cannabisnews.com: Legal Pot, a Plus





Legal Pot, a Plus
Posted by CN Staff on September 25, 2007 at 19:01:30 PT
By Rachael Baldwin, Staff Writer
Source: Collegian
Oklahoma -- The legalization of marijuana would greatly impact the U.S. economy. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, website, marijuana is “America’s most valuable crop.” Marijuana crops in the United States are worth about 35.8 billion dollars per year, which is 12.5 billion more dollars per year than corn, the second most profitable crop. If taxed like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana could bring in even more money.
Marijuana sales could generate an estimated 6.2 billion dollars per year in taxes, according to Harvard professor Jeffrey Miron. Legalization of marijuana could also save law enforcement agencies an astronomical amount of money. Miron estimates that marijuana legalization could save the United States as much as 7.7 billion dollars in law enforcement costs per year. Marijuana legalization would be great for our economy, but isn’t marijuana a dangerous drug that could lead users down the hopeless road of addiction? First of all, marijuana is not physically addictive. Unlike heroin, alcohol and even tobacco and caffeine, discontinuing the use of marijuana does not produce physical withdrawal symptoms, thus one cannot be detoxed from THC, the chemical in marijuana responsible for producing the “high” in the smoker.Secondly, marijuana, if used responsibly, is safe. According to drugwarfacts.org, there are an estimated 435,000 deaths per year in the United States due to tobacco use and 85,000 deaths due to alcohol. So, how many people die every year from using marijuana? Zero. That’s right, the use of marijuana alone has not been shown to cause any deaths. Marijuana is demonized and reputed to be a “gateway drug” that leads to the use of harder drugs like heroin. Many people who sell marijuana also sell other illegal drugs.If one could purchase marijuana legally, then one would not be exposed to or offered other drugs when purchasing pot, which could reduce the risk of experimenting with hard drugs. Legalizing marijuana could actually help decrease the use of dangerous drugs by reducing exposure to them. People are always going to use illegal drugs, but many more people use marijuana than heroin, cocaine, LSD or ecstasy. Marijuana use is prevalent in the United States. According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, marijuana is one of the three most popular drugs used in America, along with alcohol and tobacco. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have used marijuana in the past year. If this many people use marijuana, why have the laws against marijuana remained the same? Times are changing. More and more people are realizing the need for marijuana law reform and decriminalization. While recent 2006 marijuana initiatives were defeated, support for them is growing. In Colorado a law to legalize marijuana was defeated 60 percent to 40 percent. In Nevada a law that not only legalized marijuana, but also set up a taxation plan, was only defeated 56 percent to 44 percent. Decriminalization and legalization of marijuana are going to happen. It will be beneficial to the economy and those who enjoy smoking, drinking, eating or vaporizing marijuana. The legalization of marijuana will mean a push for progress, not social degeneration. Source: Collegian, The (U of Tulsa, OK Edu)Author: Rachael Baldwin, Staff WriterPublished: September 25, 2007Copyright: 2007 The CollegianContact: collegian utulsa.eduWebsite: http://www.utulsa.edu/collegian/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #21 posted by The GCW on September 28, 2007 at 05:09:37 PT
Read it all.
Genesis 1The Creation11 "...Then God said, "Let the earth sprout (S)vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. ...29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=1&version=49Gen. 1:31 is actually on the 2nd page in My NASB.-0-Note:*Not just good; "very good."*Not created for just Us; "to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life..."0-0Cannabis prohibition, persecution and extermination effects other living creatures too.
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Comment #20 posted by Toker00 on September 28, 2007 at 02:54:01 PT
museman
Hey man, when is the Gathering of the Rainbows this year or have I already missed it? I could do a search, but it's more fun listening to you tell it.Toke.
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Comment #19 posted by museman on September 27, 2007 at 12:01:18 PT
GCW and Toke
Thanks for the fresh air hits.Amen bros.
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Comment #18 posted by rchandar on September 27, 2007 at 10:22:10 PT:
GCW
I like what you quoted. It is in the Bible, in Genesis; I'll look it up when I've a chance.But they're stupid, ignorant people who've condensed the issue out of serious consideration. Like that billboard sign they have in many large Southern cities: "Mankind. About that plant I made" --God. They don't even CONSIDER the passage you quoted; to them, it's easy to rewrite Biblical history to suit their needs.And everybody knows who THEY are.rchandar
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Comment #17 posted by ekim on September 27, 2007 at 08:31:05 PT
ck out stats its HUGE
Are The Facts Too Revealing? You Decide Tony Ryan 
http://blog.leap.cc/
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on September 27, 2007 at 07:45:35 PT
Press Release from The Drug Policy Alliance
Law Enforcement Maintains Marijuana Focus Despite Rise in Violent CrimeThursday, September 27, 2007According to recently released statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), marijuana arrests reached an all-time high last year. This news comes despite a rise in violent crime for the second consecutive year. Yet, last year alone, 829,625 Americans were charged with marijuana offenses according to the recently released FBI Uniform Crime Statistics. Eighty-nine percent of those charges were merely for simple possession. 
URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/092707mj.cfm
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Comment #15 posted by Toker00 on September 26, 2007 at 20:19:54 PT
The GCW
I file through the things in my mind and I pick up this piece and that and slowly I am building a belief in my soul with these pieces. They relate only to me and my belief and we all have our own pieces. I can understand now how this story has survived all these millennia. The Sun God. The Son of God. Astrology. Pagans. Christians. We're all the same as is the story of a "Christ" told through out the Ages. This Age of Pisces. Aquarius comes and this "Time Christ/Ghost" will greet us again. Each Age has it's believers and deniers in the Christ (Truth) of that Age. What will the future story of the Sun (of) God be? Will he be called Robert Christ? John Christ? Will he also be born of a virgin, have 12 Brothers or Disciples and will he also die and be resurrected after three days as all the past stories of the Sun/Son of God were? How will they construct the Story and keep it alive? I never paid attention to the relationship between Religion and Astrology. It seems our entire existence is ultimately to find the Truth in all things. Those who don't seek the Truth and who live in a world not created by Free will but by Controlled compliance, will be tested again in a new Age. Those who have and continue to seek the Truth (Christ) throughout the Ages will one day know God. Everyone will eventually make this journey to God (Good) at their own pace and in their own Age. That is why some of us seem so far behind (ANTIs) in compassion and love. Their fear of handling all that comes with seeking the Truth paralyzes them to Evil's will. To realize that they have allowed the Authority to be the Truth instead of the Truth to be the Authority must be devastating. But once you lose that Fear, the Joy of Truth fills and heals and the devastation becomes Enlightenment.  Life appears Infinite with constant beginnings and endings. What/Who will dig us up in the distant future and wonder what our purpose was on this planet? Will they see us as useless in their time as the Dinosaur would be seen in ours? Or will Humanity survive extinction and marvel at it's own past in a new Age as it continues to seek the Truth, the "Christ"?The GCW, you are a Beacon. Shine on.Toke.  
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Comment #14 posted by The GCW on September 26, 2007 at 18:50:56 PT
Pray for truth and You will receive.
Toker00,There is so much to be said about cannabis and its connections to the Bible & Bible History.I learned some things about cannabis through prayer. We have the ability to pray and ask God / Christ God Our Father / The Ecologician, to forgive Us for Our sins (so He faces Us) and then thank Him for that remarkable blessing. Then We can ask Him to show Us the truth as He wishes for Us to know it and know it so clearly that We can help other people under stand it so clearly that they can help others know too.Ask for God to show Us if cannabis is bad or good according to the Creator. He then does exactly that. This process is explained among other places in the Bible in John 14-16 and 1 John. Christ explains that when We love one another We are in fact obeying all the Commandments and in so doing He will teach Us all things, give Us the new teacher, the additional helper, the spirit of truth. That system He created allows Him to put His mind on the tip of Our mind.-0-In the various translations of the Bible, the 5 mistranslated places where kaneh bosm occurs is now inconsistent and even inconsistent with in each version.Those 5 mistranslations are in Exodus 30:23, Song of Solomon 4:14, Isaiah 43:24, Jeremiah 6:20 and Ezekiel 27:19. Jeremiah’s in the Living Bible uses the term “sweet incense.” Through Bible study with the Creator Professor, He has shown Me that cannabis prohibition is Biblically labeled, “Sin of the Priests,” as subtitled in the New American Standard Bible’s Malachi 1:6-14.  That is significant because it is clergy who tried to tell Me that cannabis is bad and its use will keep Me from having a relationship with God; So it was then that I decided to find the truth from the Source. By praying to the source for the truth and reaching to Him He has shown Me how clergy in fact is filthy when they indicate cannabis / the table of the Lord is defiled, or its food is to be despised etc.After all it was He who said He created all the seed bearing plants and said they are all good on literally the very 1st page of the Bible.If evil powers were to try and separate humans from the spirit of truth, evil would want to do so starting on the very 1st page of the Bible; not the middle… Cannabis prohibition has the support of many many (disobedient) Christians and with that support, it causes them to stumble starting on the very 1st page. That’s significant because by the time those disobedient Christians get to page 3 of the Bible where there is discourse about killing / murder, that is Cain & Abel… they are lost.The same clergy that told Me cannabis is bad preaches from the pulpit to support war and the war in Iraq and capitol punishment etc.  – The spirit of truth is unavailable to that type of person according to Christ Himself in those John 14-16 and 1 John passages yet that clergy member thinks He is right on.You can not love one another and cage them for using what God says is good and if You do such evil then by time You get to the lessons of killing / murder You don’t have a chance.0-0Further studies have shown Me cannabis is the tree of life and the very last page of the Bible indicates the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. Rev. 2:7, indicates, “… to him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”-0-Cannabis may be used as a sacrament; John the Baptist indicated He baptizes with water but later He who is coming will baptize with fire and the holy spirit.Toker00, You are the choir.There is so much to say and You say it well but it is hard for Us to say it all because there is so much. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have the energy to keep saying some of it but We must out of Love for Our Father.-0-0-The process the Bible teaches Us helps Us understand How We can become Christs Ourselves when it says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go the the Father." -see John 14:12.When He puts His mind in Our mind and We put Our mind in His mind, He is in Us and We are in Him; We are ONE.And that's the plan.0-0-0To readers who want to know the truth, I say clearly, pray to Him who gave Us You and it, to be shown the truth and You will receive. I promise.Toker00 and I and others know something but We do not know it all; when You find more, help Us know too. Help Us all.The Green Collar Worker
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Comment #13 posted by mayan on September 26, 2007 at 18:22:08 PT
2 Killers & 1 Healer
Marijuana use is prevalent in the United States. According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, marijuana is one of the three most popular drugs used in America, along with alcohol and tobacco.Alcohol kills. Tobacco kills.CANNABIS HEALS!!! THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...The Elephant In The Room: Kevin McPadden, 9/11-1st Responder (video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STbD9XMCOho&eurl=9/11 Truth Hits Progressive Prime Time:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070925233911228Prof. Peter Dale Scott publishes: "9/11 Commission Deception, Cheney’s Actions on 9/11, and Why He Should Testify Under Oath":
http://911blogger.com/node/11657Next Step to 9/11 Justice: 
http://mujca.com/hirschhorn.htmGoogle Doesn't Like 911truth.org:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070922008147329/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on September 26, 2007 at 16:59:30 PT
Let's fight with a little Ancient Bible History...
Most of you know this history but here it is again in case you want to share it or in case a new-by or two wants proof that Cannabis has historically been medicine from the beginning. Hopefully the person who sent this to me is as informed as I think they are. Let me know if any mistakes exist in this analysis.Marijuana in the Holy Oil? 
mfgersource Submits- " 
by Terry Winger
Was there marijuana in the anointing oil as described in exodus 30:23?The original Hebrew for calamus, is Kaneh-bosem or Qaneh (Kaw-naw) Bosem. Some translations have this as fragrant cane or aromatic cane. Some researchers have argued that this is actually Sweet Cane or Sugar Cane, although the term sweet does not occur in the original manuscripts. Kaneh-Bos sounds remarkably close to the modern day word Cannabis. Could it be that cannabis was the plant given by God to be used in the Holy Anointing Oil?Cannabis has certainly been cultivated since the beginning of recorded history. Its uses for rope, sails and rigging into ancient times are well documented. Imagine the amount of cannabis rope it would have taken to construct the Temple of Solomon. What other way was there to construct ropes at that time, which could lift the weights of not only the Temple of Solomon, but in fact, the Pyramids themselves. Cannabis was thought to be an Indo-European word specifically of Scythian Origin. The Scythians were largely responsible for the spread of cannabis into Europe. The Scythe, was an invention of the Scythians, used for the harvest of cannabis. This has come to us in the legends of the Grim Reape. Herodotus, an early Greek ethnographer, in the 5th Century BC wrote of the Scythians and their use of cannabis. The Scythians as they were known by the Greeks, were known, by the Semites as the Ashkenaz. Among the earliest references to Ashkenaz people is found in Genesis 10:3 where Ashkenaz was listed as the son of Gomer, the great Grandson of Noah. The Sythians lived around and traded with the Semites at least as early as 600 BC. Zoroaster the prophet of the Ancient Magi, whose kings followed the Star of Bethlehem based on the ancient prophesies, used a drink called Haoma which has been documented to contain cannabis. As early as 1925 experts have argued that, both the Assyrians and the Babylonians, used Cannabis in their temple incense, Circa 500 BC. In 1993, the Albany New York Times Union reported, that the first physical evidence that Marijuana was used as a medicine in the ancient Mideast, was found. The Israeli scientists found residue of marijuana along with the skeleton of a girl who had died 1600 years before. In this press release, researchers from the Hebrew University, stated that references to marijuana as a medicine are seen as far back as 1,600 BC in Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek, and Roman Writings. If you actually buy the Calamus translation for the Holy Oil, then you assume that God specified in Exodus 30:23 a drug commonly known as Ecstasy. Calamus contains an ingredient called aserone. This is a hallucinogen which is metabolized in the liver as trimethoxyamphetami ne or ecstasy. The Middle Eastern version of this plant is far more toxic than it`s North American Cousin. This is deadly to flies and other insects.The Exodus 30:23 reference refers to sweet Calamus. If you look at this in the Strongs concordance where they spell this as qaneh rather than kaneh, they pronounce this as Kaw-Naw, a reed, calamus, and cane are listed as possible translations. The term sweet used in Exodus 30:23 in Hebrew is Bosem. According to the Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary, Bosem is perfume; scent. The Concordance: the Hebrew is Bosem #1314, fragrance, by impl. spicery; also the balsam plant:----smell, spice, sweet (odour). In some Bibles sweet calamus is translated as aromatic or fragrant Cane. It is where the bosem is fused to the word kaneh or qaneh that the cannabis translation becomes apparent. So then to pronounce this we have kaw-naw-bosem, and is spelled in English qaneh-bosem or kaneh-bosem.In 1936, Sara Benetowa, later Known as Sula Benet, an etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences, in Warsaw wrote a treatise, "Tracing One Word Through Different Languages." This was a study on the word Cannabis, based on a study of the oldest Hebrew texts. Although the word cannabis was thought to be of Scythian origin, Benet's research showed it had an earlier root in the Semitic Languages such as Hebrew. Benet demonstrated that the ancient Hebrew word for Cannabis is Kaneh -Bosem. She also did another study called Early Diffusion and Folk Uses of Hemp. There is a reprint of this in Cannabis and Culture ISBN:90-279- 7669-4. On page 44, she states, "The sacred character of hemp in biblical times is evident from Exodus 30:23, where Moses was instructed by God to anoint the meeting tent and all of its furnishings with specially prepared oil, containing hemp." On page 41 Sula Benet writes: In the course of time, the two words kaneh and bosem were fused into one , kanabos or kannabus know to us from the Mishna. According to the Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary, page 607 the Hebrew for hemp is kanabos. Sara Benetowa discovered that the Kaneh-Bosm or Cannabis is mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament. The first occurrence appears in the Holy Anointing Oil as Calamus, (Exodus 30:23). Sara argued that the translation of Calamus was a mistranslation which occurred in the oldest Bible the Septuagint and the mistranslation was copied in later versions.Cheers
Terry Winger
Producer of "The Fire Baptism and the Lost Sacraments" Toke.
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Comment #11 posted by fight_4_freedom on September 26, 2007 at 14:28:30 PT:
myspace bulletin from MPP
I just hope those feds know that while they are busy raiding these clubs out in Cali, we here in Michigan are fighting right back with every person we make aware, with every person we educate, and most importantly, with each and every signature we get. We must not back down.WWW.STOPARRESTINGPATIENTS.ORGDear Friends of MPP:Right now, the DEA is currently raiding the River City Patient Center in Sacramento, California — the longest established medical marijuana dispensary in the city. Protesters have gathered outside the building in support of the collective.And yesterday, the DEA began threatening landlords in the Santa Barbara area who lease space to medical marijuana dispensaries — activity that’s legal under California state law — with federal prison time and forfeiture of their properties. Several dispensaries closed right away.This follows a similar move in Los Angeles in July — a maneuver that was condemned in a Los Angeles Times editorial as "a deplorable new bullying tactic."No matter what state you live in, will you please take a few minutes to write all three of your members of Congress to protest this federal interference in state law? MPP’s action center is easy to use: You can send one of our pre-drafted letters, or you can personalize the letter.This is just the latest in the campaign of terror the DEA is waging on the sick. In June and July, the DEA conducted extensive medical marijuana raids in several California counties and in Oregon, including raids on at least 10 Los Angeles clinics in late July. Most were aimed at medical marijuana dispensaries operating legally under state and local laws, and in several cases the DEA detained and terrorized individual patients.If this outrages you like it does me, would you help MPP hire a new grassroots organizer in California, as well as to retain a lobbyist to help push legislation in Sacramento to protect these dispensaries? If enough supporters on this e-mail list donate today, MPP will be able to fully pay for both positions.These reprehensible DEA attacks — which run counter to state law, as well as the 78% of the American people who support "making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering" — are preventing effective local regulation of medical marijuana: Cities and counties in California are passing ordinances to ensure that medical marijuana dispensaries follow the law and serve patients properly. But by treating all who provide medical marijuana to the sick as common drug dealers, the DEA has become the single largest obstacle to effective regulation of these establishments.A major Los Angeles raid actually occurred at the exact moment that members of the city council were holding a press conference to discuss an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana providers.Local officials and major newspapers are outraged by the DEA's actions. After the July raids in Los Angeles, L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine — a Republican and former police officer with the L.A. Police Department — said, "I am greatly disturbed that the Drug Enforcement Administration would initiate an enforcement action against medical marijuana facilities in the City of Los Angeles during a news conference regarding City Council support of an Interim Control Ordinance to regulate all facilities within the City. This action by the DEA is
contrary to the vote of Californians who overwhelmingly voted to support medicinal marijuana use by those facing serious and life threatening illnesses. The DEA needs to focus their attention and enforcement action on the illegal drug dealers who are terrorizing communities in Los Angeles."After a series of DEA medical marijuana raids in San Francisco, the city's health director, Dr. Mitchell Katz, wrote to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, "These actions have resulted in 4,000 persons with chronic illness left without access to critical treatment upon which they rely. Certainly in this post-September 11 environment, it seems that a DEA priority punishing organizations for distributing cannabis for medical purposes to chronically ill individuals is misplaced."Would you help us fight back against the DEA's deplorable attacks on sick patients? Please write your three members of Congress now, and then consider making a donation to MPP today.Sincerely,Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
pre-written message
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 26, 2007 at 13:19:51 PT
rchandar 
How much should an ounce cost when it is legal? They really tax cigarettes and it is hard to afford them. Not everyone can or wants to quit. I hope they don't do the same thing with cannabis when the time comes. Do they tax alcohol as harshly as cigarettes I wonder. 
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 26, 2007 at 13:17:11 PT
Feds Bust Sacramento Pot Dispensary
http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=33194
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Comment #8 posted by rchandar on September 26, 2007 at 13:11:25 PT:
Legalization
Listen. The best thing that could happen is that the government would come to realize that it could make a f#$kload of money from regulating and taxing MJ. I personally would have no problem with a well-distributed government monopoly, provided that they could solicit growers with real expertise. I figure that such a system could produce for the USG $100 billion, annually. Plus, they could make a better effort at running outpatient treatments for people who did want to quit. That's the big issue, I think. Always in life, people come around to an idea when THEY have something to do with it. There's just no moral question anymore because everyone's seen politicians do hugely immoral things (like Craig, the "great Sodomizer"). Anyways, some of you would oppose my idea, but I think it'd work.rchandar
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Comment #7 posted by akira- on September 26, 2007 at 11:39:21 PT:
yeah....
..if only this was put on the News everywhere in the U.S. so people can read it.. could change a massive amount of peoples minds about marijuana and tons more?..
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 26, 2007 at 09:05:47 PT
Truth
Excellent point. What do you and others think will be the bottom line price when cannabis is legal? An ounce of Ephedra when it was legal was $3.50. I think SJW was not much more then that per ounce. 
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Comment #5 posted by Truth on September 26, 2007 at 08:48:50 PT
but...
These folks that quote how much we can take in from taxes do it on the inflated/prohibition price of cannabis. The price will plummet when prohibition is lifted. Sure, there will be tax revenue but let's figure out the honest amount, not quoate an inflated, unreal amount.
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on September 26, 2007 at 08:26:19 PT
last night on the history ch
it talked about keeping things cold.
one seg was about saving seeds.
seems that our biggest seed bank is in CO. in deep freeze, 
with back up in Norway. the story went on to say that 
it is feared that by 2050 1 out of 10 plants will not be with us-- the piece did not say why we are loosing so many.if this is true - 
please Norml find out why-plants are going extinc.
if Cannabis will be one of the surivors speak NOW.Use the 2004 NREL National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden Co. award for cutting in half the cost of the little microbs needed to breakdown cellulose into sugars so they can be processed into ethanol and other needed industral products to take the place of oil that can be saved for other uses.See cannabisnews story on CA Hemp bill and my comments.UK: Prince Charles Opens Cannabis GardenURL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1102/a01.html 
http://blog.leap.cc/
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Comment #3 posted by fight_4_freedom on September 25, 2007 at 20:49:41 PT:
Random Drug Testing at Schools
Newshawk: Educators For Sensible Drug Policy: http://www.efsdp.org
Pubdate: Tue, 25 Sep 2007
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Webpage: 
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070925/OPINION01/709250425/1008
Copyright: 2007, The Detroit News
Contact: letters detnews.com
Website: http://detnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Jennifer KernJUST SAY NO TO RANDOM STUDENT DRUG TESTINGThe Office of National Drug Control Policy is hosting the fifth 
regional summit of 2007 in Detroit, which is designed to persuade 
local educators and politicians to implement across-the-board random, 
suspicionless student drug testing. The Bush administration is 
selling a seductive premise: If you test students, they will finally, 
at long last, "just say no" to illegal drugs (or face being caught by a
 test).While the simplicity of this theory can be appealing, this unproven 
policy actually runs counter to well-established principles of how 
educators and parents can best promote healthy choices among 
adolescents, particularly those most "at risk."Students, educators and concerned citizens will attend the summit in 
Detroit to provide educators with important missing information they 
need to critically access a policy that is costly, intrusive and 
potentially harmful to students.Discussion of the scientific research evaluating random student drug 
testing will be conspicuously absent from the presentations of this 
government summit. For example, in March 2007, the American Academy 
of Pediatrics published a policy statement holding, "there is little 
evidence of the effectiveness of school-based drug testing in the 
scientific literature." In fact, researchers at the University of 
Michigan conducted the largest study on the topic to date, which 
compared 94,000 students in 900 American schools with and without a 
drug testing program, and found virtually no difference in illegal drug
 use.Additionally, the federal office has yet again failed to invite 
representatives from the Association of Addiction Professionals, the 
National Education Association or the National Association of Social 
Workers to the summit so they could discuss their concerns: that 
these programs break down relationships of trust between students and 
adults, hinder open communication, contribute to a hostile school 
environment, and generally undermine the very protective factors that 
have been shown to help keep young people stay connected to school 
and out of trouble with drugsUrine testing risks deterring students who refuse to consent from 
extracurricular activities based on principle, fear of humiliation or 
a desire to avoid detection. Of particular concern are students at 
the "margins" who have much to gain from participating in 
extracurricular activities. Erecting obstacles to their participation 
carries even greater risks of harm. The programs also punish those 
who test positive by suspending them from after-school activities.While summit presenters insist the programs are non-punitive, they in 
fact rely on the threat of removing students from the very activities 
proven most effective in keeping them supervised and connected from 3 
p.m. to 6 p.m. -- peak drug taking hours for teens. If that's not 
punishment, what is?Drug testing, in fact, provides limited information about student 
drug use. The standard five panel test has a short window of 
detection for most drugs other than marijuana and reveals nothing 
about alcohol, tobacco, Ecstasy, OxyContin or inhalants. Each drug 
added to the standard test ratchets up the cost and few schools can 
afford the gold standards of certified laboratories.Testing may trigger oppositional behavior -- such as trying to "beat" 
the test. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns mandatory testing 
may inadvertently encourage more students to abuse alcohol -- is not 
included in many standard testing panels -- or may motivate some 
drug-involved adolescents to switch to harder drug that leave the 
system quickly.Drug testing is an imperfect procedure that introduces a plethora of 
problems regarding false positives, false negatives, specimen 
collection, chain of custody and storage. Schools must ask students 
to disclose their private medical information regarding their 
prescription medications to control for false positives. While 
promises of confidentiality are touted, when programs pull a student 
from class for testing and then suddenly suspend them from the team, 
it is not difficult for other students and teachers to figure out test
 results.I urge Michigan educators to do their own research before accepting 
the promises of random student drug testing.Districts in other parts of the country have learned the hard way. 
After five years the Janesville School District in Wisconsin 
abandoned their random drug testing program with a $20,000 annual 
price tag because it failed to reduce drug use among students, 
particularly binge drinking. The Dublin School District in Ohio 
abandoned their $35,000 drug testing program and instead hired two 
full time substance abuse counselors. Join educators across the 
country and "just say no" to across-the-board random student drug
 testing.
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on September 25, 2007 at 19:21:18 PT
whew!
I hope most people are closer to this viewpoint Rev!
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Comment #1 posted by RevRayGreen on September 25, 2007 at 19:06:08 PT
AHHHH.....I knew there was a voice of reason
from land that was the 'Trail of Tears'........
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