cannabisnews.com: Blair Plans U-Turn on Cannabis 










  Blair Plans U-Turn on Cannabis 

Posted by CN Staff on December 10, 2005 at 21:00:37 PT
By Sophie Goodchild and Francis Elliott  
Source: Independent UK 

United Kingdom -- Tony Blair is planning a controversial U-turn on cannabis laws and the reintroduction of tough penalties after an official government review found a definitive link between use of the drug and mental illness. The Independent on Sunday can reveal that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has detailed evidence showing cannabis triggers psychosis in regular users. The findings are expected be used by Mr Blair to overturn the decision made two years ago to downgrade the drug. The reports makes it "an open door" for ministers to change the law, according to one official.
Mr Blair is keen to reverse the controversial decision to downgrade its status from B to C, taken by David Blunkett. His successor as Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, asked the Government's official advisory body to reassess the classification of the drug after a public outcry.A senior Whitehall aide said: "There is no barrier to reclassification of cannabis on the grounds of political embarrassment. This was David Blunkett's decision, not something agreed by the Cabinet."Pressure for a U-turn will intensify once the ACMD report is published. It will detail evidence that varieties of "skunk", high-strength strains of cannabis, can cause psychosis in some people and that cannabis can exacerbate the condition of users who are already mentally ill.The Home Secretary will announce his official decision on the classification next month. Officials say he is "minded" to restore the drug's original B rating. Obstacles to a U-turn remain, however, particularly the attitude of the police. Ministers must overcome police fears that it will reduce their ability to focus on class A drugs such as heroin.Most senior officers supported the original decision to downgrade because it helped them to focus on class A drugs.The original decision to drop cannabis's status to C also reflected advice that it carries a lower risk of addiction and health-related problems than other drugs. However, fresh studies have since indicated that there is a strong link between the drug and "psychotic symptoms".A Danish study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that almost half of patients treated for a cannabis-related mental disorder went on to develop a schizophrenic illness. People who had used the drug developed schizophrenia earlier than those with the illness who had not smoked marijuana.In light of these new warnings, Mr Clarke asked the ACMD in March this year to review the classification of cannabis. The committee took evidence from police, mental health campaigners and drugs education charities. One area of investigation has been the harms of new strains of cannabis known as "skunk", which have high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the chemical which gives users a "high".Although the ACMD does not believe that the health risks justify cannabis being moved back to class B, it does draw attention in its report to the health impacts of a rise in the use of skunk, which has been fuelled by increasing numbers of people growing their own marijuana.Despite reports that cannabis use is rising, official figures show that use among 16- to 24-year-olds has gradually fallen over the past seven years.Although it is a class C drug, cannabis possession, production and supply are still illegal, although the penalties have been reduced.The maximum penalty for possession has been reduced to two years' imprisonment. Most offences of cannabis possession now result in a warning and confiscation of the drug. Note: Experts reveal definitive link between drug and mental illness, paving way for rethink on lenient penalties.Source: Independent (UK)Author:  Sophie Goodchild and Francis Elliott Published: December 11, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.Contact: letters independent.co.ukWebsite: http://www.independent.co.uk/ Related Articles:Home Grown: Why Cannabis is New DIY Boomhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20912.shtmlHome-Grow Kits Fuel Cannabis Boom http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20737.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #62 posted by Jim Lunsford on December 18, 2005 at 17:28:12 PT
Religious nutcase here
and why not be one? Doesn't matter anyway. But it's my life, and no one has the authority to govern how I wish to live it. If you don't like the religious messages, then don't read them. Who cares? And why does your opinion matter?Why does anyone's opinion matter is this administration's policy anyway. Looks like I could actually have my wish for legalization this year! Powell is certainly not getting any Christmas cards from Cheney and Rumsfield this year.Note also that Cotton subsidies will be a thing of the past soon. Cotton being one of the key industries against Cannabis in the past. Times change though. It's a pretty cool show.I have been away from here for a bit. We "religious nutcases" do that every now and then. Though it really doesn't matter. In mine, there is no consequence of action. You just live and enjoy this life as the gift it is, and that's all we know. Over time, all changes will be rendered irrelevant, and in space all changes will be moot as well. Sorry. Just of the opinion that what we do as a species matters as much as a fart in a hurricane. Not that I don't choose a Cannabis culture. I'm just sure that one day it will change as well. I would just prefer a Cannabis culture. For me, God just wants us to be what any parent would want for their child. To be happy. To enjoy life as much as possible. We don't matter in consequence in the big picture, but we sure can just enjoy the show. And I am doing more of that lately.When you think of all eternity, in time and in space, then whatever this planet does is rendered moot in consequence. And is as impermanent as a sunset. Then think; there's nothing after this life. Boy, that sure does free you from a lot of responsibilities! There is no need to do things. Just enjoy being here. That's all my God wants for us. Somehow, underneath all of the crap that goes on in what we call life, there is an undeniable presence of love, and compassion. Unifying and unconditional. That's good enough for me. I figure the changes are coming for legalization now. It's time for a change. So much has been learned by so many now, that the old ways of doing things can be discarded. Life is a gift, a truly enlightened society would center it's entire culture into a more recreationally based society in order to promote the happiness of it's citizens. That is how you thank God in my religion. You enjoy this glorious gift of life while you have it. Now. Peace, your religious nutcase JimRev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchReligion is politics. Politics is force. Force is vanity. Vanity is all.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #61 posted by john wayne on December 18, 2005 at 03:09:25 PT
religious ridiculousness again
I'm reminded of that scene in "Mad max, Thunderdome", when Max finds those kids who survived the plane crash and have a religion built around a ViewMaster reel that they've found. They all get in the rotted seats of the plane and chant out the names of their "saviours" as Max views the ViewMaster reel. After the chanting and viewing, Max sighs wearily, realizing that he's got a bunch of naive nut cases to deal with.  And that's what I'm doing now, sighing wearily, as the religious nutcases continue to clog up this board with their nonsense. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #60 posted by FoM on December 12, 2005 at 13:53:27 PT
Related Article from BBC News UK
Woman Died on Cannabis Drug Trial 
 ***December 12, 2005 
A woman developed mental health problems and later died after taking part in trials of a cannabis-based drug, an inquest has heard. Diabetic Rene Anderson, aged 69 from Sheffield, was taken to hospital after starting to take Sativex to see if it would relieve pain she was suffering. She died in March 2004 from acute kidney failure. The continuing inquest is expected to have implications for the use of drugs derived from cannabis. Useful Relief Mrs Anderson, a retired supermarket supervisor from Silkstone Close in Frecheville, had been taking part in a trial supervised by diabetes expert Dr Solomon Tesfaye. He told the court he wanted to investigate whether cannabis could provide useful relief from the severe pain experienced by diabetic neuropathy sufferers. Sativex, which is not yet licensed in the UK but has been granted a licence in Canada, had shown good results in multiple sclerosis sufferers, Dr Resfaye said. He was first aware of Mrs Anderson's case when her family complained about her mental problems just days after her treatment began. Admitted to Hospital The doctor said the dose of the drug, which is taken using an oral spray, was reduced but Mrs Anderson's daughter, Jackie Sadler, rang back two weeks later to tell of her mother's deterioration. Sheffield coroner Chris Dorries heard how Mrs Anderson suffered a series of physical problems after she was admitted to hospital in October 2003, 23 days after starting to take Sativex These included pneumonia which culminated in her death five months later. The coroner said the purpose of the inquest was to examine what links there were, if any, between the experimental treatment and the physical deterioration which led to Mrs Anderson's death. The inquest, which began on Monday, is expected to last five or six days. Copyright: 2005 BBCLink: http://tinyurl.com/apk4z
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #59 posted by mayan on December 12, 2005 at 10:57:28 PT
Interesting
DID DRUG CULTURES OPEN UP SPIRITUAL WORLDS?
http://tinyurl.com/db8nm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #58 posted by siege on December 12, 2005 at 09:04:00 PT
 whig
 In Psalm 111:10, the inspired word of God tells us: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me." The Greek word for remembrance, anamnesis, does not mean simply psychologically recalling. Enlightenment rationalistic assumptions have clouded many an interpretation of Jesus' words here. The word anamnesis means to bring the past into the present and the present into the past. In the Eucharist, we truly "live into" Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and Christ is made present to us, and we are made present to Him.The Eucharist is a celebration and sacrament in which we collectively come to the table to meet Christ. Our individual differences and grudges are put aside before we partake, and we affirm our ultimate unity in Christ as his body on earth. This is because in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, and so forth.One of the Greek words for "sin" in the New Testament literally means "to miss the mark." So Satan is content to let you "believe in" God and Christ as long as he can still control you, make you "miss the mark." His goal is to keep you out of the coming Kingdom of God, which will replace him and his demons—by blinding you to what is really happening! God inspired the Apostle James to write: "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James 2:19).
   Then James explains how the true Christian must not merely believe in God, but must surrender to God’s will and do what He says (vv. 20–23). James writes: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (v. 24).
   "Justified by works?" Yes—along with faith! Read verse 24 for yourself. It should be very clear that true Christianity involves more than just accepting, in faith, Christ’s death—which is a free gift from God—as full payment for our sins. When we accept Christ’s sacrifice, we must also make a literal "covenant with our Creator" to quit sinning in the future—to truly surrender to let Christ live His obedient life in us through the Holy Spirit! For, God’s inspired Word tells us: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4, KJV). So we must repent of sin, repent of breaking God’s spiritual Law, the Ten Commandments. This involves a life of humble obedience—the "works" of keeping God’s laws and commandments. But when men cleverly misuse "grace"—teaching "cheap grace" without real repentance from sin—it is the very essence of the doctrine of the Antichrist! This false concept has allowed millions of professing Christians to go through life regularly and habitually disobeying the Ten Commandments—yet still assuming they are "good Christians"! The Apostle Jude was inspired to warn us of this very deception. "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3–4).
   Notice that Jude warns of false teachers using the idea of "grace" as a vehicle for "licentiousness"—license to disobey the very laws of God! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #57 posted by mayan on December 12, 2005 at 07:07:54 PT
whig
What,specifically, are you wanting my opinion on?I have some business to take care of in a bit but I'll try to get back with you later.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #56 posted by FoM on December 12, 2005 at 07:05:59 PT
News Article About GW Pharmaceuticals from Reuters
GW Pharma Signs European Partner for Cannabis Drug***December 12, 2005LONDON (Reuters) - GW Pharmaceuticals has agreed to a deal for Spain's Almirall to market its pioneering cannabis-based medicine, Sativex, in European countries excluding the UK, sending its shares higher on Monday.GW Pharma said it would receive a signature fee of 12 million pounds, within total potential milestone payments of 46 million pounds, and that it would maintain a significant share of long-term product revenues.At 8:05 a.m., GW Pharma shares were up 14.5 percent at 134.5 pence, valuing the firm at 153 million pounds.Almirall is Spain's largest pharmaceutical company and one of Europe's biggest private drug companies, with 2005 sales approaching 1 billion euros (673 million pounds), GW Pharma said.GW Pharma grows thousands of marijuana plants at a secret location in the English countryside, having been granted a dispensation by the government to use the plant for medical research.Canada became the first country to approve Sativex, an under-the-tongue spray, for sale in April 2005 as a treatment for neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis patients.Sativex was initially expected to be approved in Britain by the end of 2003, but has suffered numerous delays.German drugmaker Bayer is GW Pharma's marketing partner in Canada and the UK.Copyright: Reuters 2005Link: http://business.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2389972005
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #55 posted by whig on December 12, 2005 at 04:48:04 PT
Should we start being open about this?
I really want an opinion from Mayan and Global_Warming on this, in particular, because I think you agree with what I say. Should we stop disguising our words and start being blunt (no pun intended)?If cannabis is the eucharist of Christ, then the anti-'s are what, precisely? :)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #54 posted by whig on December 12, 2005 at 04:40:08 PT
Can I just be blunt here?
Fine.We are the Christ, and cannabis is our eucharist.Call that psychotic if you like, but it's still the truth.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #53 posted by whig on December 12, 2005 at 04:36:40 PT
What is psychosis, and does it relate to cannabis?
Let me make a statement, which you can attribute to a religious belief or a psychosis: Christ is not one person, Christ is all of us.Now, you might take that statement and say, here, the person is just expressing a religious belief, perhaps out of the mainstream, but nonetheless harmless and certainly not evidence of a disordered mind. But then one might ask, why does someone make such a statement? Is it just a preference, is it something he or she was taught, or is it based on what he or she believes to be a direct experience of some kind? If the first two, then the statement can be disregarded as having no particular credibility. But if I said, no, I'm saying this is true because I know it to be true from experience, we are the Christ, I might be classified as psychotic because there can be no "scientific" evidence for my statement, it is counter-rational to the mainstream, and such ideas are dangerous to the prevailing orthodoxy.Now, if I said, my experience was related to the consumption of cannabis, it might be said that cannabis induces psychosis. Certainly this is easier for the mainstream to believe than the possibility that cannabis somehow awakened a latent connection to something undetectable by our "scientific" instruments.By the way, I put scientific in "scare quotes" because I do not reject genuine science, quite to the contrary in fact. We ought not to say that because a method of inquiry is incapable of revealing all things, it is somehow flawed. However, instruments cannot measure the mind; this does not make the mind non-existent. That we have a mind, most of us do not doubt, and it can hardly be irrational for me to posit that mind exists in the absence of instruments to detect it. Isn't rationality itself a product of mind? And when I say that mind contains different kinds or states of consciousness, can this really be doubted either, based on anyone's experience? I say that Christ consciousness is one of these kinds, and you may or may not have experienced it, but by what leap of logic can you condemn such a statement as irrational merely by lack of instrumentation to detect it? I say that cannabis can open this state of consciousness to receptive people, and a simple scientific experiment can even confirm or refute this *as to yourself*. So, science isn't wrong, but "science" is.Cannabis does not cause psychosis, it causes awakening. Now, awakening itself can be a jarring experience, and it is easy enough to fall into believing the self-deceiver (part of the higher consciousness, and portrayed in mainstram Christian terms as the devil), which leads to strange and possibly anti-social *behavior*. Okay, now we're getting somewhere, there are a lot of confused people out there, and we ought to be trying to help them. Cannabis might in some cases have played a role in awakening this latent aspect in the individual, but cannabis may also be the best way to "cure" such confusion in combination with helpful guidance from others more familiar and understanding of the experience.Anyhow, I could go off on a longer tangent, but I've already said more than I really should here. Some might take my words for evidence of precisely what the prohibitionists are now heard to complain about, but at core it has always been this reason that cannabis was controlled. We don't want people waking up, because then they stop being obedient to external authority.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #52 posted by afterburner on December 11, 2005 at 20:59:51 PT
'the night is always darkest before the dawn'
The War on Cannabis is the template for the War on Iraq. Lying is rewarded. Torture is approved. Civil rights are violated. Holier-than-thou mentality is fostered. End the war. Stop lying. Stop torturing. Stop violating civil rights. Tolerance of diversity is an American standard: freedom of religion, separation of church and state, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly."Sounds like politics to me." Cheap shots. Straw men. Sound bites."It seems the greater threat to them is personal use, but corporate pollution is okay, there's something wrong with that.""This propaganda is fooling fewer and fewer people though.""Ooh the wheel in the sky keeps on turning. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow." --Lyrics: Wheel In The Sky by Journey http://www.top40db.net/Lyrics.asp?SongID=78305
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #51 posted by Had Enough on December 11, 2005 at 20:20:20 PT
Comment 46 & 49
Outstanding
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #50 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 20:06:41 PT

Related Article from The Times Online UK
Experts Pass The Buck on Regrading of Cannabis***By Greg Hurst, Political Correspondent and Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor 
 
 December 12, 2005 Ministers face a dilemma over the legal status of cannabis after a government review ducked the question of whether it should be reclassified and targeted with renewed priority by police. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which has reassessed the Government’s decision of two years ago to downgrade cannabis, has backed away from recommending that cannabis be reclassified from a class C to a class B drug. Its report has been submitted to Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, and he will reflect on it over the Christmas recess before reaching a decision early next year, according to one of his aides. 
 
The end of the review comes as an inquest opens into the death of a woman who had been taking part in trials of an experimental cannabis-based drug. Rene Anderson, 70, was given Sativex to ease symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, a generalised nerve pain in her hands and feet, Richard Starkie, her family’s solicitor, said yesterday. Mr Starkie said that Mrs Anderson developed psychosis shortly after taking the drug, but GW Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Sativex, insist that the drug has been “well-tolerated” by patients in extensive trials, and that they were “surprised and disappointed” that Mr Starkie had pre- empted the coroner’s findings. Mrs Anderson was admitted to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on March 3 last year, and died ten weeks later after developing pneumonia and kidney failure. Mr Starkie said: “The inquest will look at whether her psychosis was caused by her taking the cannabis-based drug and whether that psychosis then led to her physical decline and death.” Mrs Anderson’s daughter, Jackie Sadler, said: “We are still in the dark as to how she became so ill and why she died, and none of the medical experts involved has yet been able to answer our questions.” The drug has not been granted a marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and doctors can prescribe it only on a named- patient basis. There was speculation yesterday that the advisory council has concluded that health risks do not justify the reclassification of cannabis. Its failure to make a firm re-commendation means that Mr Clarke must take a political decision without the option of simply endorsing the findings of a group of experts. He set up the review weeks before the general election, asking the council to advise him on scientific research into the effects of stronger varieties of “skunk” cannabis. This neutralised political rows over cannabis during the election. Senior Home Office officials believe that public debate on drugs has become “trapped” on the question of legalisation and would welcome clarity on the status of cannabis, but police chiefs have urged keeping the law as it is and said that, if cannabis is reclassified as a class B drug, its possession should be enforced with a fixed penalty notice in order not to divert police officers’ time. The original decision to downgrade the classification of cannabis was taken by David Blunkett, the previous Home Secretary, and was again based on a report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Mr Clarke asked the council to look at the issue again in light of studies into links between the regular use of cannabis and mental illness.
 Copyright: 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd. 
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ct8sw
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #49 posted by siege on December 11, 2005 at 19:30:14 PT

something to work with,
The eventual American Revolution wasn't actually a real revolution. The Founding Fathers (Masons), did not go to war with their parents, the monarchy of England. There are many prominent American Presidents who are related to strong European bloodlines and great wealth. When the YORK Rite Masons of York, England, came over here, they settled on the East coast and declared it NEW YORK.  Then they went to work to build the "Empire State". In New York sits the Statue of "LIBERTY", given to us by FRANCE, holding up the Masonic torch of ENLIGHTENMENT. The highest degrees of Freemasonry are the 32nd and 33rd degree.
   On the back of the dollar bill, on the Great Seal of the U. S. , there are 32 feathers on the right wing of the eagle and 33 on the left. Underneath the pyramid, the Latin term "Novus Ordo Seclorum" means "New World Order". It has appeared on the dollar bill since 1933. If you look at things from a historical perspective, the U.N. today has implemented or is in the process of implementing all the planks of Adam Weishaupt's Manifesto. When George Bush took us to war in the Persian Gulf, he stated boldly that he didn't need the approval of Congress anymore to declare war because he had a U.N. Mandate. We have sacrificed a large part of our U.S. sovereignty. The U.N. has recently passed a Declaration of Children's Right's. It is now a RIGHT of the child to receive vaccinations, which do more harm than good, and a parent doesn't have the right to interfere. Parents who interfere with the rights of a child or abuse a child or are accused of abuse can have their children taken by the state. If you are seen spanking a child more than two or three times, the child abuse police will be unleashed against you. This amounts to nothing more than a giant power transfer, from US to THEM. The only way they can do this is by tricking us into thinking that we are so irresponsible that we cannot manage our own affairs and lives and that the state is better suited to raise our children. If you still like the U.N. then wait until you get hit with the new U.N. TAX that is coming. The building of early American colonies as well as the American Revolution would not have been possible if it were not for a very special plant. The Cannabis / Hemp plant was used throughout the world since the beginning of time for just about everything that mankind needed.  0 Paper made from hemp was used for books, bibles, maps, and money. You can produce 4 times as much paper from an acre of hemp as you can from an acre of trees at 1/4 the cost, 1/5 the pollution, it is 10 times stronger and lasts up to 1000 years instead of only 50. And it can be recycled 4 times as many times as paper from wood pulp. The Constitution was printed on hemp paper as well as the first 3 drafts of the Declaration of Independence. Even great sailing ships like the U.S.S. Constitution were made primarily out of hemp. Hemp is the STRONGEST natural fiber on the planet. Hemp is 26 times stronger than cotton and 10 times longer lasting. The first Levi jeans were made out of hemp as well as all of the soldier's clothes for the Revolutionary War. It requires no chemicals to grow, has very few natural enemies, and grows in the widest variety of climates of any weed or plant. It is also the FASTEST GROWING plant on the planet, growing 4 times faster than corn. The seeds from the hemp plant provide the highest source of complete vegetable protein of any food source on earth. Even higher than soybeans. It has also been re-realized lately that the hemp seed is the highest source of Essential Fatty Acids in the world. ESSENTIAL, meaning :NECESSARY FOR LIFE, Fatty Acids are necessary for us and beneficial for cleaning the cholesterol out of the arteries naturally. All oils in the supermarket are bad since they are placed in clear plastic containers and exposed to direct sunlight. They become as bad as saturated fats, and end up CAUSING cholesterol buildup, leading to heart attacks, etc. Hemp seed oil can even be used as a machine-grade lubricant for engines and other machines replacing petroleum oil from the ground.
   Henry Ford built his Ford Model-T using hemp to line the side panels. The impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel alone. This would eliminate many vehicular deaths today. The Model-T was also designed to run on hemp fuel which Henry Ford grew. This was displayed in Popular Mechanics in Feb. of 1938. Concentrated extracts of Cannabis from the flowers were the 2nd most used medicines in America for 150 years for over 100 separate medical illnesses. It is probably the best natural medicine for Glaucoma, stress, and controlling nausea, and works very well for arthritis , asthma, and epilepsy. It is estimated that Hemp would have at least 50,000 commercial uses if it were legal in America today. 
   The reason that Hemp is illegal in America today is because the main families in America (Masons), the Harrimans and Rockefellers (Standard Oil), the Whitneys (Eli Whitney-Cotton Gin), Dupont (Chemicals in wood pulp processing and cotton pesticides), and Hearst (Newspapers, Media) find it more profitable to sell us unnecessary chemicals, unneeded dug-up petroleum oil, immune system destroying pharmaceuticals, and axed up trees cut into real thin slices, all at over-inflated prices and at the expense of our health and living environment. For these companies, the real problem is that one cannot patent a natural plant. Almost everything produced in America by large corporations is exported for sale on the world markets. The total value of oil, petrochemicals, and pharmaceutical sales totals hundreds of billions of dollars. However, with the availability of over 50,000 new products and the necessity to manufacture them, America would be a much richer nation if the farmers and the average citizen were allowed to grow this valuable crop. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #48 posted by Commonsense on December 11, 2005 at 18:55:03 PT

WMD's
Is this study sort of like the British "intelligence" claiming Iraq was chock full of weapons of mass destruction relied on the decision to go to war with Iraq? 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #47 posted by potpal on December 11, 2005 at 17:31:37 PT

Over there
It almost feels like these stories from over there are planted for American comsumption. Like Uncle Sam knows that many now know he's full of sh*t, ah but if the story comes from over there then the govt can sit back and say see I told you so, see how smart we are for continuing to prohibit this plant. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #46 posted by Jim Lunsford on December 11, 2005 at 17:08:06 PT

My two cents
anyone can interpret whatever I write anyway they want. I can't change their interpretation of anything I write anyway. Nor can anyone else do that either. Our world is viewed imperfectly by choice. We can only experience that which we are prepared to experience.Apparantly my thought process isn't perfect. Oops. At least not perfect enough to conform to everyone else's viewpoint of how the world "really" is. Oh well, that's too bad. None of us have the slightest clue as to what reality really is like. It is physically impossible anyway. Let me guess, I'm going straight to hell without a handbasket because I have no morals. Exactly what are morals? And what do they matter? They are rules by which a society is regulated. They are neither good nor bad unless we believe them to be so.The Vikings felt they were good people. Moral people. And they were by their code. I wouldn't have advised telling one of them they were "evil" though. Their "moral" code was from a totally different culture than ours. And, they also helped spread quite a bit of progress in the wake of all their destruction. Gengis Khan's famous general, Subotei, burned cities to the ground if they resisted his advance. Yet, because of the trade routes he developed from China to Europe, we got the Gutenberg press. Millions died to create that peace. A peace that brought the first death spasm of the dark ages. Jesus died on the cross because the people sent him there. They were the masses of judgement which still rules today. His death has resulted in how many deaths for such a loving god as the kristians? Had his message been heeded, not one war would have been fought. Yet, look at us now. And are we not moral?People live. People die. What matters the way they do either? We are the gods of our own universes. Who has the right to tell anyone they are right or wrong? Who is the biggest murderer? The priest or the warrior? Who can stop the determined mind? No one. All anyone can do is provide an excuse for us to do what we do anyway. All our results are our own choosing. And what difference does it make what the result is anyway? There is a world beyond the doing. It is the being. All we are is a different, and very small, perspective of all that is around us. Each and everyone of us, and all that lies within our little universes. Especially the nothingness. Or is that the somethingness?Cannabis is legal. All you have to do is demand it. It is our attachment to the outcome that we thought should be happening that causes suffering. As for EJ, maybe she is just embracing the chaos of change right now. We always crave this normalcy, yet it is in the chaos that we find growth. Destruction as well, but what is the difference? Just the old way of viewing to make way for the new. Of course, we can avoid the chaos, call it mental illness or something, but that is just a choice. Rev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchMorals: Whose should we follow if not our own?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #45 posted by siege on December 11, 2005 at 16:15:33 PT

U S govt.
Delusions. Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not part of the person's culture and do not change, even when other people present proof that the beliefs are not true or logical. People with schizophrenia can have delusions that are quite bizarre, such as believing that neighbors can control their behavior with magnetic waves, people on television are directing special messages to them, or radio stations are broadcasting their thoughts aloud to others. They may also have delusions of grandeur and think they are a famous historical figure. People with paranoid schizophrenia can believe that others are deliberately cheating, harassing, poisoning, spying upon, or plotting against them or the people they care about. These beliefs are called delusions of persecution.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #44 posted by lombar on December 11, 2005 at 15:08:11 PT

There is an inconsistency
I was reading another story in the London Sunday Times or somewhere that re-iterated the story I posted. They are claiming that the area of the brain that is affected is that of 'language and hearing'. So, the many eloquent posters here who make such great points are 'brain damaged'? Just because the condition appears in cannabis smokers and 'teenage' schizophrenics does not mean that 'damage' is the cause of schizophrenia. Perhaps they are mistaken and that area that atrophies is the MEAN STREAK everyone can have. 1) Nobody suggests that children should have access to drugs.2) What are the equivelent effects on the brain of pollution? Alcohol? Prison?3) Schizophrenia is a 'syndrome' more than a set diagnosable disease. It is not like coronary disease where a doctor can do a test and SEE the plaque in ones arteries. It is dignosed over time, based upon the appearance of positive and negative symptoms.4) The onset of schizophrenia typically manifests between 17 and 30. If they did studies on younger teens then they are atypical schizophrenics.5) I might have even believed it if it was not just one more in a slew of recent reefer-madness propaganda. The simple fact is NOBODY is protected by prohibition, the first casualty of any war is truth.15 people is hardly enough to be called 'comprehensive'. It is also pretty hard to eliminate other environmental factors that the researchers were not aprised of, past drug use that was denied, etc. Their shill cries of reefer madness are growing in intensity, the night is always darkest before the dawn. Expect this to be thrown in our collective faces...
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #43 posted by siege on December 11, 2005 at 15:07:36 PT

Community Care or 'Sheltered Villages' for Serious
Community Care or 'Sheltered Villages' for Seriously Mentally-ill Patients?http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-12-11/35652.htmlEpoch Times New Zealand Staff
	Dec 11, 2005Is the 'one-size fits all' methodology for treating de-institutionalised mentally ill patients the answer? People with serious mental illnesses are now being exposed to potentially life-threatening drugs that were rarely seen 20 years ago.Without 'one on one' care, the task of monitoring seriously mentally ill people who are out in the community has become a game of chance.It is now recognized by medical experts that alcohol and drug taking can provoke psychotic behaviour in mentally ill patients. Even cannabis, known for its depressive effects on school children, has been closely linked to violent acts by mentally ill people. Cannabis, P and other drugs also interfere with and inhibit the effects of the medication taken by patients further undermining treatment and control.Cannabis was believed to be a factor in the murders committed by Stephen Anderson who murdered his father and friends of the family in 1997 at Raurimu, Lachlan Jones who viciously killed Malcom Begg with an axe in 1999 and then committed suicide and Johnny Manu who knifed ACC worker Janice Pike to death in the same year. 

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #42 posted by b4daylight on December 11, 2005 at 14:57:25 PT

Wow
 comments going on this god day of rest...
lots of them :)Any 
who
Yeah where are all the cannabis smoking insane people?
Seems like you can null that study....out of 700,000 people arrested last year and how many wound up in the nut house?A Uturn?Alcohol limits or stops brain function... I do not get it. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #41 posted by global_warming on December 11, 2005 at 14:46:48 PT

'we, can end this war!
'We, the children Can End this 'war,In 1blinkU can be witnessEternity..is Forever,My Prayer,Cannabis is forever a balm In our restless and Eternal Soul,
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #40 posted by global_warming on December 11, 2005 at 14:13:48 PT

sorry
Meant to say,The Glory that is on our table!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #39 posted by rchandar on December 11, 2005 at 13:55:53 PT:

looks to me...
...like blair's doing this to save his political behind. Tories are for the change back to Class B, and Blair narrowly won the last election. Sounds like politics to me.--rchandar
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #38 posted by global_warming on December 11, 2005 at 13:54:58 PT

Dante
Was only one human being,Imagine..The Glory that is on our table?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #37 posted by runruff on December 11, 2005 at 13:49:06 PT:

Dante's infernal maddness.
I will neither agree or disagree with Dante. He is versing
an opinion like I do like you do. He certinly is not the Gospel and even that was written and edited by men. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you and love God. Be thankful. This is about all we need to know. Live by this and you will have done a good thing.Namaste, 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #36 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 13:38:15 PT

Seven Deadly Mistakes
I don't like the word sin. Sin means a person did something that took him or her out of favor of God. That's a very heavy word. We all make mistakes and we suffer the natural consequences of our actions. I wonder what kind of government we would have if we followed the guidelines global_warming posted?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #35 posted by global_warming on December 11, 2005 at 12:50:05 PT

ot yet part of the problem,..
The SinsRanked in ascending order of severity (worst sins listed last) as per Dante's Divine Comedy (in the Purgatorio), the seven deadly sins are:  * Lust (fornication) — Unlawful sexual desire, such as desiring sex with a person outside marriage. (Dante's criterion was "excessive love of others," thereby detracting from the love due God). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, lust is referred to as luxuria.
  * Gluttony — Wasting of food, either through overindulgence in food, drink or intoxicants, misplaced desire for food for its sensuality, or withholding food from the needy ("excessive love of pleasure" was Dante's rendering). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, gluttony is referred to as gula.
  * Greed (covetousness, avarice) — A desire to possess more than one has need or use for (or, according to Dante, "excessive love of money and power"). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, avarice is referred to as avaritia.
  * Sloth (also accidie, acedia) — Laziness; idleness and wastefulness of time allotted. Laziness is condemned because:    * Others have to work harder
    * You are putting off what God wants you to do or not doing it at all
    * It is disadvantageous for oneself, because useful work does not get done
    * It, like gluttony, is a sin of waste, for it wastes time, implicitly because of pride
    * An equilibrium: one does not produce much, but one does not need much either (in Dante's theology, sloth is the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind, and all one's soul"; specific examples including laziness, cowardice, lack of imagination, complacency, and irresponsibility).  In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, sloth is referred to as acedia. 
  * Wrath (anger, hate) — Inappropriate (unrighteous) feelings of hatred, revenge or even denial, as well as punitive desires outside of justice (Dante's description was "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite"). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, wrath is referred to as ira.
  * Envy (jealousy) — Resentment of others for their possessions (Dante: "Love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs"). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, envy is referred to as invidia.
  * Pride (vanity) — A desire to be important or attractive to others or excessive love of self (holding self out of proper position toward God or fellows; Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor"). In the Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, pride is referred to as superbia.
Seven deadly sins
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #34 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 11:32:03 PT

Siege 
There are 3 of what I mean.1* - I believe something.II* - I try to convey that something to others like here on CNews.III* - Then it is how my words are taken by the reader that makes us all so complicated.So it's what we believe, how we convey it and how it is received by others. That shows me how easy it is to be misunderstood.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #33 posted by siege on December 11, 2005 at 11:13:56 PT

FoM
I have been got here a few times or people don't understand what I've saided, I have to read some Post
2 & 3 times to get it right, and if I don't then, I get some one to read to me. So lets have some FUN, just pick up a book and go to the **looking glass** and read from it, for kicks. I told some people I could put a .22 round through
the haveyest part of a amry tank and they all called me bad names, and said my papers get torn up.
so I showed them, and this led to some real nasty WMD. like antimatter by thermonuclear compression as a means of "extracting energy from the void" once antimatter has been produced in this way it can be used to produce more no nuclear explosion is needed in every start this technology is in our hands incredibly more destructive bombs than the most powerful thermonuclear weapons available the fact that very small quantities of antimatter can be stocked in crystals under very stable electrostatic confinement this allows the production of tiny bombs "tennis ball" size thermal shield included of 50 ton TNT power in this size their limited power and the fact that no waste is produced we can scatter a great number of these mini antimatter bombs and cause damage we already possess a considerable number of these weapons with which they would be capable of reducing whole countries these bombs have been used. this is why the used Uranium weapons have been used to start the first Reactshion.
I no longer work at this, I got smart to late.All of the people here are working for the same thing, if one has a problum with a post reread it and come away with a new look on it please...there 2 or 3 ways at looking at something. Art. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #32 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 10:41:17 PT

News Article from Tennessee Independent Media
Save Bernie's Farm By Anna ThompsonOn August 28, 2002, Bernie Ellis’s farm was raided by the Tennessee Marijuana Eradication Task Force, a force that included both state and federal law enforcement officers. During the ten hours the Task Force was on Bernie’s farm, two helicopters and ten ground troops combed his land, searched his home and out-buildings and confiscated farm supplies, files from his work as a public health consultant and his computer. The Task Force found a small amount of cannabis in Bernie’s home, 20-25 plants that were four to six feet tall and a number of small “clones” (under 12 inches tall) – all ready to harvest. To their surprise, they also found a proposal solicited by the New Mexico Governor’s Office for Bernie to help that state establish and operate a state-operated medical cannabis production facility. Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/cqgpu

Save Bernies Farm
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #31 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 09:40:45 PT

Morality
I believe in morality. I believe that we should do unto others as we wish that others would do unto us. I believe in being kind and patient. Words from one of Neil Young's songs I love:***A Little Love and Affection In Everything You DoWill Make The World a Better PlaceWith or Without You
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #30 posted by runruff on December 11, 2005 at 09:38:04 PT:

The real meaning off..........
......the DEA. DEA stands for Devils Emissaries of America.
I know it's the truth because I made it up.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #29 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 09:36:04 PT

Mike
I sent you an e-mail.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #28 posted by siege on December 11, 2005 at 09:16:28 PT

detailed evidence 
The Independent on Sunday can reveal that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has detailed evidence showing cannabis triggers psychosis in regular users.Then why is it that all the jails are full of cannabis user's and Not the NUT Houses that right people if we are so 
[insane] then we should be in the aslyums or psychiatric hospital. for the passed 5000 years... 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #27 posted by JoeCitizen on December 11, 2005 at 09:02:30 PT

EJ, my take on Jim's post
I'm sure Jim can speak for himself, but I'll throw my two cents in anyway.Qutoing Jim: "We give in to our baseness and ignorance and are so easily led into profitable pastures by the greedy. All because we are so self righteous and moral. That is the key to the a public. Morality. As in good and evil. The stupid and senseless judging of others."I don't think Jim was rejecting all morality. He was rejecting Amerikan Morality - "the stupid and senseless judging of others."He makes the point repeatedly throughout his post that thinking is hard work and that most Americans fail to do this.  This leads to simple-minded notions of good and evil, totally black and white with no degrees or shades of grey. You're either with us or you're against us. You're either a good and righteous Christian, or one of those Godless druggies. No in-between.That's not at all the same thing as rejecting all morality. I think Jim just wants us to be moral in a thinking, reasoning way, rather than having a brain-dead reflexive kind of morality.And I don't think it was particularly Christian of you to question Jim's faith, or to call him nuts.  Something tells me that Jesus would have had a more patient and instructive way to communicate. But that's just my take on Jesus. I've never actually met the guy."Judge not, that you may not be judged." Matthew 7:1-5JC 
(JoeCitizen, not the other JC)
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #26 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 08:59:49 PT

Just a Comment
One thing I really mind doing is intervening when people are upset with each other and actually I don't know how to stop it. We should be able to check ourselves or at least I really try to check myself.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #25 posted by runruff on December 11, 2005 at 08:56:33 PT:

Metaphoric warts!
Years ago whenever I spoke about the bennefits of cannabis 
people looked at me as if I had an apple sized wart on my nose. I'm sure they thought that I already had irreversable brain damage. Things have changed a lot since then but it looks like paid mouth pieces like PM Blair are trying to take us into retro. This is transparent if given only a second thought. Next to all the policies he supports that are so damaging to society and the planet as a hole not to mention that prohibition does not work. He is a paid mouth piece. A political whore of the lowest kind. What about all the recent studies that show cannabis stimulate brain cell growth. I smoked cannabis for forty years and my lungs are clear. My mind is clear enough to type this. I have a model relationship with my wife whom I adore. I have many friends, a successful buisness, a great relationship with my family with respect from everyone. So when does this psychosis kick in. When I'm ninety? I don't believe in religion. I believe everyone has a personal relationship with their [God] whomever he or she happens to be or not to be. Religions are in it for the money, period. Probably the power too. Both are corruptable desires.I believe freelance vending of herbal and medicinal products
are a constitutional right. I say if you want to trust the FDA
and their corporate buddies, go ahead. If you want to trust me you have that right also. Believe me I am more caring and trustworthy. Besides if a neighborhood vendor isn't 
honest you can pay him or her a visit. I'd like to see you pay Eli Lilly a visit with a complaint. The FDA protects corporate
Drug dealers. The DEA is at war with freelance herb vendors.
Am I living on the wrong side of the looking glass? How did we get over here? Mr. Carroll, Mr Carroll, I see what you mean! All logic is backwards over here. Take me home! Take me home! Mr. Wizzard, Mr. Wizzard! Drizzill, drazzill, drizzill drone, time for this one to come home. 
 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #24 posted by Toker00 on December 11, 2005 at 08:49:45 PT

Jim, please. Just ignore her nonsense.
EJ is not listening to reason. We shall not listen to EJ. If EJ becomes a big enough distraction here, FoM will intervene. She is trying to let her cool off before she does that. Let's just not let this illogical display of temper and hate bring us down. Jim, please, man. Let it go. You made your point clearly and unmistakably. Let her embarrass herself and not everyone else.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #23 posted by runderwo on December 11, 2005 at 08:44:11 PT

umm.
Why does his opinion have to make everyone else look good? That doesn't make any sense.I happen to think the same thing, that many people use absolutist morality as an excuse for intellectual laziness, so they don't have to think, just react - and I don't believe people eschewing their intelligence is a good thing for any of us. Am I doing a disservice by pointing out what I believe to be true, regardless of who might feel insulted by it? Come on. If someone feels insulted, maybe it hit a little closer to home than they would have liked.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #22 posted by Toker00 on December 11, 2005 at 08:39:37 PT

Ok Growers, boycott Miracle Gro.
Stop putting it on your tomatoes and flowers. Use natural repellents and nutrients. If all cig. smokers nation wide joined in, a decent boycott would at least tell this Corp. that we don't agree with companies making public/private/medical/drug policy. Their next step could be the people who eat FAT. Then the people who use natural herbs. Hey, what about the workers who abuse alcohol? No problem there, right?  Just think, if Cannabis were legal medicine here, (FDA approved), they could ask their workers to switch, and it would be covered by insurance. Other addictions could be treated with cannabis. If the concern is about the cost of insurance, then help us liberate Cannabis. Your insurance rate should tumble like the profits of the Pill Masters. YOU WOULD HAVE A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO BOOZE AND HARD DRUGS (including nicotine), as well as a SAFE ALTERNATIVE FOR ENJOYABLE RECREATION. Where is the down side of this? Oh yeah. Corporate Profit Loss.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!  
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #21 posted by FoM on December 11, 2005 at 08:34:41 PT

Mike
Sure I will e-mail you. My husband is getting ready for work so as soon as I get a minute I'll get back with you.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #20 posted by el_toonces on December 11, 2005 at 08:32:11 PT:

Help
FoM --I need help in updating my account info. to reflect my current e-mail and other contact info. Also, when my last computer crashed, I lost all of your contact info. Now, I don't even have a way to e-mail you:( Can you contact me off-list at msegesta sbcglobal.net to advise of your e-mail? Sorry post this OT item here, but had no other way to reach you.....Hope all is well:)Mike
Michigan NORML
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #19 posted by E_Johnson on December 11, 2005 at 08:21:38 PT

FOr example
If you're against morality, Jim, then you can't complain that the war against pot is immoral.If you're against morality, Jim, then you can't complain about the prohibitionists lying. If there are no morals that you respect, then you can't expect the other side to respect moral standards either.I think you're just plain nuts, frankly, because first you complain that money is the root of all evil, and then you go on down below to say you're against morality period.Your beliefs aren't even the same through a whole posting.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #18 posted by E_Johnson on December 11, 2005 at 08:17:09 PT

Jim you're part of our problem
Nothing you say sounds remotely Christian.You're against morality. You can't be a Christian if you have no moral standards whatsoever. I'll bet you don't even read the Bible except for the parts you think are about pot.Your rantings make us all look crazy.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #17 posted by cloud7 on December 11, 2005 at 08:06:47 PT

Haha
"Tony Blair is planning a controversial U-turn on cannabis laws and the reintroduction of tough penalties after an official government review found a definitive link between use of the drug and mental illness."What u-turn? Since when was Blair a champion of cannabis rights? If he had any say in the change to class C, he only went along grudgingly and to appease the voters. And it's not like this is much of a u-turn:"Although it is a class C drug, cannabis possession, production and supply are still illegal, although the penalties have been reduced.
The maximum penalty for possession has been reduced to two years' imprisonment." Just look at what people are getting away with now, two years for possession. How enlightened. And ok, if most people aren't getting the two years, then the penalty can be used to unfairly punish some people and not others. Any amount of jail for possession, or any other cannabis offense (not relating to providing to minors, etc.) is a gross violation of a person's rights.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #16 posted by WolfgangWylde on December 11, 2005 at 08:01:08 PT

Gotta admit, the Prohibitionists are good...
Personally, I think this will turn out like the scans of Ecstasy users that showed "holes" in the brain - completely false. But the retraction won't garner nearly as much headlines as the initial lie. Whatever, I'm just about done holding out any hope. Meanwhile, cigarette smokers are beginning to get a taste. Welcome to the party, guys:Company To Workers: Light Up And You're Fired (Scotts Miracle-Gro)
NBC11 ^ | December 10, 2005MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- Quit smoking, or you're fired. That's what Scotts Miracle-Gro is telling its employees. If they don't quit smoking by October, they'll lose their jobs. The lawn and garden company is trying to keep health insurance costs down by promoting healthy lifestyles for its employees. Its chairman and chief executive, James Hagedorn, said the company shouldn't have to shoulder health risks for employees who smoke. It pays for 75 percent of employees' health insurance. The Ohio-based company has 6,000 employees. It said it can fire smokers legally in 21 states. Workers who smoke can get free counseling, nicotine patches and classes on quitting. A spokesman said the company hasn't yet decided how it will enforce the smoking ban.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #15 posted by John Tyler on December 11, 2005 at 07:06:02 PT

prohibitionist delusion
I have noticed that over the last thirty-five years that wherever the US government goes in the world, no matter if it was Viet Nam, or South America, or now the Middle East, this drug controversy always follows. There is such a high correlation that one might be led to conclude that the US is the cause of it. This is especially ironic because the US rails on so stridently against any form of drug use outside the politically approved pharmaceutical, alcohol and tobacco industries. This latest propaganda ploy is suspect also. Before a political initiative is launched a “study” is presented to the public to justify the action. Statistics were manipulated that favored a certain point of view and signed off by guys with Ph Ds at the end of their names. This is the just the old “lazy, crazy, stupid” argument all over again. This propaganda is fooling fewer and fewer people though.  Nobody recommends that youngsters consume cannabis. This is an adult activity. If cannabis were legal it could be restricted to adults. Also, if it were legal it would lose its appeal as some forbidden object. This fact has been demonstrated in area where cannabis laws have been relaxed. Basically, it gets down to this, no matter what the politicians say people are going to use cannabis. If the politicians will not change their positions on this issue, then it is time to change the politicians. The only insanity I have noticed is from the prohibitionist.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #14 posted by MikeEEEEE on December 11, 2005 at 06:18:56 PT

Personal Use Propaganda
govt. likes to use propaganda to halt personal use of substances, such as cigarettes, etc. However, what about the corporate dumping of millions of tons of toxins into the air? The oil depot fire in Great Britain is one example of a giant cigarette, choking our lungs. They said on CNN the smoke is blocking out the sun.It seems the greater threat to them is personal use, but corporate pollution is okay, there's something wrong with that.
Toxins from big business today are linked to higher rates of autism in children. If they cared about the children, they would do something, instead they go after the little fish.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #13 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 11, 2005 at 04:59:14 PT

Wow! The Propaganda War Is Ramping Up
Here's the test. Hope we're ready to fight back on a political level. We've got to change the politicians' minds by simply changing the politicians.Dennis
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on December 11, 2005 at 04:01:54 PT

Don't you just love their PROOF? Like in Iraq...
WMD's. "The findings add to growing evidence the drug MAY be a significant cause of mental illness in adolescents and a POSSIBLE trigger for schizophrenia in those who are genetically vulnerable."Just like the experts who said there MAY be WMD's in Iraq, and that Iraq MAY be working on nukes, Tony? Evidence? You mean LIES? United Kingdom -- Scientists have shown for the first time that the damage to brains from smoking cannabis IS the same as that in schizophrenia sufferers. I guess that depends on what the definition of "IS" is. Right, Bill?I say the "damage" MAY be different. I say the "damage" MAY be an improvement. I say the image MAY show the body using natural cannabinoids to treat the schizophrenia. That MAY be the image of Cannabis treating the same thing. What you're calling "damage" MAY be and image of HEALING, or a natural CRYING OUT for cannabinoids. And I MAY be a scientist. But I'm NOT. Prohibition MAY be a deterrent to drug abuse. But it's NOT. Even if you weigh the risk/benefits ratio for Cannabis use/abuse/treatment, I would STILL feel safer using it than ANY pharma-poison. I would STILL feel safer using it than alcohol or tobacco. AND, I would STILL be grateful that kids, even though we would they wouldn't, have a safer substance to experiment with than ALCOHOL or TOBACCO.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #11 posted by mayan on December 11, 2005 at 03:42:48 PT

Hemel Hempstead
How ironic. One of Britains largest oil depots is presently exploding. It is the Buncefield Oil Terminal, near Hemel Hempstead. Authorities say it appears to be accidental. Oil Depot Explodes Near London:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/11/world/main1115850.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=World_1115850Whig, I would have to agree. Cannabis is also the enemy of the petrol-people. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #10 posted by Jim Lunsford on December 11, 2005 at 03:18:47 PT

The root of all evil
is the love of money. And of course, vanity figures up pretty high as well. Follow the money always in history.It isn't a follow the money for the people, but follow the money for the few. Think John D. Rockefellor and all those robber barons. Why yes, they did give us the corporate structure, the "company store", and oil in every bite of food you eat (provided it has food coloring in it, you have oil in it). Thank you so much you God fearing people!Well, I don't fear God. God is everything and everyone and everytime. If God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to us, then why should we fear him? Him is just the generic term given by Kristians. Personally, I think sex is just our way of thinking. "He" did make all sexes, after all.The ignorance of the masses, and it's desire to find a quick and easy cure to any problem, lies at the heart of the prohibitionists ability to garner support for this war against us. Nevermind that sometimes you have to invent thhis problem to start with. The masses are still asses.Racism is an ugly trait, and one that Amerikans have mastered to a fine art form. We've treated people of Asian descent even harsher than those from Africa or the Southern Americans. And all have been the victims and oppressors at some point in time. There are no innocents here.We give in to our baseness and ignorance and are so easily led into profitable pastures by the greedy. All because we are so self righteous and moral. That is the key to the Amerikan public. Morality. As in good and evil. The stupid and senseless judging of others.Most people go through this world thinking without thinking. Just reacting to their perceptions of the world. They are ruled by their emotions, rather than ruling their emotions. The thought or thinking is just too hard for them.One may try and excuse their behavior by saying it is their diet of junk that we eat, or their medicine, or pollution, or whatever. The reality is, people are lazy by nature. That is why they don't think. Thinking is the hardest work one can do, and the most satisfying and productive of all work, in that it frees your mind from thought.Cannabis promotes a more balanced life=style. One that is healthier and more compassionate. Never been violent while stoned. Have been while on alcohol or while living under certain conditions. But never violent while stoned. Says a lot right there.One would think that I could be a test case for violence in cannabis users. Most of my life has been spent in violent situations or occupations. Yes, sometimes I lose my temper as well, but overall, I think that my use of Cannabis has helped to resolve most of my anger problems. And a bit of temper is quite okay every now and then. Sometimes, it would be wrong to be calm.The masses are the masses, because they choose to be faceless. It may not be a concious choice, but it is still a choice. It is decidedly third level thinking which refuses to entertain that legalization would discourage "abuse". The thought of that would require a deeper level of thinking than most Amerikans are comfortable with. And that is why the masses are asses.Truth is, Cannabis is as legal as our society wants it to be. As long as we remain the cowardly asses of the masses, it will be illegal. After all, the founding fathers of this country were the opposite of these masses, and they were apparantly stoners as well.Maybe these "lovers of freedom" as the puritanical oppressors like to refer to themselves, as they take away all freedoms in order to save it, would really go ballistic if they studied our founding fathers a bit closer.Ben Franklin would have been tarred and feathered for his sexual escapades. Thomas Jefferson would be serving life without parole for being an international drug smuggler. Geroge Washington would have had his Mount Vernon confiscated by the state for cultivating his massive grow ops. No, they wouldn't be liked very much by our present government. Both parties included.Just a thought, smoke a joint today for freedom now.Rev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchHey DEA!: I smoke Cannabis every day. And I'm a better man for it, as well.

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #9 posted by whig on December 11, 2005 at 02:37:40 PT

mayan
"What is it about war criminals hating cannabis? How is it that the countries they invade turn into major hard drug producers or smuggling routes?"Cannabis reduces aggression, hence deprives warlords of potential warriors and supporters.Simple, no?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #8 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on December 11, 2005 at 01:27:41 PT

Let's not forget the words of Tim Leary
"Marijuana causes insanity... in non-smokers."
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #7 posted by lombar on December 11, 2005 at 01:13:02 PT

Please don't be offended...
The greatest cause of 'psychotic' symptoms in the world is not substance abuse but religion. A meth head may become desperate enough to engage in 'psychotic' behavior, he may assualt or rob yet it was not herion junkies that flew airplanes into the World Trade Center. Junkies do not organize into cells and work to disrupt authorities. Our history is drenched in the blood of those who would not adopt the 'beliefs' of others, the drug war is no different. What is it that makes one human believe he/she has the right to kill because others do not agree? It is not cannabis consumption. Hearing most politicians talk about drugs has the mistaken underlying assumption that they, the 'government', have the right to choose for others things they are prejudiced against. Drug abuse may be harmful to your health, power abuse is harmful to us all.It is as if they assume a paternal role of authority with little responsiblity to see to our health. I am sick of it. Will somebody please explain to me how exposing the 'vulnerable' to arrest and incarceration via prohibition protect them? How society is protected by ceding a massive overvalued market to criminals and terrorists? The drug war is a massive waste and abuse of power.After all the logical arguments are exhausted, it simply comes comes down to the assertion that I (we-any person) believe I (we) have the 'natural right' to grow and use cannabis. No matter how many people die or are killed, our 'belief' cannot be changed by anyone but ourselves. Since my 'belief' is founded upon what I 'believe' is compassion, desire for freedom for myself and others, based upon knowledge and experience, my 'belief' will not change. I do not 'believe' in narco-fascist pee-upon-demand police states to insure someone is 'approved' by the government.The government, not being a 'person' cannot have 'beliefs' but laws. Laws which are motivated by the 'beliefs' of those who are supposedly servants of the people. Creating a non-human that can never have 'compassion' that is at war with a permanent percentage of the population can only produce suffering. Which is all the war on drugs does produce...oh and plenty of cheap drugs.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #6 posted by siege on December 10, 2005 at 23:47:39 PT

compliance
This research go's back to Hemp food when they took it from the people, there bodies has not had the right food to stay Healthy, the sickness has to come out somehow. 
So it is said (schizophrenia) to scare the people in to compliance to think there way!!!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 10, 2005 at 23:00:05 PT

Related Article from The Sunday Times UK
Scans Reveal Brain Damage from Cannabis is Like Schizophrenia***By Martyn Halle December 11, 2005 United Kingdom -- Scientists have shown for the first time that the damage to brains from smoking cannabis is the same as that in schizophrenia sufferers. Images taken using a new scanning technique provide evidence that cannabis disrupts the brain’s electrical signals in the same way as in schizophrenia. The findings add to growing evidence the drug may be a significant cause of mental illness in adolescents and a possible trigger for schizophrenia in those who are genetically vulnerable. Previous studies have examined patients’ behaviour and medical histories. This is the first time direct evidence of a link has been found inside the brain. “What we saw should cause alarm because the type of damage in cannabis smokers’ brains was exactly the same as in those with schizophrenia and in exactly the same place in the brain,” said Dr Manzar Ashtari, associate professor of radiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Her research was presented last week to the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago. Ashtari added: “To me, this is proof of the damage cannabis can do and it is shown up graphically for the first time. All the research by psychiatrists so far has strongly suggested cannabis-smoking youngsters run a higher risk of developing psychotic behaviour. Now we have extremely strong evidence that shows what damage has been done.” The new research will add to pressure on the government to change its policy on cannabis. Last year the drug was downgraded from class B to class C, which means the police no longer routinely arrest people caught with small amounts. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is shortly expected to tell Charles Clarke, the home secretary, that evidence of the harm caused by cannabis is not strong enough for this decision to be reconsidered. Ashtari’s team used a new technique called diffusion tensor imaging to look into the brains of 15 cannabis smokers, who had all given up taking the drug a month before the study. They had smoked an average of once a day for a year and were aged 15 to 18. Their brains were compared with those of schizophrenics and of healthy people. The scans looked deep into the “white matter” — the material that connects brain cells. In patients with schizophrenia, electrical signals are no longer routed correctly. Schizophrenia sufferers find they are unable to separate real from unreal experiences and may see hallucinations, hear voices, lose the ability to concentrate and become paranoid. Sufferers typically develop the illness between the ages of 17 and 30. In both the schizophrenia patients and the cannabis users, damage was found to white matter in a bundle of nerves and other fibres in the left frontal lobe. This area is associated with language and hearing. This part of the brain is still developing during adolescence, which means it is vulnerable to damage. “We were able to see in real time abnormal behaviour in this area which was not present in the brains of adolescents who did not have schizophrenia and had not smoked cannabis,” said Ashtari. Robin Murray, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, said: “This does seem to be a landmark study, although we will need to see it repeated. For the first time, we are able to see the effects of cannabis smoking on the brain.”
 
 Copyright: 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.News Article Link: http://tinyurl.com/a5ulb
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #4 posted by siege on December 10, 2005 at 22:56:38 PT

our tax dollars GO!!!!
I just wonder how much American Dollars went into this Propaganda from the (ACMD), they have been feeding dollars into everything, just look at how Bush's numbers have come up the last few day with everyone geting layoff more governemt payed Propaganda... 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #3 posted by legalizeit on December 10, 2005 at 22:06:28 PT

Nevermind alcohol can and does cause psychosis!
Has Blair heard of "delirium tremens?" How many people have suffered this, a direct and sometimes life-threatening result of the PHYSICALLY ADDICTIVE properties of ethanol, and yet no push towards criminalizing the use of alcohol?If even the cops, who have the most to gain by the criminal status of cannabis (and would personally face the most danger if cannabis were as dangerous as all these so-called studies say), defend the relaxing of the pot laws, what does that tell us?Politicians are wimpy hypocrites. Blair is just as bad as his sniveling warmongering buddy over here.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #2 posted by mayan on December 10, 2005 at 22:06:07 PT

War Criminals
What is it about war criminals hating cannabis? How is it that the countries they invade turn into major hard drug producers or smuggling routes?Most senior officers supported the original decision to downgrade because it helped them to focus on class A drugs.Why would Blair want to stifle the ability of law enforcement to focus on hard drugs such as heroin? What is the logic? The empirical armies of Bush and Blair have ensured that there will be more cheap heroin than ever making it's way to the western world. Who benefits? Here's the link I posted on the previous thread...Iraq: The New Heroin Route:
http://www.banderasnews.com/0506/hb-heroinroute.htmHere's an older article...Afghanistan displaces Myanmar as top heroin producer:
http://copvcia.com/free/ww3/030103_opium.htmlBush and Blair are drug lords and war criminals.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #1 posted by boballen1313 on December 10, 2005 at 21:14:58 PT:

WHAT KIND OF YO-YO IS TONY BLAIR?
When the history books are dusted off in the future, do you think Tony Blair will be more remembered for his brilliant attack against Iraq or his stupendous decision against cannabis? I am betting his suspression of the working class is going to get this bloke a permanent vacation. I hope he goes out with a mongrel whimper.
[ Post Comment ]





  Post Comment