cannabisnews.com: Minister Collecting Signatures To Put MJ on Ballot Minister Collecting Signatures To Put MJ on Ballot Posted by FoM on April 03, 2001 at 13:48:54 PT By Stacey Smith, Record-Eagle Staff Writer Source: Record-Eagle A licensed minister and former pot smoker is pushing a ballot measure to legalize marijuana. The Rev. Steve Thompson - a self-described "old hippie" who had smoked marijuana for "a good many years" - believes the cannabis hemp plant could save the family farm. Hemp has many uses, he said, including for paper, fuel and clothing. The Benzonia resident is the director of the Benzie County Chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. The group is circulating petitions asking for signatures to place a referendum on the November 2002 ballot that would make marijuana legal in Michigan for medical, personal and industrial use. Thompson said he no longer smokes marijuana but does eat hemp granola and hemp butter, both made with portions of the cannabis hemp plant, the same plant grown to manufacture marijuana. He also advocates using hemp fiber for clothing and hemp fuel. "I've had a pair of hemp socks for five years. You can't wear them out," Thompson said. Hemp can be used in building supplies, cloth, paper, oils, paints, cereal, animal feed and fuel, Thompson said. The plant grows quickly and does not require the pesticides and fertilizers other crops do, he said. Thompson and other members of the group are distributing pamphlets citing their reasons for wanting marijuana legalized, including one brochure called "Marijuana and Christianity," which lists passages that the group claims support their cause. "I never believed this plant was evil. After all, God created this plant for people to use," Thompson said. The Full Gospel Assemblies International, the organization that licensed Thompson as a minister, disagrees. "Full Gospel Assemblies does not promote the legalization of marijuana nor the use of any illegal substance," said Simeon Strauser, minister of administration for the Pennsylvania-based organization. Strauser also said the group "does not promote the use of scripture for such purposes." Other members of the clergy also believe Thompson may be going too far in using the Bible to promote marijuana legalization. Pastor Jim Helman of Feast of Victory Lutheran Church in Acme said he understands the group's theory that God created the plant, therefore it cannot be evil, but does not agree with Thompson's reasoning. "I see what he's (Thompson) getting at," Helman said, "but, boy, that is stretching it." Every plant does have some beneficial use, Helman said, but "not all plants are beneficial for human beings." The Bible does say God gave people plants to use, but "it doesn't say he gives us the plants to smoke," Helman said. Law enforcement agencies, too, find the group's logic flawed. Lt. Chet Wilson, commanding officer of the Traverse Narcotics Team, called the group's reasoning "nothing more than a smoke screen." Even legalizing marijuana to smoke for medicinal purposes would worsen drug problems in the state, Wilson said. "If marijuana is recommended as so-called medicine, how will you refuse to allow employees to use their drugs in the workplace?" he said. "Any attempt to stop such use or refusal to employ a drug user may be seen as a violation of employees' rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act," Wilson said. Thompson said the uses and benefits of the plant outweigh the possible problems of legalization. "I think the best legacy I could leave to my children and grandchildren is to decriminalize this plant," Thompson said. Stacey Smith is the reporter for Leelanau, Manistee and Benzie counties.Complete Title: Minister Collecting Signatures To Put Legalizing Marijuana on BallotNote: 'God created this plant to use' She can be reached at (231) 933-1408, or at: ssmith record-eagle.comSource: Traverse City Record-Eagle (MI)Author: Stacey Smith, Record-Eagle Staff WriterPublished: April 3, 2001Copyright: The Traverse City Record-EagleContact: khall record-eagle.comWebsite: http://www.record-eagle.com/NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Benzie CountyNORML of Benzie CountyDirector - Steve ThompsonPhone: (231) 882-9721Email: benziecounty mi4norml.orgCannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by Dan B on April 05, 2001 at 02:14:47 PT: Thanks jAHn and dddd, thanks for your kind (pun intended) comments. I read and appreciate comments written by both of you, as well. We have a great group of writers and thinkers regularly contributing to Cannabis News. I, for one, feel privileged to be counted among the rest of you.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by jAHn on April 04, 2001 at 14:30:20 PT It's all you, Dan B!!! Your words, as I read them EVERY day, move me like a river moves its' rockbed! The way that you put the Injusticisms that are perpetuated by supposed "humans" is more than On-Point! If only someone who gives a fudge about Humanity can assume the role of Paul Revere and stride through towns yelling, "The Prohibitionists are Falling, The Prohibitionists ARE falling!!!" Just as their Genetic Make-Up intended so!Prohibitionists prohibiting Prohibition>?!?! what the...? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by dddd on April 04, 2001 at 06:25:14 PT Well Said Outstandingly excellent commentary Proffessor DanB.....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by meagain on April 04, 2001 at 06:15:03 PT Scriptures don't lie. I visited with the Michigan NORML group and I would like to say they are a fine group of people. I admire their bravery and commadre I wish them the best of luck in getting this on the next ballot. As far as the minister I say Gen. 1:12 need anything else be said?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by The GCW on April 04, 2001 at 04:39:31 PT: Be like Epaphroditus! Helman is having trouble with Page 1 of my Bible! If you look up drink in the large Websters' it states: "to take in the fumes of; to smoke; as, to drink tobacco. It would be better for the teachers of the Bible to be like Epaphroditus and not wicked evil who conspire to oppress our fellow Christians into cages for using what was given by our Father. Kaneh bosm was in the Bible in 5 locations before the dark ages. Kaneh bosm has been found to be the Hebrew origins of cannabis in the Bible and that has been confirmed by Hebrew Univ. in Jerusalem in 1980. For the Love of God, through the Holy Spirit I would ask the church members who stumble on Page 1, to consider their Eternal matters before they denounce the All Knowing Work and Words of God. I hope to see more articles that expose the war for profit, for what it is. My country is due for sensible realistic revolutionary change, now. Politicians are responsible for giving away something they have no right to give away, our Constitutional Rights. The Government is too aggressive in discriminatorily caging its citizens and thus creating rampid contempt for Government and its laws. While the great majority of citizens in Michigan are in favor of using cannabis for the discomfort of cancer cures, aids and others medical needs, the politicians are eager to continue to cage those very sick citizens. Citizens have lost their patients with the US Governments war for profit. It is becoming our biggest Government problem due in part to the resistance of political leaders to create healthy needed change. Unfortunately, we are seeing many Christians who also lost their patients with Christians Churches who can not live the Word of God for the blindness of wicked and evil. I will vote for leaders who are not afraid of making the necessary changes in our countries drug laws. Caging your neighbor for using cannabis is a sin. Please help end the war not escalate it.Those who cage today may appear barbaric tomorrow.Those who vote to cage are the problem in our society not cannabis. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Dan B on April 04, 2001 at 02:33:59 PT: The Bible Doesn't Have To Approve Frankly, we don't need to use the Bible to show that cannabis is okay to use. We can use the Bible to show that we are supposed to love everyone, EVEN OUR ENEMIES, and anyone with a brain can understand that imprisoning nonviolent people with violent rapists and murderers simply because some poeple don't agree with personal decisions they have made is as far from "Love" as murdering them.Everyone who advocates putting people in jail for using drugs is an accessory to rape. Why? Because prison rape happens most often to the nonviolent (often weaker, less "Neanderthal") prisoners. The laws that place nonviolent drug users in locked cells with rapists and murderers virtually guarantee rampant sexual abuse of those nonviolent persons. Not to mention the rampant abuse that occurs in this country by the supposed "guards" in those prisons.Ever wonder why the fastest growing segment of the prison population is the nonviolent female segment? Because guards routinely and savagely rape these prisoners, and they have been known to lock women in cells with male prisoners who have paid for the "privilege" of raping these women. See the Amnesty-USA site for more on this (link below).People sometimes wonder why I no longer smoke marijuana. It is not because I fear prison or whatever else will come from it for myself; it is because I know that my wife will be imprisoned and abused if I do get caught. There is no "justice" in the so-called "Justice" system. Instead, their is widespread abuse of human rights, and that is exactly the way the sick individuals who promote the drug war against humanity and decency like it. Ask any prohibitionist why he or she believes the war on drugs is the right thing to do, and you will always hear things like "I don't want my children to use drugs" or "I don't want to live in a world that lets people just use whatever drugs they want to," or "I hate drugs." Notice the common denominator in all of these reasons? "I" They are so focused on what they want for themselves that they feel justified in imposing whatever harmful strategies they deem necessary to achieving their goals. They are so invested in themselves that they cannot see beyond their own skins to the reality that they are causing more harm than any amount of drugs could ever cause.They call themselves moral, yet they play into the hands of rapists and murderers. They deserve none of my compassion, none of my love, and yet I believe I am called to love everyone. "Deserving it" has nothing to do with how I believe I am called to act.So, what can I do? I must fight the laws themselves, must separate my hatred for this barbarous and inhumane system from the people who implement it. It is often difficult, and I often fail. But I believe the answer to the problem of hatred is not more hatred, but love. The prohibitionists always attack people because their reasoning falls apart under the scrutiny required to attack the truth those people represent. We always win when we attack the prohibitionist system and beliefs, so we don't have to attack the people who support that system. That is why we are winning.The American people are awakening to the truth, and the government's stubborn refusal to do the will of the vast majority of American people with regard to medical marijuana is the key. We are forcing them to show their true, sadistic, inhumane system for what it is. We are forcing them to expose their evil schemes and hateful plans. The majority has just about had enough. We are finally stepping to the brink of freedom, and all we have to do is keep pushing their system over the edge. It will fall.It will fall, and we will win.Dan B Amnesty-USA: Women in Custody [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by swampie on April 03, 2001 at 19:40:50 PT hemp laws Even though I did agree with the lawman,in some ways,these people need to think about the fact that this God-given plant could save the earth!I firmly believe in hemp being a VERY IMPORTANT PLANT!!!What about the "greenhouse effect"?This wonderful plant could very well ;if planted right,reduce the carbon dioxide problem that we are experiencing.It loves carbon dioxide!!!!As well there would be boundless resources that are presently untapped to add to the stew!!!!What do we do???? Peace [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by swampie on April 03, 2001 at 19:23:35 PT full legalization in michigan I applaud this mans brevity! We should all be able to use cannabis for medicinal purposes and relaxation,but as the law enforcement person said,it would be a stretch to have people going to work stoned with a med defense!I have done it,and I work at a highly technical trade.Others Ihave worked with also couldn't handle the buzz when working on heavy trucks [axles and transmissions].What if someone put in something wrong,and the truck caused an accident?Everyone needs to think about the ramifications of these things!After 27 years of being a specialist in my field,I dont have to worry too much about making a mistake,myself,but the younger guys don't have that experience.How would we accomplish these kind of situations?Any ideas?I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience that anyone lost their life due to my mistake,but still,it does happen every day in some form or another.[I also have severe back pain,which cannabis does help somewhat,along with the vicodin and somas] LEGALIZE,BUT REALIZE! sorry,I stole that...Peace!! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: