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51US OH: Column: High on CompassionSun, 25 Mar 2007
Source:Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH) Author:O'Reilly, Bill Area:Ohio Lines:Excerpt Added:03/28/2007

It seemed like a good idea at the time, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed Californians to use marijuana with a doctor's permission to alleviate pain. The act was put on the ballot, and California voters passed it 56 to 44 percent.

The biggest bankroller of the referendum was George Soros, the secular-progressive billionaire who champions drug legalization. He pumped about $350,000 into pro-medpot ads, according to published reports.

Since the act was passed into law, thousands of pot "clinics" have opened across the Golden State. In San Francisco, things got so out of control that Mayor Gavin Newsom, a very liberal guy, had to close many of the "clinics" because drug addicts were clustering around them, causing fear among city residents. In San Diego, there's another problem. Some high school kids have found a loophole in the Compassion Act. Incredibly, there is no age requirement to secure medical marijuana in California and no physical examination needed either. So some kids tell a doctor they have a headache, pay him $150 for a card, and then buy all the pot they want. Unbelievable, but true.

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52 US TX: OPED: Law Enforcement Against ProhibitionWed, 14 Mar 2007
Source:Lufkin Daily News (TX) Author:Nelson, Terry Area:Texas Lines:80 Added:03/13/2007

During my lengthy career in law enforcement spanning three decades - including time with U.S. Customs and the U.S. Border Patrol - I've come to learn several sobering truths that merit attention from parents, educators and policy makers. The most notable is that under a system where certain drugs are made illegal, police are confronted with two impossible assignments.

First, cops can't be effective long term as "drug educators". Despite excellent, honest intentions, diverting police officers into this role creates instant conflicts of vital interest.. Not only are they being removed from their primary job as peace officers and law enforcers, they are also being presented to our youth as a "friend" or mentor on the topic of drugs. While a fifth grader may embrace such a pitch, they soon become more educated teenagers. And they can easily observe that a cop is the last person with whom they want to talk about drugs, which often carry with them harsh criminal penalties.

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53 US CA: OPED: Street Gang RealpolitikSun, 25 Mar 2007
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Beall, Will Area:California Lines:112 Added:03/24/2007

Black and Latino Gangsters Aren't At War With Each Other. They're Business Partners.

I TALK TO a lot of gangsters in my line of work. A lot of them are like child soldiers, both dangerous and pathetic, at once sharpened and blunted by years of constant predation and grief. Still, I liked this guy last week. He was watchful and laconic, like a lot of cops I know. He got jumped into a gang around the time I became a cop, said he'd done it for the health plan -- figuring it was healthier to get jumped in than to keep getting jumped on.

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54 CN AB: Krieger Off to Jail - Pending Pot Problem SolutionTue, 27 Mar 2007
Source:Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Author:Martin, Kevin Area:Alberta Lines:69 Added:03/31/2007

Marijuana crusader and medicinal pot user Grant Krieger must serve time behind bars for trafficking in the drug, a judge ruled today.

But provincial court Judge William Pepler delayed the start of Krieger's four-month sentence so provincial corrections officials can make arrangements for him to have his dope in jail.

Pepler agreed with Crown prosecutor Scott Couper a term of incarceration was warranted, even though Krieger peddled marijuana for altruistic reasons.

Krieger, 52, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was convicted last September, of two charges of trafficking cannabis.

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55 US WA: Longview Says Fighting Crime Now Is City's No. 1Tue, 20 Mar 2007
Source:Daily News, The (Longview, WA) Author:Fischer, Amy M. E. Area:Washington Lines:74 Added:03/19/2007

Fighting crime should be the city of Longview's top priority, members of the community told the City Council at last month's Citizens' Summit.

Throughout the council's recent community outreach campaign, city leaders heard a consistent theme of improving livability and reducing the impact of crime in the area, according to a city of Longview press release. But of all the issues raised at the Citizens' Summit, "by far, solving the crime problem was the number one top priority," the press release said.

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56 US MI: Jail Population Triggers Early Release ProcessWed, 21 Feb 2007
Source:Spinal Column Newsweekly (MI) Author:Sawmiller, Andrew Area:Michigan Lines:54 Added:02/21/2007

The Oakland County Jail is again officially over its inmate capacity, triggering a process that could lead to prisoner sentence reductions and early releases.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard issued an inmate overcrowding emergency declaration on Wednesday, Feb. 14. If prisoners are released early, it would be the sixth time since August 2005 that the county has reduced inmate sentences due to inmate crowding.

The jail is currently housing about 1,859 inmates, which is 31 over its capacity of 1,828.

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57 US FL: Allow Drugs But Control And Enforce, Activist SaysSun, 18 Feb 2007
Source:Palm Beach Post, The (FL) Author:Simmonsen, Rachel Area:Florida Lines:62 Added:02/18/2007

STUART -- Peter Christ doesn't condone illicit drugs. In fact, he thinks they're so dangerous, they should be regulated and controlled. And that's why he opposes the ban on drugs such as marijuana, heroine and cocaine.

"It doesn't work," Christ said of the country's war against drugs, a decades-old policy on which he said the federal government spends $70 billion a year.

Speaking Saturday to about 30 people at the Blake Library, the vice director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition said the country needs to revamp its drug policy, ending prohibition of illicit drugs in favor of regulation and control.

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58US: DEA Judge Supports Medical Marijuana ResearchTue, 13 Feb 2007
Source:North Country Gazette (NY)          Area:United States Lines:Excerpt Added:02/13/2007

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union applauded a ruling issued by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration judge that recommends ending the federal government's 65- year monopoly on the supply of marijuana available for Food and Drug Administration-approved medical research.

The ACLU represents University of Massachusetts-Amherst Professor Lyle Craker, who petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for a license to grow research-grade marijuana for use in privately-funded studies that aim to develop the plant into a legal, prescription medicine. The DEA judge ruled that it is in the public interest to end the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) monopoly on the supply of marijuana that can be used in Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved research.

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59 US: Web: Multiple Sclerosis Sufferer Serving 25-Year SentenceWed, 14 Mar 2007
Source:AlterNet (US Web) Author:Szalavitz, Maia Area:United States Lines:104 Added:03/13/2007

Florida's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Richard Paey, a wheelchair-using father of three who is currently serving a 25-year mandatory prison sentence for taking his own pain medication. In doing so, the court let stand a decision which essentially claims that the courts have no role in checking the powers of the executive and legislative branches of government when an individual outcome is patently unjust.

Richard Paey -- who suffers both multiple sclerosis and from the aftermath of a disastrous and barbaric back surgery that resulted in multiple major malpractice judgments -- now receives virtually twice as much morphine in prison than the equivalent in opioid medications for which he was convicted of forging prescriptions.

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60 US WI: OPED: 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus'Sun, 25 Mar 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Romero, Anthony Area:Wisconsin Lines:104 Added:03/24/2007

First Amendment Case Sparks Unexpected Alliances

Banner Prompts First Big Free Speech Case In Years

The First Amendment has a way of inspiring unexpected alliances. A case the Supreme Court began debating Monday, Morse v. Frederick, is providing just that inspiration.

The case is one of the first substantial challenges to student free speech rights in more than 20 years, and it is one which both of our organizations -- the Center for Individual Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union -- consider vitally important.

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61 US CA: Column: Medical Marijuana Use in Morgan HillTue, 20 Mar 2007
Source:Gilroy Dispatch, The (CA) Author:Pampuch, Lisa Area:California Lines:116 Added:03/19/2007

Let's Be Reasonable

Inanimate objects are not inherently good or evil; what matters is how they're used.

That statement is so patently obvious that it seems silly to utter it. But bear with me.

Take, for example, the automobile. There's no such thing as an evil automobile or a good automobile; what matters is how an automobile is used.

An automobile can be used for good. It can deliver children to school, patients to doctors, workers to employment, the hungry to food. The manufacture, maintenance, repair and sale of automobiles creates jobs.

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62 US IL: PUB LTE: Support the ScienceSat, 31 Mar 2007
Source:Chicago Tribune (IL) Author:Ramirez, Leslie Area:Illinois Lines:28 Added:03/30/2007

Many physicians agree that marijuana can a beneficial form of treatment for patients with everything from cancer to migraines. Even so, some people still balk at the mere mention of the word "marijuana." Ironically the most reluctant to accept modern science is not the average citizen but those in politics. This is obvious when one looks to recent polls showing massive support in Illinois for a medical marijuana law, and explains why our legislature hasn't passed any of the medical marijuana bills introduced over the last few years.

I have seen the science that supports the use of medical marijuana. I have seen the numbers that show the public supports it. What I don't see are our legislators acting on any of this. Where are they?

Dr. Leslie Ramirez

Chicago

[end]

63 US MD: PUB LTE: And This Surprises You How?Thu, 29 Mar 2007
Source:Montgomery County Sentinel (Rockville, MD) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:Maryland Lines:44 Added:03/28/2007

Regarding Brian J. Karem's thoughtful Mar. 22nd column, alcohol kills more Americans each year than all illegal drugs combined. Prescription overdose deaths are second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death from unintentional injury. Television is filled with highly sophisticated pro-drug messages paid for by alcohol and pharmaceutical companies. The Bush administration doesn't have a problem with corporate drug pushers. But hoist a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at a high school rally in Alaska, and they will fight you all the way to the Supreme Court.

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64 US IL: PUB LTE: Living With PainSat, 31 Mar 2007
Source:Chicago Tribune (IL) Author:Camp, Lisa L. Van Area:Illinois Lines:63 Added:03/30/2007

Growing up as the daughter of a physician, medical issues were frequently discussed at home; malpractice, illnesses, surgery and drugs were all common topics of conversation. I often read through my father's medical journals and found them to be both fascinating and educational. As an adult, medical journals still intrigue me, and I subscribe to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Today I am personally faced with several medical issues. I live with multiple forms of arthritis and, as a result, do a great deal of research on them. I have had multiple joint replacements due to my arthritis, with more surgeries looming in the future. I also have been diagnosed with Dercum's disease. Dercum's disease is marked by painful fatty tumor growths. It is a progressive, crippling, disfiguring and extremely painful disease. This dreadful disease has been a part of my life since 1984.

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65 US MA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Should Be Legal Without AnySun, 01 Apr 2007
Source:Republican, The (Springfield, MA) Author:Erickson, Allan Area:Massachusetts Lines:49 Added:03/31/2007

Many thanks to The Republican for your excellent editorial, "Marijuana as medicine a decision for doctors" (March 22).

In the editorial you pose the question: "Is her doctor undermining this nation's war on drugs by prescribing marijuana to her?"" I submit that the question should be: "Is this nation's war on drugs undermining her doctor by denying marijuana to her?"

By denying the efficacy of cannabis as medicine our federal government perpetrates a fraud. Cannabis is one of humanity's oldest - and undeniably safest - medicines, appearing in the Chinese pharmacopeia 5,000 years ago.

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66 US NH: Editorial: Anti-Pot Message Needs to Be LouderWed, 04 Apr 2007
Source:Foster's Daily Democrat (NH)          Area:New Hampshire Lines:70 Added:04/04/2007

The New Hampshire House acted wisely last week in turning back an attempt to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Unfortunately, the narrow margin by which HB 774 was defeated has given enough hope to supporters that the bill is certain to return.

Backers achieved their near-victory by marketing HB 774 as one of compassion.

"This is sensible, compassionate legislation that protects our most vulnerable citizens," said Stuart Cooper of the New Hampshire Marijuana Policy Initiative in a press release after the vote.

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67 US CA: Editorial: Sick Shouldn't Suffer in Laws Over MarijuanaTue, 03 Apr 2007
Source:Tribune, The (San Luis Obispo, CA)          Area:California Lines:66 Added:04/03/2007

Californians approved growing and smoking pot for health reasons more than a decade ago. Yet, as last week's bust of a Morro Bay marijuana dispensary illustrates, law enforcement -- whether local or federal -- is still dropping the hammer on such co-ops.

Unfortunately, the sick and the suffering are caught in the middle.

Here's our take:

If illegal drug dealing is taking place at marijuana dispensaries, or doctors are cavalierly handing out medical marijuana cards, then, yes, the system is being gamed and penalties should be paid.

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68 CN BC: Editorial: Drug Policy NeededWed, 04 Apr 2007
Source:Victoria News (CN BC)          Area:British Columbia Lines:80 Added:04/04/2007

For as long as the "War on Drugs" has been raging in North America and elsewhere around the world, opinion has been split on how best to approach the socially controversial and politically volatile subject.

In one camp, staunch opponents of recreational drug use have called for total bans on all such substances and harsh penalties for offenders. Their view tends to be fairly black and white: if the activity is illegal, then throw the book at 'em.

At the other end of the spectrum, advocates of marijuana decriminalization and those who favour reduced penalties for other substances suggest that the battle against drugs simply isn't working and will never stop people from using drugs if they're determined to do so.

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69 US: Web: The List: The Drug Wars New BattlegroundsSun, 01 Apr 2007
Source:Foreign Policy (US)          Area:United States Lines:173 Added:03/31/2007

Despite efforts to stem the global trade in narcotics--indeed, often because of them--new trade routes are emerging around the world, posing challenges to authorities and local populations alike. In this week's List, FP takes a look at the newest fronts in the global war on drugs.

Cocaine To The United States

Traditional source: Colombia, via Mexico or Central America

New front: Venezuela, via Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The U.S. State Department noted a 167 percent increase in cocaine flight traffic to Hispaniola from 2005 to 2006, and the Miami Herald uncovered a classified U.S. document in March that reports a nearly fourfold increase in cocaine-smuggling flights to the island since 2003. Traffickers are 98 percent successful, according to the paper's summary of the report.

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70US MO: Missouri Bill Calls for Crackdown on Sale of ... Baking SodaThu, 05 Apr 2007
Source:St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Author:Kravitz, Derek Area:Missouri Lines:Excerpt Added:04/05/2007

JEFFERSON CITY -- First, the state said you must make a special trip to the pharmacy counter to buy certain cold medicines. That was to curb production of methamphetamine.

Now, a St. Louis legislator wants you to do the same thing to buy an even more common household item -- baking soda -- because it's used to make crack cocaine.

Sales of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed, are strictly regulated in Missouri. Customers must show a photo ID when they buy the medicine. Pharmacists must log the names and addresses of buyers, including how much they buy. People under 18 may not buy the medicines.

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71 US CA: PUB LTE: Prez Candidates and Medical MarijuanaThu, 12 Apr 2007
Source:Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco, CA) Author:Mirken, Bruce Area:California Lines:42 Added:04/12/2007

Can a candidate be considered a friend of the LGBT community if he or she thinks it's okay to arrest and jail people with HIV/AIDS for using medical marijuana to relieve their nausea or peripheral neuropathy? The question wasn't raised in your story, "Gay leaders slow to join Dem prez bandwagons" [March 29], but it's worth asking.

At this point, we don't know where many of the candidates stand on medical marijuana, but we do know about a few. On April 2, Governor Bill Richardson (D) signed legislation making New Mexico the 12th state to permit medical use of marijuana - legislation he actively lobbied for ["New Mexico gov signs medical pot law," April 5]. Also supportive, based on his prior statements, is Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

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72 US CA: Drug Use Rearrests Up After Prop 36Sat, 14 Apr 2007
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Garvey, Megan Area:California Lines:198 Added:04/14/2007

A UCLA Study Raises Questions About the Effectiveness of the Law Mandating Treatment Instead of Jail Time.

Convicted drug users in California are more likely to be arrested on new drug charges since Proposition 36 took effect than before voters approved the landmark law mandating drug treatment rather than incarceration, according a long-awaited study released Friday.

The state-funded study, conducted by UCLA researchers who have pored over four years of drug-related court cases, raises new questions about the effectiveness of Proposition 36 at a time when lawmakers and courts are discussing stricter requirements for defendants.

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73 US UT: PUB LTE: The Constitution Shouldn't Be a Casualty ofWed, 11 Apr 2007
Source:Daily Herald, The (Provo, UT) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:Utah Lines:32 Added:04/11/2007

Prescription overdose deaths are now second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death from unintentional injury. Television is filled with pro-drug messages paid for by alcohol and pharmaceutical companies. The Bush administration doesn't have a problem with corporate drug pushers. But hoist a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at an off-campus high school rally in Alaska, and you'll be fought all the way to the Supreme Court.

It's not clear how this nonsensical phrase somehow merits limiting free speech. Culture warriors in the White House seem to think the war on pot is more important than the Constitution. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there: By raiding medical marijuana providers in California, the very same Bush administration that claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently, marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism, too.

Robert Sharpe, Arlington, Va.

[end]

74 Canada: PUB LTE: Drug Regulation, Not ProhibitionThu, 12 Apr 2007
Source:National Post (Canada) Author:Kosinski, George Area:Canada Lines:35 Added:04/12/2007

Re: Police 'Violence' & The Hells Angels, letter, April 10; Drugs and The Hells Angels, letter, April 7.

The main point I was trying to make in my April 7 letter -- a point that I feel was lost in the Post's editing process -- was that we need to regulate all drugs, just as we now regulate tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs.

As well as being a reasonably effective means of social control, this would eliminate a major source of income for organized crime, which is thriving in spite of all the police raids.

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75 US OH: PUB LTE: Truth About MethFri, 13 Apr 2007
Source:Record-Courier (OH) Author:White, Stan Area:Ohio Lines:28 Added:04/13/2007

April 13, 2007 After all government says about cannabis (marijuana/the devil weed), how do citizens know government is telling the truth about meth ("Rootstown meth labs leave lasting effects," Record-Courier, April 9)?

According to government, cannabis is the biggest problem in North America. Just ask the U.S. drug czar. Today's pot is more like cocaine, causing cancer and all.

Cannabis is a Schedule I drug, while meth is only a Schedule II drug; so meth must not be a big deal, right? What's the truth?

Stan White

Dillon, Colorado

[end]

76 US TX: PUB LTE: Light UpTue, 17 Apr 2007
Source:Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX) Author:White, Stan Area:Texas Lines:31 Added:04/22/2007

Citizens should not be denied employment ("Job seeker drug use may be exaggerated," April 8) because of failing a drug test because of cannabis usage. If people can choose to enjoy beer or wine after work, cannabis should not be discriminated against.

Another reason to stop discriminating against responsible adult humans for using cannabis (kaneh bosm/marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned is because it's biblically correct since Christ God Our Father (The Ecologician) indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).

The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5).

Stan White

Dillon, Colo.

[end]

77 US AL: PUB LTE: Make Medicinal Marijuana LegalSun, 15 Apr 2007
Source:Tuscaloosa News, The (AL) Author:Phillips, Michael Area:Alabama Lines:42 Added:04/15/2007

Dear Editor: I am a 36-year-old man with an inoperable brain tumor, which causes multiple grand mal seizures a day. I have been a patient at Children's Hospital and the Kirklin Clinic since the age of 8. I have had four unsuccessful brain surgeries.

I have been on every seizure medication known to mankind, as well as some that never received the Federal Drug Administration's approval. A few years ago, I saw a program on marijuana being used as a seizure deterrent. I decided to try marijuana as a medicine, and I have had better results using marijuana in its natural form than from any other treatment in my life. My seizures have decreased from six to eight per day to one every six to eight weeks. My neurologists have documented this in my medical records.

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78 UK: PUB LTE: Surcharge TaxThu, 12 Apr 2007
Source:Cambridge Evening News (UK) Author:Stringfellow, Antony Area:United Kingdom Lines:34 Added:04/12/2007

RE your article "Magistrates brand new fine surcharge immoral", (April 10).

I am writing in support of a decision by magistrate Alan Williams not to apply a UKP15 victim surcharge to a 19-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of cannabis.

Surely, common sense alone dictates that for such a surcharge to apply there has to be at least one victim?

Where is the victim in this case (besides the man charged with this offence)?

I suggest that this surcharge is no more than a tax on those who fall foul of the law. If it is any more than that, then I for one would be interested in hearing the explanation.

Antony Stringfellow

Great Corby

Carlisle

[end]

79 US: Web: A Nightmare Behind BarsThu, 19 Apr 2007
Source:CounterPunch (US Web) Author:Papa, Anthony Area:United States Lines:107 Added:04/23/2007

John Valverde's Fight for Freedom

Former Governor George Pataki's legacy of not freeing rehabilitated violent offenders is alive and well in New York State. Today thousands of parole petitioners are ready to return to society as productive citizens but remain stuck in prison because of the politics of incarceration.

This unwritten policy persists in spite of newly installed Governor Elliot Spitzer's attempt to correct the criminal justice sector, as evidenced by his recent calls to remove the exorbitant charges on collect calls

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80 US NH: PUB LTE: Drug War Is a Legacy of FailureSat, 14 Apr 2007
Source:Foster's Daily Democrat (NH) Author:Erickson, Allan Area:New Hampshire Lines:55 Added:04/14/2007

Joyce Nalepka, in her letter "Anti-marijuana editorial lauded" of April 9, says nothing to defend her notorious prohibitionist stance.

Nalepka (nor the Foster's editors who wrote the editorial she responded to) cannot actually defend the prohibition to which she (they) subscribes. Our war On (some) drugs -- Prohibition II -- is the longest running fraud ever perpetrated by our government upon us and your foolishness is part of it.

Cannabis is medicine:

-- It is, as stated in 1988 in the words of DEA administrative law judge, Francis Young, "one of the safest therapeutic substances known to man."

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81 US WI: PUB LTE: Drug War's Sour TasteMon, 16 Apr 2007
Source:Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, WI) Author:Michon, D. H. Area:Wisconsin Lines:42 Added:04/16/2007

Recent news reports about candy-flavored methamphetamine illustrate an inescapable law of the drug war's black market, to whit: Hit one popular drug hard enough to affect supply, and the professional dealers will always come back with something much worse. We have seen it all before: Cocaine begat freebase which begat crack which begat methamphetamine. "Ice" will be next. It may have felt good to knock out the majority of the ad hoc meth labs, but it's only opened the market to vicious and over-funded drug gangs in Mexico and to "products" such as candy-flavored meth. The principle holds for other drugs as well. In fact, poisonous alcohol was common during Prohibition.

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82 US RI: Lawmakers Hear Impassioned Plea To Extend Medical Marijuana BillTue, 03 Apr 2007
Source:Warwick Beacon (RI) Author:Johnson, Laurie Area:Rhode Island Lines:76 Added:04/03/2007

Nearly two-dozen people crowded into a small and stuffy hearing room at the Rhode Island State House last Wednesday. Some came in wheelchairs, while others used white canes to guide them.

They came to ask lawmakers to make Rhode Island's medical marijuana law permanent. Right now, the law is set to expire on June 30, 2007. On that date, nearly 250 patients licensed by the state health department will lose their legal privilege to use pot to help them manage the pain of serious diseases, including cancer, AIDS, MS and glaucoma.

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83 US DC: OPED: Where Victims' Rights Go WrongMon, 23 Apr 2007
Source:Washington Post (DC) Author:Boss, Barry Area:District of Columbia Lines:106 Added:04/23/2007

Since 1981, the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime has dedicated a week in April to recognizing crime victims' rights. The week -- this year's observance began yesterday -- is usually marked by rallies, candlelight vigils and other activities intended to promote victims' rights and to honor crime victims and those who work on their behalf.

Victims deserve the recognition that this week provides, and they deserve sympathy and compensation for their losses. But I am increasingly concerned about what I believe they do not deserve, which is the right to serve as de facto prosecutors, a practice that is quietly insinuating itself into the legal system.

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84US IL: Pastors Unite in Favor of Medical MarijuanaSat, 21 Apr 2007
Source:Contra Costa Times (CA) Author:Huffstutter, P. J. Area:Illinois Lines:Excerpt Added:04/21/2007

Illinois Church Leaders Urge State Lawmakers to Approve Bill That Would Legalize Appropriate Use

CHICAGO -- Arguing that Illinois lawmakers have a moral duty to legalize medical use of marijuana, dozens of pastors and church leaders are urging them to allow doctors to recommend the drug for seriously ill patients.

The religious leaders say they feel compelled to support doctors who want to use whatever tools necessary to ease the pain of the extremely sick.

A petition was e-mailed to state senators late last month. The state Senate was expected to vote on the bill this week, said Sen. John Cullerton, the bill's author. If passed and signed into law, Illinois would become the 13th state to allow the use of medical marijuana.

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85 US IL: Woman Acquitted Of Selling Heroin Near Nursing HomeThu, 19 Apr 2007
Source:Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL) Author:Brady-Lunny, Edith Area:Illinois Lines:59 Added:04/19/2007

BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington woman was acquitted Thursday of selling heroin to a man within 1,000 feet of a nursing home facility.

The jury deliberated about 20 minutes before acquitting Keisha Rials-Parks, 26, of the 2200 block of Todd Drive.

She was accused of selling drugs July 24 to a confidential police source.

Prosecutors said the sale took place in an apartment on Tracy Drive near a rehabilitation center on South Main Street. The police source was a man cooperating with police in exchange for consideration in pending criminal cases in Champaign and McLean counties.

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86 US TX: LTE: We Can Prevent TragedySun, 22 Apr 2007
Source:Dallas Morning News (TX) Author:Adams, Edward G. Area:Texas Lines:31 Added:04/22/2007

Re: " 'Cheese' crisis runs deep," and "Lives cut short," April 15 news stories.

I am the very proud father of a 10-year-old girl. While she was reading about the kids who had died from "cheese," she noted the number of cases where a parent or classmate had known what the kid was doing but had done nothing.

She circled the areas about each kid where some intervention might have saved a life, and it reminded me how a little help could prevent something in the future.

All friends and family need to know where help can be found. Is there a single phone number that someone could call, preferably anonymously, to report that a kid is suspected of doing drugs?

Edward G. Adams

Dallas

[end]

87 US KS: Drug Case Tests Felony-Murder LawSun, 22 Apr 2007
Source:Kansas City Star (MO) Author:Williams, Benita Y. Area:Kansas Lines:148 Added:04/22/2007

Deaths From Drug Use -- Efforts To Hold Dealers Responsible Are On The Rise

A Kansas man faces first-degree murder charges in the fatal overdose of another man in a Hays motel.

"This is a product liabilities act for illegal drugs. If you have product liability for legal items, why not for illegal items?" Daniel Bent, a former U.S. attorney in Hawaii who drafted a drug-dealer liability act No one is accusing David Knapp of intentionally killing Frank Brown.

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88 US MI: LTE: Lax Sentences For Meth OffendersFri, 20 Apr 2007
Source:Grand Rapids Press (MI) Author:Solkema, Scot Van Area:Michigan Lines:45 Added:04/20/2007

I am curious why a couple who were making one of the most dangerous drugs for humans only got 30 days and 60 days in jail respectively ("Ex-supervisor's wife gets 60 days," Press, April 14). The state of Michigan lists manufacturing methamphetamine as a 20-year felony and/or a $25,000 fine. Even possession of methamphetamine is a 10-year felony and/or $15,000 fine.

Using methamphetamine is a one-year misdemeanor and/or $2,000 fine. With the amount of news coverage meth receives and the damage that methamphetamine causes to people's lives, one would think that people who make it should get longer than a month or two in jail. Especially people who have a position of trust in the community, as supervisor of a township in which the county is having to continually battle the methamphetamine problem.

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89US NM: OPED: Our Community's Dilemma And CalamitySun, 22 Apr 2007
Source:Alamogordo Daily News (NM) Author:King, Sylvia A. Area:New Mexico Lines:Excerpt Added:04/22/2007

Another year in Alamogordo and the Otero County Health Council and Otero County Meth Coalition realize we still are under siege by the insidious invader methamphetamine.

What can help guide children, peers, relatives, fellow employees, supervisors, and fellow church members is the understanding that methamphetamine respects no man.

The medical and clinical facts are that every person who experiments with or uses this drug gets hooked immediately. Obsession for more and an increase in the amount used occurs right away.

Continued use will result in the lack of good judgment. Users become impulsive, aggressive, possibly violent, and lose the use of healthy logic.

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90 US UT: PUB LTE: Legalizing Cannabis Is Biblically CorrectTue, 01 May 2007
Source:Spectrum, The ( St. George, UT) Author:White, Stan Area:Utah Lines:26 Added:05/04/2007

The bill Gov. Bill Richardson signed (12 States Give OK To Medicinal Cannabis, April 14, by Ed Kociela,) isn't just morally and compassionately correct, it's also Biblically correct since Christ God our Father (The Ecologician) indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). And, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (see: 1 John 3:17)

Stan White

Dillon, Colo.

[end]

91 Lebanon: Column: The Struggle Against the 'War on Drugs'Mon, 16 Apr 2007
Source:Monday Morning (Lebanon) Author:Dyer, Gwynne Area:Lebanon Lines:111 Added:04/16/2007

Barry Cooper's new DVD, Never Get Busted Again, which went on sale over the Internet recently, may not be selling very well outside the United States, because in most other countries the possession of marijuana for personal use is treated as a misdemeanor or simply ignored by the police. But it will sell very well in the US, where many thousands of casual marijuana users are hit with savage jail terms every year in a nationwide game of Russian roulette in which most people indulge their habit unharmed while a few unfortunates have their lives ruined.

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92 US NC: Edu: PUB LTE: Marijuana Should Be Legal Because It IsTue, 24 Apr 2007
Source:Daily Tar Heel, The (U of NC, Edu) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:North Carolina Lines:40 Added:04/24/2007

TO THE EDITOR: Regarding Clint Johnson's April 20 article, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best.

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93 US NJ: PUB LTE: Money WastedSat, 31 Mar 2007
Source:Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, NJ) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:New Jersey Lines:45 Added:03/30/2007

The Moorestown school board needs to educate itself on the limitations of student drug testing. Student involvement in after-school activities, such as sports, has been shown to reduce drug use. These activities keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation.

Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. More dangerous synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and prescription pharmaceuticals are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think drug users don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test.

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94 US: Social And Political Factors Predicting The Presence OfThu, 01 Mar 2007
Source:American Journal of Public Health (US) Author:Tempalski, Barbara Area:United States Lines:1124 Added:03/01/2007

Framing Health Matters

About the Authors: Barbara Tempalski, Peter L. Flom, Samuel R. Friedman, and Don C. Des Jarlais are with the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, New York, NY. Samuel R. Friedman is also with the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md. Don C. Des Jarlais is also with the Baron de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York. Judith J. Friedman is with the Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. Courtney McKnight is with the Baron de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center, NY. Risa Friedman is with the Department of Public Health, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador. Requests for reprints should be sent to Barbara Tempalski, PhD, MPH, National Development and Research Institutes, 71 W 23rd St, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010. This article was accepted March 13, 2006.

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95 CN ON: Students To Learn Dangers Of Drugs, AlcoholTue, 08 May 2007
Source:North Bay Nugget (CN ON)          Area:Ontario Lines:28 Added:05/09/2007

Local Grade 5 students will learn about the dangers of drugs and alcohol at Memorial Gardens this week as the Racing Against Drugs program returns to the city.

The interactive program, which kicks off today and runs until Thursday, includes various presentations by community partners about drugs and alcohol abuse prevention.

The program, developed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also features a large race track to help demonstrate the importance of staying in control.

The program is sponsored and organized by a local steering committee which includes the RCMP, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, area school boards, North Bay Fire Department, North Bay Police Service, Nipissing chapter of MADD and North Bay Focus.

[end]

96US NV: Most Voters Favor New PrisonsMon, 23 Apr 2007
Source:Reno Gazette-Journal (NV) Author:Bellisle, Martha Area:Nevada Lines:Excerpt Added:04/23/2007

Most Nevada voters favor the governor's plan to address prison overcrowding by spending millions on new prisons rather than changing the law, so inmates can get out earlier, according to a new Reno Gazette-Journal poll.

And a majority of those polled said they want the state to spend more money on law enforcement to deal with Nevada's high rate of methamphetamine addiction instead of increasing prevention and treatment, the poll found.

The Nevada Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons have floated a number of ways to address these problems, which will cost the state millions in the coming years.

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97 US NV: Series: Imprisoned By Meth: Mary's Story (5 Of 5)Thu, 26 Apr 2007
Source:Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV) Author:Vance, Teri Area:Nevada Lines:284 Added:04/26/2007

Silhouetted by a low-hanging, orange August moon, Mary looks small. She's standing in the parking lot of Rail City, a Sparks casino.

"They're after me," she says.

The moon, nearly red from the fire burning in the west Reno hills, casts an eerie, ominous glow.

There's been a string of storage-unit burglaries in Carson City and Mary Reasoner is the prime suspect.

She says she didn't do it. But no one's going to believe her - not with her history of burglary - so she's leaving town.

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98 US NV: Editorial: Series: The Truth About Mary Is The TruthFri, 27 Apr 2007
Source:Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV) Author:Ginter, Barry Area:Nevada Lines:106 Added:04/27/2007

The stories about meth addict Mary Reasoner we printed Sunday through Thursday brought a variety of reactions, ranging from anger that we would run such disturbing information to praise for bringing to light the dark world of meth.

And it's a well populated world, even in this small town. Reporter Teri Vance, after observing the Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Team in action pursuing drug dealers and users, wrote, "Like cockroaches moving about in the darkness, an entire civilization comes to life in this town when the sun goes down."

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99 US NV: Series: Part V: Finding A New BeginningThu, 26 Apr 2007
Source:Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV) Author:Vance, Teri Area:Nevada Lines:75 Added:04/26/2007

Reporter's Notebook

Mary first called us because she wanted to make a difference. She wanted to use her own life to show others the horrors of methamphetamine addiction.

And she did. It would be easy to judge Mary on the surface. She's certainly made mistakes, some with potentially devastating consequences.

She may not deserve your sympathy, but she does deserve your attention.

There are lessons to be learned. Don't we all have addictions, compulsions or bad habits that are holding us back?

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100 US NV: Series: Meth Often Victimizes ChildrenWed, 25 Apr 2007
Source:Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV) Author:Vance, Teri Area:Nevada Lines:62 Added:04/25/2007

Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for the Division of Child and Family Services, said children being raised in homes where meth is used is a common scenario in Carson City.

"They're subject to a total lack of supervision," she said. "Their home life becomes chaotic, and their basic needs are neglected."

As a result of the neglect, she said, they are often left vulnerable to abuse and injustices committed by unsavory people hanging around the house.

However, the department works first to rehabilitate the family rather than removing the children.

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