"The town will vote on whether to make marijuana the lowest enforcement priority. "
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=061015_Ne_A15_Conse64118
Tulsa should follow suit. It would make us more attractive to young professionals. It might help law enforcement here too....
That's absurd. The employees already do that....get real.
I thought Eureka Springs was in the Ozark Mountains, not the Smoky Mountains.
Wasn't alcohol illegal for a while too? Hmmm. I agree that it is a crime. But it should have a low priority since things like alcohol are more addictive and cause more health issues and are legal.
But just like drinking alcohol on the job, you would still get fired for it. Same rules would still apply.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
quote:
Originally posted by aoxamaxoa
That's absurd. The employees already do that....get real.
i see, so when everyone does something that is illegal, that suddenly makes it ok?
I know, lets everyone start killing people, then when enough of us are doing it, that will make it ok.
Ever wonder what it was like during prohibition?
And I recall my parents going out to the Branding Iron to gamble and drink back in the late 50's.
Now look. Alcohol does more damage than any other drug sans meth. And gambling is an evolving epidemic. Pot is not the same. I do not know anyone who has killed themselves on grass. It needs to have a lower priority in the list of naughty.
Have you ever heard of civil disobedience? Some engage just because they like confronting ridiculous laws.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
i just love how quick people bring alchohol into a pot discussion. i could almost time it with a stopwatch. how come pot proponents cant argue pot on its own merits?
How is it different?
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
i just love how quick people bring alchohol into a pot discussion. i could almost time it with a stopwatch. how come pot proponents cant argue pot on its own merits?
Who said anything about the merits of pot. We are discussing proportioanality and fairness. You know liberty and freedom. Maybe you don't.
Who's being the victim in pot prohibition?
Personally, I would prefer to see the laws remain in force. Satan forbid we let the tobacco companies take the lead.
Best solution is a lower priority and more acceptance as we've seen with the medical community and in Eureka, California, New York, Washington, and Colorado.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
i just love how quick people bring alchohol into a pot discussion.
Not apparently as fast as someone equating it to legalizing murder.
Was that a
(ahem) smokescreen? [;)]
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
in order to gain legitimacy and "fairness" you have to have better reasons other than "everybody does it" and "its not as bad as alchohol".
You don't gain liberty and freedom "just because". That's a typical demand from today's entitlement generation.
You could apply those lame excuses to a myriad of things...speeding, prostitution, etc. However the cops still crack down on all of them equally because a sin is a sin and a crime is a crime.
Furthermore, all those "pot arrests" "filling up prisons" are not there just because of pot. Mary jane possession is one of many charges those people are usually charged with.
Sir,
You wanted examples that would bring the item
"legitamacy"........
The following from a Canadian Medical Journal regarding testing of a product that experts say could replace "Prozac"... in the not so distant future..
New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'
This press release is also available in French.
Researchers have discovered a new drug that raises the level of endocannabinoids--the 'brain's own cannabis'--providing anti-depressant effects. The new research published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests the new drug, called URB597, could represent a safer alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression, and open the door to new and improved treatments for clinical depression--a condition that affects around 20% of Canadians.
In preclinical laboratory tests researchers found that URB597 increased the production of endocannabinoids by blocking their degradation, resulting in measurable antidepressant effects. "This is the first time it has been shown that a drug that increases endocannabinoids in the brain can improve your mood," says the lead investigator Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, an MUHC and Universit� de Montr�al researcher.
Endocannabinoids are chemicals released by the brain under certain conditions, like exercise; they stimulate specific brain receptors that can trigger feelings of well-being. The researchers, which included scientists from the University of California at Irvine, were able to measure serotonin and noradrenaline activity as a result of the increased endocannabinoids, and also conducted standard experiments to gauge the 'mood' of their subjects and confirm their findings.
"The results were similar to the effect we might expect from the use of commonly prescribed antidepressants, which are effective on only around 30% of the population," explains Dr. Gobbi. "Our discovery strengthens the case for URB597 as a safer, non-addictive, non-psychotropic alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression and provides hope for the development of an alternate line of antidepressants, with a wider range of effectiveness."
Cannabis has been known for its anti-depressant and pain-relief effects for many years, but the addictive nature and general health concerns of cannabis use make this drug far from ideal as a medical treatment. The active ingredient in cannabis--THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)--stimulates cannabinoid receptors.
Funding for this study was provided by the Fonds de la Recherche en Sant� du Qu�bec (FRSQ), the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and an MUHC fellowship.
Good Day....!
[}:)]
Just FYI......
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. A dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa, it usually is smoked as a cigarette (joint, nail), or in a pipe (bong). It also is smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug. It might also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish and, as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.(1)
The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.(2)
CONTROL STATUS
Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
When marijuana is smoked, its effects begin immediately after the drug enters the brain and last from 1 to 3 hours. If marijuana is consumed in food or drink, the short-term effects begin more slowly, usually in 1/2 to 1 hour, and last longer, for as long as 4 hours. Smoking marijuana deposits several times more THC into the blood than does eating or drinking the drug.(4)
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate, normally 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.(5)
As THC enters the brain, it causes a user to feel euphoric— or "high"—by acting in the brain's reward system, areas of the brain that respond to stimuli such as food and drink as well as most drugs of abuse. THC activates the reward system in the same way that nearly all drugs of abuse do, by stimulating brain cells to release the chemical dopamine.(6)
A marijuana user may experience pleasant sensations, colors and sounds may seem more intense, and time appears to pass very slowly. The user's mouth feels dry, and he or she may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty. His or her hands may tremble and grow cold. The euphoria passes after awhile, and then the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use produces anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.(7)
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.(8)
Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.(9)
TRAFFICKING TRENDS
Overall marijuana production in Mexico--the principal source of foreign-produced marijuana to U.S. drug markets appears to be increasing. Mexico marijuana production estimates indicate that production in Mexico was relatively low from 2000 through 2002 during a period of drought, increased sharply in 2003 as weather improved, and receded slightly in 2004 (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment, Table 5). Moreover, anecdotal reporting and cannabis eradication and marijuana seizure data all indicate that marijuana production in Canada has recently increased, perhaps significantly. Domestic marijuana production also appears to be increasing, according to law enforcement reporting that reveals a significant increase in eradication of domestic marijuana grow sites in 2005. Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) data indicate that domestic cannabis eradication--occurring primarily in California, Kentucky, Tennessee, Hawaii, and Washington, often on public lands including Forest Service lands (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment, Figure 2)--increased steadily from 2000 through 2003, decreased in 2004, and increased sharply to its highest recorded level in 2005. (10)
Most of the foreign-produced marijuana available in the United States is smuggled into the country from Mexico via the U.S.-Mexico border by Mexican DTOs and criminal groups; however, a sharp rise in marijuana smuggling from Canada via the U.S.-Canada border by Asian criminal groups has increased the domestic availability of marijuana produced in Canada.(11)
Mexican criminal groups control most wholesale marijuana distribution throughout the United States; however, Asian criminal groups appear to be increasing their position as wholesale distributors of Canada-produced marijuana. According to law enforcement reporting, Mexican DTOs and criminal groups control most wholesale marijuana distribution in the Great Lakes, Pacific, Southeast, Southwest, and West Central Regions and control much of the wholesale marijuana distribution in the Northeast Region. Although Asian criminal groups are not the predominant wholesale marijuana distributors in any region, these groups, particularly Chinese and Vietnamese groups, now are widely identified in law enforcement reporting as the principal suppliers of high potency, Canada-produced marijuana throughout the country.(12)
The influence of Asian criminal groups in high potency marijuana distribution is likely to increase in the near term. Law enforcement reporting indicates that these groups are increasingly gaining control over much of the high potency marijuana production and distribution in Canada and now appear to be extending their influence in the United States. In fact, law enforcement reporting indicates that the influence of Asian organizations in drug trafficking--particularly the trafficking of high potency marijuana--in the United States is now more significant than that of Russian-Israeli, Jamaican, or Puerto Rican criminal groups.(13)
Marijuana distribution is widespread throughout the country, as evidenced by the presence of 14 principal distribution centers for the drug, one or more of which are located in nearly every region of the country (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment, Appendix A, Map 6). Much of the midlevel and retail distribution of marijuana in these and other cities is controlled by African American, Asian, and Hispanic street gangs; however, independent dealers control most midlevel and retail marijuana distribution in smaller communities and rural areas. In fact, independent dealers are likely to retain control of distribution in smaller communities because they often distribute locally produced marijuana rather than foreign-produced marijuana.(14)
USE/USER POPULATION
Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring the Future study, 16.5% of eighth graders, 34.1% of tenth graders, and 44.8% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of marijuana. In 2004, these percentages were 16.3%, 35.1%, and 45.7%, respectively.(15)
Approximately 74% of eighth graders, 65.5% of tenth graders, and 58% of twelfth graders surveyed in 2005 reported that smoking marijuana regularly was a "great risk."(16)
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys high school students on several risk factors including drug and alcohol use. Results of the 2005 survey indicate that 38.4% of high school students reported using marijuana at some point in their lifetimes. Additional YRBS results indicate that 20.2% of students surveyed in 2005 reported current (past month) use of marijuana.(17)
Between 2001 and 2005, marijuana use dropped in all three categories: lifetime (13%), past year (15%) and 30-day use (19%). Current marijuana use decreased 28% among 8th graders (from 9.2% to 6.6%), and 23% among 10th graders (from 19.8% to 15.2%).(18)
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ARRESTS/SENTENCING
Between October 1, 2004 and January 11, 2005, there were 1,777 Federal offenders sentenced for marijuana-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 94.9% of the cases involved marijuana trafficking. Between January 12, 2005 and September 30, 2005, there were 4,396 Federal offenders sentenced for marijuana-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 95.8% of the cases involved trafficking.(19)
Sources:
1-2. National Institute on Drug Abuse, InfoFacts: Marijuana, April 2006
3. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Marijuana Street Terms
4-7. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report Series—Marijuana Abuse, July 2005
8-9. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report Series—Marijuana Abuse, October 2001.
10-14. National Drug Intelligence Center, National Drug Threat Assessment 2006.
15-16. National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future 2005 Data From In-School Surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-Grade Students, December 2005
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005, June 2006
18. Monitoring the Future, 2005. Supplemented by information from the Office of National Drug Control Policy press release on the 2005 MTF Survey, December 19, 2005
19. United States Sentencing Commission, 2005 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, June 2006
As far as legalization goes.......
http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2001/supreme-court-rules-against-3.html
and
http://www.dea.gov/pubs/pressrel/pr060602.html
I'm guessing you're not in support of decreased enforcement of marijuana laws? Wouldn't blame you as you most likely see its negative results first hand.
This part of the quoted study was very significant for those who feel its a harmless drug...."Our discovery strengthens the case for URB597 as a safer, non-addictive, non-psychotropic alternative to cannabis".
You sophisticated young'uns will get a kick out of this story. Once as a youth, a "friend" of mine I visited in OKC thought it would be funny to let me consume some of her "Alice B. Toklas" brownies. I was too nerdy to know what they were. Halfway back to Tulsa on the turnpike they kicked in. I thought I was mentally breaking down or being scanned by aliens! It was good stuff alright, it nearly caused me to wreck my car. Had to pull over and switch drivers while I slept it off. Don't try to tell me it isn't as bad as alcohol. It doesn't deserve prison time but it isn't harmless.
quote:
Originally posted by MH2010
Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
Ive often wondered why Nicotine wasnt in this classification, given the harm it does.
IMHO, it's certainly deserving, as ive never encountered anyone predisposed to chemical abuse who's precursor wasnt cigarettes.
Did anyone else see the humor in the Tulsa Whirled headline: "Conservative tourist town ponders pot initiative".
Eureka is anything but "conservative".
Isn't it Eureka SPRINGS?
And yeah, it's about as conservative as Kucinich.
No, it's "Eufreaka" Springs [;)]
Yawn......
Hey, lets argue about Global Warming. Everyone knows it's a myth invented by the libs so they could raise taxes.
I'm pretty "Feh" about pot legalization. That's because I've never used the stuff (no lie; why risk jail when beer is available). I've found the biggest proponents of pot legalization are the ones who use it the most (no surprise). So the pro-pot people don't exactly do it for altruistic reasons.
Then again, I'm not militant against pot like MH2010 is. It's disingenuous to say how horrible pot is when a legal drug like alcohol has far more widespread and damaging effects on society. And to say pot decreases productivity is simplistic: pot certainly didn't seem to limit the music production of Willie Nelson or Louis Armstrong.
But if Eureka Springs or any other state or municipality ever decides to legalize it, then treat it like booze. Tax the hell out of it and make sure only licensed stores offer it. Strictly regulate the production. Throw people who drive under the influence of it in jail. Keep the employer drug tests; the last thing we need is a half-baked forklift driver. There are limits to alcohol consumption; make sure there are plenty of limits to pot usage, too.
Hangovers from alcohol cause a lot more absenteeism than people who "smoked it up" the night before.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Hangovers from alcohol cause a lot more absenteeism than people who "smoked it up" the night before.
I'll vouch for that! [:D]
Marijuana is routinely called a
gateway drug http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug
quote:
The term is often used by governments, pressure groups and the media to describe the scientifically controversal concept that illegal drug use is a continuum. According to this concept, using one "soft" non- or only slightly addictive drug will lead to the use of other "harder" drugs and the associated criminal and social consequences – the first drug used is thus described as a gateway to further abuse.
There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that use of one drug will lead to use of other drugs – that physiological and neurological changes make it unavoidable. Individual social histories show that "hard" drug users do progress from one drug to another, but the drives behind this are not clear enough to generalise a gateway.[1] Furthermore, some "hard" drugs, such as alcohol, may be legal, while other "soft" drugs, such as marijuana, may be illegal.
In 1998, a French scientific report, led by Dr. Pierre-Bernard Roques from the INSERM-CNRS, classed different types of drugs according to their lethality and addictiveness. Heroin, cocaine and alcohol were classed in the most addictive and lethal category; benzodiazepine, hallucinogens and tobacco in the medium category; and marijuana in the last category. Health secretary Bernard Kouchner, founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, declared that: "Scientifical facts show that, for cannabis, no neurotoxicity is demonstrated, to the contrary of alcohol and cocaine."
Why is a "gateway" drug put under Schedule I status? Is it health or politics???Richard Nixon was the first to declare "war on drugs"...
http://www.csdp.org/news/news/nixon.htm
quote:
Washington, DC: "We need, and I use the word 'all out war,' or all fronts...." That was Richard Nixon's reaction to his national commission's recommendation that marijuana no longer be a criminal offense, according to Nixon's Oval Office tapes. The year after Nixon's "all out war" marijuana arrests jumped by over 100,000 people.
Highlights of Nixon comments on marijuana:
Jews and marijuana: "I see another thing in the news summary this morning about it. That's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob, what is the matter with them? I suppose it's because most of them are psychiatrists..."
Marijuana and the culture wars: "You see, homosexuality, dope, immorality in general. These are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the Communists and the left-wingers are pushing the stuff, they're trying to destroy us."
Marijuana compared to alcohol: marijuana consumers smoke "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun." Nixon also saw marijuana leading to loss of motivation and discipline but claimed: "At least with liquor I don't lose motivation."
Marijuana and political dissent: ". . . radical demonstrators that were here . . . two weeks ago . . . They're all on drugs, virtually all."
Drug education: "Enforce the law, you've got to scare them."
Back when Ronald Reagan was a wee lad, marijuana was legal and alcohol was illegal...
then came Harry J Anslinger and the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937...
http://www.ukcia.org/potculture/20/lies.html
quote:
Many of Harry Anslinger's marijuana horror stories have been tracked down to stories in the yellow press. Of 200 specific cases referred to by Anslinger, his accusation that marijuana was the cause of a gory crime was proved false in 198. The other two stories were untraceable and no account of them ever appeared in print where the crimes allegedly occurred.
Quotes from Harry Anslinger...
quote:
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."
"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."
"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."
"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"
"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."
In this tradition, the "war on drugs" is NOT colorblind. From
Human Rights Watch:http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00.htm
quote:
Since the mid 1980s, the United States has undertaken aggressive law enforcement strategies and criminal justice policies aimed at curtailing drug abuse. The costs and benefits of this national war on drugs are fiercely debated. What is not debatable, however, is its impact on black Americans. Ostensibly color blind, the war on drugs has been waged disproportionately against black Americans.
Our research shows that blacks comprise 62.7 percent and whites 36.7 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prison, even though federal surveys and other data detailed in this report show clearly that this racial disparity bears scant relation to racial differences in drug offending. There are, for example, five times more white drug users than black. Relative to population, black men are admitted to state prison on drug charges at a rate that is 13.4 times greater than that of white men. In large part because of the extraordinary racial disparities in incarceration for drug offenses, blacks are incarcerated for all offenses at 8.2 times the rate of whites. One in every 20 black men over the age of 18 in the United States is in state or federal prison, compared to one in 180 white men.
Shocking as such national statistics are, they mask even worse racial disparities in individual states. In seven states, for example, blacks constitute between 80 and 90 percent of all drug offenders sent to prison. In at least fifteen states, black men are admitted to prison on drug charges at rates that are from 20 to 57 times greater than those of white men. These racial disparities in drug offenders admitted to prison skew the racial balance of state prison populations. In two states, one in every 13 black men is in prison. In seven states, blacks are incarcerated at more than 13 times the rate of whites.
The imprisonment of blacks for drug offenses is part of a larger crisis of overincarceration in the United States. Although prison should be used as a last resort to protect society from violent or dangerous individuals, more people are sent to prison in the United States for nonviolent drug offenses than for crimes of violence.
---------------------------------------------
Prison is a legitimate criminal sanction -- but it should be used sensibly, justly, parsimoniously, and with due consideration for the principles of proportionality and respect for human dignity required by international human rights law. The incarceration of hundreds of thousands of low-level nonviolent drug offenders betrays indifference to such considerations. Moreover, many drug offenders receive egregiously long prison sentences, particularly because of the prevalence of mandatory sentencing laws for drug offenses that do not permit judges to calibrate sentences to the conduct and level of culpability of each defendant.1 Many factors -- the transformation of crime and punishment into key issues in electoral debates, the persistence of drug abuse, the desire to "send a message" and communicate social opprobrium, ignorance about drug pharmacology, and concern about crime, among others -- have encouraged politicians and public officials to champion harsh prison sentences for drug offenders and to turn a blind eye to the extraordinary human, social, and economic costs of such policies. They have also turned a blind eye to the war on drugs' staggering racial impact.
Alcohol is just as much a gateway drug but worse.
quote:
Originally posted by Rico
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
in order to gain legitimacy and "fairness" you have to have better reasons other than "everybody does it" and "its not as bad as alchohol".
You don't gain liberty and freedom "just because". That's a typical demand from today's entitlement generation.
You could apply those lame excuses to a myriad of things...speeding, prostitution, etc. However the cops still crack down on all of them equally because a sin is a sin and a crime is a crime.
Furthermore, all those "pot arrests" "filling up prisons" are not there just because of pot. Mary jane possession is one of many charges those people are usually charged with.
Sir,
You wanted examples that would bring the item "legitamacy"........
The following from a Canadian Medical Journal regarding testing of a product that experts say could replace "Prozac"... in the not so distant future..
New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'
This press release is also available in French.
Researchers have discovered a new drug that raises the level of endocannabinoids--the 'brain's own cannabis'--providing anti-depressant effects. The new research published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests the new drug, called URB597, could represent a safer alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression, and open the door to new and improved treatments for clinical depression--a condition that affects around 20% of Canadians.
In preclinical laboratory tests researchers found that URB597 increased the production of endocannabinoids by blocking their degradation, resulting in measurable antidepressant effects. "This is the first time it has been shown that a drug that increases endocannabinoids in the brain can improve your mood," says the lead investigator Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, an MUHC and Universit� de Montr�al researcher.
Endocannabinoids are chemicals released by the brain under certain conditions, like exercise; they stimulate specific brain receptors that can trigger feelings of well-being. The researchers, which included scientists from the University of California at Irvine, were able to measure serotonin and noradrenaline activity as a result of the increased endocannabinoids, and also conducted standard experiments to gauge the 'mood' of their subjects and confirm their findings.
"The results were similar to the effect we might expect from the use of commonly prescribed antidepressants, which are effective on only around 30% of the population," explains Dr. Gobbi. "Our discovery strengthens the case for URB597 as a safer, non-addictive, non-psychotropic alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression and provides hope for the development of an alternate line of antidepressants, with a wider range of effectiveness."
Cannabis has been known for its anti-depressant and pain-relief effects for many years, but the addictive nature and general health concerns of cannabis use make this drug far from ideal as a medical treatment. The active ingredient in cannabis--THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)--stimulates cannabinoid receptors.
Funding for this study was provided by the Fonds de la Recherche en Sant� du Qu�bec (FRSQ), the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and an MUHC fellowship.
Good Day....!
[}:)]
Oh my gawd. Don't take away our Prozac. Half of the United States is on Prozac.
I had a roommate in Boston who was both a pothead and a raging alcoholic...
When he was binge drinking, he'd tell me how he was gonna "go out and beat somebody up." Another night he'd tell me after discovering a dirty coffee cup I left in the sink, that "you need to move out... tomorrow!" The next morning, he'd completely forget what he said the night before.
When he finished "smokin' a bowl," he'd tell me how I "worried too much" and then would call pizza delivery for two large pizzas with everything-- one for him and one for me...
Then, after I spotted a crack pipe on an end table in the living room, it was time to find another roommate ASAP...
So, which set of behaviors is more detrimental to public safety?... and which of the two (the booze or the pot?) could accurately be termed his "gateway" drug???
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
a yes, with all of this "alchohol is much worse" talk, we should just legalize pot here and now!
Hey, smarty... explain this away...
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm
quote:
Lifetime prevalence of marijuana use (ages 12+) Year 2001, USA = 36.9%, Netherlands = 17.0%
Past month prevalence of marijuana use (ages 12+) Year 2001, USA = 5.4%, Netherlands = 3.0%
Lifetime prevalence of heroin use (ages 12+) Year 2001, USA = 1.4%, Netherlands = 0.4%
Incarceration Rate per 100,000 population 2002 USA = 701, Netherlands = 100
How 'bout we have our own government do something they're actually good at for a change. Rather than allow the continuation of a failed drug war that includes the prohibition and criminalization of marijuana possession, we could legalize and then proceed to REGULATE IT TO DEATH!... seems to work for smoking...
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/Media/pressrel/r051110.htm
quote:
The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes continues to decline and more adults have successfully quit smoking than remain current smokers. The study estimates that 20.9 percent — 44.5 million people — are current smokers, down from 21.6 percent in 2003 and 22.5 percent in 2002, according to an article in this week's issue of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
------------------------------------------
The report also indicates that the prevalence of heavy smoking (25 or more cigarettes per day) has declined over the past decade, from 19.1 percent of smokers in 1993 to 12.1 percent of smokers in 2004.
Contrast this to our current "lock 'em up and throw away the key" policy.
http://www.justicepolicy.org/article.php?id=537
quote:
Washington, DC—According to a new report from the Justice Policy Institute, data shows little relationship between growing arrest rates for marijuana offenses and the drug's use rate, despite it surpassing heroin and cocaine as leading category of drug arrest since the mid-1990s.
In Efficacy and Impact: The Criminal Justice Response to Marijuana Policy in the United States, the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) measured the effectiveness and consequences of national drug control policies that have resulted in the U.S. spending 300 times what it did 35 years ago on drug control. Criminal justice responses to marijuana - including law enforcement, judicial and corrections-accounted for $5.1 billion in 2000, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey A. Miron. Despite this increase in spending on drug control from $65 million to currently $19 billion, and the imprisonment of 30,000 people for a marijuana offense, marijuana usage has remained relatively unchanged regardless of arrest rates going up or down.
"Despite billions in new spending and hundreds of thousands of new arrests, marijuana use seems to be unaffected by the huge criminal justice response to this drug," said Jason Ziedenberg, executive director of JPI, and co-author of the report. According to Ziedenberg, as law enforcement focuses marijuana, a significant number of people are suffering from the impact of policies that do not seem to be deterring drug use.
The report shows that throughout the past 20 years, marijuana usage has remained relatively stable, except for a dramatic drop of 61 percent during the eighties, when arrest rates declined 24 percent. When arrest rates increased 127 percent during the 1990's, the rate of usage remained stable climbing only 22 percent.
In North Carolina and South Dakota marijuana arrests constituted 74 percent of all drug arrests. In 7 out of 10 states marijuana arrests make up over half of all drug arrests and in almost 3 out of 10 states marijuana arrests make up almost 60 percent of all drug arrests. The U.S. locks up more people for marijuana than the individual prison populations of 8 of the 10 European Union nations—and locks up more people for marijuana than the prison populations of the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Portugal.
According to Jason Colburn, policy analyst at JPI and the report's co-author, the U.S. drug policy is not only having very little effect on marijuana usage, but it also imposes hefty collateral consequences on those being locked up for marijuana use.
"There are 13 million people with former felony convictions in the U.S., and thousands of people have been convicted of a felony offense involving marijuana. The collateral consequences they will face will not only impact them but their families and entire communities," said Colburn.
"Depending on what state they live in, they may be denied public assistance, face substantial barriers to employment, experience drivers' license suspension, and lose the right to vote. Our criminal justice response to marijuana is impacting their ability to take care of their families or contribute as normal taxpaying citizens," added Colburn.
quote:
Originally posted by rwarn17588
if Eureka Springs or any other state or municipality ever decides to legalize it, then treat it like booze. Tax the hell out of it and make sure only licensed stores offer it. Strictly regulate the production. Throw people who drive under the influence of it in jail. Keep the employer drug tests; the last thing we need is a half-baked forklift driver. There are limits to alcohol consumption; make sure there are plenty of limits to pot usage, too.
I cant support absolute legalization, but I do understand that the present enforcement of absolute prohibition is way out of proportion with the threat it represents.
The consequences of chemical dependencies costs us all in the long run, so it makes more sense to focus our attention on those dependencies that characterize the greatest social and medical risk (rather than those rooted in racism or outmoded moral fundamentalism).
As far as getting a big dose of the Real World goes, rwarn's comments made the most sense of anyones here sofar.
I didn't do it! Nobody saw me! You can't prove a thing!...Bart Simpson.
Really, where does the decrease in enforcement end? Is a well regulated but doped up culture what we're shooting for here? Oxycontin is regulated too but Rush didn't do too well with it. My favorite, a little Prozac at stress times, may very well be the Soma of our times.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
a yes, with all of this "alchohol is much worse" talk, we should just legalize pot here and now!
Now you are talking. lol! At least we would be able to collect some taxes from the sale. [;)]
quote:
Originally posted by waterboy
Really, where does the decrease in enforcement end?
Where common sense begins.
Sometimes laws fly through the houses that make favorable headlines but become lead balloons when they hit the cold air of reality. Our police chief realized that when the last feel-good offender-registry law went far, far beyond protecting children from predators.
By not aggressively pursuing what was obviously poor lawmaking, the Chief spared the citizens and the courts a lot of unnecessary grief, and demonstrated a better working knowledge of the world around him than our Governor.
Does this put police in the position of second-guessing career politicians?
When Reefer Madness is the scourge of the Earth but getting kids hooked on tobacco and wine coolers is OK, you have to wonder what's really on some people's minds.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
if they drop the "importance" of pot enforcement then I have a laundry list of other things that should recieve a drop in priority....starting with prostitution, moving on to speeding, and ending with software piracy. because geeks should be able to speed down the BA with their whore downloading MP3s without fear of being caught by the law....and of course its less dangerous than alchohol.
Why?
Using the above logic, let's look back at the repeal of the archaic
liquor by the drink law from over 25 years ago... why stop there?... how 'bout this laundry list?
After passage of liquor by the drink, we could've started with prostitution, changing the speed limit on the Will Rogers Turnpike from 55 mph to 75 mph, and ended it with the repeal of illegal copying of sheet music, LP's and illegal duplication of videos on betamax... because preppies should be able to speed down I-44 with their whore making Air Supply mix tapes on cassette without fear of being caught by the law....and of course its less dangerous than alcohol.As for alcohol, is thumbody gettin' a little defensive over their
legal entitlement to imbibe brewskis, cosmos and long islands?
BTW, I'm pretty much a beer-only guy myself... I could probably count the number of times I've "taken a hit" of pot on one hand... the last time was close to a decade ago... and the only way I'd support outright legalization of pot is if Oklahoma found a way to restrict its manufacture to
3.2 marijuana... [;)]
quote:
Originally posted by USRufnex
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
if they drop the "importance" of pot enforcement then I have a laundry list of other things that should recieve a drop in priority....starting with prostitution, moving on to speeding, and ending with software piracy. because geeks should be able to speed down the BA with their whore downloading MP3s without fear of being caught by the law....and of course its less dangerous than alchohol.
Why?
Using the above logic, let's look back at the repeal of the archaic liquor by the drink law from over 25 years ago... why stop there?... how 'bout this laundry list? After passage of liquor by the drink, we could've started with prostitution, changing the speed limit on the Will Rogers Turnpike from 55 mph to 75 mph, and ended it with the repeal of illegal copying of sheet music, LP's and illegal duplication of videos on betamax... because preppies should be able to speed down I-44 with their whore making Air Supply mix tapes on cassette without fear of being caught by the law....and of course its less dangerous than alcohol.
As for alcohol, is thumbody gettin' a little defensive over their legal entitlement to imbibe brewskis, cosmos and long islands?
BTW, I'm pretty much a beer-only guy myself... I could probably count the number of times I've "taken a hit" of pot on one hand... the last time was close to a decade ago... and the only way I'd support outright legalization of pot is if Oklahoma found a way to restrict its manufacture to 3.2 marijuana... [;)]
Very hillarious reply, 3.2 pot, now there's an idea. [}:)]
I think this is getting blown pretty far out of proportion. I don't recall that they were going to legalize it, just lower it on the priority of offenses. If some sleepy little 'burg out in the Ozarks wants to make it less of a law enforcement priority- so be it. The main industry in the area is tourism, not high-tech or government contracts. If a gallery owner wants to get stoned, who really cares?
I've heard this "gateway drug" argument about pot for a very long time, and it's a tired one. A lot of drug addicts also smoke, so why not assume that nicotine is their gateway drug? I've known people for whom crank, cocaine, pain killers, or alcohol were their "gateway" drug, or was their only drug of choice.
For the most part, the people I've known that were regular weed smokers stuck to weed and might experiment with hallucinogenics (sp?) from tim-to-time. They never wanted to pick fights, felt too lazy to get in the car to go steal something, and managed to show up at work on time every day without lingering after-effects.
Usually those people wanted a relaxing effect, not a manic effect like cocaine or meth. So as far as pot leading to harder stimulant type drugs- it's not the norm.
Speaking of gateway drugs...I have never known an alcoholic who didn't start out with milk.
Got milk? Get help.
Marijuana-like compound may fight Alzheimer's
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061018/ts_nm/marijuana_alzheimers_dc_2
Now that is "beyond the pale".
The irony is killing me....
Eureka Springs is a tourist town that depends heavily on Biker revenue. They just don't want to run off the Bikers. Making more of an issue that that is missing the point.
War on Drugs Roundup
http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2656/War_on_Drugs_Roundup
'Marijuana ballot initiatives spread across the U.S., Golden Triangle opium production down, no probation drug tests
Marijuana on the Ballot"
SF Supes Set To Vote on Softening Pot Enforcement
By: Charlie Goodyear
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2 006/11/13/BAGBEMC1IP8.DTL
(11-13) 15:23 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on legislation that would set nearly all crimes involving marijuana as the lowest law enforcement priority for city police.
The legislation, sponsored by Supervisor Tom Ammiano, was approved today by a board committee with the blessing of police officials and over the complaints of some residents.
"This measure, which would legalize the unlimited growth and sales (of marijuana) on private property, will make public spitting and (leaving chewing) gum ... on the sidewalk higher priorities," said Kim Stryker, voicing opposition before the supervisors' City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee.
Ammiano introduced the legislation in August at the behest of groups pushing for the national decriminalization of marijuana. He defended the policy move, saying it is consistent with Proposition W, a measure passed in 1976 by city voters calling for an end to marijuana arrests and prosecutions, and state Proposition 215, which provides for medical use of cannabis.
"There are many better ways that we can be using our tax dollars and empowering our law enforcement than wasting money and police resources on marijuana offenses," Ammiano said. "This ordinance would allow San Francisco to join other forward-thinking cities. It will not result in San Francisco becoming Amsterdam West."
Under the proposed legislation, city police would be directed to essentially ignore most marijuana crimes unless they involve minors or acts of violence, driving under the influence or the sale or distribution of pot on public property or within view from public property.
San Francisco Police Capt. Tim Hedrick, head of the department's narcotics squad, said Ammiano's legislation is consistent with police policy on marijuana crimes. "It does not tie our hands enforcing the law," he told the committee.
But a number of residents protested the legislation, saying it will encourage crime and the use of harder drugs such as cocaine or heroin.
"It will undermine the efforts of people who live in marginal neighborhoods to make their neighborhoods safe, clean and peaceful," said Arthur Evans, a Haight-Ashbury resident. "This measure is an attack on the well-being of our neighborhoods. You should not throw obstacles in our way. You should help us to make San Francisco more safe and livable."
Supervisor Fiona Ma, a member of the committee hearing Ammiano's legislation, also spoke out against it, saying she believed it "establishes a new policy that has not been presented to the voters." Ma broke with Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, the committee's chairman, and Ammiano in voting against the legislation today.
Although the city doesn't track marijuana arrests and prosecutions, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has said more than 1,000 people were arrested in cases involving the drug in 2004.
Dale Gieringer of the California chapter of NORML said cities that have adopted a lax policy toward marijuana have not seen it contribute to crime -- which is an argument activists make for legalization of marijuana under federal law.
"We have to start somewhere and we have to act locally," he added.
E-mail Charlie Goodyear at cgoodyear@sfchronicle.com.
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html
>>>Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study's findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child's bedroom.
UNFORTUNATELY the powers that be don't listen.
There are far worse addicting legal drugs than pot... pot itself isn't that harmful, but anything can be abused. I think Federal Government makes too much money off of it to ever legalize it.
Anybody ever heard of Salvia?? it is legal and produces a intensely short lived trip... same effects of acid or mushrooms, but pot is the bad???
Dearborn lets cop quit without a drug charge in marijuana brownie case
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75185
BY JENNIFER DIXON, DET. FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dearborn police declined to pursue criminal charges against an officer last year, even after the cop admitted to taking marijuana from criminal suspects and, with his wife, cooking it up in brownies.
Then-Cpl. Edward Sanchez was allowed to resign from the department, but he was not charged with a crime. He declined to comment Wednesday.
His wife, Stacy Sanchez, admitted to police investigators that on another occasion she removed cocaine from her husband's police cruiser - drugs purportedly earmarked to train police dogs - and used it during a three-week binge. She, too, has not been charged criminally. Dearborn Police Cmdr. Jeff Geisinger left a phone message with Free Press reporting partner WDIV-TV Local 4 saying Sanchez resigned during an internal investigation. Geisinger did not return subsequent calls asking why Sanchez was not prosecuted.
The decision not to charge Sanchez upset Dearborn Councilman Doug Thomas, who said the department's inaction sends the wrong message to the public.
"If you're a cop and you're arresting people and you're confiscating the marijuana and keeping it yourself, that's bad. That's real bad. That's like apprehending a bank robber and keeping some of the money for yourself."
He promised to investigate.
"It doesn't add up here," Thomas said. "If he was allowed to resign with no action, he can apply for another police position. There's all kinds of ramifications."
The department's investigation began with a bizarre 911 call from Sanchez's home in Dearborn Heights. On the night of April 21, 2006, a panicky Sanchez told an emergency dispatcher he thought he and his wife were overdosing on marijuana.
"I think we're dying," he said in the 5-minute tape, obtained under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
"We made brownies and I think we're dead, I really do," Sanchez continued.
He told the dispatcher he had never made marijuana brownies before, but had previously used marijuana.
Then, he asked the score of the Red Wings game on television that night, explaining, "I just want to make sure this isn't some type of, like, hallucination that I'm having."
When later questioned by police investigators, Sanchez said his wife took the marijuana out of his police vehicle while he was sleeping, and she told investigators she tricked him into eating a pot-laced brownie.
"Cpl. Sanchez was insistent that he would never ingest marijuana or any narcotics intentionally," an investigator wrote.
But in a subsequent interview, Sanchez acknowledged he fetched the marijuana from his car, put it in the brownie batter, and ate the brownies.
Sanchez also said he took the marijuana "off the street from unknown persons," investigators wrote.
"I questioned him in detail about how many times and what types of narcotics he seized without arrest," the report said. "He was adamant that he only seized marijuana, and it was on a few occasions. Cpl. Sanchez stated that it had been over a year since he seized this marijuana and that the marijuana was taken to train his K-9," or drug-sniffing dog.
Wayne State University criminal law professor David A. Moran said Sanchez's behavior was problematic - as was the Police Department's decision not to charge him.
"An officer has a duty to enforce the law and if an officer finds someone in possession of illegal narcotics, he has a duty to seize the narcotics, arrest the persons ... and properly dispose of the contraband if no charges end up being filed," Moran said.
Moran said it is a criminal offense in Michigan for officers to fail to perform their duties.
"It is not as unusual as it should be for the police to look the other way when an officer commits an infraction, but this is a lot worse than the average police officer speeding a little bit," Moran said.
(http://www.salem-news.com/stimg/may172007/norml_brownies_1350.jpg)
"Many people are questioning why a police officer and his wife can steal marijuana and consume it to the point they believe they are overdosing, without any legal consequences." (includes 911 tape of call)
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may182007/cop_brownies_51807.php
FORT COLLINS - A couple arrested last summer after police found marijuana in their home will get their property back, a judge ruled Monday afternoon.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=81730
"I'm very satisfied," said James Masters, who looked a bit dazed following the decision. "I don't even know where to begin."
On August 2, 2006, the Larimer County Drug Task Force removed 39 plants from the home of James and Lisa Masters. The plants were seen while officers accompanied child welfare workers to the home.
The couple told police the marijuana was medicinal and was grown for their use as well as the use of other patients for whom they acted as caregivers.
The criminal charges were dropped in June after Chief District Court Judge James Hiatt concluded the affidavit for a search warrant was drafted based on an illegal search.
Defense attorney Brian Vicente argued Monday that he'd presented "real, tangible and significant evidence" that the couple was committed to the well-being of their patients and that they were caregivers for their clients, even if they hadn't been formally designated as such.
Hiatt agreed, ruling that the couple was entitled to get back their property, including the seized plants.
"It's pretty clear to this court he (James Masters) took this role (as caregiver) very seriously," Hiatt said.
Prosecutor Michael Pierson had argued that providing medical marijuana and the occasional ride to a doctor's appointment did not constitute being a primary caregiver.
Pierson also argued the property – which he called contraband – should not be returned because the Masters had not followed the provisions of the amendment by not having medical marijuana certificates and not being designated as caregivers on their patients' certificates.
This could have been a fatal flaw had the hearing been part of a criminal proceeding, but was not in the request for return of property, Hiatt said.
Pierson did not comment after the hearing.
The case is not yet over.
The couple will likely retrieve their property – paraphernalia and growing equipment – later this week, but the fate of the plants is not yet known for sure.
Neither Vicente nor Pierson knew definitively where the plants are or if they had been destroyed.
Lt. Craig Dodd, who heads the drug task force, was not in the office Monday but has previously said they do not have the resources or space to maintain marijuana plants seized in potential medical marijuana cases.
If the plants have been destroyed, Vicente said they'll seek financial compensation for the plants, which could be in excess of $100,000.