MAPTalk-Digest Monday, March 11 2013 Volume 13 : Number 008
001 Votes needed
From: "Leroy Casterline" <>
002 Fun with the drug warriors
From: "Leroy Casterline" <>
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Subj: 001 Votes needed
From: "Leroy Casterline" <>
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 08:27:40 -0800
http://entertainment.verizon.com/news/index.php
Do you think the US should nullify state laws legalizing marijuana?
unsure 444 3.3%
yes 5695 42.0%
no 7520 55.4%
total 13569 100.0%
55.4 over 42 = 132%
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Subj: 002 Fun with the drug warriors
From: "Leroy Casterline" <>
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:06:50 -0700
It's time for a bit of fun. The drug warriors at Save our Society have
presented us with an opportunity to use their system against them. I
received this link in my email this morning:
http://capwiz.com/saveoursociety/issues/alert/?alertid=62491001&queuei
wiz:queue_id]
It's one of those sites which allow you to send a pre-written letter to your
congress critters - and since they let you change the text of the letter to
suit your purpose I took the liberty of making a few subtle changes before
sending it on:
It is my understanding that, although asked several times by organizations
which benefit from our failed drug war, Attorney General Holder has wisely
decided to avoid a knee-jerk reaction and carefully consider how to best
respond to the will of the people of Colorado and Washington, where voters
carefully considered their options and chose to legalize marijuana.
The American people deserve to know how this issue will be handled and, as
one of those citizens, I am asking that you represent my concerns and pose
the following questions to the Attorney General's Office:
1. Why hasn't the Department of Justice announced that, in the spirit of
federalism and in observation of the will of the citizens of these states,
no action will be taken?
2. What is being done to extract ourselves from our the overbearing
international drug control treaty obligations which require the United
States to act against our own best interest as a nation by enforcing the
harmful laws prohibiting the distribution, sale and cultivation of
marijuana?
Marijuana is a relatively harmless substance and is a broadly useful
medicine. Regular use of marijuana has shown that it offers some degree of
protection against Alzheimer's, lung cancer and other diseases. Users of
marijuana tend to use less alcohol which directly and indirectly kills many
thousands of Americans every year and is a major factor in domestic violence
and reckless behavior. Highway fatalities have dropped significantly in
states which have approved marijuana use.
THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Today, according to the
University of Mississippi, National Center for Natural Products Research,
Potency Monitoring Project, average THC levels of DEA seizures are 13.7%; a
very significant increase from the 70's. The increased potency of marijuana
is beneficial to those who choose to smoke the herb because less material
must be smoked to achieve the desired effect. Why aren't we encouraging
research to discover ways to increase potency, thus further reducing harm to
smokers?
Research has proven that marijuana is less addictive than coffee. It is the
number one reason why children are forced into unnecessary substance abuse
treatment in the United States, helping to drive up our skyrocketing health
care costs.
The impact of legalized marijuana does not only benefit Washington and
Colorado. Marijuana originating in Colorado already has been found in 23
other states, according to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area, an organization whose very existence depends upon such
findings.
Marijuana prohibition significantly impacts our environment as illegal
growers occupy sections of our national forests, uprooting native flora and
polluting the once-pristine streams and rivers in these areas.
Sound drug policy must be rooted in evidence-based science, not driven by
special interest groups who benefit from the continuation of our disastrous
prohibition of this God-given plant.
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End of MAPTalk-Digest V13 #8
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