cannabisnews.com: DrugSense Weekly April 13, 2001 #195 DrugSense Weekly April 13, 2001 #195 Posted by FoM on April 13, 2001 at 15:52:24 PT Grinspoon Gives Ground Breaking Speech at NORML Source: Drug Sense Lester Grinspoon, MD is remarkable; nearly alone in his chosen profession, he has long stood in opposition to our government's most irrational, yet ardently held public policy: the criminal prohibition of marijuana. In an important speech to be delivered on April 20 to the NORML Convention in Washington, DC, he will spell out how, at age 44, while in the ascending trajectory of a promising academic career at one of our leading medical schools, his intellectual honesty forced him into what has become a lonely, yet rewarding crusade. In a revealing personal account, Dr Grinspoon credits discovery of cannabis as a defining moment in his life; entirely comparable to marriage, "the gift of children," and his decision to study medicine. In 1967, he knew little of cannabis except what our government claimed; to his dismay, he soon learned its policy of marijuana prohibition rested on myth and falsehood. Rather than an article summarizing its dangers to adolescents, his research produced a more positive article in Scientific American. This brought him, along with unwanted notoriety, pressure to write the 1971 book,"Marijuana Reconsidered," an event which inevitably influenced the rest of his career. Rather than dwell on the politics of marijuana, Dr. Grinspoon recalls his life as a user. He had never smoked before starting his research; and held off for quite a while, even after becoming one of the nation's leading "experts." Eventually, the arguments in favor won out over any reasons for not smoking and some time in 1972 he took his first "hit." The balance of his speech analyzes why most of the approximately eighty million living Americans who defy their government's ban on marijuana to smoke for social reasons in their youth will eventually give it up. More significantly, as a thoughtful older user, he is able to explain clearly why over ten million seasoned adults at all levels of society continue to enjoy marijuana for its innocent (and under-appreciated) enhancement of life's other pleasures and how many use it to be more creative and productive. In terms of our increasingly tattered federal dogma, these revelations are, of course, heresy; the government would have you believe that chronic smokers are, at best, poorly motivated "potheads" and losers. Dr. Grinspoon's speech is an eloquent plea for those of us who know better to come out of the closet and stand up to be counted. By Tom O'ConnellNORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Marijuana The Forbidden Medicinehttp://www.rxmarihuana.com/Click the link to read all of DrugSense Weekly's News Bulletin.DrugSense Weekly April 13, 2001 #195http://drugsense.org/dsw/2001/ds01.n195.htmlCannabisNews MapInc. Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/MAP.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by Darb on April 15, 2001 at 01:05:06 PT Grinspoon I've read quite a few transcripts from drug warrior gatherings to which the great Dr. Lester Grinspoon was invited too. In each case he was given the minimal amount of time to speak, while the pro-drug war advocates were given basically unlimited time. In his short time he's went about presenting the opinion of legalization in a respectable manner.The most amazing thing is that he can keep at it. Every event I've read of Grinspoon's attempt at legalization and it has been so biased that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he would succeed in getting his message across, yet he keeps trying. This is a most admirable quality, because it WILL take more than 1 attempt to sway an anti's point of view. Through this relentless effort on the doctor's part he is getting our view across. I think we need more Grinspoon's in the world. Perhaps if one were to apply his tactics across the board we could wipe out all the liberty setbacks of the past few decades. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 13, 2001 at 21:33:29 PT I'll Keep My Eyes Opened For Info. Hi jAHn,I don't know right now but I'll sure post a link closer to the conference if they are going to have it online or C-Span. I hope so. I watched it before on tv and it was good. What's New [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by jAHn on April 13, 2001 at 21:11:09 PT I appreciate Dr. Grinspoon Rabidly!!! See him at the N.O.R.M.L. Conference on 4/20! He's such a Cool person! Intelligent too! Does anyone know if C-Span is Really going to air the conference? I want to have a screening gig...I don't care if it's not a movie, I will be utterly entertained...by the bong that I toke from. And pass on...Here's to ya, Lester Grinspoon! You're one Unique Fella that'll be appreciated by me, man! What a person... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: