cannabisnews.com: Official Reefer Madness Official Reefer Madness Posted by FoM on August 31, 2000 at 16:26:35 PT Editorial Source: San Francisco Chronicle The heartless absurdity of the federal war on drugs was on display this week when the U.S. Supreme Court barred an Oakland medical marijuana club from dispensing pot to seriously ill patients. Acting on an emergency request from the U.S. Justice Department, the high court halted, at least for now, the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative from distributing marijuana to people ``with a medical necessity.'' Four years ago, California voters approved Proposition 215, which allowed patients to use, grow and possess pot if recommended by a doctor. The initiative was a humane effort to make pot available to patients who say it gives them relief from cancer, AIDS, migraines and a wide variety of ailments. Similar laws have been passed in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state. However, the state laws defy federal drug policy that allow doctors to prescribe morphine, amphetamines and a pharmacopoeia of potentially dangerous drugs, but forbid marijuana under any circumstances. Zealous drug warriors have fought medicinal pot every step of the way, and Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling was an ominous sign that the court may invalidate medicinal marijuana in every state it was made legal. That would be a sorry victory of puritanical politics over humane medicine, especially at a time when legitimate researchers are just beginning to study the medicinal properties of pot. By sheer coincidence on Tuesday, the University of California announced the creation of a new Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research in San Diego to examine the medical uses and effects of pot. It's disgraceful that the federal government denies suffering patients -- some with terminal illnesses -- whatever medical benefits and solace they might find in smoking marijuana prescribed by a physician. Pubdate: Thursday, August 31, 2000 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Contact: chronletters sfgate.com Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/Copyright: 2000 San Francisco ChronicleRelated Articles & Web Site:Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/Feds' Needless Pot War http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6889.shtmlCourt Sends Firm Signal on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6886.shtmlMarijuana Distribution Ban Alarms Patientshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6885.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by compassion on September 01, 2000 at 11:47:27 PT Gods ag WHY????? [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on September 01, 2000 at 05:47:36 PT: But Uncle has a long reach MikeEEEEE, the problem with emigration of any kind is that Uncle is practically the undisputed lone Superpower; it has been able to get away with doing whatever it wants for so long that it will think nothing of going to extraordinary lengths to impose its' will. No place is safe. Ask Rene Boje that if you don't believe me.Many years ago I read a book By Michael Bar-Lev called 'The Avengers'. It was about the gradual dehumanization of the Jews in Germany... and how after the war, some of the survivors of the death camps went on de facto vigilante manhunts for the Nazis who had escaped detection by the War Crimes Commission.But the most striking thing about the earlier period Bar-Lev covered, was that despite the increasing pressures on the Jews in Nazi Germany, many Jews simply refused to believe that their neighbors could be for Nazism. They just couldn't fathom it. They stayed, even when it was still possible to emigrate. And so, they died.The ones who refused to blind themselves, who had the means to get out, did.But what if Hitler had won the war? No place would have been safe.No place is safe from *Uncle*. Where will you go that he won't try to get you? Antarctica?But we aren't at the point where there's no hope of change at all. The Beast hasn't been completely covered with armor, yet; there's plenty of chinks left open in it to bring it down. The Supreme Court very foolishly created a very large hole for us to bring in the one thing that will kill the Beast: public scrutiny of the laws. For the most part, the public is *ignorant* of the fact that the cannabis laws are so Draconian; they thought such laws had shrivelled away to slaps on the wrist. When they realize what has happened...when they realize that a mean neighbors' phone call could start a descent into forfeiture hell without ever being convicted of a crime...that the government has actually *murdered* people for their publicly challenging its' laws...that innocent lives have been taken in 'collateral damage' in this insane war... and then they realize that all this could happen to THEM, they'll get off of their duffs.This monster has a tag attached to it that says 'Made in America'. Either we 'dispatch' it as Shakespeare would have put it, or sooner or later, no matter where you run, it will do *you*. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 01, 2000 at 00:24:20 PT Your right Freedom Fighter makes a good point.Someone might try to tell you that I'm voting for Bush,,or that I'm the illegitamate son of the czar.but the red name makes me nervous. I'm thinking of moving to Utah. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by freedom fighter on August 31, 2000 at 20:08:19 PT More the better! More we file lawsuits the sooner the system falls!Thanks MikEEEE I think you should keep that name because I like it too! You ought to register it so noone can take it..Yeah, Verimins in black robes pretending to be doctors yikes! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by dddd on August 31, 2000 at 18:49:40 PT vermin I agree with Frank about the black robed vermin,but I think that the black robes,are not the worst of the vermin.The worst part of the infestation,comes from the much more powerful colony of rats.The black robes,are somewhat subordinate to the Big-E-Rats..............at any rate,someone should call a rodent extermination company,because the problem is clearly out of control.....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by MikeEEEEE on August 31, 2000 at 17:17:24 PT Judges freedom fighter, this isn't about doctors, this is about prejudice, prejudices that have developed for decades, prejudices that feed from their own propaganda prejudices, these prejudices are something they will have to deal with later to get rid of.By the way freedom, I like your name.About filling civil lawsuits, I think the system is failing on its own accord. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Frank on August 31, 2000 at 17:13:56 PT Supreme Court -- Vermin in Black Robes? The Supreme Court is nothing more than vermin in black robes. The combined voting block of the states that approved medical marijuana consists of 50,000,000 people. The Supreme Court voids the vote of 1/5th of the people of the United States?. Today’s paper had an article that 1,500,000 children have at least one parent in prison most on charges related to the “Drug War”. What type of message does this send to our children? All the pot that was ever smoked never did this much harm. America is very close to becoming a police state. When your vote no longer counts your Freedom is gone. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by freedom fighter on August 31, 2000 at 17:09:30 PT Judges are out of control The courts are also getting involved. In Albany, N.Y., a couple put their 7-year-old son back on Ritalin after a family court ruled that they must continue medicating him for ADHD. http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/GoodMorningAmerica/GMA000831Ritalin.htmlHere we have one judge forcing 7 yr old kid to do drugs and judges who want sick people to suffer and die. This is totally wrong. We all should start filling civil lawsuits on these people. They all were "acting" like they were doctors and we all know they are not licensed to do this! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: