cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Patients Remain Defiant










  Marijuana Patients Remain Defiant

Posted by CN Staff on June 06, 2005 at 22:23:40 PT
By Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer 
Source: Los Angeles Times 

Sacramento, Calif. -- Californians who use medical marijuana remained defiant Monday in the face of a Supreme Court decision that allows the federal government to prosecute patients who use the drug with a doctor's recommendation.The decision caused ripples across the state, the first in the nation to approve medical marijuana with passage of Proposition 215 in 1996.
Few expected to see federal drug authorities renew an aggressive war on medical marijuana in the Golden State. "This would be like the Oakland Police Department focusing on busting jaywalkers," said Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group.Indeed, federal officials were quick to say after Monday's decision that they did not expect to begin routine prosecutions of individual marijuana users.But advocates of medical marijuana, and some patients, expressed worry about what might happen to the organizations that have sprung up to distribute the drug in the state. The court victory might embolden federal prosecutors to go after such groups, they said.Dr. Frank Lucido, a Berkeley family practitioner who specializes in medical marijuana recommendations, predicted the federal government might raid a few "high-profile clubs, probably those with lower standards."California has about 120 medical marijuana cooperatives. An additional 300 organizations are scattered around the nation, mostly in the nine other states with laws legalizing the herb with a doctor's recommendation, Sherer said.Valerie Corral, founder of a Santa Cruz medical marijuana collective known as WAMM, said the ruling will mean the end of the group's wind-swept communal garden up the coast. Federal agents raided the garden in 2002.After that raid, outraged Santa Cruz officials let ill and infirm members of the collective ceremoniously distribute medical marijuana on the steps of City Hall. Corral said the group, which has seen 155 members die of AIDS, cancer and other illnesses over a dozen years of operation, will split up the responsibility of growing marijuana among its members."It's not as if this decision wipes out cancer and ends AIDS and everyone in a wheelchair can now get up and dance," Corral said. "Where are people supposed to go if we shut down?"Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/defiant.htmSource: Los Angeles Times (CA) Author: Eric Bailey, Times Staff WriterPublished: June 7, 2005Copyright: 2005 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmPictures & News from WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htm Drug's Users Say Ruling Won't End Their Effortshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20789.shtmlCourt: Let Congress Legalize Ithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20788.shtml

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Comment #12 posted by FoM on June 07, 2005 at 10:39:00 PT

dongenero
That made me smile! Thanks! It is really hard to snip articles and make a page and I know that most newspapers don't archive links forever so it really bothers me when I can't post a story or two.
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Comment #11 posted by dongenero on June 07, 2005 at 09:43:37 PT

fine FoM
This latest flurry of news must have you busier than a one armed wallpaper hanger.Or is it busier than a one legged guy in an a** kicking contest.Hmmm...those semm funnier when you say it than when you read it.Anyway, thank you for compiling all of this coverage in one place for us to read.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 07, 2005 at 08:51:39 PT

Two Articles from The LA Times
Since Mapinc. says I have to snip the LA Times I hope it's ok with everyone that I just post the links.http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-pot7jun07,1,5069676.story?ctrack=1&cset=truehttp://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-gillespie7jun07,1,3105913.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on June 07, 2005 at 07:58:27 PT

Shocking and Pathetic
The US Supreme Court dishonors the brave sacrifice of all soldiers who have given their lives or their health for The Republic. To rule so capriciously and unjustly is bad enough. To do so on the 60th anniversary of D-Day is unforgivable!"It's not as if this decision wipes out cancer and ends AIDS and everyone in a wheelchair can now get up and dance," Corral said. "Where are people supposed to go if we shut down?"Where, indeed? Canada, The Netherlands, Jamaica, get bold!
U.S. brothers and sisters, the time for civil disobedience and protest is at hand. "Won't back down!"
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on June 07, 2005 at 07:43:08 PT

It's really stupid for a governing body
to make laws that people cannot obey.
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Comment #7 posted by Dan B on June 07, 2005 at 07:12:03 PT

My note
Thought I'd provide the text of my note to my representative. You can send a note too! Just click here, and be sure to edit the provided note to personalize it so that it doesn't sound like all of the notes are coming from the same place.http://ga0.org/campaign/hinchey2005/beingnzy5x7kw5Subject: Vote YES on Hinchey-Rohrabacher Medical Marijuana AmendmentDear Representative Carter:The June 6, 2000 US Supreme Court ruling on the Raich vs. Ashcroft case upholding the power of the federal government to ban medical use of marijuana is, I believe, incorrect. True, the ruling does not change laws in the states that have passed laws protecting against prosecution for the medical use of marijuana, but it does mean that the federal government can still use its resources to undermine the will of the voters or legislatures of those states.I disagree with the recent Supreme Court ruling, and I am writing to encourage your support of an amendment to the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill that can provide some relief to those who suffer from chronic medical issues for which cannabis has been proven the most effective medicine. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment would uphold the rights of states to govern themselves by prohibiting the federal government from arresting, raiding or prosecuting patients who are abiding by state medical marijuana laws.Many people believe there is no scientific evidence that marijuana helps people suffering from symptoms associated with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and a number of other ailments and disorders for which advocates of medical marijuana claim a benefit. In fact, a number of studies have concluded that the cannabinoids (chemicals found only in cannabis, the plant from which marijuana is derived) are highly effective in treating and/or controlling debilitating symptoms such as pain, nausea, and tremors. In addition, there is more than sufficient anecdotal evidence to support a change in the federal law that currently outlaws even medicinal use of this drug.Some have argued that Marinol is the answer to these people's needs, but that drug contains only synthetic THC, ignoring the other 59 cannabinoids, many of which are proving quite useful as more studies are conducted in countries outside the United States. Marinol is difficult to keep down (for those suffering from nausea), and it is not as effective as whole cannabis for treating pain and the uncontrollable tremors associated with multiple sclerosis.Please, vote YES on Hinchey-Rohrabacher. It is the only responsible choice that one can make on this amendment.Thank you for your time.Sincerely,(Dan B)
Vote YES on Hinchey-Rohrabacher
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Comment #6 posted by Stick on June 07, 2005 at 06:39:11 PT

Hey kapt , and everyone,,,
Hit me like a ton of bricks . Yesterday was D Day. I was outside getting tools ready to complete this siding project ,when I came back inside Martha had a tear running down her cheek. All she said was we lost. It hurt, hurt bad. How ironic, on D DAY,61 years ,to the day, our dads,uncles,grandads,all good Americans were called on for duty to defend our way of life.I saw one small clip on a news show,that was it.My point being theres still a lot of good people willing to stand up and try to do the right thing,knowing they might be killed or die in the process. I want to thank all our wonderful friends here for being so kind and caring. I realy love you guys (And gals).The first thing I do every morning is come here to see you,with my first cup of Joe.A lot more to say, but this has taken an hour me to type and my one finger is numb.So for now,over and out. P.S. Every day is Veterans Day for me.
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Comment #5 posted by Dan B on June 07, 2005 at 06:30:10 PT

Crackdown Not Likely?
I didn't see this one here yet, so I thought I'd provide a link. It's from MSNBC. There's some creative storytelling here. My favorite lie (I am being sarcastic): "'We have never targeted the sick and dying, but rather criminals engaged in drug trafficking,' Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Bill Grant said." Yeah, right. Tell that to the family of Peter McWilliams, to name just one of many.Dan B
Crackdown on Medical Marijuana Users Unlikely
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on June 07, 2005 at 04:30:07 PT:

Public Relations Jiu Jitsu
This is not going well for the Feds; notice how *silent* they've been? Polls on major news media outlets have been supportive by orders of magnitude unseen in years. You can bet the antis are sweating; they thought this was the end. It isn't. This was the long awaited 'tipping point', right here. The SC's ruling, as predictable as it was (hypocrisy about 'federalism' was listed as one of the factors against any possible favorable ruling for us) has laid out the only course of action left open to us. The Supremes themselves have written on the wall with big block letters 5 stories high: POLITICAL ACTIVISM. Up to now, because so few cannabists have been politically active, preferring to have a handful of organizations do their speaking for them, we haven't had the numbers needed to convince the pols they won't get their heads handed to them by the equally small but (hysterically) vocal prohibitionist groups.My cannabist friends, and those who don't indulge but are allied with us on principle, the time is finally here. The last easy door to walk through has been rudely slammed shut. Every time I've gone to any rally, any get-together, and the speakers voice their passions and their anger at being treated like second class citizens in our own country, I always heard lots of encouraging sounds from the audience...but I was always left wondering how much of that translated into action. Obviously, a lot didn't.It'll have to, now. EVERY cannabis must become active, because of what this decision means. It affects far more than our (not so) little group. This affects the entire country. The time for cheerleading is over. It is not melodrama to say that when the Supremes made this supreme error, they placed the future of the Republic in jeopardy. The checks and balances have finally been removed, and the brakes on ANY Federal steamrollers that were waiting to crush local initiatives have been released. Time has run out for remaining safely anonymous and letting others do the work. Use the links provided at DrugSense, at MPP, at NORML, and send those emails supportive of Truth in Sentencing and the State's Rights MMJ bill. I know a lot of people come here daily; FoM has said the numbers have increased to the 400K level. That's a huge number of hits for such a specialized service as FoM and DrugSense provides. Needless to say, many are our opponents. But many, many more are not, and I say unto *you*, friends of freedom, it is time. No more fencesitting, because that only makes you an easier target for our opponents. Any who remained quiet, hoping they could tip-toe past The Beast and not be mauled by it - and eventually were, as I was - know that sooner or later, The Beast will get around to you. In this case, the best defense is indeed a good offense. Let Congress know we have exhausted our patience in this matter. We've been good little members of the electorate, putting up with second class citizenship because we hoped the system would redeem itself without our having to shame it into doing the right thing. No more Mr. Nice Guy; it's time to start pounding tables and getting rude, interrupting scripted media events (like the SSDP folks did recently with one of Johnny Pee's dog-and-pony shows) and getting in the prohibs faces like Montel Williams did on his show. He shut them down so hard they were scared to open their mouths lest he shoot their lies out of the air with well-aimed facts. The only thing Nietszche and I could ever agree on is "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." That's our movement. We've been through it all, and we're still here. It's time to show just how strong our MILLIONS of cannabists are politically. By letting our Congresscritters and Sin-a-tors hear us roar.
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Comment #3 posted by Taylor121 on June 07, 2005 at 00:54:23 PT

Rush Limbaugh Sides With us and Thomas
RUSH: Can I read to you what Clarence Thomas wrote? I've had a little bit of time here to read the decision. This is in the marijuana pot case that I led the program off with today. Clarence Thomas, writing the dissent here. "If Congress can regulate this under the Commerce Clause, then it can regulate virtually anything - and the federal government is no longer one of limited and enumerated powers." That's exactly what I said. If Congress, via now the Supreme Court and this 1942 case that really gave us the New Deal, if interstate commerce can be declared to occur when commerce within one state takes place, then Congress can do anything it wants, the courts can do whatever they want. There are no limited, enumerated powers on the federal government. That's what Thomas wrote in his dissent and I'm proud to mention this to you because it means my interpretation was right. END TRANSCRIPT 
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_060605/content/limbaugh_legal_2.guest.html
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Comment #2 posted by Taylor121 on June 07, 2005 at 00:17:51 PT

Christian Science Monitor Poll
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0607/p01s02-usju.htmlShould federal law trump state law on medical marijuana?
No, states should 'serve as a laboratories for new ideas,' even if federal law disagrees.
 88.4% 
Yes, the federal government should have the right to ban or regulate all drug use.
 11.6% 
Total votes: 250 
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on June 06, 2005 at 22:47:18 PT

It's like a baked on stain
Suppose you have a roasting pan and the grease gets baked on, and you try to scrub it off. It takes a long time, and you only see the edge of the stain get smaller a little bit at a time.But every little bit of pan you see through the stain keeps you scrubbing, until finally, your arm feels like its going to drop off, but the stain is gone.I see some more pan showing in this story.
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