Finally, on our third attempt, we were able to reach the promised high. Our awareness of having at last crossed the threshold arrived gradually. The first thing I noticed, within a few minutes of smoking, was the music; it was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"... It was for me a rhythmic implosion, a fascinating new musical experience! It was the opening of new musical vistas, which I have, with the help of my sons, continued to explore to this very day. } To Smoke or not to Smoke: A Cannabis Odyssey By Lester Grinspoon, MD http://www.marijuana-uses.com/essays/001.html

There are many horror stories about many things... nearly everything. We all know that. Complete and draconianly punitive prohibition of any substance that a small but significant portion of the people wants to use isn't working, never works, and never will.

The whole drug war is wrong and causing greater harm to more people than regulated control and legalization of those drugs would cause. People will kill themselves with them. They do now. They kill themselves with alcohol, food, and automobiles and electricity and gas.

But if they were legal and regulated, "good guys" wouldn't be shooting any more Veronicas and Charities out of the sky to "stop" people who are smuggling the contraband... or not.

If they were legal and regulated, the "good guys" wouldn't be shooting any more eleven year old boys as they lay on their bedroom floors, trembling from the horror of an early morning raid on their homes.

"Good guys"? "Good guys"?

If they're "Good guys", then they have some wisdom. Some commonsense. Some understanding. Right?

"Good guys", my ass!

"Violent, stupid guys" would be more correct.

always have ...

any kind of drug war is wrong ...

yes, there are problems with abuse of some drugs, but, a cage is not the solution.

May 28, 2008

I despise the "wisdom" of those who only want to destroy others.

Crosby Stills Nash - A Long Time Gone Woodstock 1969

Do they arrest the pharmacist who fills and sells the prescriptions being taken by people involved in accidents?

Do they arrest Mr. and Mrs. John McCain when someone has an accident under the influence of or after they use one of the products that Mr. and Mrs. McCain distribute?

Of course they don't.

Thanks BGreen. I didn't know it was a Schedule III.

A schedule II drug must have a written prescription, signed by the doctor and the doctor's DEA number must be written on the prescription (by the pharmacy if not by the doctor,) and must be filed separately from all other Rx hard copies.

Published: May 27, 2008

Enacted in 1973, New York’s Rockefeller drug laws penalized some first-time drug offenders more severely than murderers. Named for Nelson Rockefeller, who was governor at the time, the laws tied the hands of judges and mandated lengthy sentences for young offenders who often deserved a second chance. The laws, which were supposed to ensnare “kingpins,” have filled the prisons with drug addicts who would have been better dealt with through treatment programs. They also undermined faith in the fairness of the justice system by singling out poor and minority offenders while exempting wealthy ones.

New York has made incremental changes in laws in recent years but has failed to restore judicial discretion. A sentencing commission appointed by Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor, pretty much ducked the issue in an interim report issued last fall. But criminal justice advocates have higher hopes for Mr. Spitzer’s successor, David Paterson, who spoke out vigorously for Rockefeller reform as a state senator. He was arrested while demonstrating against the laws in 2002.

If Governor Paterson is looking for motivation to take on this issue, he can find it in a recent report from The Correctional Association of New York, a nonprofit group that monitors prison conditions. According to the report, New York is currently paying $500 million a year to house its drug offenders. The costs are rising as more people go to prison for minor, nonviolent drug offenses.

The law often metes out long prison terms to addicts, petty dealers or people only peripherally involved in the trade. Indeed, 4 in 10 drug offenders in the state’s prisons were locked up for possession as opposed to selling. These are hardly kingpins. In fact, nearly half the drug offenders in the state’s prisons were convicted of the lowest level crimes.

Many of these people are clearly addicts who would benefit from treatment. But the mandatory sentencing guidelines limit the courts’ ability to choose the treatment option. It is long past time for New York to overturn these laws and to return judicial discretion. Governor Paterson, who can cite chapter and verse on this issue, should to take the lead in this important fight.

Copyright: 2008 New York Times

The drug, marketed as Chantix, has been hailed as an innovative treatment to help smokers quit. But a study by a medical safety group -- also issued Wednesday -- linked it to a variety of unusual and serious side effects, including seizures and loss of consciousness, and prompted the FAA to act, agency spokesman Les Dorr said.

The aviation agency had approved the drug last summer, before federal safety regulators began investigating reports of serious psychiatric problems, including suicidal behavior, sharp shifts in mood and vivid nighttime episodes some patients call "Chantix dreams."

A new warning came from a report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, based on an analysis of "adverse events" reported to the Food and Drug Administration.

"We have immediate safety concerns about the use of [Chantix] among persons operating aircraft, trains, buses and other vehicles, or in other settings where a lapse in alertness or motor control could lead to massive, serious injury," the study said.

The study identified 173 accidents involving Chantix that resulted in injuries. Falls accounted for the largest category, with a total of 77 cases. There were also 28 traffic accidents. The potential causes included loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion and muscle spasms.

I was noticing a TV ad for a prescription drug, started with a "Z..." I think...anyway, "do not drive, do not operate machinery until you know the effects blah, blah....

Here is a link for the most common causes of accidents, lest people get the DEA message that marijuana is the worst worry facing drivers.

-----"According to the NHSTA, auto accidents in general have declined over the last few years, but crash fatalities have hovered around 40,000. Vehicle safety has improved dramatically, but the number of vehicles on the road continually increases too, keeping the total number high.

Some of the common causes of auto accidents are due to driver behavior, which is nearly impossible to change, despite efforts to improve safety awareness. The possibility of suffering personal injury or death is not always left up to you but is subject to the behavior of other drivers.

Driver inattention - There are so many things that can distract you while you are driving today. Other cars, cell phones, food, navigation system, and even Internet access all vie for your attention, keeping you from doing your job; driving. According to the NHSTA:

• 25 percent of accidents involved cell phone use

• 49 percent involved eating or drinking

• 66 percent were playing with the radio

• 81 percent were distracted by other passengers in the car

In crashes involving teens, the fatality rate increased for each passenger in the vehicle.

snipped.....

May 27, 2008

The owner of six Los Angeles-area medical marijuana dispensaries and his wife were arrested by federal agents early today following an investigation sparked by a traffic accident in which a man allegedly high on one of the dispensaries' products plowed into a parked car on the shoulder of the 101 Freeway, killing the driver of the vehicle and paralyzing a CHP officer.