cannabisnews.com: Cities Look To Block Pot Clubs





Cities Look To Block Pot Clubs
Posted by CN Staff on April 02, 2005 at 09:24:08 PT
By Hector Becerra, Times Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Times
California -- Cities across California are acting to prevent new medical marijuana clubs from opening, with officials saying they fear that a lack of regulations in state law could make the clubs magnets for illegal drug dealing and crime.In the last two months, San Francisco, Modesto, Ontario, Huntington Beach and West Hollywood have imposed moratoriums until officials can devise rules to govern marijuana clubs. The moratoriums do not affect existing clubs; San Francisco already has 37.
"There's been some extremely negative experiences in other cities," said Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, whose city will consider an interim ban later this month, though it has no marijuana clubs now."My biggest concern would be because zoning rules have not been developed, we might find ourselves permitting a dispensary without rules that would assure us it won't become a neighborhood problem," he said.In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, which legalized the use of marijuana for medical treatment. Since then, cannabis clubs have opened in many parts of the state to distribute the drug. But the federal government, which has not shifted its own policy against marijuana use, has raided pot clubs throughout the state.As cities now consider restricting new clubs, many municipal officials are looking to the Northern California town of Rocklin, which banned the clubs outright late last year. Rocklin officials have produced a report widely distributed around the state citing examples of petty crime, pot DUIs and illegal drug dealing around existing clubs in Hayward, Oakland and Roseville.Though some cities say they are just interested in temporary freezes on the clubs that would allow them to fix problems or create regulations, other cities are pondering permanent bans. The prospect of a permanent ban worries advocates of medical marijuana, some of whom say they are not opposed to temporary moratoriums.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/look.htmSource: Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:  Hector Becerra, Times Staff WriterPublished: April 2, 2005Copyright: 2005 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmGreen Rush Fever - AlterNethttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20435.shtmlCannabis Cure - North Bay Bohemianhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20434.shtmlMarijuana Clubs Drawing Ire of Neighborshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20421.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 03, 2005 at 00:36:26 PT
How many will it take? 
These needless deaths won't end until prohibition ends.While you are hysterically swatting at flies, a rabid bear is bearing down on you.What makes you so dense? The flies are the problems with drug use...the bear is the problem with prohibition.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 03, 2005 at 00:33:38 PT
update
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/11298047.htm
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 19:44:47 PT
Siege
What it all might boil down to is that a little bit of "paranoia" while operating a motor vehicle may very well be a very good thing.What some people call "paranoia", may, in fact, be nothing more than realizing the full potential for real danger one might encounter in a given situation.(All those "mays" and "mights" make me sound so "scientific", don't they?)
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Comment #7 posted by siege on April 02, 2005 at 19:27:50 PT
stuff this in your DUI pipe
Stoned drivers are safe drivers
by Dana Larsen (11 Jan, 2005)Two decades of research show that marijuana use may actually reduce driver accidents.The effects of marijuana use on driving performance have been extensively researched over the last 20 years. All major studies show that marijuana consumption has little or no effect on driving ability, and may actually reduce accidents. Here's a summary of the biggest studies into pot use and driving.A 1983 study by the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the only significant affect of cannabis use was slower driving - arguably a positive effect of driving high.A comprehensive 1992 NHTSA study revealed that pot is rarely involved in driving accidents, except when combined with alcohol. The study concluded that "the THC-only drivers had an [accident] responsibility rate below that of the drug free drivers." This study was buried for six years and not released until 1998.A 1993 NHTSA study dosed Dutch drivers with THC and tested them on real Dutch roads. It concluded that THC caused no impairment except for a slight deficiency in the driver's ability to "maintain a steady lateral position on the road." This means that the THC-dosed drivers had a little trouble staying smack in the center of their lanes, but showed no other problems. The study noted that the effects of even high doses of THC were far less than that of alcohol or many prescription drugs. The study concluded that "THC's adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small."A massive 1998 study by the University of Adelaide and Transport South Australia examined blood samples from drivers involved in 2,500 accidents. It found that drivers with only cannabis in their systems were slightly less likely to cause accidents than those without. Drivers with both marijuana and alcohol did have a high accident responsibility rate. The report concluded, "there was no indication that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents."In Canada, a 1999 University of Toronto meta-analysis of studies into pot and driving showed that drivers who consumed a moderate amount of pot typically refrained from passing cars and drove at a more consistent speed. The analysis also confirmed that marijuana taken alone does not increase a driver's risk of causing an accident.A major study done by the UK Transport Research Laboratory in 2000 found that drivers under the influence of cannabis were more cautious and less likely to drive dangerously. The study examined the effects of marijuana use on drivers through four weeks of tests on driving simulators. The study was commissioned specifically to show that marijuana was impairing, and the british government was embarrassed with the study's conclusion that "marijuana users drive more safely under the influence of cannabis."According to the Cannabis and Driving report, a comprehensive literature review published in 2000 by the UK Department of Transportation, "the majority of evidence suggests that cannabis use may result in a lower risk of [accident] culpability."The Canadian Senate issued a major report into all aspects of marijuana in 2002. Their chapter on Driving under the influence of cannabis concludes that "Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving."The most recent study into drugs and driving was published in the July 2004 Journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention. Researchers at the Dutch Institute for Road Safety Research analyzed blood tests from those in traffic accidents, and found that even people with blood alcohol between 0.5% and 0.8% (below the legal limit) had a five-fold increase in the risk of serious accident. Drivers above the legal alcohol limit were 15 times more likely to have a collision. Drugs like Valium and Rohypnol produced results similar to alcohol, while cocaine and opiates showed only a small but "not statistically significant" increase in accident risk. As for the marijuana-only users? They showed absolutely no increased risk of accidents at all.LINKS AND REFERENCES1983 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study: Stein, AC et al., A Simulator Study of the Combined Effects of Alcohol and Marijuana on Driving Behavior-Phase II, Washington DC: Department of Transportation (1983)
www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_myth12.shtml1992 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study: The Incidence and Role of Drugs in Fatally Injured Drivers, by K.W. Terhune, et al. of the Calspan Corp. Accident Research Group in Buffalo, NY (Report # DOT-HS-808-065)
www.drugsense.org/tfy/nhtsa1.htm1993 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study: Marijuana and actual Driving Performance, By Hindrik WJ Robbe and James F O'Hanlon. Institute for Human Psychopharmacology, University of Limburg
www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_driving4.shtml1998 University of Adelaide and Transport South Australia study:
www.ukcia.org/research/driving4.html1999 University of Toronto Study, Marijuana Not a Factor in Driving Accidents:
newsandevents.utoronto.ca/bin/19990329a.asp2000 UK Transport Research Laboratory study on Cannabis and Driving:
www.mapinc.org/newscc/v00/n1161/a02.html2000 UK Department of Transportation's Cannabis and Driving report:
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_504567.hcsp2002 Report of the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs
www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/repfinalvol1part4-e.htmJuly 2004, Journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention, Psychoactive substance use and the risk of motor vehicle accidents.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15094417For a less scientific and more amusing study of the combination of drugs and driving, go here:
www.techno.de/mixmag/interviews/Driving_on_drugs.htmlA BETTER WAY TO TESTPerformance testing is better than drug testing
Cannabis Culture, January 2005
cannabisculture.com/articles/4130.htmlAlternatives to Drug Testing: Performance testing Non-testers List
www.nontesterslist.com/nontesters/ptest.htmlPerformance testing can add an extra measure of safety
HR Magazine, February 1996
www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n2_v41/ai_18159115An Alternative to Drug Testing
Inc Magazine, April 1995
www.inc.com/magazine/19950401/2235.htmlMEDIA REPORTS ON "DRUGGED DRIVING" LAWSUK Launches Drug Driving Tests
Daily Telegraph, December 22, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n1821/a02.htmlDrug Office Out To Convince Teens Pot Impairs Driving
Lexington Herald-Leader, December 3, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n1726/a05.htmlGrowing danger: Drugged driving
USA Today, Oct 21, 2004
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-10-21-cover-drugged-driving_x.htmZero-tolerance drugged driving law doing the job
The Daily Press, July 8, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n977/a05.htmlLawmakers Aiming for 'Zero Tolerance' Of Pot-Smoking Drivers
The Athens News, May 5, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n683/a02.htmlDrugged Driving Statutes Pushed
Boston Globe, March 21, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n464/a02.htmlNew Legislation To Allow Police To Conduct Roadside Tests for Drug Impaired Drivers
Ottawa Citizen, February 23, 2004
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n319/a07.htmlToo Many One Toke Over Line, Police Say
Globe and Mail, February 1, 2003
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v03/n173/a01.htmlDrug Czar, Prohibition Establishment Seek 'Zero Tolerance' for 'Drugged Driving'
The week online with DRCNet, November 22, 2002
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v02/n2157/a04.htmlBritish Police Plan New Drug Tests For Drivers
Reuters, August 3, 2000
www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v00/n1105/a12.htmlMarjiuana Report Too Hot Too Handle
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, October 1998
www.norml.org.nz/Marijuana/Driving.htm#abc981014b"Steer Clear of Pot" Media Campaign
US Office of National Drug Control Policy
www.mediacampaign.org/steerclear/index.html  Email this article toCC Home - Sitemap - About CC - Current Issue - Backissues - Subscribe - Outlet Locator - Forums - Live Chat - Pot-TV - Newsfeeds - Bud Photos - Shop CC - Grow Store - Seed Sales - Bookstore - Advertise - Advertisers - Classifieds - Tokers' Bowl - Contact UsCANNABIS CULTURE MAGAZINE
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Comment #6 posted by E_Johnson on April 02, 2005 at 12:16:03 PT
It's partly due to someone I know
A certain well known person in West Hollywood was running around complaining to the city council that Compassionate Caregivers was selling kif from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.Until finally someone was able to break through his blinding haze of self righteousness to inform this man that kif is just loose trichomes, and loose trichomes can be collected just as well in California as in Lebanon.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 11:12:32 PT
I AM BEGGING
I AM.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 11:10:20 PT
Dear Prohibitionists, Would I beg? 
Yes, I would. If only it could be retroactive and restore the lives of so many, like Veronica and Charity Bowers, and the child's parents in the story below, and so many others who have died because of your fears.Yes, I would.
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 11:06:38 PT
To the Prohibitionists
You obviously have so much more power and influence than any of us anti-prohibitionists. Please, I'm pleading with you. Please, please come to your senses and end these needless tragedies. The more you ratchet up the war on drugs, the more you will ratchet up the incidents of these horrors. Please, Please do something! 
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 10:51:17 PT
Interesting and takes comments
http://www.pardonmyenglish.com/archives/2005/04/fiveyearold_cal.html
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Comment #1 posted by Hope on April 02, 2005 at 10:46:33 PT
More Blood on the Heads of Prohibitionists
This horror happened because of prohibition. Wake up, Prohibitionists! Your lovely laws caused this! Marijuana or steroids didn't cause this. Prohibition and punishment did this!http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/11268762.htmhttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050331-0640-floridashootings.htmlHow many more innocent people do you want to see suffer like this before you quit your addiction to prohibition?How many will it take? These needless deaths won't end until prohibition ends.While you are hysterically swatting at flies, a rabid bear is bearing down on you.What makes you so dense? The flies are the problems with drug use...the bear is the problem with prohibition.
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