Please take a moment and go to this link
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/34407/sign.html
It will go to the president once enough people have signed. Nothing will ever change if we don't stand up for what we believe in. I think damn near 80 years of this crap is enough!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
My Story
I first heard about marijuana when I was 9 years old, taking DARE classes knowing that my older brother was smoking this stuff. On my field trip later that school year I remember thinking I could save the money my mom gave me for souvenirs to buy weed when I got older. Little did I know in less than a month I would be a full blown stoner, smoking with my brother, and without. Some may say thats crazy, smoking at 9 years old, but why delay the inevitable?
I barely remember a time in my childhood and teen years where weed wasn't a part of my life. It was like being reborn in a sense and I liked the new me. I was a constant target for bullying back then due to my weight and name (Ronald often called Ronald McDonald) and weed helped me escape that and use my energy on better things. My dad has always been an alcoholic, often times drinking while at work and then passing out on the couch within an hour of being off work.
My mother worked 2nd shift, my older brother was always away at friends or working so that left me to fend for myself. Parents constantly arguing and screaming at each other, along with my previous experience with marijuana led me to become the person I am today. A peaceful stoner, who uses for recreational and medical needs. I suffer from bipolar disorder or that is what i was diagnosed with long before I started smoking. I prefer to call it ADHD or whatever other label they want to put on me. To the people that say marijuana is a gateway drug I say you are full of it.
I will admit I have been addicted to other things (cocaine, prescription pills) when I was a teen, but the love of herb and my self respect got me away from it. 10 years sober and in the process of a month long cleanse for employment I'd like to ask them how it can be addictive or a gateway to other things. Ganja freed me as a child, and allowed me to let go of hostility I developed over my family situation, it relaxes me in a way that no prescription drug could do. When I was 17 I was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, a factor of my cocaine addiction.
At 19 I was convicted and served 2 years of probation until I was 21. During those two years i took weekly drug tests, 104 tests in all. At $20 each covered by the state of NC I was deemed clean. Not knowing the whole time I was high, drinking cleansers I bought at GNC every single week. Waste of tax payers money if you ask me but who am I to judge? In my life there is one thing I have come to know and trust in, and that is there are two things that will never judge you, betray you or leave your side. One is good ol mary jane, the other is pets. Huge animal lover what can I say? Marijuana has prevented me from one thing, falling in the cracks that my father and grand father fell into.
Alcoholism runs in my family and I remember being 5 and swearing to God i would not put my kids through what I went through. What 5 year old even thinks of having children of their own?! I can honestly say if it wasn't for this gift, I would be dead, a drunk or a sociopath looking for my next victim. I refuse to go down the road that was set out before me, and im enjoying my detour.
I barely remember a time in my childhood and teen years where weed wasn't a part of my life. It was like being reborn in a sense and I liked the new me. I was a constant target for bullying back then due to my weight and name (Ronald often called Ronald McDonald) and weed helped me escape that and use my energy on better things. My dad has always been an alcoholic, often times drinking while at work and then passing out on the couch within an hour of being off work.
My mother worked 2nd shift, my older brother was always away at friends or working so that left me to fend for myself. Parents constantly arguing and screaming at each other, along with my previous experience with marijuana led me to become the person I am today. A peaceful stoner, who uses for recreational and medical needs. I suffer from bipolar disorder or that is what i was diagnosed with long before I started smoking. I prefer to call it ADHD or whatever other label they want to put on me. To the people that say marijuana is a gateway drug I say you are full of it.
I will admit I have been addicted to other things (cocaine, prescription pills) when I was a teen, but the love of herb and my self respect got me away from it. 10 years sober and in the process of a month long cleanse for employment I'd like to ask them how it can be addictive or a gateway to other things. Ganja freed me as a child, and allowed me to let go of hostility I developed over my family situation, it relaxes me in a way that no prescription drug could do. When I was 17 I was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, a factor of my cocaine addiction.
At 19 I was convicted and served 2 years of probation until I was 21. During those two years i took weekly drug tests, 104 tests in all. At $20 each covered by the state of NC I was deemed clean. Not knowing the whole time I was high, drinking cleansers I bought at GNC every single week. Waste of tax payers money if you ask me but who am I to judge? In my life there is one thing I have come to know and trust in, and that is there are two things that will never judge you, betray you or leave your side. One is good ol mary jane, the other is pets. Huge animal lover what can I say? Marijuana has prevented me from one thing, falling in the cracks that my father and grand father fell into.
Alcoholism runs in my family and I remember being 5 and swearing to God i would not put my kids through what I went through. What 5 year old even thinks of having children of their own?! I can honestly say if it wasn't for this gift, I would be dead, a drunk or a sociopath looking for my next victim. I refuse to go down the road that was set out before me, and im enjoying my detour.
Israeli Government Officially Recognizes The Therapeutic Value Of Cannabis
[Editor's note: This post is excerpted from this week's forthcoming NORML weekly media advisory. To have NORML's media alerts and legislative advisories delivered straight to your in-box, sign up here. You can also view a video version of this and other stories here on NORML's new youtube feature: "This Week in Weed."]The Israeli government this week formally acknowledged the therapeutic utility of cannabis and announced newly amended guidelines governing the state-sponsored production and distribution of medical cannabis to Israeli patients.
A prepared statement posted Monday on the website of office of the Israeli Prime Minister states: “The Cabinet today approved arrangements and supervision regarding the supply of cannabis for medical and research uses. This is in recognition that the medical use of cannabis is necessary in certain cases. The Health Ministry will – in coordination with the Israel Police and the Israel Anti-Drug Authority – oversee the foregoing and will also be responsible for supplies from imports and local cultivation.”
According to Israeli news reports, approximately 6,000 Israeli patients are supplied with locally grown cannabis as part of a limited government program. This week’s announcement indicates that government officials intend to expand the program to more patients and centralize the drug’s cultivation. “[T]here are predictions that doctor and patient satisfaction is so high that the number could reach 40,000 in 2016,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Israeli Ministry of Health is expected to oversee the production of marijuana in January 2012.
Similar government-sponsored medical marijuana programs are also active in Canada and the Netherlands.
By contrast, in July the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) formally denied a nine-year-old petition calling on the agency to initiate hearings to reassess the present classification of marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance, stating in the July 8, 2011 edition of the Federal Register that cannabis has “a high potential for abuse; … no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; … [and] lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
'Operation Full Court Press' Seizes 632,000 Marijuana Plants
UKIAH, Calif. -- An estimated $800 million worth of marijuana has been seized following a massive raid on illegal grows on public lands deep in Northern California's pot country, authorities said Tuesday.
The three-week effort, known as Operation Full Court Press, to purge the Mendocino National Forest of illegal gardens, seized more than 632,000 marijuana plants. The operation also led to 132 people being arrested as 118 were booked on federal and state charges and 14 were detained on immigration violations.
Several Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations were behind the illegal grows, Department of Justice spokeswoman Michelle Gregory said.
In previous years, officials have blamed Mexican drug cartels for some of the state's largest growing operations, but Gregory stopped short of making that claim.
"We've been looking at all of these groups for several years," Gregory said. "We're continuously trying to figure out who these guys are and their ties."
The nearly $800 million in marijuana plants seized is a conservative estimate, said John Heil, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The amount is based on a street value of marijuana being worth about $2,500 per pound, Heil said.
Authorities have said a focus on the Mendocino National Forest this year stemmed from citizen complaints a year ago about an increasing number of confrontations with armed guards protecting pot grows.
The 1,400-square-mile forest covers six counties in a region of mountains and forests known as the Emerald Triangle due to its high concentration of pot farms.
Officials said that the latest raids also seized nearly 2,000 pounds of processed marijuana, 38 guns and 20 vehicles. Agents also removed trash and chemicals as well as about 40 miles of irrigation line that damage forestland and waterways.
"It has been very successful operation for all of the agencies involved," Heil said. "We tried to hit an area that seems to have a significant problem."
The operation conducted by local, state and federal agencies was part of an annual summer effort to eradicate marijuana from public lands across the state.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/09/mendocino-marijuana-raid-operation-full-court-press_n_922804.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=081011&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief
The three-week effort, known as Operation Full Court Press, to purge the Mendocino National Forest of illegal gardens, seized more than 632,000 marijuana plants. The operation also led to 132 people being arrested as 118 were booked on federal and state charges and 14 were detained on immigration violations.
Several Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations were behind the illegal grows, Department of Justice spokeswoman Michelle Gregory said.
In previous years, officials have blamed Mexican drug cartels for some of the state's largest growing operations, but Gregory stopped short of making that claim.
"We've been looking at all of these groups for several years," Gregory said. "We're continuously trying to figure out who these guys are and their ties."
The nearly $800 million in marijuana plants seized is a conservative estimate, said John Heil, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The amount is based on a street value of marijuana being worth about $2,500 per pound, Heil said.
Authorities have said a focus on the Mendocino National Forest this year stemmed from citizen complaints a year ago about an increasing number of confrontations with armed guards protecting pot grows.
The 1,400-square-mile forest covers six counties in a region of mountains and forests known as the Emerald Triangle due to its high concentration of pot farms.
Officials said that the latest raids also seized nearly 2,000 pounds of processed marijuana, 38 guns and 20 vehicles. Agents also removed trash and chemicals as well as about 40 miles of irrigation line that damage forestland and waterways.
"It has been very successful operation for all of the agencies involved," Heil said. "We tried to hit an area that seems to have a significant problem."
The operation conducted by local, state and federal agencies was part of an annual summer effort to eradicate marijuana from public lands across the state.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/09/mendocino-marijuana-raid-operation-full-court-press_n_922804.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=081011&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief
Monday, August 8, 2011
PROSECUTORS TRY TO CLEAR THE AIR ON POT CONFUSION
Michigan
-------
CARO -- Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene, along with Huron County Prosecutor Timothy Rutkowski, invited the public to attend a seminar on the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act ( MMMA ) on Monday night to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the highly controversial law.
The pair invited Kenneth Stecker of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan to present the facts to a crowd of about 75, including municipal officials, law enforcement and Senator Mike Green, at the Brentwood in Caro.
Stecker, described by Reene as the "state's leading expert on the act," has given over 200 presentations on the MMMA to municipal groups, medical marijuana advocates and the public since the law was enacted in 2008.
"Not only do I stay up-to-date on the state law, I am constantly keeping updated on the laws nationwide," said Stecker. "There are currently 16 states, including Washington, D.C. that have medical marijuana laws."
Several municipalities in Tuscola County have struggled to establish ordinances and regulations and have placed moratoriums on the activity.
Stecker pointed out several issues that are currently facing the state, citing several ongoing court cases that include how to regulate dispensaries, patient-to-patient transfers and employment policies.
According to Stecker, the MMMA does not allow a third-party collective, cooperative, or dispensaries to transfer marijuana from a caregiver to a patient.
"At most, a caregiver may only assist up to five registered patients who have specified that person as their caregiver," he explained.
A good portion of the confusion comes from the application process. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs ( LARA ) is responsible for administering the MMMA and is about five months behind on issuing registry identification cards and still processing applications from mid-February.
"The LARA has 15 days to approve or deny the application once it is received, according to the language in the law," Stecker said. "From there, they have five days to issue a card. The statute allows for a copy of the application submitted to serve as a valid registry ID if the card is not issued within 20 days of its submission."
Other concerns he presented included jail inmates or patients on probation or parole, use in day-care facilities, adult foster care homes, nursing homes, federally subsidized housing, colleges and universities, school zones and work places.
Stecker said most municipalities are taking the wait-and-see approach as lawmakers consider amending and clarifying the act, but noted that states like California and Colorado that started the trend took almost 10 years to amend their respective laws. He said in the meantime, court cases and appeals will be the best way for answers to the big questions.
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v11/n510/a05.htm
-------
CARO -- Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene, along with Huron County Prosecutor Timothy Rutkowski, invited the public to attend a seminar on the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act ( MMMA ) on Monday night to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the highly controversial law.
The pair invited Kenneth Stecker of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan to present the facts to a crowd of about 75, including municipal officials, law enforcement and Senator Mike Green, at the Brentwood in Caro.
Stecker, described by Reene as the "state's leading expert on the act," has given over 200 presentations on the MMMA to municipal groups, medical marijuana advocates and the public since the law was enacted in 2008.
"Not only do I stay up-to-date on the state law, I am constantly keeping updated on the laws nationwide," said Stecker. "There are currently 16 states, including Washington, D.C. that have medical marijuana laws."
Several municipalities in Tuscola County have struggled to establish ordinances and regulations and have placed moratoriums on the activity.
Stecker pointed out several issues that are currently facing the state, citing several ongoing court cases that include how to regulate dispensaries, patient-to-patient transfers and employment policies.
According to Stecker, the MMMA does not allow a third-party collective, cooperative, or dispensaries to transfer marijuana from a caregiver to a patient.
"At most, a caregiver may only assist up to five registered patients who have specified that person as their caregiver," he explained.
A good portion of the confusion comes from the application process. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs ( LARA ) is responsible for administering the MMMA and is about five months behind on issuing registry identification cards and still processing applications from mid-February.
"The LARA has 15 days to approve or deny the application once it is received, according to the language in the law," Stecker said. "From there, they have five days to issue a card. The statute allows for a copy of the application submitted to serve as a valid registry ID if the card is not issued within 20 days of its submission."
Other concerns he presented included jail inmates or patients on probation or parole, use in day-care facilities, adult foster care homes, nursing homes, federally subsidized housing, colleges and universities, school zones and work places.
Stecker said most municipalities are taking the wait-and-see approach as lawmakers consider amending and clarifying the act, but noted that states like California and Colorado that started the trend took almost 10 years to amend their respective laws. He said in the meantime, court cases and appeals will be the best way for answers to the big questions.
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v11/n510/a05.htm
Saturday, August 6, 2011
State Workers Can Legally Run Med Marijuana Programs
 |
| Graphic: CDS |
| Hey, eagle dude, is that a bud you're holding? |
The DOJ brief asks that a lawsuit filed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican, be thrown out, reports Eric W. Dolan at The Raw Story.
Brewer's claims had no merit, according to the Department of Justice, which noted that her lawsuit failed to provide credible evidence that state employees were under threat of imminent federal prosecution.
The governors of Arizona, Rhode Island and Washington have all refused to implement medical marijuana laws because they said they feared criminal prosecution of state employees by federal U.S. attorneys.
The DOJ announcement is particularly ironic and poignant, since it completely removes the one objection Washington Governor Christine Gregoire cited when she vetoed almost all of SB 5073, which would have explicitly legalized medical marijuana dispensaries in that state.
Washington's thousands of medical marijuana patients came within one signature -- Gregoire's -- of finally having safe access and arrest protection, 13 long years after voters approved a measure legalizing medicinal cannabis in the state. But hen-hearted Gregoire just couldn't seem to
muster up the leadership necessary to sign the damn thing.
 |
| Photo: The Ham Report |
| Arizona Governor Jan Brewer refused to defend her state's medical marijuana law, approved by the state's voters. Instead she asked the feds for instructions on how to run her own state. Nice "leadership" there, Jan. |
Governor Brewer of Arizona was similarly dismissive of voters' wishes. "The State of Arizona has worked to follow the wishes of the voters," Brewer disingenuously claimed, even as she put the state's medical marijuana program on hold and filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to force the issue and permanently bar its implementation.
Brewer was seeking a ruling that the Arizona law is preempted by federal drug laws, and should be struck down because it is in conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.
"By taking the highly unusual step of challenging her own state's law, Gov. Brewer is undermining the will of Arizona voters and unconscionably seeking to prevent thousands of sick Arizonans from being able to access important medicine," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona.
"People should have the freedom to choose the medicine their doctors believe is most effective for them," Meetze said.
Attorney Lisa Hauser, who authored Arizona's medical marijuana law, agreed with the ACLU, saying Brewer's suite was intended to strike down the new law.
Proposition 203, which allows patients in Arizona to use cannabis with a doctor's authorization, was passed by a majority of the state's voters in 2010.
"But I won't stand aside while state employees and average Arizonans acting in good faith are unwittingly put at risk," Brewer said. "In light of the explicit warnings on this issue offered by Arizona's U.S. Attorneys, as well as many other federal prosecutors, clarity and judicial direction are in order."
Ah, yes, the threatening letters from U.S. Attorneys. Those charming little missives were received by officials in almost every medical marijuana state over the past few months, in a seeming 180-degree turn in the Obama Administration's policy of noninterference with state laws on medicinal cannabis.
Some of the letters, including those from both U.S. Attorneys in the state of Washington, in fact did explicitly threaten the arrest and prosecution of state employees for implementing the state's medical marijuana dispensary program. The threats did ring somewhat hollow, though, since that has never happened in any medical marijuana state in the 15 years since California became the first U.S. state to legalize medicinal cannabis.
Friday, August 5, 2011
NORML To Mayor Bloomberg: Stop Arresting So Many Minorities For Marijuana!
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, by most all accounts, is one of the most fascinating political characters of the last decade. A self-made billionaire who, with a clear love for his fellow human beings and with great civic pride, chose to effectively become New York City’s mayor for the last nine years—spending more personal wealth than most any other political candidate in US history, for a mayor’s office no less—as the ultimate expression of his ability and want to positively effect as many people as possible, in a city (and region) that he clearly loves, during his tenure in a position where he can get things done. 
Along the way to becoming one of America’s wealthiest individuals, Mr. Bloomberg has donated a remarkable amount of money to many worthy causes, notably in the field to improve public health in America and the world, most especially at his alma mater, one of the best universities in the world, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
With good health and continued good fortune, who knows what further impact Mr. Bloomberg will choose to make in national politics in his lifetime? He possess all the requisite skills and resources to become president if that’s what he chooses.Today we find out that Mayor Bloomberg is once again demonstrating why he is one of the most interesting and charitable politicians in the modern era in reading today’s New York Times about his most recent donation of $30 million to help black and Latino youth get better integrated into the region’s economy, develop valuable skill sets and to find productive employment.
The Times reports that Mayor Bloomberg’s initial grant will be matched by New York City-based hedge fund manager and philanthropist George Soros.Here is the ironic point to this blog post: If Mayor Bloomberg is genuinely serious about creating more favorable employment environs for black and Latino youth in New York City, he should converse with Mr. Soros, who, has donated more money than anyone on the face of the earth in favor of drug policy reform—notably for cannabis law reforms—who, I’m sure would insist that the good mayor stop arresting black and Latino youth in New York City en mass.
Regrettably, embarrassingly, for such an enlightened and civic-minded man, Mayor Bloomberg has largely maintained the shameful and starkly racially disparate cannabis law enforcement policies that he inherited from former Mayor (and drug prosecutor) Rudolf Giuliani. Mayor Giuliani exploded the annual cannabis arrest rate in the five boroughs of New York City from an average of about 2,000 arrests to an eye-popping 60,000 arrests per year.
Bloomberg’s administration has, on average, maintained an annual arrest rate for simple cannabis possession cases over 45,000, with a disturbing ninety percent of arrests happening to….black and Latino youth.
Mayor Bloomberg, please, listen to Mr. Soros and stop arresting and negatively effecting future employment opportunities for an entire generation of minorities in New York City who got caught doing the same thing you did in your more youthful years.
And look how well you turned out after using cannabis?Why deny over 45,000 other New Yorkers (and tourists) annually the opportunity to pursue their life’s goals and dreams just because, like you, absent an arrest for your cannabis use, they chose to use a little ganja to relax? Unfortunately for them and New York taxpayers, they’re getting permanently scarred by your feckless and expensive Cannabis Prohibition law enforcement practices in Gotham.
Mayor Bloomberg, your generous and thoughtful donation of $30 million—and that of Mr. Soros’—will be working at cross purposes if you continue to give the green light to the NYPD to arrest 45,000 cannabis consumers annually into the criminal justice system, the vast majority of whom are the very population you’re concerned with.
Mr. Bloomberg, if you’re worried about saving face or “what does the NAACP think about all of this?”, don’t be. Because, hundreds of thousands of cannabis consumers and tourists in New York City will very much appreciate the change in policy and the NAACP now supports changing America’s antiquated Cannabis Prohibition laws.
Mayor Bloomberg, please magnify the positive impact of your philanthropy and concerns for civil society by ending the practice of ‘collaring’ cannabis consumers in New York City, and, instead, return to the cost effective and less detrimental practice to cannabis consumers (notably for minorities) by simply issuing a civil fine in the form of a written ticket for cannabis possession cases rather than employ valuable police time and resources unnecessarily arresting so many black and Latino cannabis consumers.
Racism: One More Reason To Legalize Pot
In D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday, 36 people were scheduled to be arraigned for carrying marijuana. The alleged offenders were collared by police for marijuana possession in the latter half of July and the beginning of August, and faced up to six months in prison time and up to $1,000 in fines. Court records indicate prosecutors are going ahead with 18 of the cases.That’s despite the fact that the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use & Health says whites and blacks use marijuana at near equal rates: 9.6 percent of blacks 12 and older use pot, and 8.8 percent of whites.
One theory as to why black residents are apprehended on pot charges more often involves how the two populations both smoke and acquire their weed. Whites tend to light up and deal inside their homes, and blacks on the street, goes the thinking.
Court records for some of those arrested east of the river back that belief up. They describe vice officers spotting suspects engaging in open-air blazing or buying from street corner dealers. One subject “was walking down the street smoking a brown cigar” when cops spotted him. The recklessness involved would seem to disqualify disparate rates of marijuana arrests in the city as a civil rights issue: Black smokers are choosing to be flagrant about their pot use and so attracting the attention of cops who have no choice but to grab them.
But even if assumptions about smoking and dealing habits are solid, that doesn’t mean there’s no problem with the way marijuana laws are currently being enforced in black and white neighborhoods. Taking my own experience as an African American who grew up poor into account, I remember some family and friends who puffed outside–whether that involved a pack of Kools or a joint meticulously sculpted from Top rolling papers–out of respect for others in their household, particularly where there was more than one generation ( and therefore more than one set of moral values ) under one roof. Dealing inside the house would have been all the more inappropriate. Although that’s certainly not the situation for every black person who tokes up or does a hand-off in Ward 7 or Ward 8, the idea is that you can’t just assume they’re being belligerent, and therefore asking for repercussions.
Police do seem to be obligated to arrest you once they catch a sight of a spliff, as a matter of policy in the District. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says her department isn’t pushing marijuana arrests at this time, but if “we encounter someone in possession of marijuana, we are obligated to make an arrest.”
Still, there are plenty of crimes, like jaywalking ( which gets sporadic enforcement ) that cops regularly ignore, despite the law. When the crime is so minor and ubiquitous that making a big deal about it would do more harm than good, officers typically walk on.
The federal survey on drug stats says that marijuana use–which has been approved for medical purposes in the District–may be a misdemeanor, but it’s certainly become ubiquitous. An “estimated 104 million Americans aged 12 or older have tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes.” I doubt law enforcement is interested in arresting all those people, so why swoop into black D.C.?
When black people bear the brunt of marijuana arrests, the prime suspect ends up being the country’s teetering but still functional mechanism of racial oppression. The fix is obvious: Legalize marijuana, and the problem disappears. Or at least this manifestation of it does.
Source: Washington City Paper (DC)
Copyright: 2011 Washington Free Weekly Inc.
Contact: mail@washcp.com
Website: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/
Author: Rend Smith
Copyright: 2011 Washington Free Weekly Inc.
Contact: mail@washcp.com
Website: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/
Author: Rend Smith
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Our Founding Fathers
Today I found this:
REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th and 18th Centuries WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769; Hemp in Colonial Virginia, G. M. Herdon.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers GREW HEMP; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.
Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow's export to England; Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer.
Even Bibles were printed on hemp, but of course none of this means they actually smoked it, right? By why wouldn't they? America's first president was known to document in his diary the separation of seeds by sex, and has several quotes attributed to him that alludes to the fact he was using marijuana in ways other then purely agricultural means.
Many of the founding fathers notated in letters their pleasure in smoking marijuana, Including Washington, Madison, Monroe, Jefferson & Andrew Jackson.
So if this is the case, then one can assume our country, the declaration of independence, the constitution, the whole idea of the way we live today was thought up during some drug induced delusion. It was only the need for the founding father to continually run out to the local colony store for nachos to cure the munchies that prevented things from happening quicker.
So is it really safe to say that our founding fathers, born hundreds of years ago were actually smarter than the politicians we have been forced with today? People who had no computers, no television, news took weeks, sometimes months to arrive, knew the benefits that marijuana brings to man kind. While we have the technology that we have today and people are stupid enough to believe the racial propaganda bullshit that was fed to us in the 30's. If marijuana truly made a person insane killers, id be considered a serial killer today.
Your main argument went from this to that and now centers on "Marijuana has no proven medical benefits". Yea? Did you miss the FACT that oil made from marijuana has cured CANCER in 80% of the people who have used it? Did you miss the FACT that marijuana is indeed safer than alcohol?
What about this "Medical marijuana already exists in the form of marinol". In that case why not legalize the real damn thing?!
And which is it really? Marijuana has no medical benefit, or medical marijuana already exists? If it has no benefits why do we have marinol? And how can you tell me I cannot smoke marijuana to relieve back pain while your growing marijuana and dispensing it to the few people that actually meet the guidelines of your medical marijuana program.
Wait.......The US government has a medical marijuana program? Yes they do! And has for decades with a whopping 10 people who benefit from it. SO I ask you again, IF.....strong IF....marijuana has no medical benefit what so ever why do you have that program?
Sweet!
Blog hasn't even been up for a week yet, and i'm already on the first page of google for a lot of keywords.
This bong rips to celebrate. Anyone care to join me?!?
This bong rips to celebrate. Anyone care to join me?!?
INNOCENT GRANDMOTHER'S 12 DAYS IN WINNIPEG JAIL
Minnesota grandmother Janet Goodin crossed the border to play bingo and ended up in a Winnipeg jail for 12 days, after a forgotten jar of motor oil in her van mistakenly tested positive for heroin. The 66-year-old widow and retired Girl Scout administrator from Warroad, Minn., was questioned, strip-searched and jailed until officials discovered the error and released her. "This was so out of context and so preposterous that it's just literally turned my life upside down," she told the Post's Sarah Boesveld by phone from her quiet trailer home about six kilometres from the border. "It was so surreal." The Canada Border Services Agency said Tuesday officials at the Sprague border followed protocol, but Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said he has requested a ''full report'' on Ms. Goodin's detention from the agency's president. While sitting in the Winnipeg Remand Centre, Ms. Gooding began chronicling her ordeal in what would become a nearly 4,000-word journal entry, which she shared with the Winnipeg Free Press. Here is the entry, edited for length and clarity by the Post:
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011
I woke up again this morning aware of a constant gnawing anxiety - my constant accompaniment all day, every day. I open my eyes. I am in jail. IN JAIL!
My nightmare began about 10 days ago, April 20, on a pleasant Wednesday evening. About 5 p.m. I got a text message from my daughter, who lives just across the border in Canada. She was asking if I wanted to go with her and her sisters to play bingo in Sprague, MB, 7 p.m. I had to decide quickly; I hadn't had dinner yet, and was hungry, but then I thought there would probably be snacks available at Bingo, so I texted her that I would leave right away.
When I arrived there, I presented my pass card as usual and was questioned as usual. I expected to be searched as they almost always do when I bring household items across the border. As I stood and watched, they pulled out a small canning jar of what I assumed to be motor oil left over from an oil change. I thought probably they were going to dump it out or just confiscate it because the jar was not labelled.
While waiting, one of the agents came up to the counter and told me they needed to talk to me in the back room. One of the female agents said that they tested the "substance" in the canning jar and it tested positive for something. I asked her to repeat herself. This time I understood her to say that the oil in the jar tested positive for some substance which indicated the presence of HEROIN!
Thus, my nightmare began. The border agent informed me that I was going to be arrested for possession, with intent to distribute, of a con-trolled substance. They refused to let me call my daughter. They handcuffed me, and the rest of the night is a nightmarish blur of being interrogated several times by different people, the utter humiliation of a strip search, and long periods of sitting alone in that little room. I then spoke to a legal aid lawyer, who advised me, that even though I had done nothing wrong, I should simply refuse to answer their questions. Quite a long while later, one of the female agents came in and told me that a drug sniffing dog had found traces of marijuana, meth, cocaine, and "many other drugs" in the van. My lawyer later told me that they had found absolutely no traces of any drugs in the van.
Later, one of the women told me they had tested the oil five times and it came back positive every time for whatever substance they said it was.
I was told I would be spending the evening in jail in Steinbach, MB and that I would be officially charged in the morning. I was put in a cell alone, my glasses taken away from me. I lay on the bench in the cell all night and tried to doze now and then, but I was constantly shivering. I tried yoga breathing to keep myself from falling apart, and was somewhat able to collect myself by morning. They let me call my daughter and she said her husband remembered putting the oil in one of the cubbies in my van. Mid-afternoon, I was formally charged with the three offences and interrogated again. A short time later, the officer from Sprague said the "Crown" had decided to add two more charges against me: trafficking and importing of a controlled substance. I couldn't believe they would actually mistake me for a drug smuggler.
The justice officer recommended "no bail" because I was a U.S. citizen and that I probably would not come back for court. He also said that the charges could result in a 2+ year prison sentence. I had to wait in jail all weekend until a bail hearing before a judge the following Tuesday. I was terrified of going to jail. I had been looking forward to spending the Easter holiday with my children and grandchildren.
MONDAY, MAY 2
The days have all been pretty much running together. During the day, we are to have every other hour out in the common area, unless it is mealtime or medication time. It is canteen delivery day, and many of us are eagerly waiting to get the snacks and toiletries that we have ordered. We have a third cellmate again. A young girl came in shortly after dinner time. She was hungry and seemed to be exhausted. She asked for my orange, and I also gave her a bag of chips.
TUESDAY, MAY 3
My granddaughter's birthday. My daughter is coming to visit at 7 p.m. She is bringing denture cleaning tablets. I have not been able to properly clean my dentures since I got here. The girl that came in yesterday is going home today, along with one of the other girls. I wonder if and when I will ever get to be with my family again. This afternoon, I finally spoke with the consulate and said I wanted the results of the analysis that was being done by the RCMP on the motor oil.
ADDENDUM TO MAY 3
About 6: 30 p.m., some of the other girls came to our cell and said I was being released, and started to roll up my bedding, but I didn't believe it. I rode the elevator down to the main floor where two officers were waiting for me. They gave me my clothes and money back and we left in a car bound for Sprague. The RCMP officer who was driving said they got the tests back, and that all of the charges were "stayed." The officers seemed quite solicitous of my welfare, offering to get me food and or coffee or some other drink, and frequently asking if I was "all right." I felt vindicated, but very, very angry about what had been done to me, for no reason other than a jar of common motor oil.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Innocent+grandmother+days+Winnipeg+jail/5164021/story.html
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011
I woke up again this morning aware of a constant gnawing anxiety - my constant accompaniment all day, every day. I open my eyes. I am in jail. IN JAIL!
My nightmare began about 10 days ago, April 20, on a pleasant Wednesday evening. About 5 p.m. I got a text message from my daughter, who lives just across the border in Canada. She was asking if I wanted to go with her and her sisters to play bingo in Sprague, MB, 7 p.m. I had to decide quickly; I hadn't had dinner yet, and was hungry, but then I thought there would probably be snacks available at Bingo, so I texted her that I would leave right away.
When I arrived there, I presented my pass card as usual and was questioned as usual. I expected to be searched as they almost always do when I bring household items across the border. As I stood and watched, they pulled out a small canning jar of what I assumed to be motor oil left over from an oil change. I thought probably they were going to dump it out or just confiscate it because the jar was not labelled.
While waiting, one of the agents came up to the counter and told me they needed to talk to me in the back room. One of the female agents said that they tested the "substance" in the canning jar and it tested positive for something. I asked her to repeat herself. This time I understood her to say that the oil in the jar tested positive for some substance which indicated the presence of HEROIN!
Thus, my nightmare began. The border agent informed me that I was going to be arrested for possession, with intent to distribute, of a con-trolled substance. They refused to let me call my daughter. They handcuffed me, and the rest of the night is a nightmarish blur of being interrogated several times by different people, the utter humiliation of a strip search, and long periods of sitting alone in that little room. I then spoke to a legal aid lawyer, who advised me, that even though I had done nothing wrong, I should simply refuse to answer their questions. Quite a long while later, one of the female agents came in and told me that a drug sniffing dog had found traces of marijuana, meth, cocaine, and "many other drugs" in the van. My lawyer later told me that they had found absolutely no traces of any drugs in the van.
Later, one of the women told me they had tested the oil five times and it came back positive every time for whatever substance they said it was.
I was told I would be spending the evening in jail in Steinbach, MB and that I would be officially charged in the morning. I was put in a cell alone, my glasses taken away from me. I lay on the bench in the cell all night and tried to doze now and then, but I was constantly shivering. I tried yoga breathing to keep myself from falling apart, and was somewhat able to collect myself by morning. They let me call my daughter and she said her husband remembered putting the oil in one of the cubbies in my van. Mid-afternoon, I was formally charged with the three offences and interrogated again. A short time later, the officer from Sprague said the "Crown" had decided to add two more charges against me: trafficking and importing of a controlled substance. I couldn't believe they would actually mistake me for a drug smuggler.
The justice officer recommended "no bail" because I was a U.S. citizen and that I probably would not come back for court. He also said that the charges could result in a 2+ year prison sentence. I had to wait in jail all weekend until a bail hearing before a judge the following Tuesday. I was terrified of going to jail. I had been looking forward to spending the Easter holiday with my children and grandchildren.
MONDAY, MAY 2
The days have all been pretty much running together. During the day, we are to have every other hour out in the common area, unless it is mealtime or medication time. It is canteen delivery day, and many of us are eagerly waiting to get the snacks and toiletries that we have ordered. We have a third cellmate again. A young girl came in shortly after dinner time. She was hungry and seemed to be exhausted. She asked for my orange, and I also gave her a bag of chips.
TUESDAY, MAY 3
My granddaughter's birthday. My daughter is coming to visit at 7 p.m. She is bringing denture cleaning tablets. I have not been able to properly clean my dentures since I got here. The girl that came in yesterday is going home today, along with one of the other girls. I wonder if and when I will ever get to be with my family again. This afternoon, I finally spoke with the consulate and said I wanted the results of the analysis that was being done by the RCMP on the motor oil.
ADDENDUM TO MAY 3
About 6: 30 p.m., some of the other girls came to our cell and said I was being released, and started to roll up my bedding, but I didn't believe it. I rode the elevator down to the main floor where two officers were waiting for me. They gave me my clothes and money back and we left in a car bound for Sprague. The RCMP officer who was driving said they got the tests back, and that all of the charges were "stayed." The officers seemed quite solicitous of my welfare, offering to get me food and or coffee or some other drink, and frequently asking if I was "all right." I felt vindicated, but very, very angry about what had been done to me, for no reason other than a jar of common motor oil.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Innocent+grandmother+days+Winnipeg+jail/5164021/story.html
Group Submits Petitions To Legalize Marijuana
A group supporting legalization of medical marijuana in Ohio has taken the first steps to place a Constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot.The group needs 1,000 signatures before DeWine will determine if the summary is a fair and truthful statement. After that, it is forwarded for review by the Ohio Ballot Board and to Ohio secretary of State Jon Husted. The group would then need to gather at least 385,245 valid signatures on petitions to place the amendment on the ballot, said Matt McClellan, press secretary for Husted.
“I’m totally opposed to that amendment,” said Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer. “I think it would make too much marijuana available to kids in the community.”
He said it would create traffic problems because people high on marijuana could be driving and causing accidents and it would be an issue for employers, including him, who want drug-free employees.
“I think we have enough prescription drugs out there to handle the (medical) problems. I’m worried about the use and availability of this marijuana,” Plummer said. “I think it would be just more problems for us so I’m opposed to it.”
At least a dozen states have legalized medical marijuana, but it remains illegal under federal law and opponents question both the medical value and the validity of the medical claims of those who receive prescriptions. An April study released by the Pew Research Center found that 73 percent of Americans favor their state permitting the sale and use of medical marijuana prescribed by a doctor.
“We’re hoping the ballot will force our legislators to stand up and do what’s right,” said Kettering resident Tonya Davis, 48, who was one of four committee members in charge of petitions supporting medical marijuana.
Davis, who suffers from a variety of physical ailments, said marijuana brings her relief without the negative consequences of narcotic pain relievers. She said people like her should be able to legally grow, possess or obtain marijuana from a certified provider if a medical professional prescribes it.
According to the group’s summary of the amendment, qualifying conditions would include glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease or any condition that causes symptoms such as chronic pain, severe muscle spasms or wasting syndrome. Patients could possess up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana.
“I’ve got more things wrong (with me) than right,” said Davis, who said she suffers from scoliosis, thyroid disease, inflamed bowel disease and other problems.
“Medical marijuana would be a lifesaver for me because (with) the stronger pharmaceuticals I can’t function: the spasms, the nausea and all of that,” Davis said. “I do not buy, sell or grow. I pray my friends come through.”
The proposed amendment is similar to a bill legalizing medical marijuana proposed in April by state Reps. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, and Rep. Robert Hagan, D-Youngstown. The bill is being reviewed by the House health and aging committee.
Source: Dayton Daily News (OH)
Author: Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer
Published: July 30, 2011
Copyright: 2011 Dayton Daily News
Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/
Author: Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer
Published: July 30, 2011
Copyright: 2011 Dayton Daily News
Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/
Monday, August 1, 2011
Florida Pays To Bury Teen After Marijuana Arrest
8/1/2011 -State authorities in Florida caused a stir last week when they stopped a check to pay for the funeral services of a teenager who died after jail staff refused him medical attention. The West Palm Beach Post reported that a $5,000 check issued at the request of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) was destroyed last week by the state’s Chief Financial Officer. Today the same newspaper is reporting that state CFO Jeff Atwater re-issued the check.
On the night of July 9th Eric Perez as just another young resident in Florida with a small amount of marijuana. He turned 18 just a few weeks earlier. But the next morning Perez was dead. What happened in the time between is the subject of an intense and ongoing investigation. Some disturbing details have already emerged.
For the seven hours that Perez was in custody he was having severe headaches and was continuously vomiting. He pleaded for help. Guards have come forward to say they were directed by supervisors not to call 911 that night. (Those guards were then fired for following those orders.) Towards the end, Perez was moved to a bare “medical” cell and left without anyone to monitor him inside. At some point the guard assigned outside the door apparently went absent.
The tragic conclusion is all too clear: Eric Perez died completely alone and in great pain on the floor of that Juvenile Detention Center cell. His mother will receive the video of her son’s last moments.
This horrific case showcases that the poor management of local jails quickly becomes inhuman treatment of those incarcerated. Men of color between 18 and 35 bear the brunt of marijuana prohibition laws. Because this is the most-arrested group of Americans means they also have the greatest probability of encountering the worst in jail environments.Fourteen US states have decriminalized the possession of a small amount of marijuana by adults. Even more states have the option of issuing a court summons at the time of a police encounter in lieu of a custodial arrest.
The death of a young person in a Florida correctional institution was common enough that the Department of Juvenile Justice already has a policy in place to pay for the burial expenses.The agency has issued the payments twice before, according to DJJ spokesman C.J. Drake.
Drake would not comment on the finger-pointing but said “we’re pleased that this matter is finally being resolved in favor of the young man’s family.”
The check was overnighted Monday to Richard Schuler, an attorney representing Perez’ mother Martiza Perez, Atwater spokeswoman Alexis Lambert said.
“They have done an about-face on the issuance of the check for funeral expenses. I think it’s the right thing to do under the circumstances,” Schuler said. read full at West Palm Beach Post
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