The present classification of cannabis and its organic compounds as schedule I prohibited substances under federal law is scientifically indefensible, according to a just published review in The Open Neurology Journal.
Investigators with the University of California at San Diego and the University of California, Davis reviewed the results of several recent clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of inhaled or vaporized cannabis. They concluded:
“Evidence is accumulating that cannabinoids may be useful medicine for certain indications. Control of nausea and vomiting and the promotion of weight gain in chronic inanition are already licensed uses of oral THC (dronabinol capsules). Recent research indicates that cannabis may also be effective in the treatment of painful peripheral neuropathy and muscle spasticity from conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Other indications have been proposed, but adequate clinical trials have not been conducted.
“… The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug as well as the continuing controversy as to whether or not cannabis is of medical value are obstacles to medical progress in this area. Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking. It is true cannabis has some abuse potential, but its profile more closely resembles drugs in Schedule III (where codeine and dronabinol are listed). The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
The lead author of the review, Dr. Igor Grant, is the director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. In recent years, the CMCR has conducted various FDA-approved ‘gold standard’ clinical trials evaluating inhaled cannabis as a therapeutic agent. The results of several of those trials are summarized here.
Under federal law, schedule I controlled substances are defined as possessing “a high potential for abuse, … no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” Heroin and Methaqualone (Quaaludes) are examples of other Schedule I substances.
In 2011, the Obama administration — via the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — formally denied a nine-year-old administrative petition filed by NORML and a coalition of public interest organizations calling on the agency to initiate hearings to reassess the present classification of marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance without any ‘accepted medical use in treatment.’ In her denial of the petition, DEA administrator Michele Leonhart alleged: “[T]here are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving (marijuana’s) efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts. … At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy.”
Last month, Ms. Leonhart testified before Congress that she believed that heroin and marijuana posed similar threats to the public’s health because, in her opinion, “all illegal drugs are bad.”
Coalition advocates are presently appealing the DEA’s denial of their petition in federal court.
Full text of the paper from The Open Neurology Journal, entitled “Medical Marijuana: Clearing Away the Smoke,” is available online here.
Ms. Leonhart testified before Congress that she believed that heroin and marijuana posed similar threats to the public’s health
Yeah marijuana helps spread AIDS with the use of sharing pipes WTF
Someone should ask Michelle specifically, “Why does the U.S. government hold a patent for CBD if there is no medical value”? and “Why is hemp production in the U.S. illegal if there is no abuse potential”? It’s OK Michelle… we’ll give you time to fact check!
Loenhart is a moron.
Im amazed that anyone still thinks our Gov’t gives half a fuck about Science.
Leonhart is fucking pathetic. “All illegal drugs are bad.” She should be fired for even attempting to defend her stance using such elementary rhetoric, especially testifying before our Congress. What a fucking joke. I hope she gets the death penalty when the draconian prohibition laws are finally laid to rest.
Leonhart-“all illegal drugs are bad, Mkay.”
Can’t believe I was the first to say this…
It’s bad because its illegal, and its illegal because all bad drugs are illegal, ergo it is illegal
Monty python says… All wood burns, therefore anything that burns is wood
It’s a little bit of circular logic to me.
cant we just sue the federal government to end prohibition, on the grounds that there law is a lie and not only is weed consumed safely everyday but it is used medically for 16 states in the USA?
leonhart also said in response to whether returning veterans has a right to use medical cannabis to treat their PTSD, “that is between them and their doctor.” Oh, really!?!?! Is that why your agency has stonewalled any attempt to reschedule cannabis as medicine, and furthermore cracked down on medical cannabis providers that were obeying state law? Is that why you attempted to stifle free speech by disallowing publications to advertise cannabis businesses, sent letters to landlords threatening to seize their property if they rented to cannabis businesses, and attempted to prevent users of medical cannabis from exercising their second amendment right to bear arms? All that was necessary?, when the choice to use cannabis is between the patient and his/her doctor?
Ms. Leonhart testified…that she believed that heroin and marijuana posed similar threats to the public’s health because, in her opinion, “all illegal drugs are bad.”
Really? Since when does the legal status of a substance affect its threat? With that logic you could legalize either one and instantly make them safe. Genius at work.
I dont care what that Leonhart says about cannabis.She is just an administrator(puppet) anyway and has no power to do shit.Legal or not,i’m gonna use it anyway.
It is my life ffs :S :S
Greetings from sweden 😉
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-dean/in-defense-of-president-o_b_1643834.html
if pot were to be rescheduled the medical marijuana industry would be gone, cause doctors would need to prescribe it, and they would prescribe pills, kinda like how they wont prescribe whiskey for a headache, real doctors signing real scripts would find smoked marijuana to damaging to your lungs to justify using it to treat minor pain.
Will anyone tell the truth???its ok if u DO NOT KNOW, BUT DON’T TELL STORIES(UNTRUE) about this subject. IT HELPS SICK PEOPLE!!! It should be legal, regulated…. It will make MANY JOBS,MONEY THAT THIS WONDERFUL CONTRY BADLEY NEEDS….NEED I SAY MORE….
all drugs are bad m’kay
It is truly good news when a prestigious medical association points out how rediculous the current classication of marijuana is. I’m quite sure that many of our nation’s leaders think they know more about marijuana than the people who have actually been educated on the subject, but maybe this logic and science will convince at least a few of them of the errors of their ways! I’m hopeful! Love!
DEA administrator Michele Leonhart alleged: “[T]here are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving (marijuana’s) efficacy;
(Because we block any research that puts marijuana in a positive light)
the drug is not accepted by qualified experts.
(B.S.)
… At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy.”
(Because, once again, we block any research that shows marijuana has any positive benefits. Oh, and B.S.)
“The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
Sorry doc, but I’m not holding my breath.
(Unless I’m holding in a hit) ;^)
The DEA is simply trying to protect their funding by ignoring the facts and spreading ignorance and propaganda. They are essentially getting paid to keep it illegal and lie.
Don’t twist her words, that makes our side no better then her’s.
She didn’t say they were the same, and she obviously knows cannabis isn’t as dangerous as heroin, she just can’t admit it because the whole premise is based on “[all] drugs are bad”. It’s (painfully) funny not because she’s dumb, but because their tired old arguments are idiotic and totally nonsensicle.
Sorry, @J_fatty.
Leonhart isn’t a moron (although she is a mainstream globalist Republican, which puts her in contention for that title). She is doing her very best to continue to justify the government’s schizophrenic & utterly irrational position regarding a plant that is totally harmless — less dangerous to take in excess than drinking water.
The crony monopoly capitalists’ continued level of profit margins is her only real concern, understandable since this group is the only constituency mainstream |D| & |R| politicians actually care about.
BTW, doesn’t she look like she is on some sort of psychotropically active medication(s) in the video of those hearings? I think so.
Loenhart lied to congress? Isn’t that bad or something, can’t we like send her to jail or something thats like got to be illegal.
I like the last sentence by the investigators – “The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
Justice Robert’s finessed ruling which approved the ACA, defended our Constitution by limiting the Commerce Clause to actual commerce, and by doing so, put our message on the table. For more information, google Talking Points for the Peloton.
Funny. Schedule 1: no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the UNITED STATES. Psst Oh. But, cannabis benefits are proven elsewhere by the way. What a joke.
Three Words- GLAXO-SMITH-KLINE. They have purchased our Government and them and the other Pharmaceutical Giants are on a mission to turn America into synthesized drug zombies while our Government goons act as enforcers. It’s time to revolt and storm Washington DC over this issue. The only way this will be changed is through revolution and mass disruption of society
How about putting it on the presidential ballot and see what happens? Our government is allowing the creation of heroin addicts with all of this pain management garbage. People getting hooked on narcotics legally then once they get hooked and realize heroin does about the same as those same pills only better they switch to heroin. I can’t imagine in the future how stupid we are going to be looked at for keeping marijuana illegal yet allow all this pill abuse to go on.
Her language could be viewed as quite demeaning to the doctors who are recommending cannabis, as well as to those researching it. Has she just not heard of the research?
Michelle Loenhart should be stripped of her authority for neglecting the public’s interest and neglecting actual medical/ scientific evidence. She is a servant to the corporate establishments; therefore, being a parasite to our democracy.
The people of our great country are starting to become aware of this corruption.
The longer the establishment hold out against reason, the stupider they look. Legalization will fall on top of the prohibitionists like a tsunami.
Leonhart is a Bush-era hack. She was left in the top spot at the DEA because some of Obama’s yes men were too scared of the Repugs in Congress to submit any decent nominee to replace her. She’s a wingnut through and though.
Don’t expect her to be any more cooperative than she’s been. She will NEVER admit that cannabis has medicinal value. NEVER!
Obama’s been punting this issue down field his entire first term. If he gets re-elected he may reconsider Schedule One but he’ll have to replace Mad Michelle first. She knows that if she resigns, they’ll (Obama’s minions) will be hard pressed to get another person in place, especially one who’s friendly to our position. Right-wingers (yes, even some Dems) will bottle up any nominee.
I’m afraid that in order for us to get any joy out of an Obama second term, the Democrats (progressive ones, no Blue Dogs) will have to retake the House and keep the Senate. Only with a comfortable majority in the House and Senate will Obama even consider rescheduling. He won’t attempt it at all if the Right hold onto one or both houses.
Face it, there’s no courage in the White House. Whenever the Repugs say Boo!, Obama’s people wet themselves.
Politics, plain and simple. Regardless of what she personally or professionally thought, she was going to give testimony currently most suited to keeping her job. She could give a f**k about the facts, which just keep getting in her way.
The more highly educated people in this country all know that the reasons Michelle Leonhart and many others in leadership positions give for maintaining marijuana prohibition are completely bogus. History will not be kind to those who have perpetuated the prohibitionist lies as Michelle and others have done. They will be mentioned alongside others who have done serious harm to good people (like Hitler for example…).
Targeting someone because of their choice to use marijuana is just another form of predjudice and hate! It is no different than demonizing a group because of their race or religion and it is just as wrong.
Thank goodness this can’t continue when so many doctors and medical organizations are helping to spread the truth!!!
Surely even Michelle Leonhart would have to admit that letting someone smoke weed is less harmful than locking them up in prison… But then again, she is pretty stupid so maybe not…
The DEA and other Law Enforcement agencies have produced training manuals for law enforcement that call medical marijuana a scam. Probably millions of copies distributed to law enforcement nation wide or reprinted. For these copies, I advocate a book burning.
For DEA administrator Michele Leonhart I recommend a change of heart or a new job.
These Frauds, like Ms Leonhart, cannot hide from the truth, thanks to the Internet. 15 tears ago, her words would have been taken as “Gospel” by the Media and the general Public. Now, they cannot say something false, and have it stand as true. JMHO, but the Internet has done more towards bringing the prohibition of Marijuana to and end than any other source.
In Defense of President Obama’s Medical Marijuana Policy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-dean/in-defense-of-president-o_b_1643834.html
Vote her bosses out of office, and she will go away. Vote the people who refuse to see the turth out of office, and replace them with people who will, and pot will become legal. It is the people you put in congress that are responseable, and if you want change, change the people in congress.
The anti-science stuff really offends me.
When I wrote my representative, Dr. Andy Harris, about the proposal to eliminate the DEA’s funds for its new crackdown on medical marijuana, he responded by citing studies that were literally over 30 years old. It took me all of 2 minutes to google up a meta-study analyzing several recent studies and concluding the exact opposite of his earlier studies. He preferred to use irreproducible results from over 30 years ago to more recent, reproducible data from 2012.
The man is a physician for heaven’s sake. Would you want your physician to treat you based on irreproducible data from over 30 years ago? Willful ignorance is a disgusting thing to behold.
“The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
I love this concluding sentence.
Geez…
This world sucks.
What kind of message does it send to 13 and 13 year olds that are smart enough to go online and research, but dumb enough to believe the DEA? Case in point: “Marijuana” is Schedule I drug, “Cocaine” is Schedule II. Well I don’t know about you, but clearly cocaine is safer than marijuana. It must be, right?
Michelle Leonhart sure have done a heck of a job expressing her lack of wisdom and leadership as the head administrator of the DEA.
That is what happens when she hides her true intentions. Put her back in the hot seat.
The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 is a DEA doctrine that overrides everything including the U.S. Constitution. It is a curse and a virus that is protected by pure demagogical rhetoric against cannabis.
She’s not stupid, she’s dangerous as she is willing to lie to a whole country to perpetuate an agenda.
Also, the next time you write your congressman asking for their support in this area, include the study and request they refrain from sending back the standard form letter quoting schedule 1 since it is not supported by science.
All of the people calling Leonhart dumb don’t know what they’re talking about. She’s not dumb, she’s just lying. It’s her job. The DEA’s funding and jobs depend on maintaining or ramping up the drug war. She is the mouthpiece of that lying drug warrior Obama, who has dramatically ramped up the war against medical use of the plant to never-before seen levels (despite all his promises to the contrary).
The FDA pushes crap like Paxil and Wellbutrin and we can’t get something safe like cannabis. More proof that it’s all about the “Benjimans”.
Why is pot still illegal? Why am I constantly seeing all this hype? When I run out of pot, I should be able to call the police and have them drop off an oz or so.
This system is just hateful garbage. I can’t figure out why I am paying the cops loads of money so they can turn around and harrass me. Why???
‘
lol @ seth forbis. shows what you know. You’re completely mistaken… Pot has more carcinogens than cigarettes but pot’s carcinogens ARE’NT cancer causing. Like at all. It’s safer than most food let alone all legal drugs. Obviously you’ve never tried it and you’re pulling that bullshit out of your ass or the government official’s ass who told you that propaganda. You can read every book on Earth about building boats but you don’t really KNOW until you do it. Try it before you deny it’s healthy POTential, tool.
Best source for ethanol is cannabis hemp, cleaner, better gas for our cars and our environment. Best source for a cleaner world, better soil, and many things that we make out of cotton and other textile things etc. Shorter grow time than any tree in the rainforest or anywhere in the world that man in destroying. Animals are becoming extinct because of man, no place to live. Cannabis Indica and Sativa are very effective pain relievers and good sleep aid. Neurological pain is something I wish upon no one, not even my worst enemy. Thank God for cannabis and cannabis hemp. Wake up government, you have a patent on it, just think how much money our government could make.
Back to AAA credit rating
(cotton is the most pesticide plant on this earth, runs into water, rivers and back into the soil of our foods)and cannabis does not need pesticides.
Better cleaner healthier world.
Guns are legal and cannabis is’nt. Some of this country’s laws are LOCO.
Remember, these are bureaucrats. These people don’t actually know stuff, in the way of science especially. Their agenda is to convince dumb people that they’re doing something with their tenure in office. Things like budgets balancing and job creation are hard things to accomplish. So they fear monger to convince dumb people that they’re doing something. The more people who blatantly (peacefully) defy these “statues” put in place by unelected officials, the more that they won’t be able to control and fool the population.
When politics enter the equation, logic goes out the window. Of course WE’VE known cannabis is medicine, but that is beside the point.
The right to put anything in my body, bacon, chocolate cake, wheaties or weed is soley mine if freedom exists. Those who seek power over others have always been the problem.
And this Ladies and Gentlemen is the problem in a nutshell. This is an ideological war with the prohibitionists and no amount of logic or science will get in their way!
St. Nick, Seth is right. This is already becoming one of their excuses for keeping pot illegal. “Well, you have to smoke it, and we don’t want anymore smoking related drugs on the market.” The assholes are loosing their ground and want to get it back by, guess what? Lying!
Pot has way less carcinogens than does cigarettes, the government using retarded language to confuse us. First, they say THC and CBD are tar and are poisons that cause cancer. Duh, there aren’t any toxins in marijuana until it is burnt! What they say are poisons aren’t. Cigarettes come loaded with poison before they are burnt.
Why is legal to sell people straight up poison? Because people are too stupid to know the difference, I guess…
The DEA is just another self-perpetuating level of bureaucracy.
Law enforcement needs to re-direct its focus on crimes… to those that are REAL crimes.
I spent 5 years in Federal Prison for a marijuana offense. I watched armed bank robbers come and go in as little as 20 months.
After 3 years, I pointed this out to the parole board. Their response: “You must understand, yours was a very serious offense.”
How do you respond to that mentality?
I laughed about the parole panel’s comment for 2 more years (as I still sat in prison), then wrote my book:
Shoulda Robbed a Bank
No, it is not a treatise on disproportionate sentences, but a look at what the ‘marijuana culture’ is really about.
People pursuing happiness in their own way. Harming no one…nor their property.
That’s my contribution to helping point out just how ludicrous our pot laws truly are.
I hope you check it out.
Everyone who comments on and reads this blog already knows this information. It’s those who do not, that need to read and understand what is presented here everyday. How do we get ordinary Americans who know nothing about cannabis and the atrocities caused by prohibition to care?
@Hugh, I am truly sorry to hear how our very own Government made it a priority to ruin your life. Stories like yours are the ammunition we need to get people to understand and vote prohibition away forever. How long will they play this game? How much longer are we going to allow them to?
wow… you’re confusing me with your bullshit. Weed is the ONLY drug that’s not also a poison. You cannot and will not die from it. U understand what I mean? God invented weed and it’s not as though he did’nt know we were going to smoke it. Are you saying God invented something that’s evil? I don’t think so. And you don’t have to take my word for it, Pot is GOOD. Just don’t try to keep others from doing something you have no real knowledge about, ok asshole? =D
@Hugh
No truer words were ever spoken/written! check it out! Michele Leonhart gets creamed by Colorado Representative Jared Polis.
DEA’s budget is over 2 billion dollars! What a waist of money! We need to tell congress to cut the DEA’s budget. The DEA doesn’t want to admit that they have failed because they may lose their jobs. Once you hand a budget like that over to an agency, they will fight hard to keep their jobs and keep the agency going. I know this to be true, I use to work for the comptroller of the treasury of MD. It is common practice for government agencies to pad their budget proposals so they can keep the budget as high as they can get away with.
Mainstream marijuana legalization movements are based on impossible ideals and optimism. They want to believe that more truth and justice will somehow matter. They want to believe that more evidence, logical arguments, and scientifically based insights should and could be relevant to drug laws.
HAH! The problem is that those who promote more evidence-based, scientific drug law policies REFUSE to go on through to an evidence-based, scientific view of government itself.
The fundamental concepts we should begin with are SUBTRACTION AND ROBBERY.
All human beings operate as gangs of robbers in their environment. The best organized gangs of criminals ARE the government. That goes back to the history of militarism, which made War King, then more recently evolved to make Fraud King.
Governments are, and must necessarily be, territorial gangsters. Behind them are the international bankers, who are the biggest gangsters, the banksters.
Hemp truth is way, way deeper, because of there was an infinite tunnel of deceits through our money/murder systems. It is BECAUSE hemp is the single best plant on the planet for people that the law asserts that “marijuana is almost as bad as murder.” That never had anything to do with the truth about cannabis. Cannabis was criminalized because the government was the worst criminals, and so the drug wars segued from slavery and racism. There are real reasons why governments are the best organized gangs of criminals, and why that results in final failure from too much of their “success.” Those truths are deeply buried under the language that the established systems use to talk about themselves. Their controlled opposition tends to use the same language.
The biggest bullies’ bullshit stories dominate both the establishment, and their controlled opposition. Thus, mainstream marijuana legalization movements are also puppets, dominated by reactionary revolutionaries, who promote the same old impossible ideals and optimism.
The reality is that marijuana fits inside of the established money/murder systems. Only changing those money/murder systems in radical enough ways could liberate marijuana in any ways that were worthwhile enough.
It was NOT an accident that hemp truth was denied and suppressed just as much as the hemp plant was. It is not an accident that the first American flag and Bill of Rights were made from hemp, while the current runaway fascist plutocracy that took control of the government of the USA has become the excessive triumph of huge lies, which is driving itself MAD, and thereby destroying America.
There is no way backwards. The only way forward is to face the full facts that our political economy, inside of our human ecology, is dismal cubed. Those must and will be radically transformed, one way or another, sooner or later! Pot prohibition is headed towards psychotic breakdowns, which will be small components of the psychotic breakdowns of the larger civilization that pot prohibition was integrated within.
More hemp truth is not enough without much great and deeper truth about human beings and government itself. Therefore, I repeat, the only good ways to legalize marijuana require revolutions in the money and murder systems.
Any mainstream marijuana movements that do not perceive that continue to be reactionary revolutionaries and controlled opposition. It is not good enough to talk about more science based drug laws, unless those are within a more science based understanding of human society and government itself. However, that requires recognizing how and why the established money and murder systems operate the way they do, and thereby changing those realities in ways consistent with those scientific insights.
I love how these people with no real knowledge on the subject are suddenly experts. Jeez you know if it turns out so badly we can just “re-illegalize it”. This poster above me actually thinks he knows what hes talking about. We have real experience. We know it does’nt cause murder cause it’s already here. Making it legal won’t change much except our increased money, happiness, and safety. Keeping it illegal is like supporting cartels. lol, I was just reading the poster above me more thoroughly. heh lol @ bullshit.
This is about the 7th time it’s schedule 1 status has been appealed and once again will be denied
Blair, I enjoyed your post very much. Almost everything you say I agree with. The only thing I don’t agree with you on is about the mainstream marijuana movements(I’m thinking your reffering to groups like NORML). I think that if we didn’t have these “mainstream groups” there would not be so many states legalizing this year. They are a way to spread the word. Just by posting they’re articles on my facebook page I have at least 200 people that I know for sure will be out to vote for the first time this year and most are in they’re 30s like me. And the only reason we are voting is to put anyone who favors legalization into power or some with legalization on they’re ballots. If it wasn’t for groups like NORML most people woldn’t even know that this is an issue or has been. If you know of a non mainstream movement that would help I would be glad to support them too. In my mind anything that gets us over the legalization hump is a help. After that my generation and the yonger ones will change a lot about our government. In 20 years we will not have a 2 party system. It will be more like 4 or 5. Plus once a lot of these very old men in Congress who are in charge die off hopefully the people who take they’re place know better than to take money from all of the corporations and fight for the people. With only having two people to vote for they base more policies on theyre party than common sense. That is what need to change. Sorry to rant. I just woke up
Blair, how does legal pot get in “their way”? And even if it did, why should we care?
I really don’t see how marijuana is going to harm banking… Having a good ecomony is good for the banks too.
It’s funny how you’re allowed to be a neo-nazi or in the kkk but you’re not allowed to feel good from smoking pot. hmmm…
ok, then file a lawsuit challenging the schedule 1 status of cannabis. use this study as part of your evidence, bring up that almost half the country has either decriminilized, or allowed for the acquisition for medical purposes.
I am not sure that St. Nick was referring to my post, immediately above his, since it takes a while for the moderator here to allow posts to appear. However, jbkorn02 and Dave Evans both mentioned my name in their replies.
There is tons and tons of my kind of bla, blah, on the Marijuana Party of Canada Web site, since I am registered as the “leader” of that party. In Canada, everything regarding marijuana is automatically getting worse and worse! We made some significant progress, in the late 1990s and the earlier 2000s, with industrial hemp, and medical marijuana … Our hemp industry for food production has become a significant niche market, which can export to the USA, since the USA still does not allow that. Our medical marijuana made some progress too, but that is now expected to be reversed significantly by 2014. The ONLY reason we have medical marijuana allowed in Canada was a series of court cases, which established that significantly sick people, who could prove that they were sick enough, had a constitutional right to marijuana as medicine. However, after our government, through its Health Canada department, was forced by the courts to do that, they have deliberately been sabotaging their own medical marijuana program, as much as possible, or the courts would allow them to do. Thus, there is still significant uncertainty about the future of medical marijuana in Canada, because of the unfinished, slow motion argument between our government and our courts. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana laws in Canada, since 2004, have been in a serious flaming nose dive to Hell! This year, 2012, our government passed a set of new laws that impose automatic mandatory minimum jail sentences for cannabis crimes.
The overall situation in Canada is getting crazier and crazier. Public opinion has been swinging more and more in favour of making cannabis be LESS criminal (with the most recent opinion polls putting that at 66%). However, at the same time, our government has actually made cannabis become way more criminal in Canada than ever before.
Clearly, we do NOT live in a free and democratic society. We actually live in a fascist plutocracy. Most of my political career has been spent in court cases against the government. My two most important cases were about the laws governing the funding of the political process, and I am currently working towards my third on the topic of the Canadian political contribution tax credit. The thing that I have studied more than anything else is the money and tax system, and the roles of money in the political processes.
What I have to say about those issues is splattered all over our Web site. I will not repeat any more of that here. Just click on my name to go to our Web site, and then click onto the party leader section, or the Forum, which I use like my personal diary. You will find there what I call the Fringe Cubed position on Radical Marijuana. That is deeply different than you will find anywhere else that I am aware of.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
THOMAS JEFFERSON,
I just read his post again. Blair WTF are you talking about?!? It sounds to me like you came down with a case of the stupids! It’s people like you that perpetuate this completely false notion that weed is bad?!! Imagine if tobacco was illegal for a few minutes. Yeah, seems bad, does’nt it? Apply that to pot except it’s not dangerous. BOO YAH! ;D
Blair- that was a good post, but I also think to move a rock, you can start with a small lever.
As for St. Nick- go brush the corn out of your teeth, then come back with something intelligent to say.
St Nick, sure that makes sense, except once it is legal it is going to stay that way because it is good. All the “power” comes from folks not actually knowing it is safe.
Only crazy people with Borderline Personality Disorder or those who’ve been lied to endlessly and can’t think for themselves believe marijuana is dangerous. Folks with BPD constantly blame others and inanimate objects for their problems problems/failures/insecurities. Like, “The devil made me do it.” Or, “the weed made me loco.” The problem is they were already plenty crazy long before the ever touched pot. And weak willed dumb-asses actually let themselves be manipulated by these sociopaths.
The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug was merely a delay tactic to deny all of us our birthrght to self medicate.
A crucial part of the corporatization of Cannabis is arrest and seizure and when the government holds a patent which in its self is a form of Facism the you begin to realize what the END GAME was all about !Control, greed, budgets, and prtotecting their own interests private or otherwise.
Wonder how long it will take for a Federal official to say “the science says marijuana has medicinal value”- even after all these studies they say it doesn’t. When will it change? Hopefully soon.
wow beserker – your post was’nt intelligent. Obviously you don’t know what you’re talking about. If you agree with blair that makes you stupid right there. Also, nothing I said was unintelligent. It was all true. But you probably don’t care if you’re actually right. You’re just like the other losers trying to win this war that WON’T be won by you. And I don’t have any corn in my teeth. You must think I live in South. Shows what you know. I live in North East. I was tested at 132 for my IQ at age 5. That’s top 95% of WORLD. That means I have 95% chance I’m smarter than you. And I know that Pot is healthy, good for you and not dangerous. Go be ignorant somewhere else, tool ‘o’ dea.
We will only be allowed to self-medicate if it comes from the pharmacies in a pill or shot that is not enjoyable…all the major pharmacies are lined up with patents already issued just waiting for some lab somewhere to find a way to make a synthetic version so the actual herb can stay outlawed. Cannabis consumers will be persecuted to the end while it means big profit for the drug companies and big lobby money for the politicians…if voting actually changed this they would make that illegal as well. Legal hemp could replace so many industries and make so many enforcment jobs obsolete that IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!
I am NOT against the mainstream marijuana legalization movements. I just think they stop too short, or do not go deep enough into their analysis of the real source of the problems, which IS that the whole Western world is dominated by a runaway fascist plutocracy, that continues to get away with controlling our culture through Huge Lies, backed by their legalized violence.
Of course, the vast majority of people who want marijuana legalized tend to be normal mainstream people. They recognize that pot prohibition is not based on the truth about marijuana, and therefore, it is backfiring badly. They tend to want to see marijuana legalized and regulated in ways that would enable it to become a normal part of the mainstream society.
However, they usually do not want to go any deeper into the analysis of WHY marijuana laws have always been based on Huge Lies, and HOW it was possible for laws based on lies to be passed, and enforced with more and more violence, for decade after decade.
The WHY and the HOW of fascist plutocracy is what I talk about, and the funding of politics is the central core, or the keystone, or lynch pin, to that! Therefore, I have spent most of my political career on the legal problems in Canada that revolve around the funding of our politics. In Canada, 99% of the citizens did not fund any politics. Throughout most of our history, 100% of our politics was paid for by 1% of the population.
The political funding situation in the USA is much worse than it is in Canada! That is why the American republic was gradually destroyed, and more and more replaced with a fascist police state.
Calling hemp “marijuana” and asserting that marijuana was totally evil and useless, was one of the main ways that slavery and racism were transformed into more sophisticated systems of slavery, and that continued to be an excuse to transform America into a fascist police state.
Whatever happens in the United States of America is going to continue to be the main thing that controls politics in Canada. Canada criminalized cannabis due to international pressures, and Canada following the USA was the main factor!
To repeat my previous post, marijuana fits into the established money and murder systems, and changing marijuana laws in a good enough way must also change the money and murder systems. However, the source of those problems is the plutocracy, which controls our politics through money, and that plutocracy has already taken almost total control of the money system! Therefore, changing anything that really matters is practically impossible, given the degree to which the actually existing situation is already out of balance to a ratio that is more than 99% to 1%.
The “occupy” protests raised similar issues, but they also do not want to go anywhere near deep enough into the analysis of these problems. In the end, money is based on robbery, backed up by murder. Marijuana laws are due to our civilization being controlled by the history of murder, maintaining a money system, that paid for the politics, that looped around and around to produce the world that we are now living in.
In the end, nothing less than changing the murder systems operating in human ecology are enough to change the money systems in our political economy. In that context, criminalizing cannabis continues to be the single simplest and most extreme example. The best plant for people is controlled by laws that assert that plant is almost as bad as murder.
IN A BIZARRO MIRROR WORLD, EVERYTHING IS BACKWARDS!
That is what the mainstream movements to legalize marijuana should recognize and talk about more, because THAT IS THE PROBLEM!
It is BECAUSE hemp was the single best plant on the planet for people, for food, fiber, fun and medicine that the law asserted that “marijuana is almost as bad as murder.” The laws are based on asserting that marijuana is totally evil and useless, and that marijuana has zero medical benefits, and therefore, should be a schedule 1 drug, that is totally prohibited.
The problem with the idea of making marijuana become a “normal” part of the mainstream society is that society became almost totally insane, since almost everything else is also controlled by huge lies. The American mainstream society IS controlled by systems of huge lies, that are ALL just as insane as saying that marijuana is almost murder, when actually, hemp is the single best plant for people.
Pot prohibition was a symptom, not a cause. The cause was the plutocracy. Fixing that problem of plutocracy is the only theoretically sufficient solution. Of course, that problem appears practically impossible to fix, and taking baby steps to legalize marijuana may be a beginning. However, nobody should believe that “legalizing” marijuana to make it become “normal” is remotely close to being enough!
Well, I read through some of your post Blair and if you’re taking that stance then you’re cool. Jesus! It’s safer than most everything and funner. The only bad thing from legalization might be our tolerances would be huge. heh Then learn self control.
Something I didn’t realize when I wrote last post: We can just smoke different strains to deal with tolerance! =D
We should have freedom of thought freedom of reality freedom of emotion! We’d have to be in International Waters or Antarctica for those humane freedoms. Up until 200 years ago we didn’t even have freedom of religion. At least things are getting better.
St. Nick doesn’t get it.. Too worried about what a so called “God” thinks that he/she can get their head out of the sand.. St. Nick you sound retarded when you don’t read the entire post and then go mouthing off. So I ask you what your stance is on cannabis because Blair was and is for cannabis. He said over and over that the reason cannabis is illegal is because it works so well. Follow the money Large pharma is pushing hard to 1. keep it illegal so there no competition with their pills and 2.If it becomes legal they want laws so only Large pharma can grow cannabis and sell by bud or pill form. So Please read before you start throwing religion around because you forgot their are others that don’t agree with the ressurection.
I wonder if St. Nick even smokes because the things that im reading are really making me wonder if we have been infiltrated to look idiotic.
ignorance is bliss and to believe that we are and always has been the only living organism that can communicate, survie and colonize in the entire reality of space is just foolish. Maybe they don’t look like us but in their eyes we don’t look like them.. Anybody throw out the idea that he had a spaceshipI don’t want to get on bashing beliefs but OPEN your eyes. I was baptized catholic and over time relized that I was being manipulated the more that I dove into Science and how things work. Beliefs are good but iI wonder if its a way to control the masses into following orders.Sorry smokers I had to get it out there.
I apologize for the miss spelling. I wanted to type it before I forgot where I was going with it. Hyperpriming right now and going a little off topic.. I completely agree with Blair though.. When there are powers controlling the masses and only a small portion is throwing more cash then 99% of us can then the democracy is thrown out the window. Politicians line their pockets with BLOOD MONEY.. People die because of prohibition, the black market is behind closed doors with changing rule that can get people in debt for multiple things and killed.. The black market was created by making things illegal.. The Big question we should ask the politicians is how much money did they recieve this time for lying and/or doing political favors?
Its about time we get some bang for our buck I am glad the government has finally used some of our money wisely. I PRAY this study will prompt the gov. too change marijuana` classification
Yeah Blair; we used to have conservatives and liberals in our two party system (which needs to be abolished) but has since been taken over by facists. Both “parties” are run by the same folks–people we don’t vote for and can’t throw out. Why do you suppose Obama gave everyone in Bush’s cabinet a blanket exemption against being prosecuted? Because they have the same bosses. Obama feels war crimes (that belittled USA in the eyes of the world) are less important than enforcing flakly DEA bullshit no one even believes in.
Seems like we have left leaning and right leaning facists in both parties and they are the majority.
somebody otta start pushing these fucken retarded leaders and put in place people who remember FREEDOM. i dont give a shit about opinions stab this bitch already
St. Nick, tobacco has tar in it. Marijuana doesn’t. What is has in is THC and other cannabinoids. None of which is poisonous or carcinogenic. The government just labeled cannabinoids as tar and as poisons without any reason what-so-ever. And then they repeated it over and over; and some clowns are still teaching this to kids in school.
Cigarette smoke is poisonous. Like toxic waste levels of poisons. Why cigarette making isn’t regulated, is beyond me.
Marijuana smoke is just smoke which contains trace amount of poisons produced from combustion.
In school they taught us marijuana has three to ten times more tar and carcinogins than cigarettes do. This is a complete lie which probably encouraged some kids to take up smoking tobacco instead of pot. And now some my classmates are dead from tobacco.
I agree with you Dave evans completely. And to Young Smoker-yes, I’ve smoked since ’99. Maybe I’m unique and my opinion varies from your average “poser”. If I want to say something good I say it. But maybe I should’nt post at all if it’s just destroying things for some people. No talking about God thats for damn sure. I just smoked some good middies. Almost out though. I’ll keep my mouth shut if it’s causing so much harm to baby ear people. Thanks. Trying to help legalize pot.
Lmao @ anyone who believes that marijuana would have an adverse effect on our banking system, marijuana is anywhere from a $15 to $50 billion a year industry in California alone, need I say more…
Well I really don’t care about your opinion, young smoker. You’re no one to me. Excuse me for not reading the entire fucking web page before I posted! You’re pointing out errors that I mis-wrote and stuff. Why’s that? What, because you’re fucking perfect? No, I think it’s cause that’s your only pleasure. Hey Everyone! I didn’t know we had such an elite person on our hands! I was trying to help our side out (ya know, the ones who want to legalize pot) but looking retarded and speaking about a God or Gods (who are better than you) has doomed it cause we got worthless assholes like you here who through hissy fits every time some Deity is mentioned or there’s a grammatical error! Azna Om
Cannabis should b leagle or at least medicly n bring up a diety who evers deit it is is helpful but also a hinderence this is gunna strictly b about who can better prove that these plants r a hinderance or if they are helpful but the goverment has little things like (if u get busted underage with eniugh weed to get more then a ticket it is ether go to jail or go to rehab now most kids are gunna take rehab but everytime u go into rehab it is counted as a addict thus y the gover
Like pot is the most addicting drug on the streets so we have to point this shit out to the general populace n get that shit known so that its common kniweledge amongst the general populacebut good luck with that you would have to find a way to getcit on natinal tv for enough ppl to watch it with ourt finding out its abou weed n just change the channel u could travel around the u.s. and give educatinol.seminars. on marijuana n at the end ask if ppl who do this drug r bad ppl or ask if they think ur a bad person for and ask y after try n explaine to everyone you canbut its proly better to leave diety out of the argument cuz then ppl can spin it n take u in a whole new direction with it
So Codeine is a Sec.3 and Pot Sec.1, hm its funny. In Germany I was a junky for ten years and many ,many times I used Codeine juice as a substitute for heroin, damn, I was so stupid. I should just get some pot…………………….
Looks like I struck a nerve maybe thats why Republicans are bringing up religious bullshit like abortion again. Political Gain.. I wonder Why people get so pissed when I just ask meaningful questions..Religion is ok but taking it to the extreme is wrong and harmful.. BTW im NOT “perfect” im oppressed by the modern rules like my fellow brother and sisters but I will not stand for ignorance..
What stupifies me is the number of people out there that are willingly ingorant. These are the same people that force their ignorant opinions on others and galdly give up their constitutional rights in the name of protecting the poor helpless American public from themselves. These types of zealots will bring about the end of this country for profit then hand it over to the church without question.
dam. I did’nt read that post. just seemed anti-pot and was in a hurry and wanted to post. You’ll have to excuse my ADHD, Bipolar, and Schizophrenia. I’ll tell you what helps ALL 3 of those conditions: Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. Peace out.
Nothing works for depression like a bowl. But really, forget the medicinal argument. Why can’t I as a free man grow some green in my garden for my own consumption? Why hasn’t this premise been brought before a court as a civil rights issue. I’ll volunteer. Where is the logic of a white trash idiot being legally able to drain a bottle of whiskey but I, as an intelligent, generally positive addition to my community, not able to relax with a spleef in my own living room. Whose business is it but mine.
Nothing will be handed over to the church. The Government wants to get ride of the church as an organization. The Church is the only thing that is big enough to stand up to the government.
We need the Christians to get their collective heads out of their rear ends and read the bible. The Bible is the text book of the Christian movement and most Christians fail to read it.
Allow me to point the Christians in the right direction. I have read the text and feel I may be able to shed some light on this for them.
Genesis 1 29-30
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
So where is the exception for weed? Where is the except for the mistake I made on this one plant or two? GOD said EVERY GREEN PLANT. Could that be why hemp seeds are perfect nutrition?
Here are two links that give the reasons why hemp seed are so nutrious.
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed2.html
Genesis 9:3
3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
What!! A second verse same as the first. The thought so nice GOD said it twice. Once again. “Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Where is the except for my mistake on the weed, I admit I was wrong.
As Christians you have a rule book/play book and you need to read it.
Here is another choice quote straight from GOD!
Deuteronomy 13:3
you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Testing you to see if you will believe his word or the words of false prophets and dreamers. HUH! “I give every green plant for food.” Words straight from GOD’s lips to your ear. False prophets and dreamers are testing your faith in GOD and his words. HUH!
Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever. HUH! False prophets try to make us believe GOD made a mistake making his words false. He gave us “ALL THE GREEN PLANTS” but one is bad, WTF How can a perfect being create a mistake in any way?
Think it over and get back to me.
No one has seen methaquelone since the early 80’s.The sub chemicals for that drug have not been made in a long time.They need to ban pseduoephedrine to end meth abuse!No sub chemicals no meth just like the “ludes”
No one has seen methaquelone since the early 80’s.The sub chemicals for that drug have not been made in a long time.They need to ban pseduoephedrine to end meth abuse!No sub chemicals no meth just like the “ludes”.Weed they need to explore!I blame the drug companies.
Yeah, I agree. God gave us all green seed-bearing plants for OUR use. It’s a violation of our freedom of religion to keep pot illegal. Peyote use is allowed in the Native American Church. What the fuck?!
No offense but spare us the religious passages.Beliefs without proof and misguided morals imposed on people by organized religion is the major problem legalization faces.Always has been.
Republic,
More people will respond to a quiet, factual analysis than to religion. I recommend saving the Christianity for your friends and sparing the rest of us when you post. Thank you.
After all, if you wouldn’t torture Christ, why torture us too?
Republic,
Thank you for your post. I find that very helpful and I will bring that up when I speak to my Christian friends about marijuana. After all, including everybody on our team seem most sensible.
Oh yeah, like it’s people who love Gods fault why pot isn’t legal. Not the evil assholes in charge who have no spirituality or religions fault. They just want destruction and are keeping it illegal just to get their only pleasure-evil things happening to others. It’s actually evil people’s faults when bad things happen. Not people who love God and care about themselves. Carry on!
nice one on God and the green plant.i love it when someone can prove a point. What i dont get is all the hoopla about pot. I have seen far worse situations from the real drugs the real problems when there is a plant that can really help people that are sick and not only that arent sick. legalize it and see what happens to this country it will be good
Google us government marijuana patent. They have their own proof cannabis treats a variety of ailments. There are several articles on the subject as well as the wording of the patent. The patent is for the cannabinoids in the plant.
Cannabis use is now allowed as treatment in VA Hospitals:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/medical-marijuana-in-va-c_n_660449.html
Cabanas as a class I drug is just one more way for the government to spend billions of taxpayers money. It is easier for my children to get cabanas than alcohol, because they don’t need an ID to get it. These days it seems the US Government is one big sick joke!!!! Over 17 trillion in debt I wonder why?