cannabisnews.com: Smoke Screen










  Smoke Screen

Posted by CN Staff on December 07, 2007 at 12:13:52 PT
By Te-Ping Chen, Brown University 
Source: Campus Progress 

Massachusetts -- Lyle Craker never wanted to pick a fight. For the past 25 years, the snowy-haired, soft-spoken professor of plants, soils, and insect sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has studied such innocuous topics as the growth of rosemary and sage. The author of publications like Herb Gardens in America: A Visitor’s Guide, he’s not the sort of man who usually seeks out controversy. Today, however, Craker has found himself at the forefront of one of the most politicized disputes in science: the battle over the study of medical marijuana.
As someone with a longstanding affection for herbs, Craker has always been intrigued by marijuana’s medicinal potential. In 2001, Craker filed a request with the Drug Enforcement Administration to grow research-grade marijuana for privately funded studies of the plant. What he didn’t expect was that it would take three years of delays—and finally, a court ruling ordering the DEA to take action on his application—to even get a response. Or that when the answer would finally come, the DEA would reject his application, declaring it was “not in the public interest” to approve it. The DEA’s decision should come as no surprise. Thanks to strict government regulation, marijuana is harder for researchers to obtain than more dangerous substances, including heroin and LSD. Even as medical marijuana’s benefits have been documented in recent studies and touted in publications such as the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, the government has refused to ease its restrictions. Some researchers have accused the Bush administration of deliberately road-blocking research. The government, the researchers argue, fears that a broader acceptance of medical marijuana could pave the way for the full-blown legalization of the recreational drug. If the researchers’ accusations are true, it wouldn’t be the first time the Bush administration has been caught trumping politics over science. In 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report endorsed by 48 Nobel Laureates accusing the administration of an “unprecedented” level of manipulation of the science behind issues such as global warming and nuclear power. Last year, NASA’s top climate expert told The New York Times that the administration pressured him to suppress his research on climate change. Meanwhile, the Bush administration’s insistent opposition to comprehensive sex education, embryonic stem-cell research, and the morning-after pill continues to rankle science advocacy groups.The government, however, insists that its views on marijuana are informed only by science. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration released a statement concluding that “no sound scientific studies” exist to support the medical use of marijuana. In a House hearing this summer, the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s David Murray dubbed medical marijuana backers “modern-day snake oil proponents” and called doctors’ recommendations that patients smoke marijuana “medieval at best.” ONDCP spokesman Tom Riley accuses advocates of using medical marijuana as a back-door attempt to pave the way for broader efforts to legalization the drug. “Activists are trying to pull a fast one on the public,” Riley said. “It’s a sympathetic storyline, but something’s fishy here.” The government’s concern is a reaction to the growing political momentum behind the medical marijuana movement: California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, and 11 other states have since followed suit. To counter these developments, the Bush administration has argued that its policies supercede state laws. Backed by the 2005 Supreme Court case Raich v. Gonzalez, which affirmed that the federal government can ban medical marijuana even when individual states have legalized it, the Bush administration has aggressively prosecuted cases in which the defendants’ actions were legal under state but not federal law.Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Drug Policy Alliance, agrees that the legalization of medical marijuana could impact the government’s broader drug policies. “Americans are profoundly scared of drugs,” Nadelmann said, “but marijuana is the exception to that rule.” The ONDCP estimates nearly 98 million Americans have used the drug at least once, and a late 2005 Gallup poll found that 78 percent of Americans support medical marijuana’s legalization. Nadelmann says the government’s resistance stems from fear over how medical marijuana could undermine the credibility of the broader U.S. war on drugs, which annually absorbs an estimated $40 billion in federal spending.But Craker and other advocates of medical marijuana research maintain that they have no ulterior motives and want to study marijuana only to gauge its medical effectiveness. “If there’s a chance the drug can help people who are ill, surely we want more clinical trials to be run,” Craker said. Recent studies confirm what many patients say they’ve known for years: Marijuana does have medical potential. Last February, University of California-San Francisco researcher Donald Abrams published a groundbreaking study in the journal Neurology that demonstrated marijuana’s benefits for patients suffering from HIV-related pain. This summer, Columbia University researchers published clinical trial data concluding that among other benefits smoked marijuana improved the appetites of HIV patients. Last month, a placebo-controlled University of California-San Diego study, slated for publication in this month’s Anesthesiology, found that moderate doses of smoked cannabis significantly relieve neuropathic pain. And back in 1999, a review conducted by the Institute of Medicine and published by the National Academy of Science concluded that while smoking marijuana has health downsides, marijuana-derived drugs “might offer broad spectrum relief not found in any other single medication” for AIDS patients and individuals undergoing chemotherapy.To Abrams, the DEA’s opposition to marijuana is pure calculation. “My study only confirmed what people have known for thousands of years,” he said, noting that until 1943, marijuana was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia and considered a legitimate drug. “If you try and understand the politics at work here, it’s pretty frustrating.”Nevertheless, the federal government continues to downplay such evidence. Under the 1970 Controlled Substance Act, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I drug, which means it is considered extremely dangerous and without medical value. Although all other Schedule I drugs—including heroin and LSD—can be legally manufactured in private laboratories for research, growth of marijuana for scientific purposes is prohibited. Currently, the only supplies of marijuana available to researchers are cultivated at the University of Mississippi and controlled by the federal National Institute of Drug Abuse, or NIDA. And these supplies are very difficult to come by.Abrams learned this the hard way. He says NIDA opposed his research for the better part of a decade before finally giving him permission to proceed. A letter Abrams submitted to NIDA in 1995 declared the institute’s delays were the “worst of [his] career” and “unheard of, even in the most cumbersome of government bureaucracies.”A court decision handed down last February bolsters Abrams’s case. According to a ruling made by Department of Justice-appointed administrative law judge Mary Ellen Bittner, the DEA is wrongly blocking further research into the medical benefits of marijuana. Bittner’s opinion, presented in an 87-page report (PDF) reviewing an exhaustive series of testimonials, including one by Craker, found that the DEA has repeatedly refused to supply marijuana for studies that aim to develop marijuana as a prescription drug. Bittner recommended that the DEA revisit and approve Craker’s application to establish a new center for the growth of research marijuana. The ruling, however, is non-binding, and the DEA has no deadline stipulating when the agency must accept or reject it.Nevertheless, the political landscape shows promise for Craker and his colleagues. This September, Reps. John Olver (D-MA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) presented a bipartisan letter signed by 45 members of the House of Representatives to the DEA urging the agency to end the obstruction of research aimed at developing marijuana as a prescription medicine. An array of other organizations is also backing Craker’s application, including the National Association for Public Health Policy, the National Lawyers Guild, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. To be sure, smoking anything can damage an individual’s lungs, which is why organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association oppose medical marijuana’s legalization. The AMA, however, does support the development of alternate delivery systems for marijuana. But for end-stage cancer or AIDS patients struggling to cope with crippling levels of pain, the prospect of relief is likely to outweigh potential health risks from smoking. Just ask Elvy Musikka, a 68-year-old glaucoma patient from Eugene, Oregon. For the past 19 years, she’s received medical marijuana to treat her disease directly from one unexpected supplier: Uncle Sam. In 1988, the FDA established the Investigational New Drug program, which began distributing marijuana to a limited number of patients. Musikka, who was left blind after surgery on her right eye that year, was eager to sign on. While the initiative was shut down in 1991 by President George Bush, patients who were already enrolled in the program were allowed to stay on. So every year Musikka receives up to 4,800 government-issued joints. Musikka argues that the government’s stance on medical marijuana is “wacko” and the “epitome of hypocrisy.” Patients across the country are “being criminalized and denied their constitutional right to self-preservation and survival,” she said. “The law will continue to be broken by those who have the need to break it,” she added, citing the cases of seniors she knows who use the drug to treat pain associated with cancer and arthritis.Meanwhile, Craker continues to wait for the DEA to re-review his application—though he’s not holding his breath. “It’s hard for politicians to say they’ve made mistakes” he said. “I just want a fair trial.” Te-Ping Chen is a senior at Brown University.Note: When it comes to medical marijuana, the government is trumping politics over science. Source: Campus Progress (DC)Author: Te-Ping Chen, Brown UniversityPublished: December 7, 2007Copyright: 2007 Campus Progress, Center for American Progress Website: http://campusprogress.org/Contact: editor campusprogress.orgRelated Articles & Web Site:MAPShttp://www.maps.org/Researchers Press DEA To Let Them Grow http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23002.shtmlMarijuana Research Should Not Be Hamperedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22993.shtmlFDA Dubious Over Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22957.shtml

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Comment #40 posted by FoM on December 14, 2007 at 10:50:36 PT
Hope
We don't have any mice or rats here and I'm happy for that. The 9 or more outside cats we have has kept them away. When we had the walls torn down we found no evidence of any rodents which made me very happy. We had plenty of dead lady bugs in some of the walls. I really dislike mice and rats.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on December 14, 2007 at 10:46:35 PT
Hope
I hope it or they are outside. 
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Comment #38 posted by Hope on December 14, 2007 at 10:31:14 PT
Dang
I just heard what sounded like a critter bump into something in the kitchen.:0(I suspect it's a rat or a large pregnant mouse.
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on December 14, 2007 at 10:26:39 PT
Anyway
Immediately after my epiphinay, I rounded those things up...and got them outside.I abused a plant. They are pretty tough... so they'll likely survive.But... I actually abused a plant. I ripped the pots off... heavy leather gloves on. It was dark outside and the light wasn't that good... so I rolled them and kicked them around and beat them against the boards of the porch and knocked any loose stuff out of them I could. I didn't see anything that appeared to be alive come out of them. I peeled back some Spanish moss that were in a couple of them. Nothing scurried or squirmed.Then I got up again and searched and abused them some more this morning. I've repotted them since then, but they'll likely stay outside until I set them in the ground.I can't believe I was so stupid. They are so large and so dense and so .... critter friendly.They were on sale for half price. They were beautiful. I wanted to go back and get some more. I wanted to give them as gifts, too. They were lovely.And as I've thought about it... it seems to me like the employees were antsy and wanted to stay as far away from those plants as they could get. Really.And I have to think, that because people cook with Rosemary leaves, that they were likely not poisoned or fumigated in any way.Yup. I'm watching. But like I said, I am relieved that they came from California and not South America. !!!
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on December 14, 2007 at 10:15:22 PT
   No
But I'm watching for them. I may have actually heard them in the last few days.:0(And my car!I'm afraid to get in it, now.Whatever it is, it had to be large enough and make sounds that would interest a cat to the point that he did what he did. He's been around here for some time and he's never done anything destructive before.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on December 14, 2007 at 09:35:59 PT
Hope
Did you find any of the critters? 
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on December 14, 2007 at 08:48:56 PT
Tiny Holiday Horror Story! OT, of course.
Well, it may not be so off topic. It's THINGS in the house that aren't supposed to be in the house.A few days ago I bought two large, lovely, fragrant rosemary trees. They were in large plastic pots and no saucers. I asked the cashier for an extra sack for each plant and I put each plant in a sack and tied it around the pot and set the pots in the floor boards of my car behind the front seats. I continued shopping for several more hours. It was a warm, wet day.When I got home, I set the trees on the back porch. I left them out there overnight.When I checked on the trees the next day, I noticed the plastic sacks I had put around them were shredded. Even one branch was torn off with it's tag, and one tree was turned over.There is a big, old, wizened, sleek, tom cat that eats here as well as the mama dog I told you about. The big grey, short haired, tabby striped feline, that I believe is male because he is so large, IS some sort of mountain lion... no matter that he's only a couple of feet long...without his long tail, The Republican and I have watched and admired him for that several times.I looked at the shredded sacks around the pots and I knew a cat had done it. Hmmm. I thought. He must be frustrated with me for not putting anything out for him last night.I told my husband about it.I brought the trees in. The dense potted plants were beautiful and smelled wonderful. The two big trees along with two small topiaries were distributed at various places all over the house.I put one in my bedroom. They smelled so good and fresh.Yesterday was a rushed, busy day and in the calm of the late evening... eight or nine in the evening.... I stood admiring one of the trees, considering decorating them.The cat was on the back porch last night. He's never let me touch him or get too near him and that's ok with me. I was looking at him and he sat there observing me. He was looking me in the eyes. Watching me closely, cat like... of course.I turned away from him and went about my business, and later, found myself, again, admiring the trees.One tree appeared to be crooked. I thought, I know that tree was straight when I bought it. Several times I passed and looked at it and even stopped and considered it. The last time I did that... I looked at that tree, in my house, that, in fact, had been in my house for two or more days and nights ... and had an epiphany. I knew why the cat had shredded the sacks, turned one over, and torn off a branch.Aaaargh.I probably poisoned myself with all the bug spray I distributed after I got the plants out side and out of their pots.There's room in those plants for an assortment of creatures of different sizes and configurations, to hide or live. Centipede, scorpion, bug, spider, tarantula, snake, mouse, or rat. I was glad I hadn't bought any poinsettias. I was also glad to read they were grown in Big C and not Brazil.
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on December 13, 2007 at 13:11:04 PT
Hope
I hate that too! LOL! It's makes me thing of a song that goes something like this:I don't like spiders and snakes LOL!
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Comment #32 posted by Hope on December 13, 2007 at 13:04:12 PT
Firewood and changing weather...
Same problem here. I hate bringing in wood from the wood pile with all sorts of eggs and vermin in it.... then not get it burnt because it turned warm and stuff starts hatching. !!!!
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on December 12, 2007 at 11:51:32 PT

Hope
I think that my nephew, since he has a terminal disease, isn't worried because why worry? I hope he gets home safely and your family too. The weather is really bizarre here too. I have to get in firewood because the temperature has dropped but yesterday the house got so hot we had to open the windows and let some heat out. 
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Comment #30 posted by Hope on December 12, 2007 at 11:38:43 PT

It's always been drastically changable here...
It was very warm here yesterday... though wet and cloudy and misty. We've had a lot of fog for some time now.I have had military family over in Iraq...but right now, as far as I know... I only have these two who are now civilians. Yes, they know the risks.... as well as anyone can unless something happens. I pray they'll be safe, too.
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on December 12, 2007 at 11:32:00 PT

Hope
I'll say a prayer for you relatives that are over there. My nephew knew the risk so if something happens he won't complain. It was 66 degrees here yesterday. We have a little snow left and the grass is so green. I am amazed when someone says there is no such things as climate change. Our weather changes about as often as the stock market goes up and down.
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on December 12, 2007 at 11:22:25 PT

It's good chili
weather here.Brrrr. It's cold and wet.
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on December 12, 2007 at 11:21:19 PT

I add an amen to that prayer for your nephew.
My brother in law and a son in law are over there, too. 
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on December 12, 2007 at 10:05:39 PT

Hope
I was kidding about the chili. I was making Stick something to eat before he left but in reality we are headed for a serious slow down based on how steel has been going for a number of months. It might take a year or two to see the effects everywhere but it isn't going to be easy for anyone soon. I hope my nephew can get out of Iraq safely with all the bombing going on. I pray for his safety. 
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on December 12, 2007 at 09:23:08 PT

Hope
Stick is leaving soon and I think the weather will be ok now luckily but one thing that we have noticed is the freight has slowed to a crawl. Stick hauls steel and when steel production goes down our economy is definitely in trouble. Now I am calling up in my mind how we all survived the 70s. So far chili is my answer. LOL!
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on December 12, 2007 at 09:12:29 PT

Worrying
I don't blame you. 
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on December 11, 2007 at 08:57:51 PT

Hope
This is a busy time for most of us. Today it's the weather and fog and driving in it. I get nervous when Stick must go to Chicago in this mess. He won't leave until tomorrow so hopefully the weather will get a little better. My nephew is coming home any day from Iraq and we are looking forward to seeing him and finding out how things are going over there. He can't have a cell phone so we really don't know how he feels about working over there. Enjoy the holidays. We are doing our best. LOL!
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on December 11, 2007 at 08:19:16 PT

FoM
You're sweet. I don't feel ignored. Just doing the best I can with so much to do. I hope we all have a blessed and joyous holiday season."It is His will that we should have joy." Or something like that... so I want His will to be done... and I'm thankful for all and any of the joy that comes my way."Peace on Earth. Good will toward men."
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on December 08, 2007 at 14:47:07 PT

fight_4_freedom 
Thank you for the ASA article. That is very good news.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on December 08, 2007 at 14:45:48 PT

fight_4_freedom 
It's a good day to stay inside here too. We need to take time for ourselves. If we don't it isn't healthy.
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Comment #19 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 08, 2007 at 13:42:33 PT:

Here's a letter from ASA 
Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers
Opposes DEA Tactics
Pledges to Question DEA During Oversight Hearings Dear Friend, As many of you know, DEA recently launched an entirely new tactic in their continued efforts to undermine the effective implementation of medical marijuana laws in California. They have sent hundreds of letters threatening prosecution and asset forfeiture against property owners who rent to legal medical cannabis collectives – a strategy that could have ramifications for medical marijuana programs nationwide.
ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson has been talking to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers’ (D-MI) staff and other Democratic leadership to encourage them to oppose these tactics and stand up for patients in states where medical cannabis is legal. Today, Chairman Conyers issued at a statement saying:
“I am deeply concerned about recent reports that the Drug
Enforcement Administration is threatening private landlords with asset forfeiture and possible imprisonment if they refuse to evict organizations legally dispensing medical marijuana to suffering patients. The Committee has already questioned the DEA about its efforts to undermine California
 state law on this subject, and we intend to sharply question this specific tactic as part of our oversight efforts.” In conjunction with more than fifty raids at medical cannabis collectives in California this year, the asset forfeiture threats against property owners represent the most serious challenge to patients’ access in the United States today. Conyers’ support signals the first significant Congressional opposition to the DEA’s attempted end run around voters and state lawmakers.ASA welcomes this statement and we look forward to working with Chairman Conyers to finally end DEA interference in state medical marijuana laws. Congratulations to the hundreds of ASA members who helped put grassroots strength behind our work! Keep your eyes open for an Action Alert next week to put even more support behind Conyers' initiative, and visit www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/Donate to make a contribution to support our effective advocacy today.
Thank you,
Steph Sherer 
Executive Director 
Americans for Safe Access
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Comment #18 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 08, 2007 at 13:37:11 PT:

I hope all of you are enjoying yourselves
today. I, myself, am just going to lounge around the house today like you FoM. It's pretty frigid out there. My Mom and I were going to go get a wreath or blanket and go out to my father's grave today. But it's too cold and she's really aching from her MS so we'll probably do that tomorrow.I listened to some Grateful Dead stuff on youtube for a while after I listened to that either way song again. It's a good day to sit back and listen to some tunes.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 08, 2007 at 11:06:43 PT

Truth
Thank you! Here's a song I just love and am listenng to over and over again called Either Way. I ordered the CD for Christmas. I heard of Wilco before but I didn't recognize them until recently. I guess the CD Sky Blue Sky got nominated for a Grammy too. I heard so many good musicians in their music and the Grateful Dead is one of them. It makes me glad to know that those younger then me are getting it just like we did way back when....Either Way by Wilcohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kzkXc_6_SoAll the songs to listen too from Sky Blue Sky.http://wilcoworld.net/records/index.php
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Comment #16 posted by Truth on December 08, 2007 at 10:58:02 PT

FoM
I'll smoke to that.....
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on December 08, 2007 at 10:20:31 PT

Hope
I don't like commenting about anything positive these days and I want you to know that I am not ignoring you. Things will get better. Don't let anyone or anything steal your Joy. It's the Holidays. I am making a big pot of homemade vegetable soup and we are planning on watching tv and taking it easy later this afternoon. 
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on December 08, 2007 at 08:56:30 PT

Riley looks, smells, and sounds like a fish.
“Activists are trying to pull a fast one on the public,” Riley said. “It’s a sympathetic storyline, but something’s fishy here.”
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on December 08, 2007 at 08:47:12 PT

"Think faster"?
Oh my. How dangerous is that? It's bound to be dangerous. I mean... it's "mind altering" and all.Caffeine addicts might out think other people... and do it quickly. That's not right. It's not fair to the people who don't use caffeine. Besides... what kind of thinking are they doing? I mean... it's mind altering... it's A DRUG... somebody ought to be afraid.... and dangerous, about it.You can overdose on caffeine, too. Oh the world is filled with danger. The only way to protect our fellow man from the dangers in this world... is to be more dangerous, even infinitely more dangerous, than the dangerous thing. Then they will pay attention.I'm so sick of people who want to jail and punish other people for what they consume.Maybe I need another cup of coffee.
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Comment #12 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 07, 2007 at 22:12:23 PT

The US doesn't need to study Marijuana anymore.
They already know from the volume of existing studies and research that marijuana is about as dangerous as caffiene. Heck, the British still have tea parties and get blasted on caffiene. I think it makes them think faster.
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Comment #11 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 07, 2007 at 21:31:31 PT:

Ahhh there's the website 
I was looking for. I remember you posting it before, but I didn't save it. I made sure to bookmark it this time though. Thanks for the link.This is really good news to hear though. He's a well known politician here in Michigan. I'm glad someone actually came out and expressed concern publicly about this medical marijuana mayhem going on out in Paradise. Hopefully this gets a discussion going around Washington....(I know, I'm a Dreamer)
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 07, 2007 at 21:15:18 PT

fight_4_freedom 
The link you posted didn't cause any problems but if you use this url you can get an article's length smaller if you want to. http://tinyurl.com/create.php
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Comment #9 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 07, 2007 at 21:08:17 PT:

It's my pleasure FoM
I was really glad to see that. Sorry I screwed up the page. I'm not sure how to shorten the link.
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Comment #8 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 07, 2007 at 21:07:14 PT:

Here's the link to the Conyers Comment
http://www.washingtoncontinent.com/TWCstories/TWCnewspages2007/conyers_concerned_about_dea_thre_07_091000213.htm
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 07, 2007 at 21:06:43 PT

fight_4_freedom 
What wonderful news. Thank you!
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Comment #6 posted by fight_4_freedom on December 07, 2007 at 21:03:50 PT:

Just found this statement
released from John Conyers, Democrat from MichiganConyers concerned about DEA threats to private landlordsBy Staff
Dec. 8, 2007, 12:00 a.m.— House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr., Michigan Democrat, yesterday released a statement about reports that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is threatening private landlords for housing legal medical marijuana facilities.   “I am deeply concerned about recent reports that the Drug Enforcement Administration is threatening private landlords with asset forfeiture and possible imprisonment if they refuse to evict organizations legally dispensing medical marijuana to suffering patients,” Conyers said.   He said the Committee has already questioned the DEA about its efforts to undermine California state law on this subject, adding, “We intend to sharply question this specific tactic as part of our oversight efforts.” 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 07, 2007 at 20:45:29 PT

DCP
It's good to see you.
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Comment #4 posted by DCP on December 07, 2007 at 20:44:13 PT

Good article, but
Te-Ping Chen seems bewildered that the government resists research into the medical benefits of cannabis. It's not that hard. Money and power. Big Pharma does not want to "develop marijuana as a prescription drug." They can't patent it, so they cannot make big money from it. Marijuana also reduces the need for Big Pharma drugs. Another no no.
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Comment #3 posted by tintala on December 07, 2007 at 17:26:24 PT:

exactly what i was gonna say: THE INDOCTRINE OF 
the Bureau of Narcotics indoctrinated it so intensly that it worked, and americans were brainwashed from the very start of prohibition as well as hemp. They say cannibis has to stay illegal , but what they foreget is that ALCOHOL prohibtion was only 75 years ago and now , legal, it kills hundreds of thousands of people. Laws can and do change, but not with out tooth and nail.
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Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on December 07, 2007 at 17:18:46 PT

facts don't count
Not long after cannabis was prohibited in 1937, the then Mayor LaGuardia of New York City formed a committee to study cannabis. They obtained some cannabis from the then Bureau of Narcotics. Well, guess what. The committee found that the anti-cannabis scare campaign, and the stories of widespread use had been a bunch of lies designed to scare the public and the politicians. The head of the Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger, was so angry that someone would dare contradict him that he vowed he would never cooperate in a cannabis study again. That still seems to be the policy to this day. They have made up their minds and they are not going to be changed by the facts.
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Comment #1 posted by observer on December 07, 2007 at 13:42:47 PT

Mississippi Dirt-weed Lots of Stems and Seeds
. Currently, the only supplies of marijuana available to researchers are cultivated at the University of Mississippi and controlled by the federal National Institute of Drug Abuse, or NIDA. And these supplies are very difficult to come by.The Federal Government does this for a reason: to make it next to impossible to research cannabis. Only the "team-players" are allowed: solid folks like Gabriel G. Nahas who are sure to "find" something harmful with cannabis.  see:
http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/nida_stems_n_seeds.htmdoug drugsense.org 
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