cannabisnews.com: Plan Called a Meth Gateway Plan Called a Meth Gateway Posted by CN Staff on October 17, 2006 at 06:36:57 PT By Monte Whaley, Denver Post Staff Writer Source: Denver Post Loveland, CO -- A proposal on the state ballot to loosen marijuana laws in Colorado would make it harder to fight the war on methamphetamine abuse, a federal drug official said Monday. John Horton, a former Oregon prosecutor, said Amendment 44 - which would allow people 21 and older to legally possess an ounce or less of pot - would make marijuana accessible to more people and allow them to fall victim to the highly-addictive and destructive properties of methamphetamines. "Many meth addicts say they started with marijuana," said Horton. "So I don't think we want Colorado to be a testing ground for new marijuana laws." Horton, associate deputy director for state and local affairs in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, spoke at a summit sponsored by officials in Larimer and Weld counties. The meeting was called to compare notes and arrive at strategies to deal with the spread of methamphetamine use and meth labs in northern Colorado. Both counties report big increases in meth use in just the past few years. In Weld County, for instance, the Island Grove Treatment Center in 2005 saw a 62 percent increase in women who were pregnant and admitted using meth and a 20 percent increase in the total number of those admitted - 860 - who reported meth use. Meth is highly addictive and often leads to job loss, homelessness, health problems and deadly violence, say officials and past users. Deb Hill, a counselor at Island Grove, said she was seduced by meth just before her high school graduation. The drug made her feel confident and outgoing, two qualities she lacked. "When I used that first line, I knew things were going to change for me," Hill said. Note: A backer of legalizing marijuana says scare tactics are being used, but a White House drug-control official warns of problems. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4503256Source: Denver Post (CO)Author: Monte Whaley, Denver Post Staff WriterPublished: October 17, 2006 Copyright: 2006 The Denver Post CorpWebsite: http://www.denverpost.com/Contact: openforum denverpost.com Related Articles & Web Site:Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/Councilor Takes Heat for Pot-Issue Supporthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22291.shtmlHigh Time for Pot Law, Supporters Sayhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22286.shtmlHippie-Hating and Baitinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22244.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #30 posted by publicbulldog on October 22, 2006 at 21:30:07 PT: Cocaine is the meth gateway. Nobody ever heard of meth until the cocaine wars made cocaine harder to find. Face it,we squeezed a cocaine blob and meth came out both ends. Then we squeezed the criminal justice blob and more prisons came out both ends. [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by Hope on October 18, 2006 at 03:26:40 PT Horton's pants should, by rights, be blazing. "Many meth addicts say they started with marijuana," said Horton. "So I don't think we want Colorado to be a testing ground for new marijuana laws."Horton, associate deputy director for state and local affairs in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, spoke at a summit sponsored by officials in Larimer and Weld counties. [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by b4daylight on October 17, 2006 at 23:05:16 PT wow rubbish [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by Hope on October 17, 2006 at 22:12:56 PT Thank you, FoM. Good night, Afterburner. Sweet dreams and a safe night to you, too.I'm going to go back to bed. (I got up.) [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by afterburner on October 17, 2006 at 22:10:50 PT That nasty little varmint [Dialer.Generic]... tried to attack again...but the Restricted Site blocked it. Use the Default Settings -- High security. Good night, it's off to prairie dreams I go. [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 21:50:11 PT Hope I removed it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by Hope on October 17, 2006 at 21:47:34 PT Learned a new word at Hemptopia WOD. Clodpated: Stupid; dull; doltish. Sorry about the double post. Looks a bit clodpated on my part. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Hope on October 17, 2006 at 21:45:11 PT That Hemptopia link... they ought to put yellow streaks or stripes up the middle of that map of the U.S. States. [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 21:14:09 PT Prairie Wind I listen to Prairie Wind almost everyday. It helps me screw my head on straight. Thank you Neil Young.Enjoy and it's good to see you back. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by afterburner on October 17, 2006 at 21:12:11 PT FoM "I'm on my own little mission."Me, too! That's why I was anxious to get the Internet fixed -- so I can research the vote! Tonight I celebrate. Now, I can bank and email again without False Evidence Acting Real, F.E.A.R.).I feel like relaxing to Prairie Wind tonight. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Hope on October 17, 2006 at 21:05:35 PT Good Comments, All... I expect he'll get rebuked publicly.Flinging the whole subject to meth, heh? [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 20:59:18 PT afterburner I was wondering if all was ok with you. I'm sorry about the virus. I hope everything is fixed for you now. I have been spending the evening downloading the Toronto CSNY show from July. Some of the songs are really good but some seem not to finish so I am still working on it and will try again tomorrow. I really wanted to hear the concert recorded live and only now has it been available as far as I know. It is lifting my spirit and making me anxious to vote against everyone I think this November 7th. Not everyone just all republicans. I'm on my own little mission. Don't need no more lies!http://www.4waysite.com/download/mp3.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by afterburner on October 17, 2006 at 20:39:46 PT First Impressions (from the Title) What the H*** is that S***? C'mon!I'm back. After a week and a half wrestling with a very nasty stealth virus ( Dialer.Generic) .Virus scanner, *Dialer.Generic* ,Removed,File, "Source: Manual Scanner, Risk category: Dialer, Overall Risk Impact: High, Performance: High, Privacy: High, Removal: High, Stealth: High, Action taken: Removed, Description: Affected areas: 1 Additional areas: Unknown - Deleted" This stealth virus invades your computer system and then replicates itself with ever-changing copies into different copy-protected Temporary Internet Folders. The Web IP address that downloads the replicants into your system is 209.167.111.110 !!! I strongly recommend that you add this address to your Restricted Sites on the Security Tab in Internet Properties to Block It (if you use Internet Explorer)! (If you use another browser, I still recommend blocking 209.167.111.110 ). It's a vicious piece of work.&&&"I was wrong. You make mistakes and you learn better." --North of 60George W. Bush calls this flip-flopping. I call it learning."Knock me down, and I'll get back up And I'll get myself Back in the race again" --Human Race [Lyrics] by Tom Cochrane http://www.tomcochrane.com/pages/lyrics/humanrace.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 20:33:12 PT BGreen I was around Meth in the 70s. I think some of the difference is people didn't cook Meth. It came from Mexico I think. Once a person got labeled a speed freak because of Meth they were not part of the group of friends anymore. They weren't trust worthy or reliable and drifted into their own world. All of a sudden Meth started drying up and slowly I heard of this milder drug they called Cocaine and I guess some people jumped on the Coke bandwagon but it wasn't like Meth in my opinion so it wasn't any good and not worth it. I was a person who just loved being a chatty cathy. LOL! At least for a little while. It really is a drug that wears a person down fairly fast. That's the danger in my opinion. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by BGreen on October 17, 2006 at 20:09:19 PT Meth was around in the 1970's in Missouri We had meth back in the 1970's when I was in high school.Why in the world wasn't there an epidemic of meth abuse? Why weren't there meth labs? Why weren't there toothless addicts wandering around everywhere who hadn't slept for days? Why weren't families ruined by meth addiction?What in the world was different 30 years ago that prevented all of the harm associated with methamphetamine use?One thing and one thing only ... easy access to cheap cannabis. There's no other explanation.I could pick up a quarter pound of Columbian Gold for $120 or buy an ounce for $40.There was no violence, no aggression, no weapons, no negativity, just a peaceful time.If their hypothesis is correct, then the use of meth should have been more of a problem in the 1970's than it is today. History proves otherwise.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 19:50:16 PT lemonboy I just wanted to say hello. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by lemonboy on October 17, 2006 at 18:48:50 PT And the next. Wow. Police blaming meth on pot. Get a job boys.Unfortunately I think this will play well with most people. All drugs is bad, right?Though it's interesting to see what new tactics are being taken. It's obvious they (the feds) are scared shitless. I look forward to the next round, and the next, and the next. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by mayan on October 17, 2006 at 17:27:20 PT Scare Tactics Will Backfire "Many meth addicts say they started with marijuana," said Horton. "So I don't think we want Colorado to be a testing ground for new marijuana laws."Many meth addicts started with alcohol or tobacco, so what's Horton's point? That's the brilliance in Mason Tvert's strategy of comparing cannabis to alcohol. Cannabis is safer in every aspect! Everything that the prohibitionists say about cannabis can be applied to a totally legal,regulated substance. The people of Colorado will decide if Colorado is to be a testing ground for new cannabis laws. Who is "we"? Is Horton trying to speak for everyone?The fact is that Amendment 44, if passed, will free up law enforcement to focus on more dangerous substances. The people aren't going to fall for these scare tactics, which might just backfire on the fascists! [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on October 17, 2006 at 15:45:52 PT Hemptopia Good lord, is that "potiron" feature real? Or did somebody photoshop that into the side of the mountain? [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by charmed quark on October 17, 2006 at 14:56:43 PT Pulling out all the stops Do these guys actually think this sort of propaganda works or are they just going through the motions?Do most people believe this stuff? I mean, I realize there is a hard core ignorant group that actually believes cannabis is like it is portrayed in "reefer madness". This propaganda might be towards them in a sort of "get out the vote" effort.But what percentage of the USA believes cannabis is a gateway to meth? [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 17, 2006 at 14:49:48 PT Celaya and Max Flowers To make sure we win this time I'd even stick my finger in blue ink!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by ChristenMitchell on October 17, 2006 at 14:43:46 PT: 300 Million Mark Reached It is estimated that this 'Meth Gateway' story is the 300 millionth prohibitionist lie told in this country. 10's of thousands alone have been peddled in the unfree press and then have been repeated by an ignorant public. Expect many more to follow.For what its worth here in Colorado, I'll be an election judge on the 7th. I know that anyone reading this is a supporter of Amendment 44, The Colorado Reeferendum. Yard signs, shirts and stickers are available. You can contact me through my site.Win or lose, and it looks hopeful, look to Colorado for a Nevada style initiative in '08'. CANNABEM LIBEREMUS! Hemptopia - Our Greener Future [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Celaya on October 17, 2006 at 14:31:43 PT Max Flowers I've been worrying a lot about this also. From what I have read, the program that is used to committ fraud with the electronic voting machines uses an algorithm to flip a losing vote to barely winning. This is what happened in our last two presidential elections and what just happened in Mexico.Now, anytime there is an extremely close vote, fraud should be highly implicated.The best way to counter this is to have heavy exit polling. Studies have shown that exit polling is accurate. The only times they haven't come out the same as the vote is - guess when - in our last two presidential elections. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by whig on October 17, 2006 at 10:50:05 PT Sam Adams So I actually needed some sudafed a week or so ago, trying to clear up a problem with congestion in my ear and my doctor had recommended I try pseudoephedrine for 30 days before I have tubes put in.I had brought some with me from Pennsylvania, and finished that up, then my wife had gotten me a twenty day supply, but I needed just a few more to get myself over 30 days (so I could tell the doctor I had tried her suggestion).So I went to Walgreens up the street, and they actually had, on sale, a package of 5 sudafeds (24 hour kind, with both pseudoephedrine and an antihistamine combined) for two dollars. Actually I think it was a buck ninety-nine. Anyhow, it was a cheap deal, and I had to go up to the pharmacy counter and take them the little slip from the shelf, because that's how it's done now for anything with pseudoephedrine, no matter how it's combined with other things.She (the pharmacist) had to put my ID in the computer, and do a bunch of stuff which took her several minutes. Then she had to get out a pen and paper register, and write down a bunch of information, and sign the register. I also had to sign the touchpad on the computer -- same one they use for credit card authorization. This took over all about five to ten minutes of her time and mine, while a line of people is queued up behind us waiting to have their real prescriptions filled.Finally, she just pulls the package off the shelf, and hands it to me, it's literally just five pills. I said something to her about how ridiculous this all was and she agreed with me.Do you realize, for a buck ninety nine, which is probably close to a loss leader on its own, or at least probably worth well under a dollar of profit to the store on its own, this took up ten minutes of an employee's time, a high cost employee, because pharmacists are probably your highest paid staff in any pharmacy, wouldn't you think?And pissed off their customers, too.Obviously the goal here is to drive pseudoephedrine off the shelf altogether, but so many of their customers actually want it (because it really does work on congestion, and little else does), that they go through this kabuki dance for the government. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by whig on October 17, 2006 at 10:38:42 PT Studies prove (well, studies that I imagined, and did not actually perform)Most crack addicts began with drinking mother's milk. So I don't think we want this to become a testing ground for breast feeding.(Study paid for with assistance from Neo Mull Soy, makers of fine baby milk-substitute products.) [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on October 17, 2006 at 09:15:59 PT meth on the brain I wanted to write a thoughful response to this article, but strangely, after all those bong hits last night, I suddenly feel a strange compulsion to run to Walgreens to buy as many Sudafed as I can. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Max Flowers on October 17, 2006 at 09:15:07 PT Die, Diebold, Die! All I can say is, I sure hope they're not going to use "electronic voting machines" in CO when this goes to the vote. If they do, I know what will happen. If they DON'T... I think it will pass. I'll go a step further even and say that if they are going to use the crooked rigged machines, then all this discussion about it is essentially wasted energy (unless it builds a strong consensus that they can capitalize on in another way). [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by unkat27 on October 17, 2006 at 08:57:35 PT DUHHHHHHH????????????????? OMG, this guy is really a dumbed-down wacko job. I can't believe there are people like this out there actually getting press-coverage. I have just one word for a guy like this and anyone that takes him seriously."MORON" [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Celaya on October 17, 2006 at 07:40:54 PT Desperate Moves Amazing how our government is so addicted to marijuana prohibition. They are so terrified, they shout "Marijuana will make you use meth!"Hopefully, Coloradoans will be sick of this lunacy and let their "representatives" know the people have brains. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment