cannabisnews.com: Drug Policy Reform Activists Suffer Defeat










  Drug Policy Reform Activists Suffer Defeat

Posted by CN Staff on June 29, 2006 at 06:58:05 PT
By Josh Richman, Staff Writer 
Source: Oakland Tribune 

California -- Drug-reform advocates took a one-two punch as state lawmakers changed the treatment-not-jail sentencing law for drug users and the House opposed an amendment to halt federal pot raids in states with medical marijuana laws. State lawmakers late Tuesday night approved changes to the drug-treatment law — passed as Proposition 36 by 61 percent of voters in November 2000 — so judges now will be able to impose two to five days of jail time to punish drug-use relapses during treatment. Opponents say this "flash incarceration" does not make treatment more effective and dilutes the law's original intent.
Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the national Drug Policy Alliance, which helped pass Proposition 36, said he supposes advocates were "naive" to believe that evidence the original law cut costs, reduced the prison population and improved lives would persuade lawmakers to let it alone. "When push came to shove, the same law enforcement establishment that opposed Proposition 36 back in 2000 didn't let up," he said, vowing the law's advocates won't let up, either. The changes approved Tuesday are "almost definitely unconstitutional" because they alter a voter-approved ballot measure without another popular vote, he said. "We are going to be in court on this issue. It ain't over yet." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicated his Proposition 36 earmark in next year's state budget on these changes being made, so he'll almost surely sign the bill. The Drug Policy Alliance and other groups could sue by early next week, but the bill requires that it automatically be put on the ballot if a court strikes any part of it down. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 259-163 against a budget amendment introduced for the fourth consecutive year by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, to bar use of federal funds to arrest and prosecute patients and providers in the 11 states, including California, with medical marijuana laws. The amendment got two more votes Wednesday than it did last year, compared to 148 in 2004 and 152 in 2003 — progress, but still far short of the 218 it would need to pass. "Basically, the Republicans managed to keep strong party discipline. ... They feel they can't break with the White House on this," Nadelmann said. That is despite an unexpected show of support from Citizens Against Government Waste, a conservative fiscal watchdog group. The group issued a report Monday on the federal war on drugs, finding that "in this time of excessive waste and expanding deficits, Congress must start sending a signal that its priorities are in order." Federal prosecution of medical marijuana use in states that have decided to allow it wastes "valuable resources and taxpayer dollars," the report said, urging the amendment's passage. Marijuana Policy Project communications director Bruce Mirken said Wednesday advocates are "doing our best to see the glass as half full, knowing that this is an election year and politicians tend to run for cover in election years... But it's still dismaying how out of touch Congress is with the public... "Virtually all of the debate from the other side had nothing to do with the amendment itself," Mirken said. "It was all about marijuana being bad for kids and a gateway drug... all of which has nothing to do with whether it should be allowed for patients with cancer or AIDS when their states decide it should be." Caren Woodson, government affairs director of Americans for Safe Access, agreed the amendment wasn't about medical marijuana's merits but rather "was designed to support federal law enforcement" by letting the Justice Department "re-allocate valuable monies to our country's most pressing illicit drug control issues, instead of spending funds to arrest and prosecute seriously ill, state-certified cannabis patients." A detailed roll call was unavailable early Wednesday; the only greater-Bay Area members of Congress who opposed the amendment in past years were Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, and Richard Pombo, R-Tracy. The Proposition 36 rewrite first was put forth as SB 803 by state Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego. The Assembly Public Safety Committee — chaired by Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, a Proposition 36 supporter — held a public hearing on SB 803 last August but delayed its vote until last week; Ducheny then pulled her bill at the last minute and moved its language into SB 1137, the state budget trailer approved late Tuesday. Note: Legislators oppose pot raid laws, back jail time for users.Complete Title: Drug Policy Reform Activists Suffer State, Federal DefeatsFinal Vote Results For Roll Call 333: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll333.xmlNewshawk: MayanSource: Oakland Tribune, The (CA)Author: Josh Richman, Staff WriterPublished: June 29, 2006Copyright: 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG NewspapersContact: triblet angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/House OKs Medical Pot Prosecutionshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21951.shtmlCAGW Report Calls Drug Policies a Wastehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21943.shtmlSupport States' Rights -- OK Medical Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21940.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #76 posted by FoM on July 02, 2006 at 10:41:22 PT
Dankhank
You must be careful about telling the truth. I'm perfect don't you know that by now! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #75 posted by Dankhank on July 02, 2006 at 10:27:49 PT
Welcome
Major X, welcome ...I remember long ago my first entry into a forum similiar to this I botched badly ...Noone here claims to be perfect on any score, we love each other here and are happy to have you join us ...Peace to all who educate ...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #74 posted by Hope on July 01, 2006 at 18:45:14 PT
Major X
We're very pleased to welcome you to C-News.Ranting about it all can be therapeutic. Someone with your credentials could be a very successful letter writer. I hope you will join us.Of course, I'm not the boss...FoM is. (Don't rile her!) Can you tell us where you were sent to pick up those wounds?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #73 posted by Major X on July 01, 2006 at 14:17:40 PT
Email
I used my email to register and thought I had to put an email address into the dialog box on subsequent postings, but didn't want to use my real email address.Sorry for anyone who wanted to contact me on the other email addresses and thanks to the poster who wrote to let me know that email address field wasn't required on postings.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #72 posted by Hope on July 01, 2006 at 09:30:51 PT
Comment 70   :0)
Grrrrrr! Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #71 posted by FoM on July 01, 2006 at 08:49:52 PT
Dankhank 
Thanks, I never would have noticed the e-mail's being different and not working. The one would work because he used it to register.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #70 posted by afterburner on July 01, 2006 at 00:18:25 PT
LOL! You Made Me Laugh, Hope. 8<:D
We may be "chihuahuas" instead of pitt bulls...but enough chihauhaus locked on to their ankles will surely give them some pause for thought. Besides that...prohibitionists can't do as much damage as they'd like to because forty pounds of angry chihuahuas on each leg is bound to slow them down.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #69 posted by Dankhank on June 30, 2006 at 22:47:46 PT
trollin'
maybe, I know that two of his three email adds don't exist ...america.com and dittonet.com ... don't exist ...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #68 posted by whig on June 30, 2006 at 19:18:31 PT
Major X
So basically you feel exposed to being put in a jail cell for speaking out? Because that's all we're doing here. You're even doing a little bit of that yourself here, so all I'm saying is keep on doing it.You said cannabis helps you.You've admitted it, and that's really the first and only honest thing that people need to hear from a lot of us. Cannabis helps.We can talk a lot about the world and what's going on and there are people who have political strategies out there but that's not me. I just talk about love and freedom and respect for one another and try to encourage other people to do the same.Because that's how we change a society.Some of the activists don't always respect what I do, I'm not manning a barricade or soliciting votes or lobbying at the door of the state house. I'm just talking. Seems like not much, but it's something too few people ever really do.People spend their days talking about the weather, the sports teams, the minutiae of daily life. When they talk about politics or religion it is a rare thing. And you can't talk about politics without talking about religion, when you really come down to it. Unless you're a couple of greedy republicans who don't care about anything but what the government is doing for themselves.So we have to talk about it somewhere if we want to change people's minds, to make them understand what is at stake here and why we are so impassioned about this. We are trying to help people help themselves and not depend upon a profit-seeking enterprise. We are trying to free people from slavery.Gotta talk about it, or you can't do it.So talk, please. And I'm sorry for calling you a troll.Tell me what do you believe?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #67 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 19:11:05 PT
Major X
Thank you for your service to us and I'm so truly sorry for your wounds and pain. We have quite a few veterans here and you are in good company. You've suffered enough. No one wants any more suffering. You're speaking out here...so you aren't that hunkered down.:0) We know you're here. They do, too. You do, too. You're very welcome to stay with us, too. It's got to be worse though, for veterans and families of veterans to suffer all this after having given so much to try and maintain our rights and freedoms...and seeing our rights and freedoms trampled right here in our own country. It's sickening. Our own government is our enemy. We are all in more danger from them than we are from any outside source. That just sucks.I'd like to suggest to you though that you can post without having your e-mail posted...if you'd like to.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #66 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 19:00:44 PT
Trolls
Of course, you all know, that I never know a troll until we're knee deep in troll poop, but I don't think Major X is a troll...at least not yet.I sensed real misery, disgust, and unhappiness with the way things are right now. Who of us hasn't been about to drown in hopelessness before? I know I have. People here have dragged me back up from the depths before when I thought I might not be able to surface again and supported me until I was strong enough to keep my head above water, again.Maybe he's trolling. Maybe he's just so damned miserable he has to share it.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #65 posted by Major X on June 30, 2006 at 18:56:36 PT:
My Answer
cannabis makes me feel good and reduces the pain from my three (count 'em) three war wounds. That's right, I have three purple hearts and two bronze stars. So please don't lecture about laying it all down for my country.I am not a troll and really am enjoying hearing differing viewpoints...but I am dis-illusioned with our government and our loss of civil liberties. Show me the way to victory.Enough said...hopefully something will change. Until then, I will stockpile and hunker. If that makes me a moral coward, so be it. But I hae never been incarcerated and don't plan to become a political prisoner in the war on drugs.The BC3 said it best (Marc Embery in particular - and he is my hero). IF YOU CAN'T OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, OVERGROW THE GOVERNMENT! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #64 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 18:52:54 PT
Whig
That's the problem. He deems our task impossible. He, apparently, sincerely believes there is no way. His way of dealing with that is to "hunker down and stockpile" and keep quiet. Bless his heart, Major X doesn't see any hope or way for us to ever end this prohibition.Hold on, Major X. We're going to find a way...a nonviolent way, somehow. We may be "chihuahuas" instead of pitt bulls...but enough chihauhaus locked on to their ankles will surely give them some pause for thought. Besides that...prohibitionists can't do as much damage as they'd like to because forty pounds of angry chihuahuas on each leg is bound to slow them down.If we can't force our way into a free world during our lifetimes...we'll pass the torch to the generation coming up. There will always be people longing to be free and risking their necks to attain it. If I see a tank coming for me...ala Tienamen Square...I will get out of it's way. I want to live to see victory over this injustice.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #63 posted by whig on June 30, 2006 at 16:38:29 PT
Major X
"I would certianly like to know exactly HOW you believe things are going to change in respect to MM or legalization. Let me know the path to success you envision so that I can understand how you have hope for these issues being resolved. Will it come from revolution or what?"I suspect you are a troll, Major X. I think you may want to waste our time here trying to argue with you, or be talked out of doing what we are doing by someone who wants us very much not to do it.You want to know the plan, man?You don't get it. We are just telling you the truth. That's the whole plan. Tell the damn truth.You think that won't work? Fine. So lie. Be a liar. Treat people with contempt. Die. That's what you're talking about.No, we tell the truth because the truth sets you free, and you are free to tell the truth as well. Say it, man.What does cannabis do for you? Tell me something, man.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #62 posted by mayan on June 30, 2006 at 16:25:28 PT
No Dissent? 
"Some of you are going to end up in jail if you continue to flaunt your opinions in public." So just lay down,close your eyes and go back to sleep.Freedom. Use it or lose it. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #61 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 10:13:43 PT
experience should be experienced, of course
Saw that one just as it was being posted! Aaargh.Speaking of "experienced". That's another thing. I'm experienced. I KNOW that the worst danger from cannabis is prohibitionists, law enforcement, and being forced to be a "criminal" and all that that entails. A guy I know once said, "You wouldn't kill anyone over cannabis...but the cops would dang sure kill you to keep you from having it. They will risk getting killed themselves to keep you from having it."A sad and crazy fact...but a fact, none the less.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #60 posted by FoM on June 30, 2006 at 10:13:08 PT
Hope
I consider cannabis a type of catalyst.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #59 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 10:07:49 PT
We've all experience dread of that.
"Some of you are going to end up in jail if you continue to flaunt your opinions in public."A long time ago, I decided that cannabis wasn't worth going to jail over...for me...but rights, freedom, and justice are, if it comes to that.People are scared of our government. It rules through fear and that's not right.Years ago I used to share on-line news with my sister-in-law. It made them so uncomfortable. My brother said if armed, masked men broke their door down in the middle of the night he was going to immediately point to his wife and say, "It's her! It's her! She's the one that was talking about it!"He said it in a funny way...but it's really sad that Americans have to feel that way. Blood was shed and lives were lost that we could be free and now our government is destroying what was supposedly being secured for us. Men lost legs and arms and eyes so that we could be free. I don't want to be arrested and killed by a crazy, cruel, and unjust government and it's enforcers. But I don't want other people to be treated that way either and not say a word about the injustice of it.I could live with myself for not saying anything about cannabis...but I can't live with myself if I don't say something about the wrong and the hideous fruits of prohibition. All we have to do to ensure that it continues and gets worse is to do and say nothing.Could I offer osmosis as a plan? I plan for the truth that I am aware of to be offered to one and all and hopefully they'll get it and stand up against injustice, too. My pitiful weapons are nothing but truth and reason and caring...and plenty of light on the subject. We don't need another Revolution...the one in the 1700s was plenty good enough and I don't want to lose what they secured for us.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #58 posted by Toker00 on June 30, 2006 at 09:21:25 PT
Back in the seventies, Major X,...
fewer people smoked pot, but more politicians were willing to decriminalize. Now, we have twenty to twenty-five million people who toke regularly, and only a handful of brave, unbought-by-the -pharmaceutical-lobby, REAL politicians who see the damage caused by Prohibition II. Though they are few in number, they will be the ones who eventually lead the way to end cannabis prohibition. Them, and the ones we put in Congress this November in place of the Fascist Republicans. You are absolutely correct in assuming that the Republican Party is the American Taliban. But I prefer to liken them to the Nazi Party of Hitler's Germany. To me, they are like the Neo Nazi Party of America. "Some of you are going to end up in jail if you continue to flaunt your opinions in public."Wow. I guess after seven years of posting my "opinions in public", I should already BE in jail. Do you realize that I not only post my opinions online, but I print and distribute my and others opinions about town, write letters to the editors about our Fascist leaning government, and openly discuss in public and on my job the insanity of Drug Prohibition? As long as I have the right of Freedom of Speech, (yes, I know it's endangered) I will continue to do so. It's those who DO NOT voice their opinions who contribute to the spread of Fascism. You know what is said about good men who do NOTHING.I understand your fear of our government and your pessimistic outlook. Some of us feel that way here, too. But we try to stay forever optimistic about our cause. It's the only reason our movement is so strong today. We WON'T BACK DOWN.Please join us in voicing your opinions in public. It's very therapeutic.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #57 posted by Major X on June 30, 2006 at 05:45:28 PT:
Well Said
You have framed the argument well and I absolutely understand your position and of course support the efforts of all who are striving for justice. I give $$$ to NORML and try my best to stay informed but hold out little hope for decriminalization of cannabis or legal medical marijuana.I just think back to the 70's and how we all belived decrimminalization was right around the corner. Carter came the closest but even his administration understood it was a "third rail" issue.Any politician who supports MM or legalization faces the neo-nazi republicans and the religious right and that would scare even me if I was in public office. I absolutely cannot believe there are Republicans on this board (!) and/or their are republicans on this board who are so out of touch with their party that they actually were surprised by any of this. I regard republicans as the american taliban. They are certainly NOT conservatives, as William F. Buckley recently acknowledged. Heck, Jesus wasn't a conservative. He was a flaming liberal. You have to realize that there is a significant percentage of republicans who would be perfectly happy with an american theocracy based on fundamental Christianity. You are talking about people who believe in a literal translation of the bible and honestly believe the universe was created in six days. How much further from the scientific method csan you go? And you are surprised that they don't pay attention to all the medical data on cannabis? Ouch --- who's living in reality? At least my solution allows me to continue enjoying the health benefits of cannabis. Some of you are going to end up in jail if you continue to flaunt your opinions in public.  We are living in a western version of Iran. Personal liberties are a joke. Civil discourse is impossible. In this country it is "their" way or the highway. That is why I say "hunker down and stockpile". If you want to make a personal statement then stand in front of the tank and let your body be crushed. The Chinese man who did that is a hero but still dead...and their is no democracy in China today in spite of his personal sacrifice.I would certianly like to know exactly HOW you believe things are going to change in respect to MM or legalization. Let me know the path to success you envision so that I can understand how you have hope for these issues being resolved. Will it come from revolution or what?Thanks for your comments.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #56 posted by Toker00 on June 30, 2006 at 03:44:08 PT
Thank you, Hope and Whig. #44, #49
You saved me an awful lot of typing this morning. Have a good day! :)Toke.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #55 posted by Hope on June 30, 2006 at 00:10:46 PT
Whig
It was more than I ever dared dream or expect. I'm awed still.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #54 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 23:28:48 PT
Hope
They don't believe us, yet.Cannabis cures cancer.Wait 'til that really sinks in.How are they going to keep it illegal?Cannabis cures cancer.What's a cure for cancer worth?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #53 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 22:43:16 PT
Last night
before I fell asleep I was thinking about those brain tumors, Gliomas, I believe it was, being injected with THC and shrinking and even disappearing.That injection delivers the apoptosis giant, cannabis...or perhaps it was pure THC in those cases...right to the cancerous cell. Whoof! Apoptosis (dying) time delivered directly to the cells that need to die. That's wonderful, amazing, and somehow...very humbling.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #52 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 22:38:37 PT
"cannabis cures cancer"
Thank God! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #51 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 22:21:22 PT
Perverted Immune System
The system has cancer.Once again, though, cannabis cures cancer.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #50 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 21:54:13 PT
A Thought...
Our government has become like a perverted immune system. It's turned against it's own body...it's own people. It's trying to kill us when what it was supposed to do was help us stay healthy and well.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #49 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 21:50:17 PT
Comment 45 FoM...Ditto...and MajorX
You said, "Hunker down, start stockpiling weed, and don't tell anyone about your personal or medical solutions."Can't do that. No. Not for me, anyway.I want to stand up tall and I don't want to keep quiet. I want to tell everyone I can what I think about what is happening to people because of prohibition. A "stockpile" is out...because I do want to stand up and I do want to be heard...bravely, if possible. Under the circumstances of the laws we are subjected to, even if I didn't want to speak up...I wouldn't want a "stockpile" because a "stockpile" sounds like it could mean an amount that might qualify one for felony prosecution. Even when I smoked regularly, I didn't want to have a felonious amount. Just my sense of discretion and caution. But the point is, none of that would do me any good at all.That's not what I'm fighting for. For me it's not about the cannabis...it's about the PEOPLE that are being persecuted, jailed, killed, and forced to suffer in the name of cannabis prohibition. It's not right.It's the people. Someone has to stand up and say it's wrong what is being done to them and we must have a saner, more reasonable, smarter, and humane drug policy.I can't "hunker down", and hide and smoke, and not do a darn thing about the needless and awful persecution and hell that cannabis users that get caught are put through.It's about the people like Ashley Villereal, Alberto Sepulveda, Donald Post, Esequial Hernandaz, Veronica and Charity Bowers and countless others. The killing and the persecution and danger caused by prohibition has got to stop.It's about military-style armored monsters from our own country breaking into our own citizens' homes and terrorizing and killing them and looting their property. We don't need enemy invasion when we have law enforcement and government like that. We've already been invaded by an enemy within our own borders. It's about freedom, and rights, and liberty.The persecution, the seizures, the dynamic entries, wrong house entries, killings, fines, criminal records, humiliation and fear and disrespect has got to stop. Fighting and getting rid of all that is what it's about for me. Cannabis doesn't break down people's doors, shoot them with sniper rifles, throw grenades in their house, or kill anyone. It actually saves some lives through it's properties. Prohibition does cause all those bad things, though. I can't say that I'm fighting "for" cannabis, but I can say that I'm fighting "against" prohibition and all it spawns and I'm fighting "against" injustice. If I did what you suggest...I wouldn't be doing what I feel I need to do, at all.So, thanks for the advice...but no, thanks.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #48 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 21:27:19 PT
s'alright..
I stopped a few hours ago, planning the next pages. Time to dig up some of the old chicken scratchings... 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #47 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 21:14:16 PT
lombar
Sorry, I'm always slow at getting to e-mail.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #46 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 21:06:08 PT
Whig
I sent a message to the email you listed, it did not bounce back...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #45 posted by FoM on June 29, 2006 at 18:46:16 PT
Politicians
I believe that politicians aren't knowlegeable about most issues. We know how the Republicans are and this recent vote against us confirms it to me. I was hoping that Republicans would have come over to our side since President Bush is so unpopular. They could have but they didn't. That's it for me with them. Maybe Democrats won't be on our side but the vote yesterday says they are on the same page as most of us. I think they need a chance.Cannabis is a social and moral issue. I believe that Democrats are more concerned about the people then Republicans. If we can only make them understand. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #44 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 18:13:03 PT
Major X
I don't disagree that the solutions will not be found in the political system.But to hunker down and hide out will only lead to our extermination.We are not going to do that.The alternative to a political campaign is a social awakening. This is what we need to do, and those who are acting within the political system can draw on our social support. The reverse does not work, social transformation cannot be politically achieved.So we are a progressive social movement. If you would rather not be part, and hide yourself away, then I wish you good luck but it will be a lonely road for you.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #43 posted by Major X on June 29, 2006 at 18:04:02 PT:
Don't Place Faith in Others/Government
I hope this is a final lesson to everyone that placing your faith in the political process is a mistake. The elected leaders of this country will act on the behalf of big donators and businesses, not small and unorganized constituents like medical marijuana supporters.The vote isn't about non-compassion but about non-$$$ interest in the issue.This is a country based on money and the love of it.Grow your own, consume your own, and live your life as you see fit within the parameters of the political "reality" of the US. You are not living in Canada, much as you wish you were...and the Democrats are slowly (through redistricting) becoming less likely to ever get the majority again. The judicial branch has already been sewn-up by the Republicans, and the executive branch is our only hope but it doesn't look likely the Democrats are likely to regain control for many years.And anyway -- who says a Democrat congress or president would decriminalize pot or approve medical marijuana anyway?Hunker down, start stockpiling weed, and don't tell anyone about your personal or medical solutions.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #42 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 17:58:56 PT
Sounder leaders of the past have warned us...
They said to take care and watch the industry and corporations or THEY would be running this country...to all our sorrow. And now they are.We've got to stop them from holding our leaders and politicians captive to their will. That means the corporations and industries and those that comprise them are to be kept from making huge donations to campaigns. That leaves the politicians beholding to them.It's the only thing I can imagine....other than an outright miracle that will return this country to it's people.You may have "Stepped in it", Lombar...but you sure hit the truth right on the nose when you said, "As well, if it was a healthy republic, the state would actually be an extension of the peoples will instead of the enforcement of the current 'way of things', corporate oligarchic hirearchy and the will of few ultra elites."Wouldn't it be exciting to see a change for the better? To be free? To see something good and new and better? It would be so envigorating to the entire nation. It would be good.Progress. Good progress...not regression...but progress. I want some good progress.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #41 posted by global_warming on June 29, 2006 at 17:40:07 PT
have a good life
bow deeplydo you have any questions?You can ask God,
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #40 posted by global_warming on June 29, 2006 at 17:21:40 PT
alternate
words and music traditionalAs I was going over the far famed Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting.
I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier.
Said stand and deliver, for I am a bold deceiver,  musha ring dumma do damma da
  whack for the daddy 'ol
  whack for the daddy 'ol
  there's whiskey in the jarI counted out his money, and it made a pretty penny.
I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny.
She said and she swore, that she never would deceive me,
but the devil take the women, for they never can be easyI went into my chamber, all for to take a slumber,
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder.
But Jenny took my charges and she filled them up with water,
Then sent for captain Farrel to be ready for the slaughter.It was early in the morning, as I rose up for travel,
The guards were all around me and likewise captain Farrel.
I first produced my pistol, for she stole away my rapier,
But I couldn't shoot the water so a prisoner I was taken.If anyone can aid me, it's my brother in the army,
If I can find his station down in Cork or in Killarney.
And if he'll come and save me, we'll go roving near Kilkenny,
And I swear he'll treat me better than me darling sportling JennyNow some men take delight in the drinking and the roving,
But others take delight in the gambling and the smoking.
But I take delight in the juice of the barley,
And courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and earlyKEY C
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #39 posted by global_warming on June 29, 2006 at 17:19:16 PT
some lyrics for Friday
WHISKEY IN THE JAR - TRADITIONALAs I was going' over the Cork and Kerry mountains
I met with Captain Farrell and his money he was counting
I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier
Saying ‘stand and deliver for you are a bold deceiverA sure ring mushel do mushel da
Wack fol de daddy-o, Wack fol de daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jarI counted out the money and it was a pretty penny.
I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny
She sighed and She swore that she never would deceive me
But the devil take that woman for she never could be easychorusI went into me chamber all for to take a slumber
And I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder
For Jenny took me charges and she filled them up with water
And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughterchorusIt was early in the morning afore I rose to travel
All the guards were all around me and likewise Captain Farrell
Well I first produced me pistol, for she’d stolen away me rapier
But I couldn’t shoot the charges so a prisoner I was takenchorusNow if anyone can aid me, it’s me brother in the army
But I don’t know where he’s stationed, if it’s Cork or in Killarney
And if he’d come and join me we’d go roving in Killkenny
And I swear he’d treat me better than me than me own sweet sporting Jennychorus
rpt chorusBeing drunk and weary I went to Molly's chamber.
Takin' my money with me and I never knew the danger.
For about six or maybe seven in walked Captain Farrell.
I jumped up, fired off my pistols and I shot him with both barrels.Musha ring dum a do dum a da.
Whack for my daddy-o,
Whack for my daddy-o.
There's whiskey in the jar-o.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #38 posted by global_warming on June 29, 2006 at 17:02:11 PT
Thank You
Lombar, while the rest of this worldis living in confusion and fearThe rich and powerful denytheir place in the universe,They deny their small existenceThey deny what they see they do not believe in justicethey do not believe in their spiritual existenceit is so sadfor mefor as I witnessthose perishablemeet in the mixof the soil of Eternity
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #37 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 16:34:19 PT
Canada Day
Canada Day is July 1. Welcome to this online introduction to the Canadian Illusion Program. This online version was created to provide a person with a basic introduction to the reality of the Illusion that has enslaved mankind for years. It is just the tip of the iceberg and is not intended to answer all the questions you may have, as the complexity and intricacy of the Illusion needs to be examined and compared to the true reality from each individual's points of interest and concerns.
Welcome to Paradigm Education Group - Interesting
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #36 posted by FoM on June 29, 2006 at 16:30:54 PT

Whig
I'm sorry I didn't answer you but we went to pick out  furniture today. I'm not sure I understand what you want to do and I don't know anything really about blogs. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #35 posted by global_warming on June 29, 2006 at 16:27:45 PT

Do they have a fourth of July in Canada?
They have prisons, forged in the deepest immorality of the drug war, a war on people who use and abuse drugs, who abuse plants, who abuse and refuse to accept the world view and system, you have to learn to accept the system, even Jesus cannot help you, when you are in the court of Justice, 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #34 posted by potpal on June 29, 2006 at 16:14:25 PT

says it all
This Daily Show clip pretty much explains our sorry state of affairs...http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=70892Enjoy the weekend, try to believe in freedom on the fourth...peace.Do they have a fourth of July in Canada?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #33 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 15:49:04 PT

UN means UNgood,UNuseful,UNnecessary,UNpeaceful.
Some 200 million people, or 5 percent of the global population age 15-64, have used illicit drugs at least once in the last 12 months.
Among this population are people from almost every country on earth.  and the UN supports arbitrarily suspending their rights and crafts propanganda to justify doing so.More people are involved in the production and trafficking of illicit drugs and still more are touched by the devastating social and economic costs of this problem. The costs are far lower than for already legal drugs and consist mostly of societies treatment of drug users via prohibition and the resulting overinflation of the prices of currently illegal drugs rather than resulting from the usage of the drugs themselves. Does an alcoholic beating his spouse count as a 'social cost' when the wife uses the police, courts, and a womans shelter? Oh yeah, those shelters get their funding cut so cost nothing at all right?Partially a consequence of its pervasiveness and partially a consequence of the illicit and hidden nature of the problem, reliable analysis and statistics on the production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs are rare.Wholly a consequence of PROHIBITION which this statement says without saying. Never tell the truth when a lie will do.The World Drug Report 2006 endeavours to fill this gap. It provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of illicit drug trends at the international level. Perhaps if I ask nicely they will send me a printed copy, then it can fill the gap between my stove and the counter.. or perhaps I could shred it and it could fill the gap between my cats litter box and her little but...In the previous sentence they say its rare to find a 'reliable analysis' and now they claim they have done one yet the spokespersosn compares cannabis to opiates and cocaine. Not at all credible and unlikely to be accurate since the narcs just don't how much drugs there really is or gets used.In addition, it presents a special thematic chapter on cannabis, by far the most widely produced, trafficked and used drug in the world. Not even a drug, its a herb, a plant with many good properties that is denied us because of racism and lies.The analysis of trends, some going back 10 years or more, is presented in Volume 1. Detailed statistics are presented in Volume 2. Taken together, these volumes provide the most up-to-date view of today's illicit drug situation.Which must be pretty out of whack since the focus is totally on Cannabis. The worldwide increase of cannabis narco-fascism is in an expansion mode. It is becoming intolerable.
World Drug Report (World Drug War Propaganda)
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #32 posted by OverwhelmSam on June 29, 2006 at 15:22:22 PT

Congressional Election In Four Months
Instead of campaigning to get the current federal and state legislatures to change the law, let's shift gears now and start campaigning against the prohibitionist legislators. There not going to do a damn thing until a few of them get burnt.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #31 posted by mayan on June 29, 2006 at 15:07:52 PT

Prop. 36
State lawmakers late Tuesday night approved changes to the drug-treatment law — passed as Proposition 36 by 61 percent of voters in November 2000 — so judges now will be able to impose two to five days of jail time to punish drug-use relapses during treatment.So this will go to the courts and then back to the people who will return Prop. 36 to it's original form. That will be a great day when the people pass it by an even greater margin!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...BLINK 182 SINGER JOINS 9/11 DOUBTERS:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=15887Viewpoint: New York Times and neocons bury 9/11 truth movement: 
http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.pl?cmd=viewstory&cat=4&id=13567The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much:
http://citypages.com/databank/27/1334/article14475.aspScholars for 9/11 Truth:
http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/index.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #30 posted by Had Enough on June 29, 2006 at 14:17:25 PT

and
This was in the body of the e-mail they sent.*******"You won't believe today's news unless you actually read it. In an
unprecedented power grab, the FDA has declared that all drug companies
are now immune to lawsuits on any drug that has been granted FDA
approval.It's the biggest handout to drug companies ever, and the action
further establishes the FDA as a rogue agency acting to protect Big
Pharma, with no respect for the laws of the land or the safety of
health consumers."http://www.newstarget.com/019497.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #29 posted by Had Enough on June 29, 2006 at 14:11:27 PT

more from link
The FDA, through its willful negligence, is indirectly responsible for the deaths of more Americans than all terrorists, murderers and drunk drivers combined. As the deaths continue to mount, and drug companies become even more aggressive with outlandish disease mongering and advertising efforts, the FDA rears up to unleash a new wave of corporate terrorism upon the American people by emboldening drug companies to care even less about the safety of their synthetic chemical products, most of which cause harm by their very nature of being foreign to the human body. http://www.newstarget.com/019497.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #28 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 14:00:38 PT

Blog Name?
Cannabis Opinions?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #27 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:56:07 PT

lombar
Better -- We link it up to the whole progressive blogosphere.We don't need to e-mail it or print it or do anything but publish it online, link it to other sites and invite people to come over and chat with us like they do here on CNews. It's how I came to be part of this conversation, and presumably the same with most of us here.But instead of the subject being the article from this or that newspaper, we'd be writing our own articles. We'd be a resource that other sites could link to.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #26 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:51:02 PT

Holy crap
Here's another:http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_944.shtml"We think that if your company complies with the FDA processes, if you bring forward the benefits and risks of your drug, and let your information be judged through a process with highly trained scientists, you should not be second-guessed by state courts that don't have the same scientific knowledge," said FDA Deputy Commissioner on Medical and Scientific Affairs Scott Gottlieb.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #25 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 13:49:04 PT

Like a Newsletter collective...
Then we could submit them in alternative forums for wide dissemination? Or via email?Choose a topic, discuss for 2-3 days, write it into a clear format with set goals/points... We do get a very wide array of views on things here. 2 heads are better than one they say, how about 20? ;)"They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast."
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #24 posted by Had Enough on June 29, 2006 at 13:36:41 PT

The lawlessness of the FDA, Big Pharma immunity, 
The lawlessness of the FDA, Big Pharma immunity, and crimes against humanity (opinion)June 30, 2006 is a day that will be long remembered as a dark milestone in the history of FDA and its campaign against health consumers. On June 30, an FDA "Final Rule" goes into effect, establishing a regulatory power grab of such scale and scope that it attempts to bypass all laws, the will of Congress and fundamental protections for consumers. This "Final Rule," which may as well be called a "Final Solution" for drug consumers, claims that consumers can no longer sue drug companies for the harm caused by any FDA-approved drug, even if the drug's manufacturer intentionally misled the FDA by hiding or fabricating clinical trial data.and... http://www.newstarget.com/019497.htmlNot sure of accuracy of this website. Somehow I ended up on their mailing list, and they keep sending me stuff.But anyways, here it is.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #23 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:28:43 PT

lombar
Could you use this one?iygckozl trashmail.net
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #22 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:27:12 PT

FoM
This is starting to crystalize for me as a really interesting idea.What would you think about if we set up a Sister Blog to CNews where we can collaborate on discussing content and posting our own opinion articles?I can probably manage to set that up.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #21 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 13:23:26 PT

whig
Sure... the last email address I had for you was a hushmail and it said was not existant. If you still have my email on record send me an email, Ill send you a link. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #20 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:20:40 PT

lombar
This could turn into a really neat project...A CNews NewsletterParticipants on the list here can write articles and we can put them into a proper site and talk about them with each other and edit them into shape for public consumption, then post them.What do you think?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #19 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 13:19:14 PT

Thanks..
I am still writing the war portion. It is hard to be ultra critical of the actions of the government of the USA without offending its people. As well, if it was a healthy republic, the state would actually be an extension of the peoples will instead of the enforcement of the current 'way of things', corporate oligarchic hirearchy and the will of few ultra elites.When I re-read that I thought boy o boy did you step in it. Comes back to the use of language... what is 'rogue'? Is that like 'international law' which seems to exist for drugs but not for war? I guess I am still fuming about that UN thing...
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #18 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:16:35 PT

lombar
Amen.Would you allow me to help by editing or proofreading what you are writing?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #17 posted by whig on June 29, 2006 at 13:09:38 PT

Hope #14
You said that well.You aren't really a Democrat after all. You're something better. You're a progressive.I now understand what that word means.And I am a progressive too.There are three choices, three parties, really. That's part of the problem with there being a two party system. One party is always shut out.The three parties are: Progressive, Status Quo, and Regressive.The "Status Quo" party is the classical conservative position. The Democratic Party has lately been (since Bill Clinton at least) the "Status Quo" (conservative) party, and the Republican Party has been the Regressive Party.Progressives have been shut out for awhile. And they are now emerging into the Democratic Party so that's good. Though people like me will stay outside, I'll certainly appreciate to see the Progressive Era resume, this time without prohibition. That was a relic of the last Progressive Era and it is what destroyed them. But it is no longer Progressive to support prohibition. It was tried and it failed and it is now only Status Quo and Regressive to maintain it.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #16 posted by dongenero on June 29, 2006 at 12:54:43 PT

lombar
Your War On Drugs position statement is great.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #15 posted by lombar on June 29, 2006 at 12:12:10 PT

Writing webpage.
I am writing a personal webpage and have just written a short blurb on the war on drugs. - I have to include a note about the DISTORTIONS of the calculated use of manipulative language that keeps the double standards going.I realized a few days ago that I have a few books worth of writings, collected letters to editors (some of them pretty critical) both published and unpublished. I probably have another book or two worth of comments here. There are a few I will be mining for inclusion, I seem to remember some clear dharma writings, about metta (loving kindness) that I posted here a few monthes ago. I just turned 40 a few days ago and the temporal nature of reality makes me want to gather together what I have written which is really all I have been doing for years now, compile it because I believe it would be worthwhile. Time to really stand up and start taking the fight to the enemy. The weapons of peace are reason, persistence, and compassion. The depression I have been experiencing has been arising from the feeling I am not doing enough to battle the creeping(rushing) fascism. All my LTEs are signed, the PTB know who I am ... it is fear that stops many but it is fear itself that is the weapon used against us. When I finish the framework, I will post a link but I have not made all the main pages yet. I am all over the place as far as HTML goes but its just educational, the content can always be reformatted.Thanks Sam, I'll have to have a 'propaganda' blurb.WarWar is completely immoral except in defense. To train people to kill, send them to kill other people, to further some ideology, insure some strategic or economic goal, invariably springs from someones greed. Greed is a deadly sin for many religions, and the major source of conflict in our world. Greed and lack of compassion. No matter what religion I have studied, killing is wrong. However, in our world, governments monopolize the use of violence and reserve it for its exclusive use, and use it. The war on Afganhistan and Iraq have arisen from decpeption and manipulation. They represent the utter corruption of the western countries, murder, theft, deception, are being normalized in an culture that cultivates criminality to justify further encroachment upon the rights of the citizenry. If we can't trust the state with money, consider politicians the biggest liars in society, how could we possibly trust it with the power of life and death? The US is currently a rogue nation.War On DrugsWar is immoral. A war upon the tastes of citizens is ludichrist. Yet we are faced with neanderthals and their 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' mentality as if that simplistic solution would solve the stated problems. Over the course of my life, despite the so-called war on drugs, drugs of all kinds have become cheap and ubiquitous. If the stated goal to insure a 'drug free america' (forgetting the utter hypocrisy that the Drug Free America Foundations biggest contributors are alcohol, tobacco, pharmacueticals, and the media or that the deaths result from the use of legal 'approved' drugs dwarf those caused by illicit drugs) it is an abysmal failure. Not only that but we are constantly being lied to by authorities to continue to justify this bottomless money-pit and justify the loss of civil liberties and privacy. We can't stop drugs in prisons, how could we ever stop it in the wild? Immoral, inneffective, Idiotic.... unless of course you profit from it. Police(power, budgets), lawyers(endless work), judges(endless work), drug testers(sales), drug dealers(sales), prison guards(job security), prison builders(sales), politicians(appear to do something, create a hated group), legal drug makers(reduced competition), all profit from maintaining the status quo which is primarily a war against people who smoke pot. Even the UN now has proven it is a just a useless mouthpiece of the puritanical US drug policies, an organ of hypocrisy that furthers a global eternal war despite its founding principles. If the US just ignoring the UN is not enough for the world to see how USELESS it has become, then it releasing a report comparing cannabis to cocaine should be. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #14 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 11:57:48 PT

 "progress"
I haven't seen any of that in civilization for years and years. It's like the the big corporations and governments don't want any progress at all about anything. It seems pretty clear. Don't touch the status quo and don't even think about progress.Modernity, advancement, and progress are concepts of the past.It's about preserving the big guys hands stuck deeply into our pockets and holding the keys to the cell doors.Reform and progress are the absolute last things they want.They're making money the way it is...no matter it who it hurts...and they don't want anybody to alter that situation. The power mongers and greedy folk of today aren't about to have their bottom line hurt by anything like progress. No way!They work hard to head off progress at every path it takes.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on June 29, 2006 at 11:11:31 PT

so-called medicine
Strange, I've never heard these words applied to Vioxx, poisoner and killer of thousands.  Propaganda is SO important when it comes to cannabis. Just saw another article today on Vioxx - a medical journal published a study saying that people only needed to take Vioxx for a few months for it to cause heart attack or stroke, not 18 months, as Merck's lawyers have been claiming in court. But I guess the sneering derision only gets published when the subject is natural plants. Tells you a lot about technology and its role in oppression. We're all slaves of "progress", willing or not. Accept the wonderful blessings of "progress" or we'll throw you in jail.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #12 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 10:36:10 PT

"electronic voting machines"
And apparently, the government is forcing those machines on everyone. We've used paper ballots successfully here all my life. But we are being forced to buy into the electronic systme. Our huge paper ballot days are numbered.I don't trust them at all.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #11 posted by afterburner on June 29, 2006 at 10:32:38 PT

De-feat? Ha!
We still have *feet*! And legs. And we won't back down!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #10 posted by zandor on June 29, 2006 at 09:58:10 PT:

anybody else have the sick feeling about November?
I fear now that the Republicans will use the electronic voting machines to steal another election from the American people. My fear is the actual vote will only count if you vote for their candidate and if you oppose them your vote will be changed by the software in voting machine. Most election officials are not allowed to test their machines with out having a rep from the company who installed the software perform the test.The fox is in the hen house. 

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #9 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 09:47:28 PT

Should have put more in the first quote
"The Hinchey- Rohrabacher amendment would have prohibited the U.S. Department of Justice (including the DEA) from allocating funds to enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana for so- called medical purposes."That's just not true!Drug Free America, the organization is a deluding influence. They hold delusions near and dear, and contaminate others at ever opportunity. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #8 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 09:43:47 PT

Comment 5 Lying, obfuscating, prevaricating!
Not true: "from allocating funds to enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana for so- called medical purposes.""so-called medicine" used twice...in the first two paragraphs.Not true: "This victory indicates an end to the medical marijuana scam," says Calvina Fay,..." Not true: "Despite the drug legalizers' dogged efforts to influence Congress, they failed. Although the pro-drug lobby touts biased polls that create an illusion that the majority of people are for marijuana as so-called medicine, the facts show that our legislators listen to their constituents and not the drug pushers. Legislators wisely considered the scientific evidence that dispels claims of marijuana being a legitimate medicine."Not true: "Drug Free America Foundation is dedicated to fighting drug use, drug addiction and drug trafficking and to promoting effective, sound drug policies, education and prevention. It is equally committed to exposing and refuting the drug legalization advocates and their deceptive tactics." "Sound drug policies"? I don't think so. "Deceptive tactics"...that would be them and not us...so that's not true.How bout that? A lie in every single paragraph of this hideously slanted...but of course, it would be...press release from the Drug Free America Foundation.Any affiliate of that organization, including Calvina, needs to be tattooed "Drug Free" so that medical assistance in the form of "Drugs" is totally denied them. Don't want to ever accidentally contaminate these "pure" souls with any drugs! Medicine Free America! That's what they mean and they should get what they want...for themselves, and butt out of everybody else's lives. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #7 posted by Toker00 on June 29, 2006 at 09:40:23 PT

Yeah, but...
"Despite the drug legalizers' dogged efforts to influence Congress, they failed."Wait until November.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #6 posted by dongenero on June 29, 2006 at 09:10:29 PT

vote 'em out !
"Basically, the Republicans managed to keep strong party discipline. ... They feel they can't break with the White House on this," Nadelmann said.That is despite an unexpected show of support from Citizens Against Government Waste, a conservative fiscal watchdog group. The group issued a report Monday on the federal war on drugs, finding that "in this time of excessive waste and expanding deficits, Congress must start sending a signal that its priorities are in order." Fine, let's show these contemptuous a**holes the door.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 29, 2006 at 08:51:26 PT

Press Release from U.S. Newswire
Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment Squashed in Congress; Yet Another Victory in Drug Policy, Proclaims Drug Free America Foundation****June 29, 2006ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Hinchey- Rohrabacher amendment would have prohibited the U.S. Department of Justice (including the DEA) from allocating funds to enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana for so- called medical purposes. This amendment was soundly defeated in Congress by a vote of 259 to 163.Despite the drug legalizers' dogged efforts to influence Congress, they failed. Although the pro-drug lobby touts biased polls that create an illusion that the majority of people are for marijuana as so-called medicine, the facts show that our legislators listen to their constituents and not the drug pushers. Legislators wisely considered the scientific evidence that dispels claims of marijuana being a legitimate medicine."This victory indicates an end to the medical marijuana scam," says Calvina Fay, Executive Director of Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. "Last year in the Raich v. Gonzales Supreme Court Case, the justices ruled in our favor against smoked marijuana as medicine. Then on April 20, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement concluding that they continue to support marijuana's placement as a Schedule I drug and agree that there is sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. This reaffirms that medicine by popular vote is a dangerous process that bypasses the FDA, reduces consumer protections and jeopardizes sick patients."Drug Free America Foundation is dedicated to fighting drug use, drug addiction and drug trafficking and to promoting effective, sound drug policies, education and prevention. It is equally committed to exposing and refuting the drug legalization advocates and their deceptive tactics.If you would like to set up an interview regarding this issue with Calvina Fay or several other drug policy and prevention experts, please contact Lana Beck, Director of Communications, at 727-828-0211 or 727-403-7571.Copyright: 2006 U.S. Newswire http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=68509

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on June 29, 2006 at 08:21:23 PT

One more note
Message to MPP: you just spent 2 years pouring thousands of dollars and staff time into the Hinchey amendment, with the result of standing still. I don't think there were any more Yes votes this year than there were 2 years ago.Now, isn't it time to go back to the states? Let's put that money toward medical MJ referendums in ALL the remaining states that have referendum processes. This is the low-hanging fruit of reform, let's pick all the apples within reach before we start trying to the climb to the top of the tree, eh?Yes, it will mean paying your money to outside companies to gather signatures, instead of paying your MPP employees and friends in Washington. But do you think the feds will still attack when 20 or 30 states have legalized medical MJ? I think not.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #3 posted by Hope on June 29, 2006 at 08:18:23 PT

Defeat?
We're quite accustomed to this sort of "road block" and "set-back"...but "Defeat" isn't the right word. It's a disappointing set-back.Defeated? As a variation on an expression my dad used to use. "Not, "No"...but, "Heavens no!" (Heavens wasn't the word he used.)We aren't "defeated" until we give up.Just another...albeit it heartbreakingly sad and morally and fiscally wrong, it's just another set-back.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on June 29, 2006 at 08:17:21 PT

out of touch? Hardly
"But it's still dismaying how out of touch Congress is with the public..."No, I'd say they're quite IN touch with the public. Sending their armed thugs out to beat down your grandmother, father, sister, brother, etc, for being sick & using herbal medicine. The Congressmen might as well be riding in the back seat of the huge, taxpayer-purchased SUV that rolls up on another field of medicine, intent on beating the public right into the ground and kneeling on their back. Or breaking their face, or shoulder, as they did in California recently.On another note, I read in the Business section this week that Annheuser Busch signed an contract with the NFL and ABC to be the "exclusive alcohol sponsor" of the Superbowl through 2012.  Isn't that swell? 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 29, 2006 at 07:04:45 PT

A Question
Is there an organization that is not basically Republican that cares about Cannabis Laws or is everyone a Republican? We desperately need people in the Democratic Party to help us. How about an organization called Democrats for Cannabis Law Reform.I like that. I have absolutely no use for anyone that is a Republican. I am patient and always want to believe that our elected officials care about serious social issues but yesterdays vote has forever changed my mind.
[ Post Comment ]





  Post Comment