cannabisnews.com: Senator Huffs and Puffs Over Marijuana Bill 










  Senator Huffs and Puffs Over Marijuana Bill 

Posted by CN Staff on April 11, 2005 at 09:04:57 PT
By Joe Baker, Daily News Staff  
Source: Newport Daily News 

Rhode Island -- Watching the over-the-top display from one state senator during a legislative hearing last week made me feel like using a retort favored by my friends more than 20 years ago: "You don't have to be a jerk just because you know how." Of course, we didn't use the word "jerk" back then, but the meaning remains the same.
The hearing was on legislation that would allow the medical use of marijuana. Ten states already have a similar law, which would allow people with debilitating diseases to seek prescriptions for marijuana to control their symptoms. Even in relatively conservative, Republican Arizona, the bill was overwhelmingly approved in a voter referendum.Some could be forgiven for the knee-jerk reaction that the bill is a back-door attempt to legalize marijuana. But after reading restrictions included in the legislation and listening to testimony of those who experience the kind of pain healthy people couldn't even imagine, thoughtful people should be able to get beyond that.The first witness last Tuesday was a 42-year-old registered nurse with multiple sclerosis. The woman described her symptoms. She had never used marijuana, she said, but would if she could. After the woman answered a few questions posed by committee members, Sen. Leo R. Blais, R-Coventry, piped up.Rather than asking a question, Blais used his time to rail against the legislation as nothing more than an attempt to legalize pot. If it passed, he said, his voice rising in indignation, everyone who strained their back raking leaves would be getting marijuana prescriptions. There are plenty of prescriptive drugs out there to alleviate pain and other symptoms, said Blais, a pharmacist."This will continue to promote drug use in our kids and in our adults," Blais railed.When the bill's sponsor, Sen. Rhoda Perry, D-Providence, pointed out the safeguards in the bill aimed at preventing misuse, Blais sat there, hiding a grin behind a raised hand. Minutes later, Blais walked out of the hearing, having thrown his bomb. He never heard the testimony from three physicians, including the former head of the psychology and neuroscience department at Brown University, relating the scientific evidence supporting the use of marijuana to alleviate symptoms of people with serious diseases such as cancer, AIDS, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.Blais did not hear the testimony that, unlike many of the drugs Blais himself dispenses, marijuana does not have serious side effects and is not addictive.The evidence and personal experience did prompt one committee member to change his view on the issue. Sen. Michael J. Damiani, D-East Providence, a retired policeman, opposed the bill last year, but this year signed on as a co-sponsor. His conversion came after he saw several people close to him suffer from cancer."Anything I can do to make their lives easier ... seems like a good thing to do," Damiani said.It seems so logical. If marijuana could ease the vomiting and lack of appetite for a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, why not allow it? If, as described at the hearing, marijuana helps calm the violent tremors of MS patients, why deny them that relief? If marijuana can ease the pain and suffering of an end-game AIDS patient, what is the objection? Doctors prescribe and pharmacists provide far more serious drugs with potentially harmful side effects to control those symptoms now. And not one doctor came forward to detail any harmful effects marijuana might have on a patient.Would legalizing marijuana for medical use, as Blais claims, cause young people to lurch toward reefer madness? No more so than seeing their parent take prescription drugs to control their symptoms would push them toward drug abuse.One potential side effect, though, just might be compassion for people who are suffering. Source: Newport Daily News, The (RI)Author: Joe Baker, Daily News Staff Published: Monday, April 11, 2005Copyright: 2005 Newport Daily NewsContact: Editor NewportRI.comWebsite: http://www.newportdailynews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmDon't Treat Patients Using Marijuana as Criminalshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20485.shtmlLawmakers Rally Behind Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20468.shtmlR.I. House & Senate To Hear MMJ Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20390.shtml

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Comment #58 posted by FoM on April 12, 2005 at 19:37:21 PT
And They Worry About People Using Cannabis?
Labs in Global Flu Alert 13 April 2005 Thousands of scientists are being urged by global health authorities to destroy vials of a pandemic flu strain sent to labs in 18 countries as part of routine testing. The World Health Organisation said there was a slim, but real risk that the samples could spark a global flu epidemic. The vials of virus sent by a US company went to nearly 5,000 labs, mostly in the US. 
 
 
 
"The risk is relatively low that a lab worker will get sick, but a large number of labs got it and if someone does get infected the risk of severe illness is high. This virus has shown to be fully transmissible," said the WHO's influenza chief Klaus Stohr. It was not immediately clear why the 1957 pandemic strain, which killed between one million and four million people, was in the proficiency test kits routinely sent to labs. It was a decision that Mr Stohr described as "unwise" and "unfortunate." That particular bug was "an epidemic virus for many years," Mr Stohr said from the UN health agency's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. "The risk is low but things can go wrong as long as these samples are out there and there are some still out there." The 1957 strain has not been included in the flu vaccine since 1968, and anyone born after that date has no immunity to it.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/PA_NEWA24489531113346720A000?source=
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Comment #57 posted by John Tyler on April 12, 2005 at 19:11:01 PT
Feds lie about everything
It seems that the Feds lie about everything nowadays. We have known for years about the lies about the Drug War. Of course everyone know about the lies about the Iraq weapons of mass destruction. Then there were the fake news stories touting the “No child left behind” legislation, and the lies about the cost of the Medicaid prescription drug provision and finally a new propaganda web site about teen sexual activity that experts say is not based in reality and decry the fact that our government is not giving accurate information. It seems to me that the government doesn’t know what factual means anymore. 
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Comment #56 posted by global_warming on April 12, 2005 at 15:29:17 PT
The Big Drug War's Business Latest Bulliten
.."In part, this is due to their lack of understanding about today's marijuana," says Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "We hope these ads can educate parents that today's marijuana is different than the marijuana they knew as teenagers and prompt them to send a clear and consistent message that marijuana and other drug use is not acceptable." The ads, created by BBDO Worldwide in collaboration with the Partnership and ONDCP, incorporate data from the latest scientific research that demonstrates how marijuana harms teens' minds and bodies. For example:-
-- Kids who are regular marijuana users often have shortened attention spans, (I thought Ritalin was the current choice for this problem) decreased energy and ambition, (Hmmm..especially when it come to this current war in Iraq, and the lack of volunteers),lack of judgment,(I thought that Judgment was the Lords), high distractibility, (this has to do with the same old boredom and repetitious hash) and impaired ability to communicate and relate to others (Whom might these others be? The drug warriors and their stinking and rotten desire to sustain their comfortable lifestyles, on the backs of our civilian population, I don't think so, find some other way to live.This war on drugs, which is a war on people, this war on drugs which undermines the sacred American Constitution, has only delayed that moment, when all who can gain access to the mind opening benefits of this benign plant, will come forward and stand as witness, as judgment is administered, to those bottom feeders, who have for too long puffed up their chests, and hide behind some moral deformity, some poster child, that supports the most unchristian spirit.May God Have Mercy, on our wretched souls, for we have not fathomed Eternity, it is deep and unforgiving, it is complex and so very quiet, it is Forever.We are Americans, we are people, let us come together, and bare our fruits to this Eternal Night, let us bring forth the fruits of Love and Understanding, Forever and Ever.Peacegw
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Comment #55 posted by ekim on April 12, 2005 at 10:37:37 PT
Dr Grinspoon said the public has been "brainwashed
Using marijuana can lead to symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide. -- Regular marijuana use can lead to breathing problems and greater exposure to cancerous chemicals than from tobacco. In fact, one marijuana cigarette can deliver four times as much cancer-causing tar as one tobacco cigarettehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20448.shtml
"There has not been a single case of lung cancer or emphysema triggered by smoking marijuana found in medical literature," said Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School who has studied the effects of pot for almost 40 years. In his assessment, he said the public has been "brainwashed" on the effects of marijuana. Senators reviewing a criminalization bill were hesitant to agree.
http://www.minorml.org
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Comment #54 posted by schmeff on April 12, 2005 at 10:07:22 PT
Government Press Release (cont.)
"ONDCP (our need to demonize cannabis, particularly) research into state-of-the-art brainwashing techniques has been expensive. Therefore, we have no budget to produce media materials to warn teens of the dangers of methamphetamine and inhaling solvents.""We will actively pursue additional funding in the hopes that we can expand our research."
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Comment #53 posted by schmeff on April 12, 2005 at 09:33:01 PT
Government Press Release
The ONDCP (office to nurture and disseminate cannabis propaganda) has just completed the production of its latest ad campaign."We've done research with parents to determine what forms of propaganda are most easily swallowed, and are most effective in convincing parents to believe that which is not, in reality, true."
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Comment #52 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on April 12, 2005 at 09:26:31 PT
Blais sounds like a federal worker
Health insurance for the rich only, Health insurance corporations can no longer afford, Healthcare only the rich can afford, and prison for people who self medicate. All while watching non government jobs leaving the country.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on April 12, 2005 at 08:44:15 PT
Government Press Release
Hard Facts About Marijuana Grab Parents' Attention ONDCP Print Ads Arm Parents with Scientific DataWASHINGTON, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign today launches a new advertising campaign to provide scientific facts about marijuana risks and harms for parents of teens. Themed "Facts for Parents," the print ad campaign underscores the potency and carcinogenic content of marijuana and outlines short- and long-term consequences of marijuana use on adolescent brain development and learning. Starting today, the ads are running in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. During the course of the next four months, they will also appear in Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Time and Smithsonian magazines. "We've done research with parents to determine what motivates them to take an active stance about marijuana with their teens, and we discovered that many parents say they don't have the accurate information or compelling facts they need to address this issue," said John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "These ads give parents some hard facts that they can use to have informed conversations with their kids about the negative consequences of marijuana. When parents stay involved in their teens' lives and talk to them about the harms and risk of drugs such as marijuana, the teens are much less likely to use drugs." According to the 17th annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (the Partnership), the number of parents who report never talking with their child about drugs has doubled in the past six years, from 6 percent in 1998 to 12 percent in 2004. Fewer than one in three teens (approximately 30 percent) say they have learned a lot about the risks of drugs at home. "Recent research shows that today's parents are significantly less likely to be talking with their teens about drug use. In part, this is due to their lack of understanding about today's marijuana," says Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "We hope these ads can educate parents that today's marijuana is different than the marijuana they knew as teenagers and prompt them to send a clear and consistent message that marijuana and other drug use is not acceptable." The ads, created by BBDO Worldwide in collaboration with the Partnership and ONDCP, incorporate data from the latest scientific research that demonstrates how marijuana harms teens' minds and bodies. For example:-- Kids who are regular marijuana users often have shortened attention spans, decreased energy and ambition, lack of judgment, high distractibility, and impaired ability to communicate and relate to others -- a set of symptoms called "amotivational syndrome" by psychologists. -- Kids who regularly smoke marijuana often make risky decisions about driving or sex. -- Using marijuana can lead to symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide. -- Regular marijuana use can lead to breathing problems and greater exposure to cancerous chemicals than from tobacco. In fact, one marijuana cigarette can deliver four times as much cancer-causing tar as one tobacco cigarette. -- Marijuana today is more than twice as powerful on average as it was 20 years ago. It contains twice the concentration of THC, the chemical that affects the brain.More information about the effects of marijuana use and its signs and symptoms, as well as advice for parents on keeping kids drug-free, can be found on the Media Campaign Web site for parents at http://www.TheAntiDrug.com . Parents can also call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-788-2800 for free resources. In 1998, with the bipartisan support of Congress and the President, ONDCP created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, an effort designed to educate and empower youth to reject illicit drugs. Counting on an unprecedented blend of public and private partnerships, non-profit community service organizations, volunteerism, and youth-to-youth communications, the Campaign is designed to reach Americans of diverse backgrounds with effective anti-drug messages. For more information on the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, visit http://www.mediacampaign.org .SOURCE Office of National Drug Control Policyhttp://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-12-2005/0003386504&EDATE=
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on April 12, 2005 at 08:37:57 PT
Just a Note
So far I haven't found any news to post on the front page. I wonder if the silence means anything. Maybe we will hear something on Angel's case. I'm anxiously waiting and I know many here are too. I'll keep looking for news though. 
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Comment #49 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on April 12, 2005 at 07:43:21 PT
Blais wants to preserve his profits in his bus.
Blais is an owner of a pharmacy and surgical center and MMJ would hurt his profits. Check it out  http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Blais/Biography.html 
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on April 12, 2005 at 06:59:12 PT
unkat27 
Thanks for telling me how that happened in Rhode Island. It really rattles me when I see the blue north turning red. If the blue north turns red we will become a one major party country and that really scares me.
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on April 12, 2005 at 06:55:42 PT
gloovins 
Good Luck in Michigan! Thanks for letting us know. PS: It isn't at all off topic either!
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Comment #46 posted by goneposthole on April 12, 2005 at 06:05:18 PT
dunce cap for Mr. Blais
Ritalin: This Children's Drug Is More Potent Than CocaineYou need the right drug to promote drug use in children. Ritalin's the one!
read the writing on the wall
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Comment #45 posted by unkat27 on April 12, 2005 at 05:03:58 PT
Purple Mass
"I wonder how a republican got voted in the very Blue north. That's almost scary to me."Many republicans were voted in AFTER 9-11. In the Mass-state, Romney was elected Governor only because he was given a generous donation and lots of help from Bush, and because he promised raises to the state-police, more money for all police departments, and more man-power for the police. Fear-mongering after 9-11 had a lot to do with it. The pitiful result of having a Red governor in a Blue state is the fact that he manages to veto every major democratic bill that he and his Bush buddies don't like, despite over-whelming majority vote for it. Oh, and for anyone who hasn't heard, the so-called "Big Dig" in Boston, a billion dollar highway upgrade originally managed by Betchtel, has turned out to be a total tax-payer rip-off and its falling apart at the seams, was all done on Romney's watch. Anyone who doesn't see the coincidental collaboration there between the Betchtel Bushies and the repuglikin Romney needs to learn how to do simple arithmetic. Of course, Gov. Romney and his police-state has also ignored the fact that over 80 percent of the state population voted in favor of medical marijuana. Romney looks like a Vulture, although i wouldn't doubt that he may also be sucking a lot of blood at the same time.
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Comment #44 posted by mayan on April 12, 2005 at 04:30:21 PT
unrelated
Where There's Smoke, There's a Revisionist Musical - Talking Pot and Politics With the Creators of Reefer Madness: 
http://www.nerve.com/screeningroom/tv/reefermadness/Parents Now Have a Tool to Test Their Kids for Marijuana and Cigarette Use: 
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-11-2005/0003384021&EDATE=SAFER hosts rally:
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2005/04/12/news/news03.txt
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Comment #43 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 12, 2005 at 04:00:03 PT
Drugs Are Bad, mmkay.
I'm not talking about marijuana, I'm talking about the LEGAL ones. They cause stroke, heart failure, severe liver damage, and death! Legal drugs are being pulled from the market more frequently and class-action law suits are multiplying on a daily basis.Medical Science and FDA regulation are a complete and total FAILURE! There are more sick people today in America than ever before. More people with cancer, more people with heart disease, more people with diabetes, more people with arthritis, more people with MS, more people with altzimer's, and more, more, more. The drugs people are prescribed for these illnesses do not cure anyone and in fact they most often puts their very lives in danger.And still, our government under the guise of protecting us no less, allows theses FRAUDS to be perpetueated in the name of profit. At some point, you'd think the people would get FED UP, I just don't know what that point will be.Overwhelm Uncle Sam
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Comment #42 posted by gloovins on April 12, 2005 at 00:35:22 PT
sorry to draw you off-topic
That was rude of me sorry..:)Just wondering if you all have written Mich off so to speak in terms of legalizing Mj or MMJ or in'dstl hemp anyone? This Calif Prop has got legs though...hope it comes because I'm lover of both states.Okay stay well FoM n Taylor & everyone here ... family ties are the tightest!
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Comment #41 posted by gloovins on April 12, 2005 at 00:30:07 PT
The language for the lazy..not that any1here is!?;
Heres the language btw,AN AMENDMENT TO THE MICHIGAN CONSTITUTIONArticle 4, Section 55 Except as provided in this section, no law or regulation shall be enacted or enforced which restrains or abridges the right of any person who has reached the age of 21 years from the personal cultivation or possession of marijuana or marijuana products. A marijuana product is any product containing marijuana plant parts, described botanically as the genus cannabis.Industrial hemp is defined as marijuana plant parts or products containing less than a 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration and shall not be regulated by any governmental body or agency in Michigan, except that any law, ordinance, or regulation which applies generally to the possession, cultivation, manufacturing, processing, production, or sale of a product may be applied to the possession, cultivation, manufacturing, processing, production, or sale of industrial hemp.Marijuana may be provided to persons in Michigan under 21 years of age for treatment prescribed by a physician licensed in Michigan . If the person is under the age of 18, marijuana shall only be provided with the consent of such person’s parent or legal guardian.Any Michigan resident who has reached the age of 21 years may apply to the liquor control commission for a certificate to cultivate marijuana in Michigan for sale to authorized retailers and manufacturers within Michigan . The cost of such certificate shall not exceed $1,000.00 and may not be denied except for age or residency.Any Michigan resident who has reached the age of 21 years may apply to the liquor control commission for a certificate to manufacture marijuana products in Michigan from marijuana grown in Michigan for sale to authorized retailers within Michigan . The cost of such certificate shall not exceed $1,000.00 and may not be denied except for age or residency.Any retailer legally authorized to sell alcoholic beverages is authorized to sell marijuana grown in Michigan or marijuana products from marijuana grown and processedin Michigan to any person in Michigan who has reached the age of 21 years, during the hours so authorized to sell alcoholic beverages.No governmental body or agency of Michigan shall set prices on marijuana or marijuana products and total taxes shall not exceed thirty-five (35%) percent of retail prices. The liquor control commission shall require retailers of marijuana and marijuana products to have a copy of the growers’ and manufacturers’ certificates on hand and manufacturers of marijuana products to have a copy of the growers’ certificates on hand and to require all retail packaging of marijuana and marijuana products to include the appropriate Michigan certificate number(s).Nothing in this section shall limit the legislature or a political subdivision from prohibiting or regulating the cultivation, possession or use of marijuana on any land or in any building or other facility owned, rented or operated by Michigan , or any city, county, public college, university, community college, school district, or other political subdivision or governmental body or agency.Nothing in this section shall limit the power of the legislature or a political subdivisionfrom prohibiting a person from operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana or while impaired by marijuana, from smoking marijuana in a public place, or from being in a public place while visibly under the influence of marijuana.Nothing in this section shall limit the right of the owner of any property from prohibiting the cultivation or possession of marijuana or marijuana products on the owner’s property.
	 Rounded Rectangle: Eliminates state and local laws criminalizing possession or personal cultivation of cannabis by adults.Rounded Rectangle: Permits industrial hemp to compete in the marketplace and be treated like any other product. 0.3% THC is comparable to chocolate and is also the Canadian standard. Hemp makes great clothing, paper, wood products and is a tremendous potential source of energy.Rounded Rectangle: Permits medical marijuana to be provided to patients under 21 if prescribed by a physician. Rounded Rectangle: Permits Michigan residents to apply for State certificates to commercially cultivate cannabis or to manufacture products such as brownies. Rounded Rectangle: Permits Michigan retailers with a liquor license to sell Michigan cannabis products to adults. This is possible due to intrastate commerce.Rounded Rectangle: Limits taxes to 35%, the rate for alcohol; requires commercial growers, manufacturers and retailers to possess State certificates. Rounded Rectangle: Permits legislatures to prohibit cannabis on public land or facilities, such as prisons and universities.Rounded Rectangle: Permits legislatures to prohibit public consumption of cannabis, public intoxication or driving while impaired. Various sobriety tests are available including camcorders.Rounded Rectangle: Allows people to forbid cannabis on their property or in their home. 
http://win-the-war.com/petition.htm
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Comment #40 posted by gloovins on April 12, 2005 at 00:23:39 PT
Michigan's 2005 for 2006 Drive
can be found here just fyi all...Activism pays off! Because the truth sets US free and they are just working against the force of Mother Nature who always prevails against her foes because she's the ultimate power her & Father Time...both are on our side.Each day I believe a DEA agent/cop/narc converts to the side of sanity when it comes the Drug War.Long live the miracle plant...she's never hurt anyone who used responsibly.....
Mich's 2005 sig drive for 2006 ballot
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 22:06:45 PT
Taylor
I'm glad you like the Initiative. I don't understand Initiatives very well. I say let's just change the law and I'll be happy. I get very simplistic in my way of thinking. I guess I'm impatient and want to yell out! Well isn't it about time! I really appreciate Jack Herer. He's a treasure.
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Comment #38 posted by Taylor121 on April 11, 2005 at 21:40:59 PT
A beautiful intitative no doubt
it's just... it releases all marijuana offenders, including distributers. It will expung all their records. It gives too much ammunition to the prohibitionists to use, and if this doesn't have funding for a campaign...I love the way it's worded, and THIS is the type of bill that should be enacted in ALL 50 states including Texas (wouldn't that be something lol), but I think it is FAR FAR ahead of its time. From what I've gathered, the California effort is going to be local intiative that urge the state legislator to take action like the Oakland intiative in 04. I think this is a good cost saving strategy that the reform movement is doing.Although I would of course vote yes on this bill, I do not think it would pass given its broad language. It is a wonderfully written bill though that I'm sure most of us dream about.
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 21:39:42 PT
Thanks Taylor
Thanks for the update. 
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Comment #36 posted by Taylor121 on April 11, 2005 at 21:28:47 PT
That initiative is planned for 2008 now 
Update: the California Cannabis Health and Hemp Initiative is now being planned for the November 2008 election instead.California Cannabis Hemp and Health Initiative 2008http://www.youthfederation.com/From your original URL I followed it to here.
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Comment #35 posted by Taylor121 on April 11, 2005 at 21:25:20 PT
California Regulation Initiative?
I have not seen this yet. It seems like a very loosely worded bill, doubt it would pass to tell you the truth. Who who fund gathering the signatures and the campaign to pass such an intiative? I know the MPP has their hands full, and NORML certainly doesn't have the funding. 
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 21:05:04 PT
California Cannabis Hemp & Health Initiative 2006
http://www.jackherer.com/initiative.html
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 20:45:50 PT
ekim
I just caught the end of the part about fuel but I agree we will see the 70s return. There's nothing new under the sun it just comes around again. I've finally figured out why older people are looked at as wiser. It's because we've seen it before! LOL!
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 20:38:21 PT
Thanks ekim
I turned on Lou Dobbs!http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/
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Comment #31 posted by ekim on April 11, 2005 at 20:29:45 PT
Lou Dobbs CNN will be talking about getting offoil
frank gaffnay will be talking about ethanol and other renewable fuels. http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/cellulase_cost.html
http://www.ethanol-gec.org/fall2001/fall15.html
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 19:40:01 PT
ekim
Thanks! Nothing can continue to change at this pace without all kinds of problems. Independent truck drivers are nice people. When we were going coast to coast years ago we met people from all over the country. I'm glad we only did that for 2 years because we were away from home almost all the time. The longest we were out was over a month. Now he drives locally even though local is between 400 and 500 miles one way. 
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Comment #29 posted by John Tyler on April 11, 2005 at 19:34:42 PT
Blais
His unprofessional display is indicative of a conservative Republican who has turned to the “Dark Side”. Only loosing the next election will calm him down.
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Comment #28 posted by ekim on April 11, 2005 at 19:19:16 PT
 Dennis Kucinich starting his web site back up 
good going FoM example your friend.all that is needed for evil to flourish is for a few good wo/men to do nothing.
http://www.leap.cc/events/
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 19:15:42 PT

goneposthole
If the Independent Truckers protest expands my husband will shut down immediately. We are expecting it will come to a shutdown. He and other local drivers are really finding it hard to make any money now at all. It was hard before but it is almost not worth moving the truck with the prices for fuel like they are now. 
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Comment #26 posted by goneposthole on April 11, 2005 at 19:11:15 PT

try this link
http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/05_Money/050411.trucker.protest.html
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Comment #25 posted by goneposthole on April 11, 2005 at 19:08:11 PT

In Florida...
truckers have parked their rigs in the middle of the freeway. It's the beginning of chaos. There were 300 000 Iraqis protesting in Baghdad on Sunday. they have the right idea.They are just the beginning. It's time to take the queue from the Iraqis. There will be millions protesting on the streets in the cities and towns of this country. The Republicans are toast.In the year 2005, everything you think, do and say is in the pill that you took today.
protest
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 18:36:09 PT

mayan
I sure hope you are right. I try not to worry but I do worry. Did you know that Blackwell is running for Governor of Ohio? I said I wasn't going to vote again because I was so upset about Kerry not winning but I will vote at least one more time. 
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Comment #23 posted by mayan on April 11, 2005 at 18:03:58 PT

Immoral Minority
He never heard the testimony from three physicians, including the former head of the psychology and neuroscience department at Brown University, relating the scientific evidence supporting the use of marijuana to alleviate symptoms of people with serious diseases such as cancer, AIDS, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.It sounds like Blais doesn't want to know. He probably has a hard enough time sleeping at night as he knows full well that he is wrong.Don't worry, folks. Dinosaurs such as Sen. Leo R. Blais will only be a part of the ever shrinking prohibitionist minority from here on out! FoM, you are not alone. Bush has the worst approval ratings in history and the Republican controlled congress has even worse numbers. Imho, his poor numbers are still inflated by the corporate media. If they came out and said he only had a 20% approval rating it would destroy the entire Republican party! Even the masses are getting fed up so things don't look good for the GOP...Bush's Poll Position Is Worst on Record:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43180-2005Apr11.htmlTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Investigate 9/11 Warnings Cover-up - Working Assets Action Initiative:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20050409094920911Martial Law 9/11: Rise Of The Police State:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2005/080405martiallaw.htmUS 9/11 Complicity in Psychohistory:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=2005041114035711On 9/11 An Ill Wind Blew To Booker School:
http://rense.com/general63/wte.htm9/11 Conspiracy:
http://www.patriotsaints.com/News/911/Conspiracy/
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 16:20:05 PT

AOLBites
Thank you. I looked and my county was purple. That's a relief to know that I am not alone in my thoughts about this. 
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Comment #21 posted by AOLBites on April 11, 2005 at 16:02:05 PT

purple america
Election 2004 Results:http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/ [Purple america]http://homepage.mac.com/tcp/PurpleAmerica/ [hehe or grey =)]
Purple America
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Comment #20 posted by stoner spirit on April 11, 2005 at 15:52:48 PT:

Growth Hormones
Speaking of expensive drugs, do you know what growth hormones can do to you? I've had to take that crap from, when I was ten to fourteen years of age, and I couldn't sit still for five minutes, And I still cant today. It almost sounds like I have a weard version of A.D.H.D., and the only way to relax and calm down is to smoke some marijuana. I won't take anything else, because I don't want to die with in fifty years and after all of the chemicals and poisons that I've been enjesting.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on April 11, 2005 at 15:12:55 PT

"hiding a grin behind a raised hand"
I don't get it. What in the world could he have been grinning about?Grinning and "indignation", even misplaced indignation, don't seem to go together.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 14:56:32 PT

global_warming 
Do you mean that war from a long time ago? If that's what you mean I have never paid attention because it is over and I'm not a history buff. I'm a little slow when I am thrown a new curve but I think I got what you meant.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 14:47:11 PT

global_warming 
What do you mean gray? I have heard of purple as an in between state but not gray.
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Comment #16 posted by global_warming on April 11, 2005 at 14:44:43 PT

145 years later
Now it is Blue and Red, has the Gray been forgotten?That division's Ghosts, are like the Angels of the Lord, who come to take, to avenge, to make right.The fictions of the colors, hide you from me, can we look each other in the eye, can we raise our hand, with a blessing, for our children,for ourselves?Our forgotten anger, is the ground of our fruits, and our children, will inherit our deeds, with each blessed breath, may "we" carry the hand of justice and goodness, into this future.gw
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 14:23:28 PT

Blue North
I wonder how a Republican got voted in the very blue north. That's almost scary to me. 
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Comment #14 posted by unkat27 on April 11, 2005 at 14:20:06 PT

Blais is a Vampire
As a pharmacist, Leo Blais would probably lose money if marijuana was legalized, unless he found a way to capitalize on legal marijuana. But one thing for sure, as a pharmacist dispensing a thousand different expensive prescription drugs, while mj is illegal, he probably rakes in plenty of profit, enough to pay for his sportscar, his second home, his yaght, and alimony for his other wife. Guys like Blais have a genuine fear that if mj were legalized, they would lose profit and their playboy-style lives would be downgraded to a mediocre middle-class past-time. They also fear that they will NOT become the millionaires they aspire to become (if they aren't already there). Leo Blais doesn't give diddly squat about the poor suffering people who would benefit from legal marijuana. Leo Blais only cares about himself and his own fat bank account. Leo Blais is a Vampire.
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Comment #13 posted by global_warming on April 11, 2005 at 14:16:32 PT

Observe -The Newport Daily News
Here are some of what is available from this news source..http://www.newportdailynews.com/FROM THE STATEHOUSE COLUMN: Senator huffs and puffs over marijuana billhttp://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2005/04/11/news/news7.txt
--There are ways around roadblocksBy Joe Baker/Daily News staff
	
Imagine it's 2 a.m. and you're on the home stretch after a long drive from a family gathering in Connecticut. Just as you make the turn off Connell Highway onto West Main Road to head north, you're flagged down by a state trooper. After a few minutes, the trooper waves you on, convinced you haven't been drinking."http://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2005/04/04/news/news7.txt--3 Portsmouth cops suspended for taking gunsBy Joe Baker/Daily News staff
	
PORTSMOUTH - Three police officers have been suspended after they admitted taking a total of five confiscated guns from the Police Department's evidence room.Jeez, what else is missing?
http://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2005/04/04/news/news3.txt---Ruling expands smoking banBy Joe Baker/Daily News staff
	
Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. delivers his decision Thursday that temporarily eliminates most of the exemptions to the state's smoking ban..For at least the next 10 days, smokers will have to go to either Newport Grand or Lincoln Park if they want to light up inside a public facility...Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato ruled Thursday that exemptions for small bars in the state's workplace smoking ban were unconstitutional. The judge issued an order banning smoking in all workplaces, except for state's two gambling facilities, until he holds a hearing on the issue April 11, at which time he may decide whether to make the order permanent...The Neighborhood Pub Association, ..http://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2005/04/01/news/news1.txt..Officials debate merit, legality of checkpointsBy Joe Baker/Daily News staff
	
	 
	PROVIDENCE - Depending on whom you listen to, stopping cars randomly to look for drunken drivers either smacks of a police state or represents a useful tool to reduce alcohol-related fatalities on Rhode Island roads..The House Judiciary Committee heard both sides of that story Tuesday at a hearing on legislation that would ban what police call "sobriety checkpoints."The Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that the checkpoints are unconstitutional, but in December, Attorney General Patrick J. Lynch asked Gov. Donald L. Carcieri to request another court opinion on the issue. Carcieri has not done so.http://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2005/03/30/news/news4.txtSo much for Lynch, and his desire to continue the hangings.-----Maybe we all can find a prayer, for them Northerners, in Rhode Island for are they not testing that fabric, this cloth..and a special thank you to Joe Baker..gw
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Comment #12 posted by global_warming on April 11, 2005 at 13:00:46 PT

Blase
"Rather than asking a question, Blais used his time to rail against the legislation as nothing more than an attempt to legalize pot. If it passed, he said, his voice rising in indignation, everyone who strained their back raking leaves would be getting marijuana prescriptions. There are plenty of prescriptive drugs out there to alleviate pain and other symptoms, said Blais, a pharmacist.."This will continue to promote drug use in our kids and in our adults," Blais railed."While Blais was grinning he muttered something about his sales dropping, if people can grow their own medicine, this will destroy our drug industry, you can't have people using drugs that make them feel better, without paying me first.This shameful display and mockery of Blais is just another slap in the face of the good people of this USA, and adds further burden to the suffering.I believe, that people like him, actively cultivate a dark place in this worlds hell.Keep warm Sen. Leo R. Blais, R-Coventry, that line in your shifting sand, will crumble and you will for eternity, be a nurse and minister to those that are suffering.peacegw
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Comment #11 posted by freedom23 on April 11, 2005 at 12:46:38 PT

Leo's bio
Let's see, from his own web page it says:"As owner of the Pawtuxet Valley Prescription and Surgical Center in Coventry, RI, Senator Blais provides retail pharmacy, custom formulation services, and home infusion therapy."Maybe he's afraid that if MM is legalized he'll lose some of his business? I have to believe he supplies PCS (patient-controlled analgesia) equipment, supplies and service as part of his "home infusion therapy" business. That can cost a few hundred a day with service per patient. That might be a few grand a week to him.Also on the same page:"Over the course of his time as a State Senator he has championed the issue of quality of life for the disabled and chronically ill."Unless those disabled and chronically ill want to use a medication that is much, much safer than anything he peddles. It really looks more like he just doesn't want the competition. I wonder if his suppliers (aka "big pharma") had any influence of his comments or predicted negative vote?I also wonder if he's received any money from the LEO community.http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Blais/Biography.html
"Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 12:26:19 PT

Pity
I do pity them. I'm frustrated by the way the arrogance shows thru and they can't be happy living that way. You can have all the money in the world and be a very lonely and lost person.
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Comment #9 posted by dongenero on April 11, 2005 at 12:22:39 PT

the height of arrogance
That about sums up my opinion of this flavor of conservative republican.This horses *ss Blais' attitude is that he knows EVERYTHING and no one should disagree with his opinion, being the only one that matters of course. That he sits with a grin hidden behind his hand while taking such a non-compassionate position toward the desperate suffering of these people is disgusting in my opinion.Sadly, a number of people think exactly like this idiot, apparantly devoid of common decency and respect for others.It is hard to understand their point of view. I concur with an earlier post that all you can really do is pity them.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 11:16:12 PT

I Know What You Mean
Hope I agree that arrogance is often a way of covering an inferiority complex. I always think of the little dog that acts so mean while the big Rottweiler looks down at him and thinks what's your problem! LOL!
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on April 11, 2005 at 11:10:39 PT

arrogance
Sometimes I think it's a false sense of self-protection on the part of people who exhibit arrogance. They actually have a great fear of being made to fear inferior so they do to others before others get a chance to do to them…in their minds. If it's not a self-protecting form of delusion, it’s a form of pride and they are on their way down, sooner or later. So, in a sense, they are to be pitied.Go ahead and pity them. They hate it...but it's the best response. They need to put people down to feel good about themselves. They're standing on self-made pedestals that are brittle indeed.Arrogant people are insulting. They are basically saying, "You're stupid and you don't matter." But, the fact is, they're wrong and severely deluded as to their superiority.

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 10:52:25 PT

Thanks Hope
I really do try. It really seems that the Republicans have a superiority complex and that is hard to handle. No one person is better then another. We are all created equal and deserve to be heard and respected. That's the way a democracy should work in my opinion.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 11, 2005 at 10:44:18 PT

"in a world all my own", FoM
No, you're not. Block out and ignore any political arrogance you are aware of and try to see beyond it to the person. Refuse to be affected by it. It can only make you feel bad and won't change a thing.Rise above it. Don't let your loving nature be smothered by something as stupid as politics.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 10:27:11 PT

Correction
I read my first comment and it sounds like I'm upset with Republicans here on CNews. I meant Republicans in general not people that comment here. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 09:46:59 PT

Max Flowers 
I don't blow off steam on line but keep my frustration to myself as best as I can. I'm about at wits end with self righteous right wing people. Why do so many of them feel superior to those who don't believe in Republicans in general? 
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Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on April 11, 2005 at 09:39:50 PT

What kind of pharmacist is he?
This pompous jerk Blais is a pharmacist, yet doesn't realize that it doesn't matter whether one strains his/her back raking leaves or in a car accident---it's still an injury and that person deserves the same relief. It's the height of arrogance and non-compassion to say "this person deserves pain relief while this person over here has to just suck it up and deal with it," based on the cause of the pain or on the method of relief.He should get out of the pharmacist biz, as he is violating his Hippocratic oath and is a disgrace to his field.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 11, 2005 at 09:20:51 PT

What is Wrong With Republicans?
I know we have people here on CNews that are Republicans but I'm afraid they are driving me a little crazy with the way they are. I must be in a world all my own when it comes to my opinion about them. 
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