cannabisnews.com: For Marijuana Advocates, Holiday Hints at Change
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For Marijuana Advocates, Holiday Hints at Change
Posted by CN Staff on April 19, 2009 at 19:41:10 PT
By Jesse McKinley
Source: New York Times
San Francisco, CA -- On Monday, somewhere in New York City, 420 people will gather for High Times magazine’s annual beauty pageant, a secretly located and sold-out event that its sponsor says will “turn the Big Apple into the Baked Apple and help us usher in a new era of marijuana freedom in America.”They will not be the only ones partaking: April 20 has long been an unofficial day of celebration for marijuana fans, an occasion for campus smoke-outs, concerts and cannabis festivals.
But some advocates of legal marijuana say this year’s “high holiday” carries extra significance as they sense increasing momentum toward acceptance of the drug, either as medicine or entertainment.“It is the biggest moment yet,” said Ethan Nadelmann, the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, who cited several national polls showing growing support for legalization. “There’s a sense that the notion of legalizing marijuana is starting to cross the fringes into mainstream debate.”For Mr. Nadelmann and others like him, the signs of change are everywhere, from the nation’s statehouses — where more than a dozen legislatures have taken up measures to allow some medical use of marijuana or some easing of penalties for recreational use — to its swimming pools, where an admission of marijuana use by the Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was largely forgiven with a shrug.Long stigmatized as political poison, the marijuana movement has found new allies in prominent politicians, including Representatives Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Ron Paul, Republican of Texas, who co-wrote a bill last year to decrease federal penalties for possession and to give medical users new protections.The bill failed, but with the recession prompting bulging budget deficits, some legislators in California and Massachusetts have gone further, suggesting that the drug could be legalized and taxed, a concept that has intrigued even such ideologically opposed pundits as Glenn Beck of Fox News and Jack Cafferty of CNN.“Look, I’m a libertarian,” Mr. Beck said on his Feb. 26 program. “You want to legalize marijuana, you want to legalize drugs — that’s fine.”All of which has longtime proponents of the drug feeling oddly optimistic and even overexposed.“We’ve been on national cable news more in the first three months than we typically are in an entire year,” said Bruce Mirken, the director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, a reform group based in Washington. “And any time you’ve got Glenn Beck and Barney Frank agreeing on something, it’s either a sign that change is impending or that the end times are here.”Beneficiaries of the moment include Norml, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which advocates legalization, and other groups like it. Norml says that its Web traffic and donations (sometimes in $4.20 increments) have surged, and that it will begin a television advertising campaign on Monday, which concludes with a plea, and an homage, to President Obama.“Legalization,” the advertisement says, “yes we can!”That seems unlikely anytime soon. In a visit last week to Mexico, where drug violence has claimed thousands of lives and threatened to spill across the border, Mr. Obama said the United States must work to curb demand for drugs.Still, pro-marijuana groups have applauded recent remarks by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who suggested that federal law enforcement resources would not be used to pursue legitimate medical marijuana users and outlets in California and a dozen other states that allow medical use of the drug. Court battles are also percolating. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard arguments last Tuesday in San Francisco in a 2007 lawsuit challenging the government’s official skepticism about medical uses of the drug.But Allen F. St. Pierre, the executive director of Norml, said he had cautioned supporters that any legal changes that might occur would probably be incremental.“The balancing act this year is trying to get our most active, most vocal supporters to be more realistic in their expectations in what the Obama administration is going to do,” Mr. St. Pierre said.For fans of the drug, perhaps the biggest indicator of changing attitudes is how widespread the observance of April 20 has become, including its use in marketing campaigns for stoner-movie openings (like last year’s “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay”) and as a peg for marijuana-related television programming (like the G4 network’s prime-time double bill Monday of “Super High Me” and “Half Baked”).Events tied to April 20 have “reached the tipping point in the last few years after being a completely underground phenomenon for a long time,” said Steven Hager, the creative director and former editor of High Times. “And I think that’s symptomatic of the fact that people’s perception of marijuana is reaching a tipping point.”Mr. Hager said the significance of April 20 dates to a ritual begun in the early 1970s in which a group of Northern California teenagers smoked marijuana every day at 4:20 p.m. Word of the ritual spread and expanded to a yearly event in various places. Soon, marijuana aficionados were using “420” as a code for smoking and using it as a sign-off on fliers for concerts where the drug would be plentiful.In recent years, the April 20 events have become so widespread that several colleges have urged students to just say no. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, where thousands of students regularly use the day to light up in the quad, administrators sent an e-mail message this month pleading with students not to “participate in unlawful activity that debases the reputation of your university and degree.”A similar warning was sent to students at the University of California, Santa Cruz — home of the Grateful Dead archives — which banned overnight guests at residence halls leading up to April 20.None of which, of course, is expected to discourage the dozens of parties — large and small — planned for Monday, including the top-secret crowning of Ms. High Times.In San Francisco, meanwhile, where a city supervisor, Ross Mirkarimi, suggested last week that the city should consider getting into the medical marijuana business as a provider, big crowds are expected to turn out at places like Hippie Hill, a drum-happy glade in Golden Gate Park.A cloud of pungent smoke is also expected to be thick at concerts like one planned at the Fillmore rock club, where the outspoken pro-marijuana hip-hop group Cypress Hill is expected to take the stage at 4:20 p.m.“You can see twice the amount of smoke as you do at a regular show,” said B-Real, a rapper in the group. “And it’s a great fragrance.”Complete Title: For Marijuana Advocates, Not-So-Secret Holiday Hints at Change A version of this article appeared in print on April 20, 2009, on page A13 of the New York edition.Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Jesse McKinleyPublished: April 19, 2009 - Page A13Copyright: 2009 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.comWebsite: http://www.nytimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/w3GDfLb9CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #39 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 11:54:30 PT
Some sort of insane cruelty is at work
in the prohibitionists of cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #38 posted by FoM on April 20, 2009 at 11:23:54 PT
Peter McWilliams
http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/Peterm.htm
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #37 posted by FoM on April 20, 2009 at 11:22:43 PT
Tom Crosslin & Rollie Rohm
http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/rb.htm
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #36 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 08:42:16 PT
Oh Happy Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0Y4s4GScw&feature=related
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #35 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 07:16:06 PT
Comment 31 Storm Crow
We can't forget them. Ever.Our hearts may learn to rest from the grief a while. A moment. An hour. A day. But we mustn't forget them.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #34 posted by Storm Crow on April 20, 2009 at 07:03:56 PT
Sadly, one more...........
http://tinyurl.com/dz3yyp Unbending Rules on Drugs in Schools Drive One Teen to the Breaking PointBy Marc Fisher
Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page C01Josh Anderson had just finished four homework assignments. He did his laundry. He watched TV with his mother -- "House," which he had Tivo'd for viewing that night. He played with the dogs. Then, at his mom's urging, he went up to bed. It was 12:30, and the next day, March 19, was a big one: Josh was scheduled for a hearing that probably would end with his expulsion from the Fairfax County school system.The Andersons weren't blind to what got Josh into this pickle. He had been caught leaving campus, going to Taco Bell with a friend. When the boys returned to South Lakes High in Reston, an assistant principal confronted them in the parking lot, smelled marijuana and had the car searched. This was the second time in two years that Josh, a junior, had been found with pot."I really have been working hard on this," Josh wrote to the hearing officers. "I can't believe I'm putting my parents through this now. I can't believe how selfish and stupid I've been. . . . I'm honestly going to try my hardest to fix this."The Andersons were told that Josh would be barred from any regular Fairfax high school and might be tossed out of the system entirely. His parents were looking into private schools or moving.But there would be no hearing, no new school, no more visits from college football coaches asking about Josh's talents.When Sue Anderson went into her son's room the next morning, he was dead. Without a word to his girlfriend, parents, psychologist, coach or teachers, Josh Anderson, 17, had killed himself.He left a note, just two lines. "Why does it have to be like this?" And, to his girlfriend, "I love you."(snipped)
"Why does it have to be like this?"
http://tinyurl.com/dz3yyp
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 07:01:58 PT
Comment 30
I've been reading about that.It's terrible to imagine what happened.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #32 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 07:01:07 PT
Storm Crow
You're very welcome! Happy April Twentieth!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #31 posted by Storm Crow on April 20, 2009 at 06:30:39 PT
Hope......
Thank you.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #30 posted by FoM on April 20, 2009 at 06:16:38 PT
Off Topic: Hope
Toll of Dead Horses at Polo Match Hits 21***"Clearly there's some sort of a poison," a veterinarian says. April 20, 2009WELLINGTON, Fla. — Officials were waiting today for test results to find out why 21 polo horses from a Venezuelan team fell fatally ill before a match at a Florida tournament in what one veterinarian said was the result of some kind of poison.URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-naw-horses-dead21-2009apr21,0,7993014.story
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #29 posted by FoM on April 20, 2009 at 06:05:40 PT
Hope
I had a terrible time sleeping because I made a carrot cake and ate too much of it near bedtime. Buzz buzz buzz buzz! LOL!Have a great day!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #28 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 05:43:47 PT
Pete's Place
Check out the new commercial being released today.http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/First-Ever Nationwide Pro-Marijuana TV Ad Campaign Is Launched in Conjunction with '4/20'(More than "Pro-Marijuana"... I tend to think in terms of "Anti-marijuana/cannabis prohibition", as far as my personal attitude about the war on cannabis and it's grievous consequences.)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #27 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 05:06:20 PT
FoM, Good morning!
About five or six hours.Well maybe not that many. I had too many peppermints and had carb induced leg cramps after I did get in bed. Aaargh!Had to be up early because Zoe's Mom brought her early today before work. Her baby sitter is out of commission for a couple of weeks. So, my "Gammi commission" is in high gear for a couple of weeks.Zoe's snoozing. I won't get to see those four twenty specials today. I'll be checking out what Dora the Explorer is up to and listening to the children's version of Flying Purple People Eater... a lot.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #26 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:58:51 PT
When will the heartbreak and carnage end?
http://www.mpp.org/victims/The War on Marijuana/Cannabis is a crime against humanity.It's got to be stopped.No more victims!No more martyrs!End the prohibition of cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #25 posted by FoM on April 20, 2009 at 04:58:04 PT
Hope
My goodness lady have you gotten any sleep?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:53:39 PT
Robin Prosser
(Our own MaiBongCity)For over 20 years, Robin Prosser, a musician and mother from Missoula, Montana, had suffered from an immunosuppressive illness similar to lupus. Her muscles stiffened, impeding her ability to move, and she suffered from chronic pain, heart trouble, nausea, and migraines. She was allergic to many prescription drugs, and others simply didn't work.Beginning in April 2002, at age 45, Prosser staged a 60-day hunger strike to draw attention to her plight. She sought assurance from local law enforcement authorities that she could grow her own marijuana - so as to maintain a steady supply of medicine - without fear of arrest or prosecution. However, Missoula Police Chief Bob Weaver maintained that Prosser would "be busted if she grows pot and we learn about it."In May 2004, Prosser had run out of marijuana. She e-mailed her psychologist that she planned to commit suicide because she could no longer stand to live in pain. When police arrived at her house, they found her nearly unconscious in bed after taking prescription sleeping pills that she ordered over the Internet. They also found a small quantity of marijuana and two pipes. Prosser was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, charges that could have brought up to a year in prison.Missoula Police Captain Marty Ludemann explained that "the reason we charged her is Montana does not allow the medical use of marijuana." He added that "if it happened tomorrow under the same circumstances, we would arrest her again."In September 2004, Prosser's charges were dismissed as long as she remained "law-abiding" for nine months; the plea agreement was unclear if this meant she was allowed to use marijuana.It seemed as though Prosser's trouble had ended when Montanans passed a medical marijuana initiative by an overwhelming 63% to 37% margin that November.However, in the spring of 2007, federal law enforcement officers intercepted the medicine her licensed caregiver had sent her in the mail. Following the incident, Prosser had great difficulty acquiring the type and quality of medical marijuana she needed to alleviate her symptoms.According to Prosser and those close to her, she experienced excruciating pain in the following months until on Oct. 18, 2007, she took her own life.http://www.mpp.org/victims/robin-prosser.html
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:17:19 PT
Payton & Chase (Beloved pets)
Berwyn Heights, Maryland
July, 2008Many, many dogs have been slaughtered in drug raids -- Payton and Chase are the most famous. Prince George County SWAT, intercepting a package of marijuana addressed to Mayor Cheye Calvo's wife Trinity, and knowing that criminals were addressing packages to innocents and intercepting them, nonetheless burst into the Mayor's home without even enough investigation to know he was the Mayor or even notifying local police, shot the two dogs (Chase was running away from them when they killed him), and kept the Mayor and his mother-in-law handcuffed on the floor for hours in their dogs' blood.http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:14:30 PT
Gary Shepherd
45 years old
Broadhead, Kentucky
August, 1993When a Kentucky drug task force came to uproot his marijuana plants in August 1993, pot-grower and Vietnam vet Gary Shepherd told them, "You will have to kill me first," took out his rifle and sat down on his front porch. That evening he was shot dead in front of his infant son. Despite the fact that Shepherd never fired a shot and his family was pleading with authorities for negotiations, state police sharpshooters appeared from the brush without warning and opened fire when he refused to drop his rifle. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:12:54 PT
Donald P. Scott
61 years old
Malibu, California
October, 1992Government agencies were interested in the property of this reclusive millionaire. A warrant was issued based on concocted "evidence" of supposed marijuana plantings, and a major raid was conducted with a 32-man assault team. Scott was shot to death in front of his wife. No drugs were found.A later official report found: "It is the District Attorney's opinion that the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to seize and forfeit the ranch for the government. Based in part upon the possibility of forfeiture, Spencer obtained a search warrant that was not supported by probable cause. This search warrant became Donald Scott's death warrant." http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:10:42 PT
Mario Paz
65 years old
Compton, California
August, 1999Mario was shot twice in the back in his bedroom during a SWAT raid looking for marijuana. No drugs were found.http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:08:58 PT
Pedro Oregon Navarro
22 years old
Houston, Texas
July, 1998Following up on a tip from a drug suspect, 6 officers crowded into a hallway outside Navarro's bedroom. When the door opened, one officer shouted that he had a gun. Navarro's gun was never fired, but officers fired 30 rounds, with 12 of them hitting Pedro. No drugs were found. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:06:58 PT
Peter McWilliams
50 years old
Laurel Canyon, California
June, 2000Peter was a world-famous author and an advocate of medical marijuana, not only because he believed in it in principle, but because it was keeping him alive (he had AIDS and non-Hodgkins lymphoma). After California passed a law legalizing medical marijuana, Peter helped finance the efforts of Todd McCormick to cultivate marijuana for distribution to those who needed it for medical reasons. Federal agents got wind of his involvement, and Peter was a target for his advocacy. He was arrested, and in federal court was prevented from mentioning his medical condition or California's law. While he was on bail awaiting sentencing, the prosecutors threatened to take away his mother's house (used for bail) if he failed a drug test, so he stopped using the marijuana which controlled his nausea from the medications and allowed him to keep them down. He was found dead on the bathroom floor, choked to death on his own vomit. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:04:52 PT
Kathyrn Johnston
88 years old
Atlanta, Georgia
November, 2006Kathryn lived in a rough neighborhood and a relative gave her a gun for protection. When she noticed men breaking through her security bars into her house she fired a shot into the ceiling. They were narcotics officers and fired 39 shots back, killing her. The police had falsified information in order to obtain a no-knock search warrant based on incorrect information from a dealer they had framed. After killing Johnson and realizing that she was completely innocent, they planted some marijuana in the basement. Eventually their stories fell apart federal and state investigations learned the truth. Additional facts have come to light that this was not an isolated incident in the Atlanta police department.http://victims.drugwarrant.com
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 04:02:26 PT
John Hirko
21 years old
Pennsylvania
1997An unarmed man with no prior offenses was shot to death in his house by a squad of masked police. In a no-knock raid, they tossed a smoke grenade in through a window, setting the house on fire. Hirko, suspected of dealing small amounts of marijuana and cocaine, was found face down on his stairway, shot in the back while fleeing the burning building. When the fire was finally put out, officers found some marijuana seeds in an unsinged plastic bag. The Town of Bethlehem settled the resulting lawsuit for $7 million+ and an agreement to reform police department procedures and training. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:58:45 PT
Clayton Helriggle
23 years old
Eaton, Ohio
September, 2002Clayton was shot to death while coming down the stairs during a surprise raid. He was carrying either a gun or a plastic cup, depending on the report. Less than an ounce of marijuana was found. http://victims.drugwarrant.com/
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:55:29 PT
Shirley Dorsey
56 years old
Placerville, California
April, 1991Rather than being compelled to testify against her 70-year-old boyfriend (Byron Stamate) for cultivating the medicinal cannabis she depended upon to help control her crippling back pain, Shirley Dorsey committed suicide. She saw it as the only way to prevent the forfeiture of their home and property. Despite her suicide, Stamate was sentenced to 9 months prison, and his home, cottage, and $177,000 life savings were seized. http://victims.drugwarrant.com/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:52:27 PT
Patrick Dorismond
26 years old
New York, New York
March, 2000Patrick was a security guard who wanted to become a policeman. He was off-duty and unarmed when he went out with friends. Standing on the street looking for a taxi, he was approached by undercover police who asked to buy some marijuana from him. Patrick was offended by the request (he didn't use drugs), and a scuffle ensued. Dorismond was then shot to death by the police. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:49:59 PT
Anthony Andrew Diotaiuto
23 years old
Sunrise, Florida
August, 2005Anthony worked two jobs to help pay for the house he lived in with his mother. He had permit for a concealed weapon because of the areas he traveled through for his night job. Sunrise police claimed that he had sold some marijuana, and because they knew he had a legal gun, decided to use SWAT. Neighbors claim that the police did not identify themselves. Police first claimed that Anthony pointed his gun at them, and later changed their story. Regardless, Anthony was dead with 10 bullets in him, and the police found 2 ounces of marijuana.http://victims.drugwarrant.com/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:47:05 PT
Troy Davis
25 years old
North Richland Hills, Texas
December, 1999 During a no-knock raid to find some marijuana plants he was growing, he was shot to death in his living room. There are disputed accounts regarding whether he had a gun. http://victims.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 20, 2009 at 03:41:49 PT
It's April Twentieth! Coast to Coast!
Happy Day!End Prohibition!Drug War Victims.http://victims.drugwarrant.comApril 20, 2001Veronica Bowers
35 years oldCharity Bowers
7 months oldIn the air over Peru
April, 2001 Died because of the Drug War.Don't forget!
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 19, 2009 at 21:19:10 PT
It's April Twentieth on the East Coast.
Have a happy and blessed day.Peace and Love Good night and good tomorrow.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 19, 2009 at 21:05:46 PT
Another good dose of Oh, Happy Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0Y4s4GScw&feature=related
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on April 19, 2009 at 20:52:00 PT
Hope
Thank you for the videos. Oh Happy Days!!! I love that song.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on April 19, 2009 at 20:46:06 PT
Have a good one!
Oh Happy Day!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLY7yI1xV-M
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by FoM on April 19, 2009 at 20:38:33 PT
They Even Mentioned The Movies on G4 Tomorrow
I've never seen Super High Me so I am looking forward to seeing it tomorrow night.http://g4tv.com/420/splash.aspx
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by Hope on April 19, 2009 at 20:36:59 PT
A Susan Boyle Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud_IVKmFFGI
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by Hope on April 19, 2009 at 20:28:43 PT
Page A13 of the New York Times?
Not bad.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 19, 2009 at 20:05:07 PT
Related Article From The Daily Camera
CU Students, Boulder Residents Talk Pot at National Forum on MarijuanaBy Lance Vaillancourt April 19, 2009BOULDER, Colo. — On the eve of the University of Colorado's notorious 4/20 marijuana celebration, hundreds of students and community members converged on the Boulder campus Sunday to talk about -- rather than smoke -- pot.URL: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/apr/19/national-forum-marijuana-420-cu-boulder-norml/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 19, 2009 at 19:47:27 PT
Interesting Article from The New York Times
I really liked this part.Excerpt: “The balancing act this year is trying to get our most active, most vocal supporters to be more realistic in their expectations in what the Obama administration is going to do,” Mr. St. Pierre said.
[ Post Comment ]
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