They say that every action spurs an opposite reaction. Well, that certainly seems to be the case in Congress.
Just days after Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Barney Frank, along with 13 cosponsors, reintroduced HR 2835, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009 in Congress, Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (Illinois) has called for federal legislation to sentence certain first-time marijuana offenders to up to 25 years in prison.
UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!! It gets even worse. Check out some of the comments and coverage from Rep. Kirk’s press conference (WTF is “koosh?!”), which took place this afternoon. You can also offer your opinions regarding this misguided and mean-spirited proposal on Alternet.org and the ever-popular Huffington Post blog. You can also send Rep. Kirk and his colleagues a strong message by making your thoughts known on The Hill.com’s Congress blog here.
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk to push tougher sentences for more-potent marijuana
via The Chicago Tribune
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk will call for legislation Monday that would toughen drug-trafficking laws regarding a highly potent form of marijuana, with penalties of up to 25 years in prison for a first-time offense.
The law would target offenders who sell or distribute marijuana that has a THC content exceeding 15 percent.
… Drug dealers are increasingly cross-breeding plants to produce high-potency variants of marijuana, which are called “kush” in street slang when they have 20 percent THC, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said. “When you amplify the strength of it, you are increasing the harm to the system,” said Curran, who supports the legislation, which would amend a federal law. “They are more dangerous behind the wheel of a vehicle. It’s not a good idea to have people that messed up.”
… The Republican North Shore lawmaker said he plans to release more information during a news conference in Chicago on Monday, where he will be joined by representatives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group and Waukegan Police Department.
Okay, where to begin? Well, we can start with U.S. Representative Mark Kirk. According to the Congressman’s website, Rep. Kirk is “pro-personal responsibility.” Unless, of course, we’re talking about allowing responsible adults (or patients) the choice to relax (or medicate) in the privacy of their own homes with a substance that is objectively safer than alcohol (or most prescription pharmaceuticals). Then, naturally, all bets are off.
Representative Kirk’s website also alleges that the five-time-elected Congressman is “pro-science.” Unless, of course, we’re talking about cannabis — in which case he is actually “pro-ideology” and “anti-science.” After all, if Rep. Kirk was truly interested in the science of cannabis he would already know that:
1) According to a 2008 review (see page 12) of marijuana potency by the University of Mississippi, the average THC in domestically grown marijuana — which comprises the bulk of the U.S. market — is less than five percent, a figure that’s remained unchanged for nearly a decade.
2) THC — regardless of potency — is virtually non-toxic to healthy cells or organs, and is incapable of causing a fatal overdose. Currently, doctors may legally prescribe a FDA-approved pill that contains 100 percent THC, and curiously, nobody among Rep. Kirk’s staff or at the Lake County Sheriff’s office seems to be overly concerned about its potential health effects.
3) Survey data gleaned from cannabis consumers in the Netherlands—where users may legally purchase pot of known quality—indicates that most cannabis consumers prefer less potent pot, just as the majority of those who drink alcohol prefer beer or wine rather than 190 proof Everclear or Bacardi 151. When consumers encounter unusually strong varieties of marijuana, they adjust their use accordingly and smoke less.
Of course, if Rep. Kirk (write him here!) was really concerned about potential risks posed by supposedly stronger marijuana, he would support regulating the sale of drug (as opposed to jailing first-time pot sellers for a quarter of a century) so that its potency would be consistent and this information would be publicly displayed to the consumer. This same advice applies to the members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Waukegan Police Department — who claim “we don’t make the laws; we just enforce them” — yet seem to have no problem whatsoever lobbying for increased federal pot penalties while on company time.
Fortunately, the likelihood is that Rep. Kirk’s proposed legislation will be all bark and no bite. One, I suspect that few if any of Rep. Kirk’s colleagues in Congress will even consider supporting such an asinine measure. Two, even if such legislation were to become law (and it won’t) — who would test each and every seized marijuana sample for THC potency and who would pay for it? Currently, only the University of Mississippi engages in such potency testing, which is highly expensive and requires the use of a gas chromatography mass spectrometer device. In short, it appears that the misguided Congressman from Illinois is simply trying to make headlines.
One can’t blame him for trying. After all, across the pond, unsubstantiated claims regarding the dangers of often-talked-about-but-never-actually-defined supposedly “lethal” ‘skunk’ weed caused a national frenzy and resulted in Parliament hastily deciding to reclassify pot possession offenses from a verbal warning to up to five years in jail. Never mind that, under Britain’s short-lived experiment with decriminalization, marijuana potency actually fell — as did the number of adolescents using the drug.
Of course, as the latest actions of the so-called “pro-science, pro-personal liberty” Congressman show, facts play virtually no role in political drug policy debate, and ignorance hardly disqualifies someone from holding elected office.
June 19, 2009. 7:00 pm. KPBS television San Diego, Ca.
San Diego’s county board of supervisors took medical cannabis to the U.S. Supreme Court’s deaf ear. Their deal was our sovereign state and its sovereign laws
impeded federal law. Thank God, justice is not that blind.
Last night on public broadcasting (KPBS)…San Diego laid out what appeared to be welcome mat to med cannabis. Amen! Now…let’s see if they mean what they say, and say what they mean. It’s called honesty in government.
244 dff 06-19-09 4:48pm
There is such a thing as “JUST LAWS”…which we should abide by…and… there’s such a thing as “UNJUST LAWS”
which we should resist. That’s an American Creed. God bless America and its “JUST LAWS.” But…there is no room in America for “UNJUST LAWS.” At the very least…there is no room in my individual being for the
dismantling and destruction of our Constitution…don’t you think?
dff- It shouldn’t be illegal to begin with. There is absolutely 0 harm in it. (Okay fine bronchitis. I’ll live) There are over 600 medical uses for the “drug.” The only reason that it is still illegal is because the alcohol and tobacco industries would slowly deteriorate because of the sweet, sweet nectar that is, marijuana.
I really do not understand how this man got elected for his position when he sits around all day and thinks of some bs proposal like that. I wish I could have that job… but also be able to smoke my tree whilst sitting behind my desk made by sweat shop indians over sea. Okay enough off my ranting, theres no way in hell that law will ever pass yet alone even pass through the house of rep of congress. so the best you can do is just point and laugh at the idiot for even showing his face in public after that.
#244 dff Says:
June 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
the law is the law.. you should abide by it.!!
duh dudes.. that will keep you out of jail(quit smoking pot)
its not good at all..
RE:
dff,
– The “LAW” was made under the
FALSE-PREMISES of RACISM and GREED!!!
– The LAW needs to be CHANGED / ABOLISHED!!!
Even some people who choose not to use cannabis
are against the horrible, fiscally-wasteful laws against
a God Given PLANT!!!
– Good ‘ole LEGAL ALCOHOL is a faster path
to jail and death, than is cannabis…
(Pot was NEVER an issue with law enforcement…
SPIRITUAL-LAW, not the WRIT of RATS, PREVAILS!!!).
-If the truth be known,
cannabis-use would be MANDATORY!!!
(End ROAD-RAGE Now!!!)
Please support MANDATORY-MARIJUANA today!!!
– PLEASE, learn the ‘effing TRUTH about cannabis!!!
Or get wrecked by someone severely-drunk and sketched-out
on caffeine and booze!!!
By the way, dff,
– There are other, safer means of consuming cannabis
than smoking…
Ever hear of VAPORIZATION and EDIBLES???
– PLEASE, dff,
Get a clue, and stay upon blog-topic, rather than
just railing against something you have NO KNOWLEDGE about!!!
dff = Drug-Free Funk-up???
Dear NORML Blog-admin,
Please forgive my prematurely-dismissive comments
against NORML…in Post#’S 229 AND 233
– I am just so frustrated that
certain comment-submissions
didn’t even show as “awaiting moderation”
and ALSO, that 1996’s 65-percent-majority
on prop 200
in AZ only got brushed-off as NOTHING!!!
– Only IF AZ NORML’s leader then had UTMOST conviction that these botanical-compounds are INTEGRAL to life itself,
ONLY THEN, would there have been a clear-cut victory
for the cause of cannabis, instead of for the
Religeon Against Marijuana…
i see it this way .. if there are laws that are outdated that of when in 1900’s is when marijane became illagal cuz the mexicans were bring it over the border at then marijuana was very new to america …. as far as smoking the buds… however we used and still use today for hemp rope then we thought if we get rid of weed that we got rid of the problem… obviously there are laws out there that you hear of simular but on another law that is unjust and is still in affect i “think” if they hadent repealed it already was a texas law that was around the same time that a person regardless of who they were, if they were to walk down the street with a simple hammer of any kind that they would be sentenced 3~23 years in prison, even if they were returning it to an owner. shows us that there are retarded laws out there and making marijane illegal was one of them… a bit of European’s are starting to adjust to marijane look at spain and portugal… they have it legal and amsterdam , netherlands, croatia, russia even though they have unjust laws anyway just like us. now lets think.. we smoke for the sensation of that of thc that is a natural product of nature. Marijuana IS NOT A DRUG… ITS AN HERB… if u smoke it, there are effects, not bad its just you getting high. just like chinese herps they are not drugs they are dried out or even still living herbs a “DRUG” is a “MAN” “made”… I Should know… look in a geography book it dosen’t say thet a plant is a drug. sure it uses different type of jucies to regenerate energy called photosynthesis. its not drug science its natures science that we have discovered. sure we have made names to understand what THC and all the other things that we have given names to understand what everything else.. its in our nature as well to give names.. but one name that marijane dose not deserve is being called a drug.. Geochemicals mabey. sure there are plants that should be killed like weeds and poison oak/ivy. but there are others that we have been waiting for to be legal for medical use and spiritual use, one being peyote. but it could make us sick… but im native american and i still have to use marijane for some of my rituals… its becoming harder and harder to fulfill my religion. the government is making it harder and harder for the American to do things that we want to do and also when we usualy don’t want to do something for this government when we have to because its law… its being good.. well from my prospective in where all our freedom goes soon we will not be able to much of anything anymore because it may cost or may be far to hard to do with out a cop giving you a $400 ticket for something that is helping someone cope in life.. well not to cope but also helping them see or helping someone not hurt inside form the cancer… + gonja stops bloodflow to the living cancer and sufficates what the cancer needs to keep growing.. now with all this publicity with gonja helping people’s ailments why hasn’t the government legalize something that could have a big possible potential of finaly cureing cancer and stop waisting money on kemo.. im not saying that kemo is a bad thing as far as getting healed but kemo is very hard to acomplish without a possible comeback, or death that some many of us has experienced… now i hear that President Obama is considering 1 million people to vote yes to have the feds not regulate marijuana and therefor makeing it legal as far as federal… now that means that states now have the power to have a say in it now… now a new topic arises… what about pot and driveing… well.. if you cant figure out where your car is you shouldn’t be driving, if you feel like your getting tunnel vision don’t drive, if you cant stand or have blackouts don’t drive… now.. i notice when i am driving that i am more alert on what is going on because i am driveing… not doing anything else but driving.. when i am high i always think what if i can’t drive high.. then i don’t. but we really shoulldn’t be driveing anyway when we are high but u know what?? it takes that one time that you hit something, or something hits you or what you hit was a person then you are now screwed. now i know i sound like someones dad, but im not, its the truth and we should not be driving under the influence… now when they legalize good ol’ marijane don’t mess it up because they can and will make it illegal if they see that there are more crashes… now.. if it becomes legal i also think that they will regulate weed like alcohal and not cigarettes because of what weed dose is simaler to alcohal… now to those people that think it shoulden’t be legalized, what the hell are you smoking?? or what the hell arn’t you smoking.. chill out relax and stop thinking that people shouldn’t do it shouldn’t.. who knows it might help their’s and some of our problems. and id you vote no to legalize this good herb then you are blind to what pot can do medicaly and mentaly. however i do agree at the same time that some people shouldn’t try it because it might affect how thay perform at work and school… if it interfears with they’re work or school then they should have the idea that it isn’t for them…or they should stop or find a better time to do it on their agenda. and if it affects them at school for the better then there is one better way to have our kds stop useing rytalin like i had to take and overdosed because of an asshole doctor… i may never be the same again because of that but you know what helped me in high school?? it was getting high … because then i could focus and pay attention to my teachers and studies… now then there is that next factor is under age use.. well i think pot should be out of school systems, it should be at homes.. to avoid having kids get to pot… but i feel that a parent should now what is best for their child and if they don’t want there kids around that kind of life style the tell them what it dose and what could happen if they do it at a fair age around 13~17 depending they’re mental state of how old they are mentaly… plus people should have the common sense of what pot is.. and pot my friends is an herbal medication … just like aloe for our skin or for hair use. not an escape from life or reality unless need be.. and people should have the common sense to not drive the car unless they are totaly fine ay,ok to drive… now if some of you people cant get that i just want my weed no ifs ands or buts then i damn well should have it.
And plus its my life not yours so but out >< EQR
to B
you told him 😀
It’s rabid right-wing nut-cases like this Kirk Jerk that make a lot of middle-roaders think that the drug-policies we presently have aren’t so bad, even though they really are bad, much badder than they should be. I’m quite sure John Walters and all the other prohibs will have a place for him at their neo-nazi fascist-only club.
#253 Derek Says:
June 20th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
dff- It shouldn’t be illegal to begin with.
RE:
BINGO!!!
😉
Is this guy really that fucking stupid?
# NeuroGenesis1:29 Says:
June 21st, 2009 at 9:26 pm
#253 Derek Says:
June 20th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
dff- It shouldn’t be illegal to begin with.
RE:
BINGO!!!
😉
Haha thank you neuro. 🙂
Email PROHIBITIONIST KIRK here:
http://www.house.gov/htbin/formproc_za/kirk/ht_zip_parms.txt&form=/kirk/messageform.shtml
now remember guys this isn’t your fathers marijuana.
#265 pan Says:
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
now remember guys this isn’t your fathers marijuana.
RE:
Pan.
– Of course it isn’t.
My father’s marijuana WAS BETTER!
I here many of you saying that this is not progress. I see it as total progress. With our success in the drug debate we have , I believe , effectively split the hill on this. The truth is that now that the people who support prohibition are now coming out and showing their true colors as the draconian thuggs that they are. I have never went out into the streets in protest but if this did go through each one of us must unass and go to capital hill i’ll be there with a megaphone trying to ask the senator why he wants first time holding of “Strong Pot” to carry a tougher sentence than first time child rape.
lol yeah right! the only thing you will accomplish at this, is well nothing! if the stakes are higher you will be forcing people to bring more at a time, if they’re busted with a little they might as well have 100 times more and take the same risk. 25 years, you can’t even count to 25, if you’re this stupid, and ignorant!
265 Pan…and…anyone else that needs awareness.
There is no strength or dose great enough to cause anything but a great nights sleep, waking refreshed in the morning. However…Pfizer has developed THC forty time stronger than natural cannabis…and…here we go again. On the other hand, perhaps they have hit on the correct use of THC as a anesthetic. Hey! there’s another
medical purpose we can add to the more 250 purposes.
#269 Manford Mantis Says:
June 25th, 2009 at 9:23 am
265 Pan…and…anyone else that needs awareness.
There is no strength or dose great enough to cause anything but a great nights sleep, waking refreshed in the morning. However…Pfizer has developed THC forty time stronger than natural cannabis…
RE:
Manford Mantis,
– Twenty-one years ago…
HU-210,
a synthetic-cannabinoid
100 to 800 times more potent than
natural THC, was first created
at Hebrew University
by a group lead by
Professor Raphael Mechoulam.
mangobubblegumafghanlemondieselpurplekush= death by hanging
Neurogenesis1:29…Manny here!
Yup! Mechoulam also discovered cannabis receptors C1 & C2.
If God didn’t want us to have cannabis he/she wouldn’t have given us cannabis receptors. That’s not hard to figure out…is it? It’s simply unbelievable that the prohibs haven’t figured that out yet. Actually…they’re not going to be around in 2012 anyway. I’m sorry for that…but…that’s their way of thinking. But what if they’re right? Well then it won’t make any difference at all.
Yo! Neurogenesis1:29 Manny here!
Have you reflected on the Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard. George Orwell was a pretty “right on prophet.”
DON’T CALL YOURSELF A REPUBLICAN. OUR PARTY IS FAR ABOVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU. WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET A REPUBLICAN TO RUN IN YOUR DISTRECT. CAP AND TRADE SELL OUT. CAROLE FROM GA.
he probaly smokes behind closed doors, and is hiding something,
hey everyone. its been a while, but it looks like ive missed out on one hell of an assholathon.
what is up with this 25 year sentence for first offenses? hasnt this guy ever heard of cruel and unusual? think if this sentence was passed, one man in jail for 25 years. how much more weed can be smuggled into america? is it really doing society any good to place us in jail? theres a reason you cant get rid of pot. ITS A WEED! i know its technically an herb but for the sake of humor bear with me.
well ive still got some reading on to do
but till next time
its the wolfman
AAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Rep. Mark Kirk is just repeating
and
amplifying
the things he’s been told by
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran…
(Eek!!! Pungent-plants are SCARY-THINGS!!!)
😯
If you’re his constituent, e-mail him. Drill some sense into his head, but be nice. It’s a party game he’s playing & he probably is doing this because he wants to run for Senate. IL MMJ bills are still in the works if the House will actually stop sitting on their butts this fall. I’m sure Mark Kirk is parroting for the public either what he’s been told, giving to push through, or he’s just completely ignorant. Enlighten him. Provide him with resources, data, numbers. He won the last election by I think 54%. He has support. Show him numbers-people in his district that can vote him out. MJ’s great for recreation. Safest drug there is. It’s also medicine & necessary to relieve pain and suffering. If Mark Kirk says he believes in science, give him data & you-the numbers lighting up his phone & filling up his voicemail, email, mailbox, fax, whatever. If for nothing else than to tell him to stop wasting tax dollars selling hogwash. Tell him why he should re-think his position. Perhaps he’ll learn a thing or 420.
Here’s his page:
http://www.house.gov/kirk/
Contact info’s at the bottom.
Perhaps the fool needs an education. Want to give him one? Try going here, to “Granny Storm Crow’s list”- http://medicalmarijuanapatient.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65 The list is composed of the titles and links to hundreds of medical cannabis studies and articles. Maybe if he is presented with enough articles showing the health benefits of cannabis, he will get a clue….he CAN read, can’t he? You might even mention how most of the recent polls show that a majority of Americans (VOTERS) actually support the medical use of cannabis.
Would love to see this guys son or daughter get caught for a smoke and do 25 years in prison. This guy has no brain. We the people you mutherphucker.
Slam this guy with calls day night auto dial what ever post his home number if you have it post his adress if you know it invade his privacy. Someone with his IQ shouldn’t even be able to make any kind of decesions on peoples rights.
Rep Mark Kirk
Washington, DC Office
1030 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4835
Fax: 202-225-0837
let’s have some compassion for the ailing Mark Kirk. his little brain is suffering from an endocannabinoid deficiency. fear of the unknown future and an inability to learn and relearn is symptomatic for his miserable condition, hence, his insane need to maintain the status quo. that’s why he is a backwards looking freak. hope he gets some proper medication. that would literally rewire and open his mind. otherwise, to the lake of fire with him.
the biology of democracy
http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en&q=flps%20and%20blps&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#
consciousness and aging
http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en&q=flps%20and%20blps&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#
Dear Asshole–
I dont know what I would have done without medical marijuana during my chemotherapy…not everyone is a drug dealer.
25 years for a plant that god created to be used freely by everyone and not just those freaking greedy few and to be grown along side all other god given plants to be seen by everyone-those guys against legalizing and decriminalizing need to get their heads out of their behinds and get themselves educated on facts and open their minds and eyes up and then they will see things as they should and do the right thing and bring a smile to God’s face !!!!!!!!!!!!free that wonderful plant and let us use it and enjoy it’s beauty as GOD intended.YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As long as Americans continue to vote for wealthy, self-righteous ‘tards who have their hands deep in the corporate cookie jar, this is the type of “representation” they will get from their elected “representative”. Why people think voting for some rich a-hole is going to help them is beyond me. My guess is that they probably didn’t make all their money going around being nice and helping people. And, their motivation for running for office is probably more about themselves than we the people.
We may need to overthrow the government and thoroughly clean house and get all that greedy crap out of there and start over to get things done as the people need done and end the war on the people.
What a piece of human garbage .
Alcohol prohibition really was a war on our good people while the greedy got rich and is the same on the war on God’s beautiful plant and very useful plant! The good people are getting hurt and killed in so many awful things in this war on marijuana while the greedy are getting rich!God created this plant to be USED FREELY AND GROWN FREELY BY ALL HIS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!!Go ahead and put a big smile on God’s face and free his plant!!!!!
this is crazy.pot needs to be taxed and regulated period.new jersey just did it , it is time for common sense not stupidity.i live in california where we have a tax and a 14 billion dollar industry that is causeing death in mexico. i own property in hawaii that could be paying you r salary idiot. wake up! isreal, holland and canada are right on,but us ???
It seems Mark Kirk is a crooked politician working for the Alcohol companies. The drug pushing Liquor companies give him campaign contributions. The Alcohol pushers want to maintain their monopoly on the only drugs people can use. It seems Mark Kirk doesnt care how many of your children get arrested for preferring Pot.
Q. Ever wonder why liquor companies advertise on billboards along our state’s roads?
A. That promotes drinking to drivers.
Q. Wonder why there aren’t breathalyzers to use at every bar and tavern?
A. Free breathalyzers would prevent a lot of drunk driving.
Q. Ever wonder, why Americans are arrested if they prefer pot instead of alcohol?
A. This helps no one, except the liquor companies.
Q. How much money do our politicians get in campaign contributions from liquor companies?
A. Since 1990 Liquor corporations have given $53,188,115.00 to U.S. Republican politicians and $42,117,495.00 to U.S. Democratic politicians (reported by Federal Election Commission). This includes $640,356.00 paid to John McCain and $432,170.00 to President Barack Obama.
Ask yourself what is the difference between a campaign contribution and a bribe?
How about mandatory jail time for closeted GAY congressmen who vote against LGBT issues?
They should look at the Nederland’slaws.. Banning the cannabis they open the doors to mafia and black market.
Sacramento California;
Some “koush” strains here are 25%. That of course, is WAY TOO STRONG for more than two puffs. so I only smoke one puff at a time. Otherwise I run the INSAANE risk of OVERDOSING !!!! ( and falling into a deep relaxing sleep.) like the other thirteen bills you have introduced this ones also a non starter. Did you ride the “little bus” to school? that your as dumb as a post is not surprising. What is surprising is the utter stupidity of your political backers. A position like yours will only make “couch locked” pot heads get out and vote for legalization — or is that your hidden agenda. Duh, sorry, that must be the case as nobody could possibly be as stupid as you appear to be.
What a dink!!