cannabisnews.com: U.S. Backs Off Medical Marijuana Policy
function share_this(num) {
tit=encodeURIComponent('U.S. Backs Off Medical Marijuana Policy');
url=encodeURIComponent('http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/25/thread25082.shtml');
site = new Array(5);
site[0]='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[1]='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[2]='http://digg.com/submit?topic=political_opinion&media=video&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[3]='http://reddit.com/submit?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[4]='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
window.open(site[num],'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=620,height=500');
return false;
}
U.S. Backs Off Medical Marijuana Policy
Posted by CN Staff on October 20, 2009 at 06:03:33 PT
By Josh Meyer, Reporting from Washington
Source: Los Angeles Times
Washington, D.C. -- The Obama administration on Monday told federal authorities not to arrest or prosecute medical marijuana users and suppliers who aren't violating local laws, paving the way for some states to allow dispensaries to provide the drug as relief for some maladies.The Justice Department's guidelines ended months of uncertainty over how far the Obama White House planned to go in reversing the Bush administration's position, which was that federal drug laws should be enforced even in states like California, with medical marijuana laws on the books.
The new guidelines tell prosecutors and federal drug agents they have more important things to do than to arrest people who are obeying state laws that allow some use or sale of medical marijuana."It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal," Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement.Advocates say marijuana helps relieve pain and nausea and stimulates appetite in patients suffering from cancer and some other diseases.The guidelines clarify what some critics had said was an ambiguous position by the Obama administration, especially in California, where authorities raided numerous clinics and made arrests over the years. Some of those raids followed Obama's inauguration in January, after, as a presidential candidate, he had pledged to stop them. Holder had telegraphed the change in March. On Monday, he said the guidelines were adopted, in part, because federal agencies must reserve their limited resources for urgent needs. One priority is countering the violent Mexican drug cartels, which use vast profits from their U.S. marijuana sales to support other criminal activities, the guidelines say.The Justice Department will continue to prosecute people whose claims of compliance with state and local law conceal operations that are "inconsistent" with the terms, conditions or purposes of those laws, according to Holder and Deputy Atty. Gen. David Ogden.The guidelines urge authorities to pursue cases involving violence, illegal use of firearms, selling marijuana to minors, excessive financial gains and ties to criminal enterprises.The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups welcomed the decision as an important step toward a comprehensive national policy on medical marijuana that will allow states to implement their laws without fear of federal interference.But many law enforcement advocates, some conservative groups and members of Congress criticized it.In all, 14 states have medical marijuana laws. But some, such as New Mexico, Rhode Island and Michigan, have been reluctant to create programs lest they be struck down by courts or shut down by federal authorities, said Graham Boyd, director of the ACLU's California-based Drug Law Reform Project.Boyd said he hoped the new policy would spur local governments with well-established medical marijuana programs to weed out fly-by-night dispensaries that are in it for the huge potential profits. "The big news outside of California is that this will get the states off the dime," Boyd said.In California, he said, it would "clarify the line between what is legal and illegal and reduce some of the chaos that exists, and that's a good thing."But opponents warned of consequences."By directing federal law enforcement officers to ignore federal drug laws, the administration is tacitly condoning the use of marijuana in the U.S.," said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.He said the decision undermined the administration's plan to attack the Mexican drug cartels, which he said were growing marijuana in U.S. national parks and fueling drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.Other states that allow marijuana for medical purposes are Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.California is unusual in allowing dispensaries to sell marijuana and advertise their services.In Los Angeles, however, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said last week that he would continue to prosecute dispensaries for over-the-counter sales.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Josh Meyer, Reporting from WashingtonPublished: October 20, 2009Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/69ufSQgiCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #72 posted by schmeff on October 21, 2009 at 13:03:00 PT
Comment #65
You can't insult what you don't have. LOL
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #71 posted by Hope on October 21, 2009 at 07:26:23 PT
Paint with Light
Good to hear you have a handle on it all.I understand about that weather business. It's been that way here. The rainiest, dreariest summer... and so far fall, that I ever remember.The dark days had me going around thinking... "Oh the days...dark and drear".But we have had two or three days of sunshine recently... and they were wonderful. 'Dark and drear' again today.But I'm still riding the high of those couple of days of light. They were lovely.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #70 posted by Hope on October 21, 2009 at 06:41:01 PT
Lol!
The cat...The serenity, the dreads, the hat!I love it.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #69 posted by Hope on October 21, 2009 at 06:39:18 PT
Lol!
Oh my gosh!I love the cat!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #68 posted by firedog on October 21, 2009 at 02:23:55 PT:
Update on the Happyweed! game (now Happycat!)
So... I'm not sure where to say this, so I'm just putting it here, despite being off-topic. I apologize for that.A few weeks ago, I posted a comment describing my new iPhone game, Happyweed! I wasn't sure exactly what Apple would do when presented with a game with this *kind* of content:http://skyhighgames.net/happyweed.htmlSo, what happened is that someone from the iPhone group at Apple called me about the game and said that the content was an issue. I have no idea why they would say this ;) because, of course, there is such a wide array of marijuana-related music and video content available on iTunes. Why would they treat my game any differently from music or video downloads? But all the guy at the other end of the line would say was "I can't comment on the policies of other parts of the company, but we can't move forward with a game based on marijuana" and in such a way that it was very clear that there was no point in my saying anything else.I thought this outcome was somewhat (60-70%?) likely, given Apple's recent Big Brother-like behavior, so I had Plan B already underway. Plan B, of course, being Happycat! Check it out:http://skyhighgames.net/happycat.htmlI submitted Happycat! at the beginning of October. It took 12 days to get any kind of feedback, but this time it was an issue related to the keywords I had chosen to be tied to the game. Including "420" and "rastafarian"... but, nothing about the game content itself this time. No phone calls. So with any luck, Happycat! will be out in the next week. We'll see... I'll keep you up to date.Also, I now have an Android phone to test on, so maybe the original version of the game will make it out on that platform sometime soon. It all depends on the duties my various day and night jobs require of me. And also the new game that I recently started writing... that will also take a slice out of my life, but at least there's no "controversial" content there. As well as rock climbing, since my body needs maintenance and challenge in the physical plane. As well as my family. Because my daughter is as intense as I am, and getting more so by the day.Hope everyone is doing well.
Happycat! Screenshots
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #67 posted by Paint with light on October 21, 2009 at 00:17:03 PT
Comment 65
I came over to post a link to that article.I was amazed at how the author tried to uphold such basic myths as the gateway theory.Granny needs to send him her list.Observer could spend two hours with his analysis.I notice RevRay in the comments. Go Rev.......subject change.......I understand what several of you are going through.I have always been able to make a living selling my photographs at art shows.This year the weather has been my biggest problem.Rain....Rain....Mud....Storms.....100 degree heat....and last weekend.....Deep, deep mud and 50 degree weather.If some new attempts at marketing and offering classes through the local parks and recreation department don't work out, I may be having to join the swelling ranks of job seekers.Still....I am so lucky.I have had a good life.I still have my health.People still want to buy my work, when they can get to it.I never run out of ideas for new work.I can afford a wood heater and next year's taxes on my house and business.I have an old band mate that will give me free firewood.And......there is a new feeling in the air.Cannabis is finally being looked at in a new light by a majority of the people.Obama has the potential to be a great president, and at least he is not George Bush.Critical mass has been met and it is only a matter of time till we will see cannabis legal like alcohol, or tomatoes, or somewhere in between .Today I received one of those calls from the Benevolent Policeman's Whatever Association wanting me to donate to help with drug programs and bullet proof vests.I immediately said, "I believe we ought to legalize cannabis."After a long pause.....he said, "You are the first person who has ever said that and I agree with you completely."We then had a fifteen minute conversion about how messed up it is to punish cannabis users and how at the least cannabis should be treated equal with alcohol and mot be a crime.My thanks to all of the rest of you who have taken on this struggle.We will change the world.....one closed mind at a time.Legal like alcohol.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #66 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 20:54:51 PT
One in 25 Globally Using Cannabis - Study
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n945/a01.html?397
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #65 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 16:35:13 PT
Medical Marijuana Is An Insult To Our Intelligence
By Charles Lane October 20, 2009URL: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/10/medical_marijuana_is_an_insult.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #64 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 16:23:41 PT
NPR: Not Everyone Is High On Medical Marijuana
Audio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113977020
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #63 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 16:10:50 PT
Hope
I really believed when he announced he was going to run for President on that cold winter day and so many people showed up that he had to win if we wanted to see any change in drug policy at all. I knew with Clinton running he was a long shot but I followed almost every town hall meeting that was available on line and listened closely to what he had to say. He was the last hope I had for ever having a decent President and I am so happy he won and by such a large margin.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #62 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 15:10:47 PT
Vincent and FoM
I was hoping!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #61 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 15:05:44 PT
Congressman Maurice Hinchey
Thank you so much, Sir, for your heroic and valiant efforts in this struggle.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #60 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 14:54:01 PT
Vincent
I knew I did too!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #59 posted by Vincent on October 20, 2009 at 14:44:59 PT:
The Presdent's decision
I knew that I made the right choice in November 2008!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #58 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 14:39:05 PT
Hinchey Statement on Obama's MMJ Policy
Hinchey Statement on Obama Administration's New Medical Marijuana PolicyTuesday, October 20, 2009Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) directive to agency lawyers not to prosecute individuals who use or prescribe medical marijuana in states that have legalized the drug for that purpose. Hinchey has long led the effort in Congress to mandate such a policy, offering an amendment in the House to the DOJ spending bill that would prohibit the DOJ from using any of its funds to prosecute individuals who use medical marijuana in compliance with state law. With some uncertainty earlier this year surrounding the Obama administration's policy on medical marijuana, Hinchey secured House approval of a provision he authored that requires the DOJ to report the administration's position in writing to Congress within 60 days of the bill's enactment. "Today, common sense won out over ideological stubbornness as our nation's law enforcement agency formally adopted a new and well-balanced policy on medical marijuana use. Across the country, individual states have enacted laws that allow individuals who are sick and suffering to use medical marijuana with a doctor's prescription only to have DOJ officials arrest and prosecute them anyway. This was a policy that was misguided and wrong from the start and I'm very pleased that the Obama administration's Justice Department, under the leadership of Attorney General Holder, has put an end to it. "It is unconscionable that the federal government had previously sought to not only deny, but arrest and prosecute medical marijuana patients who are using the drug in accordance with state law to relieve pain and nausea associated with debilitating illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Today, those patients no longer have to worry that the medicine they've been legally using in their states will result in them being thrown in jail. Our Justice Department will now let these patients use medical marijuana in accordance with state law and federal prosecutors will instead focus their attention on more pressing legal matters that warrant their time and attention." http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2591144/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #57 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 14:00:26 PT
53
I can think of several people that could do really well at that job.Steve, HD, comes to mind.Jerry comes to mind. A bold, decent man that has become a symbol of extreme prohibitionist hatred.Hmmm.It's not like we, and they, and just about anyone that knows anything about what's been going on, don't know who these dedicated herbalist/plant masters/horticultural scientists/geniuses are. Steve, HD is to cannabis as was George Washington Carver to the humble peanut. So many brave people, horticulturalists, agriculturists, doctors, judges even, have so stood right out in the glaring light of day for so long. Somebody contact them and make them an offer. Is it so hard to figure out how to use a phone? Send an official e-mail or snail-mail?Hypocrites that hide and scheme about punishing the darkness they perceive in other people's hearts, can't, quite literally, see the dang "log in their own eye", all the while trying blindly to extricate a tiny "splinter" from another's eye".They, prohibitionists, and rabid punishers of all sorts, certainly highlight the wisdom behind that parable.And when somebody's thrashing around trying to do some ill conceived, dangerously armed, fanatical crusade with a log in their eye, and a lot of money in their pocket, sometimes, they are dangerous to those around them.They're listening to their "Devils", their worst nature, whispering hateful things in their ears. It won't let them see that log.Watch out. They're coming around again. Swinging that deadly "Log".
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #56 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 13:47:41 PT
The GCW
Thanks for the poll. I voted.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #55 posted by The GCW on October 20, 2009 at 13:40:48 PT
POLL - also:
Only Breck voters can, but...-0-Breckenridge voters: How will you vote on the marijuana decriminalization question?
I'll vote for it
I'll vote against
Not sure yet
Not registered/not voting http://www.summitdaily.com/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #54 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 13:40:01 PT
Sadly, lots of us can imagine that.
"One can't imagine "what" it feels-like to realize that you may have to take your elderly animals to the pound.....that is the hardest for me."I'm sorry. But be thankful that that's the hardest.Burying children and grandchildren and neighbor children is even worse.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #53 posted by The GCW on October 20, 2009 at 13:37:22 PT
JOB OPENING / Help Wanted
US CO: Westword looking to hire marijuana critic
Webpage: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20091020/NEWS/910209999/1078&ParentProfile=1055Pubdate: 20 Oct 2009Source: Summit Daily News (CO)DENVER — The store has a television lounge and a pool table, and snacks and acupuncture are free for customers who drop up to $130 an ounce on 16 varieties of marijuana. But a reviewer of the business warns the decor looks a little cliche, what with the Grateful Dead posters on the wall and the Mexican-blanket tablecloths.The medical marijuana review business is booming as states like Colorado and California have seen an explosion in the number of pot shops.A Denver alternative newspaper recently posted an ad for what some consider the sweetest job in journalism — a reviewer of the state's marijuana dispensaries and their products.Medical marijuana users can also look to dozens of review Web sites, even mainstream rating sites such as Yelp or Citysearch, to find their high. At least five iPhone applications allow weed fans to find the closest place to legally buy bud in the 14 states that allow some sort of medical marijuana.The Denver paper, Westword, has already has gotten more than 120 applicants, many of them offering to do the reviews for free. When the newspaper settles on a permanent critic for its new "Mile Highs and Lows" column, industry watchers say, it will be the first professional newspaper critic of medical marijuana in the country.Cont.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #52 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 13:19:49 PT
Christian Scientists
No thanks, I'll stick with "heathen" scientists like Carl Saganwhy can't CSC stick to bitching about gay marriage like the baptists and evangelicals?I love this line:"No one wants to deny compassion for the sick, but Americans need to be aware of the larger context in this debate."No one wants to deny compassion, except us of course. Cruel f'ers.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #51 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 12:29:08 PT
westnyc
I am a believer that we have no right to ever judge another person. No one gets thru this life without problems. I remember seeing a documentary on the Depression and this one man said that they were in the middle class until the depression and his family lost everything. He realized that almost everyone had lost something and that we all are in this together. We should never measure success by what we have but by how we are towards others in my opinion.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #50 posted by westnyc on October 20, 2009 at 12:21:32 PT
:-)
Thank you FOM and Hope! I sometimes feel badly about myself--and, there are times when I need someone to tell me they understand and that it will all be "ok!" Truly, I needed to hear that from someone! Sometimes, it is easy to forget that we live in a place where kindness and non-judgement exists....instead of the societal reprimands of, "You were irresponsible"....but kindness, indeed, does exist....and I thank you! One can't imagine "what" it feels-like to realize that you may have to take your elderly animals to the pound.....that is the hardest for me.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #49 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 12:19:43 PT
Wow
US News and World Report(Money section)http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/10/19/marijuana-and-state-budgets-now-what.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #48 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 12:14:16 PT
Lol!
"You can never feel happy when you let other people and their potsmoking drive you crazy." You are very wise, Grandfather!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #47 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 12:12:07 PT
Sam Adams Comment 44
You're right.You tried to love, or care about others, even them, enough to bother to try to understand, if possible, in some way. Looks like you did a good job, to me.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #46 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 12:08:15 PT
Christian Scientists.
Brrrrr.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #45 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 12:05:51 PT
hero of compassion
“I hope this makes more patients ask their providers about marijuana,” said Abrams, who added that today he will be leading grand rounds entitled “Marijuana: Is it Medicine Yet?”"Yikes, Big Pharma won't like the sound of that!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #44 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 12:04:01 PT
prohibitionists
Hope, that sounds like a great attitude. I don't hate these people, I don't want anything bad to happen to them. I feel like they're just mistaken about things - about life. About how to live life to get the most out of it. Pity is what I feel more than anything else. We can all love them; it's not hard to love a pathetic little creature than needs help. desperately needs help! You can never feel happy when you let other people and their potsmoking drive you crazy. You have to learn early to not let other people bother you, clearly these people never learned that lesson even though they're getting old now.And how can you expect to feel happy when you earn your living off other peoples' misery like Grub/Barthwell? You'll never be happy, more likely to have a nervous breakdown as you get older.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #43 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 12:02:32 PT
Wow
From the Wall Street Journal"“Our old Drug Enforcement Agency people thought it was a Cheech and Chong thing,” said Donald Abrams, the chief of oncology at San Francisco General Hospital, referring to the comedy team of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong that made drug use a central part of their act in the late 1970s. “I see patients who have loss of appetite, nausea from chemotherapy, pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and I know I have one medicine I can recommend that takes care of all these symptoms.“I hope this makes more patients ask their providers about marijuana,” said Abrams, who added that today he will be leading grand rounds entitled “Marijuana: Is it Medicine Yet?”"Thank you so much, Dr. Abrams.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #42 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 12:01:58 PT
A Federal Misstep With Medical Marijuana?
A CSM EditorialOctober 20, 2009URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1020/p08s01-comv.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #41 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:55:53 PT
Calvina
Reminds me of the "Love Project" Afterburner and I engaged in several years ago.Calvina appeared to be a harder choice to focus on than even Souder or Barthewell.Not that our focus on Souder and Barthewell yielded anything positive. The people we chose from to focus prayer and love on, a specific prohibitionist, are all dangerous and hate filled ... but Calvina has let it be known for many years now that she is one of the most dangerous ones. A hired gun of great prowess. She does her job with feeling. Politicians feared her and trembled at the thought of displeasing her.Stewing in all those bitter juices all those years didn't kill her. It made her tough and mean.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #40 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:41:26 PT
Dongenero comment 32
Fey is so right.She's a scary woman. She "Rules" by intimidation and threats that she does not hesitate to back up. Fiercely. Bitterly. Harshly.Sam Adams is right. If she doesn't face up and fess up, humbly... Straight Jacket City.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #39 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:34:32 PT
Vent on, Westnyc.
We hear you.Knowing someone just hears you, even, is a good thing.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #38 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 11:34:12 PT
westnyc
I am so glad you posted. I was telling my husband today I was worried about you since I knew you were having problems. You sound like you are doing ok. Good for you! You are not alone and I hope that gives you comfort. We all are in this together.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #37 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:30:48 PT
Calvina?
Well that's sad. It sounds like she might be headed for Straight Jacket City.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #36 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:24:58 PT
Comment 26
Wow. Just ... Wow.I'm pretty much amazed and speechless.I guess when millions of people and the mainstream media grabs on to a "sparkly thing" they, the massive, wallowing bureaucracy that is our government, throw out to us ... they, the slow pokes, that flung it out there, in an effort to appease the masses, or perhaps really, a tiny step in the direction of sanity, may have a fight on their hands. They probably expected only a few to notice, like us, and very little media attention.Wow.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #35 posted by westnyc on October 20, 2009 at 11:23:10 PT
Me too!
I have to file bankruptcy too....it's difficult! Oh well! What can a person do when they have been furloughed for more than a year and there isn't anything left? I quit paying the credit cards and let my credit-score go.....to save my home and my animals, one must have priorities! Personally, I still give to the Humane Society, I believe in it.....and, I hope Michigan recovers! It infuriates me that we must continue spending stupid amounts of money to support this silly War on Drugs--and, I can't help but ask myself, "What is wrong with people?" :-) Sorry, I live alone and needed to vent!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #34 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 11:16:02 PT
Like the "Robber Barons" of our time.
It seems as though they have no soul at all."Without hard times we would be shallow".
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #33 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 10:59:59 PT
the next few years....
are not going to be fun for Calvina Fay & company! at first they'll just feel the sting of bitter losses in the policy arena. But as time goes on and cannabis becomes legal in more states and nothing bad happens, they'll also start to realize that they were actually wrong for all those years.of course they'll never admit it, but deep down they'll know they've been playing the fool for years.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #32 posted by dongenero on October 20, 2009 at 10:55:16 PT
Calvina Fey
I have no doubt she is prepared to go more "hardline" than any cannabis prohibitionist you stack her against."Death panels" anyone?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #31 posted by Had Enough on October 20, 2009 at 10:35:35 PT
Calvina Fay...
is still at it...This is in the article from Time...“The announcement sparked a range of reactions. Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation, gave little weight to the announcement, saying that the policy has essentially been in place since early this year. An opponent of medical-marijuana laws, she said the policy may provide "free rein" to prosecutors previously unsure of whether those who used medical-marijuana laws as a smokescreen for trafficking should be prosecuted, which she would support"We think they should be even more aggressive, and we could have said the same thing about the previous Administration too. We think the [marijuana] dispensaries should be shut down — all of them should be shut down, and they should be shut down yesterday," she told TIME.”Click to see...http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1931119,00.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #30 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 10:18:36 PT
Sam
We've past the point of no return.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #29 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 10:16:19 PT
one more
I like this one too! Scroll down to the bottom for a nice picture of Ahnold blazing his stoogie next to a burning joint. Look at his eyes - I wonder what he smoked before the stoogie?http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Feds-Not-Wasting-Time-on-Medical-Pot.htmlThis is great, perception is reality, if the media thinks there won't be any more raids that's a good thing!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #28 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 10:14:45 PT
runruff
Thank you. You made me smile.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #27 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 10:14:09 PT
Sam
It's great isn't it? I am enjoying this moment because it is a moment in time I only hoped for and it's happening. I am truly amazed at what has come down over the last day or two.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #26 posted by Sam Adams on October 20, 2009 at 10:04:10 PT
great stuff
wow, I'm starting to feel better about Obama's announcement!Check this out for some fun, an overwhelming surge of favorable media. http://news.google.com/news/more?um=1&cf=all&ned=us&as_qdr=d&as_drrb=q&cf=all&ncl=dwDt2UENWu3xOwMwQcuxLeouI_gZMI like this one from Bloomberg in particular:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=agjC2C1A8LGU
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #25 posted by runruff on October 20, 2009 at 10:00:31 PT
You will get by, huh!
You may gracefully decline my offer if you wish but you will have no such influence on Santa Claus!-Sorry!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 10:00:03 PT
Hope
Hard times build our character. Without hard times we would be shallow. Hard times humble us and then we see more clearly and look for what is important.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #23 posted by Graehstone on October 20, 2009 at 09:58:44 PT:
This too ...
... should not be allowed to happen. But ... it's Capitalism at work ... sigh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbG_woqXTegYou are all in my prayers and I am thankful for you being there.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #22 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 09:57:16 PT
Hope
That's right.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #21 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:56:29 PT
"a dreaming kind of person"
With grit. True grit.Grit gives you traction. Helps you hang on. Helps you roll. When I look at some of the hardest times of my life, I see myself sometimes being forced to be my better self and maybe being more than I thought I could be. "Let the good times roll!" (another of my all time favorite songs) ... but don't let me fall down when the times aren't so good.Please.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #20 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:49:31 PT
"a dreaming kind of person"
Keeping "Your eyes on the prize".
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 09:41:21 PT
Hope
I'll call it true grit! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 09:40:13 PT
Had Enough
When I get scared I take a minute and think how lucky I am. I have a home with a very low payment, a husband, that could have died last March, and hope for the future. They will defeat us when we stop dreaming. I'm a dreaming kind of person and that keeps me going.When a door shuts another one will open.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:36:38 PT
Comment 13
"We will get by"."Please no we will get by. We have a good supply of wood on hand so we will be warm."That pioneering, surviving spirit.I, too, have a good roof, right now, over my head, a wood stove, and an acre of dirt. Something I'm thankful for. "This, too, will pass."
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:26:30 PT
The "Way things are going"
:0)Feels like being the few people you know that voted for Obama living in a sea of Republicans.My family loves me though. Really. When I think about some of the other people out there, my face goes suddenly to that "Serious Baby" look.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:21:46 PT
Comisery
Why we love The Blues.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:19:37 PT
Comment 7
Thank you.I always loved that song.Comisery.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 09:16:56 PT
runruff
Please no we will get by. We have a good supply of wood on hand so we will be warm. We will not be late on our mortgage payment and we have food on the table and a lot of love in our hearts and a new dog! You take care of yourself and your lovely wife. Thank you.
Our New Rottie
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Hope on October 20, 2009 at 09:15:17 PT
The Awfulness of our economic situation.
My middle name has been frugal. Also, I have a healthy fear of excessive materialism. We haven't made a lot of money. I tended as diligently as I could and with purpose to family and children. I still do. My husband worked very hard, all hours of the day and night, under great stress, for decades. We saved as much as we could for our retirement and towards the welfare of our family.The welfare of our family has taken a toll on our pittance to many savings. Now the economy debacle and more concern for welfare of family. It is a debacle. We, as collective and individual tax payers, paid supposed professionals and experts gobs of money through layers and layers of government bureaucracy, to keep something like this from happening.I find myself thinking, "We should have spent it". Maybe we would have something worth something and not something that can dwindle, through no fault of our own, and possibly disappear in a quick flash because of what some spoiled, financially well off people desired to the point of crushing criminality.We didn't add that bathroom. We didn't put in central heat and air. We didn't build that garage. We didn't get those new energy efficient windows put in. We didn't pave the driveway. We didn't spend money on things we thought we might could pioneer on, for awhile, in. Someday.We saved for a rainy day. We didn't gamble with it. We weren't frivolous. We were and are low risk and cautious people. At some point we were talked into "Investing" some of our income. We went medium risk and all that and eventually lost enough of our days of labor, to realize that it would be nothing but stupid to not stop "gambling" with our savings from those efforts. We tried to be very "responsible" and not "foolish"... and it looks like maybe cautious, responsible people might have been better off going and burying their savings in a hole somewhere.It's rainier than we imagined... and you know that your nest egg is in great peril and diminishing, apparently on it's own, because of someone else's greed. Some already financially wealthy person's greed.It's rainier than we imagined and more people are getting rained on, hard, than we imagined. Including parents, children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors.It's awful. And we paid gazillions to experts to keep it from happening. We, the vast number of citizens, were robbed, literally, in a most convoluted and diabolical fashion, and we are being robbed, still.Self styled societal "Leaders" led everyone off a cliff and are floating away on their golden parachutes.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by Had Enough on October 20, 2009 at 09:07:58 PT
Re: #8
I concur...that’s about the only thing left...Let’em come...It’s awful hard to get blood out of a rock...:)On another note...the weather here today is perfect, sunny...blue sky...71 degrees and rising...with low humidity...They can’t take our ability to enjoy ‘that’ away from us. Well on second thought...maybe they can try...:)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by runruff on October 20, 2009 at 09:05:40 PT
FoM
I know 50 bucks ain't much but if I send it to you and Stick monthly and if a bunch of our friends here would send a little if they can afford it, all together it might help out until you get SSI going. VA is better.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 08:55:23 PT
dongenero
Thank you. I believe in miracles so I haven't lost hope.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 08:54:33 PT
Had Enough
Great song. Thank you. It made me smile. The way I look at life anymore is what can they do kill me? What the heck! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on October 20, 2009 at 08:44:23 PT
You know how hard it can be...
FoM...your comment made me think of this tune.The Beatles - Ballad of John And Yokohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yBZZTvAj_o&feature=player_embedded#
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by dongenero on October 20, 2009 at 08:43:57 PT
Dear FoM
I am sorry to hear that.
Best wishes and best of luck to you and your husband.You have selflessly done so much for this cause.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 08:22:35 PT
Had Enough
I know how hard it must be. Stick hasn't worked since last November. No income has required us to use up what we saved and now we are living on our credit card. Hopefully he will get Social Security Disability before it gets much worse.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by Had Enough on October 20, 2009 at 08:16:39 PT
FoM
Thanks...Been checking in...I’ve been real busy trying to bail myself out of this financial debacle that the men behind the curtain has thrown upon society.I never did have a lot of money...now I have even less...and it will probably get worse... And its not really the money I care about...Its just all about making my own living, keeping a roof over my head, and food on the table... without having to be a slave to it.These international bankers are really having ‘their way’ with the population.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 07:28:55 PT
Had Enough
It's wonderful to see you. I was hoping you were OK.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by Had Enough on October 20, 2009 at 06:38:07 PT
People United for Medical Marijuana - Florida
People United for Medical Marijuana - FloridaFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2009Patients in Medical Marijuana States Will No Longer Face Federal ProsecutionDuring his campaign, Obama promised medical marijuana patients that they would no longer have to life in fear from federal prosecution; however, his election did little to stop the raids on Medical Marijuana dispensaries. Now the federal government has put its position into writing.In a memo sent to US Attorneys, the DEA and FBI, the Justice Department laid out its intentions on prosecuting medical marijuana patients as though they “should not focus federal resources in [states with Medical Marijuana laws] on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”"It is encouraging to see the Federal Government honoring the decision thirteen states have made to allow patients access to medical marijuana," said Kim Russell, founder of People United For Medical Marijuana, "this move should help Floridians see that there are medicinal qualities to marijuana that can not be ignored."The memo still leaves room for arrests, but focuses on arrests being made in cases where patients and dispensaries don’t obey state laws to the fullest.If People United For Medical Marijuana succeeds in collecting 678,911 petitions from registered voters in Florida, Floridians will be able to vote on whether patients in Florida should be allowed to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. This memo gives Floridians the security they need from Federal prosecution, once the state initiates a medical marijuana program.####If you would like more information on this issue, or to schedule an interview with People United For Medical Marijuana, please contact Kim Russell at 407-405-0110 or by email at pufmmfl gmail.com or Joshua Giesegh at 727-735-8270 or by email at gieseghj gmail.com.Paid political advertisementhttp://www.pufmm.org/view_page.php?category_id=40&page_id=104
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 20, 2009 at 06:16:45 PT
VPR: Reaction To New Medical Marijuana Policy
October 20, 2009Washington, DC -- Supporters of legalized marijuana use are praising a Justice Department memo that tells federal prosecutors not to go after people who are using or distributing marijuana in compliance with state medical marijuana laws.But Republican Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas says it's the wrong move -- and that marijuana is the "cash cow for most drug trafficking organizations."The new guidelines make clear that federal agents will go after those whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted, and those using the law as a cover for other crimes.The Bush administration had insisted it would continue to enforce anti-pot laws, regardless of state codes. Vermont and Maine are among the 14 states with laws that allow the use of medical marijuana in some circumstances.Copyright: 2009 Associated PressURL: http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/86166/
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment