cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Ban Failing Just as Prohibition Did 










  Marijuana Ban Failing Just as Prohibition Did 

Posted by CN Staff on January 30, 2008 at 07:45:24 PT
By Matt Simon, For the Monitor 
Source: Concord Monitor 

New Hampshire -- The hearing on HB 1623, the bill to reduce penalties for marijuana possession, made for some interesting drama in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. The most eye-opening statement came from Berlin Police Chief Peter Morency, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police. Morency claimed that "87 to 90 percent of our crime rate is directly related to drugs and alcohol." This mention of drugs and alcohol in the same breath got the attention of Democratic Rep. Timothy Robertson of Keene. Robertson asked Morency if, following the logic of marijuana prohibition, he would be in favor of reinstituting alcohol prohibition.
To the astonishment of virtually everybody in the room, Morency didn't say no. "Knowing what it (alcohol) causes to families, I certainly would consider it," he said. "But I can't go there - it's something that's legal now, and we have a huge financial burden as a result of it." I hope Morency is alone among New Hampshire police chiefs in his unfortunate misunderstanding of history. Alcohol prohibition was one of the most disastrous social policy failures in U.S. history. The financial burden of policing the newly created black market proved exponentially higher than the financial burden of enforcing legitimate laws governing reckless and aggressive behavior. The taxation and regulation of alcohol has been a great success in New Hampshire and the United States. The problems caused by irresponsible drinkers are dealt with by law enforcement, violent gangs no longer control any piece of the alcohol market, and the term "police corruption" is no longer associated with alcohol. Despite the fact that alcohol is a dangerous drug, a drug strongly associated with assaults, domestic violence and severely impaired driving, the people of New Hampshire know better than to believe government has any right to stop adults from drinking. Many members of the law enforcement and criminal justice community have come to understand that prohibition is a failure for marijuana as well (a less dangerous drug, by any honest scientific standard), and the organization known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is growing by leaps and bounds. We hope to one day convince the chiefs of police and others in the law enforcement and criminal justice community that marijuana prohibition simply creates more problems than it solves. In the meantime, I expect the people of New Hampshire would appreciate some assurance that the individuals who enforce New Hampshire's laws do not secretly covet a return to the violent, crime and corruption-ridden days of alcohol prohibition. Matt Simon is executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy.Source: Concord Monitor (NH)Author: Matt Simon, For the MonitorPublished: January 30, 2008Copyright: 2008 Monitor Publishing CompanyContact: letters cmonitor.comWebsite: http://www.concordmonitor.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policyhttp://www.nhcommonsense.org/Lawmakers Weigh Easing Rules on Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23611.shtmlLegalizing Marijuana Would Save Lives and Moneyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22711.shtml

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Comment #53 posted by Had Enough on January 31, 2008 at 09:12:52 PT
Lawrence Welk
I think snorting the soap from all those champagne bubbles got to his brain…
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Comment #52 posted by museman on January 31, 2008 at 08:32:30 PT
Had Enough
Absolutely amazing, And this from the same guy who wouldn't let Jim Morrison sing "Girl we couldn't get much HIGHER." Maybe if their darling couple had sung it, it would have been acceptable. Of course, if Jim had've made a reference to 'jesus' it wouldn't have mattered what he sang. To paraphrase another politically unacceptable artist, "You can get anything you want, at jesus's restaurant."
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 07:26:33 PT
Dankhank
That looks like a realy nice tv. These are the forums I check when trying to learn more about HD. http://www.highdefforum.com/http://forums.directv.com/pe/action/forums/defaultview?msgBoardID=10100105
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Comment #50 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 07:20:15 PT
wow ...
you got a motengator ..good one ...our next one will be that level ...we got a really good deal last year in the local PX for 6 big ones ...http://www.beachaudio.com/Audiovox/Fpe-3206-p-83310.html
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 07:15:55 PT
Had Enough
That was great! One toke over the line sweet Jesus! I love it.
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Comment #48 posted by dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 07:15:30 PT
he said ...
a modern spiritual ...Wa Haa ...great stuff ...
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 07:12:35 PT
Dankhank
Thank you. I guess we will get one. This is the tv we bought.http://www.walmart.com/catalog/allReviews.do?product_id=7756623
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Comment #46 posted by Had Enough on January 31, 2008 at 07:01:24 PT
"Toking" with Lawrence Welk
"Toking" with Lawrence Welkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye3ecDYxOkgThe Puritans let this one get by them…
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Comment #45 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 07:00:18 PT
this one ...
is the one we have ...http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=825890
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Comment #44 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 06:54:01 PT
FoM
From here, I'd say ... yes ...as I said, upconverting works pretty good, perhaps you can see one in action. I know that the DVD of "Holiday Inn" looked amazing with upconversion as it seems to do so for most of the stuff we watch..We like ours, and the best thing is that you can use the HDMI cable later with the HD players, so, no waste.
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 06:45:50 PT
Dankhank
Do you think it is worth buying one of those DVD players until Blu Ray gets cheaper?
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Comment #42 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 06:43:33 PT
technoid ...
I guess I'm totally hooked on tech ...check this out ... sure most of us have seen it ...but it's so cool ...;-)http://www.ad-titude.com/comments.php?postid=268
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Comment #41 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 06:35:32 PT
DVD
I should have mentioned that the DVD player we recently bought was reasonably priced ... a Phillips brand for 45 or so Samolians ...with care good values purchases can be found ...the HDMI cable itself actually cost MORE than the player ...but it's uncompressed audio capability is amazing ...
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Comment #40 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 06:28:28 PT
HighDef ...
here's a link with some info about what I spoke of ...Yes, the HD stuff is quite expensive, but getting cheaper every day ...http://www.electronichouse.com/article/hd_dvd_and_blu_ray_learn_to_play_together/
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 06:24:21 PT
Dankhank
Thank you. This has two HDMI cables and is just wonderful. We have it hooked up to our surround sound system and it is so cool. I read that Neil Young will be releasing the next in the archives in Blu Ray. They are so expensive that we will have to wait until the price drops. 
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Comment #38 posted by Dankhank on January 31, 2008 at 06:18:16 PT
Hi-Def ...
FoM, in regards to your question on another thread ...Yes, HD is here and is pretty amazing ...We here picked up a 32-inch LCD for Christmas 2006 and have really enjoyed it.As you said, even the regular stuff looks great. We are toying with HD programming but haven't jumped yet.We also recently got a DVD player with DivX capability, HDMI output, upconverting capability and it does wonders for regular DVDs and stuff I downloaded, too.We likely will wait for the new DVD players to play Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs on the same unit. There are two out now, but will need more brands for the price to get reasonable.Viva la HD ...
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on January 31, 2008 at 05:13:50 PT
Slumber Party
That sounds like fun. 
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on January 30, 2008 at 23:01:55 PT
Fight 4 Freedom
It's been a fond hope for many of us that we will be able to have that get together someday and celebrate a new peace, a new freedom, and a new beginning.One fine day!
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Comment #35 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 22:19:07 PT:
One day, once we're finally free
We should all get together and celebrate.I was just watching Jimmy Kimmel Live and he had this comedian on. I think his name was Jeff Glass. So he's doing his stand up, and he had a marijuana joke at the end. When they came back to the show to end it, the comedian was sitting next to jimmy and the rest of the guests. He pulls out what looked like a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it up. When they zoomed in though, it looked like a joint. Jimmy was like, "What are you doing" ?? laughing hysterically. "Smoking a cigarette". Jimmy laughing even more says "You can't smoke that kind of cigarette here". The guests were all laughing, he just acted like it was no big deal. The show takes place in LA so I wouldn't doubt that is was some herb.I'm sure they'll have the clip on youtube in no time.
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on January 30, 2008 at 22:03:17 PT
A slumber party?
Sounds wonderful! 
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on January 30, 2008 at 22:02:36 PT
Let's get to the point...Let's roll another ...
I remember seeing an interview with Mr. Petty about that song and those words. He said, basically, that that's the way it is now. People have conversations and discuss things... they "get to the point" and have conversations while enjoying a joint, more than enjoying a drink of alcohol... like it used to be.
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Comment #32 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 21:38:28 PT:
John
I bet watching it in the theater would beat watching it on DVD. Especially being fully medicated during :)Well, I guess we could all have a slumber party at FoM's and watch it on her new HD LCD TV! lol That way we still get quality picture :)
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Comment #31 posted by John Tyler on January 30, 2008 at 21:23:37 PT
me again
F4F I saw “Across the Universe” at a second run theater for $2.00 about a month ago. It will probably be on cable or DVD in a few months. Really cool movie, great Beatle songs. It could be even better if you mind is right. Watch for cameo appearances by big name rockers.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 21:21:13 PT
John Tyler 
No problem. 
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Comment #29 posted by John Tyler on January 30, 2008 at 21:15:56 PT

oops
FOM
Could you delete my second OT a little. It got on by mistake.

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Comment #27 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 21:12:12 PT:

FoM
I really like that end of the line song. Thanks.John- Tenacious D is one crazy flick. Jack Black is hilarious. My favorite part is him tripping on mushrooms in the "forest".And I really want to see Across the Universe. I watched the trailer for it and I fell in love. Is it out on video now?
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 21:08:01 PT

John Tyler 
Thank you. When we get HD from DirecTV we'll get 3 months of different movie channels free. I might get to see those movies.
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Comment #25 posted by John Tyler on January 30, 2008 at 20:55:46 PT

OT a little
I saw two movies recently you all might enjoy. One was “Across the Universe”. It is a musical made up from Beatle songs and set in the 1960’s. It will probably be out on cable pretty soon. It is good, but it has more meaning if you are up on your late 1960’s counterculture history. The other one is on cable and I have seen parts of it several times. It is not a really good movie, but it is very funny at times if you like Jack Black. It is “Tenacious D”. 
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 20:44:13 PT

Tom Petty was in The Traveling Wilburys
I really love this song. Well it's all right.End of the Linehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewWyW6lT1HE
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Comment #23 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 20:13:46 PT:

Wow I never caught those lyrics
at the beginning of that song. Great song by the way.Tom Petty should do what he wants. Those were some of his biggest hits. Everybody is familiar and can sing along so why ruin it. God, those prohibitionists are everywhere.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 19:52:30 PT

Get Back by The Beatles
I remember someone complaining and it was on the news when Paul McCartney sang this song at halftime because of the words California Grass.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlWFpdPX45g
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Comment #21 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 19:45:50 PT:

So let's get......to the point.....
Let's Roll...Anooother Joooooint...That would be good too. I just read some other message boards saying he was forbidden to sing either of those songs. That's prettty sad.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 19:39:12 PT

MikeC
That would do just fine with me too.
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Comment #19 posted by MikeC on January 30, 2008 at 19:34:08 PT

Tom Petty...
Here is the song that I want him to play:"You don't know how it Feels" (Unedited)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9697Sf0SIM
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 19:33:35 PT

I Thought This Was Interesting
Why won't the NFL allow Tom Petty to sing "Last Dance with Mary Jane" at the Super Bowl?http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080130135352AAVDLuS
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Comment #17 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 19:26:33 PT:

I always thought it was about the herb
"She grew up tall, and she grew up right, with them Indiana boys on an Indiana night"."One more time to kill the pain".Maybe he thought it wouldn't get much air time if it had marijuana references in the video. I'm not sure.Either way, it'd be great if he played it in front of the entire world on Sunday!
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 19:18:56 PT

Tom Petty
The video to Last Dance With Marjane isn't about marijuana. When I first saw it I thought it was really strange since it has always meant marijuana I thought.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 19:06:16 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I'm glad to know you liked HD when you saw it. I have never seen it. I am reading HD Forums so I know if it meets expectations and is stable. I think because the angle is different then DirecTV that we might have to put the dish on the roof and that is a concern for us. Putting it on a pole would save the roof from needing to be used but you have to put it where they say it's best. It will cost more if you don't agree with where they want to install it. At least that is what I was told when I called them.
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Comment #14 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 18:57:58 PT:

It is kind of odd
for such a alcohol driven league to have these old time cannabis smokers "light up" the stage on Super Bowl Sunday.I'm sure they would forbid him to wear anything marijuana related. But who knows, maybe he can slip something in. Like the janet jackson last second flash a few years back. Or maybe Tom can sing "Last Dance with Mary Jane". Anything to promote our cause would be great. Seeming that we'll have all kinds of new million dollar anti-drug ads during the game. We have to level it out somehow.FoM- Yeah I'm betting on the Patriots to win it. Although I'd like to see N.Y. win it just because they are the underdog. And yes, you are correct, they are from Mass.
Watching sports on HD is awesome. It'll be like you've never watched a football game before. I don't have it, but when I was at my sisters in Cali I watched it. I remember the first time I watched a Tigers game out there on that TV. It was on ESPN and ESPN also has an HD channel. So I would switch it from the regular to the HD to see the difference. And it blew my mind. The quality is so amazing. I'm sure you'll enjoy.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 18:57:05 PT

Hope
I wonder if Tom Petty would dare sing Last Dance With Maryjane? That would blow me away.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on January 30, 2008 at 18:38:12 PT

Odd?
Willie and Tom? Two people that have spoken out in public against cannabis prohibition are entertaining... pre-game and half time. Interesting.Reckon they'll have SWAT teams and forty police cars run out and throw Tom and Willie down on the ground, attack them, and drag them off in shackles in front of the world? To "send a message" to the young people and all, perhaps?Hey. Prohibitionists are capable of anything. 
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 16:01:47 PT

fight_4_freedom 
You mean the Patriots might win? Aren't they from Mass.? That would be nice. We aren't football people but I do enjoy the half time show. We bought a 47 inch HD LCD TV. I know they have a lot of sports in high definition now. I am still reading up on HD programming and we will ultimately get it. We enjoy Discovery, The History Channel and those type programs. I know they will look great in HD. DirecTV will have to put up a new dish though. I think we will get the programming soon but it looks so good without HD we aren't in a hurry.
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Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on January 30, 2008 at 15:58:52 PT

nfl
It's interesting that Willie is opening the Superbowl. The NFL lets its players drink massive amounts of alcohol year-round but will run them right out of the league for cannabis (as we saw with Ricky Williams and many others).Maybe Willie can sneak some sort of endorsement in there...you know he wants to. We'll have to keep an eye on it! I definitely plan to watch his show.The situation in the USA with cannabis and the entertainment industry is interesting, it is vaguely reminiscent of America's apartheid or pre-civil rights time before the 60's. Black jazz artists were the stars of the entertainment industry for decades, when they weren't even allowed to sit at lunch counters in half of the country.Willie will be the star of the pre-game show, yet the corporate sponsors of the NFL and the TV industry would have him thrown in jail for his cannabis use.
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Comment #9 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 15:36:38 PT:

I'm with ya FoM
I'll be watching ken and them too.lol Being in California, let's hope they slip in a cannabis question.It's the New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants this year.New England hasn't lost a game this season. First and only time a team has accomplished that since the 72' Miami Dolphins. It'll be a good game though. One of my favorite days of the year.Tom Petty should be a good performance to watch as well.  
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 15:13:27 PT

fight_4_freedom 
That's great about Willie Nelson. I don't know who is playing in the Superbowl but I read that Tom Petty will do the half time performance. I didn't pay attention when Prince was on but I just saw a concert with Tom Petty on TV and it should be good. I will watch Ken again tonight plastic all all lol and will look forward to the debate tomorrow night. Amazing times these are.Truth that was very nice.
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Comment #7 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 14:48:18 PT:

Go here to vote for debate questions for tomorrows
Democratic Debate. I'm not sure how many they'll take, but it's worth a try. http://dyn.politico.com/debate/democrats/VoteForQuestion.cfm#You can create a question of your own or vote for questions already there. There's a question about decrim. on the fifth page under most popular.Let's move it up to number one. Or create a better one and we'll all vote for that one. I know it's probably a waste of time knowing more than likely they wouldn't put it on the air even if it did end up being most popular. But, you never know until you try.
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Comment #6 posted by Truth on January 30, 2008 at 13:43:22 PT

freedom
Cannabis News IS the best!Here's to freedom.Puff, puff, puff

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Comment #5 posted by fight_4_freedom on January 30, 2008 at 11:31:58 PT:

Willie Nelson to perform 
on the pregame show before the Super Bowl on Sunday. Maybe he'll sport a norml shirt for us :) I doubt it, but it's a good thought.It'll be interesting to see what new ridiculous anti-marijuana commercials they have in store for the game as well. They get worse and worse ever year.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 30, 2008 at 11:01:22 PT

nuevo mexican
You're welcome.
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Comment #3 posted by nuevo mexican on January 30, 2008 at 09:29:51 PT

Truth is...I could care less if alcohol was banned
but my drinking friends would freak out, and become pro-alcohol activists like we are with the herb!And it is true, that alcohol causes so much death and destruction, and prohibition wasn't much of an improvement,
so does that make it 'preferable' to cannabis being legalized?No logic going on there, complete insanity, like our country and fellow countrymen, gone, nothing happening upstairs, poof!Maybe Obama will pick Dodd or Richardson for V.P?It's his election now, Edwards and Kucinich are out, and the progressive 'zeitgeist' will be forced onto Obama, as he has a Sun/Uranus conjunction in Leo, a worldly 'Leo' and one who will see a revolution under his rule, whether he wants one or not!Just having a black President after George Bush will be revolutionary, and everything that's goes with the word 'revolution' will be the theme!Scorpio Rising gives him the appearance of having integrity, so if he lives up to his chart, he will be respected and effective, unless the bushies see to it that the standard operating procedure is used, and we all know this is likely the case, it ALWAYS is, so why would THAT change?Scorpio Rising isn't so great for that scenario.Only when the 'zeitgeist' of change arrives, and Obama may be just that, will we create a new bush/rove/cheney free world, free of the neo-cons, and the corpocracy!Alcohol is ruled by Neptune in Astrology, the planet of delusion or enlightenment, and Saturn rules Cannabis, then planet of wisdom and restraint, patience and time!You make the call, one has limitations (legality) and one has delusions (glamorization), and we choose our experiences according to our need to evolve, which ever one gets you there works, they both have their 'hazards'.So be it!Bottoms up for the toasters out there, and a big high-five to the high-fivers!C-News is still the best!Thanks for all you do FOM!
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Comment #2 posted by bhones2u on January 30, 2008 at 08:25:31 PT:

HB 1623
Tell Mr. Peter to check history; when the country was under alcohol prohibition people died from alcohol that was made in led radiators, ending prohibition at least made it safer for responsible adults. cannabis itself is harmless, but on the black market no one knows what it has in it or what harm it can be doing to Americans but does the Government really care?
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on January 30, 2008 at 08:23:37 PT:

A piece of the pie.
By no other means can LEOs, prosicutors and judges, recieve inflated budgets, get pot for free for the taking and resale it at 100% profit, and strut around their cities as if they were some kind of heros out saving the children, than by this prohibition.Cops and prosicutors and judges,[elevated prosicutors] see themselves as the good guys. The people they victimize in the WoDs are a part of the "great unwashed". They know they can't stop the herb from reaching whoever wants it. It is just that the "good guys" derserve to be making the profits, not he "bad guys". It is a very twisted mentality. The war on the herb needs to stop!!!! 
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