cannabisnews.com: Getting High, and Low, Over Medical Marijuana





Getting High, and Low, Over Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on April 03, 2007 at 06:07:04 PT
By Harry Jaffe, The Examiner 
Source: Washington Examiner 
Washington, DC -- Take a hit of this political tale I’m about to spin out. After reading it, your head will be spinning so fast you might think you have taken a hit of marijuana.Am I hallucinating, or has former Congressman Robert “Bob” Barr become the official lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, with the goal of legalizing pot for medicinal use in D.C.?
Reports from Capitol Hill newspapers say Barr, who once tormented us from Congress before he left the legislature in 2003, will be back on the Hill to argue that pot should be made available for medical purposes in our fair city.“That’s true,” says Aaron Houston, government relations director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “We believe he will be a great help to us.”Let me take you back to 1998, when the voters of the District of Columbia considered Initiative 59, Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment. The benefits of marijuana had already been established. Its main chemical ingredient, THC, was known to ease pain for people with cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, HIV or Crohn’s disease.DC voters approved Initiative 59 by nearly 70 percent. Since many of our residents suffer from AIDS, we looked forward to making marijuana available to soothe their pain.Enter Congressman Barr. Then a darling of the hardcore religious right, Barr attached a rider to the D.C. appropriations bill that prohibited the use of medical marijuana in D.C. In one stroke, he negated the initiative duly passed in a democratic vote of D.C. citizens.And so it has stood for the past eight years: a congressional rider has trumped democracy in the nation’s capital.Should we be happy that Barr, who has turned the other cheek and become a lobbyist, will stalk the halls of Congress and try to overturn the language he wrote in 1999? And if he’s successful, the yoke of his heavy-handed action will be lifted?For practical purposes, yes. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, a new study says pot can help ease neuropathy, a generalized pain from nerves that afflicts AIDS patients. Marijuana also might help block the formation of plaque that causes Alzheimer’s. It would be good if D.C. could join a dozen other states that have allowed the medical use of marijuana.But for political purposes, Barr’s conversion to pot lobbyist for D.C. makes me ill.First, there’s the stomach-turning example of a congressman who makes a law then makes money as a lobbyist trying to overturn it.Then there’s the sickening fact that a single congressman from a southern state can strike down the democratic will of D.C. residents with a few lines of legislation. If we had full voting rights, that would be much less likely to happen.But it does happen. Congressmen and senators are still be able to play out their political fantasies in legislation aimed at us. Makes me want to throw up. Marijuana has been known to ease nausea.Maybe I need a toke.Harry Jaffe has been covering the Washington area since 1985. Source: Washington Examiner (DC)Author: Harry Jaffe, The Examiner Published: April 3, 2007Copyright: 2007 Washington ExaminerContact: threads dcexaminer.comWebsite: http://www.dcexaminer.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/ Barr Shifts in Support of Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22824.shtmlUp in Smoke - RollCall.comhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22817.shtmlBob Barr Flip-Flops on Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22816.shtml 
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Comment #20 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:36:09 PT
new currency
Money does grow on trees, if you don't understand.
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Comment #19 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:34:14 PT
salary
I want to be clear on this. What is MPP paying Bob Barr?
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Comment #18 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:31:12 PT
possibilities
But Bob Barr became accustomed to taking lots of money to speak. And when he made a mistake, he didn't pay a personal price, he just takes more money.
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Comment #17 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:28:30 PT
money and what comes after
I have tried to avoid associating myself with anyone on terms other than personal friendship and respect. If money is involved in something, like when I am repairing computers, then it is basically at cost. I get a retainer from a couple clients to manage their networks, but one of them has a client himself that is failing and might not be able to continue to afford to pay me.It's a difficult situation and I don't really know the answer as to what else I can be doing than what I am presently, without allowing myself to be limited in important ways. For instance, if I did accept money for my speech, I wouldn't be able to change my mind when I made a mistake.
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Comment #16 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:25:19 PT
Also
I have found that few organizations want volunteers, and those who do won't let them speak because volunteers can go off message and cannot be fired or dismissed without great difficulty.
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Comment #15 posted by whig on April 05, 2007 at 09:22:58 PT
FoM
People who worship the golden idol follow those who create wealth for themselves. We create wealth of a different kind, Karma.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on April 05, 2007 at 06:58:29 PT
Another Bob Barr Article
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A463093
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 20:37:03 PT
whig
I know what you mean. I wish I knew why we are told we are wealthy by prohibitionist because it isn't true at all. Money is a tool used to make someone or some organization seem important in my opinion.
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Comment #12 posted by whig on April 03, 2007 at 20:31:43 PT
FoM
And then we have to listen to endless denunciations of billionaires supposedly funding us. But it isn't us!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 19:36:14 PT
Whig and Hope
Whig, I don't know anyone who gets any money. Hope I'm really glad you agree. This has me really upset because it's wrong no matter how anyone tries to spin it.
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Comment #10 posted by whig on April 03, 2007 at 19:27:28 PT
Hope
Nobody's given me or even offered a penny. Probably none of us. But Bob Barr gets paid.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 03, 2007 at 19:25:00 PT
Precisely.
On the money.That's how I feel. 
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 03, 2007 at 19:23:37 PT
FoM
Exactly.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 19:16:22 PT
Hope
I look at the whole issue of working with a past enemy that caused so much harm like this. If I was a non profit organization and let someone in to my organization what's to say that he won't turn on them if he gets a opportunity to further his career and hurt the organization?Trusting someone sometimes isn't wise.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on April 03, 2007 at 19:06:14 PT
 "makes money as a lobbyist "?
"First, there’s the stomach-turning example of a congressman who makes a law then makes money as a lobbyist trying to overturn it."We wondered about that. Looks like he is a paid lobbiest. That makes my stomach hurt. Bob Barr getting some of the money that many unwealthy activists have managed to contribute? That does bother me. He better prove himself and say something soon...because he doesn't look that good to me, yet.Maybe he's a "good investment". He danged sure better be.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 03, 2007 at 18:55:05 PT
"dirtiest"
They lost me right there. I remember that "scientist" speaking in Alaska saying what a "dirty drug" cannabis is. I remember. All too well.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 18:09:44 PT
Heads Up: Now on National Geographic Channel
It really looks like a worth while program to watch if you get National Geographic. It started at 9 ET.***World's Most Dangerous Drug***Lisa LingMeth really is the mother of all drugs. It's the cheapest, dirtiest and most powerful drug in existence today. It's also the fastest spreading. Meth doesn't kill its addicts immediately. The process is slow, during which it takes an extreme physical and psychological toll. Meth literally rots people's bodies—teeth, face and insides. Frankly, I was appalled by how ugly it made frequent users.  
Photo by David Ross Smith 
 I explored the impact meth is having on societies in Portland, Omaha and Bangkok. The reasons people start using the drug differ from city to city. In Portland, I was shocked to learn that 80 percent of that city's prisons hold people on meth-related charges. Whether the charges are for drug dealing, identity theft or armed robbery, somehow they are connected to meth. Portland's hospitals are overwhelmed by patients admitted for meth abuse. I've always considered Portland to be one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S., but meth's impact on it has been tremendously ugly. But there is hope. Addicts can recover. I had the privilege of meeting a man in Portland who is six months into recovery. His name is Kobe. Kobe was very good looking, smart and athletic when he got addicted. But meth nearly destroyed his life. I was amazed after I heard his story that he was even alive. The most poignant part of his story was that his parents, who are loving and middle class, told me what a relief it was to learn that he had been arrested and jailed … because that meant they knew where he was and that he was alive.  
Photo by David Ross Smith 
 I also met a young woman in jail named Julie. She was a prime example of how meth deteriorates a person, inside and out. She was incredibly paranoid, even though she has been clean since her incarceration. I saw pictures of Julie before she became addicted to meth—she had been so attractive. It was truly heartbreaking to see what the drug had done to her. Her face was riddled with pockmarks from sores that had gotten infected and her teeth were totally rotted from years of grating and negligence. In the United States, the drug has been rapidly traveling eastward. In Nebraska, meth has invaded suburban communities and is wreaking havoc on them. We tell a powerful story in the show about a young couple from Nebraska. You can hear their frantic phone calls to police and hear what people are actually like on meth, and it’s scary. They were two promising young individuals with no prior history of drug abuse, but on one frigid night, meth sealed their fate. Complete Article: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2006/10/explorer_drug.html
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 17:30:14 PT
House Passes Bill Easing Mandatory Minimum Law
House Passes Bill Easing Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Law*** April 3, 2007DOVER, Del. (AP) - After a lengthy hearing today, the state House passed a bill easing Delaware's mandatory minimum sentencing law for drug crimes and giving judges more discretion to sentence offenders.
The bill passed on a 26-13 vote.The bill lowers certain drug offenses from Class B felonies, with prison sentences that range from a mandatory minimum of two years up to 25 years, to Class C felonies with prison terms ranging from zero to 15 years.The bill applies to any drug trafficking crime involving at least five pounds of marijuana; ten grams of cocaine; two-and-a-half grams of heroin, morphine or opium; five grams of amphetamine or P-C-P; 50 doses of L-S-D; or 25 or more doses of designer drugs such as Ecstasy.Supporters believe it will restore independence to the judiciary, result in fairer sentences, reduce prison overcrowding, and provide alternatives for drug abusers who might benefit more from treatment than prison. Copyright: 2007 The Associated Press http://www.wmdt.com/wires/displaystory.asp?id=60212481
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Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on April 03, 2007 at 08:31:03 PT
Ignorance 
"your head will be spinning so fast"This guy's head spins when he takes a tylenol.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 03, 2007 at 06:10:07 PT
Thank You Harry Jaffe
I have never been so disgusted about anything I have seen in a long time. It really is a nauseating experience and I have lost what little respect I have had for them now.
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