cannabisnews.com: Enforce Medical Marijuana Laws
Enforce Medical Marijuana Laws
Posted by CN Staff on January 21, 2007 at 21:37:25 PT
Editorial
Source: Pasadena Star-News
California -- It's not pretty to see federal agents swooping across Los Angeles, raiding medical-marijuana dispensaries. Legalizing pot's medicinal use was a compassionate decision California voters made 10 years ago, a decision that's never been appreciated in Washington, but one that the feds ought to respect just the same.
And yet it's hard to blame the federal government for cracking down, given how badly the state has failed to regulate the pot clubs. Medical marijuana was supposed to be for the truly ill - cancer victims and AIDS patients who could use the drug to relieve pain or restore their appetites. Yet the number of dispensaries has skyrocketed from five in 2005 to 143 by the end of 2006. In North Hollywood alone, there are more pot clinics than Starbucks. Hacienda Heights was one of the first communities to get one in our area. So either there's been an unreported, massive outbreak in terminal illnesses, or a rampant abuse in the distribution of "medical" marijuana. Now which one seems more likely? Any doubt on that score was laid to rest earlier this week, when one pot club distributed fliers at a high school in Van Nuys - not exactly a cancer ward. This problem is not new. Local officials have been scrambling to regulate these seedy businesses or rein in the abuses. Hacienda Heights has a dispensary and Diamond Bar allows one. Whittier has said OK, too. Pasadena has enacted a ban and El Monte, Glendora and Monterey Park have moratoriums. Proponents of medical marijuana insisted that Proposition 215 was not, in fact, backdoor legalization. So now Washington is stepping in where some state and local officials have failed, and that's a shame. Whether or not you believe marijuana helps sick people, Californians voted to give very ill people that option, and that ought to be how the law is administered.Source: Pasadena Star-News, The (CA)Published: January 21, 2007Copyright: 2007 Pasadena Star NewsWebsite: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Contact: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/writealetterCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #63 posted by Toker00 on January 24, 2007 at 13:58:55 PT
No, we don't, Hope.
People don't mind rules, but laws, if we must make them, and I mean laws based on TRUTH, must reflect Compassion, must be Enforceable in a true system of Rehabilitation, NOT Punishment, and above all, must be JUSTIFIABLE and CONSTITUTIONAL. They must protect People's Interests and not Corporate Interests, and should apply to both foreign and domestic policy making, and with the Earth's Ecology always a forethought. Anything less, we don't need.Toke.
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 12:59:48 PT
Hope
I believe that the laws on Cannabis are wrong and they need to legalize but when it comes to Prop 215 the voters voted for one thing and what has been happening isn't what they voted for. That also is wrong.
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Comment #61 posted by Hope on January 24, 2007 at 12:43:09 PT
"people don't want laws"
I don't mind good laws at all. Some laws and rules can add to our peace and security...but some do just the opposite...like the cannabis laws.It's the vicious, unreasonable, and unjust laws that I hate.
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Comment #60 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 12:14:00 PT
Hope
The only thing that will stop this problem from getting worse and hurting more people is to legalize growing for clubs and regulate the clubs. I know people don't want laws but without laws some people take advantage and could possibly wreck it for all the sick people who need to use medical marijuana.
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Comment #59 posted by Hope on January 24, 2007 at 12:06:51 PT
Los Angeles
is a huge city and a huge area. One hundred stores doesn't sound like much...but I think a bunch of them were close together in one area. That doesn't seem sensible. They've certainly handed a true, government created "monopoly" to the clubs they've allowed to remain."Ain't that America? Home of the Free?"
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 11:34:12 PT
Related Article from NBC4
Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Permit Moratorium *** January 24, 2007LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles City Council committee has approved a one-year moratorium on the issuance of permits for new medical marijuana dispensaries.Councilman Dennis Zine proposed the moratorium in September, saying too many of the dispensaries were operating in the city, often illegally selling pot to those without prescriptions.Although California voters approved a ballot measure in 1996 allowing the use of marijuana for medical reasons, federal law still bans marijuana use in all cases.
Approval of the permit was approved Tuesday by the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee.Last week, the Los Angeles Police Commission signed off on the plan, under which new dispensaries could not be opened until new rules governing where and when they can operate are adopted.In a report to the Police Commission, Bratton said he wants to ban existing marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and other areas used by children.He also recommended that the businesses operate between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.Bratton's suggestions are being used as a guideline for a proposed ordinance expected to be developed by March, city staffers told the council committee.Nearly 100 medical marijuana dispensaries currently operate in Los Angeles, according to Bratton's report.Medical marijuana dispensaries are defined as "facilities that provide marijuana for medical purposes to patients or primary caregivers who have a related recommendation from a physician."Ten years ago, 56 percent of California's voters approved proposition 215, which says marijuana should be made available to people with medical problems, including nausea from cancer and AIDS treatments.In May, the county Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including provisions on where the drug can be consumed.Copyright 2007 by NBC4.TV http://www.nbc4.tv/news/10834605/detail.html
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Comment #57 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 08:07:57 PT
Panel Backs Moratorium on New Pot Dispensaries
From Times Staff and Wire ReportsJanuary 24, 2007Los Angeles -- A moratorium of up to one year on new medical marijuana dispensaries was endorsed Tuesday by a City Council committee, but the panel wants to see an ordinance drafted before sending it to the full council for consideration.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-briefs24.1jan24,1,1527999.story
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Comment #55 posted by charmed quark on January 24, 2007 at 07:57:28 PT
Increase in Clubs
They have slowly been increasing in number primarily, I think, because there has been a slow change in attitude by the medical profession in CA towards cannabis, as well as more acceptance of cannabis by partients looking for treatment.When 215 first passed, very few doctors would write a recommendation. Now there seems to be much wider acceptance that cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for a number of serious disorders, such as chronic pain, spasticity, MS, severe migraine, etc. As was noted below, 215 is not just for cancer. That said, I do wish that some of the "bad apple" clubs were cleaned up. I think they give the whole movement a bad name.
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Comment #54 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 06:58:17 PT
gloovins
I think there are more good people then Ron Paul out there but we might not know them like we know Kucinich and Ron Paul. I sense positive change coming our way. I told my husband last night that the next 8 years or so will determine how we spend the golden years of our lives and it is so hopeful to think that we will might have a Democrat as President for 8 years since it's their turn now to bring the balance back that the right has pushed one way. My husband agreed that is what is needed too.
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Comment #53 posted by FoM on January 24, 2007 at 06:50:35 PT
Hope
Thank you. I call them the religious right ( Christian Coalition) of the Republican Party. The Robertsons and Falwells that stir people to hate what they don't believe. We don't need people to be or think the same or we don't have a democracy in my opinion. They ruined the Republicans and what they stood for. Cause no harm to anyone is all I think that should be important.
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Comment #52 posted by gloovins on January 24, 2007 at 04:15:52 PT
Rep. Ron Paul
Is the only sane voice of reason in Congress today, Kucinich as well...anyway, have not seen I'cnvnt Truth but I will catch it on free tv when they finally show it there.BTW, here is a link to W's speech - great reading, for about 2 seconds...http://www.drudgereport.com/flash2f.htm
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Comment #51 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 22:15:35 PT
from Bennett's letter...comment 7
"Preventionists, who are primarily family members and friends of those whose lives have been lost or ruined by the foolhardy, illegal use of psychoactive and addictive substances, want to see tighter enforcement of drug laws."
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Comment #50 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 22:13:47 PT
Preventionist
is something a few prohibitionists have been calling themselves lately. Bennett did it in her last letter that we've read and that guy, I can't remember his name..Voit? That's not right. But he's one of the Drug Free America guys, as I recall...he allowed as how he was a "preventionist" a year or so ago.Surely, I'm not the only one that noticed them saying that. It's their effort to counteract the term "prohibitionist"."...leaving a good world for them." Government is so important. It is so powerful. It's an important part of the "world" we leave behind. Lousy government and lousy laws are intolerable and thinking of leaving without doing anything to protect the future for those coming after us...well it just won't do. It would be irresponsible. Besides...I love this country. I don't want it to be a prison industry nation, which it has become, and is ...for the moment. I don't want it to be run by a group of wealthy people, invested in prisons and imprisoning, who would live off the bent backs of others. That's not right.
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 20:26:14 PT
Hope
What is a preventionists? I never heard that word. I think we have a few good people that will run or might run in 08. What is important to me is a change of direction. If we only have one good person we are in bad shape. The division between the parties reminds me of the Hatfields and McCoys as best as I remember them. Fighting and more fighting only stops progress. I know that I believe like both parties in one area or the other. Winning is only important if it helps us and our children and grandchildren. Nothing is more important then leaving a good world for them.
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 20:06:33 PT
Ron Paul
I've always liked and admired the man, since I've known of him. It would have been nice to have voted for him in 88...but I didn't know him from Lyndon LaRouche.He'd probably be a great President. He's got my vote if he gets in the running.I can just imagine what spectacles the "preventionists" will make of themselves over the possibility of his presidency.
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 19:03:47 PT
Hope
He really seems like a good man. You have a good politician in Texas and we have a good politician in Ohio. We are lucky for that.
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 18:47:45 PT
Interview with Ron Paul and article
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n085/a09.html?397
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 17:44:03 PT
Oscar Nominated Song For An Inconvenient Truth
Melissa Etheridge - I Need To Wake Uphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthWJnOHpVE
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 17:39:55 PT
Well...at least
I can go make me a cup of hot chocolate. If I can't have it all...at least I'm going to have that cup of hot chocolate. :0)
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 17:35:22 PT
gloovins
Al Gore has done more for the Climate problems we are having then any politician I can think of. I hope he wins.Al Gore 'Thrilled' by Oscar Nominations Former vice president Al Gore 'thrilled' by Oscar nominations for 'Inconvenient Truth'http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/23/ap/politics/mainD8MR8QK80.shtml
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 17:28:37 PT
gloovins
I will be probably be working in my kitchen when Bush speaks but when Jim Webb does the rebuttal since his son is in the front lines right now in Iraq I want to hear what he has to say and Obama is going to be interviewed too! I'll stop working for that. I think Ron Paul is a good guy and so is Governor Johnson. Where is he anymore? The last I heard he wanted to climb a big mountain. That was years ago though.
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Comment #41 posted by gloovins on January 23, 2007 at 17:21:19 PT
yes - youtube is addictive
& again, I guess only time will tell what weather you all wil get in the big O...just listening to NPR now - have very little interest in W's speech, it's all rhetoric & false pandering to true reformers, esp. for global warming & other real, pressing envirnmental issues. He is a lame duck & I so very wish Ron Paul would run with Gary Johnson for president in 2008 -- mmm, guess I'm a dreamer. Another sigh....BTW Hope, hot chocolate 'n budz is my favorite when in Amsterdam, because I don't like coffee.Okay all, must run - peace & love to all....
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 17:01:52 PT
gloovins
This winter has been so mild. It's going down into the 20s at night now and low 30s during the day. This winters near 60 degree days were so abnormal. That was a funny clip. Particularly when he walked away. Tonight we are watching MSNBC leading up to Bush's speech which really isn't going to interest me but I am looking forward to the reviews of the speech when it's done. Have a great evening. Stay warm and enjoy.
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 16:37:47 PT
hot chocolate 'n herbs by a roaring fire in '07.
Oh man. That sounds sweet.
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Comment #38 posted by gloovins on January 23, 2007 at 16:33:37 PT
Your welcome FoM
for the clip...just wondering how long this winter will be for you all in the mid-west / eastern pt of the US. Heck, in Michigan it can snow in April, even May...but I think it'll be a mild one this year. Let's hope. (But cold enough to keep to a minimum all the bugs etc. that go with a real mild winter.)Here's to hot chocolate 'n herbs by a roaring fire in '07.Cheers to everyone here C-news!
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 11:06:23 PT
Hope
Now you have mail.
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on January 23, 2007 at 10:27:12 PT
FoM
You have mail.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 07:42:34 PT
gloovins
Thanks for the video clip.
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Comment #34 posted by dongenero on January 23, 2007 at 07:33:20 PT
afterburner #27
Thanks for that comment. When the article stressed "terminal illnesses", I was wondering what the true content of the law was. As I suspected, the law is not limited to terminal illness. The editorial is just some jerk trying to promote disinformation and lies. Do you think the newspapers have any responsibility for publishing editorials when the obviously contain false information?
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on January 23, 2007 at 07:14:00 PT
Dankhank
Glad to read that the ice is gone. We finally are getting a little winter weather. The ground is finally freezing. When we don't have a deep freeze when summer comes we have all kinds of bugs to deal with so I'm hoping it stays cold for a while. We have snow but not much but it's better then none. I want to see a blizzard like I remember when I was young one more time. 10 foot drifts and all.
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Comment #32 posted by Dankhank on January 23, 2007 at 05:47:25 PT
mornin' all
most of the ice is gone 'round here ...big piles in parking lots is all ...24 degrees this morn ...but sunny ...Peace ...oh yea ...http://imdb.com/title/tt0237588/combined
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Comment #31 posted by Dankhank on January 23, 2007 at 05:40:49 PT
OT ... FLIX
got that channel?crazy, kitzy pop show about the early sixties music scene ...made in 1965 ..."Pop Gear"
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Comment #30 posted by gloovins on January 22, 2007 at 23:27:00 PT
i watched it again ...
that plants as big a a Christmas tree!!! He is pretty triumphant walkin' away with it in that wheat?/corn field...ahh America...
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Comment #29 posted by gloovins on January 22, 2007 at 23:23:38 PT
failed reporter with a grudge
I live in North Hollywood & I don't know where ONE dispensiary is in my own city!!!??? I think the "journalist/reporter" may think West Hollywood, which is very different than North, anyway I was just about to post this clip of a happy grower but he HAD to flick that cigarette...sigh...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pJ4TgsTsco&NR
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 21:29:43 PT
Pompous and arrogant editorial,
Good catch on that terminal illness business, Afterburner. I didn't notice that.I wonder if a pot club really did this...or the enemy of a pot club? "Any doubt on that score was laid to rest earlier this week, when one pot club distributed fliers at a high school in Van Nuys - not exactly a cancer ward."
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Comment #27 posted by afterburner on January 22, 2007 at 21:14:51 PT
Reporter, Heal Yourself, Read the Act
{
So either there's been an unreported, massive outbreak in terminal illnesses, or a rampant abuse in the distribution of "medical" marijuana. Now which one seems more likely?
}Actually, neither. The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 does not restrict medical cannabis to terminal illnesses. Have you noticed how many "drug" stores (pharmacies) exist in any large city?{
(A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person's health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.
}Cancer and AIDS are terminal illnesses. Most of the named illnesses are manageable and not necessarily terminal.
The Compassionate Use Act of 1996
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 19:41:04 PT
Actually,
I fear I may have run up a bit more than two. I'll settle down.
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Comment #25 posted by Toker00 on January 22, 2007 at 19:38:58 PT
Kual, Hope.
I hear ya about the holidays. So get with FoM and run a thread up or two. ;)Toke.
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 18:56:39 PT
Toker00
Nah. Haven't been visiting with any sea urchins lately. Lol!Found that in all that searching about cannabinoids earlier today. Finally, the excitement and the business of the holidays has waned and I just busted out of the chute like a sun fishin son of a gun. Lol!I've had the computer to myself and some time for myself the last couple of days and it feels good to be back and have the chance to read and comment more than I have been able to lately...since November, probably.
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Comment #23 posted by Toker00 on January 22, 2007 at 18:09:34 PT
Interesting, really, about the sea urchins!
Hope, have you been talking to those sea urchins again?I have no idea about the fertility reference. You are probably right about a past prejudice stuck in her thought "box", though.Toke.
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 17:06:47 PT
Sea Urchins
Apparently though...the little buggers have cannabinoid receptors in their sperm cells...so maybe they do have "business" with it.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 16:58:31 PT
Stretching and reaching
for some basis of understanding her references to fertility clinics benefitting from legalization of cannabis.Maybe she's hung up back there on some of those psuedo-science beliefs that cannabis causes infertility in humans. Sea Urchins? Maybe. Humans? Looks pretty dang doubtful to me.Besides, sea urchins don't really have any business using cannabis...that I know of.I find it difficult to believe that she believes that crap...because I'm sure she blames marijuana for teenage or unwanted pregnancies. I don't think she can have it both ways.People who smoke marijuana aren't all infertile...by any stretch of the imagination.Does she not realize that by spouting crap like that that she might influence some naive kid to think that cannabis could serve as birth control? Heavens! That's a really bad idea, Ms. Bennett. Really bad!Then again...it may not be where she's coming from at all. She doesn't offer an explanation.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 16:40:03 PT
Hope
I can't figure that out at all. I don't know where they come up with this stuff. Maybe they are helping fertility clinics but not for drug users or anyone in particular I would think. We would know about it I believe. I get so tired of people trying to connect dots to things that don't even matter.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 16:30:19 PT
Bennett's talk of "fertility clinics".
Does anyone have any idea what she was talking about? Am I misreading that, somehow?
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 16:04:50 PT
Toker00
He did this show too. It was very good.Frontine: Busted: America's War on Marijuanahttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/
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Comment #17 posted by Toker00 on January 22, 2007 at 16:00:10 PT
Thanks, FoM
He's bookmarked. The man sees what the Internet is doing. I'll visit him from time to time.Toke.
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Comment #16 posted by Toker00 on January 22, 2007 at 15:51:58 PT
NOT a Petition, a Thank You.
Guys, these petitions are for real and I thank you for the ones you have signed.Dear (You and Me),Last week, in a resounding show of support for clean, renewable energy, the House of Representatives voted to roll back Big Oil subsidies and tax breaks with the Clean Energy Act of 2007.By saying NO to Big Oil and YES to renewable energy, our country is taking a significant first step towards a clean energy future.And by signing our petition urging the House to pass this forward-thinking legislation, tens of thousands of LCV supporters like you helped make this happen.Rather than continue Big Oil tax giveaways, the House voted to take a new direction in our energy policy that will help combat global warming and help jump start a new energy economy. This legislation: * Eliminates $14 billion in subsidies to oil companies already making record profits
* Starts investing in clean renewable energy and energy efficiency
* Shows that the new Congress is serious about creating real solutions in our nation's energy policyIn the 2006 elections, the American people voted resoundingly for change – including a new direction for our nation's energy policy based on clean energy solutions for our future, not on the dirty energy policies of the past.Our work together is a big part of this change. Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of the environment!
Sincerely,Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation VotersToke.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 15:45:14 PT
Toker00
Here's a link on Bill Moyer. I like him.http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/index.html
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Comment #14 posted by Toker00 on January 22, 2007 at 15:22:29 PT
#6.
Great article about Media Reform. Great poem at the end, too. Thanks. Moyer sure sounds like a kindred spirit.Toke.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 15:13:26 PT
CBS: Demonstrators Protest Pot Dispensary Raids
Several Hundred Rally 1 Day After Teen Was Allegedly Killed For Stealing Marijuana***January 22, 2007 Homeowner Alleges Slain Teen Was After His Marijuana (Windows Media)Video: http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_022171012.html(CBS) LOS ANGELES -- A day after a teen was allegedly killed by a cancer patient who thought he was trying to steal his marijuana plants, demonstrators Monday protested recent federal raids of Los Angeles-area pot dispensaries. Several hundred people rallied about noon outside the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, holding up signs with such sentiments as "Safe Access: It's the Law," and "The DEA is Stealing Cannabis."As some passing motorists honked their horns in apparent support, demonstrators lined both sides of the street in the 200 block of East Temple Street -- some spilling into the roadway -- and shouted "safe access now!"The demonstration, organized by Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access, took place a day after the death of a 15-year-old boy allegedly shot by a cancer patient while supposedly trying to steal some marijuana the man was growing in a shed behind his Bellflower home.Jerry Cress, 57, who lives in the 8500 block of Park Street, told sheriff's deputies he confronted two young men on his property about 6:25 a.m. Sunday and shot at one who was carrying a hammer, according to deputies with the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.Jacob T. Walker, of Paramount, later turned up at a hospital with an apparently fatal wound, and detectives tied him to the confrontation in Bellflower, deputies said.Detectives then arrested Cress on suspicion of murder, along with Walker's brother or half-brother, 24-year-old Duane Berry, who allegedly had been with Walker when he was shot, deputies said.Under California law, accomplices to a crime can be charged with murder if someone dies while that crime is in progress. Cress, who supposedly has stage three liver cancer, had about 15 pot plants growing in the shed.Cress apparently told deputies he fired at the trespasser with a pellet gun. Berry, however, told authorities he and his brother were simply walking by the shed when Cress shot at them.Neighbors told television station reporters that Cress, who has razor wire ringing his back yard, had complained about being burglarized before. An autopsy on the boy is pending.The shooting comes on the heels of Drug Enforcement Administration raids at 11 medical marijuana outlets. While California laws allows some people to grow and smoke pot, federal law prohibits marijuana use and cultivation for any
purpose.Jacob's mother Yolanda Rice told the Los Angeles Times she saw entry wounds in Jacob's right shoulder and his lower back."I just don't understand how somebody could shoot somebody, even if he thought somebody was on his property," she said.Rice said her older son recently was released from jail and was charged with the alleged sale or furnishing of marijuana, the newspaper reported.Cress and Berry, both of whom were denied bail pending arraignment, were booked at the sheriff's Lakewood Station.Americans for Safe Access estimates that pot raids and prosecutions over the past 18 months have cost California taxpayers more than $9 million.Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton recently issued a report to the Police Commission on guidelines for medical marijuana outlets in Los Angeles.Copyright: 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 13:18:47 PT
The other question is:
"The question is: Will society be duped into sacrificing the lives and futures of its children to accommodate those whose desire to do drugs outweighs common sense?", Ms. Bennett queries.How about...The question is: Will society be duped into sacrificing the lives and futures of it's children to accommodate those whose desire to be "preventionists" and cruel and unreasonable punishers, outweighs common sense?
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 13:12:46 PT
Fertility clinics?
Ms. Bennet said, "Their efforts are primarily funded by billionaires George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling, who, along with the ever-increasing number of fertility clinics and treatment centers related to drug use and addiction, stand to profit immensely if drugs are legalized."
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on January 22, 2007 at 13:08:51 PT
Comment 6
Something from the Moyers speech."But as the spiritual sojourner Thomas Merton wrote to an activist grown weary and discouraged protesting the Vietnam War, "Do not depend on the hope of results. Concentrate on the value and the truth of the work itself.""
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 12:19:03 PT
nuevo mexican
That's good news. Thank you. Onward and upward we go!
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Comment #8 posted by ekim on January 22, 2007 at 12:02:44 PT
Sandra S. Bennett
please read what those who have worked in law enforcement have to say.-----------------------------------------------------
http://blog.leap.cc/
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Comment #7 posted by observer on January 22, 2007 at 11:31:17 PT
Reply to Prohibitionist Sandra S. Bennett
Tighten drug laws Regarding Kirk Muse's Jan. 14 letter, "Drug war is an occupation," the U.S. has been fighting the $6 trillion war on poverty since 1960 and there is no end in sight. Progress has been obstructed, and related social problems such as crime and disease worsened by those whose drug use has left them unable to function responsibly. Preventionists, who are primarily family members and friends of those whose lives have been lost or ruined by the foolhardy, illegal use of psychoactive and addictive substances, want to see tighter enforcement of drug laws. They know that legalization will make these socially destructive substances more accessible to children and other vulnerable individuals. The pro-legalization cabal of drug-using libertarians and intellectual elitists believe they have an inherent right to the "recreational" use of mind-altering substances, regardless of the detriment to society. Their efforts are primarily funded by billionaires George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling, who, along with the ever-increasing number of fertility clinics and treatment centers related to drug use and addiction, stand to profit immensely if drugs are legalized. The question is: Will society be duped into sacrificing the lives and futures of its children to accommodate those whose desire to do drugs outweighs common sense? Sandra S. Bennett http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/01222007news95769.cfm[1]
Tighten drug laws Regarding Kirk Muse's Jan. 14 letter, "Drug war is an occupation," the U.S. has been fighting the $6 trillion war on poverty since 1960 and there is no end in sight .
(Sentence 1) re: "Drug war" - Prohibitionists demonize the use of drugs and claim the use of drugs is "epidemic." Images of "war" are used by the prohibition propagandist to help whip up emotions. (Demonize, War (propaganda theme 6) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme6.htm#6 )
[2]
Progress has been obstructed, and related social problems such as crime and disease worsened by those whose drug use has left them unable to function responsibly .
(Sentence 2) re: "crime", "problems" - Drugs, the prohibitionist explains, are a wicked bane on modern man. Why if not for the noble drug war (i.e. jailing drug users), exclaims the propagandist, then people will run amok, and violence, death, psychosis, and plague shall cover the land. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "drug use" - Prohibitionist propagandists repeatedly assert that "use is abuse." Details about "using" as opposed to "abusing" drugs are ignored. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse )
[3]
Preventionists, who are primarily family members and friends of those whose lives have been lost or ruined by the foolhardy, illegal use of psychoactive and addictive substances, want to see tighter enforcement of drug laws .
(Sentence 3) re: "addictive" - Prohibitionist propaganda claims that horrible dangers are caused by "drugs." (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "illegal use" - Any use of an illegal drug is deemed to be "abuse," weasels the propaganda of prohibition. (After all - it is illegal!) (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse )
[4]
They know that legalization will make these socially destructive substances more accessible to children and other vulnerable individuals .
(Sentence 4) re: "children" - Drug war propaganda plays on parental fears for the well being of their kids. If drug users are not jailed, says the prohibitionist, then your children will surely suffer. (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 )
[5]
The pro-legalization cabal of drug-using libertarians and intellectual elitists believe they have an inherent right to the "recreational" use of mind-altering substances, regardless of the detriment to society .
(Sentence 5) re: "drug-using" - Drugs are linked with groups of people who are already seen as deviant or shameful. (Hated Groups (propaganda theme 1) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme1.htm#1 ) re: "society", "to society" - The survival of society is assured, -- says the propaganda of prohibition -- as long as drug users are punished (jailed). (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "pro-legalization cabal", "pro-legalization", "drug-using libertarians", "intellectual elitists" - Anyone who disagrees with prohibition is attacked as part of the problem. No dissent is permitted. (Dissent Attacked (propaganda theme 8) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme8.htm#8 )
[6]
Their efforts are primarily funded by billionaires George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling, who, along with the ever-increasing number of fertility clinics and treatment centers related to drug use and addiction, stand to profit immensely if drugs are legalized .
(Sentence 6) re: "addiction" - Drugs, claim the prohibitionist, cause insanity, violence, and terrible sickness. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "drug use" - The rhetoric of prohibition will assume that "use" and "abuse" are identical. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) re: "George Soros", "John Sperling", "billionaires George Soros, Peter Lewis", "Peter Lewis", "billionaires" - Because they care so deeply for the kids, prohibitionists, we are told, are above reproach. Therefore, the evil legalizers who dare question the authority of prohibition are the ones who must be silenced. (Dissent Attacked (propaganda theme 8) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme8.htm#8 )
[7]
The question is: Will society be duped into sacrificing the lives and futures of its children to accommodate those whose desire to do drugs outweighs common sense?
(Sentence 7) re: "society" - Because of prohibition (prohibitionists assure us), society is protected: the community is safe, and the nation is saved. (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "children" - "Nothing can so excite an adult population as can anything which appears to threaten their own children." [W.White,1979] (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 )
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Comment #6 posted by nuevo mexican on January 22, 2007 at 11:12:38 PT
You'll love this FOM!
Bill Moyer's' rocks the National Conference on Media Reform!The veteran broadcast journalist Bill Moyer's spoke on Friday before 3,500 at the opening of the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis. He announced his return to the airwaves and outlined his vision of media reform. "As ownership gets more and more concentrated, fewer and fewer independent sources of information have survived in the marketplace; and those few significant alternatives that do survive, such as PBS and NPR, are under growing financial and political pressure to reduce critical news content and to shift their focus in a mainstream direction, which means being more attentive to establishment views than to the bleak realities of powerlessness that shape the lives of ordinary people."http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/16/159222And you, and C-News are part of 'media reform'!Congratulations!
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Comment #5 posted by nuevo mexican on January 22, 2007 at 10:17:37 PT
That's bushes 'Merica FOM!
Let's get her out of jail!The people here at C-News must be able to help, how about a fund, a list of lawyers available, what she can do, or what can be done to help this victim of the drug war.This is a case that can be held up as an example of how wrong the drug war is, when politicians say 'nobody is in jail for pot, especially old ladies who are in wheelchairs, NOT!Check this out, Pete was a prophet!
'Behind Blue Eyes'
http://welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/2007/01/behind-blue-eyes.html
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 22, 2007 at 08:10:50 PT
AP News Brief
Elderly Woman Receives 6 Years For Selling Pot From WheelchairBy Associated PressJanuary 22, 2007FORT SMITH, AR -- A Fort Smith woman who admitted selling marijuana from her wheelchair after getting out of the hospital for a stroke has been sentenced to six years in prison. Fifty-one-year-old Maxine Laverne Holmes had hoped the judge would show mercy in sentencing, although she has previous drug convictions. The judge revoked her six year sentence on a previous conviction and sent Holmes to prison. Sitting in a wheelchair, Holmes testified that she had a stroke last February and began selling marijuana from her home after she got out of the hospital in May. Police reported finding large quantities of pot in her house in November. A caregiver testified that she helped Holmes dress, bathe and use the bathroom. Copyright: 2007 Associated Presshttp://www.wjxx.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=74042
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by mayan on January 22, 2007 at 06:43:55 PT
Drug Warriors Retreating
Burdened U.S. Military Cuts Role In Drug War:
http://tinyurl.com/ytxstpThey have other priorities...Looking for a Gulf of Tonkin-like Incident:
http://www.thenewamericanempire.com/tremblay=1054.htmThe Unthinkable: The US- Israeli Nuclear War on Iran:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20070121&articleId=4536THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 ballot question won't have congressional help:
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS01/701210311/1009/NEWS05Barrett sees war as real goal of Sept. 11:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story.asp?id=78531Speaker draws crowd to library:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story.asp?id=785339/11 Chronicles: Broeckers Breaks Through Media 9/11 Blitz:
http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2007/1/21/143733/037
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on January 22, 2007 at 06:03:53 PT
Raid the White House
There's a drug-addled, drunken madman sitting in that place that needs to learn a thing or two about a thing or two.Any high school student knows that fact.Twenty-five US soldiers are dead from last Saturday's killing spree in Iraq. They're headed to Dover. Their flag-draped caskets won't be seen on tv. Ronald Reagan's flag-draped casket was on display for a month. Gerald Ford's flag-draped casket was all over the news. They are worthy of news coverage, but not the dead soldiers coming home from Iraq. They don't seem to count.However, if you're a well-heeled politician, that doesn't really seem to matter. Nancy Pelosi is worth 36 million dollars, so she feels your pain too. Democrat or Republican, what is the difference? I will exclude The Honorable Congressman Ron Paul. He is there to make a difference, one of the few.Army, Navy, and Air Force recruiters can visit high schools. So can medical cannabis promoters. After being inundated with military propaganda from recruiters, those high school students need some medical cannabis.
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on January 22, 2007 at 05:46:54 PT
off-topic
Be careful what you say in the land of the free.Pa. man's letter brings Secret Servix:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070121/ap_on_re_us/letter_writer_threat&printer=1
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