This is just a quick rant regarding the the unmitigated, relentless and inexcusable stupidity of keeping marijuana illegal and lying about it nonstop with taxpayer money, not that many taxpayer's mind, since many still actually believe the shit.
[VIDEO: Sometimes cop's reefer ignorance is funny:]
Well, of course you're right - lots of taxpayers DON'T believe it. They are good Americans who simply put up with abjectly stupid shit because that's what Americans are used to.
Those of you who still believe in keeping the plant illegal - for whatever indefensible reason - should not make the jump as you'll only be offended. I promise.
And you don't want to hear it anyway.
Everybody else, come along!
The bottom line of this rant is that facts and factual logical arguments go almost nowhere in the effort to sway opinions about cannabis reform, primarily because whenever exculpatory evidence is available the media cravenly lets loose with the same old stupid, and previously obliterated propaganda talking points. These talking points and the media presentation of them is emotional material, not factual. It's more than just lies and false information - it's fearmongering.
Oh, plenty of people who want cannabis relegalized will tell you about the facts until you're blue in the face and they are foaming at the mouth and it won't make a dent on those who simply believe this shit. It's not that the facts don't matter, in the end: it's getting those who still are caught up in the fearmongering propaganda that cannot make any use of the "facts".
Paul Armentano of NORML has a piece at Alternet currently regarding this stupidity and which prompted me to post this.
Anti-Pot Propaganda As Stupid As Ever -- Yet Our Alarmist Media Continues to Hype It
Mr. Armentano is doing what I have encouraged reformers to do for about the last 2 years: use pushier, more pointed, challenging language.
See, marijuana reform activism is substantially different than other forms of activism and agitating for positive social change.
It begins with the stone cold fact there never ever was any salient, legitimate, defensible reason for marijuana to be made illegal, let alone heinously demonized as it has been and still is. because it's based on lies and utter horseshit, refutation of claims is easy. Simple facts wipe away the lies....except, of course, that the lies are broadcast with impunity by the mainstream media and facts are deftly screened out of the MSM..
One of the many recurring lies is the insinuation that marijuana somehow causes schizophrenia and insanity. This stems from the very earliest days of cannabis prohibition people bought into scaremongering lies about "reefer madness", the idea that smoking marijuana makes to go insane and kill people. (con't)This is just a quick rant regarding the the unmitigated, relentless and inexcusable... more
The Denver Post republished an article by Nicole Ostrow of Bloomberg News that begins, “Young adults who used marijuana as teens were more likely to develop schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms…”
Ostrow claims, “The authors said the study was the first to look at sibling pairs to discount genetic or environmental influence and still find marijuana linked to later psychosis.”
No, the authors did not “discount genetic or environmental influence,” nor did they discount other nongenetic differences between siblings. (con't)The Denver Post republished an article by Nicole Ostrow of Bloomberg News that begins,... more
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
This weekend, "Radical" Russ takes on all the top lies told by prohibitionists for a two-hour "Reefer Madness" special! From the idea that today's pot "is not your father's Woodstock Weed" to claims of schizophrenia, psychosis, cancer, lung disease, birth defects, and even "man boobs" being caused by marijuana use, to latest scare that taxes from legalized marijuana would not cover the public health costs of marijuana, "Radical" Russ breaks them all down and gives you the simple replies you neeThis weekend, "Radical" Russ takes on all the top lies told by... more
Narcotics agents said Tuesday they had little doubt that the nearly 90,000-acre La Brea fire was started by Mexican drug traffickers who were tending a large, sophisticated marijuana farm planted on the side of a mountain.
The growers apparently fled as firefighters approached the source of the fire and are still at large, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. Their abandoned site was similar to other illicit plots planted by Mexican nationals and discovered by drug agents in recent years.
Investigators found 30,000 top-grade cannabis plants ranging in height from 2 feet to 6 feet. Stacks of propane tanks, melted irrigation tubing, empty fertilizer canisters, mounds of trash, a torched cooking stove and a semiautomatic rifle were also found at the Los Padres National Forest location, the sheriff and other agents said.Narcotics agents said Tuesday they had little doubt that the nearly 90,000-acre La... more
The New York Times weighed in on the marijuana debate July 17 with an article that tilted distinctly in the direction of unwarranted hysteria.
Built around a series of anecdotes involving individuals who got into difficulty with marijuana — which is entirely possible — the story fell apart when it got to the science.
For example, it referred to a 2004 Journal of the American Medical Association study that “suggested that the stronger cannabis is contributing to higher addiction rates.” But the Times failed to note that this study did not provide any actual evidence that higher-potency marijuana is leading to higher rates of abuse or dependence. While such a suggestion was offered by the authors, it was pure speculation, as the study was not designed to determine the effects of potency. And it was arrived at by ignoring relevant data.
According to the official diagnostic criteria, a person can be diagnosed as a ”substance abuser” because of ”recurrent substance-related legal problems” — without any other symptoms. During the period of the JAMA study, marijuana arrests skyrocketed, from 300,000 in 1991 to well over 700,000 in 2001. Given the complete lack of scientific evidence that high-potency marijuana is more addictive, the massive increase in arrests represent a more plausible explanation for the increase in purported “marijuana abuse.”
The story also failed to note that there is no scientific consensus that increases in potency represent any risk at all. For example, an examination of the issue published last year in the journal Addiction noted that claims about increased potency date back to at least 1975, but that “more research is needed to determine whether increased potency … translates to harm for users.”
And the Times, which gave little space to scientists not hysterical about marijuana, let all sorts of utter nonsense go unrefuted, including National Institute on Drug Abuse director Nora Volkow’s bizarre claim that “it’s going to take some real fatalities for people to pay attention” to marijuana. Given that the number of proven fatalities caused by marijuana’s direct effects remains zero, basic journalism should have required the Times to get a contrasting view from one of the many scientists with at leastThe New York Times weighed in on the marijuana debate July 17 with an article that... more
It is hard to envisage a no-entry sign tagged to a towering redwood tree. But the recession – writ on an epic scale in California's proposal to close 220 state parks – is forcing the American public to confront the closure of the great outdoors.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's governor, is trying to make up a $26bn (£16bn) budget shortfall, and has suggested that California can no longer afford to run its parks.
Conservationists are meanwhile arguing that California cannot afford not to. And this week the federal government appeared to partly agree, with the National Parks Service threatening to seize some of the sites if Schwarzenegger goes ahead with the closures.
The proposed shutdown of the parks would affect 80% of California's nature reserves, historic sites and recreation areas, and restrict access to 30% of the state's coastline. Affected areas would stretch from the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas to the beaches and wetlands of Big Sur, and to the deserts of San Diego, where some of the last peninsular bighorn sheep roam.
California is not alone. The crisis has also exposed hitherto hidden casualties of the economic downturn, with states from Oregon to Illinois, and New York to Tennessee, struggling to stretch resources.It is hard to envisage a no-entry sign tagged to a towering redwood tree. But the... more
I’ll be appearing tonight with my beloved bass, Bessie (Six Strings of She-Funk) Bottomend, to chat on the Cannabis Common Sense show live here in Portland. The embedded window below should give you the live feed for Show #495 from 8pm-9pm Pacific tonight, but if not, just visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cannabis-common-sense. If the camera gets close enough, you may even see Bessie’s “Green Bud Packers” sticker.I’ll be appearing tonight with my beloved bass, Bessie (Six Strings of She-Funk)... more
Three television stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles have rejected an ad promoting the legalization and taxation of marijuana, set to run on consenting stations and cable networks in the state beginning Wednesday.
Two ABC affiliates joined one NBC station in the decision to reject the spots. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, has called for a debate on legalizing marijuana.
"I think it's time for a debate," he said in May. "And I think that we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what affect it had on those countries, and are they happy with that decision."
KABC in Los Angeles and KGO and KNTV in San Francisco apparently aren't interested in such a debate. "How can you debate it if they won't air both sides?" wondered Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which is behind the ad buy that he called "modest but not trivial."Three television stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles have rejected an ad... more
The British cannabis community has been run roughshod over ever since the Misuse of Drugs act was implemented in the 70's, but now its hoping to fight for a more scientific basis to our nations drugs laws, by asking for a national referendum on the legality and the practicality of reclassifying cannabis a class B drug.
http://pr.cannazine.co.uk : When former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith wasn't watching porn paid for by the tax payer with her husband Richard Timney she was changing laws which frankly many British voters thought didn't need changing.
"So much for the democratic process" said many of her opponents.
And to drive home her opinion she would often be 'sparing with the truth' in an attempt to garner support for her points of view.
One such statute Ms Smith attempted to foist on the Great British public involved mandatory ID cards.
A law which Gordon Brown decided to enforce support for with use of "the whip". A tool used to make sure party members do not rebel by voting against the government.
Indeed Redditch MP Smith even commented on TV how many people had approached her to ask and I quote, "when are the ID cards coming".
Although the press would suggest a totally different public response to the thought of having to carry an ID card.
Cannabis
Cannabis law was also a hobby-horse of the self confessed ex-cannabis consumer, who admitted to smoking the evil weed whilst at university.
On the announcement of the law change in January 2009 the then Home Secretary announced "I am not prepared to wait and see if the British youth may or may not suffer mental health issues as a result of cannabis use, so I am changing the law to protect them".
And in doing so Jacqui Smith went against every scrap of expert evidence offered in the run up to the law change, pandering instead to the right wing press in a bid to save the already doomed Labour party.
And perhaps the fact she tried to use a public health issue as a political ping-pong ball may have had something to do with her growing unpopularity at the time?
In the meantime the United Nations has recently pointed to the 'class A' drugs problems which have befallen the United Kingdom. Pointing to the fact the UK now has a serious problem with cocaine and heroin. A problem which isn't going to fix itself anytime soon, whilst the Police sit by the bus load outside the home of a cannabis grower who may only be growing a few plants for himself...your pants on fire..Jacqui Smith
The British cannabis community has been run... more
CALGARY -- A marijuana advocate who has described himself as the "Prince of Pot" launched a cross-country farewell tour yesterday before he turns himself in to face drug-related charges in the United States.
Marc Emery, 51, who operates a marijuana paraphernalia store and is the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, has given up his long fight to avoid extradition to the U.S. for selling cannabis seeds to Americans.
He said he plans to turn himself in to authorities in Seattle in the fall and expects to serve a lengthy prison sentence.
But first, he'll tour several Canadian cities.
"I'm being taken to a U.S. prison for something I did in Canada as innocuous as selling seeds, which don't even have any drug quality, and yet I have to face a five-year term for that," Emery said as he launched his tour in Calgary.
The pot advocate has said his Vancouver lawyer persuaded him that he could not win an extradition fight that began after he was arrested in 2005 on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
Emery has said there have been talks with a U.S. assistant district attorney about pleading guilty to a count of marijuana distribution.
While a prosecutor could seek an eight-year term, Emery's lawyer would seek no more than five years in prison.
"It's difficult to say what will happen in a U.S. federal penitentiary. It's never very pleasant. American jails aren't run nearly as well as Canadian jails," said Emery.
He and his wife Jodie were greeted by other marijuana advocates at the Calgary airport.
Emery said he decided to go on tour to say goodbye to friends and encourage them to keep up the fight to legalize marijuana.
"I'm going away for a long time so I expect everybody to do their best and pick up the slack for me," he said.
The marijuana activist is expected to make stops in Edmonton, Banff, Lethbridge and Saskatoon.CALGARY -- A marijuana advocate who has described himself as the "Prince of... more
"The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new meaning in February, 2000 when researchers in Madrid announced they had destroyed incurable brain tumors in rats by injecting them with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
The Madrid study marks only the second time that THC has been administered to tumor-bearing animals; the first was a Virginia investigation 26 years ago. In both studies, the THC shrank or destroyed tumors in a majority of the test subjects.
Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no major U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and UPI news wires, on Feb. 29, 2000.
The ominous part is that this isn't the first time scientists have discovered that THC shrinks tumors. In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice - lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia."
Con't on linkThis kinda stuff upsets me.
"The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new... more
Much has made — by the mainstream media and others — of the claim that cannabis use causes certain types of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia and psychosis.
Most notably perhaps, a team of researchers writing in the July 28, 2007 edition of the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, boldly proclaimed that smoking cannabis could boost one’s risk of a psychotic episode by 40 percent or more.
Naturally, this alarmist rhetoric received wall-to-wall coverage by the mainstream press. Even more troubling, the supposed ‘pot-and-schizophrenia’ link was one of the primary reasons cited by British PM Gordon Brown, ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and others as the impetus for reclassifying cannabis (from a verbal warning to a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in jail) in the United Kingdom.
Of course, there was a fatal flaw with The Lancet’s argument — one that, oddly enough, every single MSM outlet failed to mention. Empirical data did not support the investigators’ hypothesis that smoking marijuana was associated with increased rates of schizophrenia or other mental illnesses among the general public — a fact that even the authors begrudgingly admitted when they declared, “Projected trends for schizophrenia incidence have not paralleled trends in cannabis use over time.”
Which brings us to 2009.
Two years after The Lancet’s dire predictions, a team of researchers at the Keele University Medical School have once and for all put the ‘pot-and-mental illness’ claims to the test. Writing in a forthcoming edition of the scientific journal Schizophrenia Research, they compare long-term trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia and/or psychoses in the United Kingdom. And what do they find? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900Much has made — by the mainstream media and others — of the claim that... more
The time-honored notion of reefer madness, given new life recently in the British tabloid press, has taken another hit from reality. Widespread marijuana use by the public has not been followed by a proportional rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia or psychosis, according to the findings of a forthcoming study to be published in the scientific journal Schizophrenia Research.
It stands to reason, after all: If marijuana really led to psychosis, wouldn't the streets be choked with burned-out, gibbering potheads?
Film director John Holowach, responsible for the documentary High: The True Story of American Marijuana, wasn't surprised. "I've said it for years now," Holowach told SF Weekly. "If pot and mental illness were linked, the two should rise and fall with one another, but they don't."The time-honored notion of reefer madness, given new life recently in the British... more
SALEM, N.J. (AP) — A man who allegedly wanted to buy some marijuana was arrested after he mistakenly sent a text message...... More At LINKSALEM, N.J. (AP) — A man who allegedly wanted to buy some marijuana was arrested... more
A pot-smoking British postal carrier has pleaded guilty to burning mail after he said the weed made him too lazy to deliver it.A pot-smoking British postal carrier has pleaded guilty to burning mail after he said... more
A UN agency has published a comprehensive report on the worldwide illicit drugs market, the World Drug Report 2009. The graphs and maps below show the extent of the problem and measures to tackle it.
Cannabis is still the most widely produced and used drug in the world. It is also a drug that is increasing in potency. In the last decade, the amount of THC (the harmful component) found in marijuana from North America - grown using the latest techniques - has almost doubled.
The World Drugs Report shows consumption of both cannabis and cocaine, at least in the western world, remains steady or is in decline. In the last decade, cocaine use in the USA among 10th and 12th grade high school students fell by 40% and 30%.
In Spain, Europe's largest cocaine market, annual prevalence of cocaine among secondary school students fell from 7.2% in 2004 to 4.1% in 2006. The picture is less clear in developing countries where data is limited.
Use of amphetamines, methamphetamine and ecstasy has levelled off in developed countries but production and consumption in developing countries may be growing.A UN agency has published a comprehensive report on the worldwide illicit drugs... more
At 2004 Cannabis Therapeutics Conference, Dr. Melamede, University of Colorado, explains how the Endocannabinoid System functions as a "Global Homeostatic Regulator", balancing several organ systems. He hypothesises that, "Free Radicals are the Friction of Life. Endocannabinoids are the Oil of Life." Conference hosted by Patients Out of Time. http://MedicalCannabis.comAt 2004 Cannabis Therapeutics Conference, Dr. Melamede, University of Colorado,... more
FOX makes me so angry sometimes... Usually I can ignore their reporting as ignorant banter, but these are just alarmist lies! It makes no difference that the study was based on “calf thymus DNA treated in vitro (in a Petri dish) … with the smoke generated from 1, 5, and 10 cannabis cigarettes.”http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526842,00.html
FOX makes me so angry... more
