cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar Calls on Ehrlich 'Not to be Conned' 





Drug Czar Calls on Ehrlich 'Not to be Conned' 
Posted by CN Staff on April 05, 2003 at 11:49:57 PT
By Brian Witte, Associated Press Writer 
Source: Associated Press
Baltimore - The White House drug czar urged Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Thursday "not to be conned" into approving measures to reduce criminal penalties for seriously ill people who smoke marijuana to ease their symptoms. Special interests seeking to legalize marijuana have duped Maryland lawmakers into trying to soften drug laws, said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Speaking at the Dr. Lonnie E. Mitchell National Substance Abuse Conference, Walters even warned of possible lawsuits if people are sickened further by smoking marijuana. "If the state puts the state taxpayer and the government of the state on the hook, it will probably risk the consequences of those who are harmed saying: 'You are a party to that harm,"' Walters said. Last week, the state Senate approved legislation on a 29-17 vote to substantially reduce penalties for seriously ill people caught smoking marijuana as a way of easing their symptoms. The measure would set a maximum fine of $100 and no jail time for defendants who can convince a judge they need to smoke marijuana for medical reasons. Under current law, simple possession or use of marijuana can bring penalties of up to a year in prison or a $1,000 fine. The House has already approved a similar bill, and supporters believe they have an excellent chance of getting one or both bills to Ehrlich. Ehrlich supported medical marijuana use when he was in Congress. But he has not taken a position on the bills passed in the General Assembly. "Governor Ehrlich maintains his position of supporting the concept of medical marijuana, but will listen to all interested parties before signing any bill of this nature into law," Ehrlich spokeswoman Shareese DeLeaver said Thursday. Supporters of the measures say smoking marijuana can alleviate the symptoms of serious illnesses such as cancer, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. They also say they can help patients suffering from nausea hold down food and medications. Walters disputed those claims, saying modern medicine has better ways of treating chronic pain. He also said Baltimore likely has suffered more than any other city in the nation from drug addiction, and he called it an "an outrage" for Maryland legislators to support easing drug laws in any way. He said it would be malpractice for a physician to treat a patient with "weed." "We have the most sophisticated medical institutions in the history of man," he said. "We don't use smoked weeds." Seven states with medical marijuana laws enacted them by ballot initiatives, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group working to reform marijuana laws. In 2000, Hawaii became the first state to pass a law through the state legislature. Walters said progress toward passing the laws in Maryland is not an indication that other states are moving toward easing penalties on marijuana for medical reasons. "More states recognize the seriousness," Walters said. "More people recognize the dangers of marijuana. We're going to try to increase that awareness." Complete Title: Drug Czar Calls on Ehrlich 'Not to be Conned' on Medical Marijuana Source: Associated PressAuthor: Brian Witte, Associated Press Writer Published: Friday, April 04, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site: Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15880.shtmlGOP Leaders Press Ehrlich To Veto Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15873.shtmlDrug Czar Calls Marijuana Bill Immoralhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15791.shtml 
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Comment #13 posted by freedom fighter on April 06, 2003 at 12:14:27 PT
Prohibition Harmless??
86 and still counting souls gone like a sudden gush of air blowing on the candles.."Honduras' 26 prisons were built to house 5,500 inmates but are crammed with 13,000 prisoners, according to government statistics..............El Porvenir is a prison farm located close to the Caribbean coast where suspects facing drugs, weapons, rape and assault charges are held while they await trial. Inmates grow beans and other grains, and there is little security. Weapons and drugs are common, and gang members often control cell blocks"...............http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=394491For you anti's,, do not try to answer this question to me, tell it to the 86 souls.. Is Prohibition Harmless??Lehder, man, it's crazy, Prison for "e"-duct-a-shun. Pretty soon noone will be able to spell the word education. Same thing is happenin in Denver. Mayor in his last term is trying to build a new prison, I am not sure if he has gotten his wish yet, while several cities in Colorado are facing serious education budget problem..Has the common sense left our country? We seem to be no longer rational these days...pazff
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Comment #12 posted by Lehder on April 06, 2003 at 06:52:12 PT
...rips at the fabric of our nation
...enslaves the mind and destroys the soul, and has such a devastating effect on our communities.20% of California's teachers to be laid off:http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=394432Student/teacher ratio rising to 40-50:1. Is there any good news? Why, yes! "Governor Davis is insisting on building a new death row unit at San
         Quentin prison. The price tag: $220m." The educated Chinese will wipe out the U.S. economically. They'll make fusion energy a reality, and few little red cans of oil for door hinges will be all the world needs. 
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Comment #11 posted by freedom fighter on April 06, 2003 at 01:40:16 PT
Tobacco is legal!
"If the state puts the state taxpayer and the government of the state on the hook, it will probably risk the consequences of those who are harmed saying: 'You are a party to that harm,"' Walters said. Tobacco is legal! Tobacco is harmful! Is the government on the hook for allowing a legal substance that kills? Can I sue Johnny because he allows a lethal substance that are completely legal? Oh, I forgot, Johnny is off the hook because the tobacco is legal.Relax Johnny, I can see black smokes puffing outta of your ears... Smoke a bowl and see for yourself. Ought be a law that our next Drug Czar test postive for cannabis before taking the office!pazff
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Comment #10 posted by afterburner on April 05, 2003 at 21:30:53 PT:
David Malmo-Levine Is Not Conned Either.
High Society - Drug and Oil War ConnectionAgent M13 investigates the connections between the Drug War and Iraq 2 and the world's two biggest chemical cartels - the Rockefellers and IG Farben. High Society with David Malmo-Levine: http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1855.ramFor corresponding links: http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1855.html ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.
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Comment #9 posted by SoberStoner on April 05, 2003 at 20:49:33 PT
Liberals..conservatives..
Who gives a rat's ass?I'm an AMERICAN..but most of all, i'm a human being..thats all that matters..Sorry, but in a time of great division and seperation, I despise anything that seeks to further divide our country anymore..that's probably the biggest reason I hate the party system for politics. how are we supposed to elect leaders when all we get are party mouthpieces?With that being said however, i think we could possibly seeing the emergence of a new leader. John Kerry has taken the lead and stood up against the oppresive regime installed in our very country. In fact, he may be the reason i vote for a democrat in the next election. However i dont think the people in charge will let him get that far. time will tell however.Americans need to wake up from their fat lazy complacent lives and actually look at the country they are living in. In these times of difficulty, the words of our founders ring so very true"Those that would give up a little freedom for a little security deserve neither." - Benjamin Franklin"When the government fears the people, there is freedom. When the people fear the government, there is tryanny." - Thomas JeffersonWAKE UP AMERICA!!!*we now return you to your regularly scheduled thread*SS
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on April 05, 2003 at 16:53:32 PT
Robert Spring is not conned...
US MD: PUB LTE: Feds Will Mess It Up For Medical Marijuana For years passionate people over the whole state of Maryland have fought hard to get the medical marijuana bill as far as it has gotten, but now that John P. Walters has showed up ( "Drug czar blasts marijuana reform," March 25 ) it reminds me of what is going on in California right now. The majority of the people of California voted and went through all of the legislative process and passed a medical marijuana bill, but people are still being arrested by the federal government. We've had people ask where these people would get the medical marijuana from. California licensed and regulated suppliers, but the federal government arrested them, too. I think any kind of medical marijuana bill passed in Maryland is also going to be useless, but I would like to ask Mr. Walters why is it when a leader like Saddam Hussein tells his people he doesn't care what they want, and they are going to do as he says, it is called a dictatorship. But when Mr. Walters says he doesn't care what the people want, it's called democracy. ROBERT SPRING Knoxville http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n493/a02.html?397
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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on April 05, 2003 at 16:44:47 PT
Who is the conned?
The original con is what brings Us Walters.It is because America was conned, that We have a Walters.What is shocking untill You think about it, is that the Democrats sit back and allow this.  This is an excelent time for the Democrats to grab this issue and run.  
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on April 05, 2003 at 14:42:47 PT
Dolts
"The White House drug czar urged Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Thursday "not to be conned" into approving measures to reduce criminal penalties for seriously ill people who smoke marijuana to ease their symptoms. 
Special interests seeking to legalize marijuana have duped Maryland lawmakers into trying to soften drug laws, said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy."These guys are serious dolts. Everybody and their mom knows that cannabis is a viable medicine. Always has been. Always will be. When will the 80%(and growing) of Americans who support medical marijuana be represented?The way out is the way in...Group Pledges to Monitor Government 9/11 Commision: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0304/S00027.htmTop 11 Question/Talking Points for 9/11 Commision:http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00255.htmPaul Thompson't Complete 9/11 Timeline: http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline/The People's Investigation of 9/11:http://www.911pi.com/9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledgeHijack Suspects Alive and Well: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm9/11 - Guilt in High Places:http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/911page1&2.htmWho Gave the Green light for 9/11?http://www.willthomas.net/911part1.htmAir Defenses Stood Down After ATC Alerts Given: http://www.rense.com/general18/atcd.htmKaminski's Best 9/11 Sites - 4th Edition: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00024.htm
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on April 05, 2003 at 14:24:58 PT:
Don't Con Me, Biff!
Individuals are taking the substance [cannabis] on their own initiative rather than on the basis of medical advice from a practitioner licensed by law to administer such substances.So what. This is circular logic. You say cannabis is Schedule I, meaning no approved medical value. Then, you use statistics to indicate that people are using cannabis without a doctor's advice. Why should a user of cannabis be required to obtain a doctor's advice to use a plant which has "no approved medical use"? If it's a medicine then provide a way to allow doctors to prescribe it. If it's not a medicine, then bringing lack of "medical advice" into the picture is irrelevant. The fact of demand for cannabis should not be used as a justification for improper scheduling, any more than a demand for chocolate, coffee, or tea should be used to schedule these mild stimulants as schedule I. Need I remind you of the preponderance of coffee shops and restaurants selling coffee (billions sold), and candy machines, grocery stores, and newsstands selling chocolate? The use statistics on these legal substances belie the argument that use indicates a "high potential for abuse."-page 11 of 47, the DEA's response to the Gettman, Jon; petition to reschedule marijuana: denied!Read for yourself (if you have time for 47 pages of text), the DEA's response to the Gettman, Jon; petition to reschedule marijuana: denied!----------------
Contents Federal Register
Vol. 66, No. 75
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
 
----------------
 
Drug Enforcement Administration 
 
NOTICES 
Applications, hearings, determinations, etc.: 
 Gettman, Jon; petition to reschedule marijuana denied, 
 20037–20076 [01–9306] [ TEXT: ] http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-9306-filed [ PDF: ] http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-9306-filed.pdf 
Anybody have time to wade through all this? I'm up to page 26 so far.On page 24 the difference in absorption rates between inhaled or oral administration of cannabis is discussed: "When marijuana is administered by smoking, delta9-THC in the form of an aerosol in the inhaled smoke is absorbed within seconds (Agurell et al. 1986; Hollister 1988a).... After smoking, venous levels of delta9-THC decline precipitously within minutes, and within an hour are about 5 to 10 percent of the peak level (Agurell et al., 1986, Huestis et al., 1992a, 1992b).... The rapid disappearance of delta9-THC from blood is largely due to redistribution to other tissues in the body, rather than to metabolism (Agurell et al., 1984, 1986).... In contrast, following an oral dose of delta9-THC or marijuana, maximum delta9-THC and other cannabinoid blood levels are attained after 2 to 3 hours (Adams and Martin 1996; Agurell et al. 1984, 1986). Oral bioavailability of delta9-THC, whether pure or in marijuana, is low and extremely variable, ranging between 5 and 20 percent (Agurell et al. 1984, 1986). There is inter- and intra-subject variability, even when repeatedly dosed under controlled and ideal conditions. The low and variable oral bioavailability of delta9-THC is a consequence of its first-pass hepatic elimination from blood and erratic absorption from stomach and bowel. Because peak effects are slow in onset, typically one or two hours after an oral dose, and variable in intensity, it is more difficult for a user to titrate the oral delta9-THC dose than with marijuana smoking."On page 25: "An experienced marijuana smoker can titrate and regulate the dose to obtain the desired acute psychological effects and to avoid overdose and/or minimize undesired effects. Each puff delivers a discrete dose of delta\9\-THC to the body. "This HHS supplied research, requested by the DEA, verifies the self-report of many medical cannabis users who experience more dependable delivery from inhaled whole cannabis, than from eaten cannabis, or especially Marinol AKA dronabinol.On pages 25-26 under the heading, Medical Uses for Marijuana: "There is suggestive evidence that marijuana may have beneficial therapeutic effects in relieving spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, as an analgesic, as an antiemetic, as an appetite stimulant and as a bronchodilator, but there is no data from controlled clinical trials to support a new drug application for any of these indications. Data of the risks and potential benefits of using marijuana for these various indications must be developed to determine whether botanical marijuana, or any cannabinoid in particular, has a therapeutic role."At least they admit to the possibility of medical use for cannabis. If the FDA / NIDA / HHS axis had not persecuted and denied researchers for these many years, the necessary studies would have been conducted long ago. Now, let the chronically ill who might benefit participate in these studies by their own volition, instead of leaving them to suffer or risk the black market!On page 26: "In addition, in March 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a detailed report that supports the absolute need for evidence-based research into the effects of marijuana and cannabinoid components of marijuana, for patients with specific disease conditions. The IOM report also emphasized that smoked marijuana is a crude drug delivery system that exposes patients to a significant number of harmful substances and that `if there is any future for marijuana as a medicine, it lies in its isolated components, the cannabinoids and their synthetic derivatives.'"Four years later, many medical cannabis patients already dead, many suffering or turning to the black market. How long do they have to wait? How long do the have left? GW Pharmaceuticals is not mentioned, nor is any serious attention given to vaporizers as a delivery system.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.I'd rather be at the Ann Arbor Hash Bash, but we also serve who only sit and read (and write).
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 05, 2003 at 14:11:15 PT
Virgil
You seem to think like me in many ways. That's why it's so hard for me to get involved in politics. There isn't an easy answer no matter how hard we wish there would be. I've thought of what would happen if the drug war would end abruptly. It would be a good thing but it would have negative repercussions. How would people live that have become accustomed to some side drug money if there weren't any more laws? I'm talking about poor inner city folks. How would some people survive? There aren't any jobs so what would happen? So many questions and not many answers.
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Comment #3 posted by Virgil on April 05, 2003 at 13:43:19 PT
FoM, I know what you mean
The problem with labels like conservative and liberal is that they are just two broad and whose definition do you use anyway.Now take the Cato Instute and their website at cato.org. On the left hand side they have Jefferson who was for a specifically limited government as outlined in the Constitution. On the right side at the top they list these words- "Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace."Now the media says Busch is the most conservative president in a long time if not ever. However a true conservative would be for abolishing the Department of Education immediately. I am for that and Busch is not. I see the Department of Education as a litmus test for conservative values. I do not recognize Busch as compassionate or conservative. He is just a marketed piece of clay that is molded in by the plutocracy. The farm bill was not conservative in its nature at all and even George Will lashed out its passing as completely against nonconservative values.The words liberal and conservative are just too broad and too polarizing and therefore have limited value. The WOD does not fit in the Cato understanding of conservative in that it is just a federal bureaucracy duplicating and overriding state efforts and expermentation. That is why Busch said he would respect states rights in the MMJ issue. He wanted to appear to adhere to conservative values while really not caring much about anything except getting elected.That is what makes the big federal effort to escalate the WOD so ironic. The WOD is not conservative in its design and yet when we are told we have the most conservative administration ever, they don't apply conservative doctrine.I really do not know what a moderate or a liberal is though as there is no pronounced definition. Somehow I think I am a moderate because I believe in some conservative principles but recognize that other principles are involved in making this the best society it can be.Maybe I have explained why I think the Cato report is so valuable if nothing else. Sometimes words have too many definitions.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 05, 2003 at 12:49:31 PT
Virgil
I thought I'd mention how I feel about conservatives and liberals. I'm liberal and I'm conservative. I don't have any side I lean too. Maybe that's why I can't get into any debates with anyone about issues like this one. We need laws for those who will not obey basic principles of order but we don't need laws on issues that are really personal issues for each of us. I guess I'm more like a Libertarian but I also believe we need to care for those who are less fortunate then us as a society. See I'm very confused.
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on April 05, 2003 at 12:34:54 PT
Pardon me while I throw some stink atthe stonewall
I want to put up 5 paragraphs selected from an editorial at Buzzflash.com- http://www.buzzflash.com/buzzscripts/buzz.dll/sub3 This is an excellent editorial worthy of a few minutes time; however there are only 5 paragraphs lifted for their cannabis portal value.In this paragraph the word liberals makes a good paragraph if it is substituted with reformers.If liberals ever decide to defend themselves, they will be blessed with an unlimited supply of ammunition. The conservative movement is chock full of pseudo-moralizing faux patriots who believe that the Ten Commandments were meant only for others to keep and who enthusiastically support wars in which they are personally unwilling to fight. They prosper because hypocrisy and contempt for the truth become liabilities only when aggressively challenged; regrettably, the challenges have been few and far between. We can get a good thought out of this paragraph if the word, Conservatism, is replaced by Prohibition.Conservatism is an intellectually and morally bankrupt elitist movement that exists to enrich the few by manipulating the fears of the many. Right-wingers are repressive and belligerent, but – like all bullies - they are dependent on no one calling their bluff. When forcefully confronted, conservatism collapses under the weight of its own decadence. Here are the last three paragraphs of the article without comment,These reprobates have blazed the trail to oblivion for the trespasser in the White House. Bush shares their conservative traits - their obsession with secrecy, their demand for conformity, and their paranoia that disagreement is treason. If McCarthy and Nixon had gone unchallenged, they would never have been exposed as the un-American tyrants that they were. It is only because they were ultimately confronted that our nation has retained the right to dissent.Once again, that right is being assaulted. And once again, it is the moral obligation of people who love this country to fight back. It is our patriotic duty not just to condemn Bush, but to condemn him constantly. We must refuse to be intimidated by those who – like the bleating sheep in George Orwell’s Animal Farm – seek to drown out all dissent with meaningless noise. George W. Bush has a philosophy that cannot be defended and he has policies that cannot work; once he has opponents who cannot be bullied, then he will be political road kill, and the United States of America will be better for it.
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