cannabisnews.com: Pro-Marijuana Group Mounts New Offensive 





Pro-Marijuana Group Mounts New Offensive 
Posted by CN Staff on January 03, 2003 at 07:53:42 PT
By Jim Burns, Senior Staff Writer
Source: CNSNews.com
A group supporting the legalization of marijuana is planning a new Internet offensive against the Bush administration after an administration official alleged that marijuana-related hospital emergency room visits are way up.Scott Burns, deputy director for state and local affairs for the White House Office of National Drug Control, said in a letter to the National District Attorneys' Association that "marijuana is not harmless but has risen as a factor in emergency room visits 176 percent since 1964, surpassing heroin."
He said district attorneys, county prosecutors and other law enforcement officials must better educate the public about the drug's danger."Smoking marijuana," Burns wrote, "leads to changes in the brain similar to those caused by the use of cocaine and heroin, and affects alertness, concentration, perception, coordination and reaction time."He cited an unidentified study of a roadside check of reckless drivers not impaired by alcohol that he said found "45 percent tested positive for marijuana."Burns also said marijuana is addictive and leads to the use of harder drugs.Burns was unavailable for further comment on the story Thursday, according to a spokesman for his office.Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), called the administration's stand an "incredibly disgusting example of government propaganda" and announced that his group is initiating a new offensive next week against the administration's anti-drug policy."This war against marijuana smokers has become a jihad. It's a holy war for these [Bush administration] fools. Truth is a first victim of war," said Stroup in an interview with CNSNews.com ."Every single point they make in this letter is either a flat-out lie or grossly misrepresents science. Our intent is by early next week to post both their letter [written by Scott Burns] and our refutation point by point on our website," Stroup said.The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said, in a study of 458 hospital emergency rooms nationwide, that drug-related emergency room visits rose six percent in 2001 over the previous year, to a new total of 638,484.The number of times marijuana was mentioned as a drug used by patients rose 15 percent, greater than the increase in cocaine use, which rose 10 percent, according to the administration.Dan Alsobrooks, in a letter on the National District Attorneys' Association website, called on prosecutors around the country to heed Burns' words and speak out more "forcefully" against legalizing marijuana and all drugs."Unless we speak out more forcefully," Alsobrooks wrote, "our communities continue to face an increasing onslaught of violence and death directly attributable to use of dangerous and poisonous drugs."Those who want to legalize drugs advance their position, issue by issue, winning by incremental victories. We can and have stopped their efforts at the national level but will lose all if the states yield individually," he said.Stroup said the administration must move its drug policy into the 21st Century."These guys are simply resurrecting 'reefer madness' from the 1930s, and the cause of their approach is based on lies and misinformation," Stroup said. "They are bound to fail because they never seem to learn.""Reefer Madness" was a 1930s cult movie about marijuana and its evil effect on people.Stroup contends the administration's claims that hospital visits have risen because of marijuana use are based on what he called "hospital mentions."He explained that a hospital "mention" is how hospitals report a patient's emergency room visit. At that time, patients are asked what drugs they have taken. As an example, Stroup said, "Whenever someone comes in because they broke their wrist in a softball game, among the questions they [hospital officials] ask them is 'have they used any illicit drugs.'""So, naturally, when you have over 80 million Americans who have smoked marijuana at some time in their lives, and if people are willing to be honest, it's not infrequent that they mention they occasionally smoke marijuana," he said."That [marijuana use] doesn't have a G** D***** thing to do with their purpose for being in the emergency room, but those are still listed and counted as mentions," Stroup said.The federal Drug Abuse Warning Network, according to its website, counts the mentions of illegal drugs and misused prescription drugs reported by patients and compiles them in semi-annual studies. Often, according to the network, patients have said they had taken more than one drug.Alcohol, according to the network, in combination with other drugs was the most frequently mentioned nationwide, at 34 percent. Cocaine had 30 percent mentions, marijuana 17 percent and heroin 15 percent.Burns contends that "nationwide, no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana. It is a much bigger problem than most people, including some in law enforcement, realize."Stroup scoffed at that statement. "There were something like 450,000 deaths from tobacco smoking, and there were over 100,000 deaths from alcohol drinking, and there has never been a death caused by marijuana," he insisted.The South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services agreed that, "no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose.""However, when taken at very high doses, marijuana can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.States that allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes are: Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia.Source: CNSNews.comAuthor: Jim Burns, Senior Staff WriterPublished: January 02, 2003Copyright: 1998-2003 Cybercast News ServiceContact: shogenson cnsnews.comWebsite: http://www.cnsnews.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/NDAAhttp://www.ndaa-apri.org/Prosecutors to Fight Against Legalizing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15080.shtmlFighting Drug Legalization Through Prosecutorshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15063.shtmlStudy Says Marijuana Does Not Lead To Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14880.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by BGreen on January 03, 2003 at 16:36:50 PT
Let's Arrest All Water Drinkers Because Some Die
Water Intoxication Can too much water harm marathon runners? Reuters Health recently reported just that. When runners collapse or get sick at the end of a long race, it seems logical to give them fluids. Sometimes, however, water is the last thing these athletes need, researchers report. In the current issue of Annals of Internal of Medicine, investigators report ( Report 1 and Report 2) on marathon runners who developed brain swelling as a result of "water intoxication." All had taken in too much water during their races, causing sodium levels in the blood to drop. From there, according to Dr. J. Carlos Ayus, excess water is absorbed into blood and fluid builds up in the brain. Eventually, fluid accumulates in the lungs, and athletes become breathless and nauseated. Ayus, a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, told Reuters Health that when runners collapse or become ill, the natural assumption may be that they are having a heart attack. Yet, rather than being a sign of heart attack, fluid build-up in the lungs--called pulmonary edema--may signal brain swelling, according to Ayus. "I believe," he said, "that this is what happens to many people who collapse and die after a race. It should be diagnosed more often now." In their report, Ayus and his colleagues describe the cases of seven marathoners who collapsed and had nausea and vomiting after their races. When brain scans revealed swelling, six of the patients were treated with an intravenous solution containing high amounts of sodium--a water-depleting treatment that is directly the opposite of the low-sodium solutions that runners may receive if they are misdiagnosed, Ayus noted. The seventh patient, who was not diagnosed with brain swelling, later died; an autopsy revealed that there had indeed been fluid on the brain. Five of the patients were female, suggesting that women may be more prone to water intoxication and its effects on the brain and lungs. And, Ayus pointed out, all seven had a history of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--painkillers that include aspirin . These drugs can block the excretion of water from the body, he explained. Whether athletes other than marathoners experience this series of events is unclear, but Ayus said that it is possible. Runners who become breathless and nauseated after drinking large amounts of water during a race should go the hospital, he advised. There, he added, doctors should check blood sodium levels. "The natural response to these symptoms is to drink a lot of water," Ayus said. "And, yes, you can get into trouble if you don't get enough water. But too much water can also cause trouble." SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine 2000;132:711-714.
Water Intoxication
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Comment #7 posted by Nicholas Thimmesch on January 03, 2003 at 16:28:55 PT:
Check out...
....the chatter on this story on the conservative Free Republic: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/816507/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/816507/posts
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on January 03, 2003 at 15:28:41 PT
Keith Stroup exposes the grotesque 
prohibitionists for what they are."However, when taken at very high doses, **URINE** can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.
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Comment #5 posted by Prime on January 03, 2003 at 12:49:53 PT
Milk...
"However, when taken at very high doses, marijuana can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.This can be said about any substance."However, when taken at very high doses **Milk** can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.How about this one:"However, when taken at very high doses, **Water** can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.And my personal favorite:"However, when taken at very high doses, **Oxygen** can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.
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Comment #4 posted by knox42897 on January 03, 2003 at 08:35:24 PT:
Cannadis Jihad
Scott Burns, deputy director for state and local affairs for the White House Office of National Drug Control cited an "unidentified" study of a roadside check of "reckless" drivers "not" impaired by alcohol that "he" said found "45 percent tested positive for marijuana."Clearly, Burns job title is kinda cited, I wonder why he would use an "unidentified study"Burns also said marijuana is addictive and leads to the use of harder drugsBurns was unavailable for further comment on the story Thursday, or(Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday)No one in the media knows "where" to reach Mr. Burns for further comment as they are busy "investigating' something important.Smoking marijuana," Burns wrote, "leads to changes in the brain similar to those caused by the use of cocaine and heroin, and affects alertness, concentration, perception, coordination and reaction time (for future comment on this story)."
Someone could "agrue" Mr. Burns, deputy director for state and local affairs for the White House Office of National Drug Control has been smoking marijuana as his alertness, concentration, perception, cordination and reaction time are similar to those who are "unavailable" for comment on an "unidentified" "study". This war against marijuana smokers has become a "jihad". It's a "holy" war for these [Bush administration] fools. Truth is a first victim of war," incredibly disgusting example of government propaganda said Stroup Dan Also brooks,(I'm glad Mr Alsobrooks job title appears so that I can be an "informed" American citizen free from propaganda) in a letter on the National District Attorneys' Association website, called on prosecutors around the country to "heed" Burns' words and speak out more "forcefully" against legalizing marijuana and all drugs.
"Unless we speak out more forcefully," Alsobrooks wrote, "our communities continue to face an increasing onslaught of violence and death directly attributable to use of dangerous and poisonous drugs.(caused by scientific study that this is directly attibuted to overzealous police forcefully speaking about the dangerous and poisonous drugs. "Those who want to legalize(marijuana) drugs advance their position, issue by issue(medical marijuana), winning by incremental victories(go Cannada). We can and have stopped their efforts at the national(in America only) level but will lose(the drug war when) all the states yield individually," he said."That [marijuana use] doesn't have a G** D***** thing to do with their purpose for being in the emergency room                        SNIPPED
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Comment #3 posted by AlvinCool on January 03, 2003 at 08:25:25 PT
Imagine the money we could save
This is somewhat off topic but directly relates to the WOD. I hope everyone had the oportunity to see this article about the Finnish jail system. When you go to jail in Finland they work to make sure that you fit back into society, not become a career criminal.Keep in mind they had a jail system as bad or worse than ours.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n003/a05.html?1248
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Comment #2 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 03, 2003 at 08:16:18 PT:
The Herbal Trident
Cannabis prohibition is on truly thin ice at present due to three factors:1) Canada and other Western nations are rushing headlong away from repressive USA policies.2) Federal propaganda is increasingly strident and indefensible, and the public is beginning to realize it.3) The medical and scientific support for cannabis increases weekly. Americans will not let their family and friends suffer needlessly for the sake of obsolete ideology.The beast of prohibition is sorely wounded, and at its most dangerous now. It is time for the coup de grace. A merciful society demands it.
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Comment #1 posted by AlvinCool on January 03, 2003 at 08:11:04 PT
Glad to see this
I'm glad to see Mr. Stroup countering this propaganda. You simply have to admire the man."However, when taken at very high doses, marijuana can produce severe psychotic symptoms that can require medical treatment," the department stated in a report on marijuana on its website.Notice how the above statement says "can" require and doesn't say "has" required. How absurd.Has it already reached the point that if you talk to your doctor about cannabis you are contributing to statistics that will condem you by proxy? 
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