cannabisnews.com: Carey Defends Medical Marijuana Online Carey Defends Medical Marijuana Online Posted by CN Staff on November 01, 2007 at 21:51:18 PT By Sandy Cohen, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Los Angeles, CA -- Bob Barker famously closed each episode of "The Price Is Right" with a pitch to spay and neuter pets. His successor is taking a stand on a more controversial subject: marijuana.Drew Carey won't tout toking up on "Price," but he defends the use of medical marijuana in a video posted online Thursday on Reason.tv. "Smell that smell," the 49-year-old comedian says as he walks into a Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary. "That's the smell of freedom."The video is one of 20 Carey will host for the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit educational group whose ideas "some people call libertarian" and whose mission is to "advance freedom," said president David Nott.Carey offered to produce brief documentaries on topics ranging from traffic congestion to immigration for the foundation's Web site, Nott said."Drew Carey connects with regular people. ... He has a regular guy's look at things, and that's why this seems like a great thing," he said. "We're interested in freedom across the spectrum, and good journalism about these subjects is important in the world of ideas."It's Carey's everyman appeal that likely helped him land the coveted job as host of "The Price Is Right." But executives from CBS and Fremantle Media, which produces "Price," had no comment Thursday about Carey's extracurricular work.Carey also declined to comment Thursday, but he's not shy about his position on medical marijuana."I think it's clear by now that the federal government needs to reclassify marijuana," Carey says in the video. "People who need it should be able to get it _ safely and easily."Though medical marijuana might be controversial, media experts and fans of "The Price Is Right" said Carey's political punditry will have little, if any, effect on the stalwart show or the comedian's career."Twenty years ago, this would have been career suicide," said longtime celebrity publicist Michael Levine. "But in the early part of the 21st century, a guy like Drew Carey can come out with his position, and it will not injure him."Shawn Wells, a 32-year-old office worker from Taylorville, Ill., who has identified himself online as a "Price is Right" fan, said in a telephone interview that Carey's political self-expression is "not going to impact me whatsoever.""In this day and age, where everything is electronic, everybody knows everything about everyone," he said. "Twenty years ago, Drew Carey could have had the same views and nobody would have known or thought anything of it."Older "Price" viewers could be turned off by Carey's politics, Wells said, "but I don't think it will make a huge difference."Since Carey is so new to "Price," he's taking a risk speaking out on such a controversial topic, said Bonnie Diczhazy, who runs a "Price Is Right" fan site. People naturally connect him with the show, said Diczhazy, a 38-year-old artist from Cleveland.But his outspokenness could also earn him new fans."The younger generation could learn something," she said, adding that the medical-marijuana video "doesn't affect whether or not I watch the show at all.""'Price Is Right' is an icon in and of itself," she said. "I don't think (Carey's videos) would stop people from watching."Carey's mini-documentaries will appear every two weeks through the end of the year on Reason.tv, Nott said. Future topics include eminent domain, school choice and immigration.Meanwhile, "The Price Is Right" host will continue to close daily episodes with Barker's traditional spay-and-neuter refrain.On the Net:http://reason.tv/http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Sandy Cohen, The Associated PressPublished: November 1, 2007Copyright: 2007 Associated Press CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #24 posted by Hope on November 04, 2007 at 11:55:45 PT Truth I think she'd be alive, too, if she hadn't been deprived of the substance, the nourishment, that kept her able to keep on keeping on.Baby mammals will die if they don't have the natural endocannabinoids produced in their bodies and present in the first excretions of the mammary glands of their mothers at and immediately after their births, that make them want to live and nurse. If they are for one reason or another, lacking in that endocannabinoid, they may die. It's known commonly today as "Failure to thrive".Endocannabinoids are important and we will eventually realize more and more about their effect on humans and their minds and bodies. We need endocannabinoids. We all need them, but some more than others. We need food. We need nourishment. We need medicines. Our bodies don't produce internally all that humans need to live and thrive. We have to look for sources outside our bodies, most of the time, for that nourishment, that essence, to keep our bodies healthy and alive.I believe Robin/MBC was seriously natural body produced endocannabinoid deprived. Without supplements of natural endocannabinoids, from sources outside her natural body production, found only in, amazingly enough, the plant, cannabis, she had the adult version of severe "Failure to thrive". Depression? Suicidal depression?I believe we will know someday that problems like hers can and should be treated with cannabis, specific strains, just like the diabetic doesn't have to suffer and die because his body doesn't produce the best chemicals for his health. We allow them to pursue the help and get what they need to thrive or, at least, survive.What was done to Mai_Bong_City was exactly the same as a bunch of authoritarians making laws, and enforcing them, that would prevent diabetics from using insulin. Why aren't they screaming, "What if a child got a hold of that insulin?!!!" "What about the children?!!!" Same thing. They drove her to despair. They fenced her in and let her die as surely as if they'd shot her. She fought her "Failure to thrive" tendencies valiantly, for years and years. Prohibitionists made that struggle as difficult as they could for her. They made her despair.The prohibitionists thrived and got their "kicks" from making it as hard for Robin, and others like her, as possible. I am sure they experienced pleasure and satisfaction at making her, and others like her, as miserable as possible in the matter of obtaining and using cannabis. She was "porous" to misery... and they saw that they produced as much as possible for her and that she got and absorbed as much of it as possible. Ultimately, the misery and despair and hardship they created for her was more than she could bear or wanted to bear anymore.And cannabis...ah cannabis. It's not nearly as dangerous a "dope" as insulin. It can be amazing medicine for those who need it, like insulin. But unlike insulin, you can just use it for the fun of it, for relaxation, for stimulation, or to just feel better than you did without it. That, in itself, is absolutely amazing.It would be nice, too, if more people understood the original meaning of the word "Dope". I don't know how it came to be used as a slur at people other people didn't think had much sense. "Dope" was, and is, what held "the whole thing" together, in some situations. Dope was, and is, something that is applied and spread all over a delicate construction to make it stronger and more durable. A "Dope Bag" held all the paraphernalia and implements...tools...the things that made your gun work and keep it working. The implements and supplies in the "Dope Bag", made the gun a firearm. Without the "Dope Bag"...the gun was just a stick or a club.So, from my educated point of view, I can ask those who really are dopes, in the sense of being ignorant of the facts, "Why do you think they call it "Dope"?"Anyway...our friend is dead because she despaired of not having what held her together, what helped her overcome her weaknesses and made her stronger and more capable of surviving. Prohibition was her overwhelming despair. Those who constructed and supported it and created it are responsible for seeing to it that she was miserable...too miserable to live...so they are, in a very literal and real way...culpable for her death...her choice. A bad choice, I think, but they did help her choose it.On occasion they not only prohibited her having it...they actually stole her best medicine from her.Prohibitionists have actually physically killed many with real, visible, material weapons. Real, in your face...or head, back or stomach, weapons, that they bear and use in the name of enforcing their prohibitions, and still they have other weapons. Invisible weapons. Weapons that attack the spirit and soul of vulnerable individuals. Their hatred, their cruel and overbearing laws, their judgments that haven driven others to the act of suicide. The despair they poured over porous souls, like Robin's, was as much a killing device as any other weapon they've used on their victims.They, prohibitionists of any and every stripe, seem to have little or no natural conscience...so I'm not counting on them having an epiphany of conscience, and truth, and light, a sudden and clear understanding, and taking responsibility for, or having any regret, or acknowledging in any way, what they've done. Yes they are responsible, but will they ever "own" that responsibility? I don't think so. Most die-hard prohibitionists won't stop what they do, and do so well, all too well, without being forced to by society in general, and the power of better and stronger laws that will end their present reign of persecution, hatred, fear, terror and misery. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Truth on November 04, 2007 at 09:05:13 PT And there's this..... Robin. MBC, Every prohibitionist is at least partly responsible for the death of this fine lady. If she truly had freedom, if she had the liberty to make her own choice as to what went into her body she would still be living. Instead, death was the best option they gave her. Shame on the prohibitionist. Blood is on there hand. Surly it has to leave a least a few of the prohibitionist wondering why they go to such extremes to try and control other folks lives. Maybe a few of them will actully see the light. Not the evil darkness of cages for other humans but the shining light of helping others instead. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by whig on November 03, 2007 at 21:55:19 PT Hope In a past life, I was an electronic music promoter.I have no problem scheduling an event five years out and saying that we have certain goals to reach by then.So let's do it. :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by Hope on November 03, 2007 at 20:54:40 PT 2012 I think that's when the Mayan calender ended, so many people have jumped on that as the end of the world...the end of time. There are prophecies galore. Kind of like the Y2K bandwagon of prophecies.Actually the Mayans that created the calender where amazingly far reaching from the time they made it. They probably thought 2012 was enough for that particular calendar. At 2012, they probably had had enough of it and thought that somebody else, in the far future could work it out from there. How 'bout it, Mayan...is that right?Whig's theory is the best I've seen about it.I think we are going to see amazing steps forward, towards ending this nightmare of cannabis prohibition within the next few years, maybe even months. It would be a very pleasant surprise to see a few pols waking up and making some tentative moves towards the appearance of sanity, even before the next presidential election. Surely they hear that rumbling sound. It's everywhere. Newspapers. Television. Radio. Magazines. The Internet.It's the slowly rising and growing rumble of a dissatisfied and unhappy people and one of the things they are rumbling about, along with the Iraq war and 9-11, is the hideous amount of prosecution, incarceration, and tragedy that the War on Drugs has brought us. A lot of us have had enough of this over reaching, over bearing harsh and draconian nanny state business. They know they are going to have to make a move eventually...and they know it better be in the right direction...and the right direction is not towards even more over reaching nanny state life running government.Prohibition is not working, surprise, surprise...and the Prohibition of cannabis is the most utterly grievous and is hurting the most people and it's the prohibition that most people are ready to see end. Now.I'm no prophet, though. Never have been very good at foreseeing the future, or understanding hard headed, unreasonable, irrational fanatical authoritarians and cowards.But we're going to see the rumble grow louder within the next two years for sure. I'm not predicting, but I'm feeling fairly confident that the marijuana prohibition being ended part, will be a done deal by the mystical, mysterious year of 2012.Good grief! That's only four years away!:0) [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by FoM on November 03, 2007 at 20:22:28 PT whig I agree. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by whig on November 03, 2007 at 20:21:24 PT FoM I don't look at it as doing ourselves in, I view it as removing the power from those who would do us in. And we have limited time. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on November 03, 2007 at 19:55:41 PT whig The 2012 date was from watching shows on one of the Discovery Channels and that is where I came up with that date. I don't look at dates because no one knows when we will finally do ourselves in but we are moving right along in a bad direction. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by whig on November 03, 2007 at 19:47:19 PT FoM I think the prohibition of cannabis will end everywhere by the end of 2012. That's the end of some people's world, I guess. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on November 03, 2007 at 19:43:51 PT Hope It's been a long time for sure but I do have hope that we might see some change in the future. I think we will see more sympathy then we have seen in years in the next couple of years. That is what I focus on and that keeps me going. They say the world will end in 2012 so maybe it won't matter but we still need to try. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by whig on November 03, 2007 at 19:43:38 PT Hope Since I've been involved in this, it's moved pretty quick. I'm pleased that all of the Democratic candidates have promised to protect patients. We need them to go further and end this stupid and unconstitutional prohibition. I intend to keep putting this issue in their faces elsewhere in ways that I know they will see them. Then we shall see what they do about it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Hope on November 03, 2007 at 19:37:30 PT "wrong...and evil, and frightening" and Destructive. Hideously destructive. A lot more destructive to humanity, civilized society, individuals and families than any amount of drug use could ever be. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Hope on November 03, 2007 at 19:34:49 PT ten years online...true... and in some respects, it's flown by...look...it's gone!But it's been more like nearly forty years for me, and you, too, I'm sure, and many others, some longer that that, since I realized that this prohibition was wrong...and evil, and frightening and had to be changed. I thought it would take a while...but I'm really disappointed that my fellow brothers and sisters in humanity and fellow citizens of the United States are still persecuting and prosecuting people in the name of cannabis prohibition. I still fear for the future of the young people because of the militarized and sadistic and crude style of law enforcement that the War on Drugs and Marijuana has seemingly given birth to.But yes... the past ten years have seen amazing progress. I clearly remembered that gathering nine or ten articles a day from all over the United States was a big day over at the Media Awareness Project. Especially when there was anything that was actual discussion and Anti-Drug War, and not just propaganda and carrying on about how many drugs different law enforcement was snaring, what was the latest screamed about plague and epidemic drug,and how many people they were putting behind bars. I used to could easily read every article that was posted and keep up with it. That's changed. Now I have to pick and choose because there are so many. That's good.Yes, we have come a long way. It was fast...it's gone...but it's been slow, painfully slow, too.I was in a lip curling, nearly snarling, frustrating mood this afternoon...but I'm getting my natural "stiff upper lip" back under control now.It looked like time to have a real temper fit and throw in the towel. Thankfully...I'm past it...again...for the moment. This reforming stuff does require standing fast...and patiently... for a long time. Now is not the time to give up. Actually there is never a time to give up when you really are trying to do something that has to be done. Doing anything requires that you not give up until it's done. That's the way you get it done. The only way. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 03, 2007 at 19:06:48 PT Hope I think 10 years is a short time. Since Prop 215 we have made some progress. Before that nothing much was accomplished since some states lowered their penalties back in the 70s. 10 years is a long time but when you think of how long Cannabis has been banned it doesn't seem that long to me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Hope on November 03, 2007 at 18:46:25 PT Had to draw a picture... couldn't write the sound I made with the wry chuckle while chewing a sandwich. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Hope on November 03, 2007 at 18:45:05 PT "a really short time" :0) [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on November 03, 2007 at 16:02:55 PT JSM It's good to see you. I agree we can never give up. We've come too far in a really short time (about 10 years) to give up now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by JSM on November 03, 2007 at 15:24:06 PT Carey Hello, the war is over and cannabis won. Neither California nor the 10-12 other states that have some level of medical usage are going to retreat. So, the numbers of those who find real benefit from this miracle substance will only increase and, of course, as that progresses so do the odds of full legalization. Now, in the meantime there will continue to be needless causalities, but we are going to win. Just never never give up! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by John Tyler on November 02, 2007 at 20:35:23 PT way to go Drew I would have never thought of it, but it is certainly a pleasant surprise to hear about Drew Carey. This is a great endorsement. Keep up the good work. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 02, 2007 at 10:19:28 PT potpal I liked the article so I went and found a link to this new website to be launched soon.http://scoop08.com/ourscoop.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by potpal on November 02, 2007 at 10:13:08 PT Come on down Thanks Drew, for your good sense and compassion.There is hope...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7073664.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mayan on November 02, 2007 at 01:49:39 PT Misc. Sorry if ekim or someone else has posted this... Law Enforcement - Corrupting Influence Of Drug Prohibition - By Frosty Wooldridge: http://rense.com/general78/drug.htmAnd the fact that I'm not surprised by this is frightening in itself...GAO: Most Foreign Drug Makers Not Checked - Watchdog Says FDA Has Failed To Verify Safety Of Two-Thirds Of Foreign Manufacturers: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/01/health/main3439484.shtmlBut...but...I thought the FDA was there to protect us! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on November 02, 2007 at 01:46:38 PT That is very good! The juxtaposition of the stores..."the smell of freedom!"...the woman waiting for a dealer for over 2 hours in a drug store parking lot....fine upstanding Americans who happen to use medical marijuana...and a great tag line, too!Very nicely done.Thank You Drew Carey! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Hope on November 01, 2007 at 23:18:14 PT "That's the smell of freedom." I loved that line. Loved it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on November 01, 2007 at 22:59:30 PT Years ago Drew Carey said... he was a Libertarian, and that a Libertarian was a Republican who still smoked pot.Moon over Parma bring my bud to me tonight... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment