of marijuana by persons over the age of 17 a civil offense that would be punished by a $100 fine rather than imprisonment. Supporters say that thousands of offenders are convicted of this victimless crime and are stuck with a criminal record that makes it difficult for them to receive scholarships and loans, work for the government or serve in the military. They argue that the bill would save the state an estimated $24 million in law enforcement and court expenses and cite to a study indicating that decriminalization does not lead to increased marijuana use. Opponents dispute the study and argue that decriminalization sends the wrong message and would increase marijuana use. They also argue that decriminalization would increase crime and have other negative effects on society.http://www2.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=280109
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on July 06, 2005 at 14:59:24 PT
the EU
"The European Union, citing increased European marijuana use during the past decade, adopted a resolution last July encouraging its members to crack down on marijuana cultivation and promotional Web sites."So, how has the EU fared since that momentous decree last year? All the people of Europe are just bangin' down the door of those wannabe bureaucrats in Belgium, eh? Just LOVIN' the EU! Right?
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on July 06, 2005 at 14:56:29 PT
yellow journalism
They clearly want everyone to think that little Jimmy is ordering dime-bags off the internet, which is absurd. What a piece of garbage this article is. Nothing but empty scare tactics and fear-mongering.  I guess KRT wants to see the internet become a virtual police state, with Big Brother operators (funded by you and me, of course) looking over your shoulder as your browse the web. Otherwise, why wouldn't they be raging against stoner movies like Half Baked, How High, Outside Providence, etc? The producers and distributors of those movies all live in California, not to mention the actors. Obviously it's much easier to scare the dumb people of the USA with shadowy figures in Holland and Canada (oooo, what a scary place THAT is!).
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