cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Has Tough Test










  Medical Pot Has Tough Test

Posted by CN Staff on February 27, 2006 at 07:33:25 PT
Editorial 
Source: Northwest Herald 

Illinois -- Legislation is pending in the state Senate that would allow the medical use of marijuana for "debilitating medical conditions." Last week, state Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, introduced a bill that would allow medical marijuana in Illinois. Users would be under a physician's care and registered with the Public Health Department. The patient would be limited to legally possess no more than 21/2 ounces of marijuana and 12 plants.
Public Health would implement regulations. The devil is in the details, but people with cancer, glaucoma and AIDS can find documented therapeutic relief smoking marijuana. Medical marijuana is supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Nurses Association and the American Bar Association. The New England Journal of Medicine has endorsed it. A 2004 poll by AARP shows that 72 percent of respondents agree that adults should be allowed to use it medically under a doctor's supervision. Medical marijuana is opposed by the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Abuse Warning Network, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The American Medical Association is not on record opposing it, but it does not support the feds removing its status on the most restrictive controlled-substance list. Eleven states allow that. In 1996, California became the first state to make it legal. Last month, Rhode Island made it legal under a doctor's orders. But last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gonzalez v. Raich that federal authorities could criminally prosecute such patients. However, the court did not overrule state laws that allow use of medical marijuana. That's a quandary. But federal authorities already cede enforcement of marijuana laws to state and local authorities, who make 90 percent of marijuana arrests. Rhode Island highlights a basic stumbling block of medical marijuana: How does a patient obtain it? Pharmacies cannot fill prescriptions because it is included on the federal government's list of most restricted controlled substances. But most of the 11 states have some form licensing for marijuana growers or dispensaries. Rhode Island legislators did not address that issue. That leaves patients or their caregivers to buy it on the streets like common drug criminals. The law makes no provision for the state to regulate it. That's unacceptable. Cullerton's legislation covers that ground by assigning regulation to the Public Health Department. And the agency would need to apply the strictest of restrictions on supply and distribution of the marijuana. But without them, Illinois would be reckless in sanctioning medical marijuana. Source: Northwest Herald (IL)Published: February 27, 2006Copyright: 2006 Northwest Herald NewspapersContact: letters nwherald.comWebsite: http://www.nwherald.com/Related Articles:Time for Legislature To Pass Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21628.shtmlIllinois Could Be Next State To Legalize MMJhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21625.shtmlIllinois Legislature Takes New Look at Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21618.shtml

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Comment #92 posted by FoM on March 01, 2006 at 07:53:54 PT
Hope 
It sounds like you have been busy. I'm sorry you have been having computer problems. I hope you got it fixed ok. Spring is just around the corner and it will be great to get outside and do some work on the house. If all goes well we will be picking up where we stopped last year. 
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Comment #91 posted by Hope on March 01, 2006 at 07:26:53 PT
Pharm
Drixoral gave me my life back after being struck with acute allergic rhinitus...hay fever...in my late teens. The only drug that worked for me was a prescription called Drixoral. NOTHING else worked. The hay fever I have can get unbelievably bad. Emergency room bad. One drug worked though...and it was a Godsend. I took two a day, every day, by prescription for years...then it went over the counter and I continued to use it successfully. I always said that Drixoral was the one drug...if I could only have one...that I couldn't live without. It's like an unbelievable bad dream has come true. I fear even worse, though. Now I have to sign for it and my husband has to buy some,too...because I'm no longer allowed to purchase a full months supply at a time. I've depended on this drug to let me live freely for over thirty years now and I can't believe it...people are clamoring to have the substance not made anymore...because it has psuedoephedrine in it. Two a day, allergy signs or not, gave me life back and now "they" are trying to take the only relief I ever had from me. The doctor tried many things...and different prescriptions along the way...but Drixoral was the only one that gave me relief.In all the years I've taken it I never really paid any attention to the ingredient...(Sudafed didn't help at all, by the way...strangely enough since they are supposed to have the same ingredient).If they stop making Drixoral...and that one kind...the little green one...I'm in big trouble. It really worries me. I can't believe this is happening.Also...I've never had bad side effects from Drixoral in all these years...just blessed relief.
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Comment #90 posted by charmed quark on March 01, 2006 at 07:11:21 PT
CBD
It's pretty interesting how screwed up our scheduling system is. CBD, the cannabinoid mentioned as helping with diabetes, is Schedule 1, just like THC is if it isn't in sesame oil.CBD doesn't make you high and in fact counteracts the high of THC. So it has no abuse potential and has obvious medical applications. But there is no movement to reschedule it. In a rational system, it wouldn't even be scheduled.A combo of THC and CBD is an amazing drug, much, much better than pure THC. In addition to moderating the effects of the THC, CBD has its own antiinflammatory and pain reduction effects. But you can't get CBD in this country even if you wanted to go the expensive pharmaceutical route instead of growing it in your backyard.
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Comment #89 posted by charmed quark on March 01, 2006 at 07:06:13 PT
Herbs vs. pharms
I'm sorry, but I do feel that pharmaceuticals do some good work. A lot of the dangers and side effects of drugs would never be discovered if the drug companies didn't run very expensive experiments and studies. A simple example - Butterbur is an herb that's been used to treat migraines for a long time. But in Germany, they regulate herbs, requiring measurements to show the amount of active ingredients and studies for safety . They discovered that Butterbur contains a toxin that is a very carcinogenic.
An increase in cancer rates from use of an herb is not something you would just causally notice - you have to be looking for it. Anyway - this useful drug is no sold with the toxins removed.(If we had a system like the Germans, cannabis would probably still be in use - one of the main reasons doctors didn't push harder to keep it legal was that they had no way to measure the amount of active ingredients. Because it was administered by ingesting tinctures, it could be very unpredictable in its effects. People would have very unpleasant side effects because it was too strong one time, and then the next bottle would do nothing.)The recent controversy on Celebrex and other Cox-2 inhibiting NSAIDs is another example. The small increase in heart attacks from these drugs is something you'd never notice in casual observation. If these were herbs, everybody would say they are absolutely safe. You have to track thousands of users to even notice the hazaard. Although in this case, I think it was an overreaction - the drugs are pretty safe in my opinion.Even Advil and other over the counter NSAIDs have a hazard similar to Celebrex. But I use them because they work. Willow bark just won't cut it for me, and even its pharmaceutical relative, aspirin, doesn't do nearly as much for me as ibuprophen. 
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Comment #88 posted by Hope on March 01, 2006 at 07:05:37 PT
"Spirit in the Sky"
Probably...all of us love that song, too.Sorry I didn't check in. I've been here, though. Computer trouble kept me off the puter more than usual...tree transplanting (was that really February?) and numerous far from the puter chores.Wore a new heavy pair of boots yesterday. It was bright and warm so I went down to the creek to see what was going on down there. Those boots eventually felt like they weighed at least twenty pounds a boot. Plus a coat I didn't need and a giant walking stick that I wound up dragging. Before I could make it back home from the hike...I just had to find a place to rest. I looked for a piece of nearby dry clear ground and I just lay down out there in the pasture flat on my back gazing up at the sky for a few minutes before I could make it home. It would have been nice to stay there longer...with the dogs and cattle and horses guarding me, but I was afraid someone would see me out there and think I'd died so after I'd caught my breath and some more strength, I trudged back in. Yesterday, before I went down there to check out the brush situation I read an article about how the Plague in Europe had caused the Little Ice Age, which we suffered here, too. I can believe it, too! Scientists think that when so many people were sick and dying of the plague, they couldn't do their farm work and brush, trees and thickets grew up where there should have been clearings. The newly grown brush and thickets soaked up the carbon dioxide in the air and grew like mad and changed the earth's atmosphere to cool. All because the farmers were too sick... and dead...to keep their pastures and meadows clear.Why couldn't we let global warming cool a bit by letting certain areas grow up? My pasture isn't as big as Europe...but it's doing it's share to fight Global Warming, for sure.So next time someone asks why I can't personally clear more brush...I can let them know I'm combatting Global Warming.:0)
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Comment #87 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 20:14:49 PT
A Good Old Song
This song is one of those that I always loved and maybe some others here might want to listen to it too. It's called Spirit in The Sky.http://www.terrificmusic.com/files/music/S/spirit_in_the_sky.ram
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Comment #86 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 19:54:30 PT
Hope
I missed seeing you around. I hope all is well. I'm watching Anderson 360 and they are at Mardi Gras. I love the spirit of Mardi Gras that I see in the midst of the disaster they are still suffering. That's so good to see people that can laugh thru their tears like they are. What a remarkable city New Orleans is.
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Comment #85 posted by Hope on February 28, 2006 at 19:26:00 PT
Whig...Chiropractor
That sounds about right. After a few weeks or so of twice a week and he's getting good results he'll adjust you less...once a week...then every two weeks and finally...when it shows that you can maintain the adjustment ...and no headaches...for longer...he will adjust your visits to that. I'm going every two weeks now and I had a gap from Thanksgiving until up into February...over three months .... that I didn't get adjusted and the headaches didn't start again until a few days before the new appointment. It's amazing and I hope they can help you. I just wish I'd done it sooner. It could have saved me years of pain and bottles and bottles of advil and tylenol. I'm allergic to aspirin.Ten minutes that seem like nothing, but oh, they reap huge relief, in my case and with others I know who've had similar experiences.
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Comment #84 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 17:41:22 PT
Just a Comment
I still am checking in and looking for news but we have so much news happening now with the Port issue and everything else happening in the states that our issue news could get very slow. This normally isn't a big news time either. Take care during these troubling times for many.
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Comment #83 posted by global_warming on February 28, 2006 at 15:49:07 PT
only 500 Seeds
Imagine thatthis insanity is about seeds and flowers,is this where 'we those people,bring forth before this eternity?
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Comment #82 posted by BGreen on February 28, 2006 at 15:35:04 PT
A little botany information
One large pollinated female plant (cannabis and most other genera) is capable of producing many thousands of viable seeds, so this story is so foolish that any paper who regurgitates this silly law enforcement propaganda should be shut down and turned into a toilet paper factory.All 200,000 seeds confiscated in this raid could have easily been produced by 40 large female cannabis plants.As a matter of fact, a single ounce of some Mexican cannabis sold in the US can easily have 500 or more seeds.
:-(The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #81 posted by global_warming on February 28, 2006 at 15:07:29 PT
when i walked in the Garden
this is my 'home,my 'place in this 'world,My old Greek Mother used to say to me when I was a 'child,When you encounter the Devil,Ignore' him, It drives that 'evil further insane,
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Comment #80 posted by global_warming on February 28, 2006 at 14:55:35 PT
guess I am
in real trouble,..for I just Love to collect 'seeds,from every 'blessed plant that has seen the Light,I started to collect seeds many years ago,whenever I see some 'green plantthat has come to its time,I more thought that 'my placeas a husband in this 'Gardenwas to 'witness the birth of all 'living 'Life,I have an open and 'friendly hand,I was careful, how I placed my next 'foot,
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Comment #79 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 14:52:21 PT
Max Flowers 
I never followed these web sites until this all started is seems like a month a go. I am emotionally exhausted. No one answers questions. Who could possibly trust anyone on those boards now? They must have undercover people working on the web sites.
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Comment #78 posted by Max Flowers on February 28, 2006 at 14:43:45 PT
Ring, huh?
Calling a seed-selling operation a "drug ring" is a real stretch, and brazenly manipulates long-held (negative) word associations. "Drug ring" conjures pictures of heroin or cocaine dealing by swarthy shadowy types smuggling it in using live puppies or worse. These were just pot seeds, and sold openly on a website. It wasn't a ring, it was just a business. But it was pretty blatant, and blatant will get you every time. 
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Comment #77 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 14:25:36 PT
News Article from CTV.ca
RCMP Announces Dismantling of Int'l Drug Ring***Tue. Feb. 28 2006 Canadian PressMONTREAL — The RCMP seized 200,000 cannabis seeds and arrested seven people who allegedly operated a cyberspace drug ring that sold, imported and exported marijuana seeds on the Internet.The RCMP said Tuesday it's the first time they've targeted marijuana seeds and their sale on the Internet.The international company, Heaven's Stairway, set up six websites where cannabis seeds could be ordered online, the RCMP told a news conference.Sgt. Maj. Andre Potvin said the orders were picked up in Montreal area post office boxes and then processed.The company processed approximately 30 orders of cannabis seeds a day, averaging $100 each, Potvin said."The investigation confirmed that Heaven's Stairway operated in Quebec, Canada, North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world from at least 1997 to January 31, 2006," Potvin said.Nine searches were carried out in the last week of January to gather evidence in Montreal and Laval, north of the city.Potvin said the cannabis seeds were seized along with more than $183,000 US and three one-kilogram gold bricks.The RCMP said the amount of seeds seized during the searches could have made it possible to operate about 500 cannabis greenhouses of 400 plants each.Potvin said that would represent 42 million joints sold on the street."If we make an analysis of the Canadian population of about 30 million, I don't think every Canadian would consume 1.5 joints every day," he added.He said the cannabis seeds are believed to be from suppliers in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.A seizure of seeds was recently made in Vancouver.The alleged head of the company is Richard Hratch Baghdadlian, a 38-year-old Montreal man.His wife Natalia Baghdadlian, 40, is also among the six accused who worked for the company and allegedly acted as couriers.They all face a total of 49 charges, including possession of cannabis seeds for the purpose of trafficking, and if convicted could be imprisoned for 10 years.Potvin also said not all cannabis seeds are illegal, but that wasn't the case with the thousands which were seized. "Some cannabis seeds are non-viable, which means they will not produce a level of THC, the reactive substance in marijuana plants."If it's below I think something like 1.5 per cent, basically it's not considered a viable seed. Obviously that would not be considered a criminal infraction in Canada," he said.Potvin said there are growing operations in Quebec where it's legal to grow marijuana plants for hemp clothing "and other artifacts."Marijuana activist Marc-Boris Saint-Maurice attended the news conference where the details of the seizure were released.He said since the website has been closed down the whole international cannabis community has been "up in arms.""There is the impression that seeds are legal in Canada and this case is unprecedented," Saint-Maurice said."The upcoming court case is going to be important to try to figure out the actual status of seeds."The investigation, called Project Courriel (which means e-mail in French) was launched in November 2004 by the Marijuana Grow Operations Enforcement Team, a special RCMP investigative team.Copyright: 2006 Bell Globemedia Inc.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060228/rcmp_drugring_060228/20060228?hub=Canada
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Comment #76 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 12:43:19 PT
Chiro
Just got back from the chiro a short bit ago.He thinks he can help me with my headaches, but it's really going to be expensive if I keep up with this. My copay was $10 for the examination today, but apparently it will be $20 per 10 minute visit from now on, and he wants to see me twice a week for awhile... Is that normal? $40/week?
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Comment #75 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 12:37:45 PT
Museman
4000 seats in the Albert Hall, so about that many arseholes would do it...
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Comment #74 posted by museman on February 28, 2006 at 12:35:49 PT
OT: w.e.f.site is up
My host is such a bro!Anyway he doubled my allocation for bandwidth, so everything is back up and functioning. 
I just needed more, and he set it up.
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Comment #73 posted by museman on February 28, 2006 at 12:20:42 PT
hot air is profitable
"That many plants would have the potential to generate about 42 million joints, reporters were told as police displayed the seized material Tuesday. ""Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall!.....I'd love to tell you all."
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Comment #72 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 12:10:23 PT
News Article from The CBC News
Seized Seeds Could Have Produced 42 Million Joints: RCMP Tue, 28 Feb 2006 RCMP officers in Montreal have dismantled an international operation that they allege was selling marijuana seeds over the internet. Investigators claim they seized 200,000 seeds, enough to run 500 grow operations if planted and nurtured correctly. That many plants would have the potential to generate about 42 million joints, reporters were told as police displayed the seized material Tuesday. See-through envelopes each held half a dozen tiny khaki seeds, and carried labels displaying names such as Thai Tingler. Police also showed stacks of high-denomination bills, some bars of gold, several computers and a black T-shirt printed with the URL cannabisworld.com. Sgt.-Maj. André Potvin said the bust will have an impact around the world because the group allegedly operated throughout North America, the United Kingdom and other regions. Police say buyers ordered seeds through six separate websites, and the company allegedly sent them out by mail. Seven people face a total of 49 charges as a result of the investigation, which began in November 2004. Marijuana activists like Marc-Boris Saint-Maurice, founder of the Marijuana Party, said they'll be watching the court case carefully. "There is the impression that seeds are legal in Canada," he said. "This case is unprecedented, so I guess that the upcoming court case is going to be important to try and figure out the actual legal status of seeds." The RCMP say there's nothing to figure out. Selling cannabis seeds is illegal in Canada, and anyone caught doing it will be arrested. Copyright: CBC 2006http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/28/marijuana-seeds060228.html
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Comment #71 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 12:03:38 PT
museman 
Thank you. I checked your forum and it was down and I thought it might be a bandwidth issue. Thanks for telling us about Linda. I can't wait to hear what she has to say. I hope it was a good talk.
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Comment #70 posted by museman on February 28, 2006 at 11:54:35 PT
a couple of things..
Runruff just got to make his first phone call today. Linda called me and told me. She wanted to talk you all herself, but Jerry's computer is sick again (it's a very sickly compaq) and I have to help her get it back up.Jose! Thank you very much for that info about Crick, I always suspected that LSD was involved in that discovery, but had no proof. And here's to Crick who was brave enough to admit it.'musemans forum' along with whole earth family is temporarily down from 'bandwidth overuse', We've been talking too much I guess. I am attempting to get more bandwidth allocation, or find out how it's getting used up and fix it.Fortunately, Jerry's page is still up, and the links to the movie are still good. Herbdoc has given me another server to upload the movie to, so my site won't be the only one hosting it. I will post that link as soon as I have it.
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Comment #69 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 11:54:07 PT
 Sam 
I believe it is more about not paying taxes that gets them involved. Isn't that what happened during prohibition?
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Comment #68 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 11:52:22 PT
Sam 
Selling seeds has never been legal in Canada. I always thought it was illegal. Maybe some folks thought it was legal I don't know. When they allowed the DEA up in Canada I knew it was going to get hard on people up north.
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Comment #67 posted by Sam Adams on February 28, 2006 at 11:45:34 PT
Overgrow
The Globe & Mail article would be funny, if we weren't talking about 7 good people going to jail. "International Drug Ring" uncovered! Of course, anyone could have uncovered the operation by simply going to www.overgrow.com, or the seed business site, which clearly outlined the business operation for all to see.I thought selling seeds was legal in Canada?  Apparently not, as they apparently didn't catch them with any actual cannabis and apparently no cash either.Oh well, it looks like all the hopes we had for Canada are now dashed. They've chosen sides, and those chose to align themselves with the USA rather than Europe. Both BC and Quebec, the 2 most progressive provinces, have both ramped up MJ enforcement rather than scaling it back. 
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Comment #66 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 11:41:18 PT

Ekim
Bless you heart for keeping on track for us here today.
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Comment #65 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 11:39:26 PT

Max Flowers
I copied this part out of the article because I want to ask isn't it illegal to tell someone how to make Meth in a public forum? I am using that because as far as the authorities are concerned they are the same thing. Maybe it isn't illegal to talk about illegal activities. I really just don't know.Excerpt: The cybercompany Heaven’s Stairway used the Internet sites hempqc.com, cannabisworld.com, overgrow.com, eurohemp.com, cannabisseeds.com, and cannabisbay.com. These sites were used to order cannabis seeds online and obtain information on cannabis cultivation. These Internet sites also suggested ways to outsmart the police.
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Comment #64 posted by Max Flowers on February 28, 2006 at 11:32:19 PT

Overgrow & Cannabisworld
That is the first solid, verifiable news about what happened to Overgrow & Cannabisworld and the associated seed biz sites since they disappeared at the beginning of February. Everything else has been speculation. There was a lot of speculation from the outset that the owner was busted, but no one had been able to verify it.I and some people I know were regulars on Cannabisworld, and posted a lot, but I don't think that they and most US members have too much to worry about as there is no indication that the busts were anything but a Canadian operation. The info that everyone wants and still apparently don't have is what happened to the servers, which contained a lot of private messages between members. Many people are hoping that there was a security plan in place in the event of a bust, i.e. that the private message area of the site was encrypted against non-administrators and non-members getting into them, or perhaps was wiped before (or after) the bust. But we don't know yet. Also troubling and up in the air is the issue of IP logging, as in did the sites do it or not (most say they didn't but some say they did).I didn't buy seeds nor did I post grow photos on Cannabisworld, so I am not worried, but there were a lot of members who documented their grows with lots of photos, and the Canadian ones especially are probably a bit worried right now (well they already have been for weeks). With this RCMP announcement though, it sounds as if the investigation has concluded, otherwise they wouldn't announce it to the world and that is apparently why they didn't anounce it back in early February (they were still running the investigation).Interestingly, I've heard that some people had kept huge archived versions of the whole Overgrow site, and now that the news is true that Overgrow is history, I predict someone will start a new site---minus the seed businesses---using all that compiled info. I wish/hope they did it with Cannabisworld too, as I didn't like Overgrow at all but thought Cannabisworld was great. Overgrow attracted a lot of immature kids and mean people, possibly adding to their notoriety, while Cannabisworld kept its house clean of that, forum-wise.
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Comment #63 posted by ekim on February 28, 2006 at 11:30:08 PT

Abbotsford British Columbia Canada 
http://leap.cc/events/
Feb 28 06 Drug Legalization Panel 05:30 PM Norm Stamper Abbotsford British Columbia Canada 
 Speaker Norm Stamper participates in a Drug Legalization Panel Discussion at the University College of Fraser Valley. Mar 1 06 Drug Legalization Debate at Buffalo State University 10:00 AM Peter Christ Buffalo New York USA 
 Board Member and LEAP co-founder Peter Christ will participate in a drug legalization debate with Dr. William Wieczorek, Director, Center for Health and Social Research. 
http://leap.cc/events/
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 10:40:58 PT

Article from The Globe and Mail
RCMP Bust Internet Drug Ringhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060228.wdrug0228/BNStory/National/home
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Comment #61 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 10:35:19 PT

Whig
I have many things that I care about and think about but when it comes to doing CNews I have a one track mind. ( Casual conversations are enjoyable here on CNews too for me) I think it is a good thing to focus on an objective and let organizations do what they do and then someone writes an article and we make one more step. Step by step is all we can do or at least that's how I feel.
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Comment #60 posted by ekim on February 28, 2006 at 10:29:20 PT

 new movie showing tonight
http://www.truehigh.com/Dale Carnegie once said, "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." Some of them have no hope left, but maybe you can be the first strand of a line that guides them out of that dark abyss.I hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.(Today's quote from "Wise Up" by Aimee Mann; with lyrics that read, in part: "You're sure / There's a cure / And you have finally found it / You think / One drink / Will shrink you 'til you're underground / And living down / But it's not going to stop / It's not going to stop / It's not going to stop / 'Til you wise up") 
25 Feb 2006 by John 
 OFFICIAL PUBLIC PREMIERE
February 28, 2006
Ohio State University
Campbell Hall, Room 200
7:30 PM - $5*
Q&A with Director afterwardsFebruary 28, 2006
Brown University
List Art Center 120
8:00 PM - FreeMARCHMarch 1, 2006
University of Arkansas
Union Theater
7:00 PM - FreeMarch 17, 2006
Michigan Tech
EERC 103
7:00 PM - FreeMarch 24, 2006
Truman State University
VH1000
7:30 PM - FreeAPRILApril 12, 2006
Franklin Pierce College of New Hampshire
Marcucella Hall, Room 102
7:30 PM - Free
http://www.truehigh.com/
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Comment #59 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 10:25:39 PT

FoM
I know that's your focus. I'm a little less focused on particular objectives or ways of getting there. I try to think more about what's going on now and what kinds of things we can do that are helpful to people. I think legal change would be good, but I don't participate in the political process itself so I'm not directly engaged there, but I do appreciate the efforts of those who work in that way.
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 10:20:02 PT

Whig
Yes my focus is to help change the laws. That has always been my focus.
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Comment #57 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 10:15:39 PT

FoM
Not everyone has your faith that the laws can and will be changed, and in the meantime people do what they have to if they want to have their medicine or sacrament or whatever it is to them.It's okay if you have a laser-like focus on changing the laws, but this is real life out here too.With that said, a little discretion goes a long way.
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Comment #56 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 10:09:19 PT

ekim
Well, if your question isn't rhetorical...The NSA and FBI are conducting warrantless surveillance. Whatever evidence they find is inadmissible in court, because obtained extralegally. So instead of criminal prosecutions in judicial courts, the administration conducts executive tribunals to determine and review status of persons deemed to be enemy combatants, then puts them in a detention facility and attempts to block the courts from having habeas corpus.Clear enough?
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 10:08:57 PT

Whig
I am not a fan of Emery or anyone involved in these web sites. I wish no harm to any of them but they should have known better. We need to work on changing the laws and worry about seeds or whatever when the laws are changed. They waved a red flag in front of a bull. 
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Comment #54 posted by ekim on February 28, 2006 at 09:58:16 PT

some info
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12078.htm
 
Why Is Halliburton Building Internment Camps? 
 
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Comment #53 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 09:48:21 PT

#51
I don't think there's much risk observing what's going on and talking about it, but I agree we should try not to gossip when we don't know the facts.I've visited lots of sites that I wouldn't actually post on, and I don't feel paranoid about it. I post here because you've established safe and (in my opinion) correct limits on what can be discussed. Even when we go off the main topic and talk on other forums like Museman's, anyone who would talk about engaging in activity that could get themselves and others in trouble is dumb to do so in a public forum.So yeah, I'm not too surprised about OG/CW/etc. Even though I think they were crossing the line and in a too visible way, I don't believe they should be victims of the drug war, and I'm sorry this is happening to them, I'm concerned for Marc Emery too, but in his case I think he really created some hurtful feelings because he was in a competitive business and he not only assumed the worst but publicly stated that he "knew" this was a big fraud. I don't think that was very fair of him.
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 09:43:04 PT

More News from Canada
RCMP Bust Internet Drug Ring
 
 
***Canadian Press Tuesday, February 28, 2006 
 
MONTREAL -- The Mounties say they've arrested seven people who operated a Montreal-based international drug ring that allegedly sold, imported and exported marijuana seeds using the Internet. The RCMP says the cyber company, Heaven's Stairway, set up six web sites where cannabis seeds could be ordered online and orders were then shipped by mail. A spokesman for the RCMP says the seeds came from suppliers in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, and a shipment was recently seized in Vancouver. The alleged head of the company is a 38-year-old Montreal man and his wife is among the six others arrested. They face a total of 49 charges and could face 10 years in prison if convicted. The investigation began in November 2004 by a special RCMP investigative team that focuses on marijuana.Copyright: Global National 2006http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=85532972-8d76-403c-9d2a-b0e790702e7a
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 09:18:15 PT

whig
I don't know anything about Emery condemning them but I haven't believed anything that I have read until this news today. I haven't posted or been involved with any of those web sites because I knew that what was going on is illegal. I posted news years ago on OG but gave it up after about 7 months or so. I always felt that trouble could surface and it sure did.
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Comment #50 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 08:40:32 PT

FoM
I'm sad for those caught up in this, and it appears Marc Emery was wrong to condemn them.
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 08:05:32 PT

For Those Interested: RCMP Press Release 
I really hope this is over soon. I have avoided any association with the illegal activity of web sites. We need to work on changing the laws and put the horse in front of the cart. I hope no one was ever involved from CNews on these web sites. Maybe soon we will be able to get back on track and see if we can progress or are we also going to be stuck because of this happening? ***THE RCMP DISMANTLES AN INTERNATIONAL DRUG DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ON THE INTERNET MONTRÉAL, Tuesday, February 28, 2006 – The members of the Marihuana Grow Operations Enforcement Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded their first major operation when they uncovered a Montreal based criminal organization involved in the trafficking, importation and exportation of cannabis seeds, as well as in conspiring for the purpose of cannabis cultivation via the Internet. This operation was launched in November 2004 under the name "Courriel" and culminated with the seizure of 200,000 cannabis seeds and the arrest of seven persons.Project "Courriel" revealed that Richard Hratch BAGHDADLIAN, 38, from Marsan Street in Montreal, and six other persons operated the Heaven’s Stairway company. This company was on the web claiming to be the North American supplier for indoor and outdoor cannabis production.The cybercompany Heaven’s Stairway used the Internet sites hempqc.com, cannabisworld.com, overgrow.com, eurohemp.com, cannabisseeds.com, and cannabisbay.com. These sites were used to order cannabis seeds online and obtain information on cannabis cultivation. These Internet sites also suggested ways to outsmart the police.Richard Hratch BAGHDADLIAN was the instigator, head and main beneficiary of the illicit company Heaven’s Straiway. The other six accused acted as couriers and performed other duties for the company. They are Geoffrey CHAN, 33, Maria Cristina CIVITILLO, 32, Natalie BAGHDADLIAN, 40, Manuel Bento FERNANDES, 45, Christopher ALMOND, 38, and Teresa RODRIGUES, 39. They all live in Montreal except Christopher ALMOND who lives in Ville Saint-Laurent.The organization processed approximately 30 orders of cannabis seeds a day averaging $100 each. The seeds were sent to clients by regular mail.The seven people are facing 49 charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. The offences were committed in Quebec, Canada, North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world between March 12, 1998 and January 31, 2006.Nine searches were carried out during the week of January 30, 2006 in order to gather evidence that criminal activities had been committed. The searches were conducted in Montreal and Laval, as well as in the residences of three of the accused, a business, three post office boxes, a vehicle and a safe-deposit box.These searches led to the seizure of 200,000 cannabis seeds, more than $183,362 in US currencies and $14,000 in Canadian currencies, both in cash and postal money orders, three one-kilogram gold bricks, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Mazda RX8 and many purchase orders. Since the searches were conducted, 272 orders have been intercepted by the police.The amount of seeds seized during the searches could have made it possible to operate approximately 500 cannabis greenhouses of 400 plants each, which represent 42 million joints sold on the street.The seven accused are liable to 10 years’ imprisonment. Since the possession of cannabis seeds is illegal under Schedule II of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, clients of the network could also receive a visit from the police.It should be noted that Project "Courriel", a first in Canada, is the fruit of the work of the new Marihuana Grow Operations Enforcement Team. This new drug enforcement team is one of the seven teams established by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police across Canada in 2004 to combat the scourge of marihuana. The main objectives of these teams are to interdict drugs before they arrive in our communities and to target and destroy the infrastructure and the networks used by criminal organizations involved in marihuana production. These organizations constitute a threat to public safety and well-being.http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/qc/comm/2006/fev06/060228a_e.htm
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on February 28, 2006 at 06:43:08 PT

News from Canada News Wire
Media Advisory - The RCMP Dismantles an International Drug Distribution Network on The Internet ***  MONTREAL, Feb. 28 /CNW Telbec/ - Members of the Marihuana Grow Operations Enforcement Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded their first major operation when they uncovered a Montreal based criminal organization involved in the trafficking, importation and exportation of cannabis seeds, as well as in conspiring for the purpose of cannabis cultivation via the
Internet. This operation was launched in November 2004 under the name "Courriel" and culminated with the seizure of 200,000 cannabis seeds and the arrest of seven persons.  The amount of seeds seized during the searches could have made it possible to operate the equivalent of 500 cannabis greenhouses of 400 plants
each.  To find out all the details of this operation, journalists are invited to attend a press conference at the RCMP Headquarters in Quebec.Complete Press Release: http://www.canadanewswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2006/28/c2223.html
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Comment #47 posted by jose melendez on February 28, 2006 at 06:06:17 PT

leary would be proud
thank you whig from http://www.mayanmajix.com/art1699.html FRANCIS CRICK, the Nobel Prize-winning father of modern genetics, was under the influence of LSD when he first deduced thedouble-helix structure of DNA nearly 50 years ago.The abrasive and unorthodox Crick and his brilliant American co-researcher James Watson famously celebrated their eureka moment in March 1953 by running from the now legendary Cavendish Laboratory in
Cambridge to the nearby Eagle pub, where they announced over pints of bitter that they had discovered the secret of life.Crick, who died ten days ago, aged 88, later told a fellow scientist that he often used small doses of LSD then an experimental drug used in psychotherapy to boost his powers of thought. He said it was LSD, not
the Eagle's warm beer, that helped him to unravel the structure of DNA, the discovery that won him the Nobel Prize.Despite his Establishment image, Crick was a devotee of novelist Aldous Huxley, whose accounts of his experiments with LSD and another hallucinogen, mescaline, in the short stories The Doors Of Perception and Heaven And Hell became cult texts for the hippies of the Sixties and Seventies. In the late Sixties, Crick was a founder member of Soma, a legalise-cannabis group named after the drug in Huxley's novel Brave New World. He even put his name to a famous letter to The Times in 1967 calling for a reform in the drugs laws.It was through his membership of Soma that Crick inadvertently became the inspiration for the biggest LSD manufacturing conspiracy-the world has ever seen the multimillion-pound drug factory in a remote
farmhouse in Wales that was smashed by the Operation Julie raids of the late Seventies.Crick's involvement with the gang was fleeting but crucial. The revered scientist had been invited to the Cambridge home of freewheeling American writer David Solomon a friend of hippie LSD guru Timothy
Leary who had come to Britain in 1967 on a quest to discover a method for manufacturing pure THC, the active ingredient of cannabis.It was Crick's presence in Solomon's social circle that attracted a brilliant young biochemist, Richard Kemp, who soon became a convert to the attractions of both cannabis and LSD. Kemp was recruited to the THC project in 1968, but soon afterwards devised the world's first foolproof method of producing cheap, pure LSD. Solomon and Kemp went into business, manufacturing acid in a succession of rented houses before setting up their laboratory in a cottage on a hillside near Tregaron, Carmarthenshire, in 1973. It is estimated that Kemp manufactured drugs worth Pounds 2.5 million an astonishing amount in the Seventies before police stormed the building in 1977 and seized enough pure LSD and its constituent chemicals to make two million LSD 'tabs'.The arrest and conviction of Solomon, Kemp and a string of co-conspirators dominated the headlines for months. I was covering the case as a reporter at the time and it was then that I met Kemp's close friend, Garrod Harker, whose home had been raided by police but who had not been arrest ed. Harker told me that
Kemp and his girlfriend Christine Bott by then in jail were hippie idealists who were completely uninterested in the money they were making.They gave away thousands to pet causes such as the Glastonbury pop festival and the drugs charity Release.'They have a philosophy,' Harker told me at the time. 'They believe industrial society will collapse when the oil runs out and that the answer is to change people's mindsets using acid. They believe LSD can help people to see that a return to a natural society based on self-sufficiency is the only way to save themselves.'Dick Kemp told me he met Francis Crick at Cambridge. Crick had told him that some Cambridge academics used LSD in tiny amounts as a thinking tool, to liberate them from preconceptions and let their genius wander freely to new ideas. Crick told him he had perceived the double-helix shape while on LSD.'It was clear that Dick Kemp was highly impressed and probably bowled over by what Crick had told him. He told me that if a man like Crick, who had gone to the heart of human existence, had used LSD, then it
was worth using. Crick was certainly Dick Kemp's inspiration.' Shortly afterwards I visited Crick at his home, Golden Helix, in Cambridge.He listened with rapt, amused attention to what I told him about the role of LSD in his Nobel Prize-winning discovery. He gave no intimation of surprise. When I had finished, he said: 'Print a word of it and I'll sue.' - - -Applying insights gained from his own psychedelic experiences, Leary developed structured therapeutic LSD encounters with a population of convicts at a maximum security state prison, but similar experiments with graduate and undergraduate students quickly attracted.the ire of the Harvard administration. After ignoring a university ultimatum to curtail the experiments, Leary and colleague Richard Alpert were dismissed by the university in 1963. 	 	 http://www.doitnow.org/pages/leary1.html - - -"Congress has no more constitutional power to tell a jury it can convict upon any such forced and baseless inference than it has power to tell juries they can convict a defendant of a crime without any evidence at all from which an inference of guilt could be drawn."MR. JUSTICE BLACKhttp://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=US&vol=395&invol=6&pageno=14 - - -"Our federalist system, properly understood, allows California and a growing number of other States to decide for themselves how to safeguard the health and welfare of their citizens."Justice Thomas http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=000&invol=03-1454 - - -"Cannabinoids are trying to ease the situation on both sides. They help save the neuron and, at the same time, make sure the microglial cells stay in microglial form. How good do you want a drug to be?" http://www.bestsyndication.com/Articles/2006/Nicole-WILSON/Health/02/022706-diabetic_retinopathy_blindness_marijuana_compound.htm
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Comment #46 posted by whig on February 28, 2006 at 05:48:34 PT

Jose - Pain management
Since I didn't attempt accupuncture, I cannot speak to it directly, but low-dose (approx. 30mcg) LSD weekly gave a profound reduction of pain for the whole week.It's a western approach, but not exactly conventional medicine.
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Comment #45 posted by mayan on February 28, 2006 at 05:28:05 PT

Bush & Blair
It's obvious to nearly all that these guys are losers...Poll: Bush Ratings At All-Time Low:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/27/opinion/polls/main1350874.shtmlBlair Approval Rating Falls to 28% in Britain:
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/11025Honestly, I can't imagine how a single person could approve of these murdering terrorists. They belong behind bars.Dead-eye Dick might step down...Cheney seen retiring after midterm elections http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/cheney3.htm
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Comment #44 posted by mayan on February 28, 2006 at 04:42:32 PT

Misc.
Here's a LTE by Bruch Mirken in respose to the above article...Pain relief not criminal:
http://www.nwherald.com/MainSection/opinion/293539883716079.phpOther news...City set to vote on marijuana possession law:
http://www.kansan.com/stories/2006/feb/28/ordinance_preview/Getting Eye On Cannabinoids:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060128033012data_trunc_sys.shtmlCouncil snuffs out future pot stores:
http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2006/02/28/news/top_stories/03city28.txtTHE WAY OUT...Slicing away liberty: 1933 Germany, 2006 America:
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_535.shtmlUpcoming 9/11 Courses at Colorado Free University: 
http://www.freeu.com/classes/7556.htmlThe gang that couldn’t shoot straight:
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_537.shtmlDaryl Bradford Smith interviews David Pidcock:
http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmithInterviewsPidcock2.htmlSteven E. Jones 9/11 Lecture on DVD:
http://www.digitalstylecreations.com/9/11 Podcasts:
http://visibility911.libsyn.com/

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Comment #43 posted by jose melendez on February 28, 2006 at 03:16:40 PT

not either or
My post was intended to point out that the choices are not mutually exclusive. Surely there was pain management in addition to the hip replacement, no?

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Comment #42 posted by SirEbram on February 27, 2006 at 22:54:02 PT

Long Time No Read
Hi FoM, everybody.I haven't the time, at the moment, to appreciate the current conversation, but I soon will catch up on it... I'm gonna watch a movie with my loved ones right now.Just wanted to say hi.Peace on Earth & Good Will to mind-kindSirEbram
here's a wealth of herbal info if you don't mind the religious tones
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Comment #41 posted by afterburner on February 27, 2006 at 22:38:26 PT

Let Us Not Forget Dr. Andrew Weil's Integrative...
Medicine. I have relatives that have benefited greatly from western medical techniques like surgery, diagnostics and pills, but there are unpleasant and disturbing side effects. I also have relatives who have not responded favorably to western medical therapies and died before they were cured.I have relatives, friends and myself who have benefited from alternative healing techniques, including meditation, guided visualization, herbs (including cannabis flowering tops), acupressure and other massage techniques, megavitamins and phytonutrients, organic food, color therapy, and many other techniques.Dr. Weil teaches us, as he himself practices, a combination of western medicine and alternative medicine, which he dubbed Integrative Medicine. Unfortunately, the majority of western doctors, medical societies, pharmacists, pill makers and medical tool makers oppose many alternatives which threaten their dominance over medical practices covered by health care insurance. We need more doctors like Dr. Weil who are true healers and open to the best of both medical worlds, western medicine and alternative medicine.
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Comment #40 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 22:22:34 PT

Museman
Your server is saying bandwidth exceeded over at wholeearthfamily.Should we try to find another place to host it?
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Comment #39 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 22:18:44 PT

BGreen
I know. We're on the same side, I agree with you. I don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater, is all I'm saying.It seems to me that profit motive is a very bad basis for society to be organized around. We've been brainwashed to think that our only two choices are state capitalism and state communism, and we point at the defects of the latter as justification for the former.Fascism vs. Bolshevism, is what they're saying. Pick one. And since you get to choose, that's freedom, too!No. That isn't freedom at all.Ya gotta go off the menu to get what you want. You have to make it yourself. But you don't have to do it alone, because there's lots of us, and we're all in this together.What motivates you? Money? I don't think so. But that's what we're told motivates most people. It isn't natural, it isn't what children want, it's just what they are taught to want, it's what they're taught they need to survive, because without money, you can't pay the rent, you can't get food to eat, you can't get medicine if you're sick.But what if you didn't need to worry about basic survival. What if you knew that much was taken care of by your family, your friends, your community. And why would they take care of these things? Because they wouldn't be motivated by money either. Because it would be taken care of for them too, by you. Does this sound crazy? Impossible? It isn't.Because there is plenty. More than enough for all. Scarcity is artificial. The principle currency which you can acquire is the love and respect of your family and your friends and your community. When you do nice things for people, they will do nice things for you, you help one another, and you make sure you all have what you need. Not because you have to. but because you want to.Do you want a doctor who doesn't care about you, but only cares about being paid? Some doctor. I'm not saying good doctors don't want to be paid, because in today's society it's something we all need to (see above) pay the rent, etc. But a good doctor will treat you even if you cannot pay.My grandfather was a pediatrician. He had some patients (kids) whose parents were poor and couldn't even afford to bring them in to his office. He made house calls. And they'd give him little gifts to thank him. Nothing of substantial economic value. Just what they could do.Of course, it was a different time. I don't think many doctors will do this anymore. I'm not sure they can. There are so many regulations, so many rules, the AMA certainly doesn't want to encourage their members to offer services like this, it makes the rest of their organization look bad.And so it goes.Time for a change, soon.
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Comment #38 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 20:03:21 PT

whig
I hope you know I'm nothing but grateful for the techniques that gave you mobility.It's not either/or I'm talking about. It's "their way or no way" that I'm talking about.I'm very happy for you.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #37 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 19:35:41 PT

Jose
No, I didn't have osteoarthritis. I had a completely crushed femoral head and hip socket.Pancaked.Flat.You think needles would fix that?I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but really, I needed a new hip, or I was like the horse with the broken leg. Just put me down, please.
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Comment #36 posted by jose melendez on February 27, 2006 at 19:15:14 PT

re: comment #15
Q: "I had a total hip replacement. What eastern approach would have helped me?"A: British researchers found that acupuncture was significantly more effective than exercise for osteoarthritis pain. In this study, 32 patients awaiting hip replacement surgery were randomly assigned to one or two groups: the first group relieved one acupuncture session per week for six weeks, while the second group was given medical advice and exercises for the hip over the same six-week period. At the end of the six weeks, the patients receiving acupuncture had significant improvement in pain, while those in the exercise group showed no improvement. At follow-up eight weeks later, the difference in pain between the two groups was still evident. Acupuncture in Medicine 2001; 19(1): 19-26. http://whitakerwellness.com/our_therapies/accupuncture/ see also:http://www.cah.com/dr_library/hipdysp.html
"illegitimate use of the "or" operator"
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Comment #35 posted by jose melendez on February 27, 2006 at 19:05:30 PT

Medical cannabis. Right . . . sure. . . . really?
Marijuana compound may help stop diabetic retinopathyhttp://www.mcg.edu/news/2006NewsRel/Liou022706.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/060227184647.htmEarly studies indicate cannabidiol works as a consummate multi-tasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy, says Dr. Gregory I. Liou, molecular biologist at the Medical College of Georgia.“We are studying the role of cannabinoid receptors in our body and trying to modulate them so we can defend against diabetic retinopathy,” Dr. Liou says. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults and affects nearly 16 million Americans.
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Comment #34 posted by museman on February 27, 2006 at 18:59:19 PT

and by that I mean
that 'money' is symbolic of the greed (and the creed) of the powerful.
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Comment #33 posted by museman on February 27, 2006 at 18:48:02 PT

'Medicine' versus 'Health Care'
They are NOT 'one and the same.' However the same issues that an earthly-minded person (usually not very wealthy) confront with their medicine, they also confront with their health care.Bottom line, no matter what brave few idealists and dreamers actually make it into these professions, is MONEY.
The motivation behind the research, funding, productions, sales, and distribution of ANY 'product' is what? Kind consideration for others?Bottom line, prime motivation to become a Doctor, is contrary to what most would claim, is MONEY, and for some the local COuntry Club is of greatest importance. Granted there are some few ACTUAL 'Healers' in the 'medical profession' but they are very hard to find. I've met a few of them so I know it's true. But there's more reasons than one for asking another doctor for a 'second opinion.'Money motivations, the greed of the rich, not wanting to let their substance diminish by a few cents annually, have created the 'Health Insurance' scam for what reason? Making health care a benefit for all? I don't think so.Am I 'grateful' that when my appendix ruptured that the attending doctor was a real doctor worthy of my trust? You bet. Do I trust the arrogant attitude that they know more of my body then I do, and that I am some kind of moron who doesn't understand gravity? Not on your life. Or mine.Do I think that just by virtue of their 'Alma Mater' that I am just going to blindly accept whatever they say? LOL.
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Comment #32 posted by 420toker on February 27, 2006 at 17:51:57 PT

BGreen
You should check in with socialized medical care, Im all for it and it works pretty well in Canada. I untill the bust ended I was also without any health insurance and I'm lucky as hell I didn't get hit with some of my current medical problems back then. I would certainly have been set back several years financially, but I did have insurance and it only left me with about a year of financial setback. I am all for socialized medicine and making a minimum level of care for everybody. The insurance companies and the drug campanies have hijacked the entire industry and turned it into a bidding war for life. The insurance companies are taking more and more from the Dr's and patients and outputing nothing more than profits. The gvmt can be forced to clamp down on these unfettered profits but the people have to wake up and demand it. Perhaps one day health insurance will either be affordable again or we can abolish the whole practice of it altogether
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 17:40:12 PT

Cost of Medicine
I am like BGreen. We don't have insurance and the only way to keep myself healthy is by using medicinal herbs and essential oils of different plants. Money is an issue with many americans. I haven't had a prescription drug or seen a doctor since 94. I really believe there are many people that have to put medicine on the sidelines. I know a man who couldn't afford the insulin he needed and we asked him what he was going to do. He was very thin. He said trust God because that is all I can do.
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Comment #30 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 17:21:23 PT

Um, no offence, but ...
I have my doubts as to whether some of the so-called advances you mention would ever be available to someone like myself with no money or insurance.It doesn't really matter if technology exists if it remains out of reach of the masses, does it?Even if I needed your kind of medicine it ain't gonna happen.Good luck on your product. I'm sure I can't afford it.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #29 posted by 420toker on February 27, 2006 at 17:04:06 PT

Bgreen
I am sorry you have had so much trouble with western medicine, but for all of the massive medical advances made every day I feel your 25% good is far lower than what is a reality,  Yes cocaine was a terrible drug when purifued and sold on the street or it is invaluable in eye, nose and throat surgery. Lots of nutural remedies are great but they work great for keeping people heathy (either physologically or psychologically) but there is a point where that needs to take a back seat to real Dr's who have studied the condition inside and out and know every nuance of it. My grandfather was one of the first double bypasses in history done by Dr Debaky and Noon. That doesnt even compare with some of what we are capable of now. Artificial discs, new nerve and muscle repair techniques, targeted cancer therapys, the Gamma knife, all of this is happening now and soon it will bloom forth even further. I am not a pill poper as you suggest I do not advocate unnecessary treatments nor drugs. I do however realize that without something as lowly as the antibiotic and steralization childbirth would result in a 25% fatality rate, diabetes would kill you by age 50 and heart disease would always be fatal. You are right I do not know you but if you ever wind up in a hospital I sure hope the product I and my company work on will help you. I will continue to be proud of the best Western medicine has to offer.
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Comment #28 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 17:03:07 PT

Cannabis is good for you
"He hopes the compound in marijuana may one day be given along with insulin to stop the early changes that set the stage for damaged or destroyed vision."Or we could just let them take pot and let it help them in probably lots more ways without the side-effects of some awful purified/synthetic compound.
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 16:32:42 PT

News Article from The Medical College of Georgia
Marijuana Compound May Help Stop Diabetic RetinopathyToni BakerFebruary 27, 2006A compound found in marijuana won’t make you high but it may help keep your eyes healthy if you’re a diabetic, researchers say.Early studies indicate cannabidiol works as a consummate multi-tasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy, says Dr. Gregory I. Liou, molecular biologist at the Medical College of Georgia.“We are studying the role of cannabinoid receptors in our body and trying to modulate them so we can defend against diabetic retinopathy,” Dr. Liou says. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults and affects nearly 16 million Americans.High glucose levels resulting from unmanaged diabetes set in motion a cascade ultimately causing the oxygen-deprived retina to grow more blood vessels. Ironically, the leaky surplus of vessels can ultimately destroy vision.Dr. Liou, who recently received a $300,000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, wants to intervene earlier in the process, as healthy relationships inside the retina first start to go bad.Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body and endogenous cannabinoids are produced to act on them. “Their function is very different from organ to organ but in the central nervous system, cannabinoid receptors are responsible for the neutralization process that should occur after a nerve impulse is finished,” says Dr. Liou.Nerves come together at a point of communication called a synapse. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that excites these nerves to action at their point of communication. “There are also inhibitory neurotransmitters such as GABA,” Dr. Liou says. Endogenous cannabinoids help balance the excitation and inhibition, at least until oxygen gets scarce. In the face of inadequate oxygen, or ischemia – another hallmark of diabetes – nerve endings start producing even more glutamate, setting in motion an unhealthy chain of events. Pumps that keep the right substances inside or outside of cells start to malfunction. Excess nitric oxide and superoxides are produced, which are toxic to the cells. Another irony is the heightened activity increases the retina’s need for oxygen. “We are talking about nerve cell death,” Dr. Liou says. “In the retina, if a lot of our nerve cells die, our vision is directly affected.”And that’s not all that goes wrong in the nerve-packed retina. Glial cells, which support nerve cells by supplying nutrients and oxygen, are closely attuned to their charges. When they sense something is amiss, microglia, one type of glial cells, start eating the dying nerve cells.“Microglial cells become voracious. They eat dying nerve cells, making the whole thing irreversibly bad,” says Dr. Liou. Interestingly, the body start producing more endogenous cannabinoids to stop the role reversal, then produces an enzyme to destroy the cannabinoids because of concern there are too many of them. The same thing happens in the brain after a stroke. “Long before all these blood vessels start growing, the partnership between glial cells and nerve cells starts breaking down,” says Dr. Liou.That’s why cannabidiol, an antioxidant, may help save the retina. Test-tube studies by others, as well as Dr. Liou’s pilot studies in diabetic animal models show cannabidiol works to interrupt essentially all these destructive points of action. “What we believe cannabidiol does is go in here as an antioxidant to neutralize the toxic superoxides. Number two, it inhibits the self-destructive system and allows the self-produced endogenous cannabinoids to stay there longer by inhibiting the enzyme that destroys them.” Cannabidiol also helps keep microglial cells from turning on nerve cells by inhibiting cannabinoid receptors on microglial cells that are at least partially responsible for their ability to destroy rather than support the cells.“Cannabinoids are trying to ease the situation on both sides. They help save the neuron and, at the same time, make sure the microglial cells stay in microglial form. How good do you want a drug to be?” Dr. Liou says.His earliest studies in animal models, published in the January issue of the American Journal of Pathology, indicate it may be very good.Co-authors on the study include Dr. Azza B. El-Remessy, MCG Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Drs. Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, Nai-Tse Tsai and Ruth B. Caldwell, MCG Vascular Biology Center; and Dr. Yousuf Khalifa, MCG Department of Ophthalmology. “We are very pleased,” he says of studies in which cannabidiol is injected into the stomachs of diabetic rats and mice.He hopes the compound in marijuana may one day be given along with insulin to stop the early changes that set the stage for damaged or destroyed vision.  
Copyright: 2006
Medical College of Georgia 
http://www.mcg.edu/news/2006NewsRel/Liou022706.html
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 16:12:00 PT

observer
Yes I added to the thread on Steve.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21602.shtml#11
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Comment #25 posted by global_warming on February 27, 2006 at 16:11:03 PT

listening to sibelius
there is a gentle hand that comes with understanding,that is a 'gift from the 'starsand that almighty that transcends Eternity..TwinkleYour corpulenceLike your corporeality,Belongs to You,Bring that Gentle HandThat May GraceThis ForumThis PlaceWhere 'we may achieveA 'New UnderstandingAn Understanding,That HeraldsThis New Worldpeace
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Comment #24 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 16:08:46 PT

BGreen
I don't think we disagree, and Museman is pretty much saying the same thing as I think too.We don't want to lose the 25% or whatever percentage of good there is, for the sake of the harm. What we want to do is reduce the harm. I am a harm reductionist.
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Comment #23 posted by observer on February 27, 2006 at 16:06:34 PT

Kubby Loses 25 Lbs in Three Weeks
anyone see this article about Steve Kubby?Jailed cancer survivor loses 25 pounds in three weeks
http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pot 
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Comment #22 posted by global_warming on February 27, 2006 at 15:53:53 PT

lest you 'forget
'we 'remember
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Comment #21 posted by global_warming on February 27, 2006 at 15:47:26 PT

the Indians are angry at me
for the slap in their facethat came from 'my 'wretched hand,in all these thousands of 'years,they have had a chance to to 'see,the 'unknown faces they 'enslave,yet they 'recite scriptures,justifying a corruption in their hearts and Eternal Souls,like the Jews and Judaism,those who have been taken,by 'nails on some barren wooden cross,This is 'our 'place,To 'remember 'this 'place,
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Comment #20 posted by global_warming on February 27, 2006 at 15:25:24 PT

you have an Amen
on 4/18,..
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Comment #19 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 15:17:54 PT

I believe opiates are CNS depressants
In clinical settings, morphine exerts its principal pharmacological effect on the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Its primary actions of therapeutic value are analgesia and sedation. Morphine appears to increase the patient's tolerance for pain and to decrease discomfort, although the presence of the pain itself may still be recognized. In addition to analgesia, alterations in mood, euphoria and dysphoria, and drowsiness commonly occur. Morphine depresses various respiratory centers, depresses the cough reflex, and constricts the pupils. Analgesically effective blood levels of morphine may cause nausea and vomiting directly by stimulating the chemoreceptor trigger zone, but nausea and vomiting are significantly more common in ambulatory than in recumbent patients, as is postural syncope.

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Comment #18 posted by museman on February 27, 2006 at 14:49:53 PT

comment#11
"I like Cannabis, I think it has many therapeutic values as well as social values but I wouldn’t...couldn’t throw out the modern pharmacopoeia for it, western medicine has saved my life more times than I can count."No just the DRUG COMPANIES that lobby congress for exclusivity, and proprietary copyrights. The DRUG companies that lobby the rich power elite to illegalize the orignal natural sources of their 'drugs.' Throw THEM out, along with the rest of the political and social elitists.

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Comment #17 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 14:43:36 PT

That's the 25%, whig
Taking a natural plant and isolating and concentrating a particular component can lead to the creation of a deadly drug.That's exactly what happened with the coca plant.Most of modern western medicine works under this isolate and concentrate model.There is a synergistic effect in healing plants and eastern medicine, with the idea of bringing balance to the body.Crediting the longer life expectancy solely to western medicine is debatable, because there are so many other factors such as water purification, waste disposal, food handling, etc. that also factor into this equation.I'm not totally against science, but I'm very leery of money-based psuedoscience enforced with the barrel of a gun.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #16 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 14:30:49 PT

I'm not fighting with you either
I was actually going to be a pharmacist, and worked in a pharmacy while going to college.People just assumed I was a pharmacist, only because I was a man, so my role was the same as a pharmacist.I occasionally had to explain some little thing, but my function was counting pills.I saw firsthand the abuse and corruption involved in medicine. I saw the nursing home patients being prescribed drug after drug for no other purpose than to treat the side effects of other drugs.I saw ladies so spaced out on multiple drugs that it was actually scary watching them try and walk to their cars, and frightening to watch them drive away.I was chewed out by numerous doctors who were irate that I would call to double check the prescription they had written with handwriting that wouldn't even be acceptable to a preschooler.My views and overall outlook on life aren't just a whim, but a 43 year process of learning.You think you can separate good science from corrupt science, but I think it's a little too late to salvage any credibility, thanks to the modern scientist.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #15 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 14:27:30 PT

BGreen
Western medicine is not all "pills and potions," either.I had a total hip replacement. What eastern approach would have helped me?
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Comment #14 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 14:17:56 PT

You don't really know me or my friends
My "friend" is on 13 "medications" because of a stroke, but he now has panic attacks, falls asleep sitting up and has been impotent since the last 5 drugs were prescribed.Nobody needs 13 different drugs that have never been tested together, but that's modern science at work.My mom, dad, sister and many other members of my family are victims of "modern science," and my mom has permanent nerve damage because of a so-called specialist in Springfield, MO who butchered her back.I don't get infections because I'm healthy. Most of the people who are so in love with modern science take antibiotics for every sniffle, so it's questionable whether or not the penicillin your doctor gives you will even work any more.The western version of medicine is being discredited almost every day in some way or another due to greed, corruption and unethical behavior.I don't poison myself, but by all means go ahead and pop pills if that's your thing.I won't embrace an establishment that attacks natural and eastern medicine by making anything BUT the pill way punishable by jail. Death or jail, what a kind of a choice is that in a free society.I'll admit that maybe 25% of the standard thinking in western medicine is beneficial, but that is mostly overshadowed by the harm inflicted by the other 75%.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #13 posted by 420toker on February 27, 2006 at 14:09:33 PT

Bgreen
I didn't mean to sound as if I am minimizing your friends plight by calling them hypochondriacs and generally you and I have been on the same side of most arguments here. I dont believe drug companies have our best interest at heart just as I dont believe the gvmt knows whats best for you. However Commercialism is everywhere even with the herb market,  metabolife, GNC they are all out to make a buck off you and me and I think in a heartbeat they would stick it to us just like Big Pharma. Thats Capatilism and also why they should all be more regulated especially in the profit department.What you are seeming to have more of a problem with is the culture derived by modern medicine, that they are the only way to heal and mind and spirit dont play into it. I believe this is false as well. I support whole body healing with whatever makes you feel better. 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 14:01:07 PT

News Brief from United Press International
Marijuana Ingredient Useful in Diabetes***AUGUSTA, Ga., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Medical College of Georgia researchers say a compound found in marijuana may help keep diabetics' eyes healthy. Researchers led by molecular biologist Gregory Liou found cannabidiol works as a consummate multitasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy -- the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, affecting nearly 16 million Americans. High glucose levels resulting from unmanaged diabetes set in motion a cascade ultimately causing the oxygen-deprived retina to grow more blood vessels. Ironically, the leaky surplus of vessels can ultimately destroy vision. Liou, who recently received a $300,000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, and colleagues explain their work in the American Journal of Pathology.Copyright: 2006 United Press International, Inc. http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060227-033749-6285r
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Comment #11 posted by 420toker on February 27, 2006 at 13:54:54 PT

CNS stimulants
CNS stimulants are not related by action they are by chemical structure, Opiates are classed as CNS stimulants and are not in any way related to amphetamines (stimulate the adrenal glands near the kidneys) nor ephedrine or pseudo ephedrine. In regards to your comment about ephedra in plant form it is not illegal to grow nor possess it is simply illegle to use in herbal supplements that are OTC like herbal XTC and various body building substances. The live plants are fine, the dried herb is fine, putting into a pill as an extract and selling it as XTC or something that will build muscle or create weight loss is not. I disagreed with the government regulating this too but it is most certainly not better at its function than other prescribable drugs. If you are so concerned about modern medicine hurting you rather than helping you, the next time you have an infection go eat a big lump of moldy bread, I think I will stick to Penicillin.PS your friends are quite possibly hypochondriacs who feel the need to medicate whenever they don’t "feel right” I have a buddy like that as well. Walking pharmaceutical cabinet he is but it’s no worse than the Herb guy in our company who microwaves the most god awful smelling stuff in the world in our kitchen but complains just like the medicine cabinet guy. Here is the nail in that coffin, the average lifespan continues to rise in locations with western style medicine, find me some village in china where the average lifespan is 70+I like Cannabis, I think it has many therapeutic values as well as social values but I wouldn’t...couldn’t throw out the modern pharmacopoeia for it, western medicine has saved my life more times than I can count.

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Comment #10 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 13:33:28 PT

BGreen
Mainstream medicine does a lot of harm, but it also does do some good. The problem is neither science nor nature, but the exclusion of either.The allopaths condemn the homeopaths, the homeopaths condemn the allopaths. Both are wrong in their condemnation.The exclusion of cannabis and other natural treatments from the apothecary, the replacement of the apothecary with the pharmacist, the regulation, control and strangulation of all alternatives, this is harming us. But let us not retaliate in kind.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 13:26:23 PT

Just a Note
I hope everyone is having a good day. News is slow so I'm getting a few things done around my house. I'll keep looking for news but there just isn't much happening right now. 
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Comment #8 posted by whig on February 27, 2006 at 13:20:54 PT

Dividing Canaan
Bleeding heartPersian shieldCat's whiskersRoyal palmSweet alyssumPetting bambooOrange jasmineClitoria blue peaDowny jasmineDaturaFrangipaniFrangipani
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Comment #7 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2006 at 12:56:34 PT

The success of modern science
The success of modern science has created "medicine slaves" who are perpetually sick and in need of more "medicine" created by modern science.Modern science has made most of the people I know even sicker than they ever were, not to mention the major side effect of being broke.CNS stimulants are by their very mechanisms related, even if not in chemical structure.I find it quite amazing that not a single one of those poisonous plants you mentioned besides ephedra is illegal to grow, possess or ingest.Modern science is money and the ability to gain more money from the sickest and weakest.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #6 posted by 420toker on February 27, 2006 at 12:43:59 PT

ephedra, psuedoephedrine and amphetamine
first off ephedra has been used for many centuries as an herbal remedy for many things, it is however NOT a cough remedy specifically it is a decongestant, ephedrine itself is a bronchiodialator and amphetamine is not ritilan and has little to do with either of these except that both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine can be precursors to clandestine Amphetamine manufacturer. Im all for herbs, god knows I have consumed many of them but I am also pro reality and the simple fact is there are herbs that will freaking KILL you in their natural forms. examples beladonna, digitalis, blood-root, celandine, chaparral, foxglove, goldenseal, henbane, iris root, Jimson weed, lobelia, May apple (American mandrake), mistletoe, poke root, poison hemlock, stillingia root, turkey corn root, wild cucumber root.These will help one thing but could very well kill you with liver, kidney or heart failure. Im all for finding natural remedies and attempting to create a related drug that performs all the function of the herb without the guesswork in dosing and is easily despensable. The reality is modern medicine is better than it has ever been with only very minor exceptions (usually related to gvmt intervention) but I am not going to kid myself or try to pump my own argument for legalizing marijuana by cutting down an obvios success of modern science.Now if you would like to discuss pharmaceutical corporations and how they screw over every american alive while padding the pocketbooks of politicians to specifically stop or turn back progress in medicine or wish do discuss the differences in Amphetamine and their precursors, I will do so. 
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on February 27, 2006 at 11:31:09 PT

siege
thats for that article - let's not forget that Mormon Tea aka ephedra was temporarily banned and is definitely blacklisted, but it IS LEGAL! Hard to believe, but it is a glimmer of hope for us herbalists that all is not lost!
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on February 27, 2006 at 11:28:20 PT

oh boy
Why is it so hard for newspaper writers to figure out the supply issue? "Pharmacies cannot fill prescriptions because it is included on the federal government's list of most restricted controlled substances. But most of the 11 states have some form licensing for marijuana growers or dispensaries.Rhode Island legislators did not address that issue. That leaves patients or their caregivers to buy it on the streets like common drug criminals. The law makes no provision for the state to regulate it. That's unacceptable."OK, that's WRONG. RI's bill addressed the supply issue the same way that all 11 over states did: with a doctor's recommendation, patients are permitted to grow cannabis, and patients are legally allowed to buy it from the black market. Not only that, the state is specifically vested to REGULATE said process through the Dept. of Public Health.Either I'm really, really, smart or most of the media is......not. Because this stuff seems incredibly simple to me, and they can't ever seem to get it right.And somehow, they always forget that right now, sick people are buying cannabis just like "common drug criminals". Actually, 100 million of us Americans ARE "common drug criminals".  *sigh* sometimes I get this overwhelming feeling of trying to swim upstream. The truth is, our American culture is all about crime and criminals. Most people apparently love it that way. They love to watch TV to see perps being arrested and prosecuted by really young, sexy people. They love to HATE criminals, yet somehow be hypocrite enough to accept the criminals in their family as OK (i.e., their pot-smoking kids, for whom they're working their entire adult life to spoil with material goods & then pay $150,000 to smoke & drink their way through college).OK, I'm rambling, but you have to think that we'll never see a decrease in prisons, prisoners, or laws criminalizing various activity while 80% of the population is being brainwashed by crime TV every night. Yes, this is a country where the sight of people making love, or even a woman's breast, is outrageous taboo, yet every night the graphic stabbings, beatings, and shootings roll from 100 channels right into our childrens' minds.
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Comment #3 posted by siege on February 27, 2006 at 11:08:53 PT

DRUG COMPANIES USE NATURAL CURES TO DESIGN NEW DRU
DRUG COMPANIES USE NATURAL CURES TO DESIGN NEW DRUGS Shane Ellison M. Sc.
February 26, 2006
NewsWithViews.comMost medical doctors are hostile toward the use of nutritional supplements. They parrot that they are ineffective and possibly dangerous due to a lack of scientific evidence supporting them. Not true. A mountain of evidence exists. And it points to some fascinating and highly effective nutritional supplements.To obtain new drugs, pharmaceutical chemists, like myself, rigorously study nutritional supplements (i.e. natural products). Once a single active ingredient is identified a chemist makes a “copy-cat.” The drug company then calls it their own. Simply put, if the study of nutritional supplements did not exist then drugs would not be possible.Most every drug sold today has a natural-based predecessor. Drug companies and medical doctors obfuscate this historical fact. They like patients to think that drugs are intuitively invented out of thin air. This helps foster the very profitable belief that drugs are the only option for health. Understanding that nutritional supplements guide drug development will allow you more choices in health care – inexpensive and safe ones. Consider the following examples:Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient found in over-the-counter cough syrup. It is a knock-off of the active ingredients found in “Mormon tea.” In 2004, the Annals of Emergency Medicine noted that pseudoephedrine is so damaging to the heart that it can elicit a heart attack among users – even healthy ones. In sharp contrast, naturally-occurring Mormon tea can be safely used as a cough suppressant. Today however, it is black listed while pseudoephedrine remains on the shelves of every corner grocery store in America.Ritalin and many other stimulants are knock-offs of the active ingredients found in ma huang AKA ephedra. Ritalin is an amphetamine. As such, it can cause addiction and brain cell death. Despite false propaganda, Ma huang is a safe and effective stimulant that increases mental focus without damaging the body. Ma huang is black listed while Ritalin is dispensed to children. http://www.newswithviews.com/Ellison/shane21.htm

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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 09:14:40 PT

Off Topic: Snipped Source
Drug Law's Failures Spur Get-Tough Call***By Laura Mecoy -- Bee Los Angeles Bureau Monday, February 27, 2006Story appeared on Page A1 of The BeeFive years after Californians revolutionized state drug sentencing by adopting Proposition 36, the widely supported initiative is facing a major overhaul because it's graduating only a fourth of those ordered into treatment.Statewide, more than a fourth never show up for their first assessment for the program. One study found offenders sentenced under Proposition 36 are more likely to have a new drug arrest within a year than those arrested for the same crime before the initiative went into effect.Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/projects/prop36/story/14223075p-15048287c.html

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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 27, 2006 at 08:58:35 PT

Portion of AlterNet Article: Reefer Medicine

February 27, 2006Isn't being horribly sick punishment enough without having the FBI, DEA, and other police agents busting down your door to throw you in jail? Unfortunately, the federal government's crackpot drug war has turned cops into drug thugs as they pursue an insane, inhumane, ideologically driven policy of cracking down on seriously sick people who use doctor-prescribed marijuana to treat the chronic pain and nausea of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, polio, and other harsh illnesses.Two years ago, nine armed members of a DEA task force raided Don Nord's home in Hayden, Colorado, arresting him and seizing his three marijuana plants. Nord is no drug dealer -- he's a disabled, wheelchair-bound, 57-year-old man battling kidney cancer, diabetes, lung disease, and other problems. He was not toking on reefer for a joy ride, but using the marijuana under a doctor's supervision as a medical necessity.Meet Suzanne Pfeil. She is paralyzed by post-polio syndrome and was under the care of WAAM, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Santa Cruz, California. In 2002, she was awakened by five DEA agents pointing automatic rifles at her head. WAAM is a non-commercial medical co-op that, with the blessing of local officials, maintained a marijuana garden at its hospice to treat its 225 members, 85 percent of whom were terminally ill. In the early hours of September 5, the DEA burst in. They terrified the patients, charged two with violating federal drug law, ripped up the coop's garden, handcuffed WAAM's two founders, and took them to jail.This was too much even for the arch-conservative editors of the Orange County Register, who called DEA's actions "an unwarranted and extreme operation against sick people … Such cruel raids suggest that a law that can be used to terrorize sick people is in need of reconsideration." But Washington -- under Democratic administrations as well as Republican -- has done nothing to stop the stupidity, instead continuing to sanction such extremism in the name of looking tough in the drug war. Last year on June 15, for example, Congress voted 264-161 against allowing the ill to use this proven treatment.These people are nuts … and dangerous. Luckily, though, there's sanity among grassroots folks. Polls constantly show overwhelming support for laws to let the sick use doctor-prescribed marijuana. The latest Gallup survey shows 78 percent of Americans backing such common sense. Lest you think that's a lot of blue-state, smoke-induced, ex-hippie sentiment talking, independent polls in the deep red states of Alabama and Texas register three-to-one margins in favor of medical marijuana, including 67 percent support among Texas Republicans!More significantly, when given a chance, people are voting their convictions. Led by the Marijuana Policy Project, coalitions of doctors, nurses, and patients have come together to raise common sense to high places. Defying the furious fulminations and fervid opposition of assorted drug czars from Washington, voters in 11 states and numerous cities have already approved the medical use of marijuana by compelling margins. Let's do a brief roll call: In 2004, while Bush was easily winning the majority of Montana voters, those same people approved by a two-to-one margin a medical marijuana initiative that the White House had adamantly opposed. In 2003, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich became the first Republican head of state to sign medical marijuana into law. This came in the face of ferocious campaigning by the White House drug czar to get Ehrlich to veto the bill. Flexing his ignorance, the czar told Marylanders that marijuana was "medicinal crack." This year, Rhode Island became the 11th common-sense state when more than three-fifths of legislators voted to override the Republican governor's veto of a bill to protect medical-marijuana patients from arrest. The bill had passed 30-0 in the senate, 52-10 in the house. In Michigan, cities are taking the initiative. In the past two years, Detroit okayed marijuana use by a 60-40 vote, Ann Arbor by 74-26, Ferndale by 61-39, and Traverse City by 63-37. Complete Article: http://www.alternet.org/story/32483/
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