cannabisnews.com: Students Grill Santa Fe Mayoral Candidates










  Students Grill Santa Fe Mayoral Candidates

Posted by FoM on January 23, 2002 at 12:16:34 PT
By Erika Davila, The New Mexican  
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican  

Students at Monte del Sol Charter School wanted to know Tuesday what the city's four mayoral candidates thought about legalizing marijuana.That turned out to be the most captivating topic for the students - who got about 40 minutes of the candidates' time. One candidate, Councilor Patti Bushee - who now represents District 1 - told students what she thought. "I absolutely support the use of marijuana for medical uses," she said.
After her response, one student in the audience said: "That's what I wanted to hear." However, the other three candidates - Incumbent Mayor Larry Delgado, Councilor Frank Montaño of District 3 and former city manager Ike Pino - didn't have a clear response."I'm not an expert on this," Delgado said. His answer drew giggles from some of the students. Delgado said he didn't know enough about the topic to give his views.Pino answered that he didn't see how legalizing marijuana would solve problems associated with drugs, although he said he generally felt treatment for drug abuse was better than incarceration.Montaño agreed with Pino on the latter point, but also said the question was a difficult one to answer.The question of legalizing marijuana is up to state - not city - lawmakers, including Gov. Gary Johnson, one of the country outspoken proponents of drug-policy reform.Monte del Sol - located in the Casa Resolana Shopping Center - has 180 students in grades seven, eight and nine.Students asked the candidates questions ranging from why they wished to run for mayor to how their political views might have changed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Students didn't ask any specific questions about education.The forum is one of several the candidates will have before the March 5 election.After about 30 minutes, some students began to fidget in their seats. Later however, some lamented they didn't have enough time to get real responses."They weren't answering our questions," ninth-grader Timothy Sadlo said of the candidates. "They didn't answer yes or no.""I would have liked it to be a longer session," his friend, Jordan Ogas, said.One student said the length of the forum was just right. "I don't really like politics," said eighth-grader Derek Swain. "Politics are boring."Montaño said the reaction from the audience was similar to those at previous forums. A student audience is similar to an adult audience, he said."The children are just like the adults," he said. "Some of them are extremely interested, and some of them are distracted." Newshawk: Jim J.Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)Author: Erika Davila, The New Mexican Published: January 23, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: letters sfnewmexican.comWebsite: http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Related Articles:Legislators Rethink Supporting Drug Bills http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11826.shtmlN.M. Legislature To Vote on Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11801.shtmlN.M. Lawmakers Push To Change Drug Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11713.shtml 

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Comment #13 posted by Jose Melendez on January 24, 2002 at 07:48:07 PT:
looking forward to coverage
So, marijuana is illegal, kills no one and might possibly extend life. I hope that story makes CNN...
Peace
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Comment #12 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 24, 2002 at 07:03:01 PT:
More Fountains of Youth?
  This report on PBA looks interesting, but I would caution you that many supposed "elixirs of life" have been claimed that have not panned out. Fruit flies are not humans.
   We have extremely strong evidence that cannabis and its components are antioxidants and neuroprotective. They may eventually prove to help extend life. 
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Comment #11 posted by Jose Melendez on January 24, 2002 at 06:28:43 PT:
What's up with PBA, Doc?
Hey Dr. Russo,I found a link to this article on the drudgereport.com, and on a hunch ran a google search using the terms "4-phenylbutyrate" and "marijuana".
Am I correct that the substances may be linked somehow to health? See:
 
from:http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_502610.html?menu=
Scientists move closer to finding 'elixir of life' 
Scientists working on a discovering an elixir of life say it has already worked on fruit flies.
The drug is said to increase longevity while maintaining youthful health.
US researchers are confident enough to be planning a new set of experiments on mice. 
The processes involved could open up important new leads in understanding ageing.
The drug is called 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) and has already been approved in the US for treating cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia.
Its influence on lifespan was discovered by accident while the scientists were investigating its effect on fruit flies with neurodegenerative disease.
Giving the drug to healthy flies extended their maximum lifespan by more than 50% and their average lifespan by a third.
But the most significant outcome was the fact that there was no price to pay for the extra time, New Scientist magazine reports. Previous research has indicated that normally there is a trade off between long lifespan and health and sexual vigour.
The flies, far from paying for their longevity with a weaker constitution, survived better than those not given PBA. Their weight remained normal and they produced normal numbers of offspring.
Kyung-Tai Min, leading the research team from the National Institutes of Health and California Institute of Technology, said: "We are going to test more, but so far, it seems they are perfect."
Story filed: 19:08 Wednesday 23rd January 2002
Now compare this:
From:
http://gigtronics.com/chemow.htmlAn approved drug of very low toxicity, 4-phenylbutyrate, lowers the level of GSH and thus elevates ceramide concentration.
later in the same page:
Cannabinoids elevate tumor ceramide
   Readers will be especially interested in the stimulated production of ceramide from sphingomyelin by the primary active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol. This drug – NOT approved for medical use by the U. S. government – also accelerated glucose destruction, thus helping to slow the conversion of ceramide to GlcCer. A very recent publication described the use of tetrahydrocannabinol to shrink malignant gliomas in animals.43 Stimulation of SMase by arachidonic acid may be involved, since anandamide, the neural hormone that cannabinoids mimic, can liberate the acid.44
Thanks,
Jose Melendez
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Comment #10 posted by Jose Melendez on January 24, 2002 at 06:11:19 PT:
have camcorders, will travel
Ekim,If we can find a way for me to go ANYWHERE to help arrest marijuana prohibition. I would gladly drop everything and do so. I would certainly give my best effort, say, as a travelling correspondent for POT-TV, or whatever group that wants me to use my video acquisition and editing skills...4/20 in SF? i'm ready...
Jose Melendez
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Comment #9 posted by Rainbow on January 23, 2002 at 21:55:09 PT
more softenning???
"Montaño agreed with Pino on the latter point, but also said the question was a difficult one to answer"It is becoming increasingly difficult for the anti marijuana group because they are beginning to realize that prohibition is bad. So maybe this is a good sign.But then maybe they were just being evasive so they can run another poll.It used to be that the first words out were put them in jail. I am hearing and seeing a change???We need it.Cheers
Rainbow
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Comment #8 posted by ekim on January 23, 2002 at 18:36:03 PT:
Jose should go to S.F. can we help you
The 2002 NORML Conference, entitled "4/20 - A Celebration of Personal
Freedom," will be held in San Francisco, CA at the Crowne Plaza Union
Square Hotel on April 18-20, 2002. Featured speakers for the conference
include San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan; California State
Senator John Vasconcellos; legendary criminal defense attorney Tony Serra;
NORML Foundation Chair John P. Morgan, M.D.; Cato Institute Executive
Vice-President David Boaz; and Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation
Director Ethan Nadelmann.Complete details are on line at
http://www.norml.org/calendar/conf2002intro.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by Jose Melendez on January 23, 2002 at 17:07:42 PT:
remember those commercials?
I found a recent news article that reassures me that our ad campaign will work: http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=33883
thetruth.com hurts...
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Comment #6 posted by QcStrt on January 23, 2002 at 15:36:30 PT
        E-J
 
that sound like a good idea BUT let's not POISSON the poor
by feeding the politicians to them,
maybe feed them to the 4 legged ones they also might raise up, 
 So the only thing to do is VOTE them Fossils out and let them stew in there own juice!! :~)
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Comment #5 posted by E_Johnson on January 23, 2002 at 13:30:38 PT
Grill or flame broil?
Feed the poor -- eat the politicians.
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Comment #4 posted by p4me on January 23, 2002 at 13:20:58 PT
some people need to think
Pino answered that he didn't see how legalizing marijuana would solve problems associated with drugs,Let me help you with that. If MJ were legal it would not be a federal felony to posess a seed or fraction of a gram punishable by a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. The number of arrest for MJ would not resemble 732,000 anymore. Charges for posession of a plant might not result in confiscation of your house, charges of posession, manufacturing, maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of manufacturing, intent to distribute,paraphanalia, maintaining a dwelling for purposes of distribution, conspiracy charges, and who knows what else. And this idiot cannot see how legalizing MJ would help with the drug problem. Maybe someone should tell him the biggest problem with MJ is the law. The second biggest problem is the price which the law causes. What an ignorant thing for this man to say. If he didn't know any better he should have asked someone that could help him with an answer. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 23, 2002 at 13:04:46 PT
Oh Elfman_420
I sure hope I don't suck. I promise to do my best to keep an open mind. That's what happens when people but mostly politicans get old. They close their mind and live in their own little safe world. That's a very selfish way to live. So I pledge to do all I can do to stay young at heart so I won't suck! Hope you liked my humor. Hang in there.
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Comment #2 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 23, 2002 at 12:45:05 PT:
Kids Say the Darnedest Things
"They weren't answering our questions," ninth-grader Timothy Sadlo said of the candidates. Now you have the idea my young friend. That's why they're called politicians. Too bad there are so few statesmen these days.
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Comment #1 posted by Elfman_420 on January 23, 2002 at 12:41:08 PT
Old people suck
Sorry, of course I don't mean all old people 'suck'. Maybe what I meant are these old politicians who completely ignore the marijuana issue and have no knowledge of what is going on. They just keep repeating the phrase "I don't think [MMJ] or [marijuana] should be legalized because it sends out the wrong message." But it just seems that a lot of these middle school kids are more informed than the politicians. That means the politicians don't even know what message will be sent.Pathetic.
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