cannabisnews.com: A Court Beneath Contempt 










  A Court Beneath Contempt 

Posted by CN Staff on June 22, 2005 at 07:49:51 PT
By Diane Fallon 
Source: Orange County Register 

USA -- When I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a few years ago, my primary concern, other than wondering if I'd still be above ground in a year, was how sick I would get from the drugs. While this was something I would not know until the drugs actually flowed through my veins, I did know, without doubt, that I would smoke marijuana, if need be, to combat the bad side effects. Personally, I didn't give a hoot about anyone else's opinion, supreme or otherwise.
The recent ruling by the Supreme Court rejecting the right of patients to grow marijuana was truly astounding, although it should not have been considering how inconsistent this group has been in its decisions. I suspect, however, that most people, sick or not sick, feel exactly as I do - who cares? Who is anyone, whether it is a judge, senator, priest or doctor, to tell us what we can put in our bodies to help deal with sickness? And what kind of person thinks they have the moral authority to do so? Recently we were all put through the spectacle of the Terri Schiavo case. Pundits lined up on both sides of the issue, but the right, who are, for the most part, the people who wage the war against the medical use of marijuana, kept insisting how inhumane it was for this woman to be starved to death, that she was being tortured and must be suffering terribly. Because Terri could not speak for herself, the assumption that she must be suffering was pure speculation, even though doctors insisted that starvation is a painless death. Even months after her death the ad nauseam campaign continues.Let's move on to the more common scenario of thousands of Americans writhing in pain on a daily basis. These are living, breathing people who can clearly articulate what they need to ease their suffering. They don't ask anything of anyone, other than to leave them alone. How simple a request is that? Leave them alone. Surely lawmakers and enforcers have better things to do than kick down the doors of sick people. No one kicked down the door as Terri Schiavo was being starved to death in front of the entire world. In fact, the enforcers prevented people, including her own family, from breaking down the doors to save her.This recent decision speaks volumes about the law as well. Most of us know, or should know, that the majority of laws have nothing to do with what's right or wrong but rather what's politically expedient. A law is only as good as the person who makes it, and if the person who makes it is a jackass, then, ergo, the law is a jackass as well. Many laws are ridiculous, but the ones regarding how one chooses to use their own body are self-serving. A government that gives its seal of approval to euthanasia but outlaws the medicinal use of a drug that is grown by Mother Nature (aka God) has no moral authority.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/contempt.htmSource: Orange County Register, The (CA)Author: Diane Fallon Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Copyright: 2005 The Orange County RegisterContact: letters ocregister.comWebsite: http://www.ocregister.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmSmoke and Mirrors: Watched Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20884.shtmlMedical Marijuana Decision Was a Bummerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20880.shtmlMarijuana Case Addles Supreme Courthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20879.shtml 

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Comment #29 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 19:13:48 PT

AP: Update On Raids
DEA Raids San Francisco Pot Clubs, Arrest Cool Doctor in Pot CrackdownJune 22, 2005Video: http://cbs5.com/localnews/local_story_173212158.htmlSACRAMENTO -- Federal drug agents raided San Francisco medical marijuana dispensaries and charged a doctor in Sacramento with illegally dispensing marijuana today.The actions come two weeks after the U-S Supreme Court ruled that federal law supersedes state medical marijuana laws like the one California voters adopted in 1996.There were multiple arrests in San Francisco as drug agents conducted more than 20 searches of homes, businesses and three pot clubs _ capping a more than two-year investigation into an alleged marijuana trafficking ring.In Sacramento, Doctor Marion Fry and her husband _ attorney Dale Schafer _ were charged with distributing dried marijuana from their storefront California Medical Research Center in Cool four years ago.Copyright 2005 Associated Press
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 18:44:10 PT

Video On Raids
http://cbs5.com/localnews/local_story_173212158.html
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Comment #27 posted by John Tyler on June 22, 2005 at 18:35:48 PT

NIH report and corporate execs.
"Antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and adult antisocial behavior are characterized by differing degrees or severity of lying, impulsivity, physical aggression, reckless disregard for one’s own safety and the safety of others, indifference regarding pain inflicted on others, destructive behavior, and stealing." This sounds like those corporate execuitives that have been the news lately for stealing and wrecking their own companies and ruinig other peoples lives. 
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Comment #26 posted by jose melendez on June 22, 2005 at 18:06:49 PT

fight real crime: flood them with their own laws
 It was once unlawful to heal people on the Sabbath, or suggest that the sun did not revolve about the earth. That public executions were officially held for those offenses demonstrates a pattern of schadenfreude that continues to this day, and is evident not least in the unjust prosecution, incarceration and asset forfeiture offered to cannabis consumers and farmers across the nation.Cannabis was ruled to be an item in commerce by the Supreme Court in Gonzalez v. Raich, and therefore any restraint in said trade related to economic protectionism or monopoly is unlawful. The City of San Francisco follow the advice of their own district attorney* and protect marijuana users and distributors, not least from any restraint of trade by officers sworn to uphold and defend our laws. - - -http://www.ontherecord.org/blog/ "The Sunset Medicinal Resource Center dispensary at 445 Judah Avenue was also been raided. Smiling and relaxed agents with DEA and Secret Service jackets are clustered around the outside of the dispensary. Agents are removing items from the building in sealed plastic bags. Local resident Robyn Few stood outside the dispensary and said she was outraged. “I thought the city of San Francisco was a sanctuary city and didn’t cooperate with the DEA . . ." - - -http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n975/a06.html?39"As the chief law enforcement official of this great city, it is my duty to protect the most vulnerable among us from harm. That includes those who are sick and seek care through medicinal marijuana. I pledge to continue this important work."Kamala D. Harris, San Francisco District AttorneyJune 14, 2005 - - -§ 15. Suits by persons injuredRelease date: 2004-05-18 (a) Amount of recovery; prejudgment interest Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any person who shall be injured in his business or property by reason of anything forbidden in the antitrust laws may sue therefor in any district court of the United States in the district in which the defendant resides or is found or has an agent, without respect to the amount in controversy, and shall recover threefold the damages by him sustained, and the cost of suit, including a reasonable attorney’s fee. What Are The Antitrust Laws?The antitrust laws are a system of California and federal laws that prohibit unwarranted restraints on free and open competition. They allow the Attorney General to bring civil and criminal legal actions against individuals and businesses acting in restraint of trade. District attorneys can bring similar actions for antitrust offenses centered in their counties. The law provides that anyone injured by an antitrust offense may recover from the wrongdoer three times the damages suffered.Why Are The Antitrust Laws Important To You?As a consumer or taxpayerAntitrust offenses almost always raise the prices paid by consumers. Being forced to pay illegally high prices is the equivalent of having money stolen from your pocket. Even relatively small price increases can have a tremendous overall effect statewide. The state's economy and consumers suffer from the economic dislocations caused by antitrust offenses. And, when state or local governments pay too much for goods or services because of antitrust violations, either taxes must be raised or services must be reduced.also:The Attorney General vigorously enforces the antitrust laws and acts upon any information indicating antitrust violations that affect the California public. Such actions can include formal or informal investigation, and when necessary, a court action. In some cases, the Attorney General’s Office might be able to advise you that your inquiry should be directed to an appropriate district attorney or federal agency or to private counsel. The Attorney General can not act as a lawyer for, or give legal advice to, private individuals or businesses. Remember, the Attorney General stands ready to protect the citizens of the State of California and the economy on which they rely from illegal restraints of trade. However, this can only be done to the extent that concerned citizens help identify violations of law. To report a possible violation or to request additional copies of this publication, contact the:Public Inquiry Unit - Attorney General’s Office http://www.caag.state.ca.us/P.O. Box 944255Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 E-Mail Address: piu hdcdojnet.state.ca.us(916) 322-3360 Toll Free (800) 952-5225http://caag.state.ca.us/publications/antitrust.pdf CHAPTER IX Peace Officer Misconduct or Abuse A governmental authority, agent or person acting on behalf of a governmental authority is prohibited from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives any person of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by state or federal law. The Attorney General may bring a civil action for equitable or declaratory relief to eliminate the unlawful pattern or practice. (Calif. Civ. Code, § 52.3.) http://caag.state.ca.us/publications/civilrights/01CRhandbook/chapter9.htm#N_112_ http://www.weblocator.com/attorney/ca/law/b07.htm California's Cartwright Act is the state's general antitrust law. The Cartwright Act generally prohibits combinations of two or more persons' capital, skill, or acts to restrict trade or commerce, reduce the production of merchandise, increase the price of a commodity, prevent competition, or control or fix at a standard or figure any commodity. The Act also specifically prohibits certain actions, such as fixing prices by contract, agreeing not to sell certain commodities, and agreeing not to deal in the goods or services of a competitor. As with the Sherman Act, unreasonable restraints are per se violations of the antitrust law. - - -How to Report a Possible ViolationInformation from the public is vital to the work of the Antitrust Division. Your phone calls, letters, and e-mail messages are often the first indication of an antitrust violation and may provide the initial evidence to begin an investigation.If you have information about a possible antitrust violation or potential anticompetitive activity, whether civil or criminal, please contact the Division:E-Mail
  newcase.atr usdoj.gov
Phone
  1-888-647-3258 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada)
  or 1-202-307-2040
Mail
  Antitrust Division - New Case Unit
  950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 3322
  Washington, DC 20530We will review your complaint and refer it to one of our offices for investigation, if appropriate. 
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 16:47:01 PT

More On The SF Raids

Feds and Local Police Raid Four San Francisco DispensariesJune 22, 2005A team of DEA and IRS agents, together with local police, have raided at least four medical cannabis dispensaries in San Francisco today. Outside one of the targeted dispensaries, the Alternative Relief Co-Op at 1945 Ocean Avenue, Casey McEnry, a public information officer with the DEA confirmed that local police were involved. “We have federal and local agencies participating in a law enforcement action at this location,” said Casey who said narcotics officers from the San Francisco Police Department and the Oakland Police Department were also participating. As a crowd of onlookers and media gathered outside the Alternative Relief Co-Op, DEA officers dragged entire plants and large cuttings out of the building. IRS officers from the Department of the Treasury were also present. Federal officers removed a computer from a car parked in front of the dispensary and appeared to be bringing the machine inside the dispensary to download data. URL: http://www.ontherecord.org/blog/
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Comment #24 posted by jose melendez on June 22, 2005 at 16:37:27 PT

ANTISOCIAL? THEIR OWN STUDIES SHOW WHY . . .
From http://www.radialomniview.com/pra.php "Findings of Congress, as enumerated in Public Law #108-79 The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 , reveal a significant portion of all incarceration releasees are infected, while incarcerated, with the sexually transmitted diseases HIV; AIDS; Gonorrhea; Syphilis; Chlamydia; Genital Herpes; Hepatitis B & C; Tuberculosis; and are brutalized and traumatized by prison rape past the point of psychological no return."Question: "What would you say about a group of people that did that to another group of people, then actually reaped financial gain from what they had done to the group they ostracized, traumatized, ravaged, forcibly drugged, and demonized? "Answer: I'd say they were treasonous, corrupt and deserve prison times and asset forfeitures.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on June 22, 2005 at 16:23:15 PT

What would you say about a group of people
that made up outrageous stories about other people and spread them to the point that "society" would hound them until many of them committed suicide to escape the persecution? What you would say about a group of people that used lies and exaggerations to cause "society" to ostracize and even hunt down and imprison an entire group of people because they wouldn't wear the same clothes and hairdos or use the same intoxicants or medicines as that group?What would you say about a group of people that said another group was mentally ill because they enjoyed a herb that the first group despised and taught others to despise?What would you say about a group of people that forced the people that enjoyed the herb to consume toxic chemicals to rid them of the desire for the herb?What would you say about a group of people that did that to another group of people, then actually reaped financial gain from what they had done to the group they ostracized, traumatized, ravaged, forcibly drugged, and demonized?

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Comment #22 posted by Toker00 on June 22, 2005 at 16:14:46 PT

To them we are anti-social because
we are anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-prohibitionist, and anti-war. I don't see us being "anti-social". How are we anti-social? Don't we fight to include those outcast from "society"? Aren't we being more "social" than they are? We include many of those they exclude. Or maybe I should say "I" include, in my social circle, some they exclude from society outright. I have a gay brother-in-law I think the world of. I have a fellow anti-cannabis prohibition protester who is a communist, but a great guy. I have black friends who don't do drugs, but are very decent people, and great to work with, and have a much higher tollerance of cannabists than most white friends I have. So I am anti-social because I don't include white, rich, self righteous bigots, who prey on the weak, uneducated and poverty stricken of our society, call them trash, then send them off to die in their oil wars, then deny the sick and dieing of a medicinal herb for the sake of protecting their pharma-vestments, at the cost of our lost right to choose our own natural health care? Well, ok.But I guess if being social means being a racist, fascist, inhumane, prohibitionist, war mongerer, then I must be "anti-social". I've met a lot of very, very, rich people who are "social". But they are not in my circle of friends.The DEAth squads are at it again. We have to stop the arrogant Federal Government. We have to change Congress. We WILL change Congress. Vote out all drug warriors. Vote them out. VOTE THEM OUT!END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!   
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Comment #21 posted by jose melendez on June 22, 2005 at 16:12:52 PT

shot across bow returned: DRUG WAR IS CRIME

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/hood.html"Our system, fostered by the Commerce Clause, is that every farmer and every craftsman shall be encouraged to produce by the certainty that he will have free access to every market in the Nation, that no home embargoes will withhold his export, and no foreign state will by customs duties or regulations exclude them. Likewise, every consumer may look to the free competition from every producing area in the Nation to protect him from exploitation by any. Such was the vision of the Founders; such has been the doctrine of this Court which has given it reality."H. P. HOOD & SONS V. DU MOND
336 U.S. 525 - - -
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/becker/antitrust/summaries/175us211.htmThe power to regulate interstate commerce, and to prescribe the rules by which it shall be governed, is vested in Congress, and when that body has enacted a statute such as the act of July 2, 1890, c. 647, entitled "an act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies." any agreement or combination which directly operates, not alone upon the manufacture, but upon the sale, transportation and delivery of an article of interstate commerce, by preventing or restricting its sale, thereby regulates interstate commerce to that extent, and thus trenches upon the power of the national legislature, and violates the statute.http://www.4lawschool.com/conlaw/healy.htmThe Commerce Clause also limits the power of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to adopt regulations that discriminate against interstate commerce. Thus, state statutes that clearly discriminate against interstate commerce are routinely struck down ... unless the discrimination is demonstrably justified by a valid factor unrelated to economic protectionism.18 U.S.C. § 1961, et seq.Because a corporation can only function through its employees and agents, any act of the corporation can be viewed as an act of such an enterprise, and the enterprise is in reality no more than the defendant itself. Thus, where employees of a corporation associate together to commit a pattern of predicate acts in the course of their employment and on behalf of the corporation, the employees in association with the corporation do not form an enterprise distinct from the corporation. Riverwoods, 30 F.3d at 344http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=2nd/999279.html "The common-law defense of necessity, . . . generally "is available to one who intentionally causes a harm or evil contemplated by an offense, provided that the justifying circumstances result in a lesser net harm or evil as intended by the actor." Milhizer, Necessity and the Military Justice System: A Proposed Special Defense, 121 Mil. L. Rev. 95 (1988)(footnote omitted). "" . . . the common-law defense of necessity "has been recognized in numerous state courts and has gained general acceptance in federal law." 47 MJ at 549."from: http://www.armfor.uscourts.gov/opinions/1999Term/98-0095.htm15 U.S.C. § 45. Unfair methods of competition unlawful; prevention by Commission  (a) Declaration of unlawfulness; power to prohibit unfair
    practices; inapplicability to foreign tradehttp://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/ts_search.pl?title=15&sec=45 - - -U.S. Constitution Article I, Section. 6. Clause 1: The Senators and Representatives shall . . . in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, beprivileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. U.S. Constitution Article III, Section. 3. Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.Article. IV., Section. 1.Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.Article. IV., Section. 2., Clause 1: The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. Article. IV., Section. 4.The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. Article. VI., Clause 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. Article. VI., Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.Amendments to the Constitution:Article [I.] Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Article [IV.]The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Article [V.]No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.Article [VI.]In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.Article [VII.]In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. Article [VI.]In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.Article [VII.]In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. Article [VIII.]Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.Article [IX.]The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Article [X.]The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.Article XIII.Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.Article XIV.Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.  - - -WARNING: It is a criminal offense to threaten any person who seeks to report federal crimes . . .The Outrage "The FBI failed to seize at least five opportunities to intercept two 9/11 hijackers before the attacks, including two instances in San Diego County when the terrorists lived with an FBI informant* and were befriended by a subject of a previous FBI investigation.According to a report released yesterday by the Justice Department's Inspector General, the FBI office in San Diego erred by focusing too much on drug investigations before Sept. 11, 2001."Despite the fact that FBI headquarters had established counterterrorism as a top priority of the FBI in 1998, the San Diego field office was continuing to pursue drug trafficking as its top priority in 2001" the report stated.The San Diego FBI office emphasized pursuit of drug traffickers, white collar criminals and violent criminals at the expense of pursuing counterterrorism leads as requested by FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., the report said.Dan Dzwilewski, chief of the San Diego FBI office, was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment."(snip)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n929/a06.html?397 - - -http://www.justacitizen.com/articles_documents/FBI%20&%20911.htm"Today, after nearly four years since 9/11, the American people still do not know that thousands of lives can be jeopardized under the unspoken policy of ‘protecting certain foreign business relations.’ The victims family members still do not realize that information and answers they have sought relentlessly for almost 4 years has been blocked due to the unspoken decisions made and disguised under ‘safeguarding certain diplomatic relations .’" - Whistle Blower Sibel Edmonds, June 20, 2005

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Comment #20 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 15:48:34 PT

News Article Bay City News Wire

FEDERAL DRUG AGENTS CONDUCT RAID IN SAN FRANCISCO06/22/05 SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) At least two San Francisco pot clubs were raided this morning in an enforcement operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens said today that the Police Department assisted federal agents with arrest and enforcement in a larger operation but not with the raids. According to Hillary McQuie, a spokeswoman for Americans for Safe Access, a national coalition that works to protect the rights of medical-marijuana users, raids were conducted at pot dispensaries located at 1939 and 1545 Ocean St. http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2005/06/22/n/HeadlineNews/DRUG-RAID/resources_bcn_html
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Comment #19 posted by runderwo on June 22, 2005 at 15:37:33 PT

studies
I won't trust any study that attempts to correlate "good" and "bad" people with whether or not they use drugs, but which relies on people voluntarily admitting that they use drugs. What kind of person would both fear and respect the law but admit publicly that they are breaking it? It's nonsense to assume that their surveys reflect the true distribution of illegal drug users. Not going to jail is somewhat important for me, so the hell I'm going to admit it to anyone who I think is an anti.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 15:30:00 PT

Pictures of DEA Raid in San Francisco
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2005/06/22/MNpotbust22.DTL&o=1
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Comment #17 posted by JHarshaw on June 22, 2005 at 15:28:46 PT

Cause and Effect
Greetings.“By also treating antisocial syndromes, particularly those that develop in adolescence or persist over time, we may be able to substantially reduce substance abuse and addiction.”Isn't this as much as admitting that people with "antisocial syndromes" use drugs to self-medicate in an attempt to find a little peace?Could it also indicate that people with Depression are seeking relief instead of the Cannabis causing the Depression as a recent study claims?Just a thought,
Peace and Pot.

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Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 15:17:56 PT

Picture of San Francisco Raid
Drug Enforcement Agents remove marijuana plants from a dispensary Wednesday, June 22, 2005, in San Francisco. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom enacted a moratorium in March, preventing any new clubs from opening until the city devises a plan to regulate the city's 43 medical marijuana clubs that dispense marijuana to the sick and dying. The clubs raided today, authorities say, opened after the moratorium was passed. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050622/capt.cabm10106222204.medicinal_marijuana_cabm101.jpg?x=269&y=345&sig=JX8PY6SrJHrrt0VyJSuJnA--
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 14:19:50 PT

SFC: Feds Raid Three SF Pot Clubs 

Law officers hit 20 homes and businesses within the cityJaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff WriterWednesday, June 22, 2005 Federal agents raided three San Francisco pot clubs early this afternoon as part of a broader investigation into drug trafficking, authorities said. The operation targeted two pot clubs on Ocean Avenue and another on Judah Street, and came just two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court — in a crushing blow to the medical marijuana movement — ruled that the federal government has the authority to prosecute people whose actions are legal under state law. The wide-ranging investigation saw law officers hit 20 homes and businesses within the city, sources told The Chronicle. “It’s a large scale operation,’’ said Javier Pena, special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The indictments that led to the raids have been sealed, he said, and he could not comment further. San Francisco police narcotics Capt. Tim Hettrich confirmed that his officers assisted in the operations but did not take part in the pot club raids. The city is home to 44 medical marijuana dispensaries, more than any other city in the nation. Residents and city officials have grown increasingly frustrated that San Francisco’s 2-month-old moratorium on the clubs appears to be having little effect, with as many as six new clubs opening in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, joined by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, introduced a resolution urging City Attorney Dennis Herrera to take action against the illegal clubs. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/06/22/MNpotbust22.DTL
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 13:16:35 PT

Anti-Social Behavior
EJ thanks. I don't know when my anti-social behavior started because I always felt different then the rest of my family and friends. I hated dolls and didn't want to go to the Prom because I felt it was a waste of money and it didn't mean anything to me. I believed in love though. I drove my family half crazy because I never stopped asking why. Why is this right and this wrong. Why is it ok to kill people when I was taught that we shouldn't kill. I didn't get many answers that seemed to make me stop asking why. I found my animals to be more of a comfort to me then adults or even other children. I wanted to grow up and have a family, live in the country and never have to deal with people again. 
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Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on June 22, 2005 at 13:06:17 PT

FoM my antisocial behavior started as a child
It was the "thing to do" among the majority of children in my school to chase the only black kid around and call him the N-word and make his life hell.I pulled back from that and refused to be a part of it or approve of it in any way, and that cost me socially quite a bit, at a tender age where I had never heard of marijuana.I just had it within me to decide that I was right, and the people I was supposed to consider friends were so wrong, they just weren't worth being around any longer.Maybe that is being antisocial, when you have it within you to decide that you are right and the majority is wrong.Okay then by that standard, Jesus was antisocial and he preached antosocial behavior in the Gospel.
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Comment #12 posted by E_Johnson on June 22, 2005 at 12:51:04 PT

Was Louis Armstrong antisocial?
The prevailing social wisdom put forward and enforced by the happy social extroverts in the South was -- black people should stay in their place.It was considered antisocial in that context for a black person to decide that a black person's place shouldn't be any different than a white person's place.And that's why Harry Anslinger didn't like marijuana. It makes a darkie look a white man in the eye -- that's what he said.It was antosocial in the context of the society at the time for a black man to look a white man in the eye as an equal.The dissidents in the Soviet Union were called antisocial by the propagandists working for the Politburo that ordered them locked up.The young people who stood up to protest Vietnam and refuse induction were called antisocial.When society is wrong, it becomes antisocial to be stand up for what's right.When society wants you hurt -- it becomes antisocial to heal.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 10:35:24 PT

Hope and Everyone
I just want to say thank you. I mean it. I really do. I sometimes get so busy looking for news that I don't comment. On the NIH press release I do believe we can become anti-social but why are we anti-social? Is it drugs? I don't think so. Is it that we are people who don't think like the status quo? Yes that's what I believe. Why do they want one mind set in our country? I think that is wrong.I guess I really am anti-social.
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on June 22, 2005 at 10:26:15 PT

Cannabis user's social preferences...
People like Volkow drive away, demonize and persecute cannabis users, pen them into pens they've constructed, then say, "Look...they're antisocial." Do they really expect that the "prey" wants to socialize with the "predators"? That's just moronic.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 10:22:32 PT

News Article from WebMD
Body's Pot-Like Chemicals May Help Curb Pain ***Targeting These Compounds May Benefit Chronic Pain ConditionsBy Miranda Hitti, 
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Wednesday, June 22, 2005 June 22, 2005 --The body makes compounds that work like marijuana to suppress pain, a new study in the journal Nature shows. "This study shows for the first time that natural marijuana-like chemicals in the brain have a link to pain suppression," says researcher Daniele Piomelli, PhD, in a news release. Those chemicals are called cannabinoids. They act like those in marijuana, says Piomelli. He is a pharmacology professor and director to the Center for Drug Discovery at the University of California at Irvine's medical school. The study was based on rats, not people. However, the findings may lead to new pain treatments, says Piomelli. "If we design chemicals that can tweak the levels of these cannabinoid compounds in the brain, we might be able to boost their normal effects," he says. Putting Pain on Hold Pain doesn't always register right away. It can briefly be buffered, say Piomelli and colleagues. That phenomenon, called stress-induced analgesia, was the focus of their experiment. In stress-induced analgesia, a sudden injury activates certain brain pathways, temporarily suppressing pain, say the researchers. Their tests showed a rapid rise in the levels of a cannabinoid called 2-AG in male rats' brains after injury. But 2-AG doesn't hold off pain forever. Ordinarily, it subsides after a short time, ushered away by an enzyme also made by the body. The study targeted that enzyme, called monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). With MGL sidelined, 2-AG stayed in the brain for longer than normal. Under those circumstances, stress-induced analgesia increased. In other words, pain stayed at bay longer. New Approach? MGL may be a previously unrecognized therapeutic target, write researchers. "There is no prescription or over-the-counter drug that allows us to manipulate the level of the brain's marijuana-like compounds," says researcher Andrea Hohmann, PhD, in a news release. A drug based on the new research would likely be more effective and specific than smoked marijuana, says Hohmann. She is a neuroscientist in the University of Georgia's psychology department who also worked on the experiment. The chemical used to inhibit MGL in the study was developed by Piomelli's group. It has been patented by the University of California at Irvine and the Italian universities of Urbino and Parma, according to the news release. SOURCES: Hohmann, A. Nature, June 23, 2005; vol 435: pp 1108-1112. News release, University of California at Irvine. News release, University of Georgia. Copyright: 2005 WebMD Inc. http://my.webmd.com/content/article/107/108636.htm
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on June 22, 2005 at 10:17:42 PT

2-4-6: Voodoo Science, Psychobabble
I am a personal acquaintance of many persons in the free cannabis movement. We are a society, not antisocial!
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Comment #7 posted by Richard Zuckerman on June 22, 2005 at 09:59:06 PT:

WHAT ABOUT "NATURAL RIGHTS"?
A book I recently purchased about State Constitutions says that the "natural rights" declared in your State Constitution merely wrote down what had already been traditionally respected as the law, that some of the early State court decisions relied upon "natural rights" which had not been written down in the already established State Constitution, such as in Virginia. The Marijuana laws are preempted by these State Constitutional "natural rights" and the State Constitutional Right against unreasonable searches and seizures! State v. Mallan, 950 P.2d 178, 208-209, 218-219 (Hawaii 1998)(Dissenting opinion by Justice Levinson). Do the courts of law have any respect for State Constitutions? Or the federal constitutional Right against unreasonable searches and seizures in one's own residence? Or the "pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence? Are you people out there willing to assert the aforementioned and appeal them all the way up to your State Supreme Court???!! I am!!Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, richardzuckerman2002 yahoo.com.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on June 22, 2005 at 09:29:36 PT

Sounds like Prohibitionists/Preventionists to me
except THEY regard their own safety well above the safety or rights to live of others."Antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and adult antisocial behavior are characterized by differing degrees or severity of lying, impulsivity, physical aggression, reckless disregard for one’s own safety and the safety of others, indifference regarding pain inflicted on others, destructive behavior, and stealing."Something needs to be done about people who spend their productivity and our tax money on idiotic reports like this latest piece of excrement issued by NIDA. They are scary, dangerous people. If you don't want to be exactly like them there is something wrong with you. You have a disorder, which of course must be treated with the drugs they choose. I disagree, vehemently. People like Volkow are sick monsters, preying on others to enrich themselves.THEIR character and personality disorders will someday be recognized for what they are. It seems impossible to me that so many people are so ignorant and easily led that they can't see that people like Volkow are nothing more than modern day witch hunters and
Voo doo artists.
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on June 22, 2005 at 08:48:57 PT

MURDERERS
The White House is full of murderers. Congress is stacked with murderers. The Supreme Court has six murderers. There's no other way around it. We are ruled by murderers!!!unrelated...The Volokh Conspiracy - National Review on Marijuana:
http://volokh.com/posts/1119449817.shtmlPot club planning return to business
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2816769House set to try again today on medical marijuana:
http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3505268&nav=F2DObJJuDown with the murderers...The national campaign to impeach George W. Bush:
http://onlinejournal.com/Commentary/061705Boyle/061705boyle.htmlDust off the Nuremberg Files:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9218.htmBuilding 7 "Pull It" Comment: Silverstein Responds: 
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2005/220605silversteinresponds.htm
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on June 22, 2005 at 08:08:53 PT

NIH release
Ah, the latest from humanity's best "experts". They've spent their whole lives studying & doing "science", yet somehow they completely ignore the lack of causality in their study.Gee, did anyone thing that maybe people with personality "disorders" might want a little something to take the edge off? News flash: 90% of people on Prozac have mental disorders! Oh my God!Even ignoring the flagrant, fundamental flaw in this "research", it still doesn't make any sense. Their definition of sociopath means anyone who acts outside society's expected norms? That means anyone who come from work & reads a book instead of watching TV has a mental disorder.

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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on June 22, 2005 at 08:04:17 PT

That's what I'm taking about!
Finally, a writer who GETS IT. Someone who understand the WHY of the situation, and properly castigates those responsible. No wishy-washy waiting for justice to "happen" or "come down the pike", etc.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 08:00:48 PT

National Institute of Health Press Release
 Adult Antisocial Syndromes Common Among Substance Abusers***Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Data from a recent epidemiologic survey of more than 43,000 U.S. adults show that antisocial syndromes — marked by little concern for the rights of others and violations of age-appropriate societal rules — are more common among people with substance abuse disorders than those without these disorders. The study by researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health, is published in the June 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “The strong and significant association between substance abuse or addiction and conditions such as antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and adult antisocial behavior, suggests that prevention and treatment strategies need to apply an integrated approach,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “By also treating antisocial syndromes, particularly those that develop in adolescence or persist over time, we may be able to substantially reduce substance abuse and addiction.” Antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and adult antisocial behavior are characterized by differing degrees or severity of lying, impulsivity, physical aggression, reckless disregard for one’s own safety and the safety of others, indifference regarding pain inflicted on others, destructive behavior, and stealing. “This is the first time in which we see that virtually every single drug abuse disorder is associated with an antisocial personality disorder,” says Dr. Wilson Compton, Director of NIDA’s Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research. “We also observed stronger links between the antisocial syndromes and specific substance abuse or addiction in women compared to men, and drug addiction was more likely than abuse to be linked with these psychiatric conditions.” The scientists from NIDA and NIAAA examined data from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a representative survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 18 years and older. “The NESARC is the largest study ever conducted of the co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders among U.S. adults,” said Dr. Bridget Grant, Chief, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry, NIAAA, and NESARC principal investigator. The analysis showed lifetime prevalence of 3.6 percent of adults diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, 1.1 percent with conduct disorder only and more than 12 percent with adult antisocial behavior only while the lifetime prevalence for any drug abuse disorder was 10.3 percent. Lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorders was 30.3 percent. The most common drug abuse disorders involved marijuana, followed by cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens, opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers, and inhalants. In addition, the scientists calculated the odds ratios-an estimation of the relative risk-of having a particular antisocial syndrome and a specific substance abuse disorder. They found that for antisocial personality disorder and adult antisocial behavior the odds of having a substance abuse disorder were very high overall, and were higher for women than for men. For antisocial personality disorder the odds ratios were most striking for tranquilizer dependence, sedative dependence, marijuana dependence, inhalant abuse, and hallucinogen dependence. For adult antisocial behavior the odds ratios were highest for sedative abuse, amphetamine abuse, alcohol use disorders, cocaine dependence, and hallucinogen abuse. Results of other investigations have pointed to impairments in executive decision-making as a fundamental characteristic in substance abuse disorders that may be associated with impaired development of certain brain structures and function. Therefore, the authors speculate that substance abuse disorders and antisocial personality syndromes share common underlying physiologic features that may be related to the same neural systems involved in decision-making. Previous research using the same NESARC data showed that almost 48 percent of people who abused drugs also had at least one personality disorder. “Future studies will be necessary to uncover the genetic and environmental mechanisms involved in the progression of these co-occurring conditions and how possible interactions may relate to drug abuse and addiction vulnerability,” says Dr. Volkow. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at http://www.drugabuse.govThe National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducts and supports approximately 90 percent of the U.S. research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems and disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at: http://www.niaaa.nih.govThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit: http://www.nih.govhttp://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2005/nida-22.htm
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 07:54:47 PT

The Supreme Court & The Body Snatchers
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/22/101247.php
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