cannabisnews.com: Federal Government Stands in The Way 










  Federal Government Stands in The Way 

Posted by CN Staff on February 04, 2008 at 17:37:26 PT
By Dave Frank 
Source: Nevada Appeal 

Nevada -- The water, the lights, the seeds, the soil. The problem could be several things. Some patients will learn how to grow, said Claude Miller, a Nevada medical marijuana consultant. Some won't. "There's patients who can't grow a flower," he said. "Much less medical marijuana."
That's part of the reason he started his business. Many of the 900 patients in Nevada's program know little about the plant when they register.But those patients, despite a provision in state law, must grow their marijuana themselves or find a state-approved "caregiver" who will grow it for them."(Marijuana) is a godsend and it really helps people," said Miller, who supports medical marijuana only under a tightly regulated system.Patients, however, will not be able to get the drug like other prescriptions the state recognizes unless the federal government changes its stance.Following a 2000 ballot initiative, the state Legislature wrote the constitutional amendment into law including a section that ordered the University of Nevada School of Medicine to research marijuana and develop a program to distribute it to patients. The 2001 law says the Legislature understands the state's "obligation" to research a distribution program, but also says it must do it with the permission from the federal government.The ballot initiative, approved by 65 percent of voters, called for "appropriate methods for supply of the plant to patients authorized to use it." These patients include residents diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma and AIDS.The federal government, however, rejects the opinion of the 12 states with medical marijuana programs."Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science," according to the Web site of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "(It) is not medicine, and it is not safe." Federal AuthorityFederal policy, supported by the past three presidents, has stalled research and development of a state distribution program.Dr. Dave Lupan, an associate dean at the state school of medicine, said the university has made "no progress whatsoever" on the legislature's mandate. It will stay that way at least until there is a new president, he said.It is unlikely the policy will change under the next administration, though. Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney do not support legalizing medical marijuana. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are undecided.But the university would have more problems than policy if it tried to start a program. Not only does the federal government have no interest in the school's research, Lupan said, the state has given no money for it."It's not only a matter of bucking federal government authority," he said, but of finding doctors to work for free.The federal government itself has had medical marijuana evaluated several times. A 1999 federally-commissioned study by the Institute of Medicine reported, "the accumulated data indicates a potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting and appetite stimulation."The Federal Drug Administration, however, said in 2006 the medical use of the drug is not supported by science. Green and Black Thumbs A change in federal policy that led to state distribution could, according to supporters, help many patients. Jennifer Bartlett, who manages the current state program through the Nevada Department of Agriculture, said "there are some who can't grow it, and it's a struggle."She has not endorsed state distribution, however, and said many patients have no problems growing their own marijuana or finding a caregiver.A state program would help all patients, though, not just those who have difficulty growing it, said Dan Hart, who managed the group that led the medical marijuana ballot initiative.The state could make sure the medicine was good quality, he said, and this also would particularly help patients with a debilitating disease.But some medical marijuana advocates, such as Chandler Laughlin, said the state should not be involved with marijuana and that a state-run program is a bad idea.The Silver City resident and radio host did say many patients like him can't grow high quality marijuana."I have a black thumb," he said.Bruce Mirken, who supports marijuana legalization, said a state-run program could make it easier for the state to both guarantee effective use for patients and track illegal use by others.It can't be difficult for patients to get the medicine they need under the current program, he said."You could grow your own tomatoes, but if all your plants die, you don't have a salad that day," said Mirken, a representative for the Marijuana Policy Project, which has unsuccessfully pushed ballot initiatives in Nevada to partially legalize marijuana.A Model Program If Nevada eventually does set up a distribution program, it probably won't be the first state to do it.New Mexico, which legalized medical marijuana in April, is working on the rules its department of health would need to run a distribution program.This will allow patients to get the drug the way other patients get their medicine, said Reena Szczepanski, director of the anti-drug prohibition New Mexico Drug Policy Alliance. It would help prevent patients from going to the black market, she said.But New Mexico's system might not work for Nevada, because of the state's sparsely populated areas. She said a state-run system where the drug is distributed through pharmacies might be better for Nevada.The federal government itself has the only active government-run distribution program in the country. The Compassionate Investigational New Drug program was started in 1978 and closed to new patients by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. A few people are still in the program, though, and they get monthly supplies of marijuana grown at the University of Mississippi.Miller, head of Nevada Medical Marijuana Consultants, said a state-run distribution program could be good for Nevada, but the state should be careful not to legalize it or regulate it the way California does, with marijuana available at licensed clubs."We don't want a bunch of drug-dealing thugs in this," he said.But Miller, who became a patient after a spine surgery, said the drug is more safe and effective for many people who would otherwise be prescribed pain killers. Those people, he said, deserve to have their medicine.Opponents, he said, don't understand the research or the state's program."We're not just a bunch of yahoos smoking reefer," he said.Complete Title: Federal Government Stands in The Way of a State-Run Medical Marijuana DistributionSource: Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV)Author: Dave FrankPublished: February 4, 2008Copyright: 2008 Nevada AppealContact editor nevadaappeal.comWebsite: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #78 posted by FoM on February 07, 2008 at 05:55:49 PT
Hope
I sometimes think that they want to over medicate seniors so they stay quiet. They aren't a problem that way. They just sit. 
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Comment #77 posted by Hope on February 07, 2008 at 05:45:51 PT
Blessings to your sister in her endeavor...
I hope it goes exceedingly well. My grandmother is doing amazingly well, again. I'm so thankful. I tell her about the head injury that it just "knocked some sense into her". It scared me really bad though. Free fall backwards on concrete. It bruised her head and made a ridge knot... but it didn't concuss or knock her out, so she wouldn't go to the doctor. We kept a close eye on her. An antibiotic made me pass out once, years ago, and my head just bounced off the floor when I collapsed... but it was a wooden floor. The first fall Christmas day just had her down on the floor, a wood floor, and she had to call for help to get up again. But that fall from a standing position straight back and bouncing off concrete was horrible. She's extraordinarily tough... and she cooked lunch for me yesterday... meatloaf, potatoes, and the whole works. She's amazing.My great, great uncle was a doctor in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. Yes, he was well trained in excellent medical schools, including Vanderbilt and some other famous one. He always told her to avoid doctors as much as she could and she taught me that. That understanding has served her well through the years. Yes. Some medicines are life savers and true miracle drugs and I am thankful for them. It's pretty obvious that cannabis is the safest real medicine there is though. Government monsters taking cannabis from our doctor's "tool" kit and our medicine chests has been a crime against humanity.
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Comment #76 posted by FoM on February 07, 2008 at 05:32:52 PT
BGreen
I don't fear what the government or any fearmonger wants us to fear but I am very concerned about our weather patterns. Last year the ladybugs that invade us in usually the early fall only arrived late in November. They have never been late before. Nature sends messages and we should pay attention.
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on February 07, 2008 at 05:29:12 PT
Hope
My sister is having her knee replaced this month and she will be in the hospital for about 5 days and then she has to go to a re-hab facility for 2 weeks to learn to walk again. I worry about surgery for her at her age but she insists on doing this. She is stubborn like me and a fighter so she should do fine. I hope your Grandmother is doing better now. 
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Comment #74 posted by Hope on February 07, 2008 at 05:22:23 PT
FoM and BGreen
Sorry to hear that happened to your sister.Christmas Eve my grandmother, who will be 96, day after tomorrow, had a stomach pain that we thought might be a heart attack warning and took her to the emergency room. It wasn't a heart attack, I'm thankful to say, but they gave her a prescription to take. She fell down twice the next day, Christmas day. Once she fell straight back and banged the back of her head on concrete. We were very afraid that this was happening to her all of a sudden. My daughter in-law looked at the drug she was prescribed and said it could definitely be making her fall. Sure enough. She didn't take anymore and the sudden dizziness episodes ended and she hasn't fallen since. BGreen, the weather here has been wild, too... but it's always been like that, one way or the other, here, or it would scare me worse. But, yes, it is scary. Our politicos and industries have definitely "sold us all, up the river" in every way that they could possibly make a dime off of it. They've sold off humanity's future out of greed and lust for financial wealth. Their motto seems to be, "Possessions and more possessions for them, today, and to hell with tomorrow and everyone else".
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Comment #73 posted by BGreen on February 07, 2008 at 00:49:16 PT
Things I REALLY Fear
After tornadoes in January and again in February, and after seeing the devastation of cities across this country by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and earthquakes, I've realized that I'm not at all frightened by Al Queda, Iraq, Iran, the Boogey Man, Bigfoot, Dracula or any other of the made-up threats being used to loot our children's inheritance, remove our freedoms and keep us in a perpetual state of fear.These so-called "acts of God" scare the hell out of me, almost as much as Bush, et al., who care more about their personal power and fortunes than about reality and the American people.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #72 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 20:59:44 PT

Hope
My sister recently had a bad side effect from a prescribed medicine and that really bothers me. I've seen it one too many times. I wish they would stop airing drug commercials on tv. That is only encouraging people to try more and different drugs almost like it is fashionable.
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Comment #71 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 19:55:29 PT

Legal drugs
There are some life savers... but their are some really wicked legal drugs... and they might not hurt everyone all the time... but they sure as hell can hurt some people some of the time... drastically.I just know I've known completely legal drugs to hurt me, and when I had taken them exactly as prescribed... not over taking them, and people I know and love, more seriously and more often than I've seen anything else hurt me or them. More than disease. More than illegal drugs. More than car wrecks, assaults, and accidents. Actually, it may be that I've seen more sports injuries than injury or sickness from legal drugs, now that I think of it. I've also seen doctor prescribed drugs for sports injuries that had very negative effects. I'm thankful that most people I know, and my family, have not suffered excessively from all those things, besides legal medicines, to a great extent.It's my experience, too, that the older someone is or the younger they are the more likelihood of a negative experience.All you have to do is listen to the horrible things they run through really quickly at the end of drug commercials... "side effects may include death"!They push deadly and dangerous stuff on us and arrest us and put us in jail, rob us and sometimes kill us, for using something they say might cause periodontal disease. Crap!I've known three people with fairly serious periodontal disease. One smoked tobacco and occasionally, very rarely, cannabis and two smoked nothing at all. The most severe case was with someone who smoked nothing at all.Prohibitionists are beginning to remind me of monkey throwing feces at people.
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Comment #70 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 19:14:19 PT

Hope
I know there are drugs that help with disease but I believe most of the prescribed mind altering drugs have bad side effects. I know I didn't fear taking those type of drugs after I stopped using illegal drugs and I thought they were safe because they weren't as much fun as the drugs I had done before. They addict though. It's like they take the fun out and intensify the addiction.
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Comment #69 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 18:55:21 PT

FoM Comment 55
"I fear legal drugs."That's smart. Very smart.

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Comment #68 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 18:05:58 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I lost power again tonight and just got back online. I looked out and saw the clouds mixing and then the wind kicked up and it was incredible and then we lost power again. We lost power yesterday too. We have a good electric company and it has been very stable but this weather is too much. I feel so bad for those who were hit really hard with this storm. My husband is heading into Chicago tonight and he said the weather is really strange and strong. It's February and it was 60 today! 
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Comment #67 posted by John Tyler on February 06, 2008 at 17:40:29 PT

gov.
Come on guys, we have the best government money can buy.
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Comment #66 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 17:15:26 PT

National Institutes of Health
is another arm of Big Pharm. The FDA and Health and Human services are as well. They're bought and paid for from every direction and they are for who really supports them .... Big Pharm. 
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Comment #65 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 17:11:03 PT

The American Medical Association
is nothing but a branch of the Big Pharmaceutical Industry, just as the American Cancer Association, or whatever they call themselves, is.They are FOR Cancer and Medical... which translate to Big Pharmaceutical. I'm sure of it.
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Comment #64 posted by ekim on February 06, 2008 at 17:02:28 PT

McCain says what if we do nothing 

about global warming and we are wrong. So lets do something and leave the planet a bit cleaner. Why is he blind as to what Cannabis Prohibition has allready done to the planet.9th Annual Cannabis Convention
Sunday, February 10th 2008
UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
David Lam Auditorium, McLaurin Building
1:00 to 4:00 pm
http://www.hempology.com/
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Comment #63 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 16:40:21 PT

AMA
don't they have internet access? Does Storz-Bickel have to hire some attractive marketing reps to wine & dine them or something? Hello: Earth to AMA!http://www.storz-bickel.com/vaporizer/vaporizer.html
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Comment #62 posted by afterburner on February 06, 2008 at 16:30:55 PT

This Is Just Another Stalling Tactic
"American Medical Association ... calls for further studies of the drug and related substances to determine possible efficacy, it urges the National Institutes of Health to facilitate such clinical research and it asks that the NIH support the development of a smoke-free inhaled delivery system for marijuana in order to minimize the toxic health effects of inhaled smoke."There is already *plenty* of research into the health benefits of cannabis. Plus, "development of a smoke-free inhaled delivery system for marijuana" is a waste of scarce funding. We already have vaporizers if governments would stop treating them as paraphernalia!
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Comment #61 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 15:52:03 PT

so true
where are the articles "WARNING: Prescription drugs destroy liver, kidneys"?  It's like the best kept national secret.  "People on prescription drugs more likely to have renal failure" Where is that article?
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Comment #60 posted by The GCW on February 06, 2008 at 15:47:19 PT

Going up; going down.
Someone was mentioning the US Gov would up the war propaganda....Here's one:US: Doctors Warn Of Link Between Pot, DiseasePubdate: Wed, 06 Feb 2008
Source: Province, The (CN BC)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n136/a08.html?397
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Comment #59 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 15:43:46 PT:

If only he would have had medical marijuana
as an option.Legal Prescription Drugs Killed Brokeback Mountain Star Heath LedgerTim King Salem-News.comHeath Ledger's death has been ruled an accidental overdose of legal prescription drugs. He father believes it should serve as a wake up call.(SALEM, Ore.) - The father of Hollywood actor Heath Ledger is asking Americans to pay closer attention to the use of prescription drugs in the wake of a coroner's confirmation that the Brokeback Mountain star lost his life to an accidental overdose.It is a truly desperate picture that we face as a society that attacks the use of natural medical treatments like medical marijuana, even going so far as to demonize the people who use it to seek relief from sickness and disease, while adopting and allowing slick potions hatched in dollar-driven laboratories to choke the life out of people.
Full Article
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Comment #58 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 15:31:34 PT:

What a powerful storm
I just went and checked outside, and we have received almost 9 inches of snow since last night. And we still are going to get 2 or 3 more. God bless the victims and their families who were hit with the tornadoes south of here. That's a total disaster area right now. I'm so thankful all we got out of it was a lot of snow. This storm is just massive.
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Comment #57 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 12:32:22 PT

News Article From The Sacramento Bee
Placer County OKs ID Card for Medical Marijuana Users***By Art Campos - Wednesday, February 6, 2008Medical marijuana patients in Placer County will be able to buy an identification card through a new fee schedule implemented for health services.The schedule approved Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors institutes a $125 charge for the purchase of such a card.Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/692466.html
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Comment #56 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 10:42:03 PT

drugs
There are some real miracle-workers among prescription drugs, but many nasty ones as well!  Some of my friends just blithely accept whatever pills the doctor gives them and take the maximum dose without a care. That is not wise! Caution is advised, you are the best person to protect yourself, not some bureaucrats off in DC.
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 10:16:24 PT

Legal vs. Illegal Mind Altering Drugs
Back in my wild and crazy days I did hard drugs just to see if they were fun and all in all I didn't have any serious problem with them but then came the legal drugs and that is where I had problems. I told my sister that the other day and it surprised her. I fear legal drugs. 
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Comment #54 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 10:09:46 PT

Exactly!
"...one of them alone will kill you."Talk about a "scourge"!
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Comment #53 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 10:06:35 PT

Watch out
You don't need to combine Big Pharma's offerings, just taking one of them alone will kill you. Whoops! Big Phama's 2nd best seller actually kills people! Who would've thought?http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/06/va_study_finds_deadly_risks_in_quitting_heart_drug/VA study finds deadly risks in quitting heart drug
Cardiac events more likely after stopping PlavixMINNEAPOLIS - Heart attacks and deaths nearly doubled after patients stopped taking the anticlotting drug Plavix, according to the first national study documenting the risk to heart patients who end their drug therapy.The study of more than 3,000 US military veterans who had heart attacks or chest pain found that their risk of another heart attack or death spiked in the 90 days after they stopped taking the medication, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis SA. The US-funded study appears today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.The findings, if confirmed, could alter care for heart attack patients treated with drugs or stents to prop open their clogged arteries, said lead researcher John Rumsfeld, a cardiologist at Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The research also suggests that deadly blood clots in patients with cardiac stents may sometimes be related to Plavix instead of the mesh tubes that prop open the arteries.
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Comment #52 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 09:57:10 PT

FoM comment 48
Yeah... he's got his moments.:0)
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Comment #51 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 09:56:08 PT

Big Pharm
is behind cannabis prohibition, too.
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Comment #50 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 09:54:42 PT

Big Pharm
Killed Heath Ledger.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23029566/“While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath’s accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”
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Comment #49 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 09:46:37 PT

mapinc articles
Just wanted to forward a couple articles from mapinc. I cannot believe what is going on in the UK right now. Classic government prohibition BS. They are conducted a massive mis-information and lying campaign based around the evil "skunk" - super cannabis that literally drives THOUSANDS of children insane!The truth is that the UK govt. has decided to make cannabis illegal again, so the LEO's can dominate the people more and take away more freedom. They're using a full-on yellow journalism campaign with all the trimmings. You thought the reefer madness was just something they used in the 1930s? Guess again, nothing has changed. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n134/a06.html?1042http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n134/a02.html?1042http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n133/a01.html?109348It's amazing, they will try to program people so hard with fear-mongering that they will ignore what is happening right in front of their eyes - cannabis is harmless. The UK is a police state.  What else can you call it when the LEO's call the shots, and everyone else is subservient to them?And, sorry to say, the cops killed another guy, in New Mexico:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n131/a10.html?109348
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 09:44:04 PT

Hope
Give your Republican a big kiss from me!
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Comment #47 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2008 at 09:35:16 PT

Kennebec Journal
Just wanted to point out that this newspaper was against the original medical MJ law in Maine that passed in 1999. Now that they lost on that issue, they appear to feel sorry for the sick and dying enough to accept the current law that they fought. But they are against letting the sick and dying buy the herb in store.It's all the same thing. The rich old men don't want the people to get any satisfaction or happiness from a simple herb. You may not want to work as hard making them rich if you're happy with your friends & family & herb. Medical MJ is just an extension of this. If you can medicate yourself for free from a plant, how can the rich old men of Big Pharma get richer? Also I love the story about the "family" focused sports BAR owner. It's OK for the kiddies to come sit in the bar as their parents get sloppy drug on alcohol, or to walk by the folks at the door that smoking addictive, deadly tobacco.But God Forbid a child see a sick older man smoking the herb out front. Oh! The tragedy of it. Little Jimmy smells cannabis!  Can't we throw someone in prison for this?
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Comment #46 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 09:35:04 PT:

I'll have to check them out
I hope by next year I'll have one. In the meantime I'll do some research on them.And yes, we know why we don't hear the truth from these prohibitionists. I truly believe karma will come their way soon though.Here's the song I quoted earlier in this thread. I'm sure everyone has heard it. The video is pretty cool, worth a look. I can never get sick of this song even though I hear it on every AT&T commerical. lolhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhW8NKW-978Oasis "All Around The World"
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Comment #45 posted by Hope on February 06, 2008 at 09:32:33 PT

Texas and Ohio!
Oh my!Yes, I'll be voting for Obama. Even the Republican will! He may not in the final election, but he said he likes Obama and he's afraid Clinton might win somehow, and he's very anti-Clinton, so he's voting for Obama in the primaries for sure. He senses Republicans aren't going to win this time, and he would so much rather have Obama be President than another Clinton.I was going to vote for Paul in the primary, to "send a message", if nothing else... but I'm thinking the Democratic race is too tight now, so I'd better vote for Obama from the git go , 
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Comment #44 posted by dongenero on February 06, 2008 at 09:18:55 PT

vaporizers
There are good choices that are more economical than the volcano.Look up silver surfer. The same company out of Boulder (I think) has a new economy model called Da Buddha.
Aromazap is priced well and does the job I believe.Good reviews, decent price, US made ingenuity.And switching subjects back again, why do these loosey goosey studies from New Zealand get more credence in our media than the the UCLA studies that were showing cancer protective properties etc.? Well, we all know why and it has nothing to do with honesty or science.
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Comment #43 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 08:59:30 PT:

FoM
Thank you :) Trust me it will never happen again. lolDongenero- I was thinking the same thing about using a vaporizer. Even more reason to get one now (once I have the extra 5 or 6 hundred for a nice one). Hopefully they'll become more affordable quickly here. I'm still skeptical about the "study" though. 
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Comment #42 posted by BGreen on February 06, 2008 at 08:57:01 PT

What the hell is up with New Zealand?
It wasn't even two weeks ago that they released the "study" that said people who smoked one joint of cannabis per day had a higher risk of lung cancer than 20 per day cigarette smokers over the same period of time, and that cannabis users got some form of emphysema 20 years sooner than tobacco users.Now it's gum disease.This is garbage, and I'm surprised that any reputable peer-reviewed medical journal would print this junk science.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #41 posted by dongenero on February 06, 2008 at 08:46:43 PT

I've noticed that too....f4f
Make no mistake, the deck is stacked.All the more reason to fight harder.  They don't have the truth or our level of resolve on their sides.And the New Zealand article....maybe if they had flossed? Flossing improves you r "real age" and has long been known as a positive for life expectancy. And then one more thing....vaporizer.
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Comment #40 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 08:37:49 PT:

dongenero
What really drives me nuts is the fact that when any negative press comes out about marijuana, every single newspaper in the U.S. prints it. Yet whenever a study comes out indicating it has some real medical benefit to it, they all somehow forget to mention anything about it.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 08:34:53 PT

dongenero
My answer to that article is. Living leads to gum disease! LOL!Also just living leads to death too!
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 08:33:10 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I know you didn't know. You're a really good person. Thank you.
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Comment #37 posted by dongenero on February 06, 2008 at 08:24:43 PT

More New Zealand junk science

Marijuana (and lots of cigarettes and God knows what else) leads to gum disease in this loosely run "study".http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080205/hl_nm/marijuana_gums_dc_2

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Comment #36 posted by dongenero on February 06, 2008 at 08:21:44 PT

comment #32
Kennebec Journal web siteThere are some great comments lambasting this dumb editorial.It's a good feeling to see cannabis have the support of intelligent and literate people with great energy, motivation and enthusiasm.You have to appreciate the intellectualism and "don't tread on me" spirit of the Northeast.
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Comment #35 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 08:14:59 PT:

I had no idea
Sorry FoM. Now that I know I won't do that anymore.
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 08:11:28 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I really mind having to mention this but for some newspapers we aren't allowed to post the whole article. If you post a link and title and the url with a lead in that is ok.
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Comment #33 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 08:06:15 PT:

Rights body grants hearing to joint smoker
Discrimination ClaimedLinda Nguyen, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, February 06, 2008An Ontario man who was told he was not allowed to smoke medical marijuana outside a local sports bar has been granted a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, one of the first cases of its kind in Canadian history.Steve Gibson, a father of two, is claiming he was discriminated against because of his disability after he was barred from Gator Ted's Tap and Grill in Burlington, Ont., in May, 2005, for smoking marijuana by the restaurant's front door."The problem is that I'm not allowed to smoke where other people are allowed to smoke [cigarettes]," he said yesterday from his Burlington home, about 60 kilometres west of Toronto.Three years ago, Mr. Gibson was told by the owner of his local family sports bar that he had to be about 30 metres away from the eatery's front door while smoking because the marijuana was bothering other customers, including children.Mr. Gibson, who is one of more than 2,000 Canadians who has a licence to use marijuana for medical purposes, regularly lights the bud to alleviate pain he has from a neck injury.He had been a patron at the bar for 12 years, usually coming twice a week for a meal or some drinks.In between eating, he would get up and stand outside usually within one or six feet of the front door and light up while other customers were allowed to smoke cigarettes inside the establishment.This was before smoking inside bars and restaurants was banned provincially.Mr. Gibson said he never had any problems taking his medication at other restaurants in the city or in public areas like amusement parks."I haven't had any problems anywhere else," he said."I don't want to be thrown out of a place, any place. What will stop a bank from saying: 'You can't come in sir because you just smoked a joint?' "But the owner of Gator Ted's, a family-oriented sports bar that has been operating since 1979, said he will fight this discrimination case until the end -- even if it forces him to close his doors."I'm fighting this because a settlement will mean that he [Gibson] can smoke in front of our restaurant," owner Ted Kindos said."This case will set a precedent in Canada. If the commission favours him, he's going to be allowed to smoke marijuana outside your school, in your family parks, in front of churches and shopping malls."Jeff Poirier, a spokesman for the Ontario Human Rights Commission, who forwarded this case for a hearing, says this is a rare case."It's quite a unique case," he said yesterday. "This case isn't about the marijuana, it's about a person with a disability being treated differently."Mr. Poirier said that business owners are supposed to, under law, make necessary accommodations for people with disabilities."This person is not seeking to smoke in the restaurant," he said. "He's only seeking what other patrons who smoke, seek. He just wants to smoke in areas where other smokers are allowed."The Tribunal will hear the case on May 21 and set to resolve the discrimination complaint under the Ontario Human Rights Code.Mr. Poirier says this could mean a province-wide policy change."Its job is to right a wrong, set things to what they should've been," he said."This could mean a policy change where the restaurant will recognize anyone with a medical condition can smoke marijuana where they please. This is a human-rights issue that has been raised."
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=288194
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Comment #32 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 06, 2008 at 07:02:10 PT:

Medical pot law goes far enough
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel - 02/06/2008Man, these guys are persistent. If your characterization of pot-smoking adults includes the term "laid back," think again.Maine Citizens for Medical Marijuana, the Maine Vocals and Maine Citizens for Patients' Rights are three groups dedicated to expanding the use of marijuana in the state.Dissatisfied with a state law that allows the controlled use of marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of certain medical conditions, the groups are advocating everything from the establishment of marijuana dispensaries to outright legalization of the stuff. They've got T-shirts you can buy, a series of "marijuana-themed" concerts has been organized, and they're about to circulate petitions to get their issues on the ballot.We're with the American Medical Association on this issue. It endorses the very limited use of smoked marijuana for patients with "debilitating symptoms" over a period of only six months, while at the same time recommending that marijuana remain a controlled substance.It calls for further studies of the drug and related substances to determine possible efficacy, it urges the National Institutes of Health to facilitate such clinical research and it asks that the NIH support the development of a smoke-free inhaled delivery system for marijuana in order to minimize the toxic health effects of inhaled smoke.Maine's current law allowing limited marijuana use for very sick patients goes far enough.Until further research demonstrates a compelling medical need to expand that law, we suggest that the members of the various groups advocating expansion just chill, man.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/view/columns/4734263.html#begin
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on February 06, 2008 at 06:20:16 PT

Thank You!
I look at it this way. Obama won more states and he doesn't have name recognition  like Clinton does. Hope, Texas and Ohio will win or lose this. What a heavy burden we will have. I'm glad most here voted for Obama. It looks like he might win New Mexico!
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Comment #30 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on February 06, 2008 at 00:45:21 PT

Hope and FoM
They're saying it might all turn on Texas and Ohio!
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Comment #29 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on February 06, 2008 at 00:41:19 PT

An o balmy day in o Bama!
Obama wins more states. Clinton wins the biggest states. And the media is calling it a tie, and will be trying to figure out the delegate split throughout the night.CNN's updating the delegate count here -http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#DClinton's over 700, Obama's over 600, but they expect both to be over a 1000 by the time it's all sorted out, this morning.
CNN Democratic Delegate Scorecard
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on February 05, 2008 at 23:36:06 PT

I got a call earlier this evening
That Obama was winning all over the place.After getting online about it... I'm finding that Clinton has won a lot, too.I guess we won't really know until later in the morning.
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Comment #27 posted by Dankhank on February 05, 2008 at 22:58:07 PT

me too ...
I voted for Obama, too, though Hillary carried OK.
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Comment #26 posted by dankhank on February 05, 2008 at 22:56:38 PT

OT sorta ...?
for those Repugs always chanting Reagan's name here is some truth they are afraid of ...Reagan's Liberal legacyhttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0301.green.htmlno mention of the FACT that he "cut and ran" from Lebanon following the suicide-bombing of the Marine Barracks ...from Wikipedia articlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombingResponseU.S. President Ronald Reagan called the attack a "despicable act" and pledged to keep a military force in Lebanon. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, who had privately advised the administration against ever having stationed U.S. Marines in Lebanon,[8] said there would be no change in the U.S.'s Lebanon policy. On October 24 French President François Mitterrand visited the French bomb site. It was not an official visit, and he only stayed for a few hours, but he did declare: "We will stay." U.S. Vice President George Bush toured the Marine bombing site on October 26 and said the U.S. "would not be cowed by terrorists."In retaliation for the attacks, France launched an air strike in the Beqaa Valley against alleged Islamic Revolutionary Guards positions. President Reagan assembled his national security team and planned to target the Sheik Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, Lebanon, which housed Iranian Revolutionary Guards believed to be training Hezbollah fighters.[9] Defense Secretary Weinberger lobbied successfully against the mission, because he was not certain that Iran was to blame for the attacks.[8]Besides a few shellings, there was no serious retaliation for the Beirut bombing from the Americans. In December 1983, U.S. aircraft attacked Syrian targets in Lebanon, but this was in response to Syrian missile attacks on planes, not the barracks bombing.In the meantime, the attack gave a boost to the growth of the new radical pro-Iranian Shi'ite organization Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied involvement in the attacks but was seen by Lebanese as involved nonetheless as it praised the "two martyr mujahidin" who "set out to inflict upon the U.S. Administration an utter defeat not experienced since Vietnam ..."[10] Hezbollah was now seen by many as "the spearhead of the sacred Muslim struggle against foreign occupation".Amal militia leader Nabih Berri, who had previously supported U.S. mediation efforts, asked the U.S. and France to leave Lebanon and accused the U.S. and France of seeking to commit 'massacres' against the Lebanese and creating a "climate of racism" against the Shia.[11] Islamic Jihad phoned in new threats against the MNF "pledging that 'the earth would tremble' unless the MNF withdrew by new years day of 1984.[12]The Marines were moved offshore where they could not be targeted. On February 7, 1984, President Reagan ordered the Marines to begin withdrawal from Lebanon. This was completed four months after the barracks bombing on February 26; the rest of the Multinational Force was withdrawn by April.
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Comment #25 posted by BGreen on February 05, 2008 at 22:45:48 PT

They had called MO for Clinton earlier
Now, Obama is in the lead with one more precinct to be counted. NBC has called it for Obama!Yes, I voted for Obama. :) I like many of the things Ron Paul stands for, but ultimately, everybody I know says "anybody but Hillary," so I had to make sure that that "anybody" isn't McCain, et al..FoM, you can give me an extra hug whenever we finally meet. LOLThe Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on February 05, 2008 at 22:22:23 PT

How 'bout that Obama?
:0)
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 21:14:38 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I agree with you.
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Comment #22 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 21:01:44 PT:

Obama is so captivating
You just can't turn away once he starts a speech.
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Comment #21 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 20:58:58 PT:

You know I will Rev
Looks like some good news for you my friend. Hopefully they get that introduced pretty quick. With people fighting like you there in Iowa, I'm sure you'll be 2nd in the midwest. And who knows, maybe you guys will beat us to it! You never know. I'm anxious for this thing to get officially approved. At least I know it's headed there though.I have only a couple "Vote Yes on Medical Marijuana" pamphlets left. I had like 200 left from the fall so I've just been putting them up on bulletin boards, leaving one or two at the gas pump every time I fill up. Left about 10 of them at the doctors office the other day. And hopefully some of these LTE's that I've been writing will get published soon."All around the world, you gotta spread the word, Tell them what you heard, You're gonna make a better day".By the way, nice address Rev :) 
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 20:44:04 PT

afterburner
That seems like it would be an interesting book. I believe that the young people are awakening and their time has come. The electricity I sense is coming from them. That's what the 60s was about in some ways. The circle of life is never broken. There is nothing new but a repeat of something that has happpened before. It's time for change. It's a natural part of life in my opinion.
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Comment #19 posted by RevRayGreen on February 05, 2008 at 20:13:53 PT

Keep up the fight f4f
I just got an email reply from an Iowa Senator Joe Bolkcom........I'll preface w/my email, an edited form letter from MPP that forwarded it to him. (name changed to protect the innocent).Ray Green420 ***** **
des moines, IA 50317February 5, 2008Dear Senator Joe Bolkcom:First, thank you for introducing that medical marijuana bill in 2005. Second, will you be introducing a bill in 2008?I hope so, as this is legislation we need to push in Iowa. I invite you
to the Global Marijuana March Iowa State Capitol/March 3, 2008 12 NOON.Thank you.Sincerely,
Ray Greenhis reply............Ray,Thanks.
I will soon introduce this legislation. The bill is at the drafters
still.Best regards,Joe 
 GO MICHIGAN !!!!!!!!!They are calling your effort the "First in the Midwest" BE THE FIRST.......(you already have TravCty,Flint etc.)it's time.
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Comment #18 posted by afterburner on February 05, 2008 at 20:07:06 PT

FoM #12
"I have passed the torch in my mind."There's been lots of talk about the need for change (after the disastrous Bush years) by voters and politicians as well. There is a yearning in the electorate that is palpable and electric. After the voting machine irregularities in the last two presidential elections, people were determined and suspicious. Scrutineers were watching for voting problems. "Once burned, twice shy." In one electoral district in Rhode Island, both voting machines broke down, one for 20 minutes and one for two hours. One woman had to cancel her plans for the evening. Even Governor Carcieri had to wait to vote. The following link to a new book (available online) points in the direction that seems necessary for the healing of individuals, families, nations, business, and the environment:Seven Words That Can Change the World: An Elegant Theory of Universal Transformation, by Joseph Simonetta. 
Saturday, February 02, 2008 by: Mike Adams
http://www.naturalnews.com/022580.html
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Comment #17 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 16:11:36 PT:

Just received this in an e-mail
MEDICAL MARIJUANA:The proposal to allow medical use of marijuana in the state appears headed to the ballot. Officials with the Department of State said no one had requested a sample of the signatures by Monday, the deadline for filing a challenge to the signatures, so no such challenges were expected. Mr. Thomas said he expected a Canvassers meeting later this month to certify the signatures on the petitions.
  MEDICAL MARIJUANA TOPS FUNDS RAISED FOR '08 BALLOT COMMITTEES.
 
The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is seeking to legalize the use of medical marijuana in the
state, raised the most money out of all 2008 ballot question committees, according to financial statements recently filed with the state. The medical marijuana group had raised just over $1.074 million and spent nearly all of it, leaving $4,510 in the bank. The organization is the only one to have already collected petition signatures, which is where most of its money went. While the group reported 57 contributions, the Marijuana Policy Project, a nationwide nonprofit organization that works to increase access to medical marijuana and to reduce criminal penalties for the drug's use, donated most of the money - $1.065 million with another $108,000 in in-kind contributions. No other committee aimed at getting their proposal on the 2008 ballot
has raised over $100,000.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 13:40:11 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I liked John Kerry but I didn't vote in the Primary. This is the first time I will vote in a Primary. That is how turned off I was the anything political.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 13:38:11 PT

fight_4_freedom 
You are now in a time in history that is very similar to what happened with JFK back in my day. I was too young to vote for JFK but I remember how people were so excited about this new and fresh idea person. 
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Comment #14 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 13:26:42 PT:

I wasn't totally sold on 
Kerry. I just wanted Bush out of office.Yeah Barack will certainly be remembered for this race. This is historic. And even if he doesn't win this time, he'll be back.I feel so blessed that I'm alive to see this. 
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 12:56:21 PT

OT: Most Current Zogby Poll
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1446
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 12:42:43 PT

fight_4_freedom 
One thing I do know is even if Obama doesn't win in the end he will always be remembered fondly and will do great things in the coming years. I knew that Kerry was almost too old to try again in 08. We need our young people, who will change the course of our country once again, to win now. I have passed the torch in my mind.
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Comment #11 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 12:33:12 PT:

I voted for Kerry for my first time voting on
anything. I was so excited. I watched the numbers jump around all night. And like you, I was pretty upset with the results. So I'm even more excited for this one. At least I know Bush isn't going to steal the votes this time.I really think the young people are going to come out strong today. And I'm guessing Obama is going to benefit the most from that. We shall see!Get your popcorn ready!
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 12:20:06 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I only voted one time before I voted for John Kerry. I never thought people would even consider voting for Bush the second time. When Bush came out on top again I was crushed. I was so depressed. I felt like the world had a right to hate us now. I actually felt like someone died. I don't ever want to feel that way again. I am trying to look at it as how society feels rather then how I feel this time.
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Comment #9 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 05, 2008 at 12:14:23 PT:

FoM
Smart thinking. I can't wait for the results to start coming in. I see Huckabee won the GoP in West Virginia. But that's all I've heard so far.And another snowstorm tonight for us :)
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on February 05, 2008 at 11:56:46 PT

Dankhank
We don't vote until March. It should be interesting tonight. I have lowered expectations and that way I won't be disappointed. I mind getting too up and then crashing down. LOL!
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Comment #7 posted by Dankhank on February 05, 2008 at 11:46:45 PT

I voted ...
been there, done that, now sitting back and watching the show.gonna be a hoot ...
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Comment #6 posted by Storm Crow on February 05, 2008 at 06:14:04 PT

I beg to differ!
"The Federal Drug Administration, however, said in 2006 the medical use of the drug is not supported by science." (BS!)http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23136 http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=25554
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Comment #5 posted by Truth on February 05, 2008 at 04:36:36 PT

Land of the Free????
It's either a sorry joke or someone's dirty lie because it certainly isn't the truth.
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Comment #4 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 05, 2008 at 04:29:36 PT

Someone tell the DEA "It's Just Pot"
I've realized that human beings can be trained to be paranoid alarmist freaks. Can someone tell the DEA "I'ts just pot assholes! It's safer than aspirin." 
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on February 04, 2008 at 21:25:21 PT

We've Seen this Smokedmarijuana Strawman Before
"Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science," according to the Web site of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "(It) is not medicine, and it is not safe."Criticism of Stan White:CN AB: LTE: Marijuana By The Book, The Calgary Sun, (03 Feb 2008) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v08/n124/a04.html?176
Author: J. MacDonald
"The Bible states plants are for food, not smoking."Excerpt from Stan White:CN AB: PUB LTE: Don't Mess With Marc
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n103/a03.html
Newshawk: The GCW
(Sun, 27 Jan 2008)
Calgary Sun, The (CN AB).
Author: Stan White 
"As a North American Christian, it's insulting and offensive to cage this heroic cannabis activist, not according to just me but according to Christ God Our Father, the Ecologician, who indicates He created all the seed bearing plants, saying they are all good on the very first page of the Bible." Just where did Stan White say anything about smoking cannabis?What with the FDA approval of Sativex trials in the U.S.A., it sounds like the U.S. federal government is moving away from "marijuana is not medicine" to "smokedmarijuana is not medicine, but Sativex (liquid marijuana) spray is medicine."
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Comment #2 posted by RevRayGreen on February 04, 2008 at 20:26:49 PT

You may remember
brother Pierre Werner's case in Las Vegas. He just got realeased to a half-way house. Not sure what the limits of his probation will be.
medical marijuana referrals 
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Comment #1 posted by potpal on February 04, 2008 at 19:53:06 PT

I'd like to see...
...a university create a class that cuts through the bull.Cannabis 101 - The plant, not the propaganda. Or is it against the federal prohibition of all things cannabis.Finish this sentence...
The feds have their heads...
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