cannabisnews.com: Smoking Herb Not Necessarily a Road To Ruin





Smoking Herb Not Necessarily a Road To Ruin
Posted by CN Staff on January 07, 2009 at 07:06:01 PT
By Clive McFarlane, T&G Staff
Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Massachusetts -- What is it that causes a nation known for its higher-order thinking to go absolutely schizo every time the subject of marijuana — herb, ganja, pot, call it what you will — comes up? The country’s far-flung laws on the drug reflect how dysfunctional we are on the subject. It is a petty offense and a maximum fine of $100 for possession of less than an ounce in Colorado. It is a $2,000 fine and up to a year in jail in New Hampshire for possession of any amount. It is a $5,000 fine and three years in prison for possession in Puerto Rico, one of our territories.
And of course, in a number of states, including Maine, you can get a doctor’s prescription for a small “useable amount” of marijuana. Then there are the cynical marijuana tax stamps on the books in about 21 states, including Massachusetts, which require those who possess marijuana to purchase and place the state-issued stamps on their contraband. In Massachusetts, the tax rate is $3.50 per gram, if the owner possesses more than 40 grams. The penalty for nonpayment is 200 percent of the tax up to $10,000, or 5 years in prison, or both. According to the law, “Dealers shall not be required to give their name, address, Social Security number or other identifying information …” to the collector of the tax. The law further states, “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to provide immunity for a dealer from criminal prosecution pursuant to Massachusetts law.” Essentially, this means that if you comply with the law, you will probably get a fine and jail time. Of course, if you don’t comply and you ever get arrested on a drug violation charge, you will probably be charged with tax evasion. Given this state of affairs, it is no wonder Bill Clinton could tell us with a straight face that he once took a puff on a joint, but that he didn’t inhale. Yet, Bill’s patent disingenuousness pales in comparison with some of what we have been hearing from some of Massachusetts’ finest over the state’s new marijuana law. Instead of being dragged into court for possession of less than an ounce, the law mandates that the offender be cited, fined and steered into a drug program. This sounds simple enough, but not for some police officers, it would appear. After years of being the foot soldiers in the war against drugs, often interacting with big-time drug dealers and their lieutenants, some police officers now say they have a problem figuring out what an ounce of marijuana looks like. They are having trouble, they say, getting the necessary information to fill out the citations. They don’t have the proper citation books. They are afraid the new law will corrupt them. “An officer in uniform, in a cruiser, can smoke a joint under this law,” John M. Collins, legal counsel to the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, proclaimed in an interview with one of our reporters recently. Part of the problem here, I suspect, is the fear — pushed by many “experts” — that any reasoned discussion of marijuana use is by default a road to anarchy, mayhem and the disintegration of society. These alarmists persist in their doomsday predicament despite the fact that the most notable, widespread experimentation with marijuana by young people in the country’s history suggests an entirely different outcome. The record shows that these wayward young people went about wearing flowers in their hair, flashing peace signs, loving everybody, and questioning the sanity of the powers-that-be. We could do with some of those wayward flower children today, given our current docility — massing like lambs to the slaughter on the altar of Wall Street and maintaining our steely silence on the wanton killing of women and children in the Middle East. But I digress. The simple truth is that the misuse or abuse of anything — marijuana, power — whether from stupidity or from the wanton disregard for the welfare of one’s self or that of others, is the deadly sin here. Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)Author: Clive McFarlane, T&G StaffPublished: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Copyright: 2009 Worcester Telegram & GazetteContact: letters telegram.comWebsite: http://www.telegram.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/2pSIyBYLRelated Articles:Framingham Airs Marijuana Restrictionshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24410.shtmlMassachusetts Police Chiefs Legalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24409.shtml
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Comment #31 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 20:08:57 PT
OverwhelmSam
I saw The Police Brutality Act post. That should re-rile any of them that might have settled down a bit.:0)
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Comment #30 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 19:13:03 PT
This El Paso Times thread
and that thread over at the New Scientist have got HUNDREDS of comments. I'm having to skip hundreds at a time to try to get through them.This is amazing. It must have been the elections that made em all bust loose.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 18:56:29 PT
Lol!
That's a good one, Sam. 
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Comment #28 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 08, 2009 at 18:20:45 PT
Propaganda Online by Law Enforcement
I've been in a few chat rooms for law enforcement and they talk just like a lot of replies on this El Paso article. I told them that The Police Brutality Act is soon to be introduced in Congress. LOL
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 13:12:07 PT
El Paso's not the podunkiest place in the world.
This could be important. I hope it is.
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 13:07:50 PT
Found this over at Pete's.
Former mayor to City Council: Stay the course on drug resolutionby Bill Tilneyhttp://bit.ly/Hyoz
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 11:38:02 PT
Dankhank
Thank you.
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Comment #24 posted by dankhank on January 08, 2009 at 06:04:10 PT
Hope
I share your dismay in the hard-hearted opinions of some. It surely seems that we should be farther along the evolutionary trail by now.congrats on your new keyboard. I, too, derive much satisfaction when getting a new gadget. Enjoy ...peace to all who seek sanity ...
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on January 08, 2009 at 06:01:14 PT
Hope
I haven't seen anything on the drug war in Mexico on the news but I found this article.U.S. Plans Border ‘Surge’ Against Any Drug Warshttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/us/08chertoff.html
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 04:18:17 PT
*sigh*
Prilosec time. I've had enough for awhile.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 04:04:58 PT
Sadly...
as I read further into the comments, I see that Paul, in Stafford, Virginia, failed in relieving the said, "Gunslinger" of any of his callous ignorance. Gunslinger "Gonna be a big man some day". Apparently has been for nearly two decades.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 03:44:29 PT
One more...
I love this.Someone calling himself, "Gunslinger915" wrote in response to some other killer or killer wannabe's comment, "Outstanding comment. You caught me speechless. Can't add nuthin to this. And yes, need to have the DEATH penalty for drug dealers, just like China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and many others. Then stand back and watch the drug wars calm down. Just start executing these doper ***HOLES."Then Paul, in Stafford, Virginia says, "Yup; you nailed it. People like you sound more like Islamofascists and Chinese Communists moreso than Americans. You should take your wonderful ideas over there. "Thank you so much, Paul, in Stafford, Virginia!
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 03:32:26 PT
Some people really "Don't have
the stomach for it".It just eats them up like fire.
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 03:31:08 PT
Comment 16
Got my Prilosec on the desk.:0)
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 03:29:38 PT
Is it just me?
Or is this pretty dang brilliant?"Proud El Pasoan- why don't you save some of your hatred for a legal drug. Alcohol kills more people in a day that marijuana does in a year, though the war on marijuana which you want to drastically escalate does kill quite a few people. If you don't understand the difference between deaths due to marijuana and deaths due to marijuana prohibition, just try a little harder. If you doubt my comparison of the dangers of alcohol vs. marijuana, check with the federal Centers for Disease Control, which doesn't even keep statistics on marijuana related mortality and injuries. And don't forget fetal alcohol syndrome when you consider the relative dangers of alcohol vs. cannabis." newageblues Baltimore, Maryland.
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 02:37:30 PT
FoM
Of course, I don't think you can, or should even try, to take those comments on the El Paso city council story. There's so much hatred. There's some extraordinarily sensible comments, too.
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 02:22:59 PT
GCW Comment 10
Wow!... Again.That's amazing. What's going on here? Are people finally waking up?Yes, I know that some people that might some day cause harm are going to be released, that might have, instead, been in prison at the time of their misdeed. You can't keep everyone in jail that might have a misdeed in their future. It shouldn't be too hard to understand that. You have to wait and see before you start punishing. Anyone, or all of them, might not do anything wrong either, ever, any more than anyone else.
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 02:14:02 PT
Anyone who might be wondering
at the hour I started posting this morning. I must have slept like a rock last night. I got up this morning, right before daylight... I thought.Made coffee. Turned on the computer.... etc. etc.Then I looked at the clock.It was two thirty.I have to admit... I got a new keyboard yesterday. That might have something to do with it. It's illuminated. Couldn't wait to get up this morning and see it!
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 02:00:02 PT
I'm wondering about that 
huge brouhaha in El Paso. I'm wondering if the national media will pick it up.It seems like maybe they should... but you know how they are.Medical marijuana is mentioned early on in comments. It's a part of this... and this could mean there is an end in sight to the killing and corruption caused by prohibitions, including cannabis's and even medical cannabis, however far out there it isThis may be a big flash, a quick flash, a blip, or nothing at all. Tulia, Texas went global.I think this is rather an exciting turn of events.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on January 08, 2009 at 01:31:38 PT
Comment 10 
Wow! Someone kicked the sleeping legalization dog. This is happening in Texas!Of course, there are many among those 500 and something comments at that article, that want to power up the prohibitions and, of course, kill and harm more people than ever.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/el-paso-times/T7785RMT5JOEBVCA9
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Comment #11 posted by The GCW on January 07, 2009 at 23:02:33 PT
The truth in print
"What the union fears is the loss of overtime pay and membership when prisons start shrinking." US CA: Editorial: Governor Finally Wants Prison ReformPubdate: Tue, 06 Jan 2009Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n021/a08.html?397
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Comment #10 posted by The GCW on January 07, 2009 at 22:06:56 PT
POLL
Do you agree with the City Council resolution expressing solidarity with Juarez and asking the U.S. government to begin a debate on the legalization of narcotics?YESNOhttp://www.elpasotimes.com/-0-Related story:US TX: Mayor Vetoes Resolution Asking For Debate On Legalizing Drugs http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n021/a05.html?397
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Comment #9 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 07, 2009 at 20:14:26 PT
Oh, About the Article
Ha Ha! What a freak show, illegal tax stamps, laws gone wild, cry baby police officers, and cops smoking pot on patrol. Narvana cometh. I've always said that if there was ever an entire country that needed to smoke a joint and relax, we are it.
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Comment #8 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 07, 2009 at 20:06:02 PT
Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General
I know this was being discussed in one of the threads, no wonder he came out against marijuana in 2006:... he has huge conflicts of interest as a bought-and-paid-for shill for Pharma, that should actually be disqualifying as a so-called journalist, to say nothing of being "Americas Family Physician" or the leader of the Public Health Service.http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/7/104043/1871/240/681144
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Comment #7 posted by mykeyb420 on January 07, 2009 at 15:09:20 PT
What does Joe the Plumber have in common with fish
They are like house guest,,,they all stink after 3 days...
Joe the fool
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 07, 2009 at 09:52:52 PT
I Like This Excerpt
What people did back in those days is question. Questioning authority to me is smart. I also believe it is patriotic to question. That means we care about the direction our country is going.***Excerpt: The record shows that these wayward young people went about wearing flowers in their hair, flashing peace signs, loving everybody, and questioning the sanity of the powers-that-be. 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 07, 2009 at 09:40:45 PT
Thanks Ekim
Here's a video link for the program.http://drugsense.org/url/4c3shisi
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on January 07, 2009 at 09:28:29 PT
saw ad for upcomming show or doc on cnbc
the name was marijuana inc and will be shown on Jan 22
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 07, 2009 at 08:12:54 PT
Sam
I know where this paper is from. I thought I lived in a rural and close minded area but that area is really behind the times.
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on January 07, 2009 at 08:05:24 PT
wallace
FOM - this looks like he's recycling his silly piece from before the election - apparently only some tiny paper out in the Midwest would re-print his garbage.This guy is truly frightening, a modern day witch burner. His day job is leading an Inquisition against the youth, exploting the urge to scapegoat to make money for himself.I looked on his web page to see if he's speaking anytime soon around here, but it looks like the only gig he could find in all of New England was at some Catholic school down in CT.Here's his websitehttp://stephengraywallace.com/index.phpnotice the business-casual clothes, I think a black robe with a big cross arond his neck would suit him better:http://www.imdb.com/media/rm558667264/tt0115988
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 07, 2009 at 07:40:36 PT
Article I Couldn't Find in Mapinc. Database
A Clear and Present Danger – Marijuana and The Marginalization of Prevention***By Stephen Wallace, MS Ed National Chairman and CEO of SADD(Students Against Destructive Decisions)January 7, 2009Dealing a blow to years of work and recent gains in youth drug prevention, Massachusetts has joined a growing, but still short, list of states to decriminalize marijuana possession. At least that is the intention of some 65 percent of voters checking "Yes" on a ballot initiative that makes possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense (punishable by a ticket) as opposed to a criminal one. And this on the same day that the same voters approved a ban on greyhound racing. Protect the dogs but throw the kids under the bus. Go figure.Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/Wivp463k
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