Kentucky Medical Marijuana Society

Missoula District Court: Pot case ‘mutiny’ leaves ripples for other drug cases

2011-01-02T11:06:00.001-08:00

By GWEN FLORIO of the Missoulian missoulian.com | Posted: Sunday, January 2, 2011 6:30 am |

Call it the Pot Shot Heard 'Round the World.

Oh, wait. Somebody already did that.

The Examiner online news site - one of many news organizations that picked up on the story of a Missoula jury pool that dug in its heels last month at the prospect of trying a case involving "a couple of buds" of marijuana - put a variation of that headline on its story.

Others likewise had fun with it. "The Great Montana Marijuana Mutiny," the Wall Street Journal's legal blog termed it.

"Where There's Smoke, There's Change," pronounced the Toronto Star.

And Huffington Post declared in a possible first that "Sanity Broke Out in Missoula, Montana, Today."

Headline hijinks aside, the jury pool's action - and the reaction to it - has serious ramifications for continued prosecution of low-level nonviolent drug crimes, not just in Missoula County but around the country.

"It was almost like a slap in the face to the system," said John Zeimet, of the moment on Dec. 16 when he watched his fellow prospective jurors, one after another, tell Missoula County District Judge Dusty Deschamps that not only were they disinclined to convict, but wondered aloud why taxpayer money was being wasted on the case.

"The people stood up and spoke out."

The story "hit a nerve" around the country, said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the national Drug Policy Alliance that advocates drug law reform.

"It shows the emperor-has-no-clothes dimension to what happened. It's an expression of what many people feel - that marijuana possession should no longer be illegal," he said.

A Gallup Poll released Oct. 28 showed 46 percent of all Americans favor legalizing marijuana use. "A new high," Gallup called it, representing a huge generational shift from the 1960s and '70s, when 8 in 10 people queried by Gallup opposed its legalization.

In the 2010 poll,

58 percent of those in the western United States support legalization. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Count Deschamps among that 58 percent.

The judge and former Missoula County attorney said he's "more or less" convinced that marijuana should be legalized in some form, despite being "much alarmed at what I consider to be rampant abuse of what I think was a well-intentioned initiative" - that being the 2004 statewide voter initiative that legalized medical marijuana in Montana. Deschamps also voted for that initiative.

"We've seen some downside in the medical marijuana thing, but I'm reasonably convinced that, over the years, I haven't seen very many criminals go out and commit horrible crimes under the influence of marijuana. Alcohol is 10 times the problem marijuana is, a hundred times."

Zeimet, a 53-year-old truck driver from Huson, also thinks marijuana ought to be legalized, and - like many other members of the Dec. 16 jury pool - objected to the expense of trying Teuray Cornell on a drug possession charge.

"It upset a lot of people," he said. "You're wasting the people's time and the city's time and money to do something silly and stupid like this."

*****

CONTINUE READING THRU THIS LINK

Technorati : cannabis, federal, hemp, jury, jury nullification, marijuana, mutiny, prop 19, state

DEA Position on Marijuana report (July 2010),

2010-12-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The DEA Listed Me #2!!!

The holidays have been very happy for me and everyone here at Quick Trading. Not only has Celeb Stoner listed Marijuana Grower's Handbook as the Best Cultivation Book of 2010, but I also recently received a copy of the DEA Position on Marijuana report (July 2010), and found that they named me second under Biggest Threats: The Legalization Lobby.

It reads:

"Ed Rosenthal, senior editor of High Times [they are a little out-of-the loop], a pro-drug magazine, once revealed the legalization strategy behind the "medical" marijuana movement. While addressing an effort to seek public sympathy fo glaucoma patients, he said, "I have to tell you that I also use marijuana medically. I have latent glaucoma which has never been diagnosed. The reason why it's never been diagnosed is because I have been treating it." He continued, "I have to be honest, there is another reason why I do use marijuana... and that is because I like to get high. Marijuana is fun." "

First, I would like to thank the DEA for their acknowledgement of my work. I appreciate my high ranking on your list, and while I am a supporter and respect the work of Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), what do I have to do to become #1?

Drug Czar Kerlikowske and the DEA have ignored my requests to put my tens of thousands of deputized volunteers to work. They are ready with their portable hazardous waste incinerators and thermal papers to destroy all of the marijuana produced in and coming across our borders.

So, this award to me is bittersweet. That's ok though, I prefer my chocolate that way too. Retweet this button on every post blogger Ed Rosenthal at 10:47 AM

2 comments:

: Eapen said...; The position paper from the DEA is available here:
http://www.justice.gov/dea/marijuana_position_july10.pdf

Yours Truly,
Eapen Thampy
Americans for Forfeiture Reform; December 28, 2010 12:11 PM

INTERIM LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE'S PROPOSALS TO CHANGE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

2010-12-26T14:20:00.001-08:00

Newshawk: Herb
Pubdate: Sat, 25 Dec 2010
Source: Missoulian (MT)
Copyright: 2010 Missoulian
Contact: oped@missoulian.com
Website: http://www.missoulian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/720
Author: Charles S. Johnson

INTERIM LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE'S PROPOSALS TO CHANGE MEDICAL MARIJUANA
LAW WIDE-RANGING

HELENA - Here are the highlights of an interim legislative
committee's major proposal to revise the state's Medical Marijuana
Act and create a regulatory structure for the industry.

Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, has introduced the bill on behalf of
the Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee
that she chaired. Here are its key provisions, according to a summary
by legislative researcher Sue O'Connell:

. Creates a state licensing and regulatory structure for medical
marijuana businesses.

The Revenue Department would be in charge of regulation, while the
Department of Public Health and Human Services would continue to
register patients qualified to use medical marijuana.

Parolees, probationers and individuals under youth court supervision
may not receive cards.

. Creates a tiered licensing system for people growing and selling
medical marijuana.

A provider would be an individual who grows or obtains medical
marijuana for registered cardholders and is limited to working with
five or fewer cardholders.

A medical marijuana dispensary may sell marijuana to more than five
cardholders.

A medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer may make products,
such as edible products or tinctures.

A medical marijuana grower may grow marijuana for a dispensary or
infused products manufacturer. This grower must also have a license
for one of those other businesses.

. Establishes requirements for people applying for a license to grow
and sell medical marijuana. Applicants must submit fingerprints for a
national criminal history background check. They may not have felony
convictions of any kind, nor be on probation or parole or be under
youth court supervision.

Applicants may not be licensed if they owe taxes, child support or
student loans.

Applicants must disclose the names of all people affiliated with the
business and those with financial interests in the business.

The bill would require regular monitoring of license holders.
Licensees must provide quarterly reports on sales, revenues and other
items. The Revenue Department may inspect the business premises and
audit its records.

. Gives local government the authority to regulate. A local
government may establish zoning regulations, business licensing
requirements and building codes and standards, but may not ban
medical marijuana within its boundaries.

. Establishes new requirement for physicians. It creates a definition
of standard of care and requires physicians to meet the standard when
providing a written certification for use of medical marijuana. They
must have an office in the state and not located where medical
marijuana is grown, stored or distributed.

It prohibits physicians from having any financial ties to a medical
marijuana business if they provide written certifications for medical
marijuana.

. Revises the existing law to clean up gray areas. It requires that
applicants for medical marijuana registry cards and business licenses
be Montana residents. A proof of residency would be required for
applicants using medical marijuana cards. There would be a two-year
residency requirement for people applying for licenses to grow or
sell the product.

Two physician certifications are necessary to get a card for chronic
pain. A person with cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS may receive a card
when the symptoms of the condition are seriously affecting the
person's health status.

It increases from 1 ounce to 2 ounces the amount of usable marijuana
a person may possess, but caps purchases at 2 ounces per month. The
current law has no limits on the frequency of purchases.

It prohibits the smoking of medical marijuana in public.

It repeals the so-called "affirmative defense" that people could
raise in court, even if they weren't registered to use or grow
medical marijuana or had more than the allowable amount.

For News, Recipes, and Medical Info
Come visit us at http://www.letfreedomgrow.com

Technorati : Diane Sands, cannabis, hemp, marijuana, medical marijuana, regulatory structure of dispensaries

Medical pot industry sets its sights on Capitol Hill

2010-12-17T12:22:00.001-08:00

Medical pot industry sets its sights on Capitol Hill

By Rob Hotakainen

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The cannabis industry has flexed its muscles in 15 states where it's legal to smoke marijuana for medical purposes. Now the industry is ready to go to work in Washington.

A new trade group, called the National Cannabis Industry Association, is an attempt to bring together sellers, growers and manufacturers and to promote pot on Capitol Hill.

"Our intent is to be the go-to organization in Washington for this industry," said Aaron Smith, the group's executive director.

For the past five years, Smith worked as the California director of the Marijuana Policy Project.

"Coming out of California and expanding into this national field is pretty exciting," he said. "There's been a lot of enthusiasm.... It's pretty clear that the medical marijuana industry is becoming recognized more and more by the mainstream as a fully legitimate part of the economy."

Even though California voters last month rejected a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for all adults, Smith said it was just a matter of time before the drug was fully legalized.

"Legalization is looking inevitable," he said. "It didn't happen in 2010, but it's likely to happen in 2012.... It's going to be relatively soon we're going to see states move from medical marijuana into broader legal markets. And the federal government needs to catch up. Frequently the American people are ahead of the Congress."

But Smith will have a hard time finding many

marijuana advocates in Congress.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 400-4 to back a resolution sponsored by California Republican Rep. Wally Herger that calls on authorities to get tougher with those who cultivate marijuana on federal land.

In a speech on the House floor, Herger said the presence of Mexican marijuana cartel operations in national forests in Northern California "poses a serious threat to our public safety and use of our public lands."

Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin called medical marijuana "a misnomer," adding: "There is nothing safe about smoking. There is nothing safe about smoking an illicit product called marijuana."

Smith said the association officially formed this month, putting together a 23-member board that includes leaders in the cannabis industry, who represent dispensaries, operators, publications and insurance providers, among others.

The association's first target will be a federal law that prohibits marijuana use even if states have legalized it. The law has resulted in confusion amid overlapping jurisdictions, with state authorities enforcing state laws and federal officials enforcing federal laws.

But President Obama's administration has been easing up. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder ordered federal prosecutors to back away from cases against medical marijuana patients and to focus on higher-level traffickers or money launderers.

"I'd like to see that codified by Congress, to become the law of the land, not just an executive order," Smith said. "This industry's biggest challenges are the obstacles presented by federal law, so that's why we're focusing on the change to federal law first and foremost."

With Republicans poised to take control of the House, Smith said: "I can't say that I'm super optimistic, but we'll definitely be pushing the message of federalism, which the Republicans should listen to. All we're really asking for is to allow the states to essentially make up their own minds on marijuana policy."

Smith noted that the issue of medical marijuana has bipartisan appeal: Republican candidates won a clean sweep in Arizona last month, but voters still approved the use of medical marijuana.

"This is not a left issue," he said. "This is a mainstream issue, and Republicans should embrace it."

Move over, Big Pharma and Big Oil, Big Marijuana is here!

2010-12-17T12:12:00.001-08:00

Move over, Big Pharma and Big Oil, Big Marijuana is here

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Beyond The Curtain

Daniel Tencer
The Raw Story

Legalization ‘looking inevitable,’ spokesman says

If there’s one group of people who get their way in Washington, it’s lobbyists.

Now, advocates of marijuana legalization may have a reason to cheer that political reality: They’re getting their own marijuana lobby group.

And just Big Pharma and Big Oil lobby for greater leeway for their businesses, so too will Big Marijuana push for their industry to be given the freedom to succeed.

Aaron Smith, executive director of the newly formed National Cannabis Industry Association, says that marijuana legalization is “looking inevitable.”

Smith told McClatchy news service: “It’s pretty clear that the medical marijuana industry is becoming recognized more and more by the mainstream as a fully legitimate part of the economy.”

Legalization “didn’t happen in 2010, but it’s likely to happen in 2012,” he added. “It’s going to be relatively soon we’re going to see states move from medical marijuana into broader legal markets. And the federal government needs to catch up. Frequently the American people are ahead of the Congress.”

The NCIA notes that 15 states have now legalized medical marijuana, providing the lobby group with a legal base from which to operate and collect funding. And just as Big Pharma and Big Oil frame their demands through the prism of American jobs, so too will the National Cannabis Industry Association argue that legalizing marijuana will put thousands of Americans to work.

“The ever-expanding list of state-sanctioned medical cannabis providers and ancillary businesses have easily become a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, generating thousands of good jobs and paying tens – if not hundreds – of millions in taxes,” Smith said in a statement last month. “These businesses have clearly earned the right to strong representation on the national stage and recognition as a true force for economic growth.”

According to McClatchy, the lobby group’s first target will be a federal law that upholds marijuana prohibition in states that have legalized it. But the news service notes it could be an uphill battle: By a margin of 400 to 4, House representatives recently voted in favor of a resolution calling for tougher laws against those who grow pot on federal land.

And the US’s most high-profile political battle for marijuana legalization — California’s Proposition 19 — lost by a margin of 57 to 43 in last month’s vote. The defeat for pot activists came after US Attorney General Eric Holder said he would continue enforcing federal marijuana laws in the state regardless of how Californians voted.

Smith sounded an ambivalent note about his lobby group’s prospects in the coming Republican-dominated House, suggesting that framing the argument as a states’ rights issue — each state should decide its own pot policies — should appeal to federalist Republicans.

“I can’t say that I’m super optimistic, but we’ll definitely be pushing the message of federalism, which the Republicans should listen to,” he told McClatchy. “All we’re really asking for is to allow the states to essentially make up their own minds on marijuana policy.”

Cancer: There are natural cures and treatments available! December 16th, 2010

2010-12-17T11:57:00.001-08:00

CANCER. It’s a word that scares the pants off of us, but it doesn’t have to. There are simple, effective and inexpensive natural treatments available that we can do ourselves in the comfort of our own homes; and with amazing results! Just because the medical establishment doesn’t recognize them doesn’t mean they don’t work. Remember, each cancer patient earns the pharmaceutical about 0,000. Do you think they want you to know about something natural that they can’t profit from? Here is an excerpt from the following web site: http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/fraud/chemo.htm

“Most telling, according to Ralph Moss in his book Questioning Chemotherapy, is that in a good number of surveys, chemotherapists have responded that they would neither recommend chemotherapy for their families nor would they use it themselves. One of our advisors, Dr Dan Harper, reported to us about an unpublished cohort study in which it was revealed that only 9% of oncologists took chemotherapy for their cancers.

Let’s hear from a couple of physicians and doctors who have not yet succumb to the heavy hand of the cancer industry:

“…as a chemist trained to interpret data, it is incomprehensible to me that physicians can ignore the clear evidence that chemotherapy does much, much more harm than good.” – Alan C Nixon, PhD, former president of the American Chemical Society.

Walter Last, writing in The Ecologist, reported recently: “After analysing cancer survival statistics for several decades, Dr Hardin Jones, Professor at the University of California, concluded “…patients are as well, or better off untreated.” Jones’ disturbing assessment has never been refuted.

Professor Charles Mathe declared: “If I contracted cancer, I would never go to a standard cancer treatment centre. Cancer victims who live far from such centres have a chance.”

“Many medical oncologists recommend chemotherapy for virtually any tumor, with a hopefulness undiscouraged by almost invariable failure,” Albert Braverman MD 1991 Lancet 1991 337 p901 “Medical Oncology in the 90s.

“Most cancer patients in this country die of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy does not eliminate breast, colon, or lung cancers. This fact has been documented for over a decade, yet doctors still use chemotherapy for these tumors,” Allen Levin, MD UCSF The Healing of Cancer.

“Despite widespread use of chemotherapies, breast cancer mortality has not changed in the last 70 years,” Thomas Dao, MD NEJM Mar 1975 292 p 707.

Additionally, Irwin Bross, a biostatistician for the National Cancer Institute, discovered that many cancers that are benign (though thought to be malignant) and will not metastasize until they are hit with chemotherapy. In other words, he’s found that many people who’ve been diagnosed with metastatic cancer did not have metastatic cancer until they got their chemotherapy.”

Pretty scary stuff! Anyway, let’s get on with the natural treatments I have found:

One of the most effective treatments is the grape juice cure. It is said that the grape juice treatment can cure lung cancer in two weeks, prostate cancer in about a month, and is also effective against of leukemia (cancer of the blood).
Here is the simple and easy to do treatment:

Go to your local natural food or health food store and purchase a supply of natural, unprocessed dark concord grape juice. Begin with a 24 oz. bottle of this dark concord grape juice the first thing in the morning. Do not eat until Noon. Take a couple of swallows every 10 or 15 minutes; don’t drink it all at once! By noon you should have finished the 24 oz bottle.

After 12 o’clock, carry on with the rest of the day as you normally would, but do not eat anything after 8 o’clock in the evening. Food seems to carry away the curative agent in the grape juice, which may be magnesium, so stick to the fast between 8 P.M. and Noon the following day.

Keep this up every day for 2 weeks to one month.

Another natural therapy for cancer is vitamin B-17. Vitamin B-17 is found in most fruit seeds, with the highest concentration in apricot seeds. Its components make it vital for our survival without cancer. It is said that eating just seven of the soft, bitter inside of apricot seeds per day will nearly guarantee a cancer free life. You can also purchase B-17 supplements at your local heath food store. Use it in conjunction with lots of vitamin C!

And one of the most amazing of all is the hemp treatment. I don’t condone the use of hemp only because it is currently illegal, but many people have been cured of cancer by using this simple plant that anyone can grow in their back yard. Kinda makes one wonder why it is illegal…

Anyway, one of my heroes is a man named Rick Simpson, who is a fellow Canadian. He has been treating and curing people of cancer for years using hemp oil, and the recipe for making and using it is posted on his web site. I strongly recommend you visit his site here: http://www.phoenixtears.ca

One of the least expensive, popular and controversial treatments is the maple syrup and baking soda treatment. It is actually a natural form of chemotherapy without any harmful side effects, provided that you monitor your pH levels (read more below).

It is a known fact that cancer thrives in an acidic (pH) environment in the body, but cannot survive in an alkaline (pH) environment. Every cancer patient and every health care practitioner should know that oral intake of sodium bicarbonate offers an instant and strong shift of blood pH into the alkaline. The effect is so strong that athletes can notice the difference in their breathing almost immediately, as more oxygen is carried throughout the system and more acids are neutralized.

This treatment is a combination of pure, 100% maple syrup and simple baking soda. It is very important not to use baking soda which has had aluminum added to it (as many brands do). Try Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum-Free Baking Soda or other natural baking soda brands.

When mixed and heated together, the maple syrup and baking soda bind together. You see, cancer needs sugar to thrive and grow, and this treatment “tricks” the cancer cells into self-destructing. The maple syrup is gobbled up by cancer cells (which consume 15 times more glucose than normal cells), and the baking soda (which is very alkaline), is dragged into the cancer cell by the maple syrup and forces a rapid shift in pH, killing the cell.

Here is the simple treatment: Simply mix 3 parts organic maple syrup with 1 part aluminum-free baking soda (Red Mill Brand or similar). Stir on low heat (not over 120 degrees) for 10 minutes, and take 1 to 3 tsp per day for 1 to 2 months. Change your diet to a natural and whole food diet. Do NOT eat meat, and especially no sugar!! Use Stevia as a sweetener instead,and avoid aspartame at all costs! Also, do not consume any white flour or products containing white flour. Use whole grain, natural flour instead. (Do not use pancake syrup; this only works with pure, natural maple syrup!).

Important: If you are using this treatment, please make sure to check your body’s pH levels regularly using pH strips you can purchase at the drug store. The human body must maintain a pH level of 7.4 or else it can cause other serious problems. If you choose this method, please have a naturopathic doctor monitor your pH levels and overall health during treatment!

Let’s not lose site of the fact that cancer is big business for the pharmaceutical industry. They do not want you to know about the alternatives out there, and they will use scare tactics to discourage you from trying them.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I have not had any medical training. I am just a person who has researched this topic a great deal and simply wish to share what I have learned with you. My hope is that it will give you the incentive to do some research yourself and then educate others about what you have learned. The only way we can truly be free is if we rely on ourselves to find the truth and not rely on others who have vested interests in presenting us with their version of the “truth”.

Please visit the website www.noguff.com for some amazing information and a list of links at the bottom of the page.

—————————————————————-
About the author:
Rick Ivanoff is a songwriter, publisher and recording artist with an avid interest in natural cures and alternative technologies.

Rick Ivanoff is a songwriter, publisher and recording artist with an avid interest in natural cures and alternative technologies. Visit his web sites:

http://www.rickivanoff.com

http://www.noguff.com

http://www.trytheseoffers.com

Medical marijuana: City of Mesa clears way for new ‘Mormon Trail’

2010-12-17T10:34:00.001-08:00

by Pamela Powers on Dec. 11, 2010, under 2010 elections, Arizona, Drugs, medical marijuana, nanny state

Back in the early 1980s, I interviewed an old rancher who lived in Dragoon, Arizona for a feature story about rural Cochise County.

His 1800s stone ranch house was decorated with rustic furniture, a smattering of family heirlooms, and a large collection of old glass bottles. Being somewhat of an antique buff myself, I remarked at the variety of old bottles he had collected. As I photographed him, his house, and the bottle collection, I asked where he had gotten them all.

“This house is on the Mormon Trail,” he explained. “I found them all on my property.”

“The Mormon Trail?” I inquired– thinking it was a migration route like the Oregon Trail or Cornado’s Trail.

The grizzled old rancher chuckled, “The Mormon Trail is the route the Mormons took from St. David to the bars in Willcox. They didn’t want their family members or church elders in St. David to know they had been drinking in Willcox, so they dropped the evidence– the alcohol bottles– along the Mormon Trail as they rode their horses back home.”

I was reminded of the old rancher’s story this morning when I read Mesa seeks to seclude shops selling medical pot in today’s Arizona Daily Star.

In an attempt to legislate morality and control the temptation of the evil weed– even though it has been approved only for medical purposes– Mesa’s city council is considering highly restrictive zoning laws. Here is an excerpt from the Star (with emphasis added).

Mesa won’t let medical-marijuana shops open in most of its commercial districts, with city leaders saying they don’t want the substance sold near neighborhoods or in prominent locations.

Instead, the shops will be forced to industrial areas and just one kind of commercial use.
The city is taking a different approach from most other Arizona cities, which so far have been restricting the shops to commercial zones. The city staff had proposed that kind of regulation, but members of the City Council feared that would put the stores at the corner of major intersections.

The stores will be restricted from most areas in the city, as they must be at least a mile from each other, 2,400 feet from rehab facilities, 1,200 feet from churches and schools, and 500 feet from day-care facilities or preschools.

A map prepared by the city shows only slivers of land where the shops could open.

This is folly, and obviously another example of Arizona’s nanny state leanings. Once the Arizona Department of Health Services sets up the system for licensing dispensaries, caregivers, and medical providers, medical marijuana sales will begin in Arizona. It will be legal– even for Mesans– to purchase medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

The Mesa city fathers should learn a lesson from the Mormon Trail story. If people want or need drugs– legal or otherwise– they will find a way to obtain then, even if it means driving to an industrial district of their lily-white city or (heaven forbid) driving into Phoenix.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 11th, 2010 at 10:38 am and is filed under 2010 elections, Arizona, Drugs, medical marijuana, nanny state. Tags for this post: Arizona, medical marijuana, Mesa, nanny state. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

J.R. will discuss his LSD trips with you...

2010-12-15T09:24:00.001-08:00

Addiction Inbox

MAPS Sponsors Psychedelic Confab

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 11:45 AM PST

And J.R. will discuss his LSD trips with you.
The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has put together a roster of very big psychedelic guns, as well as a few surprises, for its mini-conference on December 12-13 in Los Angeles. On tap for the convocation are such luminaries as Stanislav Grof of Holotropic Breathwork fame; as well as Charles Grob, professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and a psychedelic research of long standing who recently studied the effects of psilocybin on death anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
“Catalysts: The Impact of Psychedelics from Consciousness to the Clinic, and from Culture to Creativity” will feature presentations and discussions on “psychedelic science, the current state of psychedelic research, and clinical applications for therapeutic use.”
Other experts among the scientists, physicians, psychologists, writers, and artists expected to attend include Rick Doblin, the founder of MAPS, who has specialized in research on MDMA (Ecstasy) as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Another scheduled attendee, James Fadiman, was introduced to the field of psychedelic drugs by his Harvard undergraduate advisor Richard Alpert, who later became well known as Baba Ram Dass. Fadiman holds the distinction of being the last LSD researcher to be shut down by the U.S. government, when he was at San Francisco State University in 1972.
Also in attendance will be Julie Holland, an assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, and the author of “Ecstasy: A Complete Guide,” and Clare Wilkins, director of the Pangea Biomedics Ibogaine Clinic in Mexico.
Special Bonus Appearance:
I can’t imagine that anyone under the age of 55 is likely to know who Larry Hagman is. Long ago, he was on a camp TV show about a Texas oil bazillionaire with nasty habits. Not only was he a big TV star, he was also old enough to have been around when LSD psychotherapy came to the couches of Hollywood analysts for a brief period in the 1960s and attracted some other odd ducks like Cary Grant and James Coburn. Hagman, Star of TV’s “Dallas” and “I Dream of Jeannie,” will discuss his experiences with LSD psychotherapy.
Earlier, he talked about his experiences in a 2003 interview with Rick Doblin, published in the MAPS journal and excerpted below:
Before I tried LSD, I'd been going to a psychologist for a couple of years…. I had been addicted to tobacco and Bontril, a mild form of amphetamine, doctor-prescribed of course….
I was backstage at a performance one time with Crosby, Stills & Nash and I was talking about it to David Crosby. David said, well, shit, man, here. He handed me a handful of little pills. I said what the fuck? He says this is LSD. It was the best going around at that time. This was before Blue Cheer and Windowpane. This was the original Owsley. He gave me about 25 pills. I said, well, how much should I take? He says, well, don't take more than one….
… my first acid trip was the most illuminating experience of my life. I would highly recommend it for people who study and prepare for it and who are not neurotic or psychotic. I don't know what it would do to psychotic people. I know what it does to neurotic people who can't handle that. They get terrified and do crazy things like jumping out of windows and stuff like that. That's happened to a couple of friends of mine.
Graphics Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hagman

World AIDS Day

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 03:09 AM PST

Testing, Testing.

Guest Post By Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., FFPH, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Every year on December 1, we commemorate World AIDS Day to bring attention to the tremendous impact of the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world. In observance of World AIDS Day, today CDC launched a special report, CDC Vital Signs on HIV Testing in the United States, in recognition of the pivotal role that HIV testing plays in our national HIV prevention strategy.

Some highlights of the CDC Vital Signs report on HIV testing include:

• In 2009, an estimated 82.9 million Americans ages 18-64—45% of this age group—reported they had been tested for HIV.

• At least 1 in 3 Americans who test positive for HIV is tested too late in his or her infection to get the full advantage of life-saving treatment.

• Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men have the highest rates of HIV, but a 2008 study conducted in 21 major US cities, found that about 40% had not been tested in the past year.

• African Americans made up more than half of HIV diagnoses in 2008, but 2 in 5 African Americans have never been tested.

CDC recommended in 2006 that HIV testing become a routine part of medical care, including testing of all adolescents and adults at least once, testing at least annually for persons at increased risk, and testing of women during each pregnancy. Since that time, HIV testing has increased, and more people are being tested for HIV than ever before. However, many challenges remain: 55% of Americans ages 18 to 64 still have never been tested, according to CDC Vital Signs. And of the estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, 1 in 5 do not know they are infected.

More needs to be done. HIV testing is vitally important because it can save lives. For anyone who is infected, it is important to know his or her HIV status in order to access effective life-extending treatment, avoid HIV transmission to partners, and have a better quality of life.

Treatment for HIV is most effective before symptoms develop. It can do much to slow the infection that leads to AIDS and death. Without treatment a person infected with HIV will develop AIDS in about 10 years. With early treatment a 25-year-old adult can survive on average 39 more years.
According to the Vital Signs report, nearly one-third (32%) of the people found with HIV in 2007 were diagnosed late. This means that they likely had HIV for a long time without knowing it because they developed AIDS soon (less than one year) after their HIV test.

Health care providers play a critical role in stopping the spread of HIV as most HIV testing is conducted in health care settings. It is important that patients listen to their doctors and it is important that doctors and other health care providers speak openly and honestly with patients about HIV, and offer routine testing per CDC recommendations.

CDC also plays a critical role. We are committed to strengthening our efforts against the epidemic and working with partners to increase HIV testing. CDC continues to expand its efforts in areas where the burden of disease is greatest. We recently announced an expansion of a successful HIV testing initiative to reach more hard-hit populations, including African Americans, Latinos, men who have sex with men and injection drug users. In 2010, CDC provided more than $60 million to support HIV testing efforts in 30 of the hardest hit jurisdictions in the United States.

In addition, CDC provides funds to all health departments and more than 130 community-based organizations to implement HIV prevention programs, including HIV testing. We are also working to get messages out about testing through the Act Against AIDS campaign. Of critical importance, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, recently released by the White House, provides a new opportunity to refocus and intensify federal, state, and local HIV testing efforts.

Now more than ever, effective HIV prevention is a critical public health priority for the U.S. and the world, and HIV testing to identify those infected is a vital component of that effort. Working together, we can increase HIV testing. Everyone needs to know how important HIV testing is – it is a simple measure that can literally save the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and help to bring an end to this tragic epidemic.

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SchapelleGate: A Christmas Message For Schapelle

2010-12-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

SchapelleGate: A Christmas Message For Schapelle: "As Schapelle faces up to her SEVENTH Christmas suffering in a squalid Indonesian prison cell, we are creating something to try to lift her ..."

N.Y.C. Misdemeanor Defendants Lack Bail Money

2010-12-03T21:30:00.001-08:00

By MOSI SECRET

Published: December 2, 2010

Thousands of people arrested on low-level crimes in New York City spend days languishing in jail, not because they have been found guilty but because they are too poor to post bail, according to a report to be released on Friday.

The report, which examines the bail conditions for people charged with nonfelonies like smoking marijuana in public, jumping a subway turnstile or shoplifting, found that the overwhelming majority of defendants in cases in which bail was set at $1,000 or less were unable to pay and were sent to jail, where they remained, on average, for more than two weeks.

The report comes as the number of arrests for low-level misdemeanors, often referred to as quality-of-life crimes, is rising.

Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group that most often focuses on abuses abroad, obtained data on nonfelony defendants arrested in the city in 2008. In more than three-quarters of the 117,064 cases, defendants were released on their own recognizance.

In 19,137 cases from that year, bail was set at $1,000 or less. The report found that 87 percent of the defendants in those cases did not post bail and went to jail to await trial. They remained for an average of 15.7 days.

“Here we are locking people up for want of a couple of hundred dollars,” said Jamie Fellner, senior counsel with the domestic program of the advocacy group.

“Pretrial liberty should not be conditioned on the size of your bank account,” Ms. Fellner said.

The report raised the possibility that many of the poorer defendants pleaded guilty at arraignment for sentences with no jail time, simply to avoid being behind bars while awaiting trial.

“The client is placed with a choice of staying out of jail and being on Rikers Island and fighting their case,” said Robin Steinberg, the director of the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit group that provides legal representation to Bronx residents charged with crimes. “Almost anybody would plead guilty. It creates a pressure on poor people in the criminal justice system for them to plead guilty without regard to whether they were guilty or not guilty.”

Arraignments in New York are a speedy affair, with prosecutors, defense lawyers, other advocates and judges working to ensure that defendants get their day in court — or just a few moments, really — within 24 hours of arrest, as state law requires.

Someone from the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, a nonprofit organization, interviews those arrested in the booking cells, gathering criminal histories and basic biographical and employment history to present to the prosecutor, defense lawyer and judge. The prosecutor requests a bail amount, and the judge makes a determination.

Some of those involved in the process take issue with the findings of the report.

Jerome E. McElroy, the executive director of the Criminal Justice Agency, which provided some of the data for the report, said there were complicating factors that the study had not taken into account.

“In many instances,” Mr. McElroy said, “there may be another open case, and that may be why the person is not released on their own recognizance.”

He also said that gathering information about a defendant’s financial situation in a five-minute jail interview was a tall order.

“It is not really possible for us to get reliable information on a person’s financial condition before the arraignment,” Mr. McElroy said. “At the present time, we don’t do that. If we did, by virtue of simply asking the defendant, and the court wanted some further verification of the reliability of the answer given by the defendant, I don’t know how we could do that.”

Melissa C. Jackson, the supervising judge for Manhattan in New York City Criminal Court, said state law already required that judges take into account a defendant’s financial situation when determining bail, and she disagreed with the assertion that judges would set high bail as a form of pretrial sentencing.

“It’s really counterintuitive because those judges are going to be handling the cases all the way through,” she said. “Why would they want a heavier caseload? That to me is a purely political take on what is really a complicated judicial decision.”

Judge Jackson said the main reason judges set high bails was that in the past, defendants had failed to appear in court.

Prosecutors also disputed the contention that they requested high bail amounts to pressure destitute defendants into pleading guilty.

“Pressure to get a defendant to plea is not a factor in setting bail in Staten Island,” said Daniel M. Donovan, that county’s district attorney.

“We have an assistant prosecutor who in about 30 seconds has to come up with a dollar figure that that young person believes is adequate,” Mr. Donovan said.

“We don’t get to interview the defendant; we have to make a determination without substantiating any of the information before us,” he said.

The district attorney of Brooklyn, Charles J. Hynes, said the report dealt with an important issue.

“My office is committed to request bail only when it will ensure a defendant’s return to court to face criminal charges, and never solely on the basis of the defendant’s inability to pay,” he said in a statement.

A version of this article appeared in print on December 3, 2010, on page A27 of the New York edition.

11/30/2010 SB510 Passes in Senate

2010-11-30T15:46:00.001-08:00

Does Senate Bill 510 Put Raw Milk in Real Danger?

by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon on 11.30.10

Food & Health

Today the U.S. Senate passed Senate Bill 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. After the recent scandal with eggs, and all of the other food safety issues of recent years (meat, peanut butter, spinach), many people believe this is a positive step - and obviously Senate lawmakers, who voted 75 to 23 to pass SB 510, also think the bill is good. A segment of farm advocates have warned that SB 510 is a severe threat to small farms - and by extension, most raw milk producers - because of the sweeping powers it gives to the Federal Drug Administation (FDA) and the possibility for onerous paperwork and other regulations for farmers. But there's some good news.

SB 510 will give the FDA broader jurisdiction, specifically in the wording of the bill that lets the FDA act on "reason to believe." SB 510 would also allow the FDA to mandate that a company recall a food product it suspects is infected. Thus if the FDA has reason to believe - a very subjective measure - raw milk is harmful, it could attempt to shut down that producer - unless the farmer had gone through the necessary paperwork to get an exemption.

While SB 510 passed, the Tester/Hagen Amendment that was recently added to the bill excludes small farmers and farms making less than $500,000 annually, by allowing them to apply for exemption from FDA regulatory oversight. The inclusion of the amendment made the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition finally lend support for SB 510.

As Kari Marion spells out in her blog at JustMeans, the Centers for Disease Control have tallied the big costs of food safety breaches: they "cause approximately 75 million illnesses each year including approximately 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths."

To put the dangers of raw milk in perspective in comparison with those annual figures, a CDC representative gave the following statistics in a recent Reuters story: from 1993 to 2006 outbreaks related to raw milk and cheese and yogurt made from it have been tied to 1571 illnesses, 202 hospitalizations and two deaths.

Even after the inclusion of the Tester-Hagan amendment, the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, another small farm advocacy group is still opposed. FTCLDF president Pete Kennedy told the Daily Caller:

"The Tester-Hagan amendment is an improvement on the bill, but I think it's still fundamentally flawed," Kennedy told TheDC. "I think over time the powers given by the bill could possibly whittle away at the protection provided by Tester-Hagan, they'll have broad power, and unfortunately under their existing power, what we see right now they seem to have three particular targets, which are raw milk, raw cheese, and supplements."

So while the Tester-Hagan amendment is good news for sustainable and local farm proponents, it seems the freedom to choose our food sources is not entirely out of the woods.

SB.510 Food Safety bill passes Senate

11:47 AM By Jessica Damiano

The somewhat controversial (in some circles, anyway) Food Safety Modernization Act passed the Senate easily this morning, 73 to 25.

It's had a long journey, and it isn't done yet: The Senate version still has to be reconciled with the House's 2009 version.

Whats the fuss? Read about the bill's pros and cons.

Senate Bill sb 510 and your right to grow your own food

Senate bill S 510 vote imminent - procedural vote passes 74-25

2010-11-18T19:16:00.001-08:00

(NaturalNews) U.S. Senate Bill S 510 is now on the Senate floor where a vote is expected shortly. Yesterday, the Motion to Invoke Cloture passed on a vote of 74-25 (see how they voted, below), sending the bill forward for a final vote perhaps as early as today.
US Senate offices are experiencing a huge backlash of grassroots opposition to the bill -- called the Food Safety Modernization Act -- as virtually every health freedom organization, family farm group and even dietary supplement companies have aligned to oppose this new bill. It is being called "The most dangerous bill in United States history" and would thrust America into a new Dark Ages of FDA tyranny over seeds, foods, herbs, gardens and nutritional supplements. (http://naturalnews.com/030418_Food_...)
Opposition to the bill has been widespread. For example, the John Birch Society issued this alert yesterday:
Senate Bill 510 has already passed committee and is on the Senate calendar. It calls for enhanced expansion of FDA authority over small farms, ranches, and other food producers, establishes burdensome administrative requirements for large and small operations, and arbitrary legal authority to recall "unsafe medications," the definition of which is not clearly established; if in line with the global standard set by Codex Alimentarius, "unsafe medications" could extend to dietary supplements and herbal products. There is language that currently exempts from heavy regulation dietary supplement manufacturers and packagers. However, the FDA and its agents are notorious for interpreting regulations their own way.
Take Action: Click here to sign the John Birch Society petition opposing S.510.
The John Birch Society insists that "My right to produce, distribute, and consume the foods of my choice is part of my right to life and liberty under the Constitution."
I happen to agree. The FDA has no business telling us we can't buy raw milk, or we can't save our own garden seeds or grow organic produce and sell it at the farmer's market.

How they voted so far

Here's how the senators voted on the motion to send S.510 to a full floor vote: (this is a procedural vote to move the bill forward so that it can be voted on for final passage)
Who voted in FAVOR of moving S.510 forward
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Coons (D-DE)
Corker (R-TN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Who OPPOSED S.510
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Graham (R-SC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Wicker (R-MS)
All of you who live in states where senators voted in favor of this need to call your U.S. Senate offices today -- right now -- and urge them to oppose this nefarious bill.
Call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Senator's office: 202-224-3121.
We are about to lose our food freedoms over the bill, because unless more pressure is brought to bear, it looks like this bill will soon pass -- and we will be thrust into a new era of FDA tyranny over the food supply.

Articles Related to This Article:

• FDA drug safety bill passes in the U.S. Senate; health freedom advocates outraged at betrayal of American consumers
• Natural health community having a huge impact on Senate bill S.1082; consumers achieving important victories
• Update on Senate bill S.1082 and implications for the health freedom of consumers
• Beware of the Senate Bill 510, the Food Seizure and Big Agra Act
• US Senate debate on S.510 Food Safety bill could extend into the weekend
• Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America

It’s Friday! What are you eating for dinner???

2010-11-12T12:05:00.001-08:00

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

GMOs are being pushed allegedly to conquer the food crisis, but in reality GMOs do nothing of the sort and can actually contaminate normally grown foods. The proponents of GMOs claim an increased yield, but in fact over 20 years, the yields of soybean, corn, and feed crops have failed to increase. Dr. Doug Gurian-Sherman, former US EPA and US FDA biotech specialist concludes that “traditional breeding” out performs genetically modified crops hands down! He also states there are no GM crops that were genetically engineered to resist drought, reduce fertilizer pollution, or save soil…no not one!

Bill Cristinson, President of the U.S. Family Farm Coalition states that the promise of using less chemicals and producing a greater yield is total hogwash. Even a major UN-World Bank sponsored report compiled by 400 scientists and endorsed by 58 countries concluded that GMOs had little to offer in the way of helping the world’s food supply.

GMO foods have not been shown safe to eat. Genetic modification is really a crude way to instill foreign genetic material (viruses and bacteria) into crops and the consequences are unknown. Animals will avoid GMO foods, even insects and vermin will not eat these food crops. Little testing has been done for safety and only one study has been published on the direct effects of eating GM foods. It found unexpected effects on gut bacteria (which is of extreme worry since the gut is your immune system balance) but was never followed up. Claims that Americans have eaten GM foods for years with no ill effects are false. No one has studied or monitored people who have ingested GM foods for any period of time. Unfortunately, the government has refused to label GM foods; so again, the citizen is a guinea pig for unknown ill effects of an untested crop altering program.

Dr. Suzanne Wuerthele, US Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist states, “We are confronted with the most powerful technology the world has ever known, and it is being rapidly deployed with almost no thought whatsoever to its consequences.”

Everyone has heard of Mad Cow disease and most understand that the cause is feed contaminated with bones from dead animals, purposely put in the grain allegedly to enhance the feed...but in fact, causes this deadly disease. As well, stealth GMOs are in animal feeds without the consent of consumers. Meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals raised on the millions of tons of GM feed imported into Europe do not have to be labeled. Are they force fed the GM food or is it simply intermixed? We don’t know. However, GM crops fed to animals can appear in the resulting product and the animals’ health can be affected as well as the health of those eating the animals or their byproducts, eggs and dairy.

GM seed prices in America have increased dramatically compared to normal and organic seeds, which in effect cuts the average farm incomes for those growing GM crops. The farms that have been growing GM seeds are now dealing with the consequences of increased pricing as well as having their soil contaminated with genetically altered seeds and crops.

GM contamination of conventional food is increasing. For example, a one year test of GM rice grown in a field was found to have extensively contaminated the US rice supply and seed stocks. Canada’s oilseed rape industry (Canola) has been destroyed by contamination from GM rapeseed. The coexistence of normal seeds and crops with GM’s is practically impossible. Once it spreads, it is impossible to grow normal crops as the soil is contaminated and the genetic alterations spread. It is a one way choice, once it’s made, it cannot be reversed. For an overview of the worldwide contamination of GMOs in fish, insects, crops, trees, plants, etc, see this link.

The big biotech firms (especially Monsanto) pushing their genetically altered foods have a terrible history of toxic contamination and public deception. Of course they have patents on the GMO’s and that allows them to control and monopolize the world’s food supply. They have even started harassing and intimidating farmers for the “crime” of saving patented seed or “stealing” patented genes – even if those genes got into the farmer’s fields through accidental contamination by wind or insects. Farmers are being sued for having GMOs on their property that they never wanted, never bought and never knew about and don’t intend to use. It’s gotten totally out of hand. Do you see the picture of control with the food industry…and America the bread basket of the world!

Our water is filled with the poison of fluoride, and now our food is contaminated by being genetically altered with viruses and bacteria that no honest consumer would ever want to eat. And we don’t even know which foods we buy are GMOs. Again, it appears this is part of the big picture to control our food and the population of the world. I’d bet the Rockefeller Foundation for Population Control and their friends are behind this entire plan. If you have a little piece of land, grow your own and learn to can fruits, vegetables, and meats just like our grandparents did.

Life is changing radically in America and sadly most are not prepared to care for themselves without the help of the state as we once were in generations past.

Click here for part -----> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,

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Kelleigh Nelson has been researching the Christian right and their connections to the left, the new age, and cults since 1975. Formerly an executive producer for three different national radio talk show hosts, she was adept at finding and scheduling a variety of wonderful guests for her radio hosts. She and her husband live in Knoxville, TN, and she has owned her own wholesale commercial bakery since 1990. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Kelleigh was marketing communications and advertising manager for a fortune 100 company in Ohio. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she was a Goldwater girl with high school classmate, Hillary Rodham, in Park Ridge, Illinois. Kelleigh is well acquainted with Chicago politics and was working in downtown Chicago during the 1968 Democratic convention riots.

E-Mail: proverbs133@bellsouth.net

The Irony of it all....the legalize cannabis movement

2010-11-12T10:56:00.001-08:00

By Sheree Krider 11.12.10

As I am sitting here diligently going thru all of my “google alerts”, I came across a page with three articles listed together which caught my attention. I thought it quite ironic that the three items came in the same alert...

Foreclosures, bad economy create fertile ground for marijuana 'grow houses'
Las Vegas Sun
The increase may be attributed to Nevada's record-high unemployment and foreclosure rates,

which have compelled some financially desperate absentee owners ...

Nevada pot attempt fails. | The Hive
CARSON CITY -- A move to legalize marijuana in Nevada has failed again, the leaders of the

Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws said Monday. ...

Cannabis Career Institute will be Holding Seminars in Las Vegas to ...
Cannabis Career Institute will be Holding Seminars in Las Vegas to Teach Medical Marijuana Business

All three articles concern Nevada residents. Economically, politically and personally.

The articles could be duplicated to include all the states with “Marijuana initiatives” on their ballots this year.

They failed miserably.

Yet, it has been established through local reporting that the “bad economy” is creating “fertile ground” for grow houses in foreclosed homes...

while...

the “Cannabis Career Institute” is holding seminars in Las Vegas,

yet,

the “legalization in Nevada failed again...

What is wrong with this picture???

PLAN TO ATTEND (OHIO) NOV. 13TH

2010-11-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

Ohio Patients Are Running Out of Patience Rally

Hosted by Miami Valley NORML / MV-NORML.org

When- November 13, 2010

Time- High Noon- 4:20 PM

Location: Courthouse Square, located at the corner of Third and Mainstreets in the heart of downtown Dayton

Please join Leaders from all over the state - In Support of HB478The Ohio Medical Compassion Act – Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Bill

As we stand up for our rights.

As we stand up to be heard by our lawmakers.

As we stand up for those who cannot.

As we stand up for our medicine.

Local Keynote Speakers

Charles M. Rowland II Charles is a former Ohio Prosecutor and a member of Law Enforcement AgainstProhibition LEAP.cc - A criminal defense attorney who is against this drug war for info- charlesrowland.com

Tonya Davis-A medical cannabis Patient, Medical Marijuana Director with Ohio NORML & Miami ValleyNORML and local Human Rights Activist trying to bring common sense to marijuana drug policy. Tonya hasbeen involved with the current House Bill 478 and former Senate Bill’s 343 and 74 and will let you know howthe program would work if it makes it into law and be available to answer questions. 1888-588-2843- more info Ohiomedicalmarijuana.com or Ohiopatient.net

Jenna VanHouten – A Young Couples fight - Dayton Drug War Victims (Bring your Kleenex) their lives havechanged forever over 3 or 4 marijuana plants to treat serious health conditions and the behavior by police waseven worse than the crime committed

Luke McKellar -Libertarian Party of Ohio's Central Committee Chair, and candidate for Beavercreek CityCouncil in 2007.

Mark Babb - Local Criminal defense attorney who specializes in Marijuana cases.

Dawn Dunlap- President of Central Ohio NORML, Patient and amazing speaker with a powerful story. Dawn also was involved with HB478.

Cindy Wimer WV AAMC State Director... Patient and powerful speaker and Activist.

Niki Wilkerson Dayton Ohio's TV Host of the NIki Wilkerson show.

Robert Ryan Is involved with LEAP.. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ... Treasurer of Miami Valley NORML- Chapter coordinator with Ohio NORML

State Rep Bob Hagen (D) Youngstown Co Sponsor of our current HB478 The Ohio Medical CompassionAct… says he might pay us a visit. Representative Hagan Introduced former Senate Bill 74 and has announcedhe will be one of the Sponsors for 2011’s The Ohio Medical Compassion Act.

Hospice Patient Rodney Peters. Was deigned and kicked out of a pain management program because he tested positive for marijuana.

Doc Miller... Radio host and medical cannabis patient

Many more speakers from all walks of lives...

Classic Rock performed by Thin Blood from New Richmond, Ohio

Hip Hop- Organic Bandits from Wilmington,Ohio

Acoustic- by Zebulon of Babylon from Wilmington, OhioUlrich Van Cru

Bluegrass performed by Blue Moon Soup from Yellow Springs, Ohio

Music made possible because of these folks: Hemprock Productions- Paul Riley – Crazy Leg ProductionsThis event is being held on behalf of Ohio Patient Network, a 501 C3 non-profit organization. Donationsare tax deductable. ohiopatient.org

Respectfully
Tonya Davis
Visit
Http://OhioMedicalMarijuana.com
http://facebook.com/ohiomedicalcompassionact
http://ohiopatient.net
http://normlohio.org
http://mvnorml.org
http://letfreedomgrow.org

"Judge others on your interactions with them not by stories being told". Or just ask them.
"I believe" in the power
of love " I believe" In the impossible.. because ...love and faith
will make All possible..believe the change u seek. I know no
malice, no contempt, I AM one with God and my fellowman. So it shall
be!

Right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

2010-11-08T11:14:00.001-08:00

47791 (E) 070910
*1047791*
Sixty-fifth session
Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*
Promotion and protection of human rights:
human rights questions, including alternative
approaches for improving the effective enjoyment
of human rights and fundamental freedoms

http://www.soros.org/

Right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health
Note by the Secretary-General
The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the members of the
General Assembly the report submitted by Anand Grover, Special Rapporteur on the
right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and
mental health, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 6/29.

initiatives/health/focus/ihrd/events/grover-20101026/anand-grover-report-20100806.pdf

THIS IS A “MUST READ DOCUMENT”....smk

Prop 19 Fails to Legalize Marijuana Use In California

2010-11-07T18:37:00.001-08:00

Marijuana

Proposition 19 was one of the most talked about and anticipated issued on the ballot in California last week. The amount of support for the bill was astounding according to political analysts; unfortunately despite all the support the bill failed to pass. The reasons for the bill failing were initially unknown; although it eventually became clear that the bill simply failed due to a lack of support for a large portion of voters.

Despite the fact that the legalization of recreational use of marijuana failed, marijuana supporters still believe this election was a major step in the right direction. In the past there has never been such a huge push towards legalization; so clearly supporters are making progress. The amount of funds available in support of the bill was also astounding, donors poured millions of dollars into the bill in hopes that it would help spread the word. At this point marijuana supporters say they are already preparing to push the bill once again in 2012; with the hope that it may finally pass.

Many supports believe the federal government is to blame for the bill failing; and they are partly correct. A large portion of funding went to fight the federal government because under current law marijuana is prohibited nationally. Technically unless the federal law is changed marijuana use will still be a federal crime; although California has already shown that state legalization can be accomplished in some cases.

Those against marijuana use also believe that this election was a step in the right direction for legalization; the results of the election speak strongly that in general the American population is avidly opposed to legalizing marijuana. Until at least 2012 marijuana will still be illegal, even in California.

Published on 07 November 2010. | Written by J Cox

Hemp Legalization may Piggyback to Legality on Prop. 19

2010-11-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

November 1, 2010 – David Bronner’s third-generation family business – Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps – imports 20 tons of hemp oil a year from Canada to make soaps, shampoos and skin lotions near San Diego.

Now Bronner hopes California’s Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana for recreational use can give impetus to legalizing cultivation of hemp – pot’s (non-psychoactive) cannabis cousin.

Proposition 19 proponents say the initiative’s language allowing local governments to permit cannabis cultivation – by definition – includes both marijuana and hemp.

But the measure variously inspires or infuriates hemp advocates, who are waging arguments over whether it will help or hinder efforts to lift a U.S. ban on hemp cultivation.

Some say Proposition 19 could invigorate a national hemp industry that already produces more than $350 million in annual sales of clothing, food, paper, carpet and other items – all from hemp grown in other countries.

Others contend the measure will further link hemp – a cannabis plant that can’t get you high – with marijuana and deal a public relations setback to the hemp movement. While it looks like marijuana, hemp contains only minute traces of pot’s psychoactive elements.

Hemp fibers, foods and oils are imported from more than 30 other countries, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration treats hemp cultivation as an illegal activity akin to narcotics production.

Erwin A. “Bud” Sholts, chairman of the North American Industrial Hemp Council, a Wisconsin group hoping to open up American farmland to hemp cultivation, wants nothing to do with California’s pot initiative.

“I don’t think we’re interested in legalizing the drug at all,” he said.

Sholts, a former economist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, said his hemp trade organization is working with major U.S. companies he won’t name to “develop a strategy” for legalizing U.S. production.

The last thing his partners need, Sholts said, is California’s Proposition 19. “They don’t want to appear to be pro-marijuana,” he said.

In its only direct reference to hemp, Proposition 19 says the Legislature may “authorize the production of hemp or non-active cannabis.”

That is pure political melody to Bronner, president of another pro-hemp group, the Hemp Industries Association.

“I think the initiative would be very helpful,” said Bronner, who said his business costs would drop by 25 percent if he could cultivate hemp in California.

Several states have passed legislation urging the federal government to legalize hemp and setting guidelines for a potential resurgence of cultivation.

In 2006, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1147 by San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno and Irvine Republican Chuck DeVore to endorse hemp cultivation in California. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Leno, now a state senator, said he will introduce new hemp legislation if Proposition 19 passes.

His earlier bill argued that hemp should be defined differently than marijuana because it is a not a mind-altering substance. While marijuana may contain 5 percent to 20 percent of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), hemp has 0.3 percent or less.

“They are distant biological cousins,” Leno said. “The analogy is that hemp has as much THC as the poppy seeds on your bagel have opium.”

Nationally, growing hemp has essentially been illegal since marijuana was outlawed in 1937 – except for one notable period. In World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture produced a film – “Hemp for Victory” – that called on “patriotic farmers” to produce hemp for rope, fabrics and other “needs of our Army and Navy.”

U.S. drug agents have since regarded the plant as an unwanted relative of pot. Authorities contend its similar appearance can shield illegal marijuana cultivation – though pot growers say hemp can cross-pollinate marijuana, killing its potency.

Last year, Republican Rep. Ron Paul and Democratic Rep. Barney Frank introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act in Congress, seeking to give states the right to permit hemp growing.

In a joint letter, Paul and Frank argued that hemp’s inclusion with marijuana in the Federal Controlled Substances Act has prohibited American farmers from “competing in the booming industrial hemp market.”

That market is already booming for John Roulak. His Oxnard-based Nutiva food company – listed in Inc. magazine as one of America’s 5,000 fastest growing businesses – expects to earn $12 million this year on imports of hemp foods from “Hemp Ginger Salad Dressing” to hemp protein shakes and munchable hemp seeds.

Sales of hemp foods – said to be high in fiber, protein and Omega-3 and Omega-6 – took off after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2004 that the Drug Enforcement Administration couldn’t ban foods containing the plant products.

Roulak is torn over whether Proposition 19 and greater marijuana legalization will help with hemp.

“I’ve been in the middle of that debate for too long,” he said. “I’m a voice of stay away from the dope (pot), stay focused on the rope (hemp).”

Roulak said few people in California are willing to invest in growing acres of hemp – whose market value is far closer to corn than marijuana – for fear authorities will “have their fields cut down.”

But he said passage of Proposition 19 would give political cover for the next governor to sign a bill legalizing cultivation.

“We feel optimistic,” he said, “that a bill signed by the governor of California will give us more options legally than we have now.” By Peter Hecht. Source.

If you vote no on Proposition 19, nothing changes

2010-10-29T11:33:00.001-07:00

Prohibition is failing

Published by The Reporter

Posted: 10/29/2010 01:03:01 AM PDT

If you vote no on Proposition 19, nothing changes. Marijuana is easier for teenagers to get than alcohol or tobacco now. Marijuana is the No. 1 source of funding for drug cartels now. Marijuana has been used by more than half of the full-time work force now. Marijuana prohibition clearly isn't working.

Concerns raised by opponents of Proposition 19 about the Drug Free Workplace Act are unwarranted. The U.S. Department of Labor Web site explicitly states: "The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 does not require drug testing." Additionally, concerns about driving under the influence of marijuana are unwarranted. We already have laws addressing driving under the influence for medical marijuana users and there has been no epidemic. The epidemic is with alcohol, which is responsible 39 percent of all traffic deaths.

This initiative simply mimics a stricter policy than Alaska's on growing and possessing marijuana (Alaska legalized growing and possession in 1975) and lets local governments decide if they would like to legalize sales. San Francisco will probably legalize it, along with Oakland and some other, more liberal cities.

If our city wants to legalize it, after seeing whether the effect is negative or positive, then it can. But we've already failed on every possible criteria for preventing marijuana use, so why not give legalization -- a policy that works in the Netherlands, Alaska, and Portugal -- a try?

Vote yes on Proposition 19.

Gerald

WATCH THE MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO MICHELLE RAINEY!

2010-10-28T08:25:00.001-07:00

Memorial Tribute To Michelle Rainey

By Cannabis Culture - Wednesday, October 27 2010

Tags:

CANNABIS CULTURE - Friends of Canadian cannabis activist Michelle Rainey will be hold a memorial tribute in her honor at BC Marijuana Party Headquarters on Thursday, October 28. Tune in to our LIVE webcast starting at 8pm Pacific time.

A devoted activist and friend to many in Vancouver's cannabis community and around the world, Michelle passed away on October 20 after fighting a brave battle with cancer.

Michelle worked with Prince of Pot Marc Emery during the booming seed business years and became a dedicated activist and avid contributor to Pot-TV, Treating Yourself Magazine, and other pot publications, while serving as the co-founder and vice president of the BCMP. Michelle was arrested and became one of Marc's co-accused when his store was raided in 2005. Like Marc, she was threatened with extradition, but was fortunately given a conditional sentence without jail time after arranging a plea agreement with American authorities.

A sufferer of Crohn's disease, Michelle fought tirelessly for the rights of medical marijuana patients and became known for her popular "MEDICINAL" t-shirts, medpot informational packages, and her Medicinal Michelle YouTube series. She was a passionate, hard-working and loving person who always had a big smile and contagious enthusiasm. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Please join Michelle's friends and admirers for a gathering on Thursday night to share memories and more. Those in Vancouver who knew Michelle can attend at 307 West Hastings Street on the third floor, and people everywhere else can watch the LIVE webcast of the Memorial Tribute to Michelle Rainey from the BC Marijuana Party Headquarters.

WEBCAST STARTS AT 8PM PACIFIC - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28

Chicago Kids Reap What They Sow, but Can't Eat It

2010-10-25T19:52:00.001-07:00

October 21, 2010 03:25 PM (PT) Topics: Food Policy, Health, Local Food, School Lunch

5415 Views so far...PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO VIEW STORY AND SIGN PETITION

Chicago boasts some of the best school gardens and greenhouses in the nation. The city's public school system holds more than 40 agricultural operations, with kids growing everything from tomatoes to pumpkins to fresh herbs. The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, for example, features a 25-acre farm where students raise tilapia and chickens and grow produce like squash, basil, and blueberries.

The school district's learning gardens seem like a sustainable foodie paradise. But like most things that sound too good to be true, the schoolyard farms come with a caveat: Students aren't actually allowed to eat anything that they grow during the day, The Chicago Tribune reports. Cafeterias won't serve up any of the hyper-local fruits and veggies, and most of the student-grown produce gets sold or given away. Talk about one giant missed opportunity.

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district and its meals provider, Chartwells-Thompson, cooked up this bizzaro, anti-produce rule. Under their regulation, student-grown produce needs to meet certain specifications in order to be served in school cafeterias. For one, student farmers couldn't apply any pesticides or insecticides on their crops, and they could only use commercially prepared, organic compost and fertilizer in order to supply veggies to a school cafeteria.

While cutting back on chemicals is a noble goal, Chartwells-Thompson and CPS don't require their commercial vendors to meet these same standards. In fact, produce grown by Chicago students likely contains far fewer chemical residues than fruits and veggies from industrial mega-farms. The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, for example, uses only a single pesticide on its corn. This scant use of chemicals means that schools won't dish out the local corn, even though corn sourced by Chartwells-Thompson can come loaded with all kinds of pesticides, herbicides, and every other kind of 'cide. Seems like this little rule was designed to ensure that Chartwells-Thompson's wallet stays full rather than Chicago's students' bellies.

We all know school lunch needs a serious overhaul — nachos, chicken nuggets, and soggy pizza do not a healthy, sustainable diet make. Incorporating fresh fruits, veggies, and cage-free eggs into lunch menus would undoubtedly boost meals' nutritional quality without costing the school district any more money than it's already spending. It's a win-win situation that's rendered impossible by district regulations.

The benefits of students eating their own produce extends beyond better lunches, too. American kids notoriously don't consume enough fruits and veggie. Studies indicate that kids who help grow crops are much more likely to chow down on fresh produce. Kathleen Merrigan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Deputy Secretary, recently co-authored a study that showcased this fact. The study found that "...children who engaged in garden-based learning did better on their standardized test scores, were more environmentally aware and were willing to try and consume more fruits and vegetables, even beyond what they saw in the garden," Merrigan told the Tribune.

So let's add up the evidence so far: Students eating produce they grow themselves not only adds nutritious stuff to typically gross school lunches, it helps establish healthy eating patterns, allows kids to perform better in school, and makes children more environmentally aware? Anyone seeing a downside to this?

CPS and Chartwells-Thompson seem more concerned with sticking to the status quo than actually amending a rule to make meals — and, well, life — a whole lot better for Chicago's students. Sign our petition asking the district and the food-service company to ditch their ridiculous regulation, and let Chicago's students eat the produce that they grow.

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Photo credit: whirledkid via Flickr

Sarah Parsons is Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor. Her work has appeared in Popular Science, OnEarth, Audubon and Plenty.

JACK CONWAY’S STAMP OF APPROVAL!

2010-10-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

Prop 19 and Constitutional Law for Dummies (and DEA Administrators) by Dan Riffle October 13, 2010

2010-10-17T10:29:00.001-07:00

There’s been a great deal of chatter recently about what the federal government can or will do if Californians wisely pass Proposition 19 in a few weeks (read up here and here for example). President Obama has several choices, but the one I want address here is the one recently urged by nine former DEA heads (pdf): for the feds to sue California in an attempt to declare the law null and void under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution because it violates the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). I have yet to see a more than perfunctory analysis of such a scenario, so I thought I’d post a little introductory Constitutional Law lesson for our curious readers.

Article VI, Section 1, clause 2 of the Constitution says “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land; … Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” In short, if state law conflicts with a constitutionally valid federal law, the state law is void. Now for starters, not even Supreme Court justices will agree on what the CSA can constitutionally prohibit. At least one justice will tell you a law prohibiting the intrastate cultivation and consumption of marijuana (at least for medical use) isn’t constitutional in the first place. But since a majority on the Court has already said Congress has authority to regulate even intrastate marijuana cultivation, does that mean Prop 19 would be void? Hardly.

The legal term for this analysis is “preemption” – does federal law preempt state law? There are two ways this can happen, express or implied. Express preemption is when federal law expressly says that it preempts state law (example) – the CSA does not. The second is implied preemption, and there are multiple versions of implied preemption. First is when federal laws and regulations are so comprehensive that they intend to “occupy the field” and leave no room for the states to regulate. The second is when there is a direct conflict between state and federal law, so that one law forbids something the other requires, or visa versa. Fortunately, section 903 of the CSA speaks directly to this question:

No provision of this subchapter shall be construed as indicating an intent on the part of the Congress to occupy the field in which that provision operates, including criminal penalties, to the exclusion of any State law on the same subject matter which would otherwise be within the authority of the State, unless there is a positive conflict between that provision of this subchapter and that State law so that the two cannot consistently stand together.

As you can see, the CSA itself says explicitly that it doesn’t “occupy the field.” That’s why in addition to federal laws on marijuana possession, every state in the country has its own laws, most of which differ from one another and federal law. So the question is whether there’s a “positive conflict” between federal law and Prop 19 — does the proposition require something that the CSA forbids? Late night punchlines notwithstanding, smoking marijuana will not be mandatory in California if Prop 19 passes. And Prop 19 doesn’t forbid anything the CSA requires.

There’s one final wrinkle though. A state law can conflict with federal law if it creates an obstacle to accomplishing the goals behind federal law. There’s some question as to whether this form of preemption even applies since one could argue the language of section 903 limits the analysis to direct, positive conflicts (and at least one court agrees with this interpretation). But let’s assume for argument’s sake that it does apply. Some will argue that a state making marijuana legal under its own laws frustrates Congress’ intent to control (by prohibiting) marijuana possession and use. Does that mean California has to keep marijuana illegal? No. A separate line of cases says the feds cannot “commandeer” state governments by telling them what they can and cannot do. In other words, the federal government cannot force California to keep marijuana illegal under state law or enforce federal law.

So what does all this mean? Without question, California can simply remove its criminal laws concerning the possession, cultivation, and use of marijuana, which Prop 19 would do. Then, cities and the state would be free to decide whether to tax and regulate marijuana distribution. Whether and how states or municipalities can enact regulations concerning sales and use of marijuana is another question, but the court decisions on similar issues are encouraging. Decisions in two California cases have found that federal law doesn’t prevent cities and counties from licensing medical marijuana dispensaries and that federal law doesn’t preempt the issuance of patients’ and caregivers’ ID cards. But suffice it to say, anyone claiming Prop 19 will just be void anyway because it conflicts with federal law is, at best, grossly oversimplifying matters. More likely, they’re just flat out wrong, and running scared now that it’s becoming clear what a failure marijuana prohibition has been.

The bottom line is this: California voters have a very real opportunity on November 2 to finally start unwinding marijuana prohibition, and nothing in the Constitution says otherwise.

(Thanks to Karen O’Keefe, MPP’s director of state policies, for her assistance.)

Marijuana has a checkered history

2010-10-15T22:06:00.001-07:00

Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/15/2010 08:22:32 PM PDT

Updated: 10/15/2010 08:53:33 PM PDT

In the 1930s, the drug czar of the day and a powerful newspaper publisher launched a vicious campaign against marijuana, naming it a deadly, dreadful poison.

The efforts of Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, with the support of William Randolph Hearst and other staunch opponents, led to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which made it illegal at the federal level.

"Before then it could be found in every corner drugstore," said Lanny Swerdlow, director of the Inland Empire- based Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project.

There have been many rules and regulations since.

On Nov. 2, Californians will vote on Proposition 19, which, if passed, would change California law to legalize

Richard Portillo of Og Genetics in Hemet provides medical marijuana for marijuana dispensaries and medical marijuana patients with what Portillo says is "high quality genetic marijuana." (LaFonzo Carter Staff Photographer)

marijuana and allow it to be regulated and taxed.

It is the latest in the debate over marijuana use.

Richard Portillo, who runs Hemet-based Og Genetics, helps supply medical marijuana for medical marijuana dispensaries and the patients who rely on them. He calls Proposition 19 a "funny thing" since lawmakers seem to have been constantly "going back and forth" on the issue.

For centuries, it was legal, with Chinese physicians recommending its use 5,000 years ago for pain. The Egyptians used it for the pain of childbirth.

In this country, the Virginia Assembly passed legislation in 1619 requiring every farmer to grow hemp, the fiber that comes from cannabis, or marijuana.

Colonists subsequently set aside part of their gardens to grow hemp, which was used for rope, clothing and ship sails.

"George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both promoted its use, while Benjamin Franklin went to Europe wearing homespun clothing made from hemp," said Jan Werner, vice president of the Clearview Lake Corp., which has medical marijuana dispensaries in Bloomington and Corona.

Although laws were enacted regulating its use, marijuana continued to be used for medicinal and industrial purposes leading up to the 1930s.

After the Marijuana Tax Act, drafted by Anslinger, passed, doctors could no longer prescribe the drug, said Swerdlow.

"The busting and the terrorizing began and it has been going on since," he said.

Although marijuana was ubiquitous in the 1960s, it remained illegal.

In 1996, Proposition 215 was passed in California, allowing patients with a valid doctor's recommendation to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medical use.

Several other states followed suit.

It remains illegal at the federal level and marijuana dispensaries continue to be in the line of fire in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, said Swerdlow.

And now there is Proposition 19, which would allow people 21 and older to possess, cultivate or transport marijuana for personal use.

The controversial proposition is currently the source of much debate. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday that the proposition won't stop federal drug enforcement.

Tim Rosales, spokesman for Sacramento-based No on Proposition 19, believes it is a badly flawed initiative that will not have the desired effect.

"It essentially carves out special rights for people who use recreational marijuana that could cause a host of other problems," he said. "There are people across the board opposed to it, and we need to go back to the drawing board."

But Swerdlow, a supporter, believes the time is now for the legalization.

"It will raise a lot of revenue for a bankrupt state and allow the police to go out on real crimes," he said. "It's absolutely time because it should never have been made illegal in the first place."

deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com, 909-386-3879

U.S. War Veterans Gain Medical Marijuana: Best News for Vets Since WWII

2010-10-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com

The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department finally woke up to smell the coffee...

tokeofthetown.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I have been yearning for this title in Salem-News.com for about 11 years, since Oregon legalized Medical Marijuana in 1999. Many of my first patients, of 5000, were veterans who discovered in Viet Nam that Marijuana was very effective therapy for BATTLE TERRORS, formerly called BATTLE FATIGUE or SHELL SHOCK which it isn’t. They also found it excellent therapy for PTSD and NIGHT TERRORS long after coming home.

There are at least 1,000,000 American War Veteran PTSD Victims and probably as many non-veterans of rape, child abuse, “burned-out” nurses, EMTs, trauma surgeons, et cetera. There is a long list of such victims.

The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department finally woke up to smell the coffee or the aroma of Cannabis after hearing from hundreds of thousands of Vets telling their Doctors and mental health Nurse Practitioners that Cannabis/Marijuana (C/MJ) really WAS excellent treatment for PTSD and literally all psychological and/or physical wounds. C/MJ is excellent for pain of the body and the soul with an added effect of mood stimulation called euphoria.

C/MJ is better and safer than ANY kind of Morphine-like drug. The addiction liability of C/MJ is miniscule compared to the Opiates.

The U.S. V.A. follows not only its own War Veterans but also those of Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Spain and certainly other countries.

The Anti-depressant drugs of many classes have been forced upon PTSD Veterans et cetera for many years. The record of these drugs is deplorable with fake sugar pills often working better. The adverse side effects of the drugs are more dangerous than any other drugs except Morphine-like drugs such as Oxycontin, a real killer. Now they can use something which really works!

C/MJ works WITH many classes of drugs and because it has a totally different mechanism of action it works with and frequently totally supplants many drugs.

At this time only New Mexico allows Medical Marijuana for PTSD although California is miles ahead with C/MJ permits for ANY condition which it helps, which is almost anything except dandruff and athlete’s foot.

HOORAH FOR VETERANS FOR CANNABIS!!

THE VOTE HEMP REPORT

2010-10-15T11:25:00.001-07:00

The Vote Hemp Report

Volume V, Number V

October 14, 2010

On August 20th Vote Hemp board member Christina Volgyesi and Living Harvest CEO Hans Fastre attended a private event at Congressman Kurt Schrader's home in Canby, OR where they had an opportunity to meet Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. They discussed the economic benefits of resuming industrial hemp farming and asked for the Secretary's help in obtaining a meeting with the Department of Justice on behalf of American farmers and the seventeen states which have passed hemp farming legislation. The following week Secretary Vilsack personally hand delivered our briefing documents to Attorney General Eric Holder at a meeting they had scheduled. Vote Hemp is now working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congressional staff to request a meeting with the Department of Justice. We are also trying to encourage the USDA to revise the inaccurate ten year old Economic Research Service Report: Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential.

Hans Fastre, CEO and President Living Harvest Foods, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture and Christina Volgyesi, Vote Hemp board member.

In February we wrote to you about our goals for this year and the strategies that we were going to use to achieve them. We also asked you to make a donation to Vote Hemp on our web site and told you that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has generously agreed to match every dollar you donate, doubling the impact of your contributions:

While the economy has not helped us meet our fundraising goals for this year, we have exceeded what we set out to do to help return hemp farming and processing to the U.S. In addition to securing meetings with officials at the USDA, and continuing to work towards meetings with the Department of Justice, we also had a meeting with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the first week in August. Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp, and Tom Murphy, our National Outreach Coordinator, met with Kevin Sabet, ONDCP Special Advisor for Policy, and Regina LaBelle, ONDCP Senior Policy Advisor, and discussed a range of issues that surround industrial hemp policy. The follow up on this meeting has been good and we are currently discussing changes to the ONDCP web site and they are working on our request to get a copy of the ONDCP's current policy on industrial hemp in writing. Even if the Obama Administration and the ONDCP don't currently have a policy on industrial hemp we would like to have that in writing.
In July we wrote a letter to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary opposing the nomination of Michele Leonhart to be Administrator of DEA. Leonhart is part of the problem at DEA and has not acted reasonably regarding license applications or general policy. To date there still has not been a Committee hearing on her nomination and considering the gridlock in the Senate during this session of Congress they may not have one before the end of the 11th Congress in January of 2011.
A few weeks ago we announced The Vote Hemp Guide to Hemp Activism, A Concise Guide to Citizen Lobbying on the Hemp Issue. This eleven page guide will give you the information and tools that you need to confidently and effectively ask your elected representatives to support legislation that will lift the current ban on hemp farming in the U.S. The Vote Hemp lobbying page has more information and you can download a PDF copy of this guide.
We are also happy to tell you that we have another co-sponsor for H.R. 1866, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009." Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's first district signed on last month. Techniques that are in The Vote Hemp Guide to Hemp Activism were used during the August recess to gain her support. H.R. 1866 now has twenty-five co-sponsors, including Rep. Ron Paul, the most number it has ever had!
Another part of of our strategy this year was the Hemp History Week postcard campaign to get the attention of Attorney General Eric Holder. Volunteers from across the country spread the cards far and wide, getting physical support for our cause and introducing thousands of new people to the issue. We collected as many signed postcards as we could, packed them in boxes, addressed them to the Department of Justice and included a cover letter. If you were not able to sign a postcard in person you may send a virtual postcard to President Obama and Attorney General Holder using our letter writing tool.
Remember that there is an election coming up in November, so register to vote.
Please remember to make a contribution to Vote Hemp today to help us continue working for hemp farming in the U.S. We need and truly appreciate your support!
Regards,
Eric Steenstra
President
Vote Hemp

In This Issue

Two New Bills Introduced in Michigan

Hemp - A War Crop for Iowa

The Hemp Millers' Exemption from Marihuana Taxes

Two New Bills Introduced in Michigan

Two new bills were introduced in Michigan late last month! HB 6480 is an industrial hemp farming bill and HB 6479 is an industrial hemp study bill. Both were introduced by Representative LaMar Lemmons and were referred to the Committee on Agriculture. Do you live in Michigan or know someone who does? If so, please read the Vote Hemp Alert: Michigan: Please Write & Call Your State Representatives!

[More...]

Hemp - A War Crop for Iowa

Here is the latest addition to the Vote Hemp Download Center archives. Hemp A War Crop for Iowa, Bulletin P 49, December 1942, Agriculture Experiment Station, Agriculture Extension Service, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. Cover picture: Hemp harvester in operation near Waupun, Wisconsin. (Courtesy of Bur. Agr. Chern. and Engr., U. S. D. A.) Click here to download a copy (PDF file 2.8MB).

The Hemp Millers' Exemption from Marihuana Taxes

After WWII the Bureau on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) tried to promulgate regulations that were so bad that they would have effectively banned the processing of hemp, and in effect the farming of it as well, by levying a transfer tax on any leaves that were left on stalks at the hemp mills. Senator Robert La Follette, Jr. of Wisconsin, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, held hearings on the problem and invited a number hemp industry witnesses. According to researcher Jon Gettman the Senate and House had a conference on the adoption of the amendments and that:
"The House agreed during conference to accept the Senate Amendments and Public Law 320 was passed on March 8, 1956, adding the following provisions to the US Code: 26 USC 4742 (c), 26 USC 4751 (6), and 26 USC 4753 (b). These Millers Exemptions were retained by Congress in the Internal Revenue Act of 1954, and remained in the statutes until passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 eliminated the use of prohibitory taxes to prevent marijuana production."
Two of these sections of the U.S. Code of 1958 are below:

[More...]

Support Vote Hemp

Donate $20 and get a Vote Hemp Sticker and Hemp Oil Lip Balm

Donate $25 and get the Hemp Product Sampler
Donate $36 and get a Vote Hemp logo hemp hat

Donate $45 and get a "Standing Silent Nation" DVD
Donate $48 and get a Vote Hemp logo hemp polo shirt

Donate $100 and get 12 assorted hemp body care products

Donate $500 and get the PollockPrints Vote Hemp Poster package

Current Action Alerts

Nationwide: Click here to write your Congressional representative and ask him/her to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009. If he/she is a co-sponsor already, you will be able to thank them and ask them to help get the bill a hearing in committee.
The following states have passed hemp farming bills and/or resolutions or memorials urging Congress to allow states to regulate hemp farming. Please use the links below to write to your Congressional representative if you are from these states..
Colorado: Click here to thank Rep. Jared Polis for becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
Maine: Click here to thank Rep. Chellie Pingree for becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866 or to write to Rep. Mike Michaud and ask him to become a co-sponsor.
Montana: Click here to thank Rep. Denny Rehberg for becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
New Mexico: Click here to write to Your Representative and ask them to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
North Dakota: Click here to write to Rep. Earl Pomeroy and ask him to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
Oregon: Click here to write to Your Representative and ask them to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866. Rep. Earl Blumenauer is a co-sponsor. Please click here to thank him.
Vermont: Click here to write to Rep. Peter Welch and ask him to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
Washington: Click here to thank Rep. Jim McDermott for becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866.
[More...]

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If California Legalizes Marijuana, How Will Obama React?

2010-10-07T10:57:00.001-07:00

SOURCE:

California will vote in a few weeks on Proposition 19, which would (if it passes) effectively legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the state. Chances of it passing seem to be growing, if you'll excuse the metaphor, like a weed. Right now, the poll numbers for Proposition 19 are better than the numbers for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown or Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer against their respective Republican opponents, for instance. Meaning California could become a "test-case" state in challenging federal laws on the matter. But what would this mean, practically? Well, a lot of it hinges on how President Barack Obama reacts. Which is impossible to say right now, but at least we can examine the possibilities, now that California legalizing marijuana seems to have moved from the "pipe dream" category (sorry about that, I couldn't resist) to a very real political possibility, if the polling trend continues.

The polling on Proposition 19 still does fluctuate, but appears to be getting better on average. Eight of the last nine polls have shown Yes on Prop. 19 with a 4-11 point lead (average lead: 7.1 percent). The best of these is less than a week old and showed a 52-41 split. In four of these, Yes on Prop. 19 scored at 50 percent or better. Now, this doesn't mean passage is a sure thing at this point. Seasoned supporters of state propositions don't really begin to breathe easily until the polling for the proposition hits 55 percent or better (which is usually seen as pretty much unbeatable). The highest poll yet in favor of Prop. 19 has been 53 percent, in comparison. And, although probably an aberration, the most recent poll showed a stunningly different story, with Prop. 19 losing 43-53. Measuring it against the other polling, though, this latest poll is likely an outlier. Polling on the proposition is in itself questionable, for the simple reason that after 100 years of the "Drug War," most citizens may have problems answering questions about drugs honestly when an absolute stranger calls them up and asks them. But, overall, the polling is much better than it was even a few months ago, and the movement seems to be towards the Yes side. The battle's far from won, but it is looking more and more winnable, to put it another way.

If California does go ahead and legalize marijuana, the entire Proposition 19 campaign could bear some very interesting offspring as soon as 2012. Even the staid Wall Street Journal just pointed out the fact that a whole bunch of Democratic strategists are watching this race very, very closely. This is because it could become a dandy "hot button" issue on the Left, in much the same way that banning gay marriage has been a successful political tool on the Right. These hot buttons on both sides energize the base of the party and increase voter turnout among some normally-apathetic groups. The way this thinking goes is: California's youth may surprise everyone and buck the general trend for any midterm election (where young voters mostly skip voting), and vote in droves precisely because a pet issue of theirs is on the ballot. This means it may behoove Democrats to put marijuana legalization initiatives on state ballots in order to drive up turnout in 2012, and beyond. Democratic politicians, however, are going to be a lot more reluctant to join this bandwagon, but one assumes they'll certainly be thankful for the benefits of a bigger Democratic turnout. Both Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer are officially against Proposition 19, but I bet in private they're thanking their lucky stars that it made the ballot this year.

"Yes on 19" spokesman Tom Angell, when contacted about this possibility, was optimistic about the prospect of Democrats having a change of heart politically, if Proposition 19 wins in November: "The pervasive political thought among Democrats is that supporting marijuana reform is politically dangerous -- but eventually they'll realize that supporting such reform means that they won't be punished at the polls as a result, but that they may in fact be rewarded." Angell is currently "on loan" to the Yes on 19 group, and is normally Media Director for a group which has endorsed Proposition 19, "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" (or L.E.A.P.), which is made up of current and former police officers, judges, and others from the law enforcement field.

Turning back to my main point, though, let's just assume for the sake of argument that Proposition 19 passes on Election Day California (which, for those of you on the East Coast, will happen three hours later than you expect it to... ). Glassfuls of bubbles will be raised across the state in victory salutes; although these won't be the traditional Dom Pérignon champagne served in Waterford flutes, but rather glass bongs bubbling merrily away. Marijuana legalization is approved by the voters 54-46, and everyone lives happily ever after, right?

Well, no. Marijuana is still quite illegal under federal law. And federal law always trumps state law. At least, unless the United States Supreme Court rules against the federal law or Congress decides to change it. So what would the passage of Proposition 19 actually mean for Californians?

It depends. It all depends on President Barack Obama, at least for now. Because Obama has a number of choices open to him as to how the federal government is going to react to this development. And it's impossible to say exactly what form this reaction would take. But we can at least outline the possibilities at this point. From worst to best, here's how I see these possible options:

Crackdown / escalate
Obama could instruct his Justice Department to crack down unmercifully. This includes both the "law" and "order" parts of the Justice Department, to borrow a television metaphor. Federal agents (such as, but not limited to, the D.E.A. and the F.B.I., just for starters) could be mobilized, and the feds could start busting everyone in sight for blatantly violating the federal Controlled Substances Act (with a Schedule I narcotic, no less), and the federal prosecutors could start jamming these cases through with a passion.

Remember, even though President Obama admits he smoked a little weed in his own day, he has been consistently against any and all hints of legalization. In fact, it was one of the first Lefty issues he not only dismissed, but actually ridiculed (Obama was forced to address the issue because it wildly outpolled all other questions for his first "online town hall" meeting, very early in his term, and he turned the whole thing into a joke).

This is probably pretty far-fetched, though, I have to admit. Such an overreaction would require an immense amount of manpower and court time and likely wind up being pretty futile in the end. But you never know. This could also be an option later on, after Obama leaves office, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Make some examples
The second route the Obama administration could take is to "make an example" of a few people. Crack the whip on some high-profile arrests and court cases, but leave the low-level stuff alone. This could go a number of different directions, depending on which scapegoats the feds choose to go after. The Obama team has, for instance, said that they will not target medical marijuana shops that "are legal under state law" but will continue to bust those that fall afoul of the law (mostly by not checking the paperwork of who they sell to). Which they indeed have continued to do.

But that kind of all goes out the window if it's legal for everyone. Assumably, the Obama people would refrain from sending in thousands of new D.E.A. agents to the state, but also go after some big-time busts, just to make a legal point. Which leads us to the next option.

Fight it out in the courts
Whether the Obama folks use a test case via a big bust, or they just sue the state directly, this battle may get fought out in the court system. Which doesn't exactly bode well for Proposition 19, for the exact same reason Obama is suing Arizona over their recent immigration law -- federal law always trumps state law. Unless California can convince the Supremes that there is a constitutional right to smoke pot, which should be seen as somewhat of a longshot, at least in the legal realm.

Blackmail the state
This one may come from Congress, but it may also get Obama's support (again, Obama himself is on record as being against legalization). Congress could cut off a whole bunch of money for the state of California. This would not be limited to "funds to fight the Drug War," most likely. There are all sorts of things in the federal budget that could be used to make California pay a serious price for legalizing marijuana. This sort of congressional "blackmail" happens all the time, I should point out, and was the mechanism used in the 1980s (with highway funding) to force all the states to raise their drinking age to 21. Again, though, this would likely come from Congress itself, rather than the White House.

Do nothing
There's a long history of standing back and letting states be the "laboratories of democracy" in situations like this, which Obama could indeed take. Call it the laissez-faire option. Or, if you prefer non-French terminology, call it the free-market option.

This option would consist of sitting back, and then waiting to see what happens. Obama could tell the Justice Department to only enforce the federal marijuana laws in 49 states, since California has shown it wants to try something new. There is lots of precedent for doing so, most notably up in Oregon, where they have an assisted-suicide law. This law was passed by Oregon residents, and at first the feds were very heavy-handed and threatened doctors with the loss of their D.E.A. approval to write prescriptions, but has since calmed down (since Obama took office, at least) into the feds "looking the other way." Civilization in Oregon has not noticeably collapsed in the meantime.

This would be the thing Californians are likely to hope for from Obama. If Obama came out and gave a speech on "the will of the voters" and that sort of thing, and then announced a new "hands off CA" policy, then we would have a little laboratory-of-democracy experiment, which could be very instructive to the rest of the country. I have no idea what the chances of this outcome happening are, though, I freely admit.

Jump on the bandwagon
And I have to put this last one as just as unlikely as the first one. President Obama could see the error of his ways, not only announce his "hands off CA" federal policy, but also become an advocate for full legalization of marijuana nationwide.

As I said, I really don't expect or even hope for this to happen, because it seems so far-fetched, but I mention it here for completeness' sake.

CONTINUE READING:

Judge Rules In Deonte Hallowell's Favor

2010-10-06T19:25:00.001-07:00

By Daniel Kemp/WLKY News

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Metro Council member running as an independent will remain on November's ballot as a candidate in the 6th District race.

A hearing was held Wednesday in Jefferson County circuit court challenging the number of signatures on Councilman Deonte Hollowell's nominating petition.

"Given that one can make a valid argument either way, I have to choose that which gives people the most choice," said Judge Charles Cunningham.

"We're just happy that the judge ruled in our favor and he's allowed to be on this ballot for November," said Derwin Webb, Hollowell's attorney.

Attorneys for William Clark, a 6th District voter who filed the lawsuit, said according to a Kentucky revised statute, an independent running for Metro Council must have at least 20 signatures on his or her nominating petition. Hollowell only had two.

"The statute we keep referring to, basically, this government has the powers of a county and a city, and it specifically says in there you have the greater powers of the lesser restrictions. The lesser restriction in this case, 20 or 2, and the lesser restriction would be 2, so somebody could run for this office," said Assistant County Attorney Patrick Mulvihill.

"I understand the judge's ruling that he believed that the statute was subject to interpretation and then in the interest of keeping Mr. Hollowell on the ballot, he chose to go with two signatures, which Hollowell had and we understand the judge's ruling and will take that into consideration," said Jennifer Moore, Clark's attorney.

Moore would refer only to her client as a political activist working in the 6th District.

Webb called the lawsuit "politics."

"We know he's been barraged with some things recently so we don't expect this to be the last thing," Webb said.

The hearing comes shortly after a report first publicized by a local blogger revealed that Hollowell was found with marijuana when he was arrested on a bench warrant for speeding last year.

"Politics are politics. This is the political season and we know that during the political season, things come up," Webb said.

Hollowell declined to talk to WLKY after the hearing.

Following the death of Metro Councilman George Unseld, the council took 34 ballots at a June meeting to decide on Hollowell as a compromise candidate to fill the seat.

Attorneys for Clark have five days to appeal the judge's ruling.

Previous Stories:

October 5, 2010: Report: Drugs Seized During 2009 Hollowell Arrest
July 1, 2010: Hollowell: Safety Is No. 1 Priority
July 1, 2010: Metro Council Elects Hollowell To 6th District Seat

By Daniel Kemp/WLKY News

CALLING ALL PATRIOTS!!!! I was arrested

2010-10-06T14:30:00.001-07:00

Roland A. Duby (Ronnie Smith)

CALLING ALL PATRIOTS!!!! I was arrested and the terms of my $10,000 bond are house arrest, but they didn't put me on house arrest until after they found out I was running for sheriff! They did this to keep me from campaigning, and it is a dirty trick, I need recourse, Does anyone have any ideas? any ACLU lawyers out there?

THE U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY OF KENTUCKY ENDORSES THE ELECTION OF RONNIE SMITH FOR SHERIFF OF GALLATIN COUNTY KENTUCKY!

Why Won't the Government Let James Stacy Tell the Truth?

2010-09-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

James Dean Stacy wants to tell the truth during his upcoming federal trial. Too bad the government won’t let him.

Last September, Stacy, founder of the “Movement in Action” medical marijuana collective in San Diego county, had his shop raided just weeks after opening by agents with the DEA, who discovered dozens of cannabis plants. He's facing federal drug charges as a result.

The arrest and prosecution have come despite pledges from President Obama, echoed by Attorney General Eric Holder, to respect state rules on medical marijuana -- a fact Stacy took to mean he was safe operating his collective so long as he was complying with California law. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical purposes.

But marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government -- alongside heroin and cocaine -- meaning it is officially considered to have no medicinal value (the government’s own studies aside) possession is held to be illegal in all cases.

Over the summer federal District Court Judge Barry Moskowitz ruled that Stacy’s assumption Obama would put a stop to the controversial federal raids on pot dispensaries was “unreasonable” -- and inadmissible as evidence in his defense; an admission, perhaps, that one should never take a politician's words at face value. As for that law overwhelmingly passed by California voters in 1996 legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal use? Stacy can’t mention that either. But he doesn’t hold it against Moskowitz.

“I kinda think the judge is pretty fair,” Stacy says in an interview with Change.org. “He’s done what the law has allowed him to do.” Indeed, medical marijuana patients have routinely been denied the opportunity to present the truth as evidence in their federal trials: that they were complying with a state law that explicitly legalized what they were doing.

The real disappointment, Stacy says, is that “the president and the attorney general haven’t stuck up for what they said they were going to do, and that they’re continuing to allow the DEA to keep raiding people.”

While the Justice Department issued a memo last October instructing federal law enforcement agencies to not pursue “individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana,” more than two dozen dispensaries and collectives have since been raided. Just this month several dispensaries in Nevada were raided by the federal government, despite a 2000 state law legalizing the use of marijuana as medicine.

And federal agents appear to be picking what they see as easy targets.

There are more than 100 dispensaries in San Diego, and hundreds more in Los Angeles -- Oakland even has its own university dedicated to teaching the finer points of marijuana cultivation -- so why pursue a relatively obscure dispensary that had been open for only a matter of weeks, one might ask?

"They’re going after small people who can’t afford to hire these big fancy lawyers and trying to prosecute them," says Stacy. And there’s some evidence for that: another San Diego man whose dispensary was raided by the federal government the same day as Stacy’s collective pled guilty to drug charges rather than fight a protracted legal battle that other, more well-off defendants might have considered.

“I think the best we can hope for is just to tell the truth -- the part of the truth they’ll let us,” Stacy says. “Lucky for me I think I’ve got some really good lawyers in my public defenders.”

He also has advocates in Congress -- liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans alike.

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressmen Sam Farr (D-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) note that Stacy is “the first individual to face federal prosecution under the Obama administration’s new policy” -- much ballyhooed, but not so much implemented -- on medical marijuana.

“Regardless of how scrupulous their compliance with state law and/or local ordinances, medical marijuana patients and their providers remain vulnerable to federal enforcement raids, arrest, and prosecution by U.S. Attorneys,” the congressmen write. “Worse still, these persons are barred from introducing evidence that demonstrates that he or she was acting in accordance with state law.”

The letter asks Conyers to hold a hearing on a bill that would attempt to fix the situation: the “Truth in Trials” act, or as it’s known in legislative speak, H.R. 3939. The proposal would “permit someone acting property under state medical marijuana laws to use that fact as an affirmative defense in federal court proceedings.”

Conyers is himself a cosponsor of the legislation, as are a total of 32 others, from liberal standard-bearers like Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Barney Frank (D-MA) to conservatives and libertarians such as Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Ron Paul (R-TX). However, a spokeswoman for the Judiciary Committee was unable to say whether he would ever hold a hearing on the bill. And spokesmen for Farr and Rohrabacher say the congressmen have received no response in the month since they sent their letter.

But the lawmakers are “still pushing the issue,” Tom Mentzer, press secretary for Congressman Farr, tells Change.org. “As more states legalize marijuana for medical use (and California potentially going even further), we’re only going to see more state/federal conflict and there will be an even greater need to offer a comprehensive defense during trial.”

“It remains an issue of fairness and an issue of state rights,” says Mentzer. “President Obama’s move to limit arrests for medical marijuana doesn’t change the need for a legislative fix.”

James Stacy’s trial begins November 1st. And though the odds -- and federal law -- are stacked against him, he remains hopeful he will ultimately win, whether he’s allowed to tell the complete truth or not. In the meantime, Stacy says those interested in helping his case should contact their congressman, ask them to support the Truth in Trials act, and demand Chairman Conyers -- a cosponsor of the bill -- finally hold hearings on the legislation. “That would just be the best thing I could think of.”

Tell your lawmaker to support the congressmen's proposal -- and demand that the House Judiciary Committee hold a hearing on this important legislation. It's time to lift the government's ban on the truth.

by Charles Davis

Campaign Refresher: Jack's Liquor Problem

2010-09-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

The one thing that has been brought to the forefront of Kentucky politics lately is the issue of hemp and the possibility of the "gateway drug" marijuana. There are many variations of politicians. There are the ones who see growing hemp as the free market principles working and that in the history of Kentucky the growth of hemp was fairly normal. Hemp has many uses that would be beneficial for the market place and helpful for the 65% of Kentucky farmers not receiving government payouts:

As you can see by the graphic we as Kentuckians can grow one crop that could do so much for our community (by jobs and product) and our country. Our own government has reportedly been using hemp from Canada and in some reports has been known to grow their own. But, the growth of hemp is a 'tip of the iceberg' fight.
Then there is the Prohibitionist politicians who want the evils of Gambling, Alcohol and drugs as far from them as possible. As if the War on Drugs (which we have spent 30 trillion since the 1980's on) hasn't proved a waste of tax payers money and has ruined the lives of many and throwing our nations poor in prison for very minor infractions.
Then there is our old friends the Pander Bears. The ones who logically should see the light but, prefer winning elections instead of being honest. The real question is WHY as a state known for growing some of the best marijuana against the growth for personal consumption?
But still, there is a 4th politician. The hypocrite. Recently, when asked about hemp farming by the Marion County Line reporter Jim Higdon, Jack Conway responded that allowing farmers to grow hemp was basically legalizing a “gateway drug.” No mention of the commerce clause from Mr. Conway or if banning hemp at the federal level is even constitutional, in his opinion, without an amendment.
This is a point the Capitalist Banner brought up in a blog I think needs to be examined. First off, most teens or people who have used marijuana do not start out with marijuana. The thought it's the "gateway drug" is almost laughable. The fact Mr. Higdon was referring to Hemp aside (which is totally different) I'd like to ask Jack Conway, "What person do you know in your life who has used marijuana that did not smoke tobacco or drink alcohol before marijuana?" I'd venture to say near 9 out of 10.
This brings us to the point, that the term "gateway drug" then must be applied to alcohol or tobacco. Jack Conway's a defender of tobacco and alcohol and rightfully so. He's not supporting tobacco and bourbon because Kentucky make a good amount of money in being the home of many fine distilleries and some great tobacco farms. He supports bourbon, because alcohol is how Jack's wife makes her money and pads close to half of Jack's family income. How hypocritical is it for a man, who makes money off a liquid drug that has only one purpose to get you drunk, to turns around and put the label of "gateway drug" on a plant that can do so much more than get you high? While all this time his own wife is part of the people who produce alcohol as part of the Brown-Foreman Public relations team.
So, Jack.... do you believe your wife should be out of a job and we should close down all the distilleries? Or do you want to retract your statement about "gateway drug?" Because it really is shameful to use a line like "Gateway drug" when your wife works for a company that gets more people started down the road of addiction. I think Judge Jim Gray should do a lecture for Jack Conway and every politician in power:
**Originally posted on August 3rd, 2010**

Posted by Free Man In Kentucky at 8:00 AM

Marijuana Legalization Opposed in California

2010-09-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

A ballot issue that would legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and also permit growing pot at private residences picked up some powerful opposition Saturday.
The Los Angeles Times editorialized against Proposition 19, writing that it was poorly thought out, badly crafted and replete with loopholes and contradictions. The ballot issue would allow possession of one ounce of marijuana for adults, use in private homes or licensed public places, and cultivation for personal use.

But the newspaper said the proposition was an "invitation to chaos" because it would permit each of the state's 478 cities and 58 counties to make their own regulations for implementing the legalization law, meaning it could change hundreds of times from area to area within the state. Legalization could also cause problems in the workplace, the newspaper said.
The debate in California comes as the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy reports drug rose last year to its highest level in nearly a decade, fueled in large measure by increased marijuana use and abuse of ecstasy and methamphetamine.
Passage of the issue in California November would set up a confrontation with the federal government which opposes legalized marijuana. California already permits medical use of marijuana, but the Times said that experiment has not gone all that well.

Filed Under: Crime, Ballot Measures, 2010 Elections, Campaigns, Legalizing Marijuana, Narcotics

Tagged: 2010 Elections, dailyguidance, drug use, MarijuanaLegalization

The Los Angeles Times editorialized against Proposition 19,

Former Telus executive sent to jail for drug conspiracy Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/Former+Telus+executive+sent+jail+drug+conspiracy/3581616/story.html#ixzz10fsoAWqU

2010-09-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

By Graeme Wood, With files from Kim Bolan, Postmedia News September 26, 2010

A Canadian marketing executive who was partially responsible for Telus's "cute animals" campaign has been sentenced to eight months in prison by a Seattle court for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Former Telus marketing director Chris Neary had struck a plea bargain with U.S. authorities in July by admitting to crossing the border with a backpack full of marijuana.

At this week's hearing, Neary, 34, was also sentenced to two years probation, which can be served in Canada.

Neary, who helped to create the popular Telus TV ads featuring piglets, monkeys and a menagerie of other creatures, admitted conspiring to distribute just under 50 kilograms of marijuana in Washington state when he snowshoed across the border into Snoqualmie National Forest on April 26.

The court previously heard that tracks had led authorities to where Neary and Daryl Fontana, another B.C. businessman, were "hiding in the woods." Both told U.S. agents they were to be paid $10,000 each for their efforts. Three other men from Vancouver -- Carl Theissen, Sinisa Gavric and Richard Bafaro -- were also arrested in connection with the scheme.

Because he co-operated with authorities, Neary received a lighter sentence for what prosecutors called a "minor role" in the drug-smuggling operation.

Although the count carries a maximum sentence of five years, the government asked the court for a one-year sentence. The defence had sought a six-month sentence.

Under his supervised release conditions, Neary would be subjected to drug testing as frequently as once a month, said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

He was released on condition that he reports to prison, and will wait up to two months before being told to which federal institution he is to be sent.

Fontana, Theissen, Gavric and Bafaro also pleaded guilty to related charges.

Transcript of the original 1942 United States Department of Agriculture Film, Hemp for Victory

2010-09-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

(Please use link for more in-depth information)

Hemp for Victory

USDA, 1942

Transcript of the original 1942 United States Department of Agriculture Film, Hemp for Victory

extolling some of the many uses of this ancient plant and premier world resource.

Long ago when these ancient Grecian temples were new, hemp was already old in the service of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For centuries prior to about 1850 all the ships that sailed the western seas were rigged with hempen rope and sails. For the sailor, no less than the hangman, hemp was indispensable.

A 44-gun frigate like our cherished Old Ironsides took over 60 tons of hemp for rigging, including an
anchor cable 25 inches in circumference. The Conestoga wagons and prairie schooners of pioneer
days were covered with hemp canvas. Indeed the very word canvas comes from the Arabic word for
hemp. In those days hemp was an important crop in Kentucky and Missouri. Then came cheaper
imported fibers for cordage, like jute, sisal and Manila hemp, and the culture of hemp in America

declined.

But now with Philippine and East Indian sources of hemp in the hands of the Japanese, and shipment of jute from India curtailed, American hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy as well as of our Industry. In 1942, patriotic farmers at the government’s request planted 36,000 acres of seed hemp, an increase of several thousand percent. The goal for 1943 is 50,000 acres of seed hemp.

In Kentucky much of the seed hemp acreage is on river bottom land such as this. Some of these
fields are inaccessible except by boat. Thus plans are afoot for a great expansion of a hemp industry
as a part of the war program. This film is designed to tell farmers how to handle this ancient crop
now little known outside Kentucky and Wisconsin.

This is hemp seed. Be careful how you use it. For to grow hemp legally you must have a federal registration and tax stamp. This is provided for in your contract. Ask your county agent about it. Don’t forget.

Hemp demands a rich, well-drained soil such as is found here in the Blue Grass region of Kentucky or in central Wisconsin. It must be loose and rich in organic matter. Poor soils won’t do. Soil that will grow good corn will usually grow hemp.

Hemp is not hard on the soil. In Kentucky it has been grown for several years on the same ground, though this practice is not recommended. A dense and shady crop, hemp tends to choke out weeds. Here’s a Canada thistle that couldn’t stand the competition, dead as a dodo. Thus hemp leaves the ground in good condition for the following crop.

For fiber, hemp should be sewn closely, the closer the rows, the better. These rows are spaced about
four inches. This hemp has been broadcast. Either way it should be sewn thick enough to grow a
slender stalk. Here’s an ideal stand: the right height to be harvested easily, thick enough to grow
slender stalks that are easy to cut and process.

Stalks like these here on the left wield the most fiber and the best. Those on the right are too coarse
and woody. For seed, hemp is planted in hills like corn. Sometimes by hand. Hemp is a dioecious
plant. The female flower is inconspicuous. But the male flower is easily spotted. In seed production
after the pollen has been shed, these male plants are cut out. These are the seeds on a female

plant.

Hemp for fiber is ready to harvest when the pollen is shedding and the leaves are falling. In
Kentucky, hemp harvest comes in August. Here the old standby has been the self-rake reaper,
which has been used for a generation or more.

Hemp grows so luxuriantly in Kentucky that harvesting is sometimes difficult, which may account for
the popularity of the self-rake with its lateral stroke. A modified rice binder has been used to some
extent. This machine works well on average hemp. Recently, the improved hemp harvester, used for
many years in Wisconsin, has been introduced in Kentucky. This machine spreads the hemp in a
continuous swath. It is a far cry from this fast and efficient modern harvester, that doesn’t stall in
the heaviest hemp.

In Kentucky, hand cutting is practicing in opening fields for the machine. In Kentucky, hemp is

shucked as soon as safe, after cutting, to be spread out for retting later in the fall.

In Wisconsin, hemp is harvested in September. Here the hemp harvester
with automatic spreader is standard equipment. Note how smoothly the
rotating apron lays the swaths preparatory to retting. Here it is a
common and essential practice to leave headlands around hemp fields.
These strips may be planted with other crops, preferably small grain.
Thus the harvester has room to make its first round without preparatory
hand cutting. The other machine is running over corn stubble. When the
cutter bar is much shorter than the hemp is tall, overlapping occurs. Not
so good for retting. The standard cut is eight to nine feet.

The length of time hemp is left on the ground to ret depends on the
weather. The swaths must be turned to get a uniform ret. When the
woody core breaks away readily like this, the hemp is about ready to
pick up and bind into bundles. Well-retted hemp is light to dark gray.
The fiber tends to pull away from the stalks. The presence of stalks in
the bough-string stage indicates that retting is well underway. When
hemp is short or tangled or when the ground is too wet for machines, it’s
bound by hand. A wooden bucket is used. Twine will do for tying, but the
hemp itself makes a good band.

When conditions are favorable, the pickup binder is commonly used. The swaths should lie smooth
and even with the stalks parallel. The picker won’t work well in tangled hemp. After binding, hemp is
shucked as soon as possible to stop further retting. In 1942, 14,000 acres of fiber hemp were
harvested in the United States. The goal for the old standby cordage fiber, is staging a strong

comeback.

This is Kentucky hemp going into the dryer over mill at Versailles. In the old days braking was done

by hand. One of the hardest jobs known to man. Now the power braker makes quick work of it

Spinning American hemp into rope yarn or twine in the old Kentucky river mill at Frankfort,
Kentucky. Another pioneer plant that has been making cordage for more than a century. All such
plants will presently be turning out products spun from American-grown hemp: twine of various
kinds for tying and upholsters work; rope for marine rigging and towing; for hay forks, derricks, and
heavy duty tackle; light duty fire hose; thread for shoes for millions of American soldiers; and
parachute webbing for our paratroopers.

As for the United States Navy, every battleship requires 34,000 feet of rope. Here in the Boston
Navy Yard, where cables for frigates were made long ago, crews are now working night and day
making cordage for the fleet. In the old days rope yarn was spun by hand. The rope yarn feeds
through holes in an iron plate. This is Manila hemp from the Navy’s rapidly dwindling reserves. When
it is gone, American hemp will go on duty again: hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp
for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when
Old Ironsides sailed the seas victorious with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails.

Hemp for victory

Colorado Patient Chris Bartkowicz Denied Medical Defense by Feds

2010-09-23T22:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.theweedblog.com/colorado-patient-chris-bartkowicz-denied-medical-defense-by-feds/

This was sent to us from our friends in Denver. This is the same person who was busted basically as a result of an interview he did back in February for a local television station. Half of the “plants” he was caught with were not mature but the Feds still counted them to bloat the total and make him look like a big time drug kingpin. I was going to write an article about this today but CTI covered all the bases, including links for contacting politicians in Colorado.

Activists Pressure Congress to Clarify Policy

For more information, contact the: Cannabis Therapy Institute
877-420-4205

Denver – In a ruling on Wednesday (9/22) that is sending chills through
every medical marijuana provider in Colorado and nationwide, patient Chris
Bartkowicz has been denied the use of a medical marijuana defense in
federal court. Chris is facing federal charges of marijuana cultivation
after he was interviewed for a KUSA 9 News story about medical marijuana
cultivation. Chris is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 years in
prison.

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*SHARE THIS LINK*
http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/patients/chrisb/chrisb.pr2.html
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At a motion’s hearing on Wednesday in federal court, it was clear that the
feds have stacked the deck effectively against state rights to regulate
medical marijuana. The Honorable Federal District Judge Philip Brimmer
ruled against Chris’ court-appointed attorney, Joseph Saint-Veltri, on
almost every point. Chris’s prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney M.J.
Menendez, said that marijuana had been on the controlled substances list
“since the beginning of time” and that the feds recognize no exemption for
medical marijuana, even if cultivated in compliance with state law.

Saint-Veltri argued that Chris’ case was selective prosecution, given that
there are hundreds of people in Colorado currently cultivating medical
marijuana who have not yet been raided by the feds. Saint-Veltri pointed
out that Budding Health dispensary owner Josh Stanley was also featured in
the KUSA segment as a marijuana grower, but was never raided or
investigated.

Saint-Veltri argued that Chris was acting in good faith and sincerely
believed that he was in violation of neither state nor federal law. Chris
testified that he felt the federal climate had changed with regard to
federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients after Obama’s election.
Chris testified that he had relied on US Attorney General Eric Holder’s
statements on March 19, 2009 that he would not prosecute dispensaries.
These statements made world-wide news, with the LA Times calling it “a
landmark turnaround from the Bush administration’s policy of zero tolerance
for cannabis use by patients.”
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/19/local/me-medpot19

In addition, Chris relied on a memo of Oct. 19, 2009 from David W. Ogden,
U.S. Deputy Attorney General to selected US Attorneys. The Ogden memo,
which was also widely publicized by the Department of Justice, gave
guidance to federal prosecutors about allocation of resources to prosecute
medical marijuana cases. The Ogden memo said that medical marijuana cases
were “unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources.”
http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192

Saint-Veltri also stated that Chris had been relying on signals from the
state that they had worked out some sort of “accord” with the DEA about not
prosecuting Colorado dispensary owners. Specifically, Saint-Veltri wanted
to question Matt Cook, head of the Department of Revenue’s Medical
Marijuana Enforcement Division, who had stated in a recent Kush magazine
article that “medical marijuana centers or infused products manufacturers
should not be targeted by the DEA.”
http://www.findmypot.com/2010/08/19/kush-magazine-press-release-on-centers-growing-more-than-99-plants/

Saint-Veltri wanted to question Cook about his meetings and conversations
with the DEA regarding enforcement of federal law. Cook fought his subpoena
to testify. Cook’s attorney Pam Rosenberg admitted that Cook had had
conversations with the DEA, but said that his testimony would be
“irrelevant.” Judge Brimmer ruled that Cook did not have to testify based
on a technicality of improper service of the subpoena.

Assistant U.S. Attorney M.J. Menendez said that the feds have every
intention of continuing to prosecute medical marijuana patients and
providers, regardless of state laws. She stated that the DEA has reached
“no accord” with Matt Cook regarding federal prosecutions of medical
marijuana patients or providers.

Menendez stated that Holder statement in March 2009 was just a “loose
remark” and that the Ogden memo states clearly that “this guidance
regarding resource allocation does not . . . provide a legal defense to a
violation of federal law.”

Menendez argued that “a reasonable person would not rely on statements made
by Holder or Obama.”

Menendez concluded that “every statement in the record by the federal
government says the government will continue to prosecute” medical
marijuana patients and providers.

In the end, Judge Brimmer ruled that Chris cannot present a medical
marijuana defense at his trial. “Anyone reading (the memos) would quite
clearly understand that cultivating marijuana is a violation of federal
law,” Brimmer said.

Judge Brimmer says Chris Bartkowicz is one of two medical marijuana
patients currently being prosecuted in his court. It is unknown how many
other patients are currently being prosecuted by the feds.

Chris’ trial is scheduled for Nov. 1. He faces a mandatory minimum of 60
years in prison. He rejected an earlier plea bargain offer because it would
have required him to turn someone else over to the feds. Chris refuses to
become a snitch and will stand up for his rights, and the rights of all
other Colorado patients and providers, at his jury trial.

*TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT PATIENTS*

Call and write your Federal Senators and Representatives:

1) Request that they send a “clarification of policy” letter to the
Department of Justice requesting clarification of their official policy of
prosecuting medical marijuana cases. Tell them Colorado patients need to
know they are safe from federal prosecution.

2) Ask that House Members co-sponsor HR3939, the Truth in Trials Act, which
would provide an affirmative defense for the medical use of marijuana in
federal court. Rep. Jared Polis is currently the only Colorado co-sponsor
of this Bill.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-3939

Please send copies of any correspondence to:
info@cannabistherapyinstitute.com

*COLORADO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION*

*TOLL-FREE NUMBERS TO CONGRESS*
877-762-8762
866-338-1015
866-220-0044

*COLORADO SENATORS*
(Represent entire state.)

Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Email: http://markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact_us

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Email: http://bennet.senate.gov/contact/

*COLORADO REPRESENTATIVES*
(Represent people by district.)

Find your district:
http://www.votesmart.org/

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-01)
Email: http://www.house.gov/formdegette/dcs_zip_auth_v2.shtml

Rep. Jared Polis (D – 02)
Email: http://polis.house.gov/Contact/ContactForm.htm

Rep. John Salazar (D – 03)
Email: http://www.house.gov/salazar/contact.shtml

Rep. Betsy Markey (D – 04)
Email: http://betsymarkey.house.gov/Contact/

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R – 05)
http://lamborn.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=129

Rep. Mike Coffman (R – 06)
http://forms.house.gov/coffman/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D – 07)
https://forms.house.gov/perlmutter/webforms/contact.shtml

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*SHARE THIS LINK*
http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/patients/chrisb/chrisb.pr2.html
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*BECOME A CTI SPONSOR*
Help us continue to advocate on behalf of patient rights:
http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/donate.html

—
Provided as a Public Service by the:
Cannabis Therapy Institute
P.O. Box 19084
Boulder, CO 80308
Phone: 877-420-4205
Web: http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com
Email: info@cannabistherapyinstitute.com

Bad Drug War Bill Wrongfully Fast-Tracked for Vote TOMORROW

2010-09-21T20:12:00.001-07:00

by Drug Policy Alliance on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 3:17pm

House Democrats have scheduled a horrible drug war bill for a vote tomorrow (Wednesday). The Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act of 2010 (H.R. 5231), written by Rep. Lamar Smith (a Republican drug war extremist), would expand problematic drug conspiracy laws, apply mandatory minimum drug sentences to more people, increase racial disparities, and subject Americans to incarceration for drug offenses and public health interventions that are legal in the foreign country in which they’re committed. It expands the drug war at a time that most Americans want major drug policy reform.

PLEASE:

Call Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-0100. When the receptionist answers, say something like: "I'm calling to urge Speaker Pelosi to cancel the vote on the Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act that is scheduled for tomorrow. It is shameful that Democrats are considering expanding the war on drugs, a war that is being waged primarily on young people and communities of color. I can’t believe Democrats are doing this."
Please “Share” this Note with your Newsfeed so your friends and family can take action.

Further Talking Points / More Information:

The Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act of 2010 (H.R. 5231), introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (the only House member to speak against reforming the racist crack/powder disparity), seeks to authorize U.S. criminal prosecution of anyone in the U.S. suspected of conspiring with one or more persons, or aiding or abetting one or more persons, to commit at any place outside the United States an act that would constitute a violation of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act if committed within the United States.
These penalties apply even if the controlled substance is legal under some circumstances in the other country. An American treatment provider working with doctors in England, Denmark, Germany, or Switzerland to provide heroin assisted treatment and sterile syringes to heroin users in those countries could face arrest. As could an otherwise law-abiding American planning with some friends to use marijuana legally in the Netherlands while on vacation there.
Even though this bill references drug trafficking in the title, it also criminalizes conspiring to possess and use marijuana or other drugs in other countries if more than one person is involved - even if drug use is decriminalized in that country. Thus, it imposes America’s harsh drug policies on other countries, and further criminalizes a health issue. The bill’s title is very misleading.
Even when applied against drug traffickers, The Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act would likely perpetuate injustice. Under U.S. drug conspiracy laws a person can be found guilty even when there are no drugs or other physical evidence involved. The uncorroborated word of someone pointing fingers to get a reduced sentence is all it takes. Moreover anyone convicted of being part of a drug conspiracy is punished not for the offense they actually committed but for all the offenses committed by members in the conspiracy. This has led to very low-level, impoverished, first-time offenders receiving sentences that are decades long. Conspiracy laws drive the so-called "girlfriend problem" whereby thousands of women every year are sentenced to harsh sentences for the crimes of their abusive partners.
The United States houses 5% of the world’s population but 25% of its incarcerated population. This excess of incarceration is a direct result of punitive and ineffective drug laws, which are currently crippling our social and economic resources. Trends in the U.S. are shifting toward alternative sentencing and away from the policies developed in the almost forty years since Nixon declared the "War on Drugs." H.R. 5231 would be a detrimental step in the wrong direction.
House Leadership should not bring this problematic bill up for a vote. It has only two cosponsors and wasn’t even considered in committee.

by Drug Policy Alliance on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 3:17pm

Hemp License In Eastern Kentucky

2010-09-21T17:40:00.001-07:00

21 September 2010

Hemp License In Eastern Kentucky

compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber
September 2010

Hemp was needed for ropes and used in feed bags and bailing twine. Early Kentucky pioneers brought the seed from Virginia and set aside acres for production. Lewis Collins cited Nathan Burrows of Lexington as being the first to introduce the manufacture of hemp into Kentucky about 1796 [Historical Sketches of Kentucky].
James Klotter's New History of Kentucky references eighteen rope and bagging manufacturers in Fayette County during 1838. By 1890 the Commonwealth was producing 94% of all the hemp produced in the United States.
Both Klotter and John Kleber, author of The Kentucky Encyclopedia, concentrate on larger production in central Kentucky. But it was James F. Hopkins, at the University of Kentucky who realized the historical significance that the production of hemp played within the Commonwealth. While working on his master's in 1936, he concentrated on the relevance of cultivation, processing and marketing relative to Kentucky's social, economic and even political history. His book A Histo ry of the Hemp Industry In Kentucky is still available today.
As a baby boomer and a young adult of the 60's our generation's idea and thoughts of hemp was in the form of marijuana known as "pot" and "weed" and smoked at Woodstock. And while today helicopters do regular scans of Eastern Kentucky for marijuana fields I either was very naive or it did not exist in Boyd County when I was in high school.
Thus I was intrigued to learn more about the history of hemp when I discovered that it had been grown and hempseed sold legally from the farm we own.
The effects of cannabis came to national attention in the late 1910's. The Uniform State Narcotic Act was finalized in 1932. But just prior to World War II fiber and jute production was on the rise. Strict controls were imposed on the raising and selling of the seed and hemp. Licenses were issued by the federal government and only a very strict few obtained them. According to the forward in Hopkins book the licenses "became little more than bragging curiosities, and the end of the war rang down the historic curtain on that second modest phase of hemp growing in Kentucky."
I take offense on behalf of my father-in-law about bragging rights. I know what a hard working proud Eastern Kentucky farmer he was. Every inch of dirt on this farm was utilized as was every crop to produce a living to put food on the table. He would not have wasted acres nor the trouble it must have been to acquire the license if it were not going to have a monetary value for the family.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture assigned each farm a number [they still do today]. John H. Klaiber received license 8107 pursuant to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. It gave him the right to own hempseed and the legal right to sell it. The seed had to be cleaned with a combine or hand fan cleaning mill. The prices were set by the Commodity Credit Corporation and was sold directly to them.

Reading the fine print on the surviving contract, John H. Klaiber had for 1943, the seed had to be cleaned so that morning glory seed or other foreign matter was less than 2%. Klaiber turned in 5.27 bushels. After testing he received $36.37 for his efforts in this early 1943 contract.
According to a USDA publication titled Industrial Hemp in the United States during World War II imports of abaca and jute were unavailable. the Government instituted this emergency program to produce hemp as a domestic substitute. The Commodity credit Corporation contracted with War Hemp Industries, Inc. which was a "quasi-official organization." The production peaked in 1943 which is the year we have the farm license. As soon as the war was over legal restrictions were reimposed though one small hemp fiber industry continued in Wisconsin until 1958.
The USDA produced a film in 1942 titled Hemp For Victory to encourage farmers to grow it as part of the war efforts. The goal for 1943 was 50,000 acres of seed hemp and the target area was Kentucky. Thanks to the Hemp Industries Association the link at the film title in this blog will provide readers with a transcript of the campaign to get farmers to grow the product.

Posted by tklaiber at 3:46 PM

PRIVACY AND SAFETY QUESTIONS LOOM OVER FEDERAL PROGRAM TO TRACK PRESCHOOLERS

2010-09-18T16:45:00.001-07:00

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424
effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.
: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :
In our 548th issue:
* PRIVACY AND SAFETY QUESTIONS LOOM OVER FEDERAL PROGRAM
TO TRACK PRESCHOOLERS
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the ACLU of
Northern California (ACLU-NC) are calling for answers to
critical privacy and safety questions that loom over a
controversial federal program to track Head Start
preschoolers with radio frequency identification (RFID)
chips in Richmond, California. In an open letter sent this
week, we have asked officials to disclose what technical
and security measures are employed to safeguard students,
among other important questions.
For more information on this go to:
https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/09/13
For the full open letter:
http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/rfid/RFIDletter_full.pdf
* SECURITY ALERT - STOP USING HAYSTACK SOFTWARE NOW
Based on announcement made by The Censorship Research
Center, we recommend that users stop using all versions of
the Haystack anti-censorship software immediately.
To learn more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/breaking-news-security-alert-stop-using-haystack
* EFF MEMBERS-ONLY SPEAKEASY SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Join EFF staff members for a special Bay Area happy hour on
Tuesday, September 28th! EFF's Speakeasy is a free
gathering for current members only and space is limited.
Members will receive a personal email invitation with
location details on Monday, September 20th. For more
information, contact membership@eff.org.
: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :
EFF Updates
* John Doe Strikes Back in the US Copyright Group Cases
After months of dragnet litigation and intimidation, some
of the thousands of "John Doe" Defendants targeted in mass
copyright lawsuits are fighting back in earnest.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/john-doe-strikes-back-new-developments-us
* EFF Says Violating Company Policies Is Not a Computer
Crime
EFF urged a federal appeals court to dismiss charges that
would turn any employee use of company computers in
violation of corporate policy into a federal crime.
https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/09/14
* Sarah Palin Revisited: Why Terms of Use Shouldn't Be
Enforced Through Computer Crime Law
Facebook's response to an EFF blogpost about employing
ghostwriters bolsters our argument that violating a site's
terms of use should not be a criminal act.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/sarah-palin-revisited
* Revised Opinion in Privacy Case Blurs Clear Limits to
Digital Search and Seizure
The Ninth Circuit issued an unfortunate revised opinion in
United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc., a case
featuring blatantly unconstitutional government action.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/revised-opinion-privacy-case-blurs-clear-limits
* Jack-Booted Thugs and Copyright Enforcement
When it comes to copyright enforcement and the government,
EFF frequently warns that giving government agents a reason
to censor, search, seize, and indict must be taken very
seriously. The New York Times reported on a frightening
object lesson from Russia.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/jack-booted-thugs-and-copyright-enforcement
* 9th Circuit's Troubling New State Secrets Decision
Demonstrates Need for Reform
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling en banc in a case
called Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan, adopted the Bush and
Obama Administration's joint Executive Branch power grab in
the form of the state secrets privilege.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/9th-circuits-troubling-new-state-secrets-decision
* EFF Welcomes New Attorneys to Transparency Team
EFF is pleased to announce two new additions to our FOIA
Litigation for Accountable Government (FLAG) Project: Staff
Attorney Jennifer Lynch and Open Government Legal Fellow
Mark Rumold.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/eff-welcomes-new-attorney-foia-team
* "Magic Words" Trump User Rights: Ninth Circuit Ruling in
Vernor v. Autodesk
In a major blow to user rights, the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals has issued a decision that will go a long way
toward ensuring that software buyers will rarely be
software owners.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/magic-words-trump-user-rights-ninth-circuit-ruling

Reader Letters | Marijuana miracles?

2010-09-17T07:57:00.001-07:00

The following is an excellent LTE to the CJ&T (Courier Journal & Times), in Louisville, Kentucky:

Dr. Andrew Weil has an excellent article published on Huffington Post titled “Cannabis Rx: Cutting through the misinformation.” The article discusses the criminalization of cannabis to suppress the hemp trade and how cannabis extracts were widely used in medicine prior to 1937. Weil highlights the numerous medical uses of cannabis that our state and federal governments refuse to accept.

The most exciting part of the article is the promise that cannabis shows in curing cancer. Weil discusses recent research that demonstrates cannabis components kill cancer cells while not harming healthy cells. He also recommends a new documentary, “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer,” by Len Richmond. Weil suggests that our political leaders should watch this documentary and then act quickly to change our counterproductive cannabis policies.

I've written the editorial board numerous times since Dr. Donald Tashkin's 2005 marijuana and respiratory cancers study that showed marijuana use lowered cancer risks that you didn't publish. Several studies since then have confirmed Tashkin's cancer findings and others that debunk the gateway drug theory, prove marijuana is effective in pain management, etc., that you don't print. Why?

The truth is the “gateway drug” is actually the gateway back from opiate and alcohol addiction. The likely truth is that cannabis holds the key to curing cancer. It's highly probable that, with a change in thinking, we could develop significant cannabis-based cancer treatments right here in Kentucky. That change in thinking will only happen when you inform the public of the truth.

TOM RECTOR, Jr.

Prospect, Ky. 40059

Last Updated on Friday, 17 September 2010 14:51

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Marijuana to Blame for Increased Drug Use in 2009, Government Report Says

2010-09-16T21:21:00.001-07:00

Posted by Peter Maer

A new government report blames increased marijuana use for an uptick in the overall use of illicit drugs among Americans.

National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske, (Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

The annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows the rate of illicit drug use rose from eight percent in 2008 to 8.7

percent in 2009. The survey also found increases in the use of ecstasy and methamphetamines.

Authorities are especially concerned about use of illicit drugs by young people. The survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration found 21.2 percent of young adults experimented with illegal drugs in 2009. The report says the

trend "was also driven in large part by the use of marijuana."

National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske told CBS Radio News, young people are being exposed to "mixed messages"

about marijuana including the idea that it is a medicine.

The "drug czar" said marijuana "may have properties that have medicinal values that should be tested" but he insisted it is not

medicine.

Kerlikowske views marijuana as "an entry drug." The survey found that for the first time since 2002, less than half of young people

believe using marijuana is harmful.

The Obama administration remains strongly opposed to legalization of marijuana.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Marijuana Nation

Coincidentally, the survey is being released as California voters consider a November ballot issue on legalizing pot.

Proponents believe the move would ease crowded court dockets and weaken Mexican drug cartels. Kerlikowske and many veteran

former federal drug enforcement officials reject those ideas.

The president's drug adviser said it is a "false argument" to say marijuana legalization would reduce cartel violence in Mexico.

Kerlikowske, a former police chief and undercover narcotics detective, noted, "Taking one small part of the (cartel) enterprise,

marijuana away from them isn't going to change them."

Listen to Maer's Interview with Kerlikowske | Download MP3

LISTEN

He concedes the drug gangs south of the border can not be totally defeated but he believes "their impact and their violence

can be reduced."

While the report emphasizes the detrimental effects of marijuana, Kerlikowske says abuse of prescription drugs rises to the top

of his concerns because, "young people don't perceive them as dangerous or addictive."

He said the availability of prescription medications in home medicine cabinets often makes them widely available and attractive

to young people. The non-medical use of prescription drugs notched up slightly to nearly three percent of the population.

The annual survey offered some encouraging news. It showed decreasing levels of tobacco use to a new low level of 23.3 percent.

But the report warned, "The pace of improvement is stagnating."

The administration's drug control strategy emphasizes prevention and treatment along with law enforcement. Kerlikowske told

CBS News, "We have had a focus of a criminal justice lens on drug abuse for quite a while." He added, "It should be a blend" that

includes prevention and education.

The administration is seeking a 13 percent increase in funding for the federal drug abuse prevention effort.

The drug control policy chief rejects the term, "War on Drugs."

He said, "If we approach it with the same level of complexity that we approach things like cancer, I think we're better off than

telling the American public, here's a bumper sticker to solve your problem."

The survey covers the transition year as President Obama took office. Next year's report will be the first true test of any initial

results from the administration's approach to a drug abuse problem that has been a national challenge for decades.

Peter Maer is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

You can also follow him on Twitter.

Posted by Peter Maer

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Downtown event will offer art, history, music and culture

2010-09-16T14:55:00.001-07:00

Downtown event will offer art, history, music and culture

Merlene Davis - Herald-Leader columnist

My kids are grown now, but when they were younger, I remember scouring the newspaper for activities or events I could take them to that could enrich their lives and enlarge their worlds.

Fortunately for parents, members of the Lexington Learning Cooperative and organizers of Spotlight Lexington have made world-broadening an easy task.

During each weekend of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the Learning Cooperative will host several events geared for children and families.

Children can learn to weave a bookmark at the Family Arts Paddock during the World Equestrian Games.

Rangoli is an art form that evolved in India. Artists make designs with rice powder.

Children will learn to make hemp-fiber bracelets and other accessories on Sept. 25 at the Family Arts Paddock.

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

What's happening at the Family Arts Paddock

Schedule of activities at the Family Arts Paddock during Spotlight Lexington, Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

Sept. 25:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Hemp Rope Accessories. The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. Make bracelets, key chains or necklaces from hemp.

2-6 p.m. Kentucky Treasure Box. The Living Arts and Science Center. Decorate a keepsake box and fill it with mementos from mapped locations.

Sept. 26:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Horse sculptures. The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky. Create a sculpture from a variety of materials.

■ Ribbon Trees. The Living Arts and Science Center. No experience required to create a work of art in the trees with artist Adam Craft.

2-6 p.m. Mini journals. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Decorate and bind a journal. Young Women Writers will read their works at 5 p.m.

Oct. 2:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Guys and Gals. Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum. Make 18th- and 19th-century dolls with clothes pins, corn shucks, paper, fabric and paint.

■ Banners. Headley-Whitney Museum. Create banners for a "drive-thru" art show displayed in downtown Lexington.

2-6 p.m. Recycled Jewelry. Bluegrass PRIDE. Make jewelry from recyclable items.

Oct. 3:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Jockey Silks: Design Your Own. Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate. Put together your own jockey silk design.

2-4 p.m. Alebrijes. Bluegrass Youth Ballet. Presentation of excerpts of the ballet Alebrijes, celebrating a famous Mexican artist. Visitors may create their own Alebrijes art.

2-6 p.m. Postcards from Kentucky. Sisohpromatem Art Foundation Inc. Create Kentucky trading cards to trade with locals and visitors.

Oct. 9:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Native Americans in Kentucky. Lexington History Museum. Learn about Kentucky Native Americans, listen to traditional music and make a clay coil pot.

■ Kentucky Weaving. Living Arts and Science Center. Weave a bookmark on a simple loom.

2-6 p.m. Painted Horseshoes. Explorium. Decorate a real horseshoe using paint, glitter and more.

Oct. 10.

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Art in the Garden. Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment. Create garden art while learning about native plants, beneficial bugs and composting.

■ Music-making Gymboree. Explore the power of rhythm and melody while moving to the beat of Latin sounds.

Noon-2 p.m. Interactive Theatre. Lexington Children's Theatre. Each half hour, Lexington Children's Theatre will help participants create a short performance using art, music movement and drama.

2-6 p.m. Folk Arts of India. Bluegrass Indo-American Civic Society. Participate with children from Lexington's Indian community in demonstrating rangoli folk art and enjoy performances by an Indian classical dancer and her students.

More Information

More World Equestrian Games coverage

Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs

2010-09-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

Harm Reduction Journal 2009

Background

Substitution can be operationalized as the conscious choice to use one drug (legal or illicit) instead of, or in conjunction with, another due to issues such as: perceived safety; level of addiction potential; effectiveness in relieving symptoms; access and level of acceptance. This practice of substitution has been observed among individuals using cannabis for medical purposes. This study examined drug and alcohol use, and the occurrence of substitution among medical cannabis patients.

Read more here: Harm Reduction Journal 2009

Technorati Tags: alcoholism,cannabis,hemp oil,harm reduction

S 510 you will be a criminal if you plant a garden

2010-09-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

PLEASE VIEW THIS VIDEO!

Technorati Tags: food,gmo,government,gardens,vegetable,illegal

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye – O'Fallon, MO

2010-08-31T09:01:00.001-07:00

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye – O'Fallon, MO

The beauty of American brewers is that they're not beholden to traditional styles like the British, Germans, and Belgians. And in that innovative spirit, Missouri's O'Fallon Brewery released their new Hemp Hop Rye – an amber ale with toasted hemp seeds and malted rye. Combined with a share of American hops, the beer is a smooth and balanced brew with a deep, earthy character. The spice notes of the rye and hemp blend seamlessly into the citrus hops, creating an interesting beer that's easy to drink on a sweaty day, but worth sipping when you have the time.

MERP

2010-08-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

The "Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy" (MRP) Project
Pronounced "Merp Project"

After covering drug policy for over a decade it is becoming apparent that Marijuana Re-Legalization must occur through a thoughtful restructuring of existent laws. To that end New Age Citizen will soon be embarking on what will be known as the "Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy" (MRP) Project

The initial phase of the project will be geared towards gathering the endorsement of the following Re-Legalization Guidelines, by both individuals and organizations:

"The most important aspect to any reform in Cannabis law needs to minimally allow non-commercial cultivation, by adults above the age of 18, to be done without any form of government taxation or interference."

If you agree with these guidelines we urge you to get on our mailing list by clicking on the "Join us - It's Free" hyperlink. These Re-Legalization Guidelines closely parallel the way that we regulate the home brewing of another mind altering drug - beer. The primary purpose of these guidelines are to insure that government is forever restricted from taxing or regulating the personal use of Cannabis.

Of course these guideline encapsulate much forethought and will require further explanation which will be forthcoming. In the meantime let me just throw out the following points:

* One of major focus of the Drug War has been to whittle away at our constitutional rights to privacy, free speech and unreasonable searches and seizures. The Re-Legalization Guidelines will go a long way in taking back much of what has lost over the last 67 years since passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.

* Many activists argue that the only way that Marijuana can be legalized is if the Government can find a way to make money off it. "Tax it" they say "and we can pay off the national debt." But this will require costly regulation and enforcement which will still afford the government an excuse to enter you home and violate your privacy rights. It is not hard to imagine that "no knock" busts would still be executed in order to prosecute citizens who might be growing Cannabis "without a licence."

The MRP Project argues that it would be better to see Americans allowed to grow their own Marijuana and then spend the savings (from no longer having to buy ounces at $400+) on food, clothing, retirement savings and other goods and services. In redirecting their savings towards goods and services tax revenue will also be generated as purchases are made. So the MRP Project approach is actually superior to the "tax and regulate" approach because it does not require ANY money to be spent on a new government bureaucracy. And, as previously stated, it also protects our constitutional gaurantees against unreasonable searches and seizures by eliminating one of the greatest excuses for "no knock" home invasions by government agents.

Current Law
MRP Project Law

Jack is a moderate smoker. He consumes about 3 ounces of high grade Cannabis each year [This amounts to .23 gms of Cannabis per day -- a fraction of what is in an average cigarette]. At $400/ounce this amounts to $1,200 which goes directly to his local drug dealer.
Jack is still a moderate smoker. But it is now costing him only $20, per ounce, to grow his own Cannabis. So he now only spends $60 for his 3 ounces and now has freed up $1,140 each year to spend on legal goods and services. Jack decides to spend his $1,140 savings on a new wardrobe. Since he lives in Michigan, where there is a 6% sales tax, the State of Michigan gets an extra $68.40 in tax revenue this year. If there are a million moderate smokers in Michigan, about 10% of the population, this would result in $68 million dollars of tax revenue each year.

Jack gets pulled over for a bad tail light and the officer insists on a search. A roach is found under the seat. By the time he pays the fines and an attorney he has been set back nearly $3,000 dollars and he nearly spent some time in jail. For the next year he must submit to random drug tests at the insistence of the court.
Jack gets pulled over for a bad tail light and the officer issues a warning which requires him to fix the bad tail light. This costs Jack about $20 -- saving him $2980 from NOT getting busted. Let's assume that the 700,000 Amereicans, that get busted for Cannabis possession each year, spend an average of $2,000 on fines, urine tests, court costs and attorney fees. That amounts to about 1.2 BILLION dollars that American citizens will have back in their own pockets each year!

* We are supposed to have a government that is "by, for and of the American people." If that is the case why does the Federal Government continue to fight against the medical use of Cannabis when over 70% of the American people believe such access should be available?

* With pharmaceutical drugs falling further out of reach of the poor and elderly the MRP Project argues that non-taxation will provide a means for reducing the cost of pharmaceutical drugs by forcing competition with one of the worlds safest, most effective medicines: Cannabis. While Cannabis will not supplant all pharmaceutical drugs it may offer an alternative in some areas (e.g., glaucoma treatment; as an alternative to certain anti-depressants, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs). Hopefully this will give impetus to the use of other plant based medicines as well.

If you think these guidelines have merit we encourage you to sign up and get involved. If your financial situation allows, we also encourage subscribing to our eMagazine and purchasing products from our online store

Yours in Freedom,

Professor Hemp

Cast a vote for compassion

2010-08-30T06:59:00.001-07:00

Re "Anniston man finds one state's medicine is another's illicit drug" (News article, Aug. 18):

Thanks to The Star for the article on Michael Lapihuska's situation. Michael's predicament clearly demonstrates the need for Alabama to pass comprehensive medical marijuana legislation.
What happened to Michael is a complete miscarriage of justice. Since when is geographic location used to determine whether someone is a patient or a criminal? If Michael's doctor recommended marijuana for his treatment, then who are the cops/courts to decide whether he can have that treatment? Cops and judges haven't been to medical school. They are not doctors. Their solution to every problem is taser, shoot, abuse and/or imprison. Clearly, that isn't how we want to treat patients in Alabama. It isn't against the law to be sick or to try and alleviate one's own suffering.
The state of Alabama should respect the laws and professional licenses of other states. An Alabama patient living in a state that recognizes marijuana as a valid medical treatment should not have to fear returning home to visit family and friends. They should be able to bring their medicine with them, without fear of arrest and imprisonment. As it stands now, any Alabama patient living in a medical marijuana state must decide between risking arrest and imprisonment if they bring their medicine, not bringing their medicine and thereby compromising their health, or deciding to never return home again. Imagine if the medicine in question was seizure medication or blood pressure pills. Only barbarians would uphold such a terrible law.
Alabamians for Compassionate Care will reintroduce medical marijuana legislation in the 2011 legislative session. This bill would protect patients like Michael Lapihuska by recognizing medical marijuana patients from other states. Please contact your representative and ask them to support the Compassionate Care Act when it comes before them in 2011.
Loretta Nall
Executive Director
Alabamians for Compassionate Care
Alexander City

Contrary to Ms. Cris Ericson’s comments…

2010-08-24T16:51:00.001-07:00

THE U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY IS A VALID POLITICAL PARTY…

I received a disturbing email from someone who I had thought of as a colleague this morning. This is an excerpt of that email: (Ms. Ericson’s writing is highlighted in “orange”)…

REVISED PLATFORM AUG. 23, 2010
The United States Marijuana Party is on the
official election ballot in Vermont for the
general election Nov. 2, 2010, with candidate
Cris Ericson for United States Senator
and
Cris Ericson for Governor.

Please send campaign contributions
by check or money order to
Ericson for Governor
or
Ericson for U.S. Senate
Please call for information regarding the
largest legal amounts you can contribute.
You must be a U.S. Citizen.

The United States Marijuana Party in Vermont
is a separate legal entity from the
United States Marijuana Party in other states.

The United States Marijuana Party in Vermont
owns the domains:
http://USMJP.com
http://USMJP.net
http://USMJP.org

The United States Marijuana Party in other
states was originally owned by Marc Emery,
Prince of Pot, who was extradited from Canada
to the United States for selling marijuana
seeds over the internet to allegedly 70,000
Americans. His sentencing hearing is not until
September 2010. He is being held in Federal Prison
in the State of Washington. There is no statement
from Federal Prosecutors yet as to what will happen
to the 70,000 Americans that Marc Emery sold
marijuana seeds to over the internet from Canada
using U.S. mails.
Marc Emery's domain was http://usmjparty.com
and domain searches no longer publicly list the owner.
Rich Rawlings owns the domains:
http://usmjparty.org
http://usmjparty.net

Cris Ericson, with her more conservative approach,
is the only candidate in the Unites States of America
who has achieved BALLOT STATUS for the
United States Marijuana Party.

The United States Marijuana Party in other states
under those other domains
( http://usmjparty.com
http://usmjparty.org
http://usmjparty.net )
has NEVER HAD A CANDIDATE ON ANY BALLOT IN ANY STATE
AND IS NOT REGISTERED AS A POLITICAL PARTY
IN ANY STATE WITH ANY SECRETARY OF STATE.

CRIS ERICSON, UNITED STATES MARIJUANA PARTY
is registered with the Vermont Secretary of State
http://www.sec.state.vt.us

Regardless of what Marc Emery's people may say,
CRIS ERICSON IS THE ONLY
UNITED STATES MARIJUANA PARTY CANDIDATE
REGISTERED WITH ANY SECRETARY OF STATE,
AND WITH THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,
AND WHO IS ON ANY OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT.

THE OTHER GUYS ARE NOT ORGANIZED OR CERTIFIED
OR REGISTERED AS A LEGAL POLITICAL PARTY ENTITY.

Cris Ericson does not smoke, use, inhale, ingest,
grow, cultivate, sell, transport or do anything
will any real marijuana.

Cris Ericson believes that marijuana should be legal
for adults to use responsibly.

Cris Ericson has an entirely intellectual and factually
correct approach to marijuana legalization based on facts
and statistics, using only
legal and proper procedural tactics.

Cris Ericson has been on the official election ballot
in Vermont 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010.
Her domain
http://crisericson.com
is archived in the Library of Congress Minerva Program.
Cris Ericson has actively campaigned to legalize
marijuana every campaign season, with diligence and
dedication in the pursuit of freedom to control our
own bodies and our own minds.

THERE ARE STATE
AND
THERE ARE FEDERAL
MARIJUANA ISSUES.

There are Vermont State Marijuana Laws,
and there are Federal Marijuana Laws.

In 2011 USMJP will be able to file as a minor party in Vermont.
<a href="http://usmjp.com"> USMJP Vermont </a>

2010 UNITED STATES MARIJUANA PARTY
PLATFORM OF
MARIJUANA
POLIITCAL ISSUES
FOR THE NOV. 2, 2010 ELECTION IN VERMONT.

*************************************************************************************************************************************

CONTRARY to what Ms. Ericson is claiming, the U.S. Marijuana Party HAS been listed in the Library of Congress: http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0017/*/www.usmjparty.com/

and http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/lcwa/mrva0017.1992/default.html and http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/lcwa/searchAll?query=U.S.+Marijuana+Party&field=all&sort=titlesort and http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/2004*/www.usmjparty.com/

and continuing:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050403213736/usmjparty.com/usmjparty_sites.htm

The above lists the archived websites of the State sites of the U.S. Marijuana Party.

The U.S. Marijuana Party was in Time Magazine in March of 2010.

Historically, the Founder of the U.S. Marijuana Party was Ms. Loretta Nall, in November of 2002 after having met Marc Emery while on a vacation in Canada.

After returning home from that trip her home was raided by DEA looking for evidence of illegal Marijuana, of which none was found. That was effectively the beginning of the U.S. Marijuana Party.

While it is true that there were “Seeds” which were sold through mail order from Marc Emery’s “seed bank” to individuals in the United States, it is NOT true that the U.S. Marijuana Party is, has, or ever would operate off of Marc Emery’s money since Richard J Rawlings has been Executive Director, starting in 2006.

Quite the contrary, Marc Emery is now asking for donations to support himself in prison in the U.S. (For unjust charges, I might add).

Politically speaking we are Independents with many socially libertarian positions. But each state contends with its own pertinent demographic problems in a way they feel will best represent their state.

The U.S. Marijuana Party will address any issue concerning Cannabis/Marijuana/Hemp Prohibition, Human Rights and Civil Rights, as we believe in adhering to the "original" Constitutional Rights of all United States Citizens.

We most certainly believe in the REPEAL OF THE PROHIBITION OF MARIJUANA/CANNABIS AND HEMP!

There were quite a few “State” party affiliations until 2005 when the DEA arrested Marc Emery with a “trans-national” warrant. At this time, as is common for third party affiliations, many State sites ceased and desisted out of fear of retaliation from the DEA for something they were not guilty of to begin with.

It was not until 2006 that Richard J. Rawlings was offered the opportunity to take over the U.S. Marijuana Party via Loretta Nall who decided it was in her best interest to run Independent in Alabama, as she was running for Governor. Of note, Loretta Nall was then, and still is a very influential political person in her home state.

At the time Richard J. Rawlings took over the U.S. Marijuana Party, there was NO money. The party still operates with NO budget, NO income to speak of and only Four legitimate state chapters, which are:

ILLINOIS U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY, Richard J. Rawlings

COLORADO U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY, “Wayward” William A. Chengelis

KENTUCKY U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY, Sheree Krider

WYOMING U.S. MARIJUANA PARTY, Charlie Lake

The U.S. Marijuana Party has legitimate Federal Tax Identification and operates as a LEGAL ENTITY within the U.S. Tax Codes, (even though there is little to report).

Our follower’s can verify the fact that a “US Marijuana Party of Vermont” never existed, via this link of archived sites for the Party.

The Official Domains for the United States Marijuana Party
https://usmjparty.org | http://usmjparty.com | http://usmjparty.net
http://usmarijuanaparty.com | http://usmarijuanaparty.org

Official State Chapters
Colorado: http://co.usmjparty.org | http://co.usmarijuanaparty.org
Illinois: http://il.usmjparty.org | http://il.usmarijuanaparty.org
Kentucky: http://ky.usmjparty.org | http://ky.usmarijuanaparty.org
Mississippi: http://ms.usmjparty.org | http://ms.usmarijuanaparty.org
Wyoming: http://wy.usmjparty.org | http://wy.usmarijuanaparty.org

Furthermore, the following information is provided to confirm the ownership of the U.S. Marijuana Party:

The data contained in GoDaddy.com, Inc.'s WHOIS database,
while believed by the company to be reliable, is provided "as is"
with no guarantee or warranties regarding its accuracy. This
information is provided for the sole purpose of assisting you
in obtaining information about domain name registration records.
Any use of this data for any other purpose is expressly forbidden without the prior written
permission of GoDaddy.com, Inc. By submitting an inquiry,
you agree to these terms of usage and limitations of warranty. In particular,
you agree not to use this data to allow, enable, or otherwise make possible,
dissemination or collection of this data, in part or in its entirety, for any
purpose, such as the transmission of unsolicited advertising and
solicitations of any kind, including spam. You further agree
not to use this data to enable high volume, automated or robotic electronic
processes designed to collect or compile this data for any purpose,
including mining this data for your own personal or commercial purposes.
Please note: the registrant of the domain name is specified
in the "registrant" field. In most cases, GoDaddy.com, Inc.
is not the registrant of domain names listed in this database.
Registrant:
United States Marijuana Party
861 S. KIM MOOR Rd.
Peoria, Illinois 61605
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: USMJPARTY.COM
Created on: 24-Aug-01
Expires on: 24-Aug-10
Last Updated on: 05-Aug-09
Administrative Contact:
Rawlings, Richard richrawlings@usmjparty.com
United States Marijuana Party
861 S. KIM MOOR Rd.
Peoria, Illinois 61605
United States
3096488734
Technical Contact:
Rawlings, Richard richrawlings@usmjparty.com
United States Marijuana Party
861 S. KIM MOOR Rd.
Peoria, Illinois 61605
United States
3096488734

Now that this issue has been addressed as to the “ownership” of the name, we will address a few other issues as well.

Here are a few links either depicting or opinionating Ms. Ericson’s work:

Crackpot Candidate #1: Cris Ericson, Candidate for Governor of Vermont.

Ms. Cris Ericson on Blogger

Theocracy For Marijuana In Vermont

United States Marijuana Party is on Vermont ballot for Governor & U.S. Senate 2010 “…Because Corporations may now promote campaigns, a good campaign fundraiser should be seeking a reality t.v. show producer to follow Cris Ericson's campaign….”

Marc Emery Update

(Coincidentally enough, after having shunned the U.S. Marijuana Party for it’s alleged affiliation with Marc Emery, she has used “his” update to post her candidacy on that site.)

HOW DOES A CANDIDATE W/NO FUNDS "HIRE" A FUNDRAISER?

Free Marc Emery!! Canada's Prince of Pot Has Begun His Journey Into America's Gulag (Once again, using a Marc Emery discussion to promote her campaign:..”…)

MAKE MARIJUANA LEGAL! VOTE CRIS ERICSON 2010!

by Ms. Cris Ericson (not verified), September 29, 2009, 04:23pm

DO YOU LIVE IN VERMONT?

DO YOU WANT TO HELP MAKE MARIJUANA LEGAL?

VOTE CRIS ERICSON 2010!

http://makemarijuanalegal.com
MAKE MARIJUANA LEGAL dot com

OUT-OF-STATE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS ARE LEGAL!
VOTE CRIS ERICSON
FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR
FOR VERMONT 2010.”

As of this time, the political satire of Ms. Cris Ericson for Governor, or Senator (whatever), as a U.S. Marijuana Party Candidate is questionable because there is NO legal affiliation with the UNITED STATES MARIJUANA PARTY. There are NO “USMJParty” Candidates.

The following statement was made by Richard J. Rawlings and sent to the Vermont Board of Elections:

“To whom it my concern,

Cris Ericson used fraud to get on the ballot for the 2010 election in your state of Vermont.

Cris Ericson has never been a member of the United States Marijuana Party nor has there ever been a chapter of the United States Marijuana Party in the State of Vermont. Cris Ericson used the United States Marijuana Party name to get the 500 signatures needed to get on the ballot in 2010 without the permission of the United States Marijuana Party. Cris Ericson does not represent the United States Marijuana Party, and we ask that you to remove our name from the Vermont ballot for 2010.

Sincerely.

United States Marijuana Party
Richard James Rawlings
Executive Director”

The “USMJParty” will continue to look into this matter and the legalities thereof, and will post updates as warranted.

smkrider

Federal Marijuana Laws are Unconstitutional

2010-06-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

FreeSpeechforPeople.org kickoff video

2010-01-21T10:19:00.001-08:00

Bonnie Dumanis Discusses Donna Lambert's Arrest for helping a medical marijuana patient

2010-01-18T15:27:00.001-08:00

Dumanis Green Rx Raid Victim Interview

2010-01-18T15:17:00.001-08:00

One Mainframe To Rule Them All (1of5)

2010-01-17T12:13:00.001-08:00

US has had a patent on medical cannabis since 2003

2010-01-11T18:37:00.001-08:00

Open message for 2010 Ohio Law makers and Ohioans .

2010-01-09T12:24:00.001-08:00

Elect Ronnie Smith for Sheriff

2010-01-06T11:40:00.001-08:00

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE WANT MARIJUANA LEGAL? (1 of 4)

2010-01-03T13:16:00.001-08:00

Google Video: Louisville Late Night TV Show, episodes 19 & 20

2009-12-28T10:00:00.001-08:00

Emailed video

This email was sent to you by: shereekrider@gmail.com

Louisville Late Night TV Show, episodes 19 & 20
Jul 19, 2007 - 06:01
19) Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., #1 www.rxmarijuana.com, www.marijuana-uses.com /// 20) Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D. cont'd #2

--
Browse more videos on Google Video

Kentucky's Governor's Race - 2010

2009-12-23T16:55:00.001-08:00

2009 Seattle Hempfest - "Hemp For Victory" (1 of 3)

2009-12-20T14:00:00.001-08:00

Rick Simpson - RCMP Latest Raid EXPOSED!!! ... UNDENIABLE PROOF! - November 25,2009

2009-12-11T10:09:00.001-08:00

Rick Simpson Raided Again November 2009

2009-12-07T17:01:00.001-08:00

The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley

2009-12-07T12:57:00.001-08:00

Medical Marijuana Prescribed to Kids with ADHD -- Sphere News, Opinion and Analysis

2009-12-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

Medical Marijuana Prescribed to Kids with ADHD -- Sphere News, Opinion and Analysis

(Nov. 23) -- In California, the state with the nation's most permissive medical marijuana law, several doctors say that some children with attention deficit hyperacitivty disorder, or ADHD, are being treated with marijuana -- a fact that has sparked a heated debate.

Reliable figures on the use of marijuana to treat ADHD are hard to come by, as reported by The New York Times. Though California says it has issued more than 36,000 medical marijuana cards since 2004, the state does not compile statistics on prescriptions for specific conditions, such as ADHD. And many doctors and patients are reluctant to talk about it. Still, experts say such prescriptions are becoming more common as the number of pot dispensaries and doctors prescribing marijuana continues to grow.
And not everyone is happy about it.

"Let me count the ways in which prescribing marijuana for teens with ADHD is a bad idea," said Stephen Hinshaw, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. Marijuana, Hinshaw said, is a "cognitive disorganizer" that produces roughly the same effect in users as those associated with ADHD.

Legalize it or Lose

2009-11-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

mission statement:

It is illegal for organizations such as NORML or MPP to officially endorse a candidate for public office due to said organizations’ nonprofit status. This site is not encumbered by those restrictions. It is our ambition at legalizeitorlose to offer our official endorsement to politicians that are truly interested in reforming marijuana laws. You’ll find state specific listings of this nature by clicking on our interactive politician map. We don’t consider ourselves to be “one issue voters”, but we’ve found that most politicians whom support marijuana reform also support our other ideals.

We believe that marijuana prohibition needs to be abolished as soon as possible. Most arguments in opposition to legalized marijuana are rooted in ignorance. The truth about marijuana is this: Marijuana causes less physical and social damage than alcohol or cigarettes, and it’s less habit forming than caffeine. It is not the government’s right to decide whether or not responsible adults enjoy recreational marijuana, just as it is not their right to decide whether or not we enjoy beer, cigarettes, or coffee. We consider the fact that the taxation on this billion dollar cash crop would stabilize our economy to be extraneous; we’re dedicated to working towards marijuana law reform because of our inherent civil liberties that are being ignored.

Legalize it or Lose

I strongly urge those on both sides of the fence to gain a better education by reading the objectively based research that has been compiled at norml.

For those of you looking to become more politically active in an attempt to reform marijuana laws, please visit mpp.

Any of you seeking assistance with your bid to obtain a medical marijuana prescription can find what you need at safeaccessnow.

If you're in need of a complete education as to your legal rights, please visit oaksterdamuniversity.

My contact information is posted at the top of this page; please feel free to send me an email at any time.

Best regards and good luck,

The Legalize It or Lose team

TAKE ACTION! FOR THE IMMEDIATE RE—LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA!

2009-11-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

or, Start a Petition

Angel Justice : Index

2009-11-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

Angel Justice : Index

Angel Raich’s Story

Ange Raich’s Brain Tumor Updates

Raich v. Ashcroft

Press Room

High Resolution Photos

View All News Articles

The Legal Team

Court Documents

The Plaintiffs

Case History

John Ashcroft

Medical Cannabis Facts

FDA & Medical Cannabis Research

Proposition 215

California Senate Bill 420

The Raich Case 2007 Update

Why Angel Raich Sued John Ashcroft

Angel's Daughter Erica Speaks Out

Angel Raich Tells Ashcoft to Mind His Own Business

Make A Donation: Help Angel With Her Brain Tumor Surgery.

Angel Raich's Brain Tumor Jokes

Home

Background How the Raich v. Ashcroft federal medical cannabis lawsuit born, and who is involved

In the days immediately following September 11, 2001, as the world was riveted by the issue of terrorism, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration turned its sights on a nonviolent group of seriously ill Americans, as it stepped up the level of time, money, and Federal law enforcement personnel used to attack medical cannabis patients. Multiple raids on the homes and gardens of California’s medical cannabis caregivers and patients soon followed. The DEA raids became ever more outrageous and more harmful to patients. Angel Wings Patient OutReach, Inc. worked hard to develop a sound legal strategy to help ensure patients’ and caregivers’ safety and to create new public policies on the federal level. Our legal team felt we had to do everything we could to stop the federal government's dangerous actions.

Angel Wings Patient OutReach, Inc. retained attorneys Randy Barnett and Joshua Greenberg who agreed to bring forth the historic lawsuit of first impression, Raich, et al. v. Ashcroft, et al. The lawsuit was filed on October 9, 2002, by patient-activist Angel McClary Raich and Angel's two anonymous caregiver growers. It charged then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and DEA Administrator Karen Tandy with violating constitutional rights under the Commerce Clause, the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments, and medical necessity. Angel Raich, a medical necessity patient with life-threatening illnesses, is asserting her right to fight for her own life.

The plaintiffs asked Judge Martin J. Jenkins to issue a Preliminary Injunction during the pendency of the action, enjoining the defendants from arresting or prosecuting the plaintiffs, seizing their medical cannabis, forfeiting their property, or seeking civil or administrative sanctions against them for their activities with respect to any of the following: (1) the possession of medical cannabis by plaintiff Angel McClary Raich for her personal medical use; (2) the ability of Angel Raich to obtain medical cannabis from her caregivers, John Doe Numbers One and Two, for her personal medical use; (3) the ability of John Doe Numbers One and Two to cultivate and provide medical cannabis to Angel Raich for her personal medical use; and (4) the processing of medical cannabis by Angel Raich for her personal medical use.

According to the Complaint, the federal Justice Department and the DEA were unconstitutionally exceeding their authority by embarking on a campaign of seizing and forfeiting privately-grown intrastate medical cannabis from California patients and caregivers, arresting or prosecuting them, mounting paramilitary raids against them, harassing them, and taking other civil or administrative actions against them.

On March 5, 2003, the District Court denied the preliminary injunction, despite finding that "the equitable factors tip in plaintiffs’ favor." The plaintiffs appealed the denial of their motion for preliminary injunction.

In the first proceeding in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, amicus curiae briefs were filed by the following amici: The State of California along with Alameda County, the City of Oakland, and Butte County; the California Medical Association along with the California Nurses Association; and Marijuana Policy Project along with Rick Doblin, Ph.D. and Ethan Russo, M.D.

On December 16, 2003, the Court of Appeals reversed the District Court, holding that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their Commerce Clause argument, and thus determining that it was unnecessary to address the remaining arguments.

On April 20, 2004, the Attorney General and DEA Administrator filed a Petition for Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court. Once the federal government filed its Petition for Certiorari the name of the case was changed from Raich v. Ashcroft to Ashcroft v. Raich. Ashcroft became the Petitioner and Raich became the Respondent. The Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari on June 28, 2004. Briefing and oral argument followed.

On June 6, 2005, in a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court reversed, holding that the “CSA is a valid exercise of federal power, even as applied to the troubling facts of this case,” and remanded the case to the Court of Appeals for disposition of the numerous other issues raised by the plaintiffs. The name of the case changed to Gonzales v. Raich to reflect the appointment of a new attorney general.

In the Court of Appeals, on remand from the Supreme Court, briefs have been filed by the parties and by several amici curiae. Oral arguments are scheduled for March 27, 2006.

We remain optimistic of ultimate victory in this case. Our immediate goal is to win again in the Court of Appeals. If necessary, we will again defend that ruling in the Supreme Court. This case could signal a dawning of a new day for rational and compassionate policy making.

We are facing a monumental court battle of national significance. This is a landmark, precedent-setting case, so it is important that the precedents it creates be positive for the medical cannabis movement.

Raich v. Gonzales is funded in part by Angel Wings Patient Outreach, Inc.,a nonprofit organization that is an advocate for the civil rights, human rights, and disability rights of medical patients, their caregivers, and their physicians.

If you would like to make a donation to help combat the unfair persecution of medical cannabis patients, please mail your tax-deductible contribution to: Angel Wings Patient OutReach, Inc. 4100 Redwood Road, #365, Oakland, California 94619-2363.

Contact the Angel Raich and

her attorneys:

Angel Wings Patient OutReach, Inc.
4100 Redwood Road, # 365
Oakland, California 94619-2363
4dancingangel@comcast.net

Angel McClary Raich April 2008.

October 28, 2009, Angel McClary Raich is having brain surgery on her growing brain tumor and its new cysts growing round it. The surgery will be at Stanford Hospital. Angel said, "One thing is for sure I am scared to death! I don’t remember ever being this scared!"

Date of Angel's Brain Surgery

· Angel's brain tumor surgery will be on the morning of October 28, 2009, five days before my 44^th birthday (which is November 2). I am not sure of the time for the surgery yet and will let you know as soon as it is set.

· Angel's pre-operative appointment is scheduled for October 20^th, 2009, at 11am.

· Surgery will be performed at Stanford University Medical Center, Surgical Department: 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, in the Palo Alto Area. Friends and family can wait in the waiting room located on the 2^nd floor. Read More...

Angel can use all the help and support she can get right now!

Learn more about Angel's brain surgery, her growing tumor and the several growing cysts, and her brain tumor MRI images, and the surgery risks and complications. Read More...

"Make a Donation" to help Angel with her brain surgery and recovery. Click here...

Angel's Brain Tumor Jokes -- Written by Angel McClary Raich Click here...

Thank you for caring for her! We are sure you love her as much as we do!

Sincerely,

Angel's Angels

P.S.

Please pass this on!

Angel McClary Raich April 2008.

NEWS ALERT October 28, 2009, Angel McClary Raich is having brain surgery on her growing brain tumor and its new cysts growing round it. The surgery will be at Stanford Hospital. Angel said, "One thing is for sure I am scared to death! I don’t remember ever being this scared!" - John Adler Angel's brain tumor doctor says, radiation failed!

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Marc Emery released on November 18th to await the Justice Minister’s Decision….

2009-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Marc Emery was taken into custody on Monday, September 28th but has been released on November 18th to await the Justice Minister's decision …

Help Save Canadian Activist and Hero, Marc Emery!

By Jodie Emery - Monday, February 9 2009

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Marc Emery is known around the world as the "Prince of Pot". The USA is extraditing and imprisoning this Canadian activist because he successfully funded the global marijuana movement over the last decade. FREE MARC EMERY! Share this website everywhere! www.NoExtradition.net

on the extradition order. Tell the Justice Minister to refuse the US extradition request for Marc Emery and charge Marc in Canada instead.

Canadian Marc Emery has been fighting extradition to the USA and possible life imprisonment since July 2005. In March 2008, the Canadian Government decided to turn down a unique type of plea deal the USA and Marc Emery's lawyer had arranged -- one that required Canadian charges to be laid and the incarceration be in Canada.

In July 2009, Marc's co-accused, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, were sentenced to 2 years probation in Canada. In early September 2009, Marc Emery decided to sign a plea deal for a 5-year sentence in the US federal prison system.

You can read Marc's reasons for taking the plea deal in his blog post "Why I'm Cutting a Deal". Read more about what will likely happen to Marc from this point on by reading Jodie Emery's blog post "Marc Emery Imprisoned: Monday, September 28, Vancouver".

Read news articles and view some videos from the day Marc surrendered into custody here.

Help Save Canadian Activist and Hero, Marc Emery! | Cannabis Culture Magazine

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION

2009-11-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

MySpace.com: Read Bulletin

Nov 18, 2009 8:16 PM

Subject:
Article By Matt Kelley

Body:
It's been a week since the American Medical Association reversed its long-held and counterproductive position on medicinal marijuana, but the DEA still included the AMA's hard line on its website until this evening.
The advocacy group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition -- and online activists -- didn't allow the misinformation to last. The group called on members to email the Department of Justice, and now the bullet point is gone.
While I think the problem was more likely an oversight than an attempt on the part of a government agency to lie to its citizens, LEAP should be congratulated for seeing the error and getting it fixed. The government is aware that advocates for sensible drug policies are watching closely and won't stand for misinformation. It does feel like the tables have been turned, and this victory is a sign of more to come. Kudos to LEAP for mobilizing quickly and bringing about this change.
And while we’re looking at that hideous DEA site, maybe we should urge the Justice Department to get around to redesigning the DEA website to look all Baracky like the main DOJ site.
LEAP is also right to focus attention on the AMA decision, because it could be a tipping point on medicinal marijuana -- and another nail in the coffin of prohibition.
The AMA move is exciting because it could move us closer to reclassifying pot as something other than a Schedule 1 controlled substance. This would open the door to more marijuana research. Maybe researchers seeking to conduct studies of marijuana's effects could get it from more than one source.
Reclassification is a step on the path to legalization, and the AMA was a roadblock. New studies will now show what many already know: the drug is virtually harmless for moderate, responsible users (especially when vaporized). Things are changing, and it's good to see online activists ready to keep pressure on the government to reconsider decades of failed drug policy.

Pot Might Ease PTSD: Study - MSN Health & Fitness - Addiction|Quit Smoking

2009-11-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Pot Might Ease PTSD: Study - MSN Health & Fitness - Addiction|Quit Smoking

Police Charge Brooklyn Man With Selling Liquid Marijuana - NYTimes.com

2009-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Police Charge Brooklyn Man With Selling Liquid Marijuana - NYTimes.com

Liquid Marijuana Seized in Brooklyn

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Published: November 11, 2009

In what the police called an unusual drug arrest, a Brooklyn man was charged on Wednesday with selling liquid marijuana.

“It has not been seen around here before,” said Capt. Gerard Dowling of the Manhattan South narcotics division, referring to a dark green mixture of alcohol and marijuana.

The police said they seized eight Mason jars of the substance on Wednesday from the home of the man, Anthony Briordy, 32. They said they also seized cocaine and prescription painkillers, including OxyContin.

An undercover officer began purchasing the liquid and other drugs from Mr. Briordy about two months ago, the police said. Mr. Briordy was said to have told the officer that the liquid was often mixed with fruit punch.

The police said that throughout the investigation, Mr. Briordy told the officer that he made the mixture at home and that a four-ounce dose of it was stronger than one marijuana cigarette.

The liquid was classified as a controlled substance, the police said, after laboratory tests determined that it was an extremely potent form of marijuana.

Drug Policy Alliance Action Center:

2009-11-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

Drug Policy Alliance Action Center:

Current Action Campaigns

Sending messages to your legislators and other decision makers is one of the best ways to take a stand for drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights. Thank you for your dedication!

Protect Patients: Legalize Medical Marijuana

Help protect patients from federal prosecution for medical marijuana use by asking your representative to cosponsor the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act.

Dismantle the Drug War - Support Sentencing Reform

Dozens of states have reformed their drug sentencing laws recently; it's time for Congress to reform federal drug laws. A good start would be eliminating the 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine disparity.

End Prohibition: Support Marijuana Policy Reform

Support for ending marijuana prohibition is rising. We're winning, but we need you to keep up the pressure. Urge your representative to cosponsor legislation to decriminalize marijuana.

Repeal the Federal Syringe Ban

For almost two decades the federal government has prohibited states from using HIV/AIDS prevention money on syringe exchange programs. Congress is finally on the verge of repealing this stupid punitive ban, but we need your help to do it.

Save Lives, Reduce Overdose Deaths

Congress has the chance to save lives by passing overdose prevention legislation. Tell your representative to support the bill.

Kentucky Medical Marijuana Society

Missoula District Court: Pot case ‘mutiny’ leaves ripples for other drug cases

DEA Position on Marijuana report (July 2010),

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2 comments:

INTERIM LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE'S PROPOSALS TO CHANGE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Medical pot industry sets its sights on Capitol Hill

By Rob Hotakainen

McClatchy Newspapers

Move over, Big Pharma and Big Oil, Big Marijuana is here!

Cancer: There are natural cures and treatments available! December 16th, 2010

Medical marijuana: City of Mesa clears way for new ‘Mormon Trail’

J.R. will discuss his LSD trips with you...

SchapelleGate: A Christmas Message For Schapelle

N.Y.C. Misdemeanor Defendants Lack Bail Money

By MOSI SECRET

Published: December 2, 2010

A version of this article appeared in print on December 3, 2010, on page A27 of the New York edition.

11/30/2010 SB510 Passes in Senate

by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon on 11.30.10

Senate bill S 510 vote imminent - procedural vote passes 74-25

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