cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- October 20, 2005 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- October 20, 2005 Posted by CN Staff on October 20, 2005 at 14:53:01 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Citywide Cannabis Initiatives To Be Voted On Next MonthOctober 20, 2005 - Denver, CO, USADenver, CO: Voters in a pair of Colorado cities as well as two Michigan suburbs will decide next month on four municipal initiatives aimed at liberalizing their area's local cannabis laws. In Denver, residents will vote on I-100: the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative. Sponsored by SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation), I-100 seeks "to have the private adult use and possession of marijuana treated in the same manner as the private adult use and possession of alcohol." If passed by Denver voters, the initiative would eliminate all local civil and criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by those age 21 and over. For more information about Denver's initiative, visit: http://www.saferchoice.org/Telluride, Colorado voters will decide on Question 200, which seeks to make "the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of marijuana offenses ... the town's lowest law enforcement priority." The proposal further adds, "If the adult use of marijuana is ever recognized as lawful under Colorado law, the town of Telluride shall support the creation of a system to license, tax and regulate marijuana for adult use as soon as possible." In recent years, voters have passed similar deprioritization initiatives in Oakland, California; Columbia, Missouri; and Seattle, Washington. More information on Question 200 is available online at: http://www.sensiblecolorado.orgVoters in Ferndale, Michigan will decide next month on Proposal D, which seeks to "exempt" patients from local criminal penalties if they use medical cannabis under a physician's supervision. Last year, voters in Detroit and Ann Arbor overwhelmingly approved similar proposals. For more information on Proposal D, visit: http://www.ferndalecares.orgLastly, Traverse City voters will decide on a measure to require police to make the prosecution of medical cannabis patients the town's "lowest law enforcement priority." A recent poll of Michigan voters found that more than 60 percent favor legalizing medical cannabis.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. A detailed analysis of this November's pending marijuana initiatives is available online at:http://www.hightimes.com/ht/legal/content.php?bid=343&aid=5DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6705Endocannabinoid System May Play Role In Maintaining Body's HomeostasisOctober 20, 2005 - Bern, SwitzerlandColorado Springs, CO: The endocannabinoid system appears to play a major role in maintaining homeostasis (metabolic equilibrium) in humans and other living organisms, according to a review published in the September issue of the Harm Reduction Journal. Endocannabinoids are chemicals produced naturally in humans and animals that bind to the same receptors as do plant-derived cannabinoids such as THC."Endocannabinoids protect [living organisms] by fine-tuning and regulating dynamic biochemical steady states within the ranges required for healthy biological function, [and...] counteract[ing] biochemical imbalances that are characteristic of numerous damaged or diseased states, in particular those associated with aging," according to the review.Biological functions regulated by endocannabinoids include appetite, body temperature, blood pressure, reproductive activity, learning capacity, and motor coordination.A separate study published in the current issue of the Harm Reduction Journal speculates that cannabis smoke may be less carcinogenic than tobacco smoke because cannabinoids possess anti-cancer properties.An epidemiological review published this past summer in the journal Alcohol concluded that the moderate use of cannabis is not associated with an increased risk of tobacco-related cancers, such as lung or colorectal cancer. A 1999 review by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine found "no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use."For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of both studies are available on the Harm Reduction Journal website at: http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/home/DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6706Saliva Tests Not Sensitive To CannabisOctober 20, 2005 - Bern, SwitzerlandBern, Switzerland: Onsite oral fluid testing technology remains unreliable for detecting the presence of cannabis in motorists, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.Swiss police administered oral drug screens to 61 motorists at random checkpoints. Only one of the subjects tested positive for cannabis following saliva testing. However, GC-MS confirmation testing revealed that 18 subjects actually had cannabis in their systems, including one subject who admitted to having smoked marijuana in the previous hour. "Although oral fluid appears as a promising specimen for large epidemiological studies, the market lacks suitable onsite devices for cannabis," the study concluded.To date, roadside oral fluid testing has only been implemented in Victoria, Australia, where critics have charged that the test is often inaccurate. However, large-scale pilot programs regarding the use of roadside oral screening to test motorists for controlled substances are expected to begin shortly in both Europe and the United States.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6707Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: October 20, 2005Copyright: 2005 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #20 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 08:36:08 PT John Tyler Here's a song that you might like. It's called: Bring Back the 60s Manhttp://www.countryjoe.com/bring.ram [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 08:26:53 PT Country Joe's Jukebox http://www.countryjoe.com/jukebox.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 08:24:36 PT Country Joe Protest Songs http://www.countryjoe.com/epitaph.htmhttp://www.countryjoe.com/index.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 08:15:04 PT John Tyler I can only imagine how that must have been. What a wonderful memory you must have of that time in history. I mentioned the civil rights movement but the anti-Vietnam War movement was great too. I met my husband after he returned from 2 tours in Vietnam. War is only productive for those who make money from war. It doesn't help anyone on either side. It destroys that's about all. If our country was invaded by another country that would be worth fighting for but there is no other reason for war in my opinion. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by John Tyler on October 23, 2005 at 08:00:41 PT FOM I couldn’t wait to get to college and be myself. The first demonstration I went to was the fall of ’67. There on the steps of the Pentagon, where we went to confront the war machine, with thousands of other, I met Dr. Benjamin Spock. It was like a confirmation. There was a short lived TV program called American Dreams that touched on this time period. It struck a chord with me. It was not renewed though. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 07:53:16 PT Good Comments Everyone Cannabis is so different then other substances. It stands alone. It is an anti-depressant, it is a peace maker, it is a substance that can make people talk about issues and learn from each other. Maybe that's why it is so popular with young college kids. It doesn't cause a hangover. You don't crash coming down off of Cannabis. If a person runs out they don't go thru withdrawal. Drugs and alcohol can cause a person to do stupid things. I don't think people who use Cannabis do stupid things unless laughing alot is considered stupid. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by John Tyler on October 23, 2005 at 07:46:55 PT into something good It is weird. I have been using cannabis for thirty-seven years. I don’t smoke tobacco, and rarely drink alcoholic beverages. I feel great. We recently had a health screening at work. My blood pressure was OK. My cholesterol was OK. My blood sugar level was OK. I’m not overweight. Best of all, I still have my hair and not gray either! Maybe I just lucked out and got good genes. I don’t know, like as has been indicated by others, and by a hint of research, maybe it was something else. Additionally, I do know some other men and women that have been long-term users and now that you mention it… they look pretty good for their mid-fifties age too. Maybe we are on to something. As Herman’s Hermits use to sing…We’re into something good. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Toker00 on October 23, 2005 at 06:18:18 PT Fire of Youth! You know, it would be great if a group of our generation, who have used cannabis exclusively for thirty years plus, could be examined and our overall health be compared to those who drink alcohol, those who smoke cigarettes, those who drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, those who take Rx exclusively, those who do everything AND cannabis, any variation of these, and those who teetotal for the same number of years. I predict that the cannabis only people would fare better than even the teetotalers.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by OverwhelmSam on October 23, 2005 at 05:11:29 PT Hope We need to get the "Marijuana is the Fountain of Youth" word out to the members of AARP. And fast! LOLSure makes me feel young again. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 20:17:28 PT John Tyler For me it was an age of awakening. It was a time where all that I had been taught and believed began to not seem 100 percent right. I led a very sheltered life so I learned from the music I heard on the radio and the little bit that was on the news when I was able to see news. I connected in my mind somehow even though I really never was a part of it all. I believe there are many people from that time in history that believed the civil rights movement was correct and necessary. I believe that many people smiled and thought this new emerging activism and the rebellion of the youth of the day was a good thing. I am very happy I was young and lived during those times. It was a good thing for me. I learned that there was way more to life then I ever thought there was. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on October 22, 2005 at 20:00:25 PT FOM I saw most of the PBS program too. It was strange watching something I lived through and was a part of, and still is a part of me, as history, It was a stroll down Memory Lane. I think I went to just about every demonstration in DC from ’67 to ’71. I think and hope we did some good. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by John Tyler on October 22, 2005 at 19:51:32 PT FOM I agree. It was for me a wonderful, and empowering time that I haven’t seen before or since. I try to keep it alive with in me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 10:20:52 PT John Tyler This is the PBS special I mentioned. Last night my husband saw it for the first time ( I recorded it) and he watched it transfixed like I did when I saw it. What a wonderful but terrifying time in history. http://www.pbs.org/previews/sixties/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 09:58:00 PT John Tyler I am 57 but don't feel that old. This is my secret to staying young at heart. Enjoy what ever you are doing. Find something good to focus on and number one for me is never disconnect from the best times for any generation and that was the Woodstock era. That's a generalization but music, the culture and remarkable things happened that change the world should never be forgotten. I watched a program that was on PBS about the 60s. I noticed that George Wallace hated the hippie culture and his followers hated the hippie culture. I think that those who want to lock up everyone for anything were what made the hate so bad. They didn't like politically active and free thinking young people. They would screw it up in their opinion.I will always value those times of breaking free from the establishment. We found a way better way in my opinion. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by John Tyler on October 22, 2005 at 09:35:23 PT re: Fountain of Youth Odd you should mention that. I'm 56 and I look much younger and am in better health than many of my coworkers and many other people I know that are younger than me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 21, 2005 at 09:20:06 PT OverwhelmSam I'll second Hope's comment. Right on! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Hope on October 21, 2005 at 09:19:28 PT It's wonderful to even just remember. "One of the main reasons I continue to use pot on a weekly basis at my age is because it makes me feel relaxed and twenty years younger. I have energy, am able to exercise, diet, learn and laugh." [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Hope on October 21, 2005 at 09:17:32 PT Overwhelm Sam...comment 2...Right on! Every word you're saying is the plain truth for so many people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on October 21, 2005 at 04:08:29 PT The Fountain of Youth I've known it for a while now, the article above states that Cannabis staves off the effects of aging. One of the main reasons I continue to use pot on a weekly basis at my age is because it makes me feel relaxed and twenty years younger. I have energy, am able to exercise, diet, learn and laugh. Feel young again, use marijuana at least once a week to discover the fountain of youth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on October 20, 2005 at 15:44:35 PT on now Lou Dobbs 9/11 coverup [ Post Comment ] Post Comment