cannabisnews.com: Judge: County's Marijuana Suit Should Go To Trial Judge: County's Marijuana Suit Should Go To Trial Posted by CN Staff on June 10, 2006 at 08:28:27 PT By Gig Conaughton, Staff Writer Source: North County Times San Diego, CA -- San Diego County's controversial bid to overturn California's 10-year-old medical marijuana law appeared headed for trial after a Superior Court judge on Friday rejected the state's request to toss the county's arguments out.Judge William Nevitt upheld a tentative ruling he issued late Thursday rejecting the state's argument that San Diego County had no standing to file suit against the 1996 voter-approved "Compassionate Use Act" because the only controversy over the law was in the minds of county supervisors. County attorney Tom Bunton said after the hearing: "We're pleased with the ruling. It means that there's going to be a determination on the merits as to whether the medical marijuana laws are pre-empted (by federal law). We think that's good."San Diego County supervisors, who have collectively opposed the law since it was placed on the 1996 ballot, argue that the state's law should be "pre-empted" by the federal law, which says that all marijuana use is illegal and that the drug has no medicinal value.Levitt gave lawyers from the state and the San Diego chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws 10 days to file a response to his decision.The state and the group could appeal the decision, but Bunton said he expects Levitt would soon hold a conference to set a trial date.San Diego County supervisors angered local medical marijuana patients and marijuana advocacy groups in December by filing a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Compassionate Use Act, which allows the medical use of marijuana, and which was approved by more than 55 percent of voters statewide in 1996.County officials, and marijuana advocacy groups say the lawsuit is precedent-setting because it marks the first time a county has sued to overturn any of the medical marijuana laws approved by voters in 11 states.Nevitt's courtroom Friday was packed with interested members of the public, lawyers representing other counties and advocacy groups, medical marijuana patients themselves, and other interested parties.Levitt listened intently Friday to arguments regarding his tentative ruling before impassively deciding to uphold his initial decision and reject the state's "demurrer" ---- a legal motion to throw out the county's lawsuit before it got to trial.In addition to the county and state's lawyers, Levitt listened to arguments Friday from the County of San Bernardino, which followed San Diego's lead and filed its own medical marijuana challenge, and the San Diego National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law group.Jonathan Renner, the state's deputy attorney general, pushed the state's assertion that San Diego County supervisors simply disliked California's medical marijuana law, and that there was no legally tangible "controversy" that would allow the courts to entertain the lawsuit.He said the law had been in existence for 10 years, and that the county had not proved they were facing imminent harm and had no choice but to sue for help."Where's the harm?" Renner asked. "How is it imminent? These laws have been on the books for years."But Bunton argued that the state had prompted the county's action by demanding in 2003 that counties create identification card programs and registries for medical marijuana users. The county, he implied, could not take that action because the federal "Supremacy Clause" states that the Constitution and federal law should be "supreme" over state laws.Levitt agreed with Bunton's assertion that there was a real controversy, and hinted he was troubled by Renner's assertion that counties might "never" have a legal right to challenge the state's law.After Friday's hearing, La Mesa resident and medical marijuana user Rudy Reyes said he was not discouraged by Levitt's ruling.Reyes was burned over 75 percent of his body during the October 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County. He spent eight months recovering in the hospital, where a doctor suggested he might get relief from pain by using marijuana.Reyes said he saw the court challenge as a way to bring the plight of medical marijuana patients forward."We'll just let the judges do what the judges do," he said. "We don't always get what we want. But at least we've got a chance to defend ourselves."But Mark-Robert Bluemel, an attorney representing the San Diego chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the courts are not the place for the dispute over medical marijuana."Really, the voters have already decided," Bluemel said. "The law was changed 10 years ago."Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA)Author: Gig Conaughton, Staff Writer Published: June 9, 2006Copyright: 2006 North County TimesContact: letters nctimes.comWebsite: http://www.nctimes.comRelated Articles & Web Site:San Diego NORMLhttp://www.sdnorml.org/ State Asks Court To Toss SD County MMJ Suithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21678.shtmlMarijuana Advocates File Challenge To San Diego http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21513.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #44 posted by FoM on June 17, 2006 at 14:22:45 PT Related Article from SDCB: Pot Case a Go June 14, 2006San Diego County won a big victory last Friday in its attempt to overturn Prop. 215, the California law that allows sick people to use marijuana for medicinal purposes with a doctor’s recommendation. Though Prop. 215 was approved by voters 10 years ago, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors decided late last year to challenge the law after the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, threatened to sue the county for failing to implement a 2004 state law requiring I.D. cards to be issued to medical-marijuana patients. Supervisors argued that both Prop. 215 and the I.D.-card law are preempted by federal law, which prohibits any kind of marijuana use. Complete Article: http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=4475 [ Post Comment ] Comment #43 posted by FoM on June 13, 2006 at 13:48:12 PT Press Release from The Drug Policy Alliance DPA Vows to Protect Patients as San Diego Lawsuit Proceeds***Tuesday, June 13, 2006A judge on the San Diego County Superior Court gave the go-ahead to San Diego County's lawsuit against California's medical marijuana law last week. Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded with a pledge to take legal action. San Diego County filed suit in state court this February, with San Bernardino and Merced counties joining in, after all three counties refused to issue identification cards to medical marijuana patients as required by state law. The counties are arguing that California's ten-year-old medical marijuana law is unenforceable because it conflicts with federal law, which makes marijuana illegal. In last week's ruling, the judge declined to dismiss the case, but did not pass judgment on the merits of the county's arguments. DPA, ASA and ACLU have all pledged to defend patients and their doctors from this attack on the will of California voters. "Complying with the law is not optional," said DPA's Margaret Dooley. "It’s an obligation. Carrying out the laws enacted by the people of this state is one of the highest duties of any local government. San Diego, San Bernardino and Merced Counties have clearly reneged on that duty, and we plan to see them in court." This is San Diego County's second attempt to challenge California's medical marijuana law. The county originally filed a federal suit in January, but withdrew it after DPA, ASA and ACLU filed papers establishing that the county did not have standing to sue the state in federal court. http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/061306sd.cfm [ Post Comment ] Comment #42 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 12:44:08 PT Had Enough Yeah good old Heinz! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #41 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 12:42:08 PT Anticipation Yeah, me too, unfortunately. But at least it was Heinz 57, I believe.But still, these are the good ole days, right now.Shine on Your Brother, everybody. [ Post Comment ] Comment #40 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 12:31:47 PT Had Enough Great songs but now when I hear Anticipation I think of ketchup. [ Post Comment ] Comment #39 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 12:21:46 PT Carly, Cars, & Janis #38 “Sometimes I think these are the worst of times but then sometimes I think they are the best of times.”Carlyhttp://www.lyricsdepot.com/carly-simon/anticipation.htmlCarshttp://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/Good-Times-Roll-lyrics-The-Cars/98C58D7E0F821668482568A800226130and Janishttp://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/janis+joplin/cmon+baby+let+the+good+times+roll_20069860.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #38 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 11:51:35 PT Had Enough You did. Thank you. I was thinking about Country Joe and had a flood of memories hearing and seeing him on my Woodstock DVD. Sometimes I think these are the worst of times but then sometimes I think they are the best of times.CSNY are returning to Bethel, NY ( which means House of God ) Going back to Woodstock. I hope it starts something that grows.http://www.bethelwoodslive.org/event_081306.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #37 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 11:45:27 PT FoM 35 Glad you liked it. If I can make one person smile per day, I feel I have maybe accomplished something. [ Post Comment ] Comment #36 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 11:40:20 PT and I can hear Country Joe and the Fish warming up.http://www.countryjoe.com/http://www.countryjoe.com/cheer.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #35 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 11:37:12 PT Had Enough That's really good! [ Post Comment ] Comment #34 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 11:27:32 PT Grandmothers from Hell Grandmothers from Hell, with an attitude, on Harleys. With support from the Knights of Cannibis (KoC). [ Post Comment ] Comment #33 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 11:20:27 PT Toker00 If the draft would come back I can see lots of grandmothers marching in protests. They'd probably be called the Grandmothers from Hell. [ Post Comment ] Comment #32 posted by Toker00 on June 11, 2006 at 11:00:25 PT BUDSNAXZ I hear ya. Their recruiting adds hit right where most poor people live. Steady paycheck. Money for college. GI Bill. They try to make it sound all good. These young people are brave and willing to do anything to have and to make their dreams come true. They honestly believe they are doing TWO or more things when they join. They believe they are "serving" their "country", and they believe they are preparing for some sort of future. Very noble. It's just terrible when those same brave souls come home baring the burden of murder, death, and destruction, that few carry through their dreams because war has torn those dreams into so many pieces. Already we have Iraq war homeless. ALREADY.Hope, you are right about the damage done from consuming unnatural products. They truly do make us sick so they can sell us treatments. I have no doubt about that. Approving poisons and banning natural medicine has proven so profitable they CAN'T stop doing it. So there is only one solution to this. WE HAVE TO STOP THEM. (Thanks for the vote of confidence. :))My cousin was a musician in Ar. He always did Steppenwolf at outdoor rallies. Usually a biker would wind his way slowly through the crowd until he reached front and center of the stage, then he would slowly start going in a large circle until he had cleared the area of people, then he would do a tremendous wheelie to the song "Born to Be Wild." That just stirs up animal-ism in people. Exciting, but a bit intimidating, as well. PARTY!!!!FoM, the draft will cause people to gather, once again, and take the chances with civil disobedience they are not taking right now. I can't get you guys into the streets, but I'll bet a draft will. When they start TAKING our sons AND daughters, even the mildest of activists will become loud. It will be time once again for the People to TAKE BACK THEIR FREEDOM.Hope everyone has a great week. Peace and Love.Toke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #31 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 09:41:40 PT BUDSNAXZ I believe people sign up now for the money and wanting to get away from home and try to be self sufficient. They always make sure those in the Armed Services are well supplied with food, clothing, medical care and shelter and with no jobs for many young folks that sounds the only way out. That is so sad. [ Post Comment ] Comment #30 posted by BUDSNAXZ on June 11, 2006 at 09:31:14 PT Toker00 Unfortunately, Many of the kids in now just joined for the free college benefits and ended up being drug into this illegal mess. The percentage of folks reinlisting after their first 4 years is really low. The same for the National Guard folks, they got screwed over hard too.Peace all Mac [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 09:17:20 PT Dankhank Wow that must have been great. There was a biker with all kinds of patches on his leather jacket in line in front us to see the Wall. He had a shaved head and was big and tough looking and yet he looked so sad and intense as he looked at the Wall. [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by Dankhank on June 11, 2006 at 09:09:42 PT Bikes ... Heard Steppenwolf at a Harley-sponsored bike rally in OKC a few years ago, featuring the band at dusk.All those bikes roaring during "Born To Be Wild" was something to behold.I understand that John Kay and crew play Sturgis, too, what a spectacle that must be ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 09:00:14 PT Had Enough I can imagine the sound. I have only been on a motorcycle a few times. They terrified me. Horses didn't but I had a horse in my control. I love the sound of lots of motorcycles. The best man at our wedding is the president of a big motorcycle club back in PA. He collects motorcycles ( Harleys ) and he has a lot of them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 08:50:57 PT Rolling Thunder When the Wall arrived, all you could hear was Rolling Thunder. I wasn’t at the location at the time, but you could hear it coming. You could hear it for miles.What a sound. We have several events every year that brings bikes into town. The sound of hundreds of Harleys running at the same time is something you can’t really appreciate until you feel it bounce of your chest. [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by Dankhank on June 11, 2006 at 08:41:58 PT I'm humbled ... Hope, you honor me with your faith ...I'm speechless ...now THAT'S odd ... :-)Peace to all of you in here this Sunday morning ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 08:38:19 PT Had Enough I know that I fought back tears when we were just getting close and then I saw all the little American flags in a cemetery formation and all blowing in the breeze and pictures of soldiers on a big billboard. A big POW Missing in Action light sign. Watching people stencil names and oh so many names. My sister and nephew (Army Veteran) went with us. I couldn't stay as long as I wanted because my nephew has Muscular Dystrophy and is starting to have trouble walking. He's only 40. My other nephew also as MD but he couldn't go. He can barely walk anymore. I think that seeing Rolling Thunder escort of the Wall would have been something. All those motorcycles and the sound would have been unreal to hear and see. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 08:18:45 PT Finally Having a time here. I think I got it right this time. Zap # 20 with the delete key too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 08:15:17 PT Are You Experienced Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced If you can just get your,... mind togetherthen come onacross to meWe'll hold hands an' then we'llwatch the sun rise.....from the bottom of the seaButfirst***Are You Experienced?Ah! Have you everbeen experienced?Well, I have***I know, I knowyou'll probably scream n' cryThat your littleworld won't let go!But who in your measly littleworld are trying to prove thatYou're made out of goldand -a can't be sold***So-uh, Are YouExperienced?Ah! Have you ever been experienced?Well,I have***Ah, let me prove it to you,..........***Trumpets and violins like up here in the distanceI thinkthey're calling our namesMaybe now you can'thear them, but you will ha if you just, take hold of myhand***oh! But Are You Experienced?Have you everbeen experienced?***Not necessarily stoned, but beautifulhttp://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Jimi-Hendrix/Are-You-Experienced.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 08:11:07 PT FoM Delete #19, if you would like. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2006 at 08:06:36 PT The Wall Glad you got to experience the Wall. I saw it about 3 yrs ago. I had a lot of stuff to do that day. The only thing I did though, purchased a larger memory card for the camera, and spent the entire day there. It seemed like the thing to do. So I did it. I even went back the next day for about 2 hrs, as they were packing it up. A good friend was on the security staff, we cruised around for about 4 hrs in one of the large golf carts that you can haul about 6 people in, taking people back and forth from their cars to the area of the Wall. We heard very interesting conversations. Conversations usually differed from the people going in, and the people returning to their cars after getting experienced.I still remember that day, and how close, my name and many others, came to that list of names engraved in that Wall.That Wall and Experience will forever be etched in my mind.When I first saw it from a short distance, a feeling started setting in. The closer I got, the stronger it got. By the time I was next to the wall, it was the only thing I was thinking about, not all the stuff I had to get done. When I reached up and placed the palm of my hand against it, there was another wave of deep feelings just flowing. I observed and talked with others. FoM saw something that I saw too. Suits and ties, T-shirts and jeans, Bikers, Men, Women, all ages, young and old, poor and rich. People from all walks of life, gathering in one spot for a pause in our hectic ways of life, and getting a glimpse of a past reality, somber, humbled, and respecting one another.All the stuff that people leave at the Wall are gathered up and put in special storage. These items are not destroyed. I still have two of the advertising posters sitting next to my desk here. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 08:04:02 PT Toker00 The links from Organic Consumer say so much. I know in Europe that they won't even allow makeup made in the USA to be used. It has toxic substances that they want removed before they accept it. Our area just lost a chance at a good factory wanting to come into the area. Too many laws to protect our water so they are building it in West Virginia. The Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road aren't owned by Americans anymore. They worry about Muslims but we are selling everything to foreign investors. That worries me way more then fearing Muslims taking over the world. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 11, 2006 at 07:01:16 PT Toker00 I know what was so wrong with Vietnam was the draft. Those boys on the Wall most didn't want to be there. People volunteer for this war so far so it's hard to feel the exact same sympathy for them. Young people should know better with the age of the Internet. If the draft comes back unfortunately then they will understand. I can't rationalize why anyone would join the Armed Services knowing that this war from the beginning was an invasion of a country that never hurt anyone in the USA. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Hope on June 11, 2006 at 06:37:41 PT Government locking people up and persecuting people over consumption and possession of a plant has got to be right up there with the most insane acts of human history and government. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Hope on June 11, 2006 at 06:35:07 PT Toker I'd bet the corporations have a lot to do with why there is so much MS now and cancer and asthma and other peculiarities and possibly dangerous mutations in the gut and in the cells. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Hope on June 11, 2006 at 06:32:06 PT Coming here when we are worried or frightened or sick is the thing to do as far as I'm concerned.I've posted about hearing something strange or threatening when I'm alone at least twice over the years...and just the other evening.If it were possible, I would rather call Dankhank or Toker to come a running to help me or reassure me than a nosy, suspicious police officer any day.While this is a board with a serious topic...this place also feels like a "community" as FoM, has called it several times. And WestNYC...friends, and even cyber friends will listen for free when we are troubled and sometimes can offer as much help as a hundred and fifty dollar an hour therapists whose watching the clock closer than he's listening to you.We will glady listen and care, for free, because we are "Buds". That's what "Buds" do. They can make things a little bit easier, even if all we do is listen and care. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Hope on June 11, 2006 at 06:16:53 PT westnyc I'm so sorry. The highways are so unbelievably dangerous. The horror of things like you saw stays with a person forever. It just seems to me like if they can make a candy wrapper so tough that you can't open it without a knife or scissors, that they could make cars that could survive accidents, not catch fire, and I'm thinking about those damn second release seat belts. The ones that tighten on first collision and then release on the second one. I had a friend ejected from a rolling a truck because of those. Impact she felt the belts hold her, then second impact and they release her.We pay such a horrible high price for the convenience and speed of the highways and automobiles. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Toker00 on June 11, 2006 at 04:21:35 PT OT, but of interest EPA ADMINISTRATORS PRESSURE STAFF TO OVERLOOK TOXIC PESTICIDES Government scientists are blowing the whistle on the Environmental Protection Agency's attempts to allow the continued use of 20 hazardous organophosphate pesticides. Nine thousand EPA scientists have submitted a strongly worded letter to the EPA's Administrator, Stephen Johnson, protesting that "industry pressure" is compromising the "integrity of the science upon which agency decisions are based." Research indicates that these specific organophosphate pesticides, similar in composition to bio-warfare nerve gases, pose serious health threats, especially to babies in the womb, infants, and children, yet most of them are contained in common products used by the average consumer. EPA scientists complain that they are being forced to skip key risk assessment tests on these dangerous toxins due to pressure from the chemical industry. This rebellion inside the EPA comes on the heels of the agency's new controversial regulations that would allow the intentional dosing of pregnant women and children with pesticides. TAKE ACTION! http://organicconsumers.org/epa7.htm DONATE TO THE OCA Donate Now! http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm___________________________________ GENETICALLY ENGINEERED COTTON KILLING SHEEP AND GOATS In India's Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, government officials have ordered an investigation into the deaths of hundreds of sheep and goats who appear to have been poisoned by eating genetically engineered (GE) cotton. "They just became very dull and lifeless and died," said one shepherd, Pendala Venkatamma. Sheep and goats regularly graze on traditional cotton, but after 4-5 days of eating Monsanto's genetically engineered bT cotton, the animals'stomachs swelled, and they died. Although Monsanto denies its cotton could have this effect, government officials have launched a scientific investigation. "We have immediately alerted the animal husbandry department to give us the details of villages where this has happened and... their findings regarding this" said Poonam Malakondaiah, Agriculture Commissioner. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_646.cfm___________________________________ GERMAN COMPANY TAKING OVER U.S. DRINKING WATER SUPPLY As municipal water supplies across the U.S. are taken over by corporations, citizens who were once proponents of water privatization are stepping up to the tap to figure out if there's any way to take back control of their water. Freshwater, a resource that has been considered publicly owned for thousands of years, is now considered "blue gold," and as such, is quickly becoming a privately owned commodity. Some quick facts: -A German company, RWE, now owns the water in over 1,100 U.S. cities. -In Illinois alone, more than one million people now have their local water supply owned by that same German company. -15% of the U.S. business water supply is now privately owned... a figure that has more than tripled in the last decade. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_658.cfm___________________________________ DRIVING AWAY FROM CORN-BASED ETHANOL President Bush has made a surprising call to eliminate a two decade long tariff on ethanol produced from sugarcane in Brazil. Sugarcane produces eight times more energy per pound than corn, making U.S. corn-based ethanol appear to be irrational and inefficient. But according to Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, a biofuel trade organization, competition in the global marketplace will only create demands for U.S. farmers to generate biofuels more efficiently. A potential competitor to sugarcane ethanol is cellulosic ethanol, derived from switch grass and farm waste. "No threat. It's an opportunity," Shaw said. "We are in Iowa. All you see is cellulose." Meanwhile, Archer Daniels Midland, one of the most powerful corporate agribusiness lobbyists in Washington, continues to successfully push Congress to approve subsidizing the less efficient corn-based ethanol with billions of dollars of taxpayer money. Some studies have estimated that in order to replace all U.S. oil imports with domestically produced corn ethanol, as much as five times the entire area currently farmed for all crops in the U.S. would be needed. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_661.cfm___________________________________ QUICK RELATED TIDBITS * Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine, designed it to run on vegetable and seed oils like hemp. In fact, when the diesel engine was first introduced at the World's Fair in 1900, it ran on peanut oil. * Two decades later, Henry Ford was designing his Model Ts to run on ethanol made from hemp. He envisioned the entire mass-produced Model T automobile line would run on ethanol derived from crops grown in the U.S. * Even in the 1920s, the oil industry had massive lobbying power in Washington. Lobbyists convinced policymakers to create laws favoring petroleum based fuels while disgarding the ethanol option. * Nearly a century later, amidst oil wars in the Middle East, Global Warming, and a nearly depleted oil supply, the U.S. government is finally shifting attention to fuels that are more along the lines of Diesel and Ford's original ideas. * In an interview with the New York Times in 1925, Henry Ford said: "The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumac out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust -- almost anything. There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There's enough alcohol in one year's yield of an acre of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the fields for a hundred years."Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_666.cfm___________________________________ GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CORN PRODUCING HERBICIDES IN YOUR GUT? A widely cultivated variety of genetically engineered corn may be slowly poisoning American consumers. Dupont's Pioneer Liberty Link corn was bioengineered to withstand high levels of the toxic herbicide glufosinate. Enzymes in the plant actually break down the herbicide, making it less toxic to the plant, thereby allowing farmers to apply higher levels of herbicides to the plant and surrounding weeds. Scientists are now finding that enzymes in the human gut are likely "reactivating" the herbicide within our bodies. A recent study on rats found that 10% of the chemicals were reconverted back to the toxic herbicide within the digestive tract of the animal. Another study on goats found a full 30% of the herbicide was rebuilt in the gut. Glufosinate is known to cause nerve damage and is a likely endocrine disruptor. Scientists are also concerned that by reactivating the toxic chemical in the digestive tract, it is likely killing off beneficial bacteria necessary for healthy digestion. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_637.cfm___________________________________photo parody STUDY: CANADIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM BETTER THAN U.S. Harvard Medical School has released a study revealing that Canada's health care program is doing a better job of taking care of its citizens than the U.S. health care system... and at half the price. "Most of what we hear about the Canadian health care system is negative; in particular, the long waiting times for medical procedures," said Dr. Karen Lasser an instructor of medicine at Harvard who worked on the study. But the survey found the wait times weren't that different between the U.S. and Canada. What's more, twice as much money is spent on medical bills per person in the U.S. in comparison to Canada, yet Canadians are healthier and live two to three years longer. According to the survey results, "Canadians were 7 percent more likely to have a regular doctor and 19 percent less likely to have an unmet health need." U.S. respondents were almost twice as likely to go without a needed medicine due to cost. "Based on our findings, if I had to choose between the two systems for my patients, I would choose the Canadian system hands down," said Dr. Lasser. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_636.cfm___________________________________QUICK TIDBITS * 23% of U.S. consumers now buy organics at least weekly. * "Organic" has replaced the word "natural" as the mainstream food buzzword. * Asian Americans and Latino/Hispanic Americans are more likely to purchase organics than Caucasians. * African Americans are more likely to be what the Hartman Group calls "Core Organic Consumers," those most involved in the organics world. Source: Conagra consumer survey released last week ----------- A new study released in the journal Pediatrics shows that overly strict parenting can produce obese kids. "Children of authoritarian parents had five times the risk of being overweight compared to children of authoritative [a more diplomatic style] mothers," said Dr. Kyung Rhee, the study's lead author. Authoritarian parents are described as strict disciplinarians, Rhee said, while authoritative parents are more respectful of a child's opinions while maintaining boundaries. Children of permissive and neglectful parents were twice as likely to be overweight as children of authoritative mothers, they also found. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_684.cfmWage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Toker00 on June 11, 2006 at 03:36:48 PT I wonder what they will call the Iraq War Memorial We knew Vietnam was wrong. We made this memorial to remind us. To honor the dead soldiers, too, but mainly to remind ourselves how WRONG war is. If we let this war on Iraq go on, then we haven't learned a damn thing. To hell with Bush. He is not the DECIDER. WE are. Our friends are dieing for Bushco. Our brothers are dieing for Bushco. Our fathers are dieing for Bushco. Our mothers are dieing for Bushco. Our sisters are dieing for Bushco. I wore my Impeach Bush t-shirt to wallyworld yesterday. No one smiled at me. A couple of Aryans looked really pissed. I stared back, but no one would lock eyes with me for longer than a second. I WANTED someone to say something. Some people call that walking around with a chip on your shoulder hoping someone tries to knock it off. Well, that is exactly how I felt. Sometimes I get so frustrated with things I do something, even if it may be wrong. Bush has TWO more years in office, and can do a lot more harm to our nation. If he can't be impeached, he should at least be censored.westnyc, I sympathize with you. Hearing about a terrible accident is far different than Seeing one. Sorry you were a witness to that, but I'm glad you post here.Friends around the campfire and every body's high... Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 10, 2006 at 21:17:24 PT One More Comment We are watching a John Denver Special on our PBS channel and I went and found a video of Country Roads. I have only ever seen two musicians except when we worked a concert and one was John Denver and Neil Young was the other. I wanted the world to be like John Denver's music was.http://youtube.com/watch?v=YqFlI602Lbw&search=John%20Denver [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 10, 2006 at 20:40:52 PT Whig It accomplished absolutely nothing. I saw a man in a wheelchair and listened to them read names and watched candles being lit and sadness. Young and old together remembering someone or something. Someone played Amazing Grace on a fiddle. Bikers and people in suits. The line was very long. When we finally got thru we looked and the line was still just as long as dark was setting in. Why didn't we learn? [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by whig on June 10, 2006 at 20:29:51 PT Wall All of those people killed. What did it accomplish? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 10, 2006 at 20:20:24 PT Pictures We Took of The Wall http://gallery.marihemp.com/Just-Our-Life/June_10_2006_Vietnam_Memorial_005http://gallery.marihemp.com/Just-Our-Life/June_10_2006_Vietnam_Memorial_004http://gallery.marihemp.com/Just-Our-Life/June_10_2006_Vietnam_Memorial_003http://gallery.marihemp.com/Just-Our-Life/June_10_2006_Vietnam_Memorial_002http://gallery.marihemp.com/Just-Our-Life/June_10_2006_Vietnam_Memorial_001 [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by ekim on June 10, 2006 at 20:02:30 PT dam west i was on that road myself yesterday. going toward Holland. gee i don't know what to say. i just felt like i had to reply. those poor people. i hope you are given a little peace of mind. thank you for carring and posting here. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on June 10, 2006 at 19:48:33 PT westnyc I am so very sorry. That must have been terrible to see. I'm glad you are comfortably posting how you feel on CNews. I understand and I know others do too. We just returned from seeing the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. I had tears in my eyes and wasn't sure how I was going to make it past all the names of the dead soldiers. They had small American Flags all lined up in a field like a cemetery. I was angry more then anything. War isn't good for anything. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by whig on June 10, 2006 at 19:47:38 PT westnyc That's horrible. Are you OK?People are so sheltered here, all the death and violence seems like it's just a TV show, which is pretty much what it is as far as we can see it from our living rooms. We know that it's real and people are suffering and we don't want to think about that too much so we deaden our senses to it. Some people really think of this like it's a game and we win if we score more points than the other team. USA! USA!The media is so sanitized too, the only time they show a dead body is when they've framed the head of the guy they killed and want to show him as a trophy. Showing the bodies of the women and children, the grandmothers and the grandfathers, the lives destroyed, it does not happen. It would be considered disloyal, even. They won't even show the sealed coffins of the returning American soldiers, that's how much they are concealing.I don't want to see it, but the way not to see it isn't to pretend it isn't happening but to make it stop. To demand an end to war.Sorry for changing subjects on you, but it's how my mind goes when I read about your experience today. Everything is related to everything else anyhow.There are just two sides: war and peace. There is no America vs. Iraq, there is no Democrat vs. Republican, there is no North vs. South. There is war, and there is peace, and each of us choose which side we are on. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by westnyc on June 10, 2006 at 19:23:13 PT Off topic This post doesn’t really apply to anything cannabis; but, today I finished work and during my drive home on I-96 near Lansing, I saw a horrific car crash. I saw a white SUV rolling down the highway, end over end; and, a child flew-out the window and landed on the highway. The SUV caught on fire and the mother (I think) climbed out the rooftop screaming. I’m so upset; and, I can’t stop thinking about it. I have never actually seen anyone accidentally killed in front of my eyes, especially a child. I’m so disturbed right now; and, I don't know which image is worse - the child landing in the road or the mother screaming at the realization that her baby was dead. This is the only board I post-on; and, I just had to speak to somebody. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 10, 2006 at 14:50:45 PT Off Topic: New York Times F.D.A. Imposes Long-Delayed Rule to Require Tracking of Prescription Drugs *** June 10, 2006Long-delayed federal rules requiring most wholesalers to be able to track prescription drugs from factory floor to pharmacy door will finally take effect in December, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.The regulations, stemming from a 1988 law intended to combat counterfeiting by verifying a drug's pedigree, were originally drafted in 1999. But the F.D.A. had repeatedly put a stay on the rules because the drug industry said it lacked practical methods for tracking and tracing all of its products. Now, though, the agency said further delay of the "pedigree" rules as they are known was no longer justified because of the development of electronic tracking technology, particularly digital identification tags that can be scanned with radio waves.URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/business/10drug.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment