cannabisnews.com: New UNC Group Wants To Legalize Pot





New UNC Group Wants To Legalize Pot
Posted by CN Staff on November 14, 2003 at 07:54:28 PT
By Julio Ochoa 
Source: Greeley Tribune 
With Bob Marley playing in the background, munchies on a side table and a big marijuana plant on an overhead screen, Tryb Ramsay had a hard time believing he was in a University of Northern Colorado classroom Thursday night.But even with all the distractions, he managed to learn something about legalizing marijuana from the university's newest student group, a chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
"I knew Boulder had a chapter, but I didn't think it would be here," said Ramsay, an 18-year old-freshman. "I think it's good because there is a huge scene at this school. We at least need to acknowledge that it's here."NORML is a nonprofit, public interest lobby that has fought to legalize marijuana for about 30 years.About 65 students attended the organization's first meeting, an indication that there is a growing number of people who believe in legalization, said Matt Hiner, a 19-year-old sophomore.The debate about legalization has become more important to college students since the 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act, said Shane Atkinson, another 19-year-old sophomore. The amendment states that students who are convicted of drug-related offenses - including marijuana - are denied eligibility for financial aid. UNC's NORML chapter is circulating a petition to overturn the amendment.Hiner, an officer in the new chapter, said he was a little apprehensive about taking an open stand against marijuana laws."Then I realized that one of the main problems is that people are afraid to come forward," he said. "People's perceptions are changing a lot in the past couple of years. More people are open to it."The purpose of the chapter is to raise awareness in the community to overcome some of the misconceptions about marijuana use, Atkinson said.Atkinson decided to start the group after watching "Grass," a movie about the criminalization of marijuana in the 1920s and 1930s and the ensuing war on drugs."We're used to hearing and seeing commercials on TV," he said. The movie "inspired me because I couldn't believe that it happened."Once people are educated, it's hard for them to disagree with the movement, said Jorel Pierce, a 19-year-old sophomore and one of the chapter's founding members."We don't advocate smoking we advocate legalization," Atkinson said. "Don't be a stupid stoner. Get up. Get active. Get NORML."Source: Greeley Tribune (CO)Author: Julio Ochoa Published: November 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Greeley TribuneContact: letters greeleytrib.com Website: http://www.greeleytrib.com/NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by Richard Paul Zuckerm on November 16, 2003 at 13:25:17 PT:
COLORADO MEDICAL MARIJUANA MOVEMENT ON UPPITY UP!
Ken Gorman, www.kg1.org, is attempting to contact all doctors in The State of Colorado who are willing to recommend Cannabis for medical uses. Considering the recent Minnesota Attorney General's report critical of the pharmaceutical industry, "Follow the money. The Pharmaceutical industry: The Other Drug Cartel", www.ag.state.mn.us, and the article in an issue of the JAMA some time in the year 2000 claiming that properly administered pharmaceutical drugs are the 3rd leading cause of death in the world, and the Congressional Bills to restrict over-the-counter use of vitamins, minerals, and herbs; it appears that the government does not want to acknowledge the benefits of using natural substances to prevent and treat medical maladies, such as Ibogaine for drug addiction, www.cures-not-wars.org, and EMPowerplus for manic depression, www.truehope.com, and Cannabis.I spent last weekend at the Green Party USA conference, in the New York Law School. www.greenparty.org. It was quite informative, with several speakers, and it was FREE!! They should teach such information as part of the curriculum of public schools. www.johntaylorgatto.com. Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, New Jersey, 08840-0159, (Cell telephone number)(908) 403-6990, richardzuckerman2002 yahoo.com.
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Comment #5 posted by Virgil on November 14, 2003 at 14:56:29 PT
One more thing- everything is upside down
We should not be living in the prohibitionist world with their language and their questions. If the question in an upside down world is "Why should marijuana be legal" then people should know to turn it right side up and ask "Why should marijuana be illegal?"If you ask me, it should not be illegal.Now make the prohibitionist answer the real question. Why should marijuana be illegal?1. It is a dangerous drug. That is not true and unacceptable.2. So that use does not go up Well, I think use needs to go up and we need to usher in a cannabis era. Your answer is unacceptable.3. It keeps from sending mixed messages. Well, you are mixing subjects so how can you not have more than one message? The message with cannabis is that it is a miracle plant and no gd effing drug and that it the superior alternative to alcohol and research into its medical properties needs to go turbo. Anything real you would like to attatch to the message on cannabis and don't even say drug. It is a miracle plant and you know why I say that. Well, it has roots and leaves and pretty flowers.4. Think of the children? I am thinking of the children fuckhead. Now answer the question.If you don't have a good reason for why it should be illegal, why the eff are you asking me why it should be illegal?Get real.
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Comment #4 posted by Virgil on November 14, 2003 at 14:28:42 PT
Mayan
Yes, Robinson's reply was sophmoric. The alcohol is legal and why isn't cannabis does spead to the heart of the matter, but it gets asked so many times it sounds like blah, blah, blah.I see why should marijuana be legal as the inverse of why should it be illegal. I mean really. CP is as unAmerican as you can get. Instead of freedom, they want to impose the harshest penalty that society has outside of a death sentence and that would be prison. But even lawyers fees are a big burden that the founding father's would think pretty stiff when a lawyer charges an hour what a man makes in a day. But they go on to take away driver's licenses and restrict your travel outside the country, and make it hard to get a job or lose the one you had before arrested for a victimless and fraudulent crime. So why was it illegal to start with in the land of the free? And how many times more harmful is the prohibition than the conditions that would exist under regulation? Cannabis is not going to kill anybody or cause organ failure? But the thing about alcohol is that it was worthy of a constitutional amendment because it was deemed so destructive. Alcohol has not changed chemically and is all but sold out of vending machines and it is advertised like it is a must have like a cure for cancer. I have already said that prohibition far exceeds the damage done by robbing someone of their dignity if you only fined them much less arrested them with intent on jailing them. There is an issue of what cannabis could be as far as reducing the harm of alcoholism.People will eventually usher in a cannabis era just because they will eventually accept cannabis as a superior alternative to anything much less alcohol, either to party or to find peace. It relates to how harmful is a world of prohibition to a world of freedom.Now I have said that prohibition will fall because of list like the top 10 shows at pot-tv. Now how would the list go for the most abused substances in America. The fact that the government does not have such a list is telling that they are not interested in substance abuse.I am not sure and would really like to here that debated as prohibition is touted as protecting us from substances although those substances that are prohibited have government sponsorship.Here is a guess.1. Refined sugar- has no nutritional value and Americans consume 150 pounds of it a year per person leading to lots of things from diabetes to obesity.2. Hydrogenated oils- the stuff is in everything and it there because of taste and texture and the oil selected has a lot to do with its cheapness3. Alcohol4. Tobacco5. Air- It is a substance and you have no choice but to breath. Seems pretty important to me.6. Water- There is not a stream in the lower 48 that has been deemed suitable for human consumption in about 20 years if my memory is correct and ground water is polluted with salt from icy highways to MTBE and dioxon. The chemical companies used to have to fund the Superfund to clean up toxic waste but the NeoconNazis ended that and even allow fracing where they put acids in the ground at high pressure to create crevessas for propane to be gathered faster.I do not know what the top 10 would be as I have never seen anyone present such a list. One thing I could say with conviction is that MJ is not in the top 10, yet today the taxpayers will spend a half a million dollars to demonize marijuana and maybe a hundred million on its prohibition. If a million people spent 40 dollars on a quarter isn't that costing 40 million? Billions for defense of CP, but not a dollar for a list of the top 10 most abused substances.The government is running a protection racket. 
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on November 14, 2003 at 09:57:54 PT
More Important Issues?
From the link FoM provided regarding the Illinois Marijuana Party...Weinberg sophomore Corey Robinson said he would consider a pro-marijuana platform but thinks there are more important issues for politicians to address."If alcohol is legal, why isn't marijuana?" Robinson said. "(But) if that's the only basis for their campaign, I'm not interested -- you don't want a pothead for president."That really gets me. The prohibition of cannabis affects every aspect of our lives! Cannabis can cloth,feed and house us. It can make paper,plastics and fuels. It is also great medicine. I can't really think of anything that cannabis prohibition doesn't affect. We are waging wars for oil because our so-called leaders have sold out to the petrochemical giants. Industrial hemp could greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I could go on and on about agriculture,the environment,nutrition,medicine,etc. but I realize I am mainly preaching to the choir here. In a nutshell...everything is relative. And why wouldn't Robinson want a "pothead" for president? I bet if he gave Jack Herer five minutes of his time he would change his mind. Besides, I would vote for a pothead(or for that matter...a bologna sandwich)over Bush any day! Corey Robinson's statement merely reflects the dumbing down of America. I will forgive him though since he is merely a sophomore! I'm sure he'll see the big picture someday soon.Illinois Marijuana Party:
http://illinois.usmjparty.com/The way out is the way in...Deal on 9/11 Briefings Lets White House Edit Papers:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/14/national/14TERR.html?ex=1069390800&en=70c69c176c881b65&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLERelatives of 9/11 victims criticize agreement about secret-document access:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_2426370,00.htmlPanel Reaches Deal on Access to 9/11 Papers: 
http://truthout.org/docs_03/111403C.shtmlWhat did Bush know before 9/11 attacks?
http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=10687650125969/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge
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Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on November 14, 2003 at 09:03:47 PT:
Marijuana Users Depicted As Deviants
The image that the prohibitionists paint of marijuana users is that of lazy chronic users. They can't tell the difference between someone who has a glass of wine with dinner, or a cigar afterwards, and someone who smokes a joint in the evening once or twice a week.I'll be the first to admit that any non-medical chronic user of any legal on illegal drug, including alcohol, may need counselling or rehabilitation, but the majority of moderate marijuana users do not fall into this category.Now if we could just ally the media to help the public to see the difference.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 14, 2003 at 07:58:21 PT
Pot-Friendly Politics
By Andrea ChangNovember 14, 2003Illinois Marijuana Party candidates running for U.S. Congress in 2004 hope their chances won't go up in smoke.If two members of the new Illinois Marijuana Party have their way -- and make it into office -- it soon may be legal to smoke up between classes.Richard J. Rawlings and Brian K. Meyer, members of the Illinois branch of the U.S. Marijuana Party, announced their candidacy last week for U.S. Congress in 2004.Rawlings, who said he has smoked marijuana since he was 12, founded the Illinois Marijuana Party earlier this year. Rawlings, 42, is running against Republican Rep. Ray LaHood in the 18th Congressional District, which includes Peoria and Springfield.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/11/14/3fb4eaa14010e
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