The media's tone of coverage effectively pigeonholes an important issue affecting all Americans today. Patients, researchers and ordinary citizens are all deprived of meanginful discussion involving the historical, philosophical and scientific perspectives that surround this issue.

But that doesn't mean advocates are not gaining traction with the public and lawmakers. Since the 1970s, decriminalization and medical marijuana efforts have made a lot of progress, given America's culture of prohibition and the political forces that shaped it in the 1920s and '30s.

Harry J. Anslinger, the nation's first "drug czar," wrote for the American Magazine, using gory, unsubstantiated tales of marijuana-induced murders and racial rhetoric of "colored students partying with [white] female students, smoking marijuana and getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution" to successfully spearhead the enactment of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Its overriding purpose was not generating revenue, instead it enacted harsh federal penalties for failure to obtain a tax stamp for an already illegal substance. The use of "marihuana" by Mexican migrants, who were flooding the Depression-era job market with cheap labor, allowed southern states to fast-track their deportation on counts of tax evasion.

After professor Timothy Leary, a noted LSD advocate and counterculture icon, successfully challenged the tax act on fifth amendment constitutional grounds, Congress crafted the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) of 1970. In classifying narcotics in a tiered fashion, placed in certain "schedules," substances would be evaluated on their potential for abuse, possible medical applications and general safety in a scientific way. For the most part, this system has worked. Substances such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine are correctly placed in the first two, most restrictive schedules for their high potential of abuse, highly physically addictive nature and ease of overdose. But when substances such as MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis and psilocybin are included in the first schedule, it casts doubt on the integrity of the entire system by placing politics before science.

Efforts to reschedule cannabis have been ongoing since 1972, when the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration to move the substance out of Schedule I so physicians could legally prescribe it. Sixteen years later, the hearings were complete, and then DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young ruled marijuana no longer qualified as a Schedule I drug. After declaring cannabis to be "one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man," he was roundly ignored by John Law, then-DEA administrator, and overruled.

Despite a multitude of scientific studies showing cannabis's lack of physically addictive properties, medical applications and non-carcinogenic delivery methods such as vaporization, the DEA has clearly shown a staggering lack of movement in properly scheduling this substance. While the agency's official rationale relied on abiding by international treaties and legal acrobatics in parsing the CSA's three criteria for classification, the actual reason likely has to do with increased budgetary appropriations from asset seizures and job expansion for bureaucrats. Whatever the case, the national media failed to address, credit or discredit any such claim.

A sound framework to control narcotics-including marijuana-is already in place. All that needs to done is for the DEA, the Department of Health and Human Services and Congress to put science before politics. On April 3, 2003, the DEA accepted the latest petition to appropriately reschedule cannabis. If all the science is to be acknowledged, the only correct course of action would be to move marijuana to Schedule V, alongside most over-the-counter medications, or remove it from scheduling all together. In the meantime, the media can do a better job informing the public without all the cliches.

Source: Daily Reveille (LA Edu)
Author: Joseph Ruchalaski, Columnist
Published: November 14, 2006
Copyright: 2006, Daily Reveille
Contact: editor@lsureveille.com
Website: http://www.lsureveille.com/

NORML
http://www.norml.org/

when you wake up in the morning

can you see?

your place?

Freedom is about Cannabis

Freedom is about the S tars

There is 1 true freedom

It belongs to the stars

Freedom is the Son of Man'

It is that portal to Eternity

To press that button

When you can breathe freely

Filled with yeast and leaven

That you are bringing

To that Table

There is not enough alcohol or cannabis

That can hide from your good eye

How many people are in prison for using Cannabis?

Why is it so?

On that clicker

In that meantime

Do you know anybody in prison?

Do you know anybody who has offended God?

Do you believe in God?

Do you have a Soul?

Consider me warned.

What aspect of that article bothered you the most?

http://rense.com/general74/conssp.htm

Cannabis, "one of the safest"

Even the DEA sometimes speaks the truth.

Rarely, though.

Unfortunately, there are many who cry "anti-semite" whenever somebody criticizes the actions of the State of Israel, but that is inherently untrue and unfair.

There are good and evil people in every race and every religion, but a blanket support of the lies and murder perpetrated by the leaders of Israel can't be allowed, any more than we can continue to allow it in our own country.

Do not blame the Jews for what the Romans did. The Romans who built churches and pretended to be Christians.

Or if you don't want me to go that way, you should be careful.

The only thing I can see that is harmless about them is their relationship to cocaine and heroin. I have smoked raw opium before, and I must say I thought it was VERY pleasant. Opium may have addictive properties for all I know, but I can't imagine it would be nearly as bad as processed heroin. So there you have it. I've only had the chance to try it once, but I REALLY liked it. For me, it was every bit as pleasant as cannabis, but just a different kind of effect. If I had to compare the two, it would be something like this: Cannabis felt like taking off in a helicopter, and opium felt like a smooth landing on a 767. If any of you are curious and get the opportunity, I highly recommend it.

As for coca, I've never tried that one...but my sister has. She is one of the most conservative, loving, God-fearing persons that I know, and has never tried (any other) drugs ever, to my knowledge. But she and her husband went on a mission trip to Peru twice a few years back, and in the morning they would drink coca tea. They were up in very high altitudes, and needed a little 'help' first thing in the morning. She said coca is a more pleasant kick-start than caffeine, but roughly the same effect.

"The crowd by the White House gates also included activist Cindy Sheehan and her supporters who were demonstrating nearby and had gathered to observe the incident between “V” and the Secret Service. They let out a cheer as the SS agent stood down and returned the plastic knives."

It aint over folks, it is just beginning.

To "V" http://www.givemeliberty.org/RTP2/UPDATES/Update2006-11-11.htm

If you like dandelions

http://rense.com/general74/DANDI.HTM

Judaism: Conspiracy Against Jews, Humanity?

http://rense.com/general74/conssp.htm

It is happening and it Is Time.

This pic needs to be hanging in every Dem's office.

Canada profs win right to smoke pot: http://rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2006%2FWORLD%2Famericas%2F11%2F13%2Fcanada.professors.reut%2Findex.html

Great news on the elections, time to pressure the Dems to impeach, as that is what it took to impeach Nixon, here is the story on Democracy Now.

The Democrats will respond to overwhelming pressure, as evidence grows and is accumulated on bushcos' murderous criminal cabal of terror, the facts will bear this out, and the Dems will NOT be able to go against the will of the people! If they do, they are history too, and that could well be the case if they turn into 'republican lite' wanna-bes, which they seem to have done since Clinton paved the way, and Hillary continues to do. I will NEVER vote for her, she loves Israel, and is the Repubs favorite, as they know she will do their bidding. Bad Scorpio, her and Pat Buchanan.

Coalition Launches Campaign to Impeach Bush A coalition of anti-war and veterans groups met in Philadelphia on Saturday to announce plans to mobilize a national movement to impeach President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. A national Impeachment Day has been called for December 10th. Activists are urging grass roots groups to set up impeachment lobbying offices in every congressional district. Speakers on Saturday included Cindy Sheehan whose son Casey died in Iraq.

* Cindy Sheehan: "Right now, at this minute, we have to start calling the offices of John Conyers, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Stanley Hoyer, Harry Reid, your congressperson, and start saying, 'We want accountability."

Sheehan criticized the Democratic leadership for saying impeachment is off the table. Meanwhile a new poll from Newsweek has found that President Bush's approval rating has dropped to a new low of 31 percent. democracynow.org

We just had a referendum on bush and the war more than anything else, (other that 'corruption', which both parties are guilty of, such as Joe Lieberman, who I think is a potential predator/pedophile/closet case in love with bush, perhaps he did a sleepover in the White House, anyone know about Joes' 'pecadillos' out there? Jeff Gannon and Joe? He needs to be outed, if he is, remember the bush kiss? That is what I'm thinkin too)!

Try not to gag! http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=bush%2C+lieberman+kiss&btnG=Search+Images bush, lieberman kiss - Google Image Search

Did Lieberman know (like bush), that he would be guaranteed to be re-elected? $400,000 unaccounted for, spent on....what? Read it at Bradblog, in the comments on the article as well as the article itself!

Elections Say the Darndest Things: Lieberman Senate Opponents Receive Exact Same Number of Votes in 2006 as in 2000…

In strict medical terms, marijuana is far safer than many of the foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.

-- DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young, 1988

left mi thoughts there sah!

" Dat da universal eye-of-the-storm... helluva ting there.

Did you say 555 btw?

I wrote a blog about that; http://jasgrave333.blogspot.com

It turns out that the 5th book, 5th chapter, 5th verse and 5th word of a JW bible is Jehovah - 'I shall prove to be that' 'YHWH'.

Deuteronomy 5:1-33 another CLUe;

http://numerology-in-goverment-555.blogspot.com/2006/11/33.html

The truth is in the numbers, they don't lie... [hifff]

new NEW5

peace and 1 Love whig!

It's a straight cash crop. Up till 1880, taxes in the USA could be paid in ounces and pounds of cannabis.

Money; the substitute for the original green.

Cannabis is not a pharmaceutical at all, so this is still an absurdity.

It should have been rescheduled long ago. The government "schedules" are ridiculous and unrealistic as is.

Why would they cling to a lie so tenatiously?

Let the truth be told.