cannabisnews.com: NORML's News Bulletin - May 25, 2000 NORML's News Bulletin - May 25, 2000 Posted by FoM on May 26, 2000 at 08:51:24 PT Lawmaker Proposes A Public Drug Offender Directory Source: NORML Lansing, MI: A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives that would create a public directory of drug offenders. House Bill 5796, known as the "Controlled Substance Offenders Registration Act," was introduced by Rep. Eileen DeHart (D-Westland). The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Criminal Law and Corrections. Anyone convicted of a drug charge anywhere, but living in Michigan, will have to register for the directory, which will be given to state law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The directory will contain the offender's name and any aliases, addresses, physical descriptions and date of birth. The public will be able to view the directory at police departments, and the bill also calls for an electronic version of the directory to be made available to the public. The legislation requires drug offenders to register for whatever term is longer, either 25 years following the date of initially registering or for 10 years after release from a state correctional facility. "Anyone who does not think that marijuana prohibition has to stop has not read about this newest phase in the war on drugs," said Greg Schmid, Esq., a Saginaw lawyer who is attempting to get a marijuana legalization initiative (Personal Responsibility Amendment 2000) on the 2000 ballot and Michigan NORML Coordinator. "Is an official blacklist something we can live with? Try getting a job, or even an apartment." For more information, please contact Greg Schmid, Esq., Michigan NORML Coordinator, at (517) 239-9000.Ballot 2000http://www.ballot2000.net/Researcher Finds No Link Between Marijuana And Head, Neck or Lung Cancer: Baltimore, MD: A researcher from Johns Hopkins Medical School has found evidence that marijuana smoking does not increase the risk of head, neck or lung cancers, and based on his findings, says cancer prevention efforts should "remain focused on tobacco and alcohol, two known carcinogens." Daniel E. Ford, M.D., who conducted the study, said he was trying to discover if cancer patients were more likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco, or to drink alcohol as opposed to healthy, control patients. Ford said he thought "[T]he association (between marijuana smoking and cancer) would fall away when we corrected for tobacco use. That was not the case. The association was never there." Ford also found that "Daily marijuana use for a month or more was not associated with increased risk, even among those who never used tobacco." This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. "It's puzzling why scientific studies which contradict erroneous government assertions about marijuana garner virtually no major media attention," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. "Yet, similarly non peer-reviewed reports such as a recent one concerning the effects of marijuana use as it relates to potential heart attacks make for splashy news leads on television and lurid headlines in newspapers. If marijuana is, as it appears to be, a product that is safer than nearly any drug humans consume -- the public should be duly informed." For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.Marijuana Unlikely to Cause Head, Neck, or Lung Cancerhttp://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.57309Maryland Governor Signs Industrial Hemp Bill; Study Can Begin In July: Annapolis, MD: An industrial hemp bill establishing a four-year pilot program was signed by Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) on May 18th. The pilot program will begin on July 1, 2000. The legislation requires that the state's secretary of agriculture administer the pilot program in consultation with state and federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, which would have to approve any cultivation plots. According to the legislation, only state owned land may be used to cultivate industrial hemp during the duration of the study. "Legislators and other policy makers in Washington, DC will now be forced to at least co-exist with industrial hemp," said Scott Colvin, NORML Publications Director. "Whether they like it or not, hemp will now be in their backyard and they will hopefully learn more about its utility." The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates on March 31st with a 128-8 vote, and unanimously passed the Maryland Senate on April 2nd. For more information, please contact Scott Colvin, NORML Publications Director at (202) 483-5500. Md. Authorizes The Production of Hemp http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5776.shtml CannabisNews Hemp Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtmlSan Francisco To Implement Medical Marijuana ID Cards To Protect Patients: San Francisco, CA: San Francisco will be joining the growing list of cities in California that issue medical marijuana identification cards to protect patients from criminal prosecution under state law. San Francisco officials announced that the city Department of Public Health (DPH) will begin to issue the cards to patients within the month. The cards will be valid for two years at a cost of $25. Patients over age 18 will need to show the DPH proof of residency and a valid doctor's recommendation. Patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when applying for the card. The San Francisco city government passed Supervisor Mark Leno's proposal for the ID cards in January and since then have been finalizing details with the DPH, city lawyers and medical marijuana activists. Patients who possess the card will be able to get their marijuana supply from any of the several marijuana buyers' cooperatives operating in the San Francisco Bay area. For more information, please contact Dale Gieringer, California NORML State Coordinator at (415) 563-5858.SF Ready to Issue ID Card For Medicinal Pot Usershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5722.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtmlCannabisNews NORML Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by CongressmanSuet on May 28, 2000 at 23:23:53 PT: I have too agree with that ... once you go online you arent anonymous thought. dddd, you raise some excellent questions, and provide good evidence in support of your conclusions. In the digital age, every thing is traceable. How far is this going to go? The first solid piece of legislation limiting the Internet will be the beginning of the end. Fatalist, yes, I am. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by dddd on May 27, 2000 at 04:44:36 PT erosion What happened was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to be governed by surprise, to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believe that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if people could understand it, it could not be released because of national security. ~ The crises and reforms (real reforms too) so occupied the people that they did not see the slow motion underneath, of the whole process of government growing remoter and remoter. ~ To live in the process is absolutely not to notice it -- please try to believe me -- unless one has a much greater degree of political awareness, acuity, than most of us ever had occasion to develop. Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted.' ~ Believe me this is true. Each act, each occasion is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow. ~ Suddenly it all comes down, all at once. You see what you are, what you have done, or, more accurately, what you haven't done (for that was all that was required of most of us: that we did nothing) . . . You remember everything now, and your heart breaks. Too late. You are compromised beyond repair. [A German professor describing the coming of fascism. From "They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, a stunning and chilling account of ordinary people in extraordinary times.] [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dddd on May 26, 2000 at 18:27:14 PT Damn the torpedos Right on Anonymous Coward!Good to hear from you.We all wish we were anonymous,but it's looking like you'll be rounded up with the rest of us subversive dissident commentators. I'm not positive about this,but I'll bet you that as soon as you go on line,you are no longer anonymous. I used to think I could somehow remain an anonymous lurker,just in case I said something against the party line...You know,,not in the best interest of the national policy,,,or something that was damaging to "the CHILDREN"...but I finally came to the conclusion that you might as well just say 'FU*K IT!....I hope you're getting old ,like I am,,,,but it's still possible that we all may actually meet each other on the "relocation bus",or in some huge "KlintonVald Drug Correction Complex". If they want to find out who you are,they could probably find your shoe size,and your grandmothers maiden name in less than a minute. I say;speak out while you still can,because this is too good to last.The powers that be will not tolerarte this worldwide,uncontrolled medium for much longer.Welcome AC,and everyone else! Dont be shy..........These will soon be refered to as "The good old days"....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on May 26, 2000 at 16:53:09 PT: Never ask, "what's next?" I invite all of you to take a look at the previous posting listed under the Drug Test Patch story. You might find that it fits in perfectly with this latest bit of legislative lunacy. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5845.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Anonymous Coward on May 26, 2000 at 16:06:21 PT Database Nation of Registries This database registry of drug users was easy to predict. First they did it for "sex offenders". Didn't matter if you were 18 and plea bargained for probation on a statutory rape charge because your girlfriend was 17. Tagged for life in a registry that anyone can call up on the Internet. Expect more of this to follow. It's going to take a massive revolt of mainstream America to say "enough is enough" to stop this juggernaut of nazi-insanity that currently permeates the legislative culture.The snowball is rolling.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by dddd on May 26, 2000 at 15:36:10 PT correction GREAT HITLERS GHOST! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by dddd on May 26, 2000 at 15:33:40 PT GREAT CEASARS GHOST! Now if this registered drug user bill isn't spectacular,or natziesque enough to cause some sort of loud scream of outrage amongst the public,,,then I think you might want to look ahead,and start a company that specializes in making yellow Marijuana leaf patches,,,,,,,and beware if you look like you do drugs..!... because the next thing will be "DrugNacht",,were mobs will break your windows,and destroy your residence.,,,after that,,,,,,"All aboard!"The relocation train will take you to one of the many nice,new,modern facilities,where you will be helped,and released in about 50 years,,but that's only if you are lucky enough to not be led into the "showers" first.DEA UBER ALLES [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by schmeff on May 26, 2000 at 13:55:01 PT: Wrong Question Murderers, rapists, car-jackers and pedophiles have committed crimes against other people or their property. A more correct analogy would be: Do other CA patients have to have an I.D. card to be in possession of prescription drugs recommended by their doctors?In saner times, it was usually sufficient to have a valid prescription from your physician, the presence of which was generally only of interest to the pharmacist filling said prescription. In twenty-first century Amerika, the police-state has final say in our medical treatment.The sooner our elected tyrants realize how many of us are harmed by bad diets, the sooner we can establish a heavily-armed, jack-booted Twinkie Police. No-knock, door-busting raids at the See's Candy Shop. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Thomas on May 26, 2000 at 12:17:31 PT How Orwellian Do the murderers, rapists, car-jackers, and pediphiles have to register as well, or is this just another tool to marginalize the counter-culture? This is scary!! 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