cannabisnews.com: Drug War Zealots Pressure AARP To Kill MMJ Story
Drug War Zealots Pressure AARP To Kill MMJ Story
Posted by CN Staff on February 25, 2005 at 15:09:25 PT
For Immediate Release
Source: Common Dreams
Washington -- At the beginning of February, AARP posted the findings of a poll they had commissioned on medical marijuana on their website. The poll found that 72% of older Americans (45 and over) support an adult's right to use medical marijuana with a physician's recommendation.A December 18th Associated Press article discussing the poll mentioned that AARP The Magazine was scheduled to release an article about medical marijuana in its March/April issue. But when the March/April issue reached subscribers in late January, the article was conspicuously absent.
The editors had apparently pulled the article in response to malicious attacks by a "media watchdog" organization, Accuracy in Media, and a pressure campaign by fanatical anti-drug groups with a long history of engaging in malicious and dishonest attacks. "We urge the editors of AARP The Magazine not to cave in to such attacks and to publish the medical marijuana article soon," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. -- http://www.drugpolicy.org/ "Ultimately this issue is not about medical marijuana but whether or not free and open discussion of issues that matter to AARP members will be censored and abandoned in the face of coarse attacks by disreputable forces."The Drug Policy Alliance is encouraging its supporters (many of whom are also members of AARP), and all believers in freedom of the press, to send letters to AARP urging its leadership to stand firm. Complete Title: Drug War Zealots Pressure AARP The Magazine to Kill Medical Marijuana Story; Latest Censorship Campaign Initiated After AARP-Commissioned Poll Finds 72% of Older Americans Support Medical MarijuanaNote: Supporters Rally in Defense of AARP's Freedom of the Press: "Don't Give in to Intimidation" Contact: Drug Policy Alliance Tony Newman, 646-335-5384Elizabeth MéndezContact: aarpmagazine aarp.org Source: Common Dreams (ME)Published: February 25, 2005Copyright: 2005 Common DreamsContact: editor commondreams.org Website: http://www.commondreams.org/Related Articles & Web Site:AARP Magazinehttp://www.aarpmagazine.org/Older Americans’ Attitudes on Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20204.shtmlReefer Oldness: Potheads Hijack AARP?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20094.shtmlFrom Pot To Porn To AARP http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20072.shtml
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Comment #44 posted by kaptinemo on February 28, 2005 at 14:20:37 PT:
Deja Vu, all over again
Thank you, Mayan, for posting that link to Joe Conason's article. But it still puzzles me: why the surprise? Why the seeming shock at a government agency, using taxpayer's funds, to hire (or coerce) private firms to propagandize in favor of legislation which benefits a minority at the expense of a vast majority? This is news so stale, if it were fish it would've be buried at the landfill long ago.It's been noted by many historians that the Spanish Civil War gave the evil Axis powers a chance to test their weaponry for the coming Second World War. Well, the propaganda onlaught that is being waged against the American people by elements of 'their' government and agencies paid for with taxpayer dollars also had a precursor: The War on (Some) Drugs. I know I go on and on about history, but there are moments and personages in history that are pivotal, where you can look back and say "It changed *there*". This pattern of using the people's money against them in this way has been well established, and thoroughly mapped out by Internet ("Authentic" as Al Giordano of NarcoNews would no doubt put it) journalist Dan Forbes. His seminal work in tracing the doings of former DrugCzar Barry McCaffrey's illegal use of taxpayer funds in violation of the Hatch Act, as well as the covert propagandizing done against the American people, provide an exact pinpoint as to how all this got started. If Conason is scratching his head in surprise at these developments, he ought to email Forbes. None of this came out of the blue; ALL of it was as predictable as sunrise. The Barryola scandal (as I called it back then) and it's success emboldened those forces inimical to true democracy (can't have the plebs voting for actual FREEDOM to put whatever they want into their bodies; next you know, they'll be demanding single payer health care!) to try to take on bigger targets, using the same methods. (The ONLY reason why these guys are not behind bars is because they control the government; when the crooks run the 'justice' system, don't expect any.)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n043/a09.html for one of the articles that Forbes wrote, fleshing out the shadowy skeleton of it all. Now fast-forward to today and what's been happeneing, especially with AARP. The same pattern. Like I said...deja vu, anybody?
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on February 28, 2005 at 10:36:02 PT
Something Interesting To Me
I was looking in my stats for my FTE site and this link below was searching mmj articles and info. Maybe Angel's case will be ruled on soon.
Link
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on February 28, 2005 at 09:40:51 PT
schmeff
My mother died from Alzheimers. We joined AARP just because of the story they were to publish. We even switched our car insurance company and went with them. They better not cave in on this one.
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Comment #41 posted by schmeff on February 28, 2005 at 09:19:17 PT
Cannabis & the AARP
As both the Kaptain & potpal have alluded to earlier in the thread, the potential theraputic use of cannabis in treating Alzheimer's, ALS & Parkinson's Disease is HUGE news for the AARP crowd.Be sure to mention this in your letters to AARP. Their "base" needs to have the information about medical marijuana. A magazine can not alienate their base and survive. Perhaps AARP magazine, having delayed publication of the article, will use that time to good advantage to update the article to reflect the recent medical findings from Complutense University in Madrid.
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on February 28, 2005 at 08:42:04 PT
Urge AARP to Stand Up to Smear Attacks
Take Action! Send a Message
AARP pulled an article on medical marijuana that was supposed to run in its magazine this month, reportedly due to attacks from a so-called "media watchdog" organization and fanatical anti-drug groups. Help AARP stand up to this pressure by sending a letter of support!
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=24647&ms=AARP-hp
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Comment #39 posted by mayan on February 28, 2005 at 04:48:14 PT
The Gambler
Here's a great link with many interesting comments... Bill Bennett to lead Bush's anti-AARP Slime Crusade:
http://greatbasin2.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/21/225819/591
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Comment #38 posted by mayan on February 28, 2005 at 04:35:55 PT
It's Becoming Clear
The prohibitionists are so desperate to have gone after the AARP! The same forces that support Bush's social insecurity plan are the exact same forces that seek the continued prohibition of cannabis. That connection is becoming clear for all to see as the miracle plant is finally being recognized for what it is and the true motive of those who would ban it is being exposed... Seniors Draw Fire - AARP prepares to punch back on Social Security:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7038359/site/newsweek/Beware the coming propaganda juggernaut:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2005/02/25/propaganda/
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on February 27, 2005 at 20:16:27 PT
ekim
You spurred my interest so I started searching for an answer about can horses eat Hemp. I found this link and this horse is ancient. Very few horses live into their twenties yet alone 40 something! I learned something new about this marvelous plant tonight because of your question. Thanks!Straight From the Horse's Mouth Pasquale, 40-something-year-old Quarter Horse, speaks his mind http://www.naturalhorse.com/archive/volume6/Issue1/article_4.phpThis is a sentence from the link. Hemp seed, hulled. A favorite (NOT where the name P-pot came from; hemp is NOT pot!)
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Comment #36 posted by ekim on February 27, 2005 at 19:55:18 PT
does anyone have info on animal feed with hemp
thanks FoM do you know if hemp is used in Horse food. you had that story of Swiss cows being cut off.
i bet it can be shown that the cows that were fed hemp were much better off that those that were not.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on February 27, 2005 at 12:11:51 PT
ekim
I thought of one organization in Northern Ohio that could maybe help him if he contacts them. It's called North American Riding For The Handicapped. It is a big farm and well equipped with all the necessary facilities.Maybe this link could help him along his ride.http://www.narha.org/Centers/findcenter.asp?region=4
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on February 27, 2005 at 12:03:00 PT
ekim
I looked at the Map and what he is doing is staying close to Interstate 80 it seems. I'm sure he is not on the Interstate though. He is ending up in upstate New York. I really wish I knew some stable up in the north that would help him and Misty out. I have been out of the horse loop for so long I don't know anyone anymore.
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Comment #33 posted by ekim on February 27, 2005 at 11:54:38 PT
Horse lovers please follow Howards ride
Thanks FoM maybe someone will think of a site or radio show that might be interested in Howards ride with misty. Or might want to be a sponser. Many vets have no doubt heard over the years of how Cannabis has treated many ailments to animals.See the map of how many states Howard is going thru maybe it will be close to readers of C/news
http://www.leap.cc/howard/
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on February 27, 2005 at 10:01:37 PT
siege
It's a shame that it is so addictive or maybe someday the ban would be overturned. It's nothing like Cannabis.
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Comment #31 posted by siege on February 27, 2005 at 09:58:45 PT
Way off topic smokeable
Excerpts from: Heroin By: Humberto FernandezIn the United States the character of addiction to the opium poppy and its derivatives was entirely different from the character of the Chinese experience.A decade before the Civil War the opium-addicted population in the United States consisted mainly of Caucasian women who legally purchased opium-laced cough syrups and elixirs. Many took laudanum (the opium poppy in its liquid form) to alleviate pain or settle coughs and became dependent on the opium-based mixtures.Surveys between 1878 and 1885 indicated that 56 percent to 71 percent of opiate addicts in the United States were middle-to upper-class white women who purchased the drug legally.Opium smoking occurred primarily on the West Coast, because it was the closest port of entry for opium from the Far East.Opium dens, however, were described by newspaper stories in real life as “horrifying opium dens where yellow fiends forced unsuspecting white women to become enslaved to the mischievous drug.”This powerful racist propaganda was fueled, in part, by feelings that the depression was caused by the country’s surplus of Chinese workers. The opium dens of San Francisco were publicly condemned for stealing the mythic virtue of white women.Heroin powder proved to be more potent and addictive than the opium-based laudanum (liquid form of opium) most women drank. The practice of selling patent medicines containing morphine, opium, and heroin had no legal regulation in this country until 1906 when the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed.Between ((1875 and 1877)) the country’s first opium laws were passed in San Francisco, California; Virginia City, Nevada; and Portland, Oregon. The laws were primarily aimed at outlawing the opium dens that had proliferated with Chinese immigration. It was not until 1887 that Congress passed a bill prohibiting the importation of opium by both U.S. and Chinese citizens. The law created a black market for opium in its crude, smokeable form and ignored the opium derivatives morphine and later heroin, which were claiming the souls of thousands of men and women. A serious problem faced by ""reformers and prohibitionists"" was the economic power that the chemical companies had achieved. Thus, consumers continued to drink patent medicine remedies with innocent sounding names, unaware of the addictive contents until the Pure Food and Drug Act required labeling and disclosure of all ingredients.A reform and prohibitionist movement, determined to eliminate the use of opium and its derivatives in patent medicines, sprang up in the last quarter nineteenth century.
====================
1875 and 1877 was the economic power that the chemical companies had achieved. they learned well back then the way to make money and still doing it.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on February 27, 2005 at 09:22:31 PT
ekim
I'm not familar with any stables in Northern Ohio. I wish I could help but I just don't know. Northern Ohio is far my place and would be way out of the way. I sold my horse trailer too.
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Comment #29 posted by JoeCitizen on February 27, 2005 at 09:20:08 PT
JustGetnBy - smoked herbs
Colt's foot, Hoarhound, and Yerba Sante are all herbs that were smoked to help with asthma or to clear lung congestion. Calamus root has also been smoked, by the native Americans (with tobacco) and by East Indians (with ganja.)The whole "No medicine is smoked." is a lie. Even if they want to make that the point, you can eat cannabis, make a tincture of it, or best of all, vaporize it without any of the combustion poisons.It's just another way for them to avoid talking about the facts, and to associate cannabis with the harms of tobacco smoke - or worse, of cigarette smoke, which is more chemicals than tobacco, anyway.JC
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Comment #28 posted by ekim on February 27, 2005 at 09:02:02 PT
FoM do you know of any Horse sites that might be
be interested in Howard and his one eye horse Misty. Howard will be riding across the country talking about the drug war failure. March 2005 Mar 1 05 CKTB 610AM Radio Interview 07:00 AM Howard Wooldridge St. Catharines Ontario Canada Board Member Howard Wooldridge visits by phone with radio station CKTB 610AM to discuss a variety of issues related to the failure of America's war on drugs. Follow Howard's cross country tour at: http://leap.cc/howard/
http://www.leap.cc/howard/
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Comment #27 posted by JustGetnBy on February 27, 2005 at 08:24:43 PT
Folk Medecine
Mullien was smoked for asthma, Cannabis was smoked for a variety of medical reasons, and I'm sure many other plants were burned and and the smoke inhaled for medicinal and recreational reasons. The drug warriors are using revisionist history in an attemt to discredit medical cannabis use.
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Comment #26 posted by ekim on February 27, 2005 at 08:21:40 PT
Book a Leap speaker near you
Feb 28 05 Edmond Rotary 06:00 PM Howard Wooldridge Edmond Oklahoma USA
The Edmond Rotary welcomes Board Member Howard Wooldridge for discussion of issues related to the failure of drug prohibition. March 2005
Mar 1 05 CKTB 610AM Radio Interview 07:00 AM Howard Wooldridge St. Catharines Ontario Canada
Board Member Howard Wooldridge visits by phone with radio station CKTB 610AM to discuss a variety of issues related to the failure of America's war on drugs. Follow Howard's cross country tour at: http://leap.cc/howard/ Mar 2 05 Campus Greens Present: Social Impacts of American Drug Policy 07:00 PM Jim Gierach Chicago Illinois USA
The Campus Greens of Northwestern University welcome Jim Gierach as their primary speaker when they present "The Social Impacts of American Drug Policy". Mar 3 05 Peel Harm Reduction Health Fair 01:00 PM Alison Myrden Brampton Ontario Canada
Speaker Alison Myrden will speak at the Peel Harm Reduction Health Fair. Topics will include the failure of America's war on drugs and viable alternatives. Mar 3 05 Theory Class, Criminal Justice Program: Peter Christ 01:30 PM Peter Christ Buffalo New York USA
No theory, just fact about the failure of drug prohbition when Board Member Peter Christ visits the Theory Class, Criminal Justice Program of Buffalo State College. Mar 3 05 "Bengal Pause" time for Peter Christ: Drug Policy Defined 12:15 PM Peter Christ Buffalo New York USA
Buffalo State University welcomes Board Member Peter Christ for "Drug Policy Defined ", a talk on the failures of America's drug prohbition policies. Mar 5 05 MassCan Open Meeting 03:30 PM Jack Cole Newton MA USA
Executive Director Jack A. Cole will preach to the converted at the the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition Meeting held at Pizza Uno at 287 Washington Street. Come learn strategies for ending drug prohibition that work! Mar 7 05 WCOJ 1420 AM Radio - The Big Show 05:00 PM Peter Christ West Chester Pennsylvania USA
Board Member Peter Christ sits down with Robert Hanson of The Big Show on WCOJ 1420 AM Radio to discuss drug prohbition issues such as mandatory minimums, the effect on minority populations and a myriad of other topics. Mar 8 05 Milford-Matamoras Rotary Club 12:15 PM Peter Christ Milford Pennsylvania USA
The Milford-Matamoras Rotary Club welcomes Board Member Peter Christ for lunch and discussion of issues related to the failure of drug prohibition.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #25 posted by mayan on February 27, 2005 at 08:13:08 PT
Dark Forces
The AARP is definitely under attack by some very dark forces who must push their Social Insecurity plan through at any cost. It all comes down to a plant and it's users versus those whose jobs are threatened by the said plant.Wouldn't want the elderly to know they've been lied to for years about cannabis just so the pharmaceutical companies could constinue to shove pills down their throats.That's what this is all about, make no mistake about it.The cat's out of the bag and it's to late for the greedheads.Cannabis is the medicine of this new millenium. It's the only way to go. The only way.
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Comment #24 posted by charmed quark on February 27, 2005 at 07:50:48 PT
Marinol
There are two major problems with Marinol. I speak from experience:1) The delivery method - it takes about an hour to take effect. That in itself is bad enough, when you are throwing up or in severe pain, compared to near-instantaneous effect of vaporization. But the other problem with oral THC is the way it is processed and metabolized. This pathway is very uneven. The same amount of Marinol will sometimes be way too much, other times have almost no effect. But because of the long period of time to take effect, it is very hard to titrate.2) THC by itself is too psychoactive and not as effective. It makes me anxious and gives me a very unpleasant high. I suppose that might be an advantage to the drug warriors, as most people wouldn't want to abuse Marinol. Apparently, the CBDs and other cannabinoids of whole cannabis moderate the high, allowing a higher therapeutic dose with less high. Also, there may be a synergistic action between THC and the other cannabinoids, significantly increasing its medical effect. That certainly seems to be my experience. More high and less medical effects sums it up.Anybody who says Marinol doesn't make you high doesn't know what they are talking about. But for many users of whole cannabis this CAN be true. Once you get use to it, you can get a therapeuric level of cannabis medicine without any noticible psychoactive effects.-CQ
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Comment #23 posted by afterburner on February 27, 2005 at 07:37:59 PT
goneposthole
Asthmador, a compound of stramonium and belladonna was also *sold in drug stores* and !smoked! for asthma relief as late as the 1960's. It was still legal in 1974.Burning Leaves Have a Long Medical History http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread15796.shtml#2
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Comment #22 posted by goneposthole on February 27, 2005 at 05:58:40 PT
I don't know, but I've been told
that marinol gets you too stoned. That's what I've been told. And, that is the reason people don't like marinol and prefer the whole enchilada.So statements like: "Called THC, it is a chemical synthesized in a laboratory and approved for medical use in the treatment for nausea. But the marijuana advocates want no part of that because it is not smoked and they cannot get their desired "high" from a pill or capsule. The existence and availability of THC are rarely mentioned in media reports on marijuana. Nor is the fact that no "medicine" has ever been smoked by the patient. That provides additional confirmation that the media push for "medical marijuana" is a scam designed to open the door for legalization "are merely bogus claims not based on any fact, just sheer conjecture.Also, belladonna leaves were burned as a treatment by patients with emphysema. The patient inhaled the fumes for relief.Cannabis is not the only medicine that has been used in 'smoke form.'Accuracy in media is all hype and devoid of accuracy in facts. The people behind the Accuracy in Media just want you to serve your master, not think for yourself. They're there for what's in it for them, not you. It doesn't matter if you are adversely affected.Start thinking. Stop serving your master.
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Comment #21 posted by BGreen on February 27, 2005 at 00:17:16 PT
Stan White got another LTE published
Welcome to Missouri, Stan. Great job!The Reverend Bud Green********************************************************PRESIDENT'S PAST:Bush's drug stance seems hypocriticalRe: "It's what Bush learned from mistakes that matters the most" Feb. 23 Our View.I do not care if President Bush has smoked pot or used cocaine in the past, but I am concerned that he thinks it is OK to cage others for doing the same thing.Stan D. White, Dillon, Colo.
Bush's drug stance seems hypocritical
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Comment #20 posted by afterburner on February 26, 2005 at 22:42:59 PT
I Sent My FAX to the AARP Magazine CEO. Will You?
email:{From : Ethan Nadelman, DPAlliance alerts actioncenter.drugpolicy.org {Sent : February 25, 2005 {To : you
{Subject : Urge AARP to Stand Up to Smear Attacks
{Urge AARP to Stand Up to Smear Attacks{Dear you,{Why did AARP, the 35 million member organization for people age 50 and over, pull an article on medical marijuana that was supposed to run in its magazine this month? Not because its readers weren’t interested; a poll the group commissioned found that 72% of older Americans support an adult’s right to use medical marijuana with a physician's recommendation, and 55% said they would obtain medical marijuana for a loved one in need.{AARP reportedly pulled the article when it was viciously attacked by a so-called "media watchdog" organization, Accuracy in Media, and fanatical anti-drug groups with a long history of engaging in malicious and dishonest attacks.{But you can help AARP stand firm in the face of this onslaught. By sending them a letter of support, you can demonstrate that the voices of those who champion informed discussion of controversial issues speak louder than the minority who seek to discredit them.{Please take action now to defend freedom of the press and the right of AARP to talk about issues that are important to its members.{Thank you,{Ethan Nadelman, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance Network{Make your voice heard > Take Action Now
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/
{Learn More
{Contact the Drug Policy Alliance:{Drug Policy Alliance
70 West 36th Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10018{For subscription problems please contact
Jeanette Irwin, Director, Internet Communications
jirwin drugpolicy.org | 202.216.0035
{In this Alliance Action Network Alert we need you to:
{FAX http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ }
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Comment #19 posted by siege on February 26, 2005 at 19:40:52 PT
citizens and AARP
This is just a big poker hand and they think they can buy 35 million people with $10 million they could get a few not what they think. At this point AARP to tell the story of Medical Marijuana on TV to light up USA Next. USA Next this would put them the other side where they don't want to be right where the fire is. then they would lose the hole thing. $10 million dollars on commercials to orchestrate attacks on one of President Bush's toughest opponents The citizens of the US of A in the battle to overhaul Social Security.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on February 26, 2005 at 12:27:54 PT
DPFCA: AARP Gets Pot-Baited
AARP Gets Pot-Baited By Fred Gardner CPFebruary 26, 2005 AARP The Magazine, a bimonthly that reaches some 25 million Americans, is under attack by prohibitionists and rightwing flacks for having commissioned an article on medical marijuana and the elderly. AARP The Magazine has been "holding" the article -not publishing it- for more than six months. The man who wrote it, L.A. Times reporter Eric Bailey, asked AARP The Magazine for a release this week so he could try for publication elsewhere. AARP editor Steve Slon assured Bailey that his piece is still being considered (i.e., no release). Slon denies that he's been holding the piece in response to political pressure or on orders from AARP's CEO, Bill Novelli. AARP the organization is under attack by corporate interests out to privatize Social Security. Chris LaCivita and other p r. strategists who orchestrated the vile "Swift Boat" ad campaign against John Kerry, are now working for an outfit called USA Next, which, according to the New York Times 2/21, "plans to spend as much as $10 million on commercials and other tactics assailing AARP...'They are the boulder in the middle of the highway to personal savings accounts,' said Charlie Jarvis, president of USA Next and former deputy under secretary of the interior in the Reagan and first Bush administrations. 'We will be the dynamite that removes them.'"USA Next has "spent millions in recent years vigorously supporting Bush proposals on tax cuts, energy and the Medicare prescription drug plan," according to the Times piece by Glen Justice. There is nothing illegal about a lobby and the White House coordinating to push legislation; as the Times reports, "Several huge business lobbies, like the Business Roundtable, have become closely linked to Mr. Bush's plans for Social Security and have assembled coalitions to promote the proposals across the country." The fact that USA Next is maintaining its distance from the White House suggests that their tactics will be execrable.AARP The Magazine features editor Ed Dwyer has made some big tactical blunders that fanned the flames of disapproval. Asking Eric Bailey to write it was not one of them. Bailey is a neutral observer, not an advocate. When he began covering the medical marijuana story for the L.A. Times, he had no special interest in the subject. The straightness of his reporting has won him the trust of activists, doctors, and patients as well as cops, DAs and politicians. When he got the AARP assignment he could call on a wide range of contacts, including Dr. Philip Denney (who has approved cannabis use by thousands of patients), and stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld (who gets his medical cannabis from the U.S. government), and Republican Congressman Dana Rohrbacher (who co-sponsored legislation that would make the feds honor state medical-marjuana laws), and many others. By late June Bailey had completed a 6,000 word piece. Dwyer suggested some edits and cuts, Bailey made them, and by early August he considered the piece finished and publication assured.Some of the people Bailey interviewed told others that the piece was in the works and word ricocheted around the movement that there would soon be an article in AARP The Magazine. Your correspondent wrote an item in early September, concluding "There's no more appropriate readership for a story on this subject than AARP's." Bailey was led to believe, initially, that the piece would appear in October '04, in the issue dated November-December. Then Dwyer informed him that it would be held till the January-February '05 issue. (One can infer that the higher-ups at AARP did not want to run a piece that might influence the election. Editor Slon says no, late-arriving ads reduced the number of pages available for editorial content.)In November Dwyer arranged for AARP The Magazine to commission a survey in which 1,706 adults aged 45+ expressed opinions on medical marijuana. Nationally, 72% agreed that "adults should be allowed to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician recommends it." Dwyer publicized the results, which he said would appear in the March-April issue, along with an article on medical marijuana. The AP picked it up and Jay Leno based a joke on it: "Nearly 75 percent of elderly Americans approve of the legalization of medical marijuana. And you thought grandpa used to forget stuff before!"In December, High Times Magazine published its 30th anniversary issue, which contained recollections by former staffers, including... Ed Dwyer, who was an editor there from 1974-1978. What was the man thinking? By recalling his "dope-fueled mission" in fond terms, in print, Dwyer played directly into the hands of the prohibitionists who -alerted by the publicity around the medical-marijuana poll- had it in for AARP The Magazine. Once they started Googling, the righties learned that Dwyer had written for Playboy and his boss, Slon, once worked for Penthouse.Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media wrote a hit piece Dec. 29 shifting the focus from Bailey's forthcoming article to Dwyer's ancient behavior ("From Pot to Porn to AARP: How the Seniors Magazine is Aiding the Dope Lobby"). And Drug Watch International, Joyce Nalepka and other prohibitionist operatives launched a postcard writing campaign effectively pressuring AARP not to run Bailey's piece.In a phone interview Feb. 25 Slon said, "We're not going to run it at the moment. We still hope to run it, uh, soon." His explanation of why the piece didn't appear in March-April made little sense. "When it came time for that issue, we kind of felt that we had scooped ourselves. We had gotten the attention for the idea, therefore that weakened the case for that story going into the next issue." In other words, having successfully publicized the Bailey piece, AARP The Magazine didn't have to actually run it.Slon feels the self-pity of the centrist. "AARP gets attacked all the time. We're being attacked as pro-gay marriage, as anti-gay, as pro-war, as anti-war. The left attacks us for signing up for the prescription drug bill. We get it from all sides and we're used to that."He reiterated that editorial decisions are made without consulting CEO Novelli (a former p.r. man who once wrote a forward for a book by Newt Gingrich). "Holding this is not a political decision," Slon declared. "It's a terrific story, fair and balanced, and we hope to run it. I have an inventory of two years' worth of stories that we haven't run for one reason or another... The only problem I have with the story is that it's sort of been done. The story of people who are suffering and not getting their medicine, that's been done."But not in AARP The Magazine.Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance on Feb. 25 addressed a strong, cogent letter directly to Novelli. "... the organizations involved in this assault on AARP may be loud but they are also tiny and lie at the fringes of the drug policy debate. They lack any credibility in the medical and scientific communities, and their positions are at odds with the conclusions and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and other distinguished scientific organizations. Please do not buckle under pressures of this sort."I urge you and the editors of AARP The Magazine to run the medical marijuana article soon. I know that AARP has much bigger fights on its hands right now and that this dispute over the medical marijuana article may feel like a costly and unnecessary diversion. But the issue of whether or not AARP The Magazine decides to delay a reportedly fair minded and balanced article because of attacks by fanatics raises larger ethical issues...."It would not only be ethically right for AARP The Magazine to run Bailey's piece, it would be tactically smart. As their own poll shows, 72 percent of their readers know generally that marijuana has medicinal effects, and presumably they'd appreciate learning more. Medical marijuana is unlike every other topic about which the government is lying, in that the American people know the reality. Most people don't know for sure whether democracy is being established in Iraq or whether privatizing social security will benefit them or whether the Kyoto accords will slow global warming. But most people do know, first-hand or from someone they trust, that marijuana is safe and effective medicine. Only by publishing Bailey's piece can AARP The Magazine shift public attention away from their editors' swinging youth and onto the health benefits that older Americans might obtain from cannabis.-- ---- Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml igc.org 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114
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Comment #17 posted by afterburner on February 26, 2005 at 11:28:35 PT
You Nailed It, Pete
Supreme Court Justice Breyer must have gotten his mis-information about applying to the FDA for medical rescheduling of cannabis from *In*accuracy in Media!Robbie, your remedy seems to be the only sane remedy currently available, although discouraged by dinosaur politicians and vindictive law enforcement agents.
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Comment #16 posted by Robbie on February 26, 2005 at 11:08:39 PT
This just goes to show...
that Bush and his ilk are true liars. They need everyone confused and afraid to push their bull-feces through an already compliant congress and lapdog media.When I think about the state of ethics and morality in our country today, I'm driven to pack a bowl so I can forget about it for a while.(BTW nice post Pete..."accuracy" in Media is ironic)
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Comment #15 posted by Pete Guither on February 26, 2005 at 08:50:41 PT:
InAccuracy in Media
Accuracy in Media is a joke. Here's what they call "one of our best pieces on the hoax known as medical marijuana."
http://www.aim.org/media_monitor_print/222_0_2_0/The article has such gems as:"No one has ever applied to the FDA with scientific proof or studies that have shown marijuana is a medicine that is "effective" for any illness, or that it is "safe." Because there is no such "evidence." Instead the promoters of marijuana push their product through articles on "medical" marijuana."and "Called THC, it is a chemical synthesized in a laboratory and approved for medical use in the treatment for nausea. But the marijuana advocates want no part of that because it is not smoked and they cannot get their desired "high" from a pill or capsule. The existence and availability of THC are rarely mentioned in media reports on marijuana. Nor is the fact that no "medicine" has ever been smoked by the patient. That provides additional confirmation that the media push for "medical marijuana" is a scam designed to open the door for legalization of marijuana."and "The media conceal the fact that the state-by-state push for "medical marijuana" is merely the first step in the agenda to legalize all dangerous drugs. The media are helping this when instead they should insist that George Soros and those he bankrolls put their money into filing an application with the FDA and proving that their so-called medicine is effective for a specific medical use and is safe. Soros and the media are quacks pushing bad medicine."
Drug WarRant
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Comment #14 posted by potpal on February 26, 2005 at 07:00:37 PT
My woids...
February 26, 2005AARP MagazineDear Editor,The most insidious aspect of the prohibition of the cannabis plant is the shadow it has casted over our ability to speak freely, debate logically, and choose willfully.The time has come to (once again) discover the cannabis plant and utilize its vast potential to the benefit of mankind. Opposition to this endeavor, in any way, but especially in the form of censorship, distribution of propaganda, and outright suppression of the truth is a crime against humanity itself.This news made the BBC this week:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3166592.stm
Did you see this news on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, API, Reuters, nightly news? Any reason why not? Do you think this may be of interest to your organization and its members? Now, had the opposite been suggested, do you think it would have made the 24 hour news stations and have been repeated a 100 times an hour via the moving text/side bars? Your organization is needed and has an obligation to expose the truth of what is good and what may prove disasterous for this generation of seniors and those that will follow. I’m counting on you to do what is right and not give in to those who profit from keeping the medicinal value of the cannabis plant away from the people.
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Comment #13 posted by siege on February 26, 2005 at 06:55:54 PT
MMP Tennessee
Tennessee's twin medical marijuana bills are making serious progress,
and have both been placed in committees in the House and Senate. The
Senate version -- S.B. 1942 -- has been assigned to the General
Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee. In the House, H.B. 968
has been sent to the Mental Health Subcommittee of the Health and
Human Resources Committee. Please take a moment to visit http://mpp.org/TN/action.html to send a
letter to the subcommittee members. Our system will automatically send
a pre-written letter -- which you can edit to your liking -- to every
member of the subcommittee.http://mpp.org/TN/action.htmlThe subcommittee -- chaired by bill-sponsor David Shepard
(D-Dickinson) -- is made up of five Democrats and four Republicans.
The bill -- H.B. 968 -- has a good chance of passing out of the
subcommittee, but it needs a push. State legislators truly do listen
to their constituents. According to former U.S. Congressman Billy
Evans (D-GA), "Legislators estimate that 10 letters from constituents
represent the concerns of 10,000 citizens. Anybody who will take the
time to write is voicing the fears and desires of thousands more."http://mpp.org/TN/action.html
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Comment #12 posted by mayan on February 26, 2005 at 06:34:05 PT
unrelated
Sen. Feingold is trying to water down the PATRIOT Act. They ought to ditch it altogether. Maybe they should read it first though!Senator Seeks to Curb Controversial PATRIOT Act:
http://www.antiwar.com/ips/fisher.php?articleid=4975Bill of Rights Defense Committee:
http://www.bordc.org/
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Comment #11 posted by mayan on February 26, 2005 at 06:19:23 PT
goneposthole
I was thinking the same thing regarding Iraq. And where was AIM when everything regarding the government's official version of 9/11 was complete hogwash? Why don't they go after the media when they parrot the obvious lies of Walters,Barthwell,Nalepka,etc.??? I just don't understand what their gripe is. Just what do they consider innacurate regarding the AARP poll/article? I haven't even seen the article. Has AIM? I would really like to know what they feel is innacurate.By the way, the only "AIM" that is cool in my book is the American Indian Movement! Check out the "Accuracy In Media" site. They have an article about "anti-Bush media bias". Unbelievable...Accuracy In Media:
http://www.aim.org/Sorry if this has already been posted...Campaign Against "Souder's Law" Progresses Forward and Outward in DC and the States:
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/376/forwardoutward.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by goneposthole on February 26, 2005 at 04:57:38 PT
Accuracy in Media?
Where were these 'accuracy in media' types when the Bush Cabal was pushing for a nice tidy 'war' in Iraq? I guess lying is ok when it pays. When the big bucks talk, a few lies don't really matter that much.I wish there was some 'accuracy in the media.' I won't hold my breath.Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on February 25, 2005 at 19:22:57 PT
half of the comedy team Cheech
come on ol buddy step up
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #8 posted by mayan on February 25, 2005 at 18:17:39 PT
Thanks, Folks!
Thanks for the contact links! We have to let AARP Mag know there will be many more pissed people if they don't run the cannabis article. Why would AARP cave in to the minority who oppose medicinal cannabis? I suppose it doesn't matter one way or the other since retired folks already overwhelmingly support mecicinal cannabis but an AARP Mag article would garner even more support among the elderly!The prohibitionists are really scared sh*tless aren't they? THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...TRANSCRIPT (excerpted): Rep. Cynthia McKinney Challenges Myers & Rumsfeld to Explain Impact of 9/11 Wargames:
http://911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=483&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Debunking Popular Mechanics "9/11 Myths: NORAD"
http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=55409/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #7 posted by Taylor121 on February 25, 2005 at 17:39:30 PT
Drug Czar Failed to Report Campaign Expenses
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Complaints filed today with state election authorities in Montana, Oregon, and Alaska charge that the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) -- also called the drug czar's office -- failed to make the legally required disclosures of campaign expenses.On October 5, 2004, ONDCP Director John Walters traveled to Oregon for the purpose of opposing Measure 33, a ballot measure designed to expand the state's medical marijuana program. On October 6, ONDCP Deputy Director Scott Burns traveled to Montana to campaign against Initiative 148, the medical marijuana measure passed by voters in November. And on October 13 and 14, Burns traveled to Alaska to oppose Measure 2, a measure to allow the state to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana. All of these trips were widely reported in the local press as being campaign stops in opposition to the reform initiatives.In each state, campaign finance laws specifically require persons or organizations who spend money either opposing or supporting ballot measures to report these expenditures. No such reports were filed by ONDCP."The laws of these three states require those who campaign for or against an initiative to disclose their expenditures," said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. "ONDCP publicly and actively campaigned against these proposals, but failed to make the legally required campaign finance disclosures. For an administration that trumpets its efforts to advance democracy around the world to defy the most basic legal requirements of fair and honest campaigning is shocking."Fox added, "It is beyond dispute that Walters and Burns actively opposed these initiatives. Title 21, Section 1703(b)(12) of the U.S. Code states that the ONDCP director 'shall' take action to oppose reforms of laws regarding marijuana. Burns' and Walters' trips and statements were in furtherance of this obligation, and ONDCP clearly spent many thousands of dollars of taxpayer money in the process -- expenses that unquestionably must be reported as campaign expenditures under state law. Moreover, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that it is constitutional for states to demand this reporting from the federal government."The three complaints are available at http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/complaints.html.Btw, the MPP is down to 17,000 members from earlier reported 18,000. This probably means some people have not renewed. If you aren't a member, I personally encourage you to join up! We have to keep this organization along with NORML and the DPA fighting the good fight!https://secure.mpp.org/donate/ann_index.php?ref=15
Donate here, they have paypal as wellhttps://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=mpp%40mpp.org&item_name=donation+to+MPP+(15)&return=http%3A//www.mpp.org/contrib_confirm.html
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 25, 2005 at 17:11:43 PT
kapt
Thank you for the link.
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on February 25, 2005 at 17:09:07 PT:
The link you'll need
http://www.aarp.org/contactaarp/Articles/a2003-01-23-contact-publicationform.html
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on February 25, 2005 at 17:07:59 PT:
Another way to reach them
AARP has been the subject of some vicious PR attacks lately. The leadership of AARP thought they could play ball with this Administration; now they know they've been dealing with backstabbing thugs. The reform community has scores of millions of natural allies in our aging population whose health and safety could be measurably improved (if only from abstaining from their prescrip meds with their life-threatening side effects) by utilizing medicinal cannabis in various forms. In light of the previously mentioned poll, and continuing revelations of cannabis's extraordinary healing capabilities, it becomes ever more clear that we are in the endgame. For our foes to stoop this low proves how scared they are. Time to give them even more reason to fear.I urge all who can to call or email or write the AARP and let them know what you think about those who would deny the suffering a chance at relief.The time is now, people.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 25, 2005 at 16:21:46 PT
Taylor121
Thank you for posting the link. Mine is sent too now.
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Comment #2 posted by Taylor121 on February 25, 2005 at 16:16:46 PT
Take Action On This!
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=24647My letter is already sent!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 25, 2005 at 15:49:35 PT
News Article from The Associated Press
Chong's 'Marijuana-Logues' Cancels TourJake Coyle, Associated PressFebruary 25, 2005NEW YORK - Tommy Chong's play has gone up in smoke."The Marijuana-Logues" has canceled its spring tour after its star, Tommy Chong, was barred from performing in it because audience members were frequently lighting up during the show.Chong, half of the comedy team Cheech & Chong, was in danger of violating his probation, which bars him from being around people using or selling illegal substances. He served nine months in prison last year for conspiring to sell drug paraphernalia."The (parole) officer was compelled to revoke his ability to continue on the shows," said Phil Lobel, a publicist for the play. "The last thing he wants to do is go back to prison.""The Marijuana-Logues" was on the second night of a North America tour. It has played for nearly a year off-Broadway. Chong had a special two-week run in New York and then went on the road with the show. Following a kickoff performance Feb. 18 in Vancouver, British Columbia, a Seattle show the following day was especially smoky.Lobel said the large 1,000-2,000 seat theaters were much more difficult to patrol than the small Actors' Playhouse in New York.The play expects to resume touring this summer, when Chong's parole ends.The 65-year-old comedian served nine months in prison, beginning in 2003, after pleading guilty to conspiring to sell drug paraphernalia. His home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., was raided by police looking for smoking materials made by Nice Dreams, a company named for one of the Cheech and Chong movies.Though the police found nearly a pound of marijuana, Chong was never charged with marijuana possession because the drug was not included in the search warrant. Chong was released from prison in July."The Marijuana-Logues," a parody of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," is a three-man show that addresses the rites and rituals of getting stoned."I'm still on probation you know," Chong told The Associated Press before the Vancouver performance. "Doing a show about weed in the United States - when you just got out of jail for selling weed paraphernalia - makes me a little nervous."Tickets already purchased for canceled "Marijuana-Logues" shows can be refunded at the point of purchase.Copyright: 2005 Associated PressON THE NEThttp://www.marijuanalogues.comhttp://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/10994141.htm?1c
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