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  Medical Marijuana Facing a Backlash

Posted by CN Staff on May 21, 2010 at 15:53:04 PT
By Matt Volz, The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press 

Montana -- The vandals struck in the middle of the night, hurling Molotov cocktails through the windows of two medical marijuana businesses and spray-painting "NOT IN OUR TOWN" just before the Billings City Council was supposed to take up a ban on any new pot shops.Montana and other states that have legalized medical marijuana are seeing a backlash, with public anger rising and politicians passing laws to slow the proliferation of pot shops and bring order to what has become a wide-open, Wild West sort of industry.
They are looking to avoid what happened in California, which allowed the pot industry to grow so out of control that at one point Los Angeles had more medical marijuana shops than Starbucks _ about 1,000 by one count."Yeah, it's out of control _ and it needs control, if not extinction," Montana Sen. Jim Shockley said Friday. "There's no control over distribution. There's no control over who's growing it. There's no control in dosage."Fourteen states have legalized medical marijuana, beginning with California in 1996, and the District of Columbia followed suit this month. The laws allow chronically ill people to buy marijuana with permission from a doctor.But many of these states passed their laws without working out the details. And they weren't ready for the boom in pot shops that occurred this past year after the Obama administration announced it wouldn't prosecute medical marijuana users.In some places, law enforcement officials and civic leaders are complaining that there are too many marijuana dispensaries, that buyers and sellers are falling victim to robberies and break-ins, that driving-under-the-influence arrests are on the rise, and that the pot is being sold indiscriminately and winding up on the black market.Some state and local governments are now rushing to put regulations in place.Colorado lawmakers passed sweeping rules this month for pot growers and the estimated 1,100 shops selling marijuana, creating a new state bureaucracy led by auditors and criminal investigators who would monitor the industry to make sure, for example, that the drug is being sold only to patients who have a doctor's recommendation.Regulators expect only about half of the state's dispensaries to continue operating under the stricter rules.The Billings City Council approved a six-month moratorium on new medical marijuana businesses in May after the violence against pot businesses the previous two nights. On Thursday, the city of about 90,000 people ordered 25 of Billings' 80 or pot businesses to shut down after discovering they were not properly registered with the state."I was hoping this would be a more civil discussion," City Councilman Denis Pitman said after the firebombings. "I wish it wouldn't have gotten to this level."Los Angeles officials recently took steps to shut down hundreds of dispensaries and ensure that the remaining ones meet stringent new guidelines. Owners must undergo a background check, their stores must be 1,000 feet from schools, parks and other gathering sites, and their pot must be tested at an independent laboratory.Montana's medical board is considering curbing mass screenings and teleconferences that make it easy for people to get a marijuana card. Montana in recent days has seen "cannabis caravans," mobile operations that pass through town, charging people $100 to $150 for a doctor's recommendation to smoke pot.The push for tighter regulation has infuriated medical marijuana users."They are creating ordinances and moratoriums that are blatantly against the law," said Jason Christ, founder of the Montana Caregivers Network, the group that organizes the cannabis caravans. "They do not serve to protect the welfare of our citizens, and they do no good."In Colorado earlier this month, veterans in wheelchairs, college students and dispensary owners packed legislative hearings to speak out against the regulations. The hearings lasted eight hours and reached a fever pitch when several people had to be removed for shouting at lawmakers.Medical marijuana has been around for more than five years in Montana, but the boom came this past year. The number of registered users in Montana, a state with a population of just under 1 million, has gone from 2,923 last June to about 15,000 today. The number of registered suppliers has increased from 919 to about 5,000.DUI arrests involving marijuana has skyrocketed, as have traffic fatalities where marijuana was found in the system of one of the drivers, Montana narcotics chief Mark Long told a legislative committee last month.Also, Montana confidentiality laws prevent law enforcement from knowing where most medical marijuana businesses are, and civic leaders complain they don't know whether the shops are up to city and fire codes or close to churches, schools or parks.During Colorado's legislative debate, state Sen. Chris Romer quoted the Grateful Dead as he contemplated the spectacle of lawmakers actually passing regulations for the legal sale of marijuana: "What a long, strange trip it's been."Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Matt Volz, The Associated PressPublished: Friday, May 21, 2010 Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews Medical Marijuana  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #52 posted by Hope on May 27, 2010 at 05:50:58 PT
Live Like We're Dying
I love that song.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on May 27, 2010 at 04:39:32 PT
greenmed
Thank you. We didn't think my niece would make it this long so this trip is a miracle. We all should live like we are dying because we all are.Kris Allen - Live Like We're Dying -- Official Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3N5CsXYlCk
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on May 27, 2010 at 03:39:36 PT
Paint with light
Thank you so much. 
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Comment #49 posted by greenmed on May 26, 2010 at 21:51:47 PT
ocean cruise
It is a very cool thing, and very loving and thoughtful. It's sure to be an experience that will always be with them.
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Comment #48 posted by Paint with light on May 26, 2010 at 20:45:52 PT
My wish
My wish is for fair skies and smooth sailing for both of them.May the sunsets be the most beautiful they have ever seen........and the breezes warm, gentle, and purifying.That is a touching gesture.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on May 26, 2010 at 16:21:24 PT
It is a wonderful thing 
I hope it's healing and regenerating for them both.
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on May 26, 2010 at 16:17:35 PT
Hope
Thank you. My niece is very ill herself with a deforming bone disease that requires a pump that is implanted in her body to deliver pain medicine. For her to do this for her younger sister is an amazing gift of love.
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Comment #45 posted by Hope on May 26, 2010 at 16:06:49 PT
Comment 44
That is sweet, FoM. I'm happy for them. I hope they have a wonderful time.
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Comment #44 posted by FoM on May 26, 2010 at 15:37:31 PT

Off Topic But I Want To Share
Lots of things have been going on recently but I wanted to tell you this sweet story. As you know my youngest niece has terminal lung cancer. She is in bad shape but my one niece her sister that lives in Austin, Texas is taking her on a cruise to the Bahamas. She will fly down to Austin and then they will fly to Galveston and get on the cruise ship. It wasn't easy for my sister to get everything done that needed to be done like oxygen on a plane and getting her last chemo finished and meds in order but they will be leaving on the 4th of June. I think this is really a cool thing and I just wanted to share it.
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Comment #43 posted by greenmed on May 26, 2010 at 12:21:01 PT

KC - Starless
(abbreviated to fit YouTube)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ksFNU05W1UJohn Wetton - voice and bass
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Comment #42 posted by Hope on May 26, 2010 at 11:23:01 PT

Smokie-Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZgOHgrHG7U
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Comment #41 posted by greenmed on May 26, 2010 at 11:18:48 PT

Had Enough
That's a real classic. Who are your favorite bass players?
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on May 26, 2010 at 10:51:20 PT

Had Enough
That is a beautiful guitar.
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Comment #39 posted by Had Enough on May 26, 2010 at 10:45:20 PT

Hope...
Joe Cocker does it good too.In fact...I like the Cocker version a little better because of the presence of the bass licks. It is more pronounced.But of course I would say that...when I did the band thing...bass is my instrument. A Fender Precision Bass...I bought it brand new in 1973 or 74. American made...I still have it, and pick it up from time to time. On occasions I have gone down to one of the local watering hole where they have ‘Jam Night ‘ on Wednesdays...It’s been a while since I’ve done that though.***This is the closest picture of it I could find...but, mine is an ‘American Made’ instrument. They are now made in Japan or Mexico...And it doesn’t have that extra pickup located back by the bridge. You really don’t need it in my opinion...The guitar sounds perfect with the original design pickups.http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0190086850***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Precision_Bass

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Comment #38 posted by Hope on May 25, 2010 at 09:59:54 PT

Thank you, Had Enough.
Joe Cocker version... the one I played and played and played on vinyl and probably eight track, too.Then Woodstock 1969http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQYDvQ1HH-E&feature=relatedMany years laterJune 2002http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wG6Cgmgn5U&feature=related
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on May 25, 2010 at 08:36:42 PT

Had Enough
You're welcome. Thank you too!
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Comment #36 posted by Had Enough on May 25, 2010 at 07:48:58 PT

To all...
Thank yhhaaa vuurrry much...But I’m nothing special...not a DJ...haven’t been fishing in so long I’d have to have someone bait my hook for me...and haven’t played or hit the road with a band for quite a while...Haven’t a rode bike (motorcycle) or participated in a boat race for just as long, or longer now that I think about it...But I’m truly happy that I’ve had the chance to experience these things...once you get the bug...It never leaves you.Now if I can bring a little rainbow in to someone’s life...It makes me feel as though I might have accomplished something...It’s as good for me as it is for them...Yes it is true...That it is as good or better to give than to receive...and every one needs a little help from their friends from time to time...including myself...We all have only one end destination in life...and I’ve never seen anybody get out of this world alive yet...We are only here for a minute speck in time....as compared to the grand scale of it all...Do no harm as we pass through...treat others as you would want to be treated...Laws...there are only ten that need be heeded...if people would adhere to just those ten...we would need no other laws...I’m just a man...and that’s all that I am...***With a Little Help From My Friendshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPFCGMZUrLY&feature=related

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Comment #35 posted by Hope on May 24, 2010 at 17:12:16 PT

Josephlacerenza
Yes, it is "good stuff".What a bold, brave man to come out and say that, while he's still an active duty officer. I hope his job is still secure. He seems to have some sense and we need more people in his type of position to have some sense about cannabis prohibition.In another article, it's mentioned that some banks are wanting some clear federal legality so that they can handle the dispensary accounts without fear of being accused of money laundering.We need more of this good "Good stuff".More! More! More!
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Comment #34 posted by josephlacerenza on May 24, 2010 at 06:14:42 PT

I found this piece
At MPP... Good stuff!!
Columbia Police Chief: ‘I’m With You on the Fight’ to End Marijuana Prohibition
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on May 24, 2010 at 04:55:26 PT

Had Enough
I don't know how much you like flattery but you are a great guy. Thank you for the music. 
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Comment #32 posted by Hope on May 24, 2010 at 04:50:15 PT

Picked this up over at DrugWarRant
MARIJUANA SEIZURE TURNS INTO YARDWORKhttp://www.kristv.com/news/marijuana-seizure-turns-into-yardwork/
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Comment #31 posted by Hope on May 24, 2010 at 04:30:52 PT

Off Topic :0)
I know Had Enough is a great DJ, thank you, Had Enough, and I know to check the forecast before I go out very far on a boat with him... because of some great off topic posts. And I have a belt with my name tooled on the back and an NRA membership belt buckle.... and several western hats! Lol!I love horses and children, and old cowboys, too.
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Comment #30 posted by Totalrod2 on May 24, 2010 at 01:45:51 PT

Had Enough
Thanks. :) You always know how brighten someone's day.
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Comment #29 posted by Had Enough on May 23, 2010 at 21:43:24 PT

Peace & Love ...
Golden living dreams of visionsMystic crystal revelationAnd the mind's true liberation***The forces are in motion...forces that mortal man has no control over...Ther WILL be peace...one way or another...***The Fifth Dimension "Aquarius /Let The Sunshine In" (1969)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EegRh8Z4H-o

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Comment #28 posted by Had Enough on May 23, 2010 at 21:14:41 PT

Peace...???
Peace...Is all that we ask for...But...We find we have to FIGHT for peace...There are many who just will not let go...and let peace happen...***Jackie DeShannon - Put A Little Love in Your Hearthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMj7UcjPZ0U

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Comment #27 posted by Had Enough on May 23, 2010 at 21:07:42 PT

Ole Blue Eyes...
Frank Sinatra - That's Lifehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIiUqfxFttMFrank Sinatra fly me to the moonhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eys5M7vlrXE&feature=related***Totalrod...All is cool...This is a very special place...as you are now discoveringThanks FoM...Sister Hope...Peace...That’s all we ask for...and a tip of the helmet...

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Comment #26 posted by FoM on May 23, 2010 at 20:06:30 PT

Totalrod2
Actually Hope said that but she is right.I'm not a member of the NRA because I'm not a gun type person. (Absolutely no problem with people having guns though) I don't wear a cowboy hat but I love horses. I live in the country but have never owned a cow. I'm being silly now but we all are different but also very much the same.
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Comment #25 posted by Totalrod2 on May 23, 2010 at 19:38:15 PT

FOM
FOM said: "We realized ages ago that prohibs read here to try to catch us saying something they can use against us."Oh, I'm sure they do. And I've left a trail about ten miles long for anyone inclined to Google "totalrod" or "totalrod2". I also wish them luck trying to figure me out. Half the time I can't figure myself out. I'm an NRA member, wear a cowboy hat most of the time, my politics are completely LEFT, I hate rednecks, and listen to Frank Sinatra one day, then Frank Zappa the next. Needless to say I don't get out very much. ;)
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on May 23, 2010 at 11:14:28 PT

New Feed of Oil Leak 
I found this on Nola.com. http://drugsense.org/url/Q1xqJuNQ
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on May 23, 2010 at 10:11:39 PT

Hope
People like you and many folks that have been here a long time have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. We are different ages and come from different places and have been influenced by our own surroundings. I love our country. The north, south, east and west have their assets and liabilities. I am deeply hurt but what is happening in the southern states from the oil disaster. It will only get worse as more oil rolls in since the accident happened 50 miles out. If it hits Florida and turns and comes up the east coast tourism will be destroyed for a long time. Clean up can only happen when they get the darn thing plugged which seems like it could be a while to accomplish.
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on May 23, 2010 at 10:08:09 PT

disagreements are part of the conversation
And because of some of these off topic conversations, I know that Herbdoc means it when he says, "Bro." to BGreen... cause I know they are. They have been for many years. I know they've shared enough of their lives with each that they really are brothers.Brothers don't always agree... but they always care about their brother.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on May 23, 2010 at 10:00:53 PT

Just knowing that "like minded" people
are out there somewhere is very encouraging and sustaining.Before the internet... I didn't know anyone who was as concerned or upset as I was at what was happening to people in the name of the "War on Drugs". I was very upset and disturbed at it all and seemingly I was the only person I knew that was outraged about the killings and seizures and arrests and intimidation.But here, there are many people that can see, and could see, the awful things that have been happening to even completely innocent people, children as well, with this particular complete prohibition of a substance. Lord! It's like seeing people walking around in a trance, a trance where they can ignore the true evil, the true wrong, the injustice that's happening, and trying to wake them up. Trying to make them see. Trying to get them to help me make it stop.Knowing there are other people that have their coffee here, that read and interact here regularly and that I have a common cause with is one of the good things... a blessing in life. It's a small, unique internet connected community of like minded people. In the early days of FoM's diligent work, it seemed like coffee at FoM's kitchen table. Then it seemed to grow, lots of people spoke up, and it seemed more like a cafe. There where many conversations going on. (It might seem like something else to someone else, but cafe occurs to me because I worked in restaurants and coffee shops when I was a young woman and I have fond memories of meeting lots of people from lots of different places in those years. C-News is like that, too. Lots of people from all walks of life have come through the C-News doors.)
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on May 23, 2010 at 08:59:53 PT

Hope
I agree with you. CNews is a forum that has news. We can talk about different things because there is more to life then just our cause. How do we learn about each other and why we feel the way we do unless we talk?
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on May 23, 2010 at 07:04:13 PT

Totalrod2
"Anyhow, I know all of this is WAY off topic. So I won't talk about it here anymore. Sorry."Absolutely no apology necessary. It irritates some people that we aren't exactly always speaking about cannabis prohibition or a particular article specifically. It's not WAY off topic, because one of the things we do here is try to understand what's wrong with people that they would hurt people like they do over the use of this plant. That naturally, because we are from all over, leads to the differences in people in different areas and different states of the country. We strategize here. We're trying to be "People" people and trying to understand what the hell is going on. Most of us here realized a long time ago that we often benefit from these peripheral conversations and these off topic conversations may actually be helpful for prohibs to see that we're just people, that think and are concerned about all sorts of things and a wide variety of topics, just like everyone else.So off topic, if it's not too vulgar, or abusive, or inciting violence, is a part of C-News. We realized ages ago that prohibs read here to try to catch us saying something they can use against us. There have been days on end when there was no news on our subject, and we talked sometimes about our pets, our families, our lives and experiences. Some of them to do with prohibition. Some not. Some of us wanted to get to know a little about the other posters and what kind of people they might be. It's good that prohibitionists realize that we're normal people, more or less (:0))On that note, I think there must be something about you that people find attractive and want to be friendly with you or include you in their conversations. It's hard to live with a variety of people, and people that think differently than you (with me that's just about everyone, it seems, and always has been) but I've come to the conclusion that more people are more irritated by the people they meet in the southern states. *sigh* I guess we just have to decide to "Live and let live" and try not to kill anyone or get killed.That's one reason I love C-News... the people I meet here... I think more like them most of the time than most of the people I know and have known my entire life. A gathering, or meeting of like minded people, as FoM likes to call it.
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Comment #18 posted by Totalrod2 on May 22, 2010 at 23:22:26 PT

Hope
I'm just having a lot of trouble trying to figure people out. I went into a restaurant 3 weeks ago, Glen Beck was on the TV (never a good sign) and there were only 4-5 people there. The discussion ranged from racist remarks about Obama, to how we should "secede from the union". Of course they were trying to involve me in the conversation, but I had no interest. I went there to eat, not to talk about a55 backwards politics. Similar conversations have taken place in my presence, many times. I'm white, so I'm not overly offended about the racist crap, but sometimes it's like I'm in a freakin movie that's taking place in the 1920's. Anyhow, I know all of this is WAY off topic. So I won't talk about it here anymore. Sorry.
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on May 22, 2010 at 21:19:10 PT

Bill Bennett’s Moral Compass
June 2003The Bookie of VirtueWilliam J. Bennett has made millions lecturing people on morality--and blown it on gambling.His relentless effort to push Americans to do good has enabled Bennett to do extremely well. His best-selling The Book of Virtues spawned an entire cottage industry, from children's books to merchandizing tie-ins to a PBS cartoon series. Bennett commands $50,000 per appearance on the lecture circuit and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from such conservative benefactors as the Scaife and John M. Olin foundations. Few vices have escaped Bennett's withering scorn. He has opined on everything from drinking to "homosexual unions" to "The Ricki Lake Show" to wife-swapping. There is one, however, that has largely escaped Bennett's wrath: gambling. This is a notable omission, since on this issue morality and public policy are deeply intertwined. During Bennett's years as a public figure, casinos, once restricted to Nevada and New Jersey, have expanded to 28 states, and the number continues to grow. In Maryland, where Bennett lives, the newly elected Republican governor Robert Ehrlich is trying to introduce slot machines to fill revenue shortfalls. As gambling spreads, so do its associated problems. Heavy gambling, like drug use, can lead to divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, and bankruptcy. According to a 1998 study commissioned by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, residents within 50 miles of a casino are twice as likely to be classified as "problem" or "pathological" gamblers than those who live further away. If Bennett hasn't spoken out more forcefully on an issue that would seem tailor-made for him, perhaps it's because he is himself a heavy gambler. Indeed, in recent weeks word has circulated among Washington conservatives that his wagering could be a real problem. They have reason for concern. The Washington Monthly and Newsweek have learned that over the last decade Bennett has made dozens of trips to casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where he is a "preferred customer" at several of them, and sources and documents provided to The Washington Monthly put his total losses at more than $8 million. "I don't play the 'milk money.'" Bennett has been a high-roller since at least the early 1990s. A review of one 18-month stretch of gambling showed him visiting casinos, often for two or three days at a time (and enjoying a line of credit of at least $200,000 at several of them). Bennett likes to be discreet. "He'll usually call a host and let us know when he's coming," says one source. "We can limo him in. He prefers the high-limit room, where he's less likely to be seen and where he can play the $500-a-pull slots. He usually plays very late at night or early in the morning--usually between midnight and 6 a.m." The documents show that in one two-month period, Bennett wired more than $1.4 million to cover losses. His desire for privacy is evident in his customer profile at one casino, which lists as his residence the address for Empower.org (the Web site of Empower America, the non-profit group Bennett co-chairs). Typed across the form are the words: "NO CONTACT AT RES OR BIZ!!!" Bennett's gambling has not totally escaped public notice. In 1998, The Washington Times reported in a light-hearted front-page feature story that he plays low-stakes poker with a group of prominent conservatives, including Robert Bork, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist. A year later, the same paper reported that Bennett had been spotted at the new Mirage Resorts Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, where he was reputed to have won a $200,000 jackpot. Bennett admitted to the Times that he had visited the casino, but denied winning $200,000. Documents show that, in fact, he won a $25,000 jackpot on that visit--but left the casino down $625,000. Bennett--who gambled throughout Clinton's impeachment--has continued this pattern in subsequent years. On July 12 of last year, for instance, Bennett lost $340,000 at Caesar's Boardwalk Regency in Atlantic City. And just three weeks ago, on March 29 and 30*, he lost more than $500,000 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. "There's a term in the trade for this kind of gambler," says a casino source who has witnessed Bennett at the high-limit slots in the wee hours. "We call them losers." Asked by Newsweek columnist and Washington Monthly contributing editor Jonathan Alter to comment on the reports, Bennett admitted that he gambles but not that he has ended up behind. "I play fairly high stakes. I adhere to the law. I don't play the 'milk money.' I don't put my family at risk, and I don't owe anyone anything." The documents offer no reason to contradict Bennett on these points. Bennett claims he's beaten the odds: "Over 10 years, I'd say I've come out pretty close to even." "You can roll up and down a lot in one day, as we have on many occasions," Bennett explains. "You may cycle several hundred thousand dollars in an evening and net out only a few thousand." "I've made a lot of money [in book sales, speaking fees and other business ventures] and I've won a lot of money," adds Bennett. "When I win, I usually give at least a chunk of it away [to charity]. I report everything to the IRS." But the documents show only a few occasions when he turns in chips worth $30,000 or $40,000 at the end of an evening. Most of the time, he draws down his line of credit, often substantially. A casino source, hearing of Bennett's claim to breaking even on slots over 10 years, just laughed. "You don't see what I walk away with," Bennett says. "They [casinos] don't want you to see it." Explaining his approach, Bennett says: "I've been a 'machine person' [slot machines and video poker]. When I go to the tables, people talk--and they want to talk about politics. I don't want that. I do this for three hours to relax." He says he was in Las Vegas in April for dinner with the former governor of Nevada and gambled while he was there. Bennett says he has made no secret of his gambling. "I've gambled all my life and it's never been a moral issue with me. I liked church bingo when I was growing up. I've been a poker player." But while Bennett's poker playing and occasional Vegas jaunt are known to some Washington conservatives, his high-stakes habit comes as a surprise to many friends. 
"We knew he went out there [to Las Vegas] sometimes, but at that level? Wow!" said one longtime associate of Bennett. Despite his personal appetites, Bennett and his organization, Empower America, oppose the extension of casino gambling in the states. In a recent editorial, his Empower America co-chair Jack Kemp inveighed against lawmakers who "pollute our society with a slot machine on every corner." The group recently published an Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, with an introduction written by Bennett, that reports 5.5 million American adults as "problem" or "pathological" gamblers. Bennett says he is neither because his habit does not disrupt his family life. When reminded of studies that link heavy gambling to divorce, bankruptcy, domestic abuse, and other family problems he has widely decried, Bennett compared the situation to alcohol. "I view it as drinking," Bennett says. "If you can't handle it, don't do it." ***Click to see the whole thing...Caution is warned...Keep barf bag/5 gallon bucket nearby!!!http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0306.green.htmland...When the media reported it.. they said he was sneaking in and out the back doors of the casinos...so that the public wouldn’t see him...About a year ago he was on the Hannity Fox News thing...Hannity asked/softballed him about his gambling problem...He responded that he went to a rehab, received treatment, and is all cured and it is behind him...

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Comment #16 posted by greenmed on May 22, 2010 at 20:05:46 PT

Vincent
Perhaps a particular apple tree took root on a slope.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 22, 2010 at 19:58:50 PT

Vincent
I watched Rachel Maddow interview Rand Paul. He is one strange person. He is defending BP! He blew my mind.
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Comment #14 posted by Vincent on May 22, 2010 at 19:33:34 PT:

The Drug War, of course!
Tonight, on the "Wolf Blitzer" show, on CNN, two "experts" on Marijuana's effects were talking...mumbling, I should say. Gil Kerlikowski, our current "Drug Czar", trying to look tough, and that great "mine of information", William Bennett, bestowing upon us his "wisdom". Y'know, most people mellow with age, but not William "Uncle Ben" Bennett. He just gets dumber as he gets older. Of course, he's really upset about the Marijuana Legalization initiative, in California. He was bragging about the 1980s, and how he "changed" the nation's mind about Marijuana use. He wants to go to California to campaign against the initiative, in order to "get the numbers down", referring to the percentage of support the issue has. This man has no shame whatsoever!On a related subject, Rand Paul, the "Libertarian", won the Republican party's nomination to run for office. And the first thing he does is run his big, stupid mouth, talking about how he wants to abolish civil rights protections that have taken years, and many innocent lives, to achieve! Now, I see what he means when he says that he wants Marijuana legalized...he means that only he, and his boys, can smoke!
What a disappointment he is. He should learn to be quiet, like his father.
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on May 22, 2010 at 11:49:02 PT

 Sam Adams
I would be surprised if old "Skyrocketing" Mark Long didn't know exactly who did the bombing.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on May 22, 2010 at 11:42:22 PT

Not to say that some folk in the south aren't
stupid or funny looking. Problems with ones appearance and an individual's speaking prowess are pretty widespread and not just relegated to the southern United States.
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Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on May 22, 2010 at 11:28:30 PT

so obvious 
that's it's the cops doing the vandalism.what other "young men" would do anti-MJ vandalism in the US? are you kidding?  These thugs know they're that control of their favorite drug racket is being taken away by these legitimate businessmen.
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on May 22, 2010 at 11:25:41 PT

Totalrod2
As Herbdoc said, Montana is not southern state. And talking about the civil war all the time? Maybe in the neighborhood you live in, but I don't know anyone that goes around talking about the civil war as a common topic of conversation. I think you must be in some kind of different type neighborhood than I've ever frequented.You mean like old ladies showing you pictures of their grandfathers? Or old war memorabilia collectors? Is it a bunch of really old people? Ghost hunters? If you live on or near battlefields, like Gettysburg I could understand it coming up more often. Treasure finders? Or young people or skin heads or something? I would worry very much about something being wrong with people that seemed to dwell on something about that war like it happened ten years ago or something. I think some people seem to think that because people in the southern states apparently look really stupid to them and talk slow they really are as stupid as they imagine them to be. I've felt this arrogance from some people before.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 22, 2010 at 08:51:42 PT

runruff
You're so funny.
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Comment #8 posted by runruff on May 22, 2010 at 07:23:13 PT

"pigs and DEA "
Thank you for making that distiction, FoM does not like it when you insult a noble animal like a pig by comparing them with DEA!
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Comment #7 posted by herbdoc215 on May 22, 2010 at 06:17:54 PT

Totalrod2, I hate to break it too you...
But Montana is about as far from being in the south as you can get...the civil war isn't even a memory for them as your geography is a tad off although the mindset is close, just minus the insane Jesus stuff and multiply the racism a few times and you go from Ky to Montana quickly....aside, even though Ky is officially the south and below the mason-dixon line we didn't succeed from the union and stayed pretty much out of the civil war as a state so not even all the south was involved??? The more you know the closer to the truth you can get, unlike the pigs and DEA in this article as I counted at least 5 lies to the line here? peace, steve
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Comment #6 posted by Had Enough on May 21, 2010 at 21:30:17 PT

Control Freaks!!!

“"Yeah, it's out of control _ and it needs control, if not extinction," Montana Sen. Jim Shockley said Friday. "There's no control over distribution. There's no control over who's growing it. There's no control in dosage."”Sounds like Mr. Shockley is using shock tactics...He is "Yeah, out of control”“”DUI arrests involving marijuana has skyrocketed, as have traffic fatalities where marijuana was found in the system of one of the drivers, Montana narcotics chief Mark Long told a legislative committee last month.””Hhmmm!!! Lie...“”During Colorado's legislative debate, state Sen. Chris Romer quoted the Grateful Dead as he contemplated the spectacle of lawmakers actually passing regulations for the legal sale of marijuana: "What a long, strange trip it's been."”Hippie Copyright Infringement...”Backlash” is in order...***Sen Jim Shockley, Sen. Chris Romer, narc Mark Long...all have something in common...Bullies, liars...and who knows...maybe they have more in common with Souder..than we know about...
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on May 21, 2010 at 21:14:34 PT

Professional Liars
Runruff's right. That's what they are.
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Comment #4 posted by runruff on May 21, 2010 at 21:09:28 PT

"narcotics chief Mark Long "
Everyone needs to understand that these sewer rats are PROFESSIONAL LIARS!I have seen local officers, officers in federal court in Mass. I have seen DEA testify, these drug warriors are liars and they do it deliberately and to miss lead so that they can keep their pathetic little jobs harassing people, caging them, and then, go to church on Sunday acting like they are some kind of comic book hero!It is as you say, these rotten souls need to bring proof of their claims because their credibility is in the sewer along with their minds!
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Comment #3 posted by Cheebs1 on May 21, 2010 at 18:28:54 PT:

Proof?
This is an interesting line"DUI arrests involving marijuana has skyrocketed, as have traffic fatalities where marijuana was found in the system of one of the drivers, Montana narcotics chief Mark Long told a legislative committee last month."On a topic this volatile I would think it prudent to actually provide the statistics instead of just the quote. Always the same kind of unsubstantiated propaganda with the prohibitionist dependent "narcotic" forces. Just look at the names and it will tell you that "narcotics" have to be illegal for them to justify their employment.
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Comment #2 posted by greenmed on May 21, 2010 at 17:58:36 PT

"Not in our town"
Domestic terrorism will not work to the advantage of the prohibitionists. They should condemn these acts, not remain silent, at the next Billings city council meeting.
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Comment #1 posted by Totalrod2 on May 21, 2010 at 17:44:55 PT

"Not in our town"
Sounds like just a few thugs (possibly members of the law enforcement community?) using age-old scare tactics to make it LOOK like this is what the vast majority wants. They hardly represent the community at large. Although, this is the South, so who knows. I can't believe how many people are still bitter and talk about the civil war as if it just happened yesterday! It's still a bit of a culture shock for me, even though I've lived here almost 3 years.
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