cannabisnews.com: Another Round of 'Reefer Madness' 





Another Round of 'Reefer Madness' 
Posted by CN Staff on May 12, 2002 at 12:12:49 PT
Letters To The Editor
Source: Plain Dealer
The same old marijuana misrepresentations are served up by the new drug czar, John P. Walters, in The Plain Dealer's May 3 Forum section. To skim a few:Most medicinal marijuana wisdom is anecdotal, because for decades the federal government forbade research on its potential benefits while encouraging research on its supposed detriments. There is not a single marijuana cancer patient to back up the claim that marijuana contains "hundreds of carcinogens." 
That statement is based solely on a contested theory of why tobacco smoke is carcinogenic. The "link" between marijuana use and traffic accidents can be addressed like the same link involving alcohol: Focus on elimination of driving under the influence instead of trying to ban the substance. The higher potency of today's marijuana means less is consumed for the same "high." The motive for breeding that potency is concealment of the same street value more compactly - i.e. wholly due to its contraband status. And so forth . . . Millions of Americans are ready for a rational, scientific conversation about marijuana. Only the government continues to sling the same old baloney. By: David R. Burwasser Oberlin The Office of National Drug Control Policy is back on track, doing what it does best: Distorting the facts and trying to confuse the public about marijuana is its game, and drug czar John Walters is a seasoned professional. In his Forum article, "Don't assume that marijuana is harmless," he points out that drug use among our nation's teens is at record levels, with 49 percent of high school seniors having smoked marijuana. While this number may be accurate, his solution is to keep marijuana illegal so the price will remain high. So are we to believe that the artificially high price for pot is what is keeping the other 51 percent of high school seniors from smoking it? Does he consider this success? Maybe the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, should be named the next drug czar, since he obviously is more experienced than Walters. I'm fairly certain he would be able to figure out why half of our children have smoked pot. He would most likely draw from his own experience and the experience of millions of Americans and come to the conclusion that kids smoke marijuana because they enjoy it, just like he did. While I don't condone the use of marijuana by children, I understand the reasons why kids want to get high. It has nothing to do with price. Prohibition obviously hasn't had the effect of keeping pot so expensive that it is out of reach for high school students. It definitely hasn't decreased supply, and thanks to the fact that prohibition leaves the distribution to criminals, you can buy pot at practically every high school in the nation; drug dealers don't care about the age of their customers. Maybe someday Walters can do an honest review of our nation's history with drug use and regulate it instead of trying to alarm everyone with so-called facts. We obviously are very experienced with marijuana - statistically, that is. By: Joseph Zoretic Lakewood John Walters' Forum article is just more reefer madness for the 21st century. First he admits that government propaganda of the past was just that, propaganda. Then he continues with more propaganda, like the potency of marijuana being stronger than the marijuana of the past. You can find the truth about the potency of today's marijuana from the University of Mississippi's Marijuana Potency Project. Every year, the University of Mississippi releases a report on the potency of marijuana that is collected from pot seized by the police from all over the United States. These reports continue to affirm that the potency of most marijuana in the United States is about 3.5 percent THC, which shows that today's marijuana on the black market is a little more potent than the pot tested in the 1970s, before regular testing was done by the government. I will admit that from time to time some very good and potent marijuana, produced mostly by home growers for personal use, may end up in the mix tested by the University of Mississippi. But it seems to me that the only danger from this more potent marijuana is that government appointees like Walters will use it as a weapon to continue to wage war on responsible marijuana users. By: John M. Hartman Cleveland Hartman is director of the Ohio Cannabis Society. Drug czar John Walters is confused if he thinks the principal argument for marijuana law reform is that the plant is harmful. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused. It is not the effects of marijuana that necessitate a change in laws, but rather the effects of marijuana prohibition. There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with enforceable age controls. Right now, kids have an easier time buying pot than beer. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. Marijuana may be relatively harmless compared to legal alcohol - the plant has never been shown to cause an overdose death - but marijuana prohibition is deadly. As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with harder drugs like cocaine. Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children themselves are more important than the message. Opportunistic, tough-on-drugs politicians would no doubt disagree. By: Robert Sharpe Washington, D.C. Sharpe is a program officer for the Drug Policy Alliance. Source: Plain Dealer, The (OH)Published: May 12, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Plain DealerContact: letters plaind.comWebsite: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/today/Related Articles:The Problem Is Pot Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12725.shtmlThe Myth of 'Harmless' Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12683.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by DdC on May 12, 2002 at 17:01:07 PT
Stupid is Consistant with Jeb Bushits Florida!
http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/binaries/26/26252.gif
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 12, 2002 at 16:22:54 PT
DdC
I thought how utterly stupid to arrest a well known 61 year old woman because she had some oh my god MARIJUANA ee gad you know? It is starting to get so crazy it's hard to take. Stop protecting us from ourselves and protect us from those who want to cause us injury. 
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Comment #3 posted by DdC on May 12, 2002 at 16:11:38 PT
Why didn't she psychically warn herself? ¶8)
Meanwhile the entire security force at the airport standing around wasting their time on suspicious looking lipstick cases let pass five pounds of C-4, three Uzi's and a sawed off shotgun carried by people not fitting broadcasted profiles...Dah, ya think the terroristststs figured it out yet?. What praytell can one do with 11 suspected joints to hijack an airplane? Glad I don't fly, I'd have to Boycott!
Maybe its cannabis that makes her psychic and thats why they want it prohibited. I know I predicted wod junkies were idiots a long time ago and have been suscessful 100% of the time. Ooooo I see the drugczar's profits going up with the new hair sampling approval. And profits temporarily going down by discovering the sham of Plan Colombia...DdC
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Comment #2 posted by DdC on May 12, 2002 at 15:47:36 PT
Cannabis Leads One To Discover Free Will
A very dangerous practice in such a Fascist New Weird Odor.Why do YOU think they call it DOPE?Cannabis, is it or is it not medicine. Is cannabis as harmful as tobacco or alcohol. Does tobacco contain over 600 undisclosed additives? Were these additives discussed by the Congress as possibly effecting the health of a smoker? Would these chemicals have an effect when comparing tobacco to cannabis? Do the prohibitionist ever disclose this when they compare tobacco to cannabis? Is it competition out of the way under prohibition? Is prohibition more costly to society in monetary terms and human suffering? Does it provide the prison industry (construction, linen, food, vehicles, guards, uniforms, etc) huge profits and the government taxes on these profits? Are there 2 million prisoners? Are 60% of these non-violent drug offenders? Does the Bush family have stock in the prison food supply industry? Cannabis in its hemp stage has or has not the greatest mass of any plant or animal? Does cotton require 270 thousand tons of chemicals, does flax destroy the soil and is soybeans hard on seniors digestive tracts? Can cannabis sativa (helpful hemp)grow almost anywhere, aerating the soil, without the chemicals (growing wild in many states providing 99.28% of the cannabis eradications in the US) replace cotton? Is it competition out of the way under prohibition?Do living trees filter up to 5000 gallons of water each day? Do they require more chemicals than any process in paper making? Is hemp stronger than trees? Does it have greter yield? Do tree's provide oxygen? Do they remove carbon dioxide? Do they support thousands of living species in a co-operation that can not survive when they are hewn down? Can hemp replace the industrial use of trees? Is it competition out of the way under prohibition? Is meat the best source of protein? Does it cause health problems? Do poor countries without meat have the same diseases as countries using meat? Do cows require 80% of the US agriculture in grains? Have these corporate grain farms half emptied the Midwest fresh water underground reservoir called Ogalala with irrigation? Are dairy products nutritional? Do waste from daily cow bathings run off into the drinking water? Are corporations burning tropical rain forest to graze cows? Is Hemp Seed the most nutritionally complete food source known to man? Is it used by cultures? Is it competition out of the way under prohibition?Is the use of fossil fuels the most devastating thing to ever hit humanity? Do 15,000 gallons leak into lakes rivers and streams each year? Do crude oil gasoline fueled cars emit harmful emissions? Do they contain lead and sulfur adding to the acid rain? Do they burn as clean as biomass? Could all of the nuclear, coal, crude and natural gas fossil fuels be replace with hemp biomass? Does Bush have crude oil interest? Did Henry Ford shelve a hemp/soybean biomass fueled automobile in the 30's? Did he produce and shelve an auto body from hemp and soybean fiber steel? Is petroleum carcinogenic? Is asphalt from crude tar breaking down and contaminating the soil and water? Do we really have to "protect" our oil rights with wars in South America, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Albania, and do states producing oil have the harshest cannabis sentencing? Are the herbicides pesticides made from crude oil?  Can Hemp replace crude oil and fossil fuels? Is it a lubricant? Does hemp plastic biodegrade in compost? Is it legal? Is it grown in over 30 countries worldwide? Is it imported at higher cost? Is it on the list of things to become illegal? Can hemp produce paint. Can hemp make paper without the crude chemicals used in process the less cellulose tree paper? Can hemp grow without the crude oil pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers? Is it competition out of the way under prohibition? Many have passionate reasons for choosing the side they stand on, many will profit from prohibition on both sides. The urine tester labs and the labs that make the antidotes to urine testing. The lawyers defending and prosecuting. The Bars and Taverns, Tobacco and hard drug dealers. The growers and the cops, the prisons, peddlers and pharmacies. The drunks released if they snitch and the prohibitionist propagandist receiving corporate funding. And they all spend it on everything advertised putting a big smily face on the tax collector.Is it competition out of the way under prohibition? Who makes money growing it for personal use at home? No one, and maybe thats also why its illegal. No taxes, and it doesn't raise the GNP. Ditchweed comprises 99% of Cannabis eradications, Cannabis is the Keystone of the War on drugs they don't sell and WoD is the meat and potatoes of modern Fascism. Its time to end it. Legalize Sacramental Cannabis Food, Fuel, Fiber, FARMaceuticals and Hardrug&Booze, fossil fuel, cotton, nuke, meat and wars protecting them alternative! Eliminating the competition by Lobbylacky politico's and administrated education depravation!
Peace, Love and Liberty or the Merchants of D.E.A.th!
DdC
Why call it DOPE...gif
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 12, 2002 at 14:47:30 PT
News Brief from CNN 
Dionne Warwick Arrested for Pot Possession
 
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) --Legendary pop singer and "psychic friend" Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport Sunday for possession of marijuana, police said.
Baggage screeners at Concourse D of the airport called for police help when they saw a suspicious item inside a carry-on bag belonging to Warwick, 61, a news release from a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department said.
The officers discovered 11 suspected marijuana cigarettes inside a lipstick container. She was charged with possessing marijuana totaling less than five grams, said the spokesman.
Warwick was released after signing an affidavit promising to appear in court. She had been headed to Los Angeles, but missed her flight.
During the 1960s, Warwick gained fame singing Bert Bacharach-Hal David compositions such as "Walk on By" and "I Say A Little Prayer."
In 1985, she had a brief comeback with another Bacharach song, "That's What Friends Are For," sung with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight.
Later generations know her better as Whitney Houston's cousin and as a pitchwoman for the "Psychic Friends Network."
Find this article at: 
http://europe.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/05/12/warwick.arrest/index.html 
 
Newshawk: Brian N.
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