cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 17, 2004





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 17, 2004
Posted by CN Staff on June 17, 2004 at 16:24:07 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
Cannabis Improves Night Vision, Study SaysJune 17, 2004 - Missoula, MT, USAMissoula, MT: Administration of cannabis improves night vision in a dose-dependent manner, according to the findings of a case study to be published in the July issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
Researchers administered oral THC to one individual; analogous field studies were performed on three separate subjects before and after smoking cannabis. All four subjects were field-tested for night vision with a Scotopic Sensitivity Tester-1."In both test situations, improvements in night vision measures were noted after THC or cannabis," authors found."The current study supports the previous ethnobotanical observations that cannabis may improve night vision," they concluded. "This effect seems to be dose-dependent and cannabinoid-mediated. Further study may reveal whether this clinical application of cannabis could be added to treatment of pain, spasticity of multiple sclerosis, and nausea of chemotherapy as recognized indications for this ancient substance."For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of the study are available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03788741DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6135CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtmlBritain: Fewer Pot Smokers Arrested Under DecriminalizationJune 17, 2004 - London, United KingdomLondon, United Kingdom: Fewer Britons have been arrested on minor marijuana charges since the enactment of national legal reforms earlier this year downgrading marijuana from a Class B to a Class C "soft" drug."Early figures from police forces indicate that the number of arrests for cannabis possession are falling," a Home Office spokeswoman told The Scotsman newspaper. "This will help police and benefit the community by focusing police time and resources on the most serious drugs and offenses."Under Britain's new pot policy, which took effect January 29, 2004, individuals found in possession of personal use amounts of marijuana are cautioned by police, but, in general, are no longer arrested. (Police do retain the discretion to make an arrest under special "aggravated" circumstances, such as if marijuana is smoked on school grounds.)Under the previous classification, about 80,000 Britons were arrested annually for possessing cannabis - 90 percent of whom were charged with possession only."Marijuana decriminalization is a common sense policy that frees up police time and resources to focus on serious crime while at the same time not encouraging cannabis use," NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said. He noted that the possession of marijuana for personal use is a fine-only offense in 12 US states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6134Biggest Shake-Up of Britains Laws in 30 Yearshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18261.shtml Voters Want Even Softer Line on Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18220.shtml Texas: Mother Sentenced On Felony Drug Delivery Charges For Smoking Pot While PregnantJune 17, 2004 - Amarillo, TX, USAAmarillo, Texas: A judge last week sentenced a mother on felony charges of "delivering marijuana to a minor" after she admitted that she had occasionally smoked marijuana to combat symptoms associated with morning sickness. The mother is the first woman to be prosecuted under the law for smoking pot while pregnant, according to a news report in the Amarillo-Globe News.The defendant, Alma Baker, 35, had recently given birth to twins, both of whom tested positive for the presence of marijuana after they were born.Delivery of a controlled substance to a minor is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Baker was sentenced Friday to five years of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. She could be ordered to serve the full jail term if she does not complete community supervision, the Amarillo-Globe News reported.According to a 1997 scientific review authored by John P. Morgan and Lynn Zimmer, "Studies of newborns, infants, and children show no consistent physical, developmental, or cognitive defects related to prenatal marijuana exposure."For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of the NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6136Majority Of Cops Back Arresting, Jailing Medical Pot Patients, Survey Says June 17, 2004 - Titusville, FL, USATitusville, FL: Fewer than one in two police chiefs believe that marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes, according to the results of a survey conducted by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.Sixty percent of respondents answered "no" to the question: "Should marijuana be legalized in the United States for those who have a legitimate medical need for the drug?" The result sharply contrasts with national public opinion polls, which demonstrate that 80 percent of Americans believe that it should be legal to dispense medical cannabis to qualified patients."It is a shame that law enforcement continue to hold seriously ill patients hostage in the war on drugs," NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "Equally troubling is the fact that law enforcement's views on drug policy are completely out-of-step with the opinions of the American public."More than 22,000 chiefs of police and sheriffs were polled for the survey.In other results, nearly 70 percent of respondents agreed that decriminalizing "soft drugs" like marijuana "would allow more resources for violent and property crime management."Eighty-two percent said that the drug war has been "successful in reducing the use of illegal drugs." This finding also contrasts with previous public opinion polls, including a 2001 Pew Research Center poll that found three out of four respondents believe America is losing the war on drugs.For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500. Full results of the Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs 16th Annual survey are available online at: http://www.aphf.org/survey.htmlDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6133Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: June 17, 2004Copyright: 2004 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 10, 2004http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18982.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 03, 2004http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18944.shtml
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Comment #13 posted by afterburner on June 19, 2004 at 14:57:05 PT
Don't Freak-Out
Government would help control those impulses
Jun. 19, 2004. 01:00 AM
"Canadians appear to be on the verge of electing a government that will strive to make us better human beings."  [Toronto Star: Full Story] http://tinyurl.com/2x6cjFree Nol Van Schaik! France, get out of prohibition! US-style drug war shown to be inhumane, ineffective and costly: free the money!Dutch pot hero imprisoned 
"Dutch cannabis coffeeshop guru Nol Van Schaik jumped off a cliff in 1989. For 15 years, he has defied gravity." F U L L S T O R Y 
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3497.htmlBeyond Prohibition: Dr. Todd Mikuriya Running Time: 23 min 
Date Entered: 01 Jun 2004 
http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2694.html 
"Former director of marijuana research National Institute Mental Health analyzes models from the California and various countries, implications of taxation, valid statistics, implimentation, involving growers and medical systems."Todd Mikuriya is an advisor and author of the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996."NDP Candidate Crystal LeBlanc on Pot:
VOTE NDP ON JUNE 28th 
Running Time: 4 min 
Date Entered: 18 Jun 2004 
http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2761.html
"Ontario NDP candidate Crystal LeBlanc tackles the Pot question with common sense answers in this all-candidates meeting. The Conservative candidate shows his party's true colors - Red, White and Blue. Vote, and get your friends to Vote for the NDP on June 28th or the Conservatives could be the new face of Canada." 
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Comment #12 posted by Agog on June 18, 2004 at 12:33:34 PT
Abuse- Yes, Hypocrisy - that too
I think they are very much linked. I don't believe that a Libertarian will say that abuses and prejudices don't exist, I think most will say however that more Government intervention isn't the answer. The difference being the basic philosophical premise that mankind will behave morally for the most part. An Optimistic view versus a pessimistic one.I commented a while back that the reason the social bureacracies don't work is because people are "de-humanized" through the process. The clerk behind the desk, just punching numbers, understaffed, underpaid, under appreciated, not a happy scene for the bureacrat or for the person desperately in need of their service. The reinforcing incentives are entirely too few and far between.The alternative of local private coalitions set up to provide the service directly are very different in nature. Take for example the WAMM group. Direct assistance and support, continuous reinforcement and compassion on a very personal and human level. I would suggest that they through their independence, entrepeneurial spirit, and strength of purpose could be considered a real success and example to emulate when looked at through Libertarian eyes. Other than asking local authorities to simply follow all laws equally don't they just want to be left alone to do their work? Adam Smith... think market forces and macroeconomics versus centralized planned governmental economies. Kind of interesting that the CSA relies on the Commerce Clause for enforcement across state lines.I offer this as another view point only, dissenting yes, respectful...absolutely.All the BestAgog
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Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on June 18, 2004 at 09:15:50 PT
It's not hypocrisy, it's just plain abuse
The problem with Libertarians is that the purely materialistic ideology of Adam Smith leaves you intellectually naked when it comes to fighting social abuse systems that the left really understands far far better than you guys do.You can't understand anything imporant about the HUMAN world by reading Marx or Adam Smith, they both fall short of understanding anything immaterial.This is abuse -- like the kinds of racist and sexist abuse that Libertarians like to deny exist in the world or deny are important actors in our national economy.This abusive system has survived so well because neither the left nor the right has enough wisdom by itself to fight it.The left likes to deny that the market is a force of nature than can't be contained, but Libertarians like to deny that human prejudice and human emotions are important actors and even directors in the economic system.And we do have systenmatic patterns of social abuse deeply engrained in our society that the mere freeing up of the mystical magical market cannot cure and might even make far far far worse.Marijuana users are the proxies now for all the forbidden hatred in America. The politically correct hatred and suspicion of anyone who is a white male, the old right wing hatred and suspicion of anyone who is not a white male.We are the targets of violent social abuse motivated by greed and prejudice.This is not hypocrisy. This is a pogrom.Adam Smith doesn't teach anything about how to deal with pogroms.We need a new polotical philosophy that can encompass what has been learned in the Marijuana Wars about how the traditional left and right political philosophies both fall short when it comes to fighting this neo-fascist disease that afflicts our society right now.
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Comment #10 posted by dididadadidit on June 18, 2004 at 08:41:32 PT
I Can Believe It
We are dealin' with Texas here folks. This is the state that back in the 60's gave porn star Candy Barr life for possession (course they hated her for porn as much as for possession) of a little marijuana. They have not progressed much in 40 to 50 years (if ever) and don't hold your breath on them.The wonder is she didn't have her kids taken away and the full 20 years imposed.?
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Comment #9 posted by OverwhelmSam on June 18, 2004 at 07:41:42 PT
Can You Believe It?
They convicted a pregnant woman for contribting to the delinquency of a minor, while they were still in her womb! How about all those soon to be mothers who drug their pre-born kids with tobacco and alcohol? Will this garden variety of hypocrisy ever end?
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Comment #8 posted by BGreen on June 17, 2004 at 23:21:42 PT
ekim
Go to google.com/news and type in Shell Oil Global Warming. You'll find several stories of interest, probably including the one you heard earlier.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on June 17, 2004 at 20:53:18 PT
Fahrenheit 420
Hey May have you heard anything of Mike Moore film on the Cannabis issue. We have been sayen for years that a film would break out this story. I have all but begged that Sundance promote the effort. Others have called for Tommy to roll another with Cheech. This outfit Lions Gate could have a ready made audience with Mikes film, now I wonder how long it would take to put together a flick on the subject how many people could be interviewed -- Jose is doing this as we speak. Leap.cc is filming some of its events. Please Ethan at DPF take a little of the money and kick ass. Let the polls see the real tip of the ice berg -------- today on C-Span Wash Journal --Peter read a piece on the Head of Shell Oil said he was troubled by the signs of Global Warming. I tried to get the paper that Peter was reading from I missed. I wondered as I put gas in my ride how old was this guy and what did he see in his life time in the energy business. Had he seen other ways to lessen our use of the black gold only to turn away and ignore it. not to long ago someone miss represented the amount of the stuff -- GM yesterday set up there Fuel Cell Volvo car for use around DC. ya not Chevy or Buick or caddy. Bring in Cannabis paper and clothes and plastics the DVD would be awesome. with the sound track a instant success.
http://minorml.org
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Comment #6 posted by Virgil on June 17, 2004 at 20:33:49 PT
Turmel is cybertalking again
He did not mention his case except to say he was able to record it with the judges permission. He put up two more messages that keep mentioning dismissals. One case seems to be more important because it came after the Oct. 7, 2003 ruling that seems to have made the courts capable of passing legislation if dead laws leave a void. It got postponed to Nov. 1 and they would not let visitors in the courtroom. Six people in the know on the Turmel arguments went out and fired up some joints at the courthouse. The Crown is going to have to explain how a court can pass legislation or possession and cultivation are dead. When presented with the facts they say they have to think on it. Someone like Dan Gardner or Ann Harrison really needs to interview Turmel.Long die the cannabis laws in Canada.
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Comment #5 posted by Virgil on June 17, 2004 at 20:15:22 PT
Mercury preservative in pills banned in Iowa
News > June 9, 2004 Hawkeyes Eye MercuryIowa becomes the first state to ban thimerosal from vaccinesBy Annette FuentesMercury is some really dangerous stuff to be putting in pills and in people's teeth for that matter. Now how much testing has been done on this preservative that has a big red flag of danger by cause of mercury content and how much more do we need to know before "Marijuana is a dangerous drug" is taken as proof of treason- http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/hawkeyes_eye_mercury/And speaking of treason, there is an excellent blog that draws upon the fact that the peasants of the earth are to be mined just as the natural resources are. It calls for martial law because the author knows we are ruled by treason- http://www.rense.com/general53/ggyr.htm
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on June 17, 2004 at 20:11:06 PT
Off Topic: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' on the Hot Seat
By Bill Berkowitz, AlterNetJune 17, 2004http://alternet.org/mediaculture/18963/
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on June 17, 2004 at 19:36:31 PT
Dutch pot hero imprisoned 
Dutch pot hero imprisoned http://www.hempbc.com/articles/3497.htmlDutch cannabis coffeeshop guru Nol Van Schaik jumped off a cliff in 1989. For 15 years, he has defied gravity.
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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on June 17, 2004 at 18:57:29 PT
The 10 o'clock news- there is no news
Turmel has not put up a message at medpot groups at yahoo. It makes you wonder if they carried him away. His trial for having 7 pounds on the steps of the House of Commons building was today. Something will surface sometime, but it sure would be nice to have heard by now. If he can put something up it would be message 1243. Here is 1242- http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MedPot/message/1242
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on June 17, 2004 at 18:03:09 PT
Legitimate Medical Need
From the last article on the bulletin...Sixty percent of respondents answered "no" to the question: "Should marijuana be legalized in the United States for those who have a legitimate medical need for the drug?" The result sharply contrasts with national public opinion polls, which demonstrate that 80 percent of Americans believe that it should be legal to dispense medical cannabis to qualified patients.Sixty percent of these pigs would deny cannabis to people who have a "legitimate medical need"!!! I guess they believe these "dangerous criminals" belong in a cage. It's a good thing that these cops are also doctors! To hell with the sick and dying, eh???The way out...Ashcroft may face prison over 9/11 cover-up, says Daniel Ellsberg:
http://www.breakfornews.com/Sibel-Edmonds1.htmThe Movie Bush Conservatives Do Not Want You To See: "Fahrenheit 9/11" 
http://www.mywisecounty.com/news/061704-1.htm"Hot Hot Hot...Fahrenheit 9/11"
http://www.newtopiamagazine.net/content/issue17/newcinema/fahrenheit911exclusive.phpMoveOn Touts 'Fahrenheit 9/11' as 'Knockout Blow' to Bush:
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/news2004/0604/061704-moore.htmGOP PR Firm Attempts to Censor Michael Moore's New Film:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0617-11.htmBush at Booker Elementary - THE VIDEO THAT PROVES 9/11 WAS NOT A SURPRISE:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/schoolvideo.html9/11 Prior Knkowledge/Government Involvement Archive:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge.html
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