cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Link To Lethal Behavior





Marijuana Link To Lethal Behavior
Posted by CN Staff on September 26, 2006 at 17:50:06 PT
By Bill Janes
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal
Florida -- The Sept. 20 editorial on marijuana legalization ("Straight Talk") continues the misinformation campaign of past years. It resurfaces many of the same points that have been scientifically refuted years ago. While marijuana is not a lethal drug, using it can lead to potentially lethal behaviors. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substance Act for a reason: It has a high potential for abuse and no medical value. The Supreme Court ( U.S. v. Oakland Cannabis Club ) and the Food and Drug Administration have determined that marijuana has no medicinal value. The FDA confirmed this position again in 2006. 
The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Medical Association have documented the substantial risks of using marijuana. Marijuana use can lead to respiratory diseases, increased heart rate, cognitive impairment, poor school performance, automobile accidents and dependence. Smoking marijuana can promote cancer in the lungs due to 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Marijuana admissions to drug treatment have increased from 8.6 percent of total drug admissions in 1994 to 15.9 percent in 2004. The average age of those admitted to treatment was 24. Of all teenagers in drug treatment, about 60 percent had a primary marijuana diagnosis. Clearly, marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug in America, is endangering our children and young adults. This editorial perpetuates an all too frequent, unfounded assertion that smoking marijuana is acceptable and harmless. It is not; it is illegal, dangerous and unhealthy. The discussion on incarceration is also misleading, as it lumps all drugs and drug offenses together. As presented in the editorial, the statistics lump together distribution, trafficking and manufacturing, as well as a variety of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Quite to the contrary, however, according to Bureau of Justice statistics, only 2.2 percent of federal inmates in 1997 were sentenced for marijuana possession. We should also not dismiss the "gateway drug" aspect of marijuana. A 2003 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that while an exact causal relationship has not been established because of the inability to scientifically control all variables, the clear association between marijuana use and subsequent use of cocaine, heroin or other illicit drugs "has been well established" much as smoking and cancer have been causally established. Government and medical science have participated in debates and presented the research evidence. The editorial gives false hope for those who seek any justification to smoke pot or to bash all levels of government that are charged with protecting our youth and society. The author clamors emotionally for marijuana legalization but, like those who have similarly argued over the years, presents no scientific evidence to support his assertions. The result is dangerously misleading at a time when our youth and society need clear, strong messages against illicit drug use. Janes is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. Cited Article: http://tinyurl.com/kmdm2Newshawk: SukoiSource: Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL) Author: Bill Janes, Director of the Florida Office of Drug ControlPublished: September 25, 2006Copyright: 2006 News-Journal Corporation Contact: letters news-jrnl.com Website: http://www.news-journalonline.com/ CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on September 27, 2006 at 16:50:28 PT
Thanks, gw.
I hadn't been to the Safer site in ages...if ever...but I think I did and it's really got lots of information on what's going on. Mason Tvert...to me...looks so sweet and lovable!
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Comment #19 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 27, 2006 at 09:46:48 PT
Just One Question Cannabis Haters Can't Answer
With an estimated 160,000,000 people who consume cannabis world wide, if marijuana is sooooooooo dangerous, where are all of the sick and dying marijuana users? They're not in the hospitals, morgues and cemetaries. Where are they?Answer: There aren't any people sick and dying from marijuana use. Saying marijuana is dangerous is one of the biggest lies ever told!Know how to tell when a marijuana prohibitionists is lying? Their lips are moving.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on September 27, 2006 at 07:33:08 PT
Celaya
Please don't post complete articles without copyright info because Mapinc. will get mad at me. Please just post a link because I will get it posted then. I'm sorry but I must follow the rules.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22207.shtml
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Comment #17 posted by Celaya on September 27, 2006 at 06:42:06 PT
First story on the debate
The Rocky Mountain News jumped on the debate story and printed the following description:State Attorney General John Suthers called a ballot measure seeking to legalize marijuana possession in Colorado "a little bit sloppy and a little bit reckless" during a debate Tuesday night - a charge vehemently denied by the man spearheading the campaign, Mason Tvert. 
Tvert, in turn, had a word for those who oppose Amendment 44 - Orwellian. The debate at the Newman Center at the University of Denver was about marijuana. But for the two men on the stage, it was also alternately about personal freedom, drug usage among teens and how pot stacks up against such legal items as alcohol and tobacco. Supporters of the amendment, which would allow adults in Colorado to possess less than an ounce of marijuana, have been hammering home the point that alcohol is more harmful than marijuana since the measure qualified for the ballot in August. Suthers wasn't buying it then or now. "Our American society is plagued by moral relativism - the notion that . . . there are things that are worse out there," Suthers said. "This is probably one of the worst instances - this campaign, this message - of moral relativism I've heard." Tvert said Suthers simply doesn't want people to have marijuana for any reason, noting the attorney general also opposed pot being administered for medical reasons. "They don't care if you're sick or dying. They don't care if you're young. They don't care if you're old," Tvert said. "They just want to make sure that you cannot use marijuana under any circumstances." In the debate moderated by Adam Schrager, of 9News, the two opponents seldom waited for questions to present their cases. Tvert and Suthers often addressed each other, questioning the other's statistics and charges about marijuana usage and its effect on people. Tvert even questioned the state's heart in prosecuting marijuana possession charges and said people are losing an inordinate number of personal freedoms because of the misdemeanor conviction. "Maybe they don't lose all of their freedom, but they certainly lose enough of it that it doesn't warrant enough of a state interest in a $100 citation," Tvert said. "Mr. Suthers has clearly acknowledged this is ridiculous. One hundred dollars is nothing. If it's only worth $100, there's really no reason why we should continue ruining people's lives over it." Suthers pointed to an overall decrease in drug usage in the past three decades and claimed usage was down among children, with two-thirds citing its illegality as a reason not to try it. He said now isn't the time to change strategies. "I would ask the voters of Colorado not to wave the white flag," Suthers said. "Let's not send the wrong message to our children. The only acceptable alternative to intoxication is sobriety." Tvert accused Suthers of being unrealistic. "They want to live in the idealistic world; we want to live in the realistic world," he said.SAFER Colorado said they would have more in-depth reporting on the debate later today.
Early Debate Report
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Comment #16 posted by Dankhank on September 27, 2006 at 06:37:28 PT
yes, it's true ...
Larryh,Nothing finer than getting out when in a good mood.I had the car, was always the one driving to the places ... we did it all, together ...
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Comment #15 posted by mayan on September 27, 2006 at 05:38:08 PT
Showdown
Thanks for the link, global warming. I didn't even know what Tvert looks like. He's a pretty big guy so I bet he can smoke like a chimney! The showdown ought to be interesting IF Pete Coors and John Hickenlooper even show up. They can't possibly win a hit Vs. chug duel or even a simple debate against Tvert. If they do show up they lose and if they don't show up they lose. Brilliant!By focusing on the comparison between alcohol and cannabis,Mason Tvert has laid out a campaign strategy that can't possibly lose. The prohibitionists in Colorado,Nevada and D.C. are very afraid. THE WAY OUT...CENTCOM Sergeant Details Traitorous Stand Down Orders On 9/11:
http://infowars.net/articles/September2006/260906Chavez.htmLauro Chavez Clarifies Points For His Critics:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/September2006/260906_b_Clarifies.htm9/11 And American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out - 9/25/2006, Berkeley CA - MP3 Download:
http://911blogger.com/node/3200The US Government’s Usage of Atomic Bombs - Domestic - WTC:
http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2006/09/8818.phpFear the October Surprise:
http://www.321gold.com/editorials/moriarty/comment/20060927.html
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Comment #14 posted by larryh on September 27, 2006 at 04:18:13 PT:
Looks more like
someone zoned out on LEGAL prescription drugs. MJ makes me want to GET OUT and enjoy life. For me there's nothing cooler than walking through the woods when I'm really high. Those are the times you walk with GOD.
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Comment #13 posted by global_warming on September 27, 2006 at 03:19:58 PT
re: Tvert Challenges Denver Mayor
Tvert Challenges Denver Mayor and/or Colorado Beer Baron to 'Drug Duel'Tvert willing to go hit for chug -- at high-noon on Thursday -- with prominent beer-peddling Coloradanshttp://www.safercolorado.org/blog.html
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on September 26, 2006 at 22:32:26 PT
LAT: Riverside County Rejects Marijuana Outlets
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pot27sep27,0,4866828.story
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Comment #11 posted by freewillks on September 26, 2006 at 19:22:09 PT
gateway?
In 2002 the English government published research on the initiation of drug use and criminal offending by young people in Britain. According to the study, "After applying these methods, there is very little remaining evidence of any causal gateway effect. For example, even if soft/medium drugs (cannabis, amphetamines, LSD, magic mushrooms, amyl nitrite) could somehow be abolished completely, the true causal link with hard drugs (crack, heroin, methadone) is found to be very small. For the sort of reduction in soft drug use that might be achievable in practice, the predicted causal effect on the demand for hard drugs would be negligible. Although there is stronger evidence of a gateway between soft drugs and ecstasy/cocaine, it remains small for practical purposes. My interpretation of the results of this study is that true gateway effects are probably very small and that the association between soft and hard drugs found in survey data is largely the result of our inability to observe all the personal characteristics underlying individual drug use. From this viewpoint, the decision to reclassify cannabis seems unlikely to have damaging future consequences." 
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Comment #10 posted by freewillks on September 26, 2006 at 19:13:53 PT
Aghhhhh!
This man is a complete friggin idiot! How dumb can a bush suck-up be? I think the sun has gone to his head.....? OK i get it now! He has been hanging out at the retirement centers geting his talking points.I hope Norml exposes Bill Janes for the IDIOT he is. AGHHHHHHH!!!!
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Comment #9 posted by Wayne on September 26, 2006 at 18:45:13 PT
read the opinion a little further, idiot
He totally took the Supreme Court opinion out of context. The US Supreme Court did not determine that marijuana has no medical value. It determined that the Controlled Substances Act as stated overrides medical necessity, and the CSA can be CHANGED. Just as our priorities and values can be changed. Except for Mr. Janes', his are apparently written in stone."The author clamors emotionally for marijuana legalization but, like those who have similarly argued over the years, presents no scientific evidence to support his assertions. The result is dangerously misleading at a time when our youth and society need clear, strong messages against illicit drug use."Yeah I guess we do need clear, strong messages. Because the ones we've been hearing from people like you for the last 25 years just haven't soaked through our thick skulls yet, right?? Why don't you just f**king retire already?
Syllabus of U.S. vs Oakland C.C. decision
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Comment #8 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 26, 2006 at 18:41:47 PT
This article needs a little editing...
"misinformation....using it can lead to potentially lethal behaviors....has a high potential for abuse and no medical value...Smoking marijuana can promote cancer in the lungs....cognitive impairment, poor school performance, automobile accidents.... the clear association between marijuana use and subsequent use of cocaine, heroin or other illicit drugs....""Government....seek any justification....presents no scientific evidence....The result is dangerously misleading....""Janes is...." another government prick who'll gladly tell lies and ignore facts to protect the money he is stealing from the people.
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Comment #7 posted by observer on September 26, 2006 at 18:40:39 PT
propaganda analysis
[1]
Florida -- The Sept. 20 editorial on marijuana legalization ("Straight Talk") continues the misinformation campaign of past years . 
(Sentence 1) re: "legalization" - With God on Their Side (prohibitionists assure us), only the continued rooting out of the sinful drug users (total prohibition) will do. All else is portrayed as the slippery slope to total legalization of all drugs for toddlers. (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 
[3]
While marijuana is not a lethal drug, using it can lead to potentially lethal behaviors . 
(Sentence 3) re: "can lead to" - The rhetoric of prohibition exploits ignorance of the effects of drugs. We are told that the substance in question must be bad, for is it not evident that it 'leads to' the the harder (more ceremonially evil) stuff? (Use is Abuse, Gateway (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#4 ) 
 
 
[4]
Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substance Act for a reason: It has a high potential for abuse and no medical value . 
(Sentence 4) re: "no medical value" - Onward prohibitionist drug warriors, fighting the epidemic and scourge in the battles of the war against drugs! (Drugs declared evil by politicians, that is.) (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 
[8]
The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Medical Association have documented the substantial risks of using marijuana . 
(Sentence 8) re: "Drug Abuse" - "This strategy equates the use and abuse of drugs and implies that it is impossible to use the particular drug or drugs in question without physical, mental, and moral deterioration." [W.White,1979] (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[9]
Marijuana use can lead to respiratory diseases, increased heart rate, cognitive impairment, poor school performance, automobile accidents and dependence . 
(Sentence 9) re: "impairment", "accidents" - Drugs, scream prohibitionists, cause all bad things in life: crime, violence, insanity, etc. If not for prohibition (i.e., jailing drug users), then criminality, violence and psychotic behavior would explode upon the land, the prohibitionist assures us. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "Marijuana use" - Prohibition propaganda claims that all use of any "drug" is abuse. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) re: "can lead to" - Prohibition propagandists try to smear targeted drugs by announcing they are "gateways" to other truly wicked behavior. (Use is Abuse, Gateway (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#4 ) 
 
 
[10]
Smoking marijuana can promote cancer in the lungs due to 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke . 
(Sentence 10) re: "cancer", "carcinogenic" - Drugs, the prohibitionist explains, are a wicked bane on modern man. Why if not for the noble drug war (i.e. jailing drug users), exclaims the propagandist, then people will run amok, and violence, death, psychosis, and plague shall cover the land. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) 
 
 
[13]
Of all teenagers in drug treatment, about 60 percent had a primary marijuana diagnosis . 
(Sentence 13) re: "teenagers" - "Nothing can so excite an adult population as can anything which appears to threaten their own children." [W.White,1979] (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[14]
Clearly, marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug in America, is endangering our children and young adults . 
(Sentence 14) re: "America" - The health of the "community" (read: government) is assured, prohibitionists explain, because drug users are punished. Jailing drug users is thus painted as upholding society. (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "children" - Being a prohibitionist means you can never shed too many crocodile tears for the "children". (As you lustily jail or kill their parents for using drugs.) (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[19]
Quite to the contrary, however, according to Bureau of Justice statistics, only 2.2 percent of federal inmates in 1997 were sentenced for marijuana possession . 
(Sentence 19) re: "marijuana possession" - Prohibitionists try to hammer in the idea that 'all use is abuse.' The rhetoric of prohibition needs to deny that many people can use currently illegal drugs without abusing them. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[20]
We should also not dismiss the "gateway drug" aspect of marijuana . 
(Sentence 20) re: "gateway drug", "gateway" - Prohibitionists often claim that a targeted drug is a "gateway" to abuse of more dangerous drugs. (Use is Abuse, Gateway (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#4 ) 
 
 
[21]
A 2003 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that while an exact causal relationship has not been established because of the inability to scientifically control all variables, the clear association between marijuana use and subsequent use of cocaine, heroin or other illicit drugs "has been well established" much as smoking and cancer have been causally established . 
(Sentence 21) re: "cancer" - Prohibitionists claim any use of currently illegal drugs cause death, illness, lunacy, mania, melancholy, and all means of sin and degradation. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "American" - Because of prohibition (prohibitionists assure us), society is protected: the community is safe, and the nation is saved. (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "marijuana use" - Prohibitionist propagandists repeatedly assert that "use is abuse." Details about "using" as opposed to "abusing" drugs are ignored. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[23]
The editorial gives false hope for those who seek any justification to smoke pot or to bash all levels of government that are charged with protecting our youth and society . 
(Sentence 23) re: "society" - Because of prohibition (prohibitionists assure us), society is protected: the community is safe, and the nation is saved. (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "youth" - Prohibitionists forever claim that children are corrupted by drugs, and this is why adult users must be punished harshly. (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[24]
The author clamors emotionally for marijuana legalization but, like those who have similarly argued over the years, presents no scientific evidence to support his assertions . 
(Sentence 24) re: "legalization" - Drug policy options are presented as either total prohibition, or as total "legalization." No middle ground is contemplated in the "zero-tolerance" world of prohibition. Absolute prohibition executed with religious fervor and purpose! (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 
[25]
The result is dangerously misleading at a time when our youth and society need clear, strong messages against illicit drug use . 
(Sentence 25) re: "society" - Prohibitionists assert that the survival of the community, society, the nation, the world, etc. are at stake. Only continued and increased punishments for drug users can be contemplated, because, say prohibitionists, society will otherwise fall apart. (Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme3.htm#3 ) re: "drug use" - Any use of an illegal drug is deemed to be "abuse," weasels the propaganda of prohibition. (After all - it is illegal!) (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) re: "youth", "messages" - "Since the Harrison Act of 1914, the user and the seller of illicit drugs have both been characterized as evil, criminal, insane, and always in search of new victims, the victims are characterized as young children." [W.White,1979] (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on September 26, 2006 at 18:32:31 PT
Maybe
he just awoke from a fifteen year coma.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on September 26, 2006 at 18:31:07 PT
Obviously
Bill Janes has no scruples.It's that or he's just a pathological liar or a raving lunatic.
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Comment #4 posted by billos on September 26, 2006 at 18:26:45 PT
...............Remember?.....................
the first "looping" 8-track tape?????
Just once in a while 
a new verse is added.
Eventually, though, it just loops back to the beginning.
Nothing new under the sun, ya know?
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on September 26, 2006 at 18:20:02 PT
What A Robot
Anyone who makes it to the second paragraph knows janes is just a goverment mouthpiece. As soon as I read his bit about cannabis having no medical value I stopped reading. A 1st grader could pick his cripe apart.In other news...Boulder Police: Councilman Caught Driving With Pot:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/9939932/detail.htmlIf he didn't support 44 before, I'm sure he will now! Unfortunately, his Councilman position will remain vacant.THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Former Governor Jesse Ventura Questions Official 9/11 Story:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2006/260906venturaquestions.htmVeteran in Central Command Bunker on 9/11 Speaks Out: 
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=13644The greatest conspiracy of all:
http://www.dailytidings.com/2006/0919/stories/0919_ftrs.php9/11 Truth: Thermite & The Case for Controlled Demolition (video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd1-Dp_-7WI&mode=related&search
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Comment #2 posted by ekim on September 26, 2006 at 18:13:30 PT
whig have you heard of James Anthony
Sep 30 06 Educational Conference 12:30 AM James Anthony Laytonville CA USA 
 LEAP speaker James Anthony is welcomed to the All Day Educational Conference hosted by the Mendocino Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. James Anthony has seen first-hand the destructive impact of the "War on Drugs" on both inner-city neighborhoods and on police officers; and Oakland, CA - where he has spent three years as an award-winning Neighborhood Law Corps attorney - is a ground zero for that damage. 
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #1 posted by charmed quark on September 26, 2006 at 18:09:47 PT
It should be illegal
It should be illegal for a government official to pull out the same old lies after they have been firmly refuted by scientific studies. Why do we let them do this? Government should not spread misinformation.
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