cannabisnews.com: Employers Sued For Asking About Pot Use










  Employers Sued For Asking About Pot Use

Posted by CN Staff on July 28, 2006 at 08:47:20 PT
By Tresa Baldas, The National Law Journal 
Source: National Law Journal 

California -- Job applicants in California don't have to worry about answering a certain question on applications anymore: Have you ever been arrested on a marijuana charge? Individual class actions have forced more than 100 companies in California in recent years to omit questions on applications about arrests that did not result in a conviction as well as questions about marijuana convictions that are more than two years old, which popped up on a number of company applications.
The suits -- three of them are still pending -- cited a 30-year-old state law that forbids employers from inquiring about arrests records or information concerning a referral to a drug diversion program. "The philosophy behind these laws is not to punish someone for making decisions when they were rather young," said Los Angeles attorney Mike Arias of Arias Ozzello & Gignac, who filed the suits against 108 companies, including big names like Starbucks, Abercrombie & Fitch, Staples and Macy's. The suits sought injunctive relief and damages for violating the statute. The statute allows for up to $500 in damages per violation. The most recent suit was filed in January against the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim arena in Anaheim, Calif., where the Mighty Ducks hockey team plays. Yeung v. Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, No. 06 CC 00004 (Orange Co, Calif., Super. Ct.) To date, all but three of the defendants -- Starbucks, Arrowhead Pond and Fry's Electronics -- have settled. The remaining three have changed their applications, but have not paid any damages. Laws pertaining to what questions employers may ask of applicants vary from state to state. For example, Wisconsin, California and Hawaii all generally prohibit employers from discriminating against an employee or applicant because of an arrest record. New York, however, has a law that specifically allows employers to consider pending criminal charges in making employment decisions. At the federal level, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission allows employers to use an arrest record as evidence of conduct when making an employment decision, but the policy states that "it is the conduct, not the arrest per se, which the employer may consider." More recently, the EEOC has cautioned employers about asking applicants to disclose arrests that didn't lead to convictions because that could have a disparate, negative impact on the hiring of minorities. According to Milton Friedman, a senior legal administrator who runs all the class actions at Arias Ozzello & Gignac, the California violations were discovered by three plaintiffs who were having no luck landing job interviews and eventually took some job applications to the firm for review. "We were looking at these applications. Some were borderline iffy," Friedman said. "I was surprised myself that there were this many companies that actually had no idea that that was the law." Gary McLaughlin of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld's Los Angeles office, who is representing Starbucks, was unavailable for comment. Officials at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim were unavailable for comment.Note: Job applicants asked about marijuana arrests are suing for damages. Newshawk: MayanSource: National Law Journal (US)Author: Tresa Baldas, The National Law JournalPublished: July 28, 2006Copyright: 2006 NLP IP CompanyContact: mailbox nlj.comWebsite: http://www.nlj.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #68 posted by FoM on August 04, 2006 at 07:54:31 PT
Whig and Afterburner
Thank you. I feel a lot better today. We have a beautiful breeze blowing and it is such a relief from the recent heat. I think I'm going to be able to get over this without antibiotics. The last time I took antibiotics many years ago they made me sick. I think I am becoming drug intolerant or something. Maybe I just hate drugs! LOL!
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Comment #67 posted by whig on August 04, 2006 at 00:41:05 PT
FoM
Please take care of yourself. A "little" pneumonia makes me feel concerned. My wife was hospitalized with pneumonia once (before we were married) and I know from her how sick she was and she didn't have insurance at the time either so when she finally got medical attention they were giving her as many "free samples" as they could until it cleared up. I don't care much for the overuse of antibiotics but they do save lives when used properly.
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Comment #66 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2006 at 23:22:13 PT
FoM
The construction dust is probably irritating your lungs, like me running around between summer heat and a/c back and forth. Hydrate. If you have fluid in the lungs, the herbs will help eliminate it. Restful exercise is more healing than stressful exercise. I said a prayer for your healing. Have a loving and tranquil weekend.
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Comment #65 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 22:11:26 PT
afterburner
Thank you. We have been running around doing many things so I don't think it is lack of exercise but being exposed to a respiratory type flu. We have been around chemical sprays and mold while tearing down walls. Construction dirt isn't good to inhale but you can't really avoid it. When they start on the drywall they will drape the room so it will stay in that area or mostly stay in that area. We're doing a couple rooms but only one at a time. I haven't had any tea but have been using essential oils as inhalation therapy. I told my husband that we need to stop and rest one day this weekend. He has to get concrete and sand tomorrow for Monday so the weekend can be a relaxing one and that will help us both get better.
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Comment #64 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2006 at 21:48:55 PT
FoM
"I think I have a little bit of Pneumonia"Remember to use your glider a little bit. Easy does it. Inactivity promotes Pneumonia. Try some herb tea, too. Jethro Kloss recommends: marshmallow, sage, black cohosh root [very powerful], coltsfoot [clears lungs], comfrey root[ditto], wild cherry, and horehound.
Back To Eden - Revised 2nd Edition, By Jethro Kloss & Promise K. Moffet 
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 20:09:09 PT
Dankhank
There are so many things I can't remember. I don't forget what is really important to remember but if it isn't I forget very easily. We are working on the house and it has been a constant one thing after another. We got a cold a little while ago and it just won't go away. I think I have a little bit of Pneumonia and I don't have a doctor so it will take longer to shake without antibiotics. I am very short of breath and it makes me tired. I know by August 29th I will be better even if I'm not because of seeing the CSNY tour. That will be my best medicine.
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Comment #62 posted by Dankhank on August 03, 2006 at 19:42:02 PT
yes ....
FoM,good points, it was a looooong time ago ...we all have a lot of things going on ... all the time ...The cockfighting mention was just to let folks know that Oklahoma is REALLY screwed up.Cockfighting was made illegal last year over the objection of many CF afficiandos, bringing us up to speed with the rest of the country. A state senator a few months suggested putting boxing gloves on the chickens ...
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Comment #61 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 16:13:48 PT
Dankhank
I only vaguely remember the web site and only because you mentioned it. (My memory isn't that good anymore or I have one too many things going on at one time) I'm not sure what I should comment about as far as the cockfighting and threats in the article. No one should ever threaten a Judge or anyone in power. Even if I wouldn't like them I know when not to say something. That is out of bounds as far as free speech goes in my opinion. I would never act that way so it goes over my head.
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Comment #60 posted by Dankhank on August 03, 2006 at 16:01:29 PT
see ...
 he was 21, and check the fourth story, we still got cockfighting here ...  :-)
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Comment #59 posted by Dankhank on August 03, 2006 at 15:57:14 PT
threats to judiciary ...
A kid, 24 yrs or so, got hammered for threatening a judge.I had met him and socialized at a friend's house a couple of times before the incident.Scroll down ... third story ...FoM, you looked at this site years ago and was not convinced it was a REAL newspaper, the site is still cheezy ...http://www.lawton-constitution.com/
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Comment #58 posted by whig on July 31, 2006 at 17:13:48 PT
Richard Zuckerman
From what you just posted, and admitted doing, it sounds like you did in fact imply a serious threat through the mails, and it is not a protected class of speech under the First Amendment to threaten anyone with violence or death.If you were insincere in your threat, then you should apologize for it and move on. If you were sincere, then I would consider you dangerous as well, and would want to stay well away from you and advise others to do the same.
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Comment #57 posted by Richard Zuckerman on July 31, 2006 at 13:18:37 PT:
MY CRIMINAL CONVICTION WAS OVER THE POT LAWS!
After Dickinson R. Debevoise, U.S. District Judge, District of New Jersey, wrote an 89 page opinion holding he does not have the authority to strike down the Marijuana laws, that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does not include the individual citizen, I sent him a letter stating I "...will do some things out of Faces of Death, Parts I, II, and III if this court keeps fucking me around," which led to the federal felony conviction on June 11, 1991, for violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 876, prohibiting mailing a threatening communication. I was taken thru trial in the same U.S. Courthouse where Judge Debevoise and the lawsuit was pending, by Judge Nicholas H. Politan, now retired, a judge who claimed he has "...worked in tandem and in conjunction with every judge of this courthouse", then, in another hearing, stated "I don't have anything to do with that judge. Everyone who comes before me starts off on a clean slate." Should a defendant charged with mail threatening a federal judge be taken thru trial away from the courthouse where the threat was received? I have noticed a massive loss of employment opportunities from this felony conviction, too!! As a matter of fact, this morning, I completed the filing of a lawsuit with a motion for a show cause hearing against the New Jersey State Police because they put me on a blacklist of people banned from entering the State House Annex, Trenton, N.J., where the legislators meet and discuss Bills, which I found out about on June 8, 2006, when the State House Annex guards barred me from attending the "discussion" on Senate Bill 88 for Medical "Marijuana" in which Montel Williams and Dr. John Morgan testified, the purpose of which was whether the Senate Health Committee Chairman Joseph Vitale will allow the Bill to be voted on. The following day, he refused to post the Bill for a vote, saying it is "too controversial." Senator Vitale is now about to assume the post of Acting Mayor of Woodbridge, New Jersey, while double dipping as the Senate Health Committee Chairman. By the way, he has accepted over $150,000 over the past 3 years from health/pharmaceutical corporations! Is it any wonder why he refused to post Senate Bill 88 for a vote? I must call the Mercer County Superior Court for a docket number and when or whether a judge will issue an Order to show cause for a summary proceeding, to speed up the lawsuit and for prompt relief in the form of an injunction.
Meanwhile, I'm waiting for the Appellate Division oral argument court date in my lawsuit against the Highland Park police department, www.hpboro.com, to ask the panel to establish a cause of action for Retaliatory Prosecution under the State Constitutional freedom of speech. HAS YOUR STATE COURTS ESTABLISHED A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR RETALIATION FOR VIOLATION OF YOUR STATE CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM OF SPEECH?Richard Paul Zuckerman, (Cell telephone number)(848) 250-8879.
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Comment #56 posted by afterburner on July 31, 2006 at 00:40:20 PT
FoM #48
In Canada, the NDP says, the Liberals want to fine you, the Conservatives want to cage you, eNDProhibition with the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP rescued their party from extinction by fighting for cannabis rights. Now, they are currying favor with the black community. The NDP is building a coalition of the disenfranchised in true populist tradition.In the USA, the Republicans want to cage you, to fine you, and to take away all your money, your land, your house, your car, your boat, your children, and your self-esteem. The Democrats need to grow a backbone and to take a compassionate stand for treatment instead of punishment, regulation for adults instead of prohibition, medical science instead of dogmatic propaganda, freedom and community instead of the institutionalized racism of the WoD.Meanwhile, the new generation is listening to this song of hope:{ Bob Sinclar - Love Generation Western Dream 2006 
[ Download MP3 «Love Generation» ] [ Download MP3 songs by Bob Sinclar ] [ Download album «Western Dream» ](Feat. Gary Pine)(Bam, bam, baba bam, bam,) (baba bam, bam, baba bam babam.......)From Jamaica to the world, It's just love, It's just love, Yeah!Why must our children play in the streets, Broken hearts and faded dreams, Peace and love to everyone that you meet, Don't you worry, it could be so sweet, Just look to the rainbow, you will see Sun will shine till eternity, I've got so much love in my heart, No-one can tear it apart, Yeah,Feel the love generation, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Feel the love generation, C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon yeah,(Whistling.....)Feel the love generation, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Feel the love generation, Ooohhh yeah-yeah,Don't worry about a thing, It's gonna be alright, Don't worry about a thing, It's gonna be alright, Don't worry about a thing, It's gonna be alright, Gonna be, gonna, gonna, gonna be alright,It's all love you know It's all love from I 'n' I to everyone We got to love But we got to love yeah There's no need to cry-a We got to love But we got to love yeah Gotta live that love ha heh You know what I'm talkin' about C'monFeel the love generation, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Feel the love generation, C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon yeah,(Whistling.....)Feel the love generation, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Feel the love generation, C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon yeah,Feel the love generation, Ooohhh yeah-yeah, It's all love you knowFeel the love generation, We got to love We got to love But we got to love yeah Eah, eah, yeah, } Bob Sinclar - Love Generation Lyrics & mp3 music download http://top-lyrics.elizov.com/lyrics/Bob_Sinclar_-_Love_Generation.htmlYouTube - Bob Sinclair - Love Generation Music Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY4Jq7E92VY
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on July 30, 2006 at 20:48:22 PT
Whig and Dankhank
I honestly believe most young people have heard the song. I know it was considered bad by some people but I think of it as a waking up to the way things are. Conformity is what is important. Non conformists are treated badly. It's still that way today.
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Comment #54 posted by Dankhank on July 30, 2006 at 20:40:15 PT
Wall
When I first heard "Brick in the Wall" I immediately thought, "Well, the jig is up."Every kid from then-on should know that song.
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Comment #53 posted by whig on July 30, 2006 at 18:45:57 PT
FoM
I remember hearing that way back in high school or maybe even Jr High, and the school was really upset about it. It was against everything from their point of view. That was what they would call Heavy Metal and how it was corrupting the young people.Of course Pink Floyd is pretty far from heavy metal but that's how it was talked about.
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on July 30, 2006 at 17:45:57 PT
Wayne
I meant young people don't know this song not adults.
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Comment #51 posted by Wayne on July 30, 2006 at 17:43:17 PT
hmmm...
I beg to differ, I think they DO know that song. Where else would they have gotten the idea?
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on July 30, 2006 at 17:34:31 PT
Wayne
Maybe they don't know this song very well.Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wallhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT5wIbvoCew
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Comment #49 posted by Wayne on July 30, 2006 at 16:53:46 PT
FoM
And I personally think the trend is continuing into our schools. That story that you posted about the smelly student, and the incident with the SWAT team. Schools aren't all about teaching kids to use their brains anymore. The only thing they're interested in teaching kids is how to stay 'in line' and not deny authority and make waves. And you know that the neo-cons in power right now will eat that sh** up all day long.I mean really, our future lies with our children. It always has. If we're ever going to have any hope of overcoming our current situation, we HAVE to teach kids how to use their minds and be productive and do what is right. If not, we're doing nothing more than giving birth to robots.The PTB don't want anyone to rock the boat, and that includes children. As far as I'm concerned, they are in the same league as the fundamentalists who run the madrases and teach 8-year-old schoolchildren to grow up and be human blast caps.
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on July 30, 2006 at 06:37:34 PT
afterburner 
I just posted an article about Alaska. They aren't accepting the judges ruling and will fight it. I thought it was a shame they dropped it to one ounce. They want to turn the states around that have had fair laws since the 70s. When we go to see CSNY I hope you are as interested as I am to check out the booths. I think the Republicans will destroy all our hard work very soon if we don't get Democrats in power quickly. We are slowly slipping away and that makes them very happy. Cannabis won't go away but people will just shut up and be quiet. The Democrats aren't so pushy about Cannabis issues. 
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Comment #47 posted by afterburner on July 30, 2006 at 06:05:07 PT
FoM #42 Disturbing Local Trends, Even in Ohio
First, Cincinnati establishes a more punitive cannabis law than the State of Ohio's decrim law. Then, Chillicothe runs an anti-drug, including cannabis, road blitz. Now, a county judge rules that a student may be suspended just for smelling like cannabis, even if sHe tests negative. These officials have been reading too many prohibitionist scare stories.
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Comment #46 posted by Wayne on July 29, 2006 at 16:45:35 PT
Re: FoM #42
That's outrageous. They have to bust a kid because he smells like pot, huh? Well, I guess that's what happens when the dogs and SWAT teams come up empty-handed...time for plan B."Diglia said he hopes the ruling sends a message to other students that drugs will not be tolerated. The policy is not to determine the amount a student may have used but rather to punish for signs of possible use, he said. 'That’s a message we want to get out to our students so we don’t end up in this position again,' he said."What message does it send when you reprimand a kid for his odor? What if someone's B.O. happens to smell like marijuana, what do you do then? Zero-tolerance for smelly people? Where would it end? Tell me, what message does it send when SWAT teams run up and down the halls waving guns at kids? I thought there was zero-tolerance on guns too, what about that? It is never ok to point a gun at a child, EVEN if you're a police officer (and I use that term VERY loosely).You want to send a message that you're not busting kids for what they're doing wrong, but for what they might be doing wrong? Sir, that's not zero-tolerance, that's SUB-zero tolerance. Why don't we just hogtie the students and send 'em down an assembly line while we're at it?
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Comment #45 posted by user123 on July 29, 2006 at 12:22:39 PT:
On Topic
Let me see if I have this straight. By asking if you've broken the law, (by smoking MJ) they in turn are breaking the law. Look at the companies asking the question, or giving piss tests. They don't even pay enough for someone to really afford marijuana on a regular basis. Hey Starbucks, thanks for keeping your underpaid employees off marijuana, can I have my overpriced, slightly addictive caffeine product now cuz I'm jonesin'!
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Comment #44 posted by FoM on July 29, 2006 at 11:57:43 PT
Whig
I must admit that body suit was trippy. I think why it was strange is because it was new for me to see and it was a little shocking. I'm from the black and white tv era you know! LOL!
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Comment #43 posted by whig on July 29, 2006 at 11:12:14 PT
FoM
The animation is actually rotoscoping, they did film the actors and then each frame of the film was then painted. Some of the effects (like the body suit the cops use) couldn't be done without this.It's a very difficult film to explain but it is laugh out loud funny in parts, at least I did and other people in the theater as well. Woody Harrelson is very funny.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on July 29, 2006 at 10:13:05 PT
News Article from Lima News
Judge Rules Marijuana Smell on Student is Enough for Suspensionhttp://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=28090
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on July 29, 2006 at 08:26:31 PT
Whig
The bugs reminded me of Methamphetamine but I wasn't sure what they were doing. I wish they wouldn't have used the animation. I like all the stars in the movie and I would have enjoyed seeing them as people not cartoons. I don't like cartoons. I never did.
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Comment #40 posted by whig on July 29, 2006 at 08:20:43 PT
FoM #38
They were all pretty totally whacked, yes. Philip K. Dick wrote the book and he was very much a drug addict -- principally methamphetamine and prescription drugs, so a lot of what was going on was metaphorical for how that affects people and what drives that.I could go see it again today actually because apparently his daughters are going to be attending the showing at 3:30 this afternoon in Berkeley and there will be some discussion too.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on July 29, 2006 at 07:31:43 PT
Thanks Afterburner
That could be it. It was something about in the Last Days that drugs (sorcery) will abound. Maybe it wasn't a Scripture but I remember seeing it somewhere.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on July 29, 2006 at 07:28:27 PT
Whig
I watched the extended version last night. What a strange and scary movie. They all seemed totally whacked but I don't know why since it was only 24 minutes into the movie. 
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Comment #37 posted by billos on July 29, 2006 at 04:20:18 PT
          I don't understand how
the law can help employees fight something like this and then let the employer make them pee in a cup?!?!?!? I am truly befuddled.
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Comment #36 posted by mayan on July 29, 2006 at 04:02:30 PT
Bush Impeachment Poll
Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment? 274556 responses Yes - 87%!http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562904/
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Comment #35 posted by whig on July 29, 2006 at 01:20:13 PT
The GCW
Chris Bennett has done remarkable research on this, and I respect it greatly. I gained much of my own early appreciation for the perspective I now hold reading some of his earlier writings on the subject. I understand that he has a bit of a personality conflict with some people and I do not know him personally nor have I ever interacted with him directly, so I don't express an opinion on this or whether or how he reconciles his research with his own life choices. It is enough sometimes to accept the gifts of knowledge we are given without being too concerned whether we would consider the source a friend or someone to be wary of. The facts speak for themselves and are backed by scholarly references; moreover they comport with my own experiences and understanding of the nature of cannabis and its role in the human consciousness of the divine. I believe that you would agree.
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Comment #34 posted by afterburner on July 28, 2006 at 22:27:43 PT
FoM #11 You May Be Thinking of Gal 5:19-21 
In Gal 5:19-21 we see a whole list of behaviors identified as "works of the flesh": "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
--Quote from US OK: Killing The Dragon
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n974/a05.html [Click here for the complete article]
(Tue, 25 Jul 2006)
Native American Times (US)Author: Dan Cross, M.Div., L.A.D.C., is a Licensed 
Alcohol & Drug Counselor and Associate Pastor of Father's House 
Church, www.fhtulsa.org, where he runs the Addiction Recovery 
Ministry (ARMy) which is free to the public on Tuesday evenings at 
7:00 PM, 7727 E 41st Street, Tulsa, 1 block west of Memorial on 41st Street.
 Excerpts [posted by afterburner]: http://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22014.shtml#96
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Comment #33 posted by Wayne on July 28, 2006 at 21:31:12 PT
talk about your activist judges...
Looks like some in Canada have caught the mandatory-minimum bug. Get a load of this guy:Canada: What Are the Feds Smoking?http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v06/n976/a02.htm
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Comment #32 posted by The GCW on July 28, 2006 at 20:23:48 PT
Very related to the conversation.
US AZ: PUB LTE: Reader refutes claims made by Zoroastrians 
 
Pubdate: July 27, 2006Source: Eastern Arizona Courier (AZ)Viewed at: http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2006/07/27/opinion/opinion02.txtReader refutes claims made by Zoroastrians
 
Editor: 
 
In response to the article “Church of Cognizance out of line with Zoroastrian religion” by Adam Gaub: Despite the statements made in Adam Gaub’s article by modern-day American descendants of the Zoroa-strian religion claiming that marijuana was not the plant used for the sacramental haoma, the reality of the matter is this: The American Zoroastrian community itself acknowledges that the identity of the true haoma has been lost to time.In the case of Persian references, despite the claims of the North American Mobeds Council, a number of orthodox Zoroastrian sources see haoma as “very possibly ‘marijuana’ or ‘hashish’ (Cannabis Sativa).” (The Zarathustran Assembly)Interestingly, in our own time, the questions around the identity of the haoma have been answered by the archeological find of an ancient proto-Zoroastrian fire temple in the Kara Kum Desert just outside Iran. The excavation by Russian archeologist Victor Sariandidi of this site has answered the soma riddle by showing through fossilized plant material and artifacts that soma was a preparation of hemp and ephedra.Soviet archeologists un-covered a large shrine, about the size of a football field, dating from 2,000 B.C. and consisting of two parts, one of which was obviously for the public, but the other, as researcher Richard Rudgeley describes, “hidden from the gaze of the multitude, an inner sanctum of the priesthood. In one of these private rooms were found three ceramic bowls.“Analysis of samples found in these vessels by Professor Mayer-Melikyan revealed the traces of both cannabis and ephedra. Clearly both these psychoactive substances had been used in conjunction in the making of hallucinogenic drinks. In the adjoining room of the same inner sanctum were found 10 ceramic pot-stands (that) appear to have been used in conjunction with strainers designed to separate the juices from the twigs, stems and leaves of the plants. In another room at the other end of the shrine, a basin containing remains of a considerable quantity of cannabis was discovered, as well as a number of pottery stands and strainers that have also been associated with making psychoactive beverages.” (Rudgley, 1998)Remnants from vessels recovered at the site and involved in the preparation of the sacred drink have impressions from cannabis seeds left in the gypsum that settled over the millennia and the remnants of ephedra, poppy and mostly cannabis in the white sediment stuck to the sides of ancient pots and pitchers. Russian archeologist Victor Sariandidi says this proves these plants were used for making the soma haoma drinks. (Sariandidi 2003)A slightly later but related site “revealed remains of ephedra again, but this time in conjunction with the pollen of poppies.”This archeological evidence goes a long way to answering the riddle of the ancient soma; it accounts for the current use of one of the main candidates, ephedra, as it was a part of the original ingredients. As well, the later use of opium poppies indicate other plants may have later been used as a substitute for cannabis, and this may, in fact, be the source of much of the confusion on this issue. Possibly, when the Aryans left their homeland, access to haoma became more difficult, and when the original plant was not available, other herbs were used as a substitute. This is a suggestion of Mircea Eliade, who wrote that whatever plant was used by the Indo-Aryans in the early centuries, it is certain that it was later replaced by other botanical species. (Eliade 1978)Either way, ironically, in our own age, we find ourselves having to fight for the right to partake of a plant that can offer us many of the qualities of the ancient and mysterious soma\haoma and even may indeed be that very plant.Just as both the industrial and medicinal establishments have been forced to acknowledge the miraculous qualities of hemp, so, too, through study of ancient religious texts concerning the herb, and the righteous acts of her many adherents, hopefully the religious establishment shall come to recognize it as the great gift and sacrament that it truly is.Respectfully,Chris BennettVancouver, British Columbia, CanadaReferenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n934/a06.html?236429
 (there are also other stories in the news about the Zoroastrians denying cannabis lately)(coming toon to MAP)
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Comment #31 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 20:06:23 PT
A Scanner Darkly
Apparently there are extended previews/excerpts here:http://uk.media.filmforce.ign.com/media/670/670907/vids_1.html
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 19:41:59 PT
Thanks JR
The trailer was good. 
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Comment #29 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 28, 2006 at 19:24:48 PT
A Scanner Darkly
Oh yeah! I had to go see it today too. I love weird movies, and this is perhaps the weirdest movie I've seen in a mainstream movie theatre. Very recommended for every regular reader of Cnews. Too bad Miami Vice is getting most of the mainstream attention this weekend...
A Scanner Darkly trailer - not Quicktime this time
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 18:35:22 PT
Yoo Hoo Museman!
I can't find the page where were talking about one of your songs hopefully being put on Neil Young's LWW Today web site! It's there now! Way to go!Freedom by FAM:http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/songslinks/songlink_140.htmlhttp://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 17:51:48 PT

Whig
I liked what I read on the Bradblog links you posted. 
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 17:34:09 PT

Off Topic: A Wealth of Criticism
By Anne-Marie O'Connor, Times Staff WriterJuly 29, 2006GEORGE SOROS, the Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose fortune is matched only by his philanthropy, pioneered a kind of self-styled approach to global reform that made him, in the words of the Carnegie Endowment's Morton Abramowitz, "the only private citizen who had his own foreign policy."With no sluggish bureaucracy to answer to, he rose to prominence with stunningly practical bequests delivered in a timely manner. There was his $50-million donation to the besieged citizens of Sarajevo in 1993 that financed a water plant so that women did not need to rely on the public wells where Serbian snipers picked them off with ease. There was his pro-democracy support in the Soviet Bloc, for Poland's Solidarity movement and for Czech dissident Vaclav Havel, who would become that country's post-Communist president. 
 
Soros has given away about $5 billion since he embarked on this citizen-policymaker approach in the 1970s, a sum that approaches the $7.2-billion estimate of his net wealth by Forbes in 2004. That put him in the league of a Rockefeller or a Carnegie and has made him a perennial Nobel nominee.Today, Soros, 75, has company. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has put that couple at the forefront of global health issues — they just contributed $287 million for the development of an AIDS vaccine with the help of a recent $31-billion bequest from Warren Buffett. And in 1997, Ted Turner made a $1-billion pledge to the United Nations to help bail it out.But Soros still distinguishes himself with the staggering multiplicity of his projects: He spent $125 million on after-school programs in New York City. He has helped distribute Xerox machines to facilitate the exchange of information in former Soviet satellites and supported efforts to curb violence against women.Now, Soros has raised eyebrows with his most recent sally into American political culture by drawing comparisons in his new book between the Bush administration and communist and Nazi governments.In "The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror," Soros recalls that when he "heard President Bush say, 'Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists,' " in the wake of 9/11, "I was reminded of Nazi propaganda."Indeed, the Bush Administration has been able to improve on the techniques used by the Nazi and the Communist propaganda machines by drawing on the innovations of the advertising and marketing industries."Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.calendarlive.com/books/cl-et-soros29jul29,0,2391263.story?coll=cl-books-top-right
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Comment #25 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 17:31:41 PT

Elsewhere: A comment and an Amen
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3136#comment-93336http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3136#comment-93345
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Comment #24 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 17:07:48 PT

A Scanner Darkly
Just got back from seeing this film -- oh my goodness.Please everyone watch if you get a chance. It tells the truth though a veil, explains the factory system of pharmaceutical death and enslavement and enforcement and "rehabilitation" all entwined as one, with their little blue flowers and pills that create dependency and despair and ultimately control.Everyone involved in this film, to a person, is a cannabist, of that I have no doubt.
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Comment #23 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 17:00:48 PT

FoM
The story of Y'shua is told from other perspectives and you have to piece it together for yourself because the actual facts are censored. The fact is that there are many scriptures that were suppressed, and fragments have been found at Nag Hammadi (such as the Gospel of Thomas) and you have to figure it out for yourself to some degree what is true and what was going on at the time.Here is the Gospel of Thomas: http://www.metalog.org/files/thomas.htmlThomas 39:Yeshua says: The dogmatists and the scriptualists have received the keys of recognition, but they have hidden them. They did not enter, nor did they permit those to enter who wished to. Yet you— become astute as serpents and pure as doves.I can only say to you that you have received the keys of recognition yourself and you recognized me when we met. So it is and so we are and we are gathered even here in the name of Christ and we are.Thomas 23:Yeshua says: I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand— and they shall stand as a single unity.One of the very interesting perspectives is that of the Jewish priests who condemned Y'shua for "burning his food in public" which is very clear to me what he was doing. Sanhedrin 103a and Bereshot 17b. Y'shua was executed for "sorcery" (meaning drugs) and enticing others to apostasy. Sanhedrin 43a. He violated the rabbinic laws which kept cannabis from the people. He brought down cannabis to the people and used it to heal them and elevate them, and so we became as Christ ourselves. And today it is every bit as much of a heresy to say this as it was then, but we are stronger and more numerous and we shall not be silenced this time.I do not ask you to affirm this, but if you should seek to discover you should consult with the highest authority you may find within yourself whether it is true or false. Does cannabis do what I say it does?
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Comment #22 posted by Global_Warming on July 28, 2006 at 16:26:46 PT

Oh My God
We must be protected, and the children,We have to build more prisons,
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Comment #21 posted by The GCW on July 28, 2006 at 16:13:18 PT

Related, unrelated, related, unrelated, related, u
The blue pillhttp://www.boulderweekly.com/uncensored.htmlby Pamela WhiteSometimes it's the little things that give you away. In the case of religionists and their tireless effort to deprive women of sexual liberty, the proof is in the penis—the artificially pumped-up penis, that is. The religious right has a drug problem. They have a problem with RU-486, commonly referred to as "the abortion pill," because it kills babies. They have a problem with emergency contraception and birth control pills because they might prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's uterus. Some even have a problem with basic contraception because it enables couples to have sex without procreating. Now it seems they also have a problem with a new vaccine that protects women from human papilloma virus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that causes most cases of cervical cancer. HPV infection is rampant in America, infecting 50 to 75 percent of all adults who've had sex. About 3,700 women die of cervical cancer each year, while thousands more endure brutal cancer treatments, the loss of their fertility and repeated surgeries. Although the vaccine doesn't cure HPV, it can prevent women from contracting the disease if given before they become sexually active. In other words, it's a vaccine specifically for virgins. Most rational people hailed the vaccine a breakthrough because it will reduce women's suffering and save lives. But religionists, who have specific plans for virgins, weren't happy. Cont.
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Comment #20 posted by Global_Warming on July 28, 2006 at 14:57:44 PT

re: scriptures
Son 5:1 I have come to my garden--my sister,my bride.I gather my myrrh with my spices.I eat my honeycomb with my honey.I drink my wine with my milk.Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love!Old Testament, Song of Solomon, the Wise
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Comment #19 posted by lombar on July 28, 2006 at 13:31:43 PT

Bible Gateway
.. is a great reference! I do not recall a specific instance of Jesus talking about intoxicants but I do recall a section about cosumption and 'defilement'. The truth of those events the fullness of the reality is lost and obscured by 2000 years of bloody wars, twisted by those that would control, and biased to increase sales. Mark
6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
  " 'These people honor me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me.
 7They worship me in vain;
   their teachings are but rules taught by men.'[and further: 14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'I wonder what a modern preacher would say? It is only about pork? Perhaps its only for Jews? Maybe it means that arbitrarily deeming a whole subgroup as 'immoral' for what they consume, using every mean possible to persecute and exploit IS the blasphemy because it is prejudice. It is not compassion that imprisons people for cannabis... it is not 'tough love' to toss your children in a cage. 
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Comment #18 posted by Sukoi on July 28, 2006 at 13:16:06 PT

An Excellent Editorial at AlterNet
From Norm Stamper of LEAP http://www.leap.cc/. He is spot on although I disagree with his comment about gun laws...How Legalizing Drugs Will End the Violencehttp://www.alternet.org/story/39565/
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Comment #17 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 28, 2006 at 11:48:22 PT

Bible Gateway
Since we're discussing the bible, another good site is Bible Gateway. They have many different versions, so if someone quotes you a passage, you can look at the same passage in a number of different versions to see if they're quoting an unusual translation just to make a point. And of course there's a keyword search function, though "drug" doesn't turn up anything in Revelations.
http://www.biblegateway.com/
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Comment #16 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 28, 2006 at 11:42:57 PT

Abbie Hoffman - free MP3s
Another fun site I recently discovered, smaller than Archive.org but with a better percentage of interesting stuff to junk ratio (though the sheer size of Archive.org makes up for that)... www.ubu.com has several recordings of Samuel Beckett plays (the video for "Not I" blew me away) and the album, linked below, by Abbie Hoffman. Who knew Abbie recorded an album? Not me. One quote I really liked went something like, "You get 20 years for selling pot to a minor and only 5 for manslaughter, so if you're selling pot to a kid and you see the cops coming... shoot the kid." Of course it's said with a lot of giggling and guffawing so it's pretty apparent when you're listening that Abbie is mocking the current laws and not actually advocating murder... 
Abbie Hoffman - Wake Up America!
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 11:26:44 PT

Whig
I never saw anything about Jesus and Cannabis in the Bible. Can you post a Scripture so I can see it?
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 11:25:19 PT

Whig and Max Flowers
I was trying to find in the book of Revelation where I saw that years ago but I can't find it. I would probably need to go thru the whole book and it's too depressing to read.
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Comment #13 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 10:41:31 PT

Max
Cannabis was prohibited in Jesus time. That's the law he broke, and that's why he was crucified.
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Comment #12 posted by Max Flowers on July 28, 2006 at 10:28:04 PT

FoM
It wouldn't have been talking about "illegal drugs" because there was no such concept in biblical times. Plants and plant extracts were treated as medicines and drugs, and a few were known for "magical" properties (psychoactive properties), but there was no mindset to prohibit any of them. I'm sure cannabis' properties were known of in Jesus' time, in fact biblical scholars have confirmed that the substance "kaneh bosem" (canna-bus) mentioned in the bible as an additive to an annointing oil was indeed cannabis. There is also evidence of the use of cannabis in Europe dating to the era 500 BC.Wait, I need to correct myself... there was the mysterious shamanic beverage drunk in the rituals of Eleusis... it was prohibited to all but the few chosen to go through the ritual. So I guess that was prohibited. But because it was so GOOD, not because the powerful wanted to keep it from people, saying it would harm them... it was highly valued as a magical drink. Ethnobotanists, historians, researchers are still debating today about what the drink contained. Many believe it was probably a decoction of ergot-infested grain, making it a beverage of lysergic acid amides (the alkaloidal precursor to LSD). This is a fascinating story, I urge you guys to look into it if you haven't heard about this before. 
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 10:08:53 PT

Just a Rambling
Back when I was a church lady I remember seeing references to drugs somewhere in the bible. I think it was in the book of Revelation but maybe not. It talked about sorcery etc. I use to think they were talking about illegal drugs but now I believe they are talking about our current pharmaceutical industry.
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Comment #10 posted by Max Flowers on July 28, 2006 at 10:05:02 PT

whig
Sorry to hear that... my mom has the same thing going on (different drug, same blind faith in her doctor).
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Comment #9 posted by Max Flowers on July 28, 2006 at 10:03:42 PT

Article in #2
A former pharmaceutical representative, Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, called lunch "incredibly effective" in lifting pharmaceutical sales for the companies where she worked, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson."We got the numbers of what the physicians were prescribing. If I brought in lunch one week, I could see the following week if that lunch had an impact," Ms. Slattery-Moschkau said.That's so wrong... how much a given drug is prescribed to patients should not be based on which drug rep brings the doctors lunch and how much they liked the lunch. That is so messed up! It's graft, pure and simple. The doctors feel obliged to prescribe the drug, since the rep brought them lunch. Obviously, the patient may be suffering consequences from this, if they didn't really need the drug but the doctor prescribes it out of "lunch appreciation."
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Comment #8 posted by Max Flowers on July 28, 2006 at 09:54:24 PT

C-SPAN show
I hope the 9/11 plotters are peeing their pants right about now. And I ain't talking about Bin Laden, either!
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Comment #7 posted by whig on July 28, 2006 at 09:49:19 PT

Fosamax
My mom takes that. She says it makes her sick for hours every time, but her doctor prescribed it and she thinks it must be good for her.
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Comment #6 posted by Truth on July 28, 2006 at 09:44:37 PT

pharmacy
Our daughter just graduated a doctor of pharmacy. Martha and I are proud of her achievement but I have to admit I was disapointed when she changed her academic career from neo-natal doctor to pharmacy. Being a baby doc would have been much more rewarding.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 09:43:01 PT

Dankhank
I'll second the thanks to Mayan. I believe that Mayan will not leave a stone unturned and I appreciate it.Thanks Mayan!
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 28, 2006 at 09:41:15 PT

Truth
Why aren't people up in arms about the pharmaceutical industry like we are? Don't they understand the risk factors?
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Comment #3 posted by Dankhank on July 28, 2006 at 09:40:54 PT

cease apologies...
mayanthanks for what you do ...I literally have too much to keep track of and rely on you to keep me up on truth about 9/11.I celebrate with you what the CSPAN show means ...Thank You

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Comment #2 posted by Truth on July 28, 2006 at 09:35:24 PT

Drug makers serve free lunch
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/business/28lunch.html?ex=1154232000&en=217c8b2d6b02d034&ei=5030&partner=PRESSDEMO
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on July 28, 2006 at 08:56:19 PT

Once Again!
Sorry, but this could change the world...C-SPAN to Air Historic 9/11 Exposé: http://infowars.com/articles/sept11/cspan_runs_symposium_panel.htmAlex Jones L.A. 911 Panel On C-SPAN Sat 8pm-11pm: http://rense.com/general72/jones.htmC-Span Airing Of L.A. Conference Shows Mainstreaming Of 9/11 Truth: http://prisonplanet.com/articles/july2006/280706cspan.htmPlan your C-SPAN parties today! SPREAD THIS EVERYWHERE!!! 
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