cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Called New 'Trojan Horse'





Marijuana Called New 'Trojan Horse'
Posted by CN Staff on October 15, 2003 at 10:48:37 PT
By Scott Marshall
Source: Contra Costa Times 
San Francisco -- Marijuana is "the Trojan horse of the new millennium" and is being used by advocates to seek legalization of all dangerous drugs, a Bush administration drug policy official said Tuesday.Studies show that 35,000 Californians arrested for possessing drugs have turned to drug courts to seek treatment instead of facing criminal penalties, a system created by Proposition 36, approved by the state's voters three years ago.
But "the jury is still out," said Andrea Grubb Barthwell, deputy director for demand reduction for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.Barthwell came to San Francisco as part of a 25-city nationwide tour to meet with local officials to plan drug-fighting efforts.Even as medical marijuana advocates claimed they had won a key victory Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Bush administration appeal in an effort to regulate doctors who prescribe marijuana, Barthwell compared the drug to methamphetamine and cocaine.Marijuana is "a wedge issue to create a change in drug policy, with the intent to legalize drugs" without limits, Barthwell said."Today, (marijuana) is strong enough to change the trajectory of a kid's life," she said, characterizing use of the drug as "a pediatrically acquired disease."Advocates dismiss the administration's claims, contending the government is ignoring findings that marijuana has a potentially important medical role."The bottom line is, her administration is still spending 70 percent to 80 percent of its money on interdiction instead of treatment," said Daniel Abrahamson, director of legal affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, who helped argue against the appeal that the Supreme Court rejected Tuesday and who wrote Prop. 36. "She can play politics and stand on the bandwagon, but things are passing her by."Barthwell flatly denied that any significant studies had found a potentially beneficial use for marijuana and insisted it is a public health threat. President Bush promised to increase federal anti-drug spending by $1.6 billion over five years, she said. A third of anti-drug funds will be used for demand reduction and another third to reduce the supply. The last third will be used by law enforcement in an effort to cut drug use by 10 percent in two years and by 25 percent in five years by stopping young people before they start, treating users, and disrupting illicit drug networks, she said.A total of 16 million Americans use illegal drugs, Barthwell said. Of that number, 6 million are so-called recreational users who are not dependent and have been targeted under national drug policy, she said. Of the remaining 10 million, 76 percent deny they have a problem and only one of three completes drug treatment. The government plans to focus efforts on those 76 percent, change the way treatment is delivered to them, and help more complete that treatment."That's what Prop. 36 did, it got them in, and that's to be celebrated," Barthwell said. But the government must increase access and consumption of treatment and firmly re-establish "a culture of disapproval," she said.U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's call for federal prosecutors to seek maximum sentences for people convicted of criminal charges is "a discipline issue" separate from the treatment issue, she said.Nationwide, 1,078 drug courts are in operation, 418 are being planned, and more than 300,000 adults and 12,500 juveniles have enrolled in the programs, according to the Office of Justice Programs Drug Court Clearinghouse at American University.Admissions to treatment programs have increased since Prop. 36's approval, according to a UCLA study."I think in Oakland, at least, it's very successful," said Alameda County Superior Court Judge David Krashna. "What I hear almost every day is a person who is on the road to recovery."The Advisory Committee on Collaborative Justice, a task force created by the Judicial Council of California to implement Prop. 36, found in two studies that the drug courts have saved the state millions of dollars because fewer people were sent to jail and fewer committed new offenses. To be eligible, participants must be first-time arrestees for drug use or possession. Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)Author: Scott Marshall, Contra Costa TimesPublished: Wednesday, October 15, 2003Copyright: 2003 Knight RidderContact: letters cctimes.comWebsite: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimesRelated Articles & Web Sites: Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Walters vs. Conant - No. 03-40 - PDFhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/walters.pdfTranscripts: Online News Hour with Jim Lehrer http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17576.shtmlMedical Marijuana Cause Boosted http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17573.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by freedom fighter on October 15, 2003 at 22:09:40 PT
3 MORE MONTHS TO GO!
"The last third will be used by law enforcement in an effort to cut drug use by 10 percent in two years and by 25 percent in five years by stopping young people before they start, treating users, and disrupting illicit drug networks, she said."That "10%" quote is about two years old now...3 more MONTHS to go....... and you think there's only 16 millions users??Actually, only way to achieve that "10%" goal is to allow every treatment centers to allow every patient a whizzinator!Of course, Do Not ask and Do Not tell!"Prohibited" pot is indeed a trojan horse.. By keepin the "Trojan" image, the society only acknowledge that people will do far more dangerous drugs legally or illegally.Things seem to be pickin up and I am not in rush to make any judgement, just ask Mr. Rush.paceff
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Comment #8 posted by mayan on October 15, 2003 at 16:55:19 PT
Major Victory
The antis know we have won a MAJOR VICTORY & that is why they are squealing so loud! Has Walters crawled out of the woodwork yet? Haven't heard much from Johnny Pee since the Supremes rejected the bush administration's appeal. Maybe he was told to lay low & shut his mouth since he has lost all credibilty. Barthwell has lost hers too with these absurd rants. Ya' gotta' love it!Bolivia's besieged capital totters on brink of chaos:
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1059480592103&p=1012571727176 
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Comment #7 posted by global_warming on October 15, 2003 at 14:50:19 PT
Confusing Article
Hi All"Studies show that 35,000 Californians arrested for possessing drugs have turned to drug courts to seek treatment instead of facing criminal penalties, a system created by Proposition 36, approved by the state's voters three years ago"Can somebody explain this statement above, to me..
Why would any healthy and sane human being prefer incarceration and the quagmire of any judicial process to treatment, given the choices, I suspect, all of these 35,000 people would prefer to avoid any contact with the system, it is a given that prison is to be avoided at all costs, so why do the pro-hibitionists continue to use this phraseology?"Marijuana is "the Trojan horse of the new millennium" and is being used by advocates to seek legalization of all dangerous drugs, a Bush administration drug policy official said Tuesday."I'm not sure who is making this statement above, I assume that it is Dr. Barthwell, Please Dr. Barthwell, if you are truly schooled in the Medical Arts, you should know and understand that all drugs are dangerous, even the common aspirin for some may be fatal..If the pro-hibitionists are going to make public statements, they should brush up on some medicine,..
It seems to me that the only people that have such an ignorant understanding of medicine are the cops, the law enforcemnt mentalities, the ones who have built their lives on this insane drug war, the ones who shudder and are losing sleep because their jobs are at stake,..Is there not some way to retrain these folks? Maybe they could help out in chasing some terrorists and leave the sick and dieing to die in peace..VOTEgw
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Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on October 15, 2003 at 13:03:30 PT
asked and answered
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/lag/lagmenu.htmThis study is viewed by many experts as the best study of any drug viewed in its social, medical, and legal context.The committee covered thousands of years of the    history of marijuana and also made a detailed examination of conditions In New York City.    Among its conclusions: "The practice of smoking marihuana does not lead to addiction    in the medical sense of the word." And: "The use of marihuana does not lead to    morphine or heroin or cocaine addiction, and no effort is made to create a market for    those narcotics by stimulating the practice of marihuana smoking." Finally: "The    publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marihuana smoking in New York City is    unfounded." 
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on October 15, 2003 at 12:51:41 PT
baloney, Barthwell!
Barthwell flatly denied that any significant studies had found a potentially beneficial use for marijuana and insisted it is a public health threat.See: Marijuana study tries to bring facts to heated debatehttp://www.aegis.com/news/lt/2002/LT021004.htmlAlso, from:http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/stat-ase/2003/jun/25/515262248.htmlJune 25, 2003 Marijuana study gets nowhere By Cy Ryan 
cy lasvegassun.com
 SUN CAPITAL BUREAU  CARSON CITY -- Two years have passed since the Legislature directed the University of Nevada Medical School to conduct a study on the effectiveness of medical marijuana, but there hasn't been any progress since the 2001 Legislature. David Lupan, senior associate dean for basic science and research at the medical school, said there is no interest in doing the study by any staff member. In addition, Lupan told the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee, the National Institutes of Health have not agreed to release any money for the clinical research. The voters approved the use of medical marijuana to combat or relieve pain in such ailments as cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. The state Department of Agriculture reports that of this week, 310 people have been approved for use of the substance. These individuals have gained approval of physicians and they have cards that show they are allowed to use the drug. But there is no authorized outlet to buy the drug. Lupan said there is a substantial problem to getting the research done. The medical school can't be licensed to conduct the clinical surveys. "It is difficult to find support," he said.- snippedalso, from:http://www.aegis.com/news/ap/1998/AP981002.html . . . research has confirmed what some of those patients have been claiming all along: Marijuana does indeed kill pain. Scientists at the University of California at San Francisco found that a marijuana-like drug deadens pain in rats by interacting with the same pain-modulating area of the brain activated by morphine. The findings prove that cannabinoids -- which include marijuana's active ingredient, THC -- are potent analgesics that deliver true pain relief, said Ian Meng, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF's Department of Neurology. - snippedcheck out:http://web.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainBriefings/cannabinoids.htmland:http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pressroom/pressrelease/pr051903b.cfm
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Comment #4 posted by billos on October 15, 2003 at 12:23:50 PT:
Bartwell must be a nerd to say.....
"Today, (marijuana) is strong enough to change the trajectory of a kid's life," she said.........well,
so is booze dear, so is booze. Yet, it still has nothing to do with the price of the beans. Bitch. 
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Comment #3 posted by Virgil on October 15, 2003 at 12:17:49 PT
Comment2 continued
Now the first line is either true or false, kind of like either being pregnant or not being pregnant. It is false.The #1 stategy in support of CP by the USG is silence and is why there is not constant attack by people of reason for a better way on the talk shows and talking heads programs. When the #1 strategy cannot be enforced we get the #2 strategy, which is to lie. This article is a Trojan horse filled with deceit.The meme is Get real about substance abuse.Take that back to Fantasyland with you and say hello to Mr. Rourke.
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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on October 15, 2003 at 11:53:08 PT
Not exactly
Marijuana is "the Trojan horse of the new millennium" and is being used by advocates to seek legalization of all dangerous drugs, a Bush administration drug policy official said Tuesday.Well, I see that the ONDCP liar has a mouthpiece for her officialdom officialeze and the compliant media outlet could not seek balance with comment from a national reform organization.I would say there is some truth to the above statement because if you wanted to show the malicious and vicious nature of the insane side of the War of Insanity, you would chose laughing grass. In the 1770's people might be locked up for not growing hemp and the Upside Down people have done the usual and turned it upside down where you go to prison for growing, plus they would want Mt. Vernon and Monticello. There position on MMJ is murderous and treasonous. They subvert state rights to impose their will on all states and we do not have any court ruling yet on what everyone is waiting for.And the people know that cannabis is all but benign and has beneficial properties and they chose to make it number one. It is the ideal recreational experience because there is no toxicity, addiction is psychological and rare, and it can be grown in a garden. Even when high at least people's thoughts stay in the world of reason.It isn’t any Trojan horse because there is no sneaky trick. To the contrary, we call for honest and open discussion on the whole War of Insanity and we can highlight it using the ultra stupidity shown toward cannabis. The fact that the insanity towards the people that use cannabis is the center pole in the circus of insanity might fall and end the whole show for the prohibitionists is their concern. Personally, it is my wish.The problem now is the constant stonewalling and the parroting by the media of nonsense. The upside to that is we know the USG does not give a damn about honest or the public good, or a more perfect union and the Fantacyfive that spout their bias and fiction are conspirators. Maybe Disney got in the pack to lead the parade because of their long history infiction and cartoons.Trojan horse talk of a call for honesty is upside down thinking from Fantasyland.The article is more rubbish and CP can only be stonewalled with silence and disingenuous reasoning. It cannot be defended or they would have invited someone to attack the nonsense in this article.
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Comment #1 posted by darwin on October 15, 2003 at 11:38:51 PT
Fear, fear, fear....
Can't common Americans see they are just selling fear? Medical use of Cannabis would create a CODE RED terrorist emergency!Nobody wants crack cocaine vending machines in the elementary schools. (I can use hyperbole too ms. barthwell)
Us LEGALIZERS just think no one should go to jail for activities that pose no harm to anyone but themselves.Can't have this drug legalized before the pharma companies figure out how to patent it. The no medical benefit argument is rapidly becoming ludicrous. Back to the ol' gateway theory!
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