cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Vote Denounced by U.S. Aide Medical Marijuana Vote Denounced by U.S. Aide Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2002 at 16:33:01 PT By Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic Source: Arizona Republic One of the nation's top drug cops spoke out Monday against the medical marijuana initiative that will go before Arizona voters in November. "It's a bad idea," said Asa Hutchinson, director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The measure, if approved by voters, would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes and require the Department of Public Safety to distribute it to patients for free. Hutchinson argues that the ballot measure "sends an inappropriate message." It suggests that marijuana has a medicinal purpose when, in fact, procedures normally used for drug testing have not been followed, Hutchinson said at a Phoenix press conference.He has argued that marijuana spurs health problems and dependence, as evidenced by thousands of people who receive emergency-room treatment for medical problems related to the drug.The remarks were made during a nationwide tour Hutchinson organized to increase public awareness about methamphetamine, which he described as "one of the most devastating drugs in our society."On that front there is little good news to report, Hutchinson said. "We're a long ways from turning the tide on methamphetamine."Last year the DEA and state and local agencies seized 320 meth labs in Arizona. Hutchinson described the seizures as just the tip of a very serious problem in Arizona and throughout the country.Source: Arizona Republic (AZ) Author: Brent Whiting, The Arizona RepublicPublished: July 09, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Arizona Republic Contact: opinions arizonarepublic.com Website: http://www.arizonarepublic.com/ Related Articles:Initiative Filed to Change Law for Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13304.shtmlPot Issue Closer To State Vote http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12772.shtmlPot Battle Looming for State http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12717.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #17 posted by ekim on July 10, 2002 at 18:56:05 PT Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. -----Original Message----- From: Jay R. Cavanaugh, Ph.D. Sent: Monday, July 08, 2002 4:45 PM To: aamcnewtalk t... Subject: NIDA Marijuana WebsiteJuly 8, 2002I'm writing to detail a NIDA announcement today of a "new" marijuana fact sheet website. It's not surprising that the "facts" on this website are either false, misleading, or highly selective at best. I'd strongly suggest a true pro/con website like http://www.marijuanainfo.com that presents truly useful science and argument over this blatant propaganda site.Yours, Dr. JayNIDA has launched the companion website http://www.marijuana-info.org/ to present science-based information about the effects of marijuana use on the body and brain. This site joins NIDA's other companion web sites, http://www.clubdrugs.org/ and http://www.steroidabuse.org/.For News, Recipes, and Medical Info Come visit at http://www.letfreedomgrow.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 06:59:02 -0700 From: "Tod H. Mikuriya, MD" A visit to the NIDA web site is like looking for birth control methods at the Vatican. Their data base is also deficient in their including minimal info on Marinol which they incorrectly list as schedule II. Federal and California is schedule III. Also only 1 hit on Marinol as a mention on a DEA supplied list. A search on medical marijuana yielded over 1700 hits- most of which were the propaganda pieces "What Parents Should Know. etc" , ad nauseam. Occasionally some pearls may be plucked from the dross.For many years I have stated that the agency should have the acronym NIDP, with the P for propaganda. Taking a page out of Orwell's 1984, a former NIDA director practiced "memory hole at the Ministry of Truth" as the Reaganites' Just Say No! salient transformed an agency dedicated somewhat to science into a propaganda mill.The listings of literature afford fodder for a meta analysis of their dissimulations and a better idea of the structure of their junk science that reflect their institutional bias. What is censored our is as important. Having studied the literature for 43 years I can attest to the need to maintain critical thinking especially for any study after cannabis was taken off the market in 1938- a victim of the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act.www.mikuriya.com Marijuana Medical Papers 1839 - 1972 documents some of the medicinal uses that are confirmed by interviews with thousands of Californians with serious chronic illnesses seeking protection under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.There has been attenuation and contamination of the medical intelligence about cannabis. The previous research with humans for medical and medicinal continues to be ignored because of careless and naive researchers and censorious institutional dogmatic policy. A further impediment is the Supreme Court affirmed stipulative excrescence: the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Consequent restriction of research and use of cannabis medicinally harms chronically ill by denying access to a medicine that is safer and more effective than contemporary polypharmaceutical abuse. The illegitimate classification scheme meets their definition for schedule I: High abuse potential without current accepted medical use.Restore cannabis to the formulary from which it was illegitimately removed. Neither the composition of cannabis nor human physiology has changed.Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by ekim on July 10, 2002 at 18:47:30 PT Carvell sets up and Tucker lands KO on Assa Both Carvell and Tucker put Assa on the ropes. Carvell first by saying hey Assa I smoked so has the PRES. and maybe Tucker what should happen to us. To that Assa said well so has Mayor Bloomberg of NY but he has seen the error of his ways and has one of the most harshes drug law in the country. well maybe not all that but close. Then Tucker said Assa I hear you saying the you have bigger fish to fry why not ease up on us ol cannabis heads. Well that is pretty close. Assa must have said something I mean his mouth was moving but I am sure no one heard a word he was saying as his face told all-- the waves he was emmitting were of the non-beleaveable varity. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by VitaminT on July 10, 2002 at 11:46:33 PT Latest poll numbers Do you support legalizing the possession and sale of small amounts of marijuana? * 10005 responses Yes 78% No 22% This poll is getting about 30 hits per minute judging from the rate of increase in responses MSNBC Poll [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by C diddy on July 10, 2002 at 09:22:12 PT This is absurd This is a damn disgrace. Apparently the ignorant drug officials of our country feel that allieviating the sick and dying would be sending the "wrong message". This is absolutely ridiculous. And by comparing marijuana with meth, crack, and other hard drugs, the government continues to trash their crediblity. What the hell is wrong with our current policy makers...and why can't ANYone present a decent argument on the anti-legalizer side?? Maybe cause there's not one. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by BGreen on July 10, 2002 at 04:09:59 PT Uncle Floyd Website for Zero_G Found on Google.com Mugsy's Uncle Floyd TV show NEWS and GAZETTE [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Zero_G on July 09, 2002 at 23:26:53 PT Oogie that puppetWas Oogie. Wish I could remember some of Oogie's bits... [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by CongressmanSuet on July 09, 2002 at 22:28:10 PT " Come to .... WILD WEST CITY, a city going wild! Sorry, but I have fond Uncle Floyd memories. That man was a genius the way he made that clown puppet seem so life like. LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Zero_G on July 09, 2002 at 21:45:16 PT Once upon a time... there was a local uhf tv station in NJ that hosted a show called the:the Uncle Floyd show.A kids show for adults... all sorts of references...They did a segment of pictures on the wall... We sent in a faux filmore poster for Jefferson Airhead... an airplane poster with the faces cut out and sky pasted in behind....FoM, believe me, you ain't no airhead, and the members of JA weren't either... [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Zero_G on July 09, 2002 at 21:29:10 PT Doh... Dr. Zombie's "Soul on Propaganda".Ooops, that was supposed to be "Propaganda on Ice"....Silly me..........., [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on July 09, 2002 at 21:24:24 PT Zero_G You sure didn't mislead anyone. I didn't know but I am quite an airhead in certain areas. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Zero_G on July 09, 2002 at 21:15:57 PT The quote in question... Is Asa's not Eldridge's...I was playing wordgames with Dr. Zombie's "Soul on Propaganda".Don't mean to mislead anyone.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Zero_G on July 09, 2002 at 20:55:28 PT Soul On, Eldridge He has argued that marijuana spurs health problems and dependence, as evidenced by thousands of people who receive emergency-room treatment for medical problems related to the drug.This is deception. This is not only palpably false, it is misleading as well. False in the sense that marijuana is rarely the cause of the emergency room visit, and misleading in that there is no call to restrict other risky behavior, skiing or sky-diving for example, which lead to many more emergency room visits than cannabis ever did...Volunteer Mystery Game:Anybody remember the Eldridge Cleaver reference made by Jefferson Airplane...? (hint contained in question) [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by mayan on July 09, 2002 at 18:37:37 PT Dumb Assa Keep on lying Assa. You will only make a bigger Assa out of yourself!unrelated -America in Crisis - THE FIRST REAL CITIZEN BATTLE OVER 9/11 IS THE RE-ELECTION OF CONGRESSWOMAN CYNTHIA McKINNEY: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/070802_mckinney.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on July 09, 2002 at 18:02:21 PT correction GW">http://www.gwpharm.com/cann_index.html>GW Pharmaceuticals disagrees whoeheartedly, and have put thier money where their mouth is. z [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on July 09, 2002 at 18:00:24 PT Propaganda on Ice Quoted on his nationwide Propaganda Tour:Hutchinson argues that the ballot measure "sends an inappropriate message." It suggests that marijuana has a medicinal purpose when, in fact, procedures normally used for drug testing have not been followed, Hutchinson said at a Phoenix press conference. GW">http://www.gwpharm.com/cann_index.html>GW Pharmaceuticals disagrees whoeheartedly, and have put thier money where their mouth is.The actual phrase up there is schizophrenic: "suggests that marijuana has a medicinal purpose when, in fact, procedures normally used for drug testing have not been followed". That is meaningless, although it is not his usual "no known medical usage" line. Perhaps the trip to canada infected him with some sort of grain of reality.He has argued that marijuana spurs health problems and dependence, as evidenced by thousands of people who receive emergency-room treatment for medical problems related to the drug. The emergency room report data is spurious at worst and meaningless at best. They started asking poepl if they smoke pot on patient questionairres for the ER in the 1990s, probably at the insistance of the Federal Government to provide just this sort of trivial data. If it was more meaningful or relavant, we would hear a lot more about it. My guess is properly presented the ER data would reflect reality: that weed is simply very popular and people from all walks of life like it. The remarks were made during a nationwide tour Hutchinson organized to increase public awareness about methamphetamine, which he described as "one of the most devastating drugs in our society." On that front there is little good news to report, Hutchinson said. "We're a long ways from turning the tide on methamphetamine." Last year the DEA and state and local agencies seized 320 meth labs in Arizona. Hutchinson described the seizures as just the tip of a very serious problem in Arizona and throughout the country.I would expect as Drug Czar he would do better at attempting to link cannabis with meth labs. This is so pathetic, I almost.....almost...feel sorry for him. A decent person could not live a life telling lies of this magnatude. The paper is serving faithfully as lapdog to him as well, not even questioning the salad that spews from this incoherent man. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on July 09, 2002 at 18:00:07 PT This article is worth it just to see Asa referred to as an "aide". [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Nasarius on July 09, 2002 at 17:56:11 PT Hmmm Asa continues to play "How many lies and ludicrously misinterpreted data can we cram into one interview?" *sigh* [ Post Comment ] Post Comment