Nonsense. Every time a government-based drug-enforcement department makes a bust it takes all the money and channels it into a secure account which it uses for whatever it likes, including private enterprise. This is why they will spend time tracking dealers and letting them sell their drugs before they make the bust. They claim it is because they want to catch the big dealers, but the whole truth is because the bigger the dealer, the bigger the bust, and the bigger the take in $$$.

Fact is, the DEA profits off of drug busts, collecting multiple millions every year. If marijuana were legalized, they would not profit from it as they do now; those multiple millions could vanish.

Not just in your opinion, but in the deepest reality. Laws are not made by men, laws are part of the fabric of the universe. Man-made laws are an oxymoron.

There is an underlying theme in mystical spiritualism of training the mind to "see the perfection that is already there." In short, the world exists as it does, to each of us, because of how we view it. We create this world view, and we have the power to change it.

In Buddhism, the idea is that anything that is real is unchanging. Everything of this world is changing though. Always. There is no sense of permanence in this world. It is only through seeing through the veil of our perceptions of reality that we can experience the "one-ness" of this reality. It is a varient of the "In this world, but not of it" theme of Christianity.

These laws were made by man, and are impermanent. They will change, because they are not "real" in that aspect. They are merely part of the "norm" of an outdated societal norm. At least, in my opinion.

More and more of these headlines point to a growing perception of the population that Cannabis is perhaps not as "evil" as once thought. That the "norm" of this society is no longer sufficient to satisfy our societal needs. And the more this thought grows, the closer we come to the end of prohibition.

Not everyone agrees that Cannabis is a beneficial plant. But, more and more people are beginning to see through this veil of illusion. Perhaps we should concentrate on helping guide others through this time, by doing exactly what we are doing now. Spreading the word. Without judgement, without anger, without fear.

Simply having the faith of a mustard seed, just legalizing it, and moving on, would be all that it takes for our society to do just that; move on. Simply say legalize it, and then act accordingly. Hopefully, with compassion for those who worry needlessly about their fears of the unknowable future. These would be those spirits we call, the "evil prohibishinists."

They simply have a different set of perceptions of how society should work. Reaching out a compassionate hand to them, helping this group understand that Cannabis is no more evil than anything else in this world, that evil is only a thought, could truly help us through this time of change in our society.

We are travelling at an incredible speed through this societal change. Our norms are being challenged through the power of instant communication in a global society at every turn. Yet, through it all, compassion can help guide all of us through it to a more compassionate way of life. A true spiritual revolution. I believe that the repeal of Cannabis prohibition is the most likely manner in which to realize such a revolution. Provided it is done in a truly compassionate manner.

With judgement comes more of the same. Violence begets violence. If we choose to treat those who oppress us in the same manner as we have been treated, are we truly any better than the oppressors? Would we not become the oppressors?

I pray for the repeal, but I pray for it to be one in which we simply repeal the laws and work along side each other for a "kinder, more gentler" world. If we throw the "antis" in jail, then how could this world be more compassionate? How would we be any different from them? It would be a shame to miss this wonderful opportunity to realize this revolution of compassion by turning Cannabis into the new "Big Oil."

Cannabis will be legal. But, at what cost? Personally, I share Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of all of us holding hands together, regardless of skin color, regardless of our religious belief, regardless of how we choose to practise our faith, just regardless. All of us are in this life together, so "why can't we just get along?"

Peace, Jim

Rev Jim Lunsford

First Cannabist Church

Americans for Safe Access For Immediate Release: December 5, 2005 -------------------------------- Time Magazine Touts Cannabis As ‘Legitimate Medical Trend’

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Studies for Alzheimer’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis Cited

Patient Advocacy Group Prepares to Sue HHS For Failure to Respond to Evidence

OAKLAND – Today’s issue of Time magazine reports that new research on the medical use of marijuana is one of the most significant medical developments of 2005. This article comes just one week after the final deadline for response to a legal challenge brought by a medical marijuana advocacy group that asks the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop claiming there is no medical use for marijuana.

According to Time, “Research into the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis continued to bolster the case for the medicinal use of marijuana, making the ‘patient pot laws’ that have passed in 11 states seem less like a social movement than a legitimate medical trend. One trial--the first controlled study of its kind--showed that a medicine containing cannabis extracts called Sativex not only lessened the pain of rheumatoid arthritis but actually suppressed the disease. An earlier study published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that synthetic cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana, can reduce inflammation in the brain and may protect it from the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.”

Despite the widespread acceptance of scientific research like this, the federal government continues to claim that there is no medical use for marijuana. That claim is being challenged by Americans for Safe Access, an Oakland-based medical marijuana advocacy group. HHS has yet to respond to the medical marijuana group’s administrative appeal of HHS’s earlier denial of its petition under the Data Quality Act, requesting the department correct its statements that marijuana is not considered to have medical value. As a result, Americans for Safe Access is preparing to sue HHS for its failure to respond. The appeal has been pending since last May, even though the department’s guidelines specify that it will respond to such requests within 60 calendar days.

“The government’s failure to meet its obligations under the DQA is a violation of its own procedures,” said Steph Sherer, ASA’s executive director. “HHS should not be standing in the way of medical advances.”

The Administrative Procedure Act allows judicial review to compel agency action when such action is “unreasonably” delayed. If Americans for Safe Access prevails in its petition, the Department of Health and Human Services will have to change its published information on medical marijuana and publicly admit that marijuana is now effectively used for medical treatment, clearing the way for medical reclassification that would allow doctors to prescribe it to their patients nationwide.

The United Kingdom reclassified marijuana from class B to class C in 2004, meaning they have determined marijuana has a low risk of addiction and few long-term health hazards. After one year, the government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs affirmed the reclassification. Despite concerns that reducing criminal penalties would increase use, the number of people using cannabis has fallen by more than 1% in the first full year after possession of the drug was made a less serious offense, and the UK has reportedly freed-up police resources to fight hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

I guess if you whip the public over the head long enough with the truth, change is inevitable. I read the article in Time and it took a second for the realization that a major media had just published an HONEST article about CANNABIS. Nice picture of a pot leaf, too.