cannabisnews.com: Raided Pot 'Edibles' Trouble Advocates










  Raided Pot 'Edibles' Trouble Advocates

Posted by CN Staff on March 18, 2006 at 08:58:24 PT
By John Simerman, Contra Costa Times 
Source: Contra Costa Times 

California -- A day after federal agents seized thousands of marijuana plants and a booty of pot-laced candy and soda pop in raids on warehouses in Emeryville and Oakland, local medical cannabis advocates reacted coolly -- bitter at another federal plunder on a substance the state deems legal for the sick, but leery of an operation that packaged its products to mimic popular brands of sweets.The raids on a business called Beyond Bomb netted some 10,000 rooted plants, thousands of tiny plant "clones," as well as boxes of candy and soda with take-off names such as "Pot Tarts," "Toka-Cola," "Stoney Rancher" and "Munchy Way," with labels to match.
Agents also raided the Lafayette home of Kenneth Dean Affolter, 39, who they say ran the business. He and 11 others were taken into custody and charged with of distributing marijuana.Authorities say they believe the snacks and soda were headed to pot dispensaries and cooperatives across the Bay Area and California, said Special Agent Casey McEnry, a spokeswoman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration."We don't have any information that these products did ultimately end up in the hands of minors, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen," she said. "They look so similar to the real products, it would almost suggest ... that's the way it looks."Medicinal marijuana advocates pointed to state law and said it was doubtful the THC-laden snacks and soda were aimed at children."There's actually a lot of product like that, and dispensaries are the places they can be had. They're the only places that marijuana is retailed in California," said Dale Gieringer, California coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML."They're usually five bucks, three bucks, about like a joint. They're good. A lot of them are very professionally made."For patients who have trouble smoking, or for whom doctors are concerned about them smoking, "edibles" are the age-old alternative. Droplets and sprays are other options, advocates say.Gary Ainsworth, who suffers chronic pain, said he likes the taste and medicinal quality of the company's sodas, with names such as "Puffsi" and "Joint," after Pepsi and Jolt. He bought some at an Oakland dispensary but said he doesn't drink it much because of the cost and the long drive from his home in Clovis."It works real well for the medication part. But I think it was like $12 for an 8-ounce bottle," he said.Still, "I'm not hip with the idea of using Jolly Ranchers and (candy) names like that," said Ainsworth. "I think it should be packaged as medicine. If a patient were to have that laying out, somebody might think it's something else -- like, 'have a lollipop.' "Jeff Jones, executive director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, said he has the same concerns over confusion, and another one: that one of the raided warehouses was in an area near homes and schools. Jones favors regulating the suppliers like other businesses."If there were permits, they would not have been allowed to be in the neighborhood," said Jones. "That's what this calls for, in my mind. Businesses this big need regulations."The four warehouses -- three in Emeryville, one in Oakland -- each had sophisticated growing equipment and "looked like they had been in operation for quite some time," said McEnry. The workers all wore gray collared work shorts, and white lab coats were found there, according to agents and the criminal complaint released Friday.Authorities also found more than $150,000 in cash.It was the second federal raid in a week on a California medical marijuana supplier, after a raid Tuesday of a Desert Hot Springs farmer who supplied a dispensary in Palm Desert. Federal authorities have been emboldened by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last summer, in a case against an Oakland woman, that they can prosecute patients who keep and grow marijuana in states that allow it for medical use.The conflict between state and federal law "means that if you are growing large quantities of marijuana for medical use, you're always going to be a target for the federal government, and the piece of the puzzle that's taking the most risk," said Camilla Norman Field, deputy director of the Drug Policy Alliance in San Francisco.Under pressure from the federal clash, state lawmakers have tried to clarify the guidelines for medical marijuana and Proposition 215, the medical marijuana law passed in 1996 by 56 percent of California voters.A 2004 law established a voluntary ID system, recognized the right for patient and caregiver collectives to cultivate pot, and set out restrictions for how much pot patients could keep: up to six mature or 12 immature plants and up to a half-pound of dried, processed marijuana.The law, however, did not authorize "any individual or group to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit." The extent to which Affolter may have profited from Beyond Bomb was unclear Friday. Luke Macaulay, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to comment.One medical marijuana advocate said it appeared the operation was professional, concerned with the quality and cleanliness of the product, and "most likely doing this with the best intentions of it being medical."Still, Caren Woodson, campaign director of Americans for Safe Access, acknowledged that the packaging is somewhat hard to defend."But that is part of waging the debate around medical cannabis, trying to figure out what works with the public and what doesn't work," she said."Unfortunately, yes, the names are kid-friendly. But who's to say medical cannabis patients can't have fun, too? It's not just kids who eat Milky Ways."Staff writer Bruce Gerstman contributed to this story.Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)Author: John Simerman, Contra Costa TimesPublished: March 18, 2006Copyright: 2006 Knight RidderContact: letters cctimes.comWebsite: http://www.contracostatimes.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:California NORMLhttp://www.canorml.org/Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/ Raids Net Pounds of Pot-Laced Candyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21670.shtmlDEA Raids East Bay Medical Pot Distributorhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21668.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #60 posted by FoM on March 31, 2006 at 06:59:52 PT
SFC: 12 Indicted on Pot-Candy Charges
Henry K. LeeFriday, March 31, 2006 A federal grand jury indicted 12 people Thursday on charges that they worked at East Bay warehouses to make candy and soft drinks resembling popular goodies but laced with marijuana. The alleged ringleader, Kenneth Affolter, 39, of Lafayette, six other men and five women worked at Beyond Bomb and allegedly manufactured a range of pot-laced treats with names like Buddahfingers, Munchy Way, Rasta Reece's and Puff-a-Mint Pattie, authorities said. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/31/BABADIGEST2.DTL
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #59 posted by Hope on March 19, 2006 at 11:21:33 PT
JR Bob Dobbs, Comment 45
So right on.They're saying, "Just because it didn't doesn't mean it didn't." Arrggghh.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #58 posted by ekim on March 19, 2006 at 09:32:23 PT
 whig thats good
when i select a story here i copy it -- just a section in print and when i print it out i have the complete front page with cannabisnews.com at the top -- here it comes out with colors on it with one of the groups such as norml or mpp or the others right on the front cover of my hand out. it looks like it just rolled off the press ---
walaa -=cannabisnews.combut copying color is costly -- now staples has color for 38 cents but thats rare. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #57 posted by FoM on March 19, 2006 at 09:10:30 PT
Thanks Folks
You also can send articles to people if you want.http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/sendpage.pl
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #56 posted by whig on March 19, 2006 at 08:57:14 PT
ekim
I meant "that way" not "that was"
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #55 posted by whig on March 19, 2006 at 08:50:38 PT
ekim
This is great!How hard would it be for us to create a print-ready PDF of CNews on a regular basis, like once every month, for anyone to run off copies and distribute? That was you aren't the only one doing this and we can promote ways of not only getting information to people, but giving them a link back so they can find us here and become part of our community.I think we should do this.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #54 posted by ekim on March 19, 2006 at 08:22:34 PT
what has worked for me
i go to a local ups store and buy a copy card for 5 bucks. that gives me 100 copies - 5 cents a piece. i select a article i like mostly from here and copy it - i include as much info as i can. i get the story to fit on complete pages so i can make two sided copies. i have been doing this for years and now many will say oh yes can i have a copy of Cannabis News. we have many community colleges and a University near by which attracts many places to leave handouts.(like school radio station) i feel that by doing this many have learned much. i help with a community access show -- which is a great way to get info to others. it comes down to money -- i am having a hard time getting my LTEs in the local paper and it is true its hard to go up against those that buy ink by the barrow.
have fun and be creative. ----gee i am listening to NPR radio and the interviewer just said that he thinks that in the next few years 5-6. oil will go to 2 hundred a barrow. a great time for change --we will have biofuels -- as i just cked this for spelling---this spell checker does not know what the hell biofuel is======well good luck to everyone.
http://www.leap.cc/events
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #53 posted by jose melendez on March 19, 2006 at 06:51:49 PT
hit it
I concur. Civil disobedience and honest communication will cure prohibitionists of their deadly, dishonest habit, even if it means we have to jail them.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #52 posted by whig on March 19, 2006 at 06:46:10 PT
Toker00 - Quick follow-up
In my opinion this campaign works when it is not adversarial. Think of your flyers as being valuable and limited commodities to be given only to those who would look at them and not immediately throw them away. Don't flyer people's cars, by the way, I can tell you many people will be angry about having to remove this from their windshields, and it can actually turn people against you who might have been favorable. I wouldn't recommend doing this in a hostile environment, like in front of a tobacco store and targeting their customers, unless the store owner would approve of your doing so, because conflict is not what we should be seeking.Remember always we're trying to wage PEACE through TRUTH, not conflict. The prohibitionists create plenty of conflict with us without is having to go picking fights. A nice flyer in a college area, at or around coffee shops or juice bars or record shops could be well received. You can even go into these kinds of stores and ask if you can leave a stack of flyers for their patrons to pick up!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #51 posted by whig on March 19, 2006 at 06:35:44 PT
Toker00
I'm actually very much in favor of what you are saying. My abstinence from demonstration has been over the kind of political-themed event where the "audience" is really the government. Educational campaigns are a whole different kind of animal, and very important. Also, there are ways to make flyers attractive and interesting to people so they will want to take them, especially if you properly target your audience.Hm. My wheels are turning on this now too.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #50 posted by Toker00 on March 19, 2006 at 06:00:39 PT
Jose
And that is still not proof that Cannabis is Medicine? Just as the universe is not evidence enough for some to believe in a Creator?Here's a suggestion for all you brave souls who are committed to ending cannabis prohibition. Remember, I said Brave.A sidewalk protest requires no permit. But you must remain on the sidewalk, as well as your material. Print posters and flyers comparing the safety of cannabis to alcohol and tobacco. You don't even have to print a cannabis leaf on it. Just make sure that the theme is "SAFER THAN ALCOHOL, SAFER THAN TOBACCO!" Put two or three people in front of a few alcohol and tobacco stores around town with flyers filled with links to statistics, cancer studies of cannabinoid treatment, and a Link to Jack Herrers site. Link to stories about how it's the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer (Maybe smokers will rally to have the added chemicals removed). I know of no other way of convincing some people, than to slam it in their faces. (Figuratively, of course.) That is how hard headed (brain washed) a lot of Americans are. Especially the Joe Sixpack types. Remember, they only listen to the government, and the government is NOT going to tell them the truth about cannabis. So who is? US. You can actually leave a link to US here at c-news. (You might want to dedicate the back side of your flyer to the words: OUR GOVERNMENT IS LIEING ABOUT CANNABIS/HEMP!!!!!!!) And, I think it would be more effective if you don't use the word, "Marijuana". Too scary. And if you don't have the bravado to stand on the sidewalk, then place these flyers on cars parked at BARS and TOBACCO stores. Peace.Next, the Churches. The Theme? : DISOBEDIENT CHRISTIANS!!!!!!!Oh, I am making my flyers now.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!  
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #49 posted by jose melendez on March 19, 2006 at 05:13:34 PT
search me
Compare: http://72.14.207.99/ie?q=cannabinoids&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search http://www.accoona.com/search.jsp?qt=cannabinoids&col=wc&charset=utf-8&la=enhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cannabinoids&btnG=Google+Search
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #48 posted by global_warming on March 19, 2006 at 04:34:44 PT
ot:search engine
has anyone tried this enginehttp://www.accoona.com/Looks pretty good, seems to offer different results than google..
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #47 posted by jose Melendez on March 19, 2006 at 03:22:49 PT
why, indeed?
"why don't these sissy witch hunters just burn us at the stake?"Because then the incarceration, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, poison and intoxicant industries would suffer. {Geo Group, Wackenhut, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Searle, Sanefo-Aventis, Kraft, Altria, . . . } 
Clinton: Leave Potheads Alone
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #46 posted by OverwhelmSam on March 19, 2006 at 03:06:16 PT
Pre-emptive Arrest
So we get busted based on what they imagine through their wildest paranoia "MIGHT" happen. Hell, why don't these sissy witch hunters just burn us at the stake. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #45 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on March 19, 2006 at 02:04:29 PT
Double negative
'"We don't have any information that these products did ultimately end up in the hands of minors, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen," she said.'Gee, didn't we get led into a war about three years ago with similar logic? "The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence!"
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #44 posted by afterburner on March 18, 2006 at 23:02:56 PT
Sam & FoM
SamI'm not criticizing you for using a common expression, but
I personally find the term "clean-cut" offensive. It implies that you can only be clean if you are "cut." It implies that anyone with a beard or long hair is "dirty." In business, many salespeople have another similar expression of contempt for the masses: "the great unwashed." As to the use of Latinos and blacks as the new scapegoats, you are most likely right about that. During the '60's and '70's, the so-called "hippies" provided a buffer between different ethnic cultures and socioeconomic classes (according to Abbie Hoffman). Now, that the image of "hippy" has been viciously tarnished by the PTB's, the old ethnic, religious, racial and economic prejudices have "reared their ugly heads."FoMAs far as I know, anyone with land or indoor or balcony space can grow an herb garden, for their own use. Even medical cannabis fits into this category for the slightly over 1000 lucky exemptees that have jumped through the Health Canada hoops. The main issue regarding herbs is whether commercial vendors are allowed to make health claims.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #43 posted by Hope on March 18, 2006 at 22:16:56 PT
Still make my omelletes
per the instruction of the Galloping Gourmet.I make wonderful omelettes...if I do say so myself.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #42 posted by Hope on March 18, 2006 at 21:54:08 PT
Whig
Yup!:0)I seldom use clarified butter to cook with anymore...I like all of it. If it's clarified though, it doesn't burn as easily as whole butter in sauteing and such. Those solids have a low scorch temperature.Graham Kerr taught me how decades ago on his old daytime cooking show. Loved that Graham Kerr. He was so funny and a good cook to boot.Now days, although I still use a lot of butter...never margarine, I usually do any sauteing in olive oil.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #41 posted by whig on March 18, 2006 at 21:21:01 PT
Hope
Yummy, isn't it? And 100% butterfat. But do make sure to use sweet (unsalted) butter.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #40 posted by Hope on March 18, 2006 at 20:49:32 PT
Might be some sediment at the bottom
discard it or use it some other cooking. The clear butter...sans foam and sediment, is clarified.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #39 posted by Hope on March 18, 2006 at 20:48:18 PT
Clarified butter
Melt it. Careful not to burn it. As it heats a froth or foam will form. Skim the foam and bubbles off that rise to the top. What you have left is clarified butter.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #38 posted by whig on March 18, 2006 at 18:09:58 PT
Sam
I was looking at those recipes, and it struck me odd there wasn't even a good explanation of how to make clarified butter.Ah, the recipes I could come up with. I've always been a baker at heart.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #37 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 17:04:06 PT
Off Topic: CNN Presents On Now
We Were Warned: Tomorrow's Oil Crisis***CNN Presents airs on Saturdays and Sundays at 8 p.m.  
 
Airs: March 18 and 19 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. ET What if a hurricane wiped out Houston, Texas, and terrorists attacked oil production in Saudi Arabia? CNN Presents looks at a hypothetical scenario about the vulnerability of the world's oil supply, the world's remaining sources of oil and explores the potential of alternative fuels. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #36 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 16:38:27 PT
Sam 
In the 70s I had hope for a better day. I realized that we had been thru a terrible time starting with JFK being murdered. I was 16 years old. I was Catholic going to a Catholic School. I can't begin to tell you how my world fell apart that day. The emotions of the Nuns, fellow students and my parents was heart break like I never felt at the same time as so many other people. Much of the way my generation thought all started because of that tragic event. I never loved another president. When we watched the funeral I saw the horse with the backward boots in the stirrups and I about lost it. When I saw little John salute his Father I cried. Maybe that's why politics doesn't mean much to me because of that dreadful day in 63. Then when Robert Kennedy was going to run for president I felt a little hope again. I was afraid to care too much. When he was murdered something in me died too. That was it for politics.
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #35 posted by sam adams on March 18, 2006 at 16:22:01 PT

edibles
one more thing - I've tried a few clumsy attempts at making cannabis oil - this page was a great resource, look under "recipes":http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/Most of this was written by Dr. Jay Cavanaugh in California, before he passed away last year. He also used to post lots of useful info at the Overgrow medical MJ forum, but of course that's not available anymore.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #34 posted by Sam Adams on March 18, 2006 at 16:16:34 PT

Tricky Dick
FOM - very interesting, you're right, a lot of people may have been so disgusted they didn't bother voting against Nixon.I love history! I didn't get to study it much in college, I think if I went again I would major in history. I think being a child of the 70's has a lot to do with my life philosophy. I remember being enthralled with the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 - it was a cornerstone event in my childhood. I vividly remember sitting on the front steps of my house, talking with my father about the value of freedom & what America stood for in the world.There was a lot of talk about freedom, and we had a big parade every year on July 4th in my town that all us kids looked forward to. And at that time, America led the world in progressive reform! We led the world in drug law reform (hard to believe now), in women's rights reform, environmental reform. Europe looked to us for leadership on those issues. how quickly things can change!I'm hopeful for the "Carter effect" in 2008 also - I think Nixon caused the pendulum to swing extra far to the right, so it had to swing back to the left after he was gone. Much has changed since then though, I don't know if it's possible for us to be a progressive country any more.GW - what do we do? I don't have any answers. I think apathy is the number one reason why MJ is still illegal. So how do we defeat apathy? Part of the problem is that people are so blinded by materialism, they've got their nose to the grindstone to make enough money. Usually, economic change is the catalyst for social change. In the 60's and 70's, unemployment was higher, and it was very cheap to live in the city. I think those were conditions that fostered activism. When people are out of work, maybe they'll pay more attention to what the government has done, and get involved.Of course, the threat of being drafted can do a lot to motivate people too! We may yet see the day when the draft comes back.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #33 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 15:54:30 PT

that Light
has not been measuredit has alluded the best 'mindsit can be easily seenin the hand that is gentlethe hand that is openthe hand that can bring this worldpeace and understanding
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #32 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 15:46:28 PT

about that Light
it can cure you.Bring you into harmonywith every living breathing soul in this world
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #31 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 15:39:31 PT

sorry fomme
this may be 'my dream,I 'RejectThis world systemI have vomited as much poisonFrom my flesh and soulyetmy lonely soulhas grasped that Light
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #30 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 15:13:29 PT

Sam
Here's something from 72.This election had the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since 1948, with only 55 percent of the electorate voting.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_1972

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #29 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 15:11:30 PT

Risk Factor: Marijuana
Allen sent this link and I thought others might like to see it.http://www.nndb.com/lists/352/000083103/
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #28 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 15:10:54 PT

is this the internet
did I make some wrong turn?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #27 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 15:04:40 PT

Amen
it was time for an Amen,That makes 'me feel so much better
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #26 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 14:57:54 PT

stars
those twinklesin that infinite night skythat thing called an romantic nightthat is also known as LOVEthose dirt hippiesare you and mecasting our votes
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #25 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 14:47:29 PT

yet
god commands the stars,before there were any stars
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #24 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 14:31:16 PT

hey whigger
you asked, who is my master,My Master, has no name
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #23 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 14:26:03 PT

have I been 'off topic?
so,oo, sorry,in that 'meantime,'we those people,are rotting in dank prisons,
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #22 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 14:03:34 PT

hey Sam
I Love You,I Am Sure that the many readers here at cn also feel the same.I know this is an impossible question, 'how can 'we change this problem?If the 'government is actively looking for dissenters,And people who are trying to change the laws,Do 'we those people,Need a 'New Underground?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #21 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 13:59:17 PT

Sam
You said: Don't forget, progressives in the 60s in some ways had it much harder than today. The majority of the nation firmly supported the Viet Nam war, even in 1972 after most of the dirtly laundry from the war was widely known. The vast majority of the country voted for Nixon in 1972! So it's not like "flower power" had taken over and was ruling the country. ***I know the times back then were very trying. Robert Kennedy being shot and killed and the Vietnam War. We still were hurt by John Kennedy's death. Back in those days it was common not to vote a person out but let them do 2 terms. After that it would usually go back to the other party which balanced things. Nixon did not win by much and most people were disgusted and didn't vote.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_1968

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #20 posted by charmed quark on March 18, 2006 at 13:50:38 PT

Thanks whig
So you would make a soda by emulsifying the resin into a sugar syrup and then add that to the seltzer. Makes sense. But I would think the emulsification would seperate after bottling.I'm also curious about something. You can emulsify a fat into a liquid, but can your body absorb it efficiently without additional fat?BTW - I make a lot of my own ginger treatments from ginger root. I make an extract that I use as a tea or mixed with seltzer to make a ginger beer. Making the extract also makes candied ginger slices. Very easy to do.I find ginger works better than any of the OTC drugs and even most of the prescription remedies to quell the nausea I get with my attacks. And without all the side effects. I'm surprised it isn't used more.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #19 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 13:50:12 PT

thanks fomme
that was a beautiful link..
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #18 posted by Sam Adams on March 18, 2006 at 13:40:18 PT

one more
I want to further explain my reference to "dirty hippies" before. This is an important point. The drug war feeds off the most vulnerable people in our society - the easiest to scapegoat. Many people see poor or middle class people that do not present a clean-cut image and look down on these people as a class of untouchables. The government is exploiting the human need to look down on someone else to make oneself feel better.Do you think Tom & Rollie would've been killed in Michigan if they were a couple of pot-smoking accountants, living in a cookie-cutter subdivision?  Everyone reading this site immediately saw that situation for what it was, a murder of two political activists, but I guarantee you that most people in the US subconsciously said "oh, it's OK, just a couple of.....dirty hippies".  People don't even realize they're saying this. But I guarantee if you took 80 or 90% of the population and showed them a picture of the cops beating 2 men in suits and measured their reaction, and then did the same thing with a picture of 2 hippie-looking people, the reaction would be totally different. I bet the outrage and shock at the first image would be 10 times that of the second. We all have sub-conscious attitudes and stereotypes built in, it's human nature. The government needs to exploit this to get away with policies that would otherwise be socially unacceptable. As we've moved out of the 60s and 70s, the sad thing is that blacks and Latinos have taken the place of hippie culture as the scapegoated groups. Do you think New York would still have the Rockefeller drug laws if 90% of the people locked up were white instead of brown? Just look at what the media does. Everytime a white woman is murdered, it becomes an international media story. I remember reading an article about the Laci Petereson murder. It was saying that 2 black women had been brutally murdered by their husbands the same week and it never rose above the level of a small blurb in the back of the local newspapers.We still have a caste system and it's going strong. It's politically incorrect to talk about it, but believe me it's here. People automatically think that poor minorities are worth less than white people. The police throw them in jail because they can. Remember when the "Dell Dude" got busted in NY for buying a quarter-ounce bag of MJ? He got a fine, the latino man who sold it to him went upstate to prison. And no one had a problem with it! I never saw this discussed in the media at all. Welcome to the land of the make-pretend free. Press your fingers over your ears....la la la la....
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #17 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 13:38:49 PT

afterburner 
Can a person in Canada have an herb garden? Can a person grow their own medicinal herbs? 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #16 posted by afterburner on March 18, 2006 at 13:31:02 PT

Is This a Good or Bad Development?
The grey areas of green remedies 
... The grey areas of green remedies. Tom Blackwell, National
Post. Published: Saturday, March 18, 2006 ... 
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=a810638e-cc99-4928-b451-b044a43fadd9&k=79017
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #15 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 13:30:57 PT

global_warming
I thought alot about what you said and I had to really dig deep into my mind to come up with something to say. First here is a link that says a lot of good things about a purpose of hippies. I was not part of the hippie culture. I lived in a very conservative part of Pennsylvania. You went to Church or a Synagogue once a week. We went to Catholic schools most of my friends. I was always on the outside looking in. I was looking for something to believe in. That's not uncommon when you are in your late teens. I never even tried any pot until I was about 25 or 26. I wanted a good life full of love, peace and happiness. I saw the reach that Hippies seem to attain and I admired that in them. I had my first husband drafted and I found out after we were only married 3 months that I was going to have a baby. I feared raising my son alone if he had to go to Vietnam. The anti-war movement gave me hope that other young people wouldn't have to worry about war and death and separation. As far as the substance marijuana it seemed way more acceptable to me then alcohol because I was raised in a house with lots of alcohol and I didn't like it. Somewhere in the time frame when I re-married and moved to Ohio Jimmy Carter came into focus. I remember him saying marijuana should be de-criminalized. I thought good now maybe it will happen. Then somewhere and somehow cocaine entered into the picture and I felt like my idealistic dream world was coming to an end. I didn't want to go that way so we went on with our life basically and that was that.What Did the Hippies Want? http://www.hippiemuseum.org/intamacy.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #14 posted by Sam Adams on March 18, 2006 at 13:25:08 PT

the 60's
Don't forget, progressives in the 60s in some ways had it much harder than today. The majority of the nation firmly supported the Viet Nam war, even in 1972 after most of the dirtly laundry from the war was widely known. The vast majority of the country voted for Nixon in 1972! So it's not like "flower power" had taken over and was ruling the country. Most of the country was eager to vote for Nixon and thought he was a great guy, as opposed to Bush who just slid in by a whisker (probably aided by voting fraud).The difference was that back then the media was truly liberal, and they were able to take Nixon down. Let's face it, Bush has done 3 or 4 documentable things that were worse than the Watergate break-in, and the media hardly cares.Another difference today is that the size and power of the government has mushroomed dramatically. Federal and state governments were tiny in the 60's compared to today - I'll bet that in 1965 the national budget was 10% of what it is now. In 1965, arresting 750,000 MJ users would have simply been impossible. There weren't enough cops and jails. Things were loose and free compared to our modern-day American police state. If this sounds extreme, remember than LEO and prison industry gets everything they want today - they control policy and laws, not voters. So I call that a police state. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #13 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 13:22:49 PT

re: comment 3
Thanks for the link to this most excellent sitehttp://indijo.freevision.org/ZNO-pages/Madkrow3.zno-01.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #12 posted by whig on March 18, 2006 at 13:13:28 PT

OT: Recipe for Ginger tea
This is a delicious tonic.Put about two tablespoons of honey into a mug. Place one drip of Ginger essential oil (preferably CO2 extract) in the honey. Stir well. Add a little hot water and stir until honey/oil is dissolved. Add more hot water to fill mug and stir.Lovely.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #11 posted by whig on March 18, 2006 at 13:08:28 PT

charmed quark
As Paul and I were discussing the other day, if you use honey to emulsify, water can be turned to wine, so to speak.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #10 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 13:04:41 PT

i shoud apologize
for blaming hippies for our problems that 'we live with today.Maybe, hippies were just a way for Americans at that time to express how they felt about how the world was then. It was a symptom brought about by a diseased nation that had been shaped by events and people from much earlier times.Not sure how far I have to look back to see when this corruption occurred. Even before Rome was nailing people to crosses, the haves jealously denied the have nots from scarce food and water, this may have been the underlying biological force which shaped the psychological mind of people.Yet has not mankind prevailed, has not technology found new ways to grow food, to filter water, to grow sustainable methods of energy creation to warm our homes, to literately move mountains?It is sad to see those that are at the last stages of Life, not only denied some comfort but to be thrown into a prison, for the crime of staying alive, to see another new morn, to remember how it could be.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #9 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 12:39:17 PT

soon
it will be against the 'law to change the 'law
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #8 posted by global_warming on March 18, 2006 at 12:36:46 PT

re:hippies
Maybe if they had paid a little more attention to what was happening in Washington dc, things like the CSA would have never been allowed, people like the Anshitters, morally depraved idiots like Nixon would have never been allowed to spread their morally deprived garbage.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 12:03:28 PT

Sam
Thank you. I guess that expression is really hard for me to handle. I know that some younger people don't like my generation and they use terms to hurt us many times. When you think how varied our age, culture, geographic location, belief structure is it's easy to hurt someones feelings. The more the Internet grows the more we will find that we need to know more then we thought before so as not to offend anyone.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on March 18, 2006 at 11:55:00 PT

ooops, did not mean to offend
FOM, sorry, I know the term is offensive, I used it because I imagine that is how these media outlets and DEA apparently think of these people. I am mocking the bigotry of these thugs, but you're right, this is written communication and the sarcasm may not be clear and it may seem that I am insulting people, so I am very sorry.Believe me, I have seen brutal action by police on innocent young people just because they look a little bohemian and it disgusts me. Be prejudiced against people because they look like the "hippie" stereotype has got to be one of most absurd and misguided forms of persecution ever! My feelings on this matter couldn't be expressed more clearly than Bunny Wailer's song Bald Head Jesus:I have never seen the image of a bald head Jesus yet.I have never seen the image of a bald head Jesus yet.He's a humble and dreadlock Nazarene man.Look in yourselves and try to understandwhy you've never seen the image of a bald head Jesus yet.Every apostle of Christ was a dreadlock bearded man.Every apostle of Christ was a dreadlock Ethiopian.This is a message to all church and denomination.Respect is due to the dreadlock Rasta man.Cause you've never seen the image of a bald head Jesus yet.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 10:26:23 PT

charmed quark 
That's a very good point. I don't think cannabis is water soluble or people would make a tea.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #4 posted by charmed quark on March 18, 2006 at 10:23:29 PT

Pot sodas
I'm curious how these work. I was under the impression that cannabinoids were fat soluble. So they won't dissolve in water. Plus that you need some fat with them to help them absorb. The sodas would have no fat in them, no?Do they work? If so, they seem like a good idea (other than the labeling). If you are nauseous, you often can't eat any solids. But sweet sodas like gingerale and coke often go down OK.(and strong ginger beers often reduce my nausea a lot). I speak from long personal experience, unfortunately. This is one of the troubles I have with Marinol. I'm likely to throw it up. And when I'm having an attack, my stomach shuts down. Even if I can keep it down, it doesn't get processed for hours. Something like a soda is absorbed, however. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #3 posted by unkat27 on March 18, 2006 at 09:47:12 PT

Before The Feds started Reefer Madness
this kind of cannabis candy and packaging was very popular, perhaps even more popular than alcohol products. It wasn't until the mexican trade cornered the market that the US oil barons began to see it as a threat to their wealth and power.
After synthetic rope (plastic) was made from oil, they saw the chance they needed to push out hemp and cannabis at the same time, and profit millions in the process.
Vampires and Vultures: The Drug War Profiteers
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 18, 2006 at 09:22:11 PT

Sam
Why do you use the expression dirty hippy? I love that time in history and it's really not nice to insult that wonderful time for many of us from years gone by. It seems to show prejudice. I don't like the generation that followed my generation and their values but I am careful not to label them anyway. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on March 18, 2006 at 09:08:47 PT

backwards
Why is the media always so horrified that the cannabis is being grown with "sophisticated" systems, professional-looking workers, etc. Since they legalized medical MJ, isn't that the goal? Am I missing something here? Would the CC Times be happy if they factory was staffed with "dirty hippies" and homeless people, with sparks flying out of the wiring and chemicals spilling into the floor?
[ Post Comment ]





  Post Comment