cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar Blasted Over Pot Story





Drug Czar Blasted Over Pot Story
Posted by CN Staff on May 13, 2005 at 07:41:01 PT
By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News
Source: Rocky Mountain News
Washington, D.C. -- A marijuana advocacy group has accused the White House drug czar of manipulating the story of a Colorado teen's suicide in order to "perpetrate a fraud" about the dangers of marijuana use. That charge drew an angry response Thursday from Ernest and Tanya Skaggs, a Colorado Springs couple who told the story of their son Christopher's marijuana use and suicide at a White House Office of National Drug Control Policy event May 3.
"You can tell those dumb b------- up there I buried my 15-year-old son because of marijuana, and that's how I feel," Ernest Skaggs said. "Ain't no one using me at all." The Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates the reform of anti- marijuana laws, issued a statement Thursday sympathizing with the parents but accusing ONDCP Director John Walters of exploiting them with an incomplete and misleading story of how the teen died. Walters and other officials cited Christopher Skaggs' suicide in July 2004 as an example of purported links between marijuana use and serious mental health problems, particularly in people who use marijuana at younger ages. The parents described how their son was caught smoking marijuana in January 2004. They said they put him on regular drug testing and under the treatment of a counselor, who told them that marijuana use was contributing to their son's depression. Christopher Skaggs left Colorado temporarily to visit relatives, and just days after returning home, he hanged himself in the family's home. Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said it was misleading for Walters and other officials to blame Christopher -Skaggs' death on marijuana use, since drug testing had not detected any continued marijuana usage and only alcohol was found in his system at the time of his death. "The scientific evidence connecting alcohol to depression and suicide is much stronger than the evidence for marijuana," Mirken said. "Unfortunately, ONDCP has a political agenda here. They're on a crusade against marijuana. I don't think kids should be smoking marijuana. (But) to blame marijuana for his death and not even discuss the role of alcohol is really just wrong." Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, was even more blunt: "What kind of man puts a grieving family through such agony to perpetrate a fraud?" That drew angry responses from the parents. They said their son was not tested for marijuana in the time he was away from the family, but that someone has admitted providing him the drug during that time. "I'm pretty upset because I don't want them to just think marijuana is a laid-back drug," Tanya Skaggs said Thursday. "It was involved in our child's death." ONDCP spokeswoman Jennifer de Vallance said she was outraged by the group's attacks. "Mr. and Mrs. Skaggs have demonstrated tremendous courage and really are doing a public service to tell their very painful story in the hopes that other families and other parents won't go through the same thing," de Vallance said. "It truly is despicable to belittle their very courageous and important contribution to this public health effort," de Vallance said.Note: Group objects after marijuana blamed for Colo. teen's death.Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)Author: M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain NewsPublished: May 13, 2005Copyright: 2005 Denver Publishing Co.Contact: letters rockymountainnews.comWebsite: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/ Drug Czar Links Marijuana To Mental Healthhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20620.shtmlGovt: Marijuana Causes Mental Illness http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20617.shtml Feds Sound New Warning About Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20616.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #70 posted by ekim on May 15, 2005 at 17:52:59 PT
yes Jose kinda like this
Einstein said the significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. 
http://www.leap.cc/howard
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #69 posted by global_warming on May 15, 2005 at 15:43:05 PT
research
"Cross-societal research has identified the importance of understanding the cultural context of drug use to explain outcomes"....You have to remind me to take off my hat, when "research" is honored.gw
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #68 posted by global_warming on May 15, 2005 at 15:23:37 PT
neonatal development. "
What about the rest of us??
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #67 posted by Jose Melendez on May 15, 2005 at 15:13:20 PT
pot for kids?
This seems to make sense, ekim:from: http://www.ukcia.org/research/can-babies.htm "Cross-societal research has identified the importance of understanding the cultural context of drug use to explain outcomes. Whether or not the effects of marijuana during the prenatal period are real or only perceived, it is clear that for them, it has at least symbolic value in assisting them through the physical, social, and psychological difficulties of pregnancy and the postnatal experience. Furthermore, unlike the United States, in which heavy marijuana use often is associated with maternal incompetence and a suboptimal caregiving environment, the data from this study indicate that in Jamaica, the heavy-marijuana-using mother's education, independence, and greater access to resources converge in a constellation of maternal competence and a supportive context for neonatal development. "
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #66 posted by global_warming on May 15, 2005 at 13:57:16 PT
sorry
Was reading through the old scriptures it struck me odd, that some of the oldest writings, speak of some "plant", in the center of a garden, and "was desirable for obtaining wisdom" and "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked"...Hope that God is lovin ya,gw
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #65 posted by ekim on May 14, 2005 at 19:56:30 PT
Jose what do u make of this part---------------
cannabis, had never been recommended for a child as young as Jeffrey and no doctor had ever treated a case like his. Through the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana ( WAMM ), a collective of mostly terminally ill patients in Santa Clara, Debbie met Valerie Laveroni Corral, WAMM's director. Valerie put her in contact with a medical professional in Oakland, a Dr. Michael Alcalay. They met and talked about Jeffrey's condition and treatment options. Dr. Alcalay and Debbie discussed cannabinoids, which are neuro-transmitters that occur naturally in the human body and in cannabis ( marijuana ). Now, to understand how cannabis might be able to help a seven-year-old control his violent rages, we have to look at some recent developments in our understanding of how we think - that is, how are brain works. I know often-new science sounds wacky and preposterous - but that's good, as it shows things are changing. To that end, there is a very informative introduction to the human cannabinoid system, defined as a series of receptors, referred to as "CB1" and "CB2", as well as neuro-transmitters, in the December, 2004 issue of Scientific American. The article, "The brain's own marijuana," provides a review of the developments in cannabinoid research, both the one's produced by the human body, the so-called endocannabinoids, as well as the one's found in cannabis - which number more than 60 and include THC ( delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol ) and Cannabidiol. As the article argues, the human cannabinoid system is fundamental to health, and it makes the following rather revolutionary statement: The receptor CB1 seems to be present in all vertebrate species, suggesting that systems employing the brain's own marijuana have been in existence for about 500 million years. During that time, endocannabinoids have been adapted to serve numerous, often subtle functions. We have learned that they do not affect the development of fear, but the forgetting of fear; they do not alter the ability to eat, but the desirability of the food, and so on. Their presence in parts of the brain associated with complex motor behavior, cognition, learning and memory implies that much remains to be discovered about the uses to which evolution has put these interesting messengers. Interesting messengers indeed: that is the science of cannabinoids, and like the article says, "much remains to be discovered." Jeffrey found a degree of peace from his violent rages: the cannabinoids, those interesting messengers, facilitated his thinking process. On that first day when Debbie gave Jeffrey some medicine in a muffin, and within a few minutes of medicating, his first comment to her was "Mommy, I feel happy, not mad - And my head doesn't feel noisy." She had been waiting a long time to hear such kind words. Well, the cannabinoid-based treatment worked for sixteen months, but then everything changed on September 6, 2002, 
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v05/n777/a11.htm 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #64 posted by global_warming on May 14, 2005 at 14:23:19 PT
explanation
how believing in God is some kind of chemical disorder...What I am trying to say, is that God, or the idea of God, has its roots in our minds, our imaginations, that unexplainable component of our psyche, our soul.It is in these places we commune with God, with the Unknown, it is the place where one can undress and not feel ashamed.That is the mystery, our minds and souls, we are those little eyes that are seeing and watching, in the night, we are seeing, because this world has given us such eyes to use.If this world has been able to give, so that we may see, can we offer some gift back to this world?I would start with the end of this drug prohibition, and the end of all those profiteers and scoundrels, also, racketeers and gangsters, who leech an abominable existence and will someday wake up, and they will find the tool/weapon that they hold, will become the weightiest anchor, that pulls them down, into the murky and eternal depths.I salute those short hairs of NRML-MPP, keep up the good work, maybe you can reach some common ground in this insane world of plea bargained Christians and all the other religious groups.peacegw
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #63 posted by FoM on May 14, 2005 at 13:19:55 PT
We Deserve an A for Effort
We really are trying to find answers to some of life's very difficult questions and this time it has been suicide. Suicide is complex and has many causes and not everyone that has trauma in their lives will react the same way. Suicide is something that our leaders need to talk about like we are here. We see more and more that people are losing it and the reasons vary but the world and it's values are all mixed up. When values are mixed up it confuses and confusion and hopelessness are prime reasons for attempted suicide in my opinion.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #62 posted by global_warming on May 14, 2005 at 13:12:43 PT
of drug's and kings and czars...
.. Last of all if The drug czar is truly sympathetic he would treat all drug users as a health issue rather than criminals."This man JPee may be a zealot, but he has to go and get money to fund his operation. The people who hold the money are all residing in DC.My point is, that all the JPees in this world exist because our society allows these types to exist. Our society is feeding them, giving them money and largely remain ignorant of the damage that such behavior is causing.From the beginning, the damage that cannabis causes to a human being is paled by the damage that our judicial world mindset causes.Hope the Judges in this Raich/Ashcroft case can keep the broader view in sight, for this decision will likely be the brakes for this runawy madness that I am complaining about, or, the world will become an ever larger business decision, and matters of the heart and soul, will have some expert counselor testifying in a court of law, how believing in God is some kind of chemical disorder.gw
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #61 posted by b4daylight on May 14, 2005 at 12:41:53 PT
If 6 was 9
Wow so many good comments...
and FOM a leader we learned so much on this threa_)a great discussion I will not copy and paste all the comments. I will just say suicide first off is something we do not understand completely. Second the factors that cause one to commit suicide are infinitive.. Last of all if The drug czar is truly sympathetic he would treat all drug users as a health issue rather than criminals.IT is hard to push an agenda where you are playing the health issue at the same time you locking up 700,000 people. for the same thing.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #60 posted by global_warming on May 14, 2005 at 11:43:29 PT
re:comment 51
Well written, thanks.It made me think about a suicide that occurred about a year ago, the one about a husband and wife who took their lives to avoid incarceration for their cannabis use, it was a nasty affair, they were going to lose their house because of these insane drug law asset forfeiture laws, somewhere in Ohio..what made this so sad was, that this house was not much more than a shack, your typical ranch style home. They left behind a couple of adult aged children who were also implicated.I guess you don't have to look too far to see why this suicide occurred, these prohibitionists and all their laws, the lawyers have been very busy in the last 70 years.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #59 posted by FoM on May 14, 2005 at 10:13:58 PT
Off Topic
I would really like to have this concert. Does anyone know how to use Torrent? I have never tried any program like it so I'm afraid to try for fear of doing something wrong that could hurt my computer. Thanks in advance if anyone knows how.http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rust/message/126349
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #58 posted by FoM on May 14, 2005 at 10:09:08 PT
afterburner
I really like this!"If dogs run free, why can't we?" --Bob Dylan
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #57 posted by Jose Melendez on May 14, 2005 at 10:03:27 PT
want your kids on drugs?
To this day, it amazes me that people that push jail, amphetamines and urine tests on kids will ignore, even suppress evidence that those products and jail, are far more harmful.Must be the profits. No ekim, I have not read the book, but have seen the movie, as they say . . .
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #56 posted by afterburner on May 14, 2005 at 10:02:37 PT
goneposthole 
"Bears will stand their ground. California's state animal is the grizzly bear. Now, I can see why."LOL! Too funny!"If dogs run free, why can't we?" --Bob Dylan"Depression is anger turned within. Cannabis doesn't make me depressed. If anything, it relieves a lot of stress and lifts the burden of everyday living into a saner realm."The only time in my life that I had thoughts of suicide was when I was a recreational alcohol user; also I had lots of repressed anger at mistreatment by my peers. Cannabis was a Godsend to me, releasing feelings of calm and wholeness, connection to God and nature and history, and empathy with other people. A miracle plant, indeed!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #55 posted by ekim on May 14, 2005 at 09:07:39 PT
Jose have you read this
Daily News 
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v05/n777/a11.htm
BOOK REVIEW: KIDS, CANNABINOIDS AND OUR BODIES 
by Bryan W. Brickner, PhD, (Source:DrugSense Weekly)
13 May 2005-------
A Review of Jeffrey's Journey: Healing a Child's Violent Rages By Debbie Jeffries and LaRayne Jeffries ( 2005; Quick American ) I'm not a parent, but if I were, I would do whatever was necessary for my child. I'm supposing that is a common sentiment, and that is where Debbie Jeffries found herself - having to do what was necessary. She found herself as a single parent with a child who kept having violent rages. 
http://www.win-the-war.com
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #54 posted by FoM on May 14, 2005 at 09:01:50 PT
Thanks Everyone
This is another really great thread. I am always amazed at the wisdom of so many people here on CNews. Have a great weekend. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #53 posted by ekim on May 14, 2005 at 08:03:11 PT
raid involved as many as 50 heavily armed police.
The MarijuanaNews.com World Report for May 12, 2005 Full program title:
MarijuanaNews World Report for May 12, 2005 LA Times Still Has Not Reported Club Raid; Narks Attack Clubs, But There Will Be No Cannabis In Alameda Hospital. New York Times Still Has Not Reported Prospect Of State Medical Cannabis Law. Farce In The Philippines and the UK.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------One way or another, the supply of medical cannabis will remain in the black market until cannabis is fully legalized.. Especially in West Hollywood where a club was the target of a massive police raid last Friday, which still has not been reported in the LA Times, even though the raid involved as many as 50 heavily armed police.
http://www.leap.cc/events
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #52 posted by Jose Melendez on May 14, 2005 at 07:36:17 PT
I need help boiling this down . . .
"How many cannabinoid deprived kids need to off themselves or go postal before pee perverts and profiteers are imprisoned?"I'm trying to boil that statement down to valid legalese for my next LTE, if anyone has any sugestions.PaulPeterson?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #51 posted by goneposthole on May 14, 2005 at 06:46:12 PT
stigma schmigma
The ONDCP is without a doubt exploiting the death of Christopher Skaggs. Christopher Skaggs took his own life on the 13th of July in 2004.  I had a friend who committed suicide. I have mentioned it before at this site. He was also prescribed Prozac. I don't see the ONDCP making a connection there. I wonder why? The pharmaceutical companies would go ballastic all the way to North Korea and Iran if the ONDCP would do such a thing.I also have mentioned here that I discovered my son's use of cannabis. I didn't blame the cannabis, nor anybody else for his use of the miracle plant. If I have anybody to blame, it would be me. However, that would be going in the wrong direction; the wrong-headed approach. Treat it seriously, but don't take it seriously. You must be civilized and level-headed. You just can't stave off someone's curiosity about a given natural phenomenon.There was a train derailment in Montana in the seventies. A couple of carloads of corn derailed and spilled into a water-filled ditch. The corn fermented after a period of time and began to have some amount of alcohol. A few bears in the area discovered the spilled corn and were feasting on the spoils. They also became quite drunk, too. The bears returned to the sight time after time. Their desire wasn't to have something to eat, but to get rather completely soused. They liked the change from their everyday routine. There was nothing wrong with that, in the mind of a bear. There is no ONDCP for bears, so bears have the freedom to do whatever they darn well please. They have more freedom than the incessantly hounded American tax slave running around in circles in fear of everything, especially his government. Bears will stand their ground. California's state animal is the grizzly bear. Now, I can see why.Depression is anger turned within. Cannabis doesn't make me depressed. If anything, it relieves a lot of stress and lifts the burden of everyday living into a saner realm.When the people in the US Capitol and the White House run amok into the streets of that insane place because a Cessna single engine plane is flying above them, they're manifesting paranoia in its most extreme form. They're nuts and it shows. I'll be sympathetic towards them, no matter how pitiful and pathetic they've become. That sticks out like a sore thumb. What total buffoons.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #50 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 14, 2005 at 05:39:05 PT
Why Not Just Blame God?
Good! Walters has finally been accused of FRAUD, at least in the media, and it obviously freaked him and his staff out. LOLThis trumped up story is an ONDCP initiative to drum up support for MORE anti-marijuana legislation. The guy must be desparate if he has to grasp at straws and spin a web of deciet around it. Good job MPP! Congress is the final battle ground and shooting down ONDCPs bullshit initiatives is one measure to relax the stranglehold that ONDCP has on Congress.Overwhelm Uncle Sam
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #49 posted by BGreen on May 14, 2005 at 00:00:45 PT
Tale of Two Davids
I've known two guys named "David" who both killed themselves.David H. was two-years-old when I met him and I had just turned four. David was so cute growing up and everybody loved him. I was always overweight and people made fun of me, but David H. was the fastest, best at sports and the type of kid that seemed to have it all.David H. was 16-year-old when he locked himself in the garage with the car running. He left a suicide note but it was just a poem. We had to try to make sense of the imagery but David talked about a bird finally getting to soar free and getting to be happy.To the rest of us, David H. seemed to have everything to live for, but David H. felt death was his only chance at freedom and happiness.That's the way I feel a lot of the time as a "citizen of the freest country in the world."David I. was older than me, married and had a 12-year-old son.I didn't know David I. had any problems until I heard his name being broadcast on the police scanner. David I. was reported to be drunk and had a gun so the cops were trying to find him before he hurt himself or somebody else.I had seen David I. a few months earlier when he was attending the same church, so I guess he had been trying to confront his problems, but there's nothing like the major guilt trip of the Assemblies of God or other denominations to drive somebody over the edge.David I. drank to excess to try and cope with his feelings, but the nature of booze only made David I. give in to his feelings of desperation and hopelessness and he blew his head off.That selfish son-of-a-bitch left a 12-year-old to deal with the problems David I. couldn't himself handle.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ought to be freakin' proud of themselves because all three of those were involved in the demise of David I..All three legal, government subsidized killers.The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #48 posted by lag on May 13, 2005 at 21:44:32 PT
dave...it's like the louis armstrong and his cats
...always said...The drunks beat their wives and spend all their money, and those that smoke pot manage to live relatively happy lives. I say relatively because we all have to deal with life and its many ups and downs.I highly recommend The Emporer Has(wears?) No Clothes by Jack Herer...there is some awesome stuff in that compendium of Marijuana knowledge...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #47 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:50:45 PT
Dave
You mentioned about alcohol with your brother. My grandfather took his own life because he had a bad drinking problem I was told.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #46 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:46:46 PT
Fluffin up to Snuff 
That made me laugh! Thanks!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #45 posted by GreenJoy on May 13, 2005 at 19:44:31 PT
:-)
Yes and Neil too! I'm finding mine isn't exactly fluffin up to snuff either anymore. :-( 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #44 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:35:22 PT
GreenJoy
And Neil Young too even though his hair is a little thin! LOL! http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/nypm.jpg
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #43 posted by The GCW on May 13, 2005 at 19:32:50 PT
MPP covers a lot of bases.
And there are a lot of them.With out really knowing much about MPP...Can't imagine what any cannabis activist would have against MPP.They cover bases that others do not.They are part of Us and We are part of them.They are cannabis activists - Green Collar Workers.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #42 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:32:18 PT
Taylor
You're a good person. I can tell.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #41 posted by GreenJoy on May 13, 2005 at 19:31:48 PT
Your Look
 I guess what bothers me is the 2 face aspect. How many of these people are accompanied thru their day by the music of long hairs? Wearing your hair long can mean you reject the knee jerk perceptions that so many have about it. I know in my own line of work I had some bs to fight thru. Will you put it back in a ponytail? Will you tuck it down the back of your coat? The more I heard it the more I became determined to show them that I was good at what I do and that is what should matter. So I literally HAD to be twice as good as I probably would have otherwise. I guess in my case adversity has always been a motivator. What stinks is that in this society one still has to look like Ward Cleaver to be taken seriously. But oh we love Cream, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Skynnard, The Allman Bros. The Beatles, Metallica, The Doobie Bros. and I could be up all night typing the rest! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #40 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:31:31 PT
Dave
Thank you for sharing what you did. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #39 posted by Taylor121 on May 13, 2005 at 19:22:40 PT
I admire your experience
Prohibition effects all ages, all race, all geographic locations in the U.S. It has to stop.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #38 posted by Dave in Florida on May 13, 2005 at 19:21:48 PT
Just a thought
My brother commited sucicide in 1985. He was 4 years older than me, class of 68. I was class of 72 When growing up in the late sixties and early 70's, there were two groups in our small community, the "rednecks" on one side of the beach and the "freaks" on the other side. They drove muscle cars, we drove VW's and vans, They drank beer, we smoked pot. They got into fights, we got the munchies. They drag raced on the street, we sat on the park bench. Personaly, I always got along with both sides, because my brother was on the redneck side. Several of our mutual friends, later switched to a much more friendly drug of choice. I often think of the paradox about the smokers and drinkers. So many of those people got so screwed up with alcohol, and then again, some of the freaks did get involved in hard drugs like heroin. I, as well as most of my friends learned that moderation was the key to everything. It makes me wonder if he had been a smoker instead of a drinker what would have happened. Peace
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #37 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 19:10:51 PT
Taylor
Thank you for telling us your age. I am 57. Between 21 and 57 is a lot of experience. I don't believe in fighting either and I think you know that. I want to help change the laws on Cannabis. If an organization doesn't settle with me because of the way I feel about life I don't pay much attention to what they have to say but respect what they do.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #36 posted by global_warming on May 13, 2005 at 19:04:14 PT
re:typo .. "belief" should be Reelief"
"What discourages drug use is the perception of risk. When you see grave risk associated with using illegal drugs they are far less likely to use. And this perception of risk is a reflection of a societal belief system," DuPont said."
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #35 posted by Taylor121 on May 13, 2005 at 19:00:31 PT
Thanks, I just wanted to point the logic in it out
And I know and respect their opinion, I just don't want this attitude to spread. For the record I am young (21) as well, but I understand exactly what the MPP is trying to do and I support it. I just want everyone to be united in this movement. I don't like divisions. We are already a minority. We have to be united.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #34 posted by global_warming on May 13, 2005 at 18:58:31 PT
Hey *Taylor
If you must raise your hand,May it be the hand of Mercy.May it be the hand of a good person,That hand that will comfort,and that hand that will offer,Strength and assurances,Cannabis, and all the blessed healing herbs,Share our blessed existences,They are the children,Our companions, into this universe.peace and understanding
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #33 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 18:55:13 PT
Taylor
I know that Richard Cowan isn't fond of MPP and Nicholas isn't either but I don't believe that everyone is against them. They are a younger group of people I believe and I see life differently just because I'm older. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #32 posted by Taylor121 on May 13, 2005 at 18:45:11 PT
Primarily Aimed at Nic
It was just the tone of the post. I have also seen an anti MPP attitude spread at the marijuananews.com website.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #31 posted by ngeo on May 13, 2005 at 18:44:17 PT:
DuPont
 "Robert DuPont, president of the Institute for Behavior and Health and a former drug czar in the 1970s, translated Mrs. Skaggs' parental warning into a policy framework."What discourages drug use is the perception of risk. When you see grave risk associated with using illegal drugs they are far less likely to use. And this perception of risk is a reflection of a societal belief system," DuPont said.Would this DuPont be of the family that spearheaded the marijuana tax to protect their chemical investment? If so (or even not - but how many DuPonts are there?) his reasoning becomes clear: 'society' needs to keep certain drugs illegal in order to stop people from using them, because if they were legal, people would soon see how evil people like DuPont are.I feel like this story illustrates a vise that the ONDCP has on the American public - and on cannabis users. It can pull stories like this out of a hat any time it likes and people will nod their heads without a thought. I think it was Stalin who said that the purpose of propaganda is not to persuade; it is to identify those who raise their heads in disagreement. So many Americans keep their heads down and nod without a thought, it is disgusting. They remind me of that saying, "People are normal until you get to know them."
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #30 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 18:40:54 PT
Taylor
I'm not angry with MPP. I respect their efforts. I don't think everyone is upset with MPP or not that I've read anywhere online.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #29 posted by Taylor121 on May 13, 2005 at 18:32:48 PT
Anti MPP tone is self defeating
Why are people angry over the MPP having suits and staying clean cut? It is like getting a job or anything else in this country. If you want to appeal to the majority of Republicans OR Democrats, you dress nicely and formally and you keep your hair trim and clean. The MPP never told anybody else they are wrong if they have pony tails or anything, but THEY are the ones lobbying the Congressional body and I for one salute the MPP for cutting their hair and putting on a formal/clean image to represent the cannabis consumers of this country. It is common knowledge to dress nicely, have a nice hair cut, and take out piercings for a job interview.When you are interviewing with a social conservative congressman, the logic applies even more. I'm tired of people being angry at the MPP. They are as important as NORML, and bickering over reform organizations is a self defeating attitude. I support both MPP and NORML. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #28 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 18:23:22 PT
Nicholas
I am 100% Pro Life. I have a conviction in my heart about this issue and never felt that abortion would have been a choice for me. I just don't believe that a woman that doesn't have a conviction like mine should be arrested and put in jail. That's why I have to say I am Pro Choice. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #27 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 18:16:08 PT
mayan
I agree that the parents can blame Cannabis because when a person or family is grieving they go thru different stages of grief and then healing hopefully finally comes but it takes sometimes years. What I mind is when they take an issue and try to make it a cause when in time they might not feel that way but meanwhile the war on cannabis rolls on and more people are arrested and some jailed. That's what bothers me.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #26 posted by mayan on May 13, 2005 at 17:34:04 PT
Symptom or the Disease?
The parents described how their son was caught smoking marijuana in January 2004. They said they put him on regular drug testing and under the treatment of a counselor, who told them that marijuana use was contributing to their son's depression.Was marijuana use contributing to his depression or was depression contributing to his marijuana use?Who really knows this family's situation? The parents are obviously going through a real tough time and if blaming cannabis helps them through this time then so be it. Any thinking individual realizes that the real problem likely runs much deeper. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #25 posted by Nick Thimmesch on May 13, 2005 at 17:33:15 PT:
Amen..
...FoM: Amen.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #24 posted by Nick Thimmesch on May 13, 2005 at 17:30:55 PT:
I am learning how to respect Life, Children...
...and Animals:Life: http://bluegoldfish.blogs.com/surface/_Unborn-thumb.jpghttp://heritage.villanova.edu/vu/mission/vfl/march.htmhttp://www.mcconaha.com/archives/images/pro-life4.jpgAnimals:http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/jesuswithchildren2.jpghttp://prolife.org.ph/images/prolifemag_current_issue_2003novdec.jpghttp://www.prolife.org.au/nletters/13musl.gifChildren:http://free.freespeech.org/plara/faq.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 17:26:46 PT
Nicholas
I don't understand MPP except I know they have goals and that's a good thing. I don't believe we at CNews are important to them and again that's ok. I do believe that NORML cares about us on CNews. I am willing to work with any organization that cares about us. If we aren't important then why should they be important to me? 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #22 posted by global_warming on May 13, 2005 at 17:13:20 PT
No Title
I am learning how to respect Life, Children and Animals.The story of the Christ, reflects about a war,A war that we all read about every day,The slaughter, the endless destruction,Baby's whose names we will not be able to pronounce,Faces that we never had a chance to smile to,It comes down to 2 simple ways,The face of "business" or the face of the "Son Of Man",,Is it going to be, become, a world of business or a world where the "still" unproven heart and soul, yes soul, that psychic component of our universe, our little blue space, where we will decide, the worth of our transactions.There is more to this worlds brutal cold, there is yet the mysteries of our boundless universe, and there is Hope, born from the ashes of our hearts and illuminated by our souls.Peace
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by Nick Thimmesch on May 13, 2005 at 16:48:06 PT:
What does MPP care...
...they're too busy preening their short hair and picking out their "Republican" suits.The Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates the reform of anti- marijuana laws, issued a statement Thursday sympathizing with the parents but accusing ONDCP Director John Walters of exploiting them with an incomplete and misleading story of how the teen diedOh. please: nobody at MPP is losing any sleep over this poor kid.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by global_warming on May 13, 2005 at 16:31:04 PT
Trying to make sense
Suicide Facts
Suicide Statistics
Completed Suicides in the U.S. - 1999  * Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States.
  * It was the 8th leading cause of death for males, and 19th leading cause of death for females.
  * The total number of suicide deaths was 29,199
  * The 1999 age-adjusted rate** was 10.7/100,000, or 0.01%.
     o 1.3% of total deaths were from suicide. By contrast, 30.3% were from diseases of the heart, 23% were from malignant neoplasms (cancer), and 7% from cerebrovascular disease (stroke), the three leading causes.
     o Suicide outnumbered homicides (16,899) by 5 to 3.
     o There were twice as many deaths due to suicide than deaths due to HIV/AIDS (14,802).
     o There were almost exactly the same number of suicides by firearm (16,889) as homicides (16,599).
  * Suicide by firearms was the most common method for both men and women, accounting for 57% of all suicides.
  * More men than women die by suicide.
     o The gender ratio is 4:1.
     o 72% of all suicides are committed by white men.
     o 79% of all firearm suicides are committed by white men.
  * Among the highest rates (when categorized by gender and race) are suicide deaths for white men over 85, who had a rate of 59/100,000.
  * Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age, following unintentional injuries and homicide. The rate was 10.3/100,000, or .01%.
     o      The suicide rate among children ages 10-14 was 1.2/100,000, or 192 deaths among 19,608,000 children in this age group.      The 1999 gender ratio for this age group was 4:1 (males: females).
     o      The suicide rate among adolescents aged 15-19 was 8.2/100,000, or 1,615 deaths among 19,594,000 adolescents in this age group.      The 1999 gender ratio for this age group was 5:1 (males: females).      Among young people 20 to 24 years of age the suicide rate was 12.7/100,000, or 2,285 deaths among 17,594,000 people in this age group.      * The 1999 gender ratio for this age group was 6:1 (males: females).      Attempted Suicides in the U.S. - 1999No annual national data on attempted suicide are available; reliable scientific research, however, has found that:  * There are an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides to one completion; the ratio is higher in women and youth and lower in men and the elderly
  * More women than men report a history of attempted suicide, with a gender ratio of 3:1
  * The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in adults are depression, alcohol abuse, cocaine use, and separation or divorce
  * The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or other drug use disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behaviorsSource: National Instititute of Mental Healthhttp://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/related/suicide_8.asp
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by kaptinemo on May 13, 2005 at 15:40:49 PT:
Suicide-as-revenge
One aspect of the motivations of those who commit suicide only becomes clear with the reactions of those in their lives. You'll note: I didn't say 'loved ones', as all too often there's only the facade of love in their lives, not the real article. IMHO the reactions of the Skagg parents lead me to believe their child retaliated in the only way he could, given his situation. His self-destruction has hurt his parents in the only way possible for their overreaction regarding cannabis. Angry? Of course they're angry, but only partly because their son rejected what they stood for so violently and irrevocably. They're also angry because his suicide is bringing up exactly the kind of observations that many here - and no doubt, elsewhere in his parent's community - have made regarding his 'family life'. Childhood in an intensly authoritarian household where every single attempt at self-expression is criticized and punished isn't conducive to anything but deeply repressed hatred. A hatred no parent wants to believe themselves responsible for creating, and will fervently deny having been it's author. Couple this with a passive/aggressive mental imbalance and you have a human grenade with the pin half out. Some direct their self-hatred for being unable to protect themselves or 'fit in' internally. Some those become Columbiners. The results are always tragic.All over something that hasn't killed anyone, itself, in all of recorded human history.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by GreenJoy on May 13, 2005 at 15:21:54 PT
Skaggs
 Certain it is that the boy was trying desperately to escape from THEM. Uptight, self righteous, domineering, narrowminded, freaked out, foaming at the mouth, contolling parents. They took the only sweet thing in his life away and put him on the absurdity train.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by billos on May 13, 2005 at 14:36:03 PT
What Skaggs meant to say is....................
"You can tell those dumb b------- up there I buried my 15-year-old son because I'm a lousy, don't-give-a-rat's-ass-about-my-kid, neocon father, and that's how I feel," Ernest Skaggs said. "Ain't no one using me at all." 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by Hope on May 13, 2005 at 10:47:22 PT
that counselor
I wonder what drugs he or she was prescribing to the boy.Wonder if the ONDCP would be just as interested in hearing from all the people that were "saved" from a bad bout of depression by cannabis?Nah...probably not. It would just throw a kink in their repressive propaganda cog.I was born frowning and have been pretty depressed all my life. I never smoked any marijuana until my late twenties. It was like a light in the darkness of my emotions. I didn't get addicted to the relief, but I did realize that cannabis prohibition and persecuting people who use it is a crime against humanity.On the other hand, dark moods and a tendency to brood over the ways of "the world" have proven to be handy in fueling my vitriol against the grave injustice of the hatred and stupidity of the persecution of cannabis users.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 10:15:33 PT
Druid
You could very well be right. I can only speak from those I knew that took their own lives. There was always excessive alcohol and hard drug use legal or illegal with the people I knew.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by Druid on May 13, 2005 at 10:09:56 PT
Suicide
In my experiences I have found that you can not determine why a person commits suicide. I have had a couple of friends take their own lives and it was a mystery as to why they did so. No apparent depression...no apparent alcohol or drug abuse.I honestly believe suicide is between the person who does it and God. To lay the blame on something like Cannabis or even Alcohol is just a scapegoat. People trying to rationalize the act. I am sure that stuff like depression and substance abuse can play a role in suicide but I think it goes much deeper than that. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 09:52:15 PT
Agog
Cannabis is all they blame but Alcohol is the contributing factor in my opinion. I never heard or met anyone that took their own life who just used cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by Agog on May 13, 2005 at 09:47:02 PT
Just a thought
Hello All,Why don't we take a little informal survey of the CNEWS family with this question....Have you heard more mentions of suicide from those that use alcohol regularly or cannabis regularly??On another note we had the good experience of attending a talk by Chris Conrad here in San Diego earlier this week sponsored by the local chapter of ASA.... very informative and a great opportunity to network with some other members of the community. Much speculation that SOCAL will be the next battleground because the activists up North have been rather effective in rallying together and providing a unified voice against prohibition and LEO abuses.All the BestAgog
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by dongenero on May 13, 2005 at 09:22:31 PT
more info
Here is more info from a UPI article:"Tanya Skaggs, Christopher's mother, told reporters that before learning Christopher smoked marijuana in January 2004, she and her husband Ernest Skaggs paid scant attention to Christopher's mood swings and other signs of depression."Perhaps that is where the underlying problem was not addressed? This kid was apparantly in need of attention, in need of help. His marijuana and alcohol use may have been his cry for help. Maybe it was his best attempt to calm his problems when no one was reaching out to him.The article continues: Mrs. Skaggs said she would warn other parents most about "the laid back attitude" average Americans take towards marijuana use. Robert DuPont, president of the Institute for Behavior and Health and a former drug czar in the 1970s, translated Mrs. Skaggs' parental warning into a policy framework."What discourages drug use is the perception of risk. When you see grave risk associated with using illegal drugs they are far less likely to use. And this perception of risk is a reflection of a societal belief system," DuPont said.Perhaps it would be more useful to warn parents about having a laid back attitude to a childs depression? As for DuPonts dumb statement that demonizing cannabis as much as possible will discourage use...what can you say? Look at history...look at our current drug war history and look at the history of alcohol prohibtion. His statements have already been proved as a fallacy for the last 80 years or so.Look, I feel sorry for these parents. It is said that losing a child is the worst loss one can suffer. I can understand the emotions and how you have to reconcile the events in your mind to be afforded some degree of peace.
You could not go on if you had to blame yourself...it helps to have an easily demonized outside force to blame.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on May 13, 2005 at 08:58:54 PT
Hothead parents make depressed children
I agree with knowhemp that the father is revealing the possible cause of his son's depression by his hot head response in this article. It is obvious he is a hot head and was a hot head to his son. That kind of rejection causes depression in children.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 08:54:41 PT
Narrow Minded People
I feel really bad for their son's death. I know the pain of losing a child but I don't blame anyone or anything for his death. One thing I do know is it is easy to point a finger but it's hard to look inside your own soul to find the answers that are right. Blame shuts our minds to what was the real reason and it is counter productive to healing.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on May 13, 2005 at 08:47:53 PT
Passing the blame
One press release from MPP and these folks are fuming? Boy, it must be hard for them to watch sports on TV and sit through dozens of alcohol commercials, or to ride public transit, or drive around, and see hundreds of alcohol ads and billboards.It must be horrible to lose a child, but that doesn't give you the right to attack or exploit others. I'm sorry their son killed himself, it's terrible, but was that a failure of society, or a family failure? It sure wasn't any failure on my part, and yet the incident is being used to deny me important medicine that I desparately need.I wonder if this was Mr. Skaggs' response to his son's MJ bust as well...."You dumb little b-----, ain't no one in my house using marijuana!" One time I was petitioning for medical MJ, and some huge guy burst out of his car screaming at us and almost physically attacked me & my colleague - blaming us because he son had died of a heroin OD. Of course, neither of us had ever used heroin, but both of us had severe health problems helped by cannabis. The only thought I had was, damn, if I had to live with that angry, hateful, abusive, man for 18 years I'd probably OD too.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 08:28:45 PT
knowhemp 
I'm sure the LA Marijuana March was wonderful. I know that if I was in LA and could find a group of Cannabis activists to be with I would feel safe in the big city. That's saying a lot for me because big cities really scare me.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Truth on May 13, 2005 at 08:22:22 PT
my guess
My guess is that the drug of choice for the parents would be alcohol. No way are they going to demonize there own drug. Scapegoat a plant instead.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by knowhemp on May 13, 2005 at 08:18:33 PT
psychology
The father's response to this whole thing gives me an idea of what really went wrong here. Too bad, because i imagine cannabis was actually helping. It certainly helped me when i was depressed as a teen, and gave me a whole new level of respect for myself. This suicide story is twisted and incomplete!I went to the LA GLobal Marijuana March and found a highly generous, intelligent, and thoughtful group of people from many walks of life. This herb is truly for the healing of the nations;)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by cannaman on May 13, 2005 at 08:10:00 PT
Misguided parents
Again, parents are blaming a harmless plant for their own shortcomings as parents. They point there finger at a plant when they should be pointing at that person staring back at them in the mirror. They failed as parents and instead of understanding this painful life lesson they will continue to deflect the blame to exonerate themselves. Would you want to cope with the fact that you stood by and watched while your child sank lower and lower into depression and did nothing except take away the one thing that gave him a little peace, and because of that and probably numerous other family problems he decided to take his own life. While under the influence of alchohol mind you not cannabis. What a powerful final statement this young man made. Godbless him 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by global_warming on May 13, 2005 at 08:07:07 PT
Pity
"The parents described how their son was caught smoking marijuana in January 2004. They said they put him on regular drug testing and under the treatment of a counselor, who told them that marijuana use was contributing to their son's depression."That poor Skagg child, must have been impossible living with parents that place you under a microscope, tests, counselors, and God knows what other mental tortures that could drive this poor soul to take his life.Maybe if they had allowed this boy to self medicate, he might be alive today.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by BigDawg on May 13, 2005 at 08:02:22 PT
Pot and depression
What was involved in this teens death?Depression.What caused his depression? Being caught with cannabis.His entire world changed after that. He was treated like a criminal/psycho by his parents... and the "professionals" involved.I don't advocate cannabis use by teens. But I also don't advocate treating them like they have major problems because they discover cannabis makes them feel good.Pot didn't cause his death. Society's attitude towards cannabis did.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 13, 2005 at 07:47:58 PT
Archived News Articles
There has been a number of medical marijuana articles over the last few days. I archived most of them and wanted to mention it so you can read them if you want to. The news is slowing up because of the time of year but soon we will know the outcome of Angel's case and the news will be busy again. Have a great weekend everyone!http://www.cannabisnews.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cnews/newsread.pl?25000
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment