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[Ladywriter 7,783]

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[HKofsesshoumaru 673]

They snag people for a freaking pot seed, but Child molesters are often given the option for parole? They get a slap on the wrist. I'm sorry, I'm not saying one is better than the other but come on. People choose to do drugs, not get molested. Lets focus on the REAL criminals.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

most ppl arrested for drugs are non violent "criminals" but jail and prison are overflowing with prohibition offenders

prohibition creates crime; crime employs cops judges prison guards lawyers...

If hard drugs such as heroin or cocaine were legalized would you be likely to use them?

99% SAY "NO"

booze is legal but it doesn't make everyone in the US a raving alcoholic

Legalizing Pot Makes Lots of Cents for Our Cash-Starved Government

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. April 14, 2009.

Even the most mainstream figures are now taking the idea of legalizing and taxing pot seriously -- budget-crunched governments should listen.

Late last month, during President Barack Obama's first-ever Internet Town Hall, questions pertaining to whether legalizing marijuana like alcohol could help boost the economy received more votes from the public than did any other topic. The questions' popularity -- and the President's half-hearted reply ("No," he laughed.) -- stimulated a torrent of mainstream media attention. In the past two weeks alone, commentators like David Sirota (The Nation), Kathleen Parker (Washington Post), Paul Jacob (TownHall.com), Clarence Page (Chicago Tribune), and Jack Cafferty (CNN) have all expressed sympathy for regulating pot. Even Joe Klein at Time Magazine weighed in on the issue, writing this month that "legalizing marijuana makes sense."

Top Drug Warrior Distortions

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Stop Subsidizing Mexican Drug Gangs

By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet. Posted March 23, 2009.

he horrifying drug-war violence south of our border with Mexico continues to worsen: beheadings, killings that now number several thousand at least, honest officials in fear for their lives. It's time to put an end to U.S. policies that subsidize these murderous drug gangs.

According to U.S. and Mexican officials, some 60 percent of the profits that fuel these thugs come from just one drug, marijuana. While much is smuggled over the border, an increasing amount is produced in the U.S. by foreign gangs operating on American soil -- often in remote corners of national parks and wilderness areas.

Every year, we read more headlines about clandestine marijuana farms being uncovered on these precious, environmentally sensitive public lands. These rogue farms not only pose a threat to hikers and the environment, they cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars each year in eradication and clean-up efforts.

This appalling situation, which now carries a real risk of destabilizing Mexico, is not just happenstance. It is the direct result of U.S. policies.

Like it or not, marijuana is a massive industry. Some 100 million Americans admit to government survey-takers that they've used it, with nearly 15 million acknowledging use in the past month.

That's a huge market -- more Americans than will buy a new car or truck this year, or that bought one last year. Estimates based on U.S. government figures have pegged marijuana as the number one cash crop in America, with a value exceeding corn and wheat combined.

Our current policies are based on the fantasy that we can somehow make this massive industry go away. That's about as likely as the Tooth Fairy paying off the national debt.

We haven't stopped marijuana use -- indeed, federal statistics show a roughly 4,000 percent rise since the first national ban took effect in 1937 -- but we have handed a virtual monopoly on production and distribution to criminals, including those brutal Mexican gangs.

There is a better way. After all, there's a reason these gangs aren't smuggling wine grapes.

We've seen this movie before. During the 13 dark years of alcohol Prohibition, ruthless gangsters like Al Capone and “Bugs” Moran had a monopoly on the lucrative booze market. So lucrative, in fact, that these scoundrels would routinely gun each other down rather than let a competitor share their territory. Sound familiar?

Today, the bloodbath is taking place in cities like Tijuana and Juarez, Mexico, but it's beginning to spill across our border. Prohibition simply doesn’t work – not in the 1930s and not now.

The chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Mexico and Central America Section recently told the New York Times that marijuana is the “king crop” for Mexican cartels. He added that the plant “consistently sustains its marketability and profitability.”

The situation is so intolerable that three former presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil have recently joined the chorus calling for a shift in U.S. marijuana policy.

There is no reason to believe that our nation’s current marijuana policies are reducing the use and availability of marijuana. Indeed, in the Netherlands -- where, since the mid 1970s, adults have been permitted to possess and purchase small amounts of marijuana from regulated businesses -- the rate of marijuana use is less than half of ours, according to a recent World Health Organization study. More importantly, the percentage of teens trying marijuana by age 15 in the Netherlands is roughly one-third the U.S. rate.

By taking marijuana out of the criminal underground and regulating and taxing it as we do beer, wine and liquor, we can cut the lifeline that makes these Mexican drug gangs so large and powerful. And at the same time we'll have a level of control over marijuana production and distribution that is impossible under prohibition.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Police arrested an estimated 872,720 persons for cannabis violations in 2007, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 775,137 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.

Source: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation

[Ladywriter 7,783]

POT VS. BOOZE: A FORMER POLICE CHIEF'S TAKE

By Norm Stamper, Huffington Post

Marijuana smokers show greater responsibility in their

choice of drugs than those of us who choose (and abuse)

alcohol.

http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/137752/pot_vs._booze%3A_a_former_police_chief%27s_take/

Alcohol-related traffic accidents claim approximately 14,000 lives each year, down significantly from 20 or 30 years ago (attributed to improved education and enforcement). Figures for THC-related traffic fatalities are elusive, especially since alcohol is almost always present in the blood as well, and since the numbers of "marijuana-only" traffic fatalities are so small. But evidence from studies, including laboratory simulations, feeds the stereotype that those under the influence of canniboids tend to (1) be more aware of their impaired psychomotor skills, and (2) drive well below the speed limit. Those under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be clueless or defiant about their condition, and to speed up and drive recklessly.

Hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur annually. There has never been a single recorded marijuana OD fatality.

According to the American Public Health Association, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in this country. APHA pegs the negative economic impact of extreme drinking at $150 billion a year.

There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. (Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox.) Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long-term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers.

While a small quantity, taken daily, is being touted for its salutary health effects, alcohol is one of the worst drugs one can take for pain management, marijuana one of the best.

Alcohol contributes to acts of violence; marijuana reduces aggression. In approximately three million cases of reported violent crimes last year, the offender had been drinking. This is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and date rape. Marijuana use, in and of itself, is absent from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no link to be made.

Over the past four years I've asked police officers throughout the U.S. (and in Canada) two questions. When's the last time you had to fight someone under the influence of marijuana? (I'm talking marijuana only, not pot plus a six-pack or a fifth of tequila.) My colleagues pause, they reflect. Their eyes widen as they realize that in their five or fifteen or thirty years on the job they have never had to fight a marijuana user. I then ask: When's the last time you had to fight a drunk? They look at their watches.

All of which begs the question. If one of these two drugs is implicated in dire health effects, high mortality rates, and physical violence -- and the other is not -- what are we to make of our nation's marijuana laws? Or alcohol laws, for that matter.

Anybody out there want to launch a campaign for the re-prohibition of alcohol? Didn't think so. The answer, of course, is responsible drinking. Marijuana smokers, for their part, have already shown (apart from that little matter known as the law) greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose alcohol.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

AMERICA'S SCHIZOID POT CULTURE -- 4 IN 10 HAVE SMOKED IT, AND MILLIONS ARE STILL GETTING BUSTED

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet

The Obama administration is giving mixed signals on its pot

policies despite a tidal shift in social views on legalizing

marijuana.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/138460/america%27s_schizoid_pot_culture_--_4_in_10_have_smoked_it%2C_and_millions_are_still_getting_busted/

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Marijuana Is Option to Unpleasant Meds, Teens Say

About a third of youths surveyed aren't smoking to get high

FRIDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Some teens are smoking marijuana not just for recreation but to self-medicate emotional problems, sleep difficulties and pain, a new study shows.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 63 adolescents who smoked marijuana regularly. About a third of the teens said they used the drug as a medication rather than as a means of getting high.

The findings appear in the April 22 issue of Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention and Policy.

The most common complaints were emotional problems, including depression, anxiety and stress, sleep difficulties, and problems with concentration and pain.

"Youth who reported they had been prescribed drugs such as Ritalin, Prozac or sleeping pills stopped using them because they did not like how these drugs made them feel or found them ineffective," the authors said in a news release from the journal publisher. "For these kids, the purpose of smoking marijuana was not specifically about getting high or stoned."

The teens' experiences with the medical system were uniformly negative, according to the study.

"Marijuana is perceived by some teens to be the only available alternative for those experiencing difficult health problems when legitimate medical treatments have failed or when they lack access to appropriate health care," said Joan Bortoff, who worked on the study with a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia.

In contrast to the unpleasant side effects of prescribed medications and long and ineffective but legal therapies, marijuana provided the adolescents with immediate relief for a variety of health concerns, according to the study.

"It's not good for you, but then again, neither is McDonald's and a lot of other things," one teen told the researchers.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more preventing teen drug abuse.

-- Jennifer Thomas

front page of Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Should marijuana be legally prescribed as a pain reliever in New York?

"If I didn't have the marijuana, I'd probably be getting prescribed Hydrocodone, Morphine, Vicodin, and those are the drugs people are abusing," Gamble said. "They're quick to give you the pain pills at the hospital, but I think I'm doing the right thing. I'm doing my best to stay off the heavy stuff, the stuff that makes me completely numb."

"It's not a cure," Gamble explained of the marijuana. "I'm still in pain. It's just a remedy for a couple of hours. If there was something else they could give me to help, I'd take that."

More than a dozen national and state medical organizations support medicinal marijuana use, including the Medical Society of the State of New York (which has lobbied in Albany for a medical marijuana bill), the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine and the American College of Physicians.

"Cannabinoids (the active ingredient in marijuana) have been shown to ease pain, help with muscle spasms, help with appetite, help with mood state," said Dr. Gregory Carter, professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington and author of "Marijuana Medical Handbook: Practical Guide to Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana." "Even more interesting, we're now seeing cannabinoids can help nerves protect against toxins and can have an anti-inflammatory effect."

That could be key to helping patients with such diseases as Alzheimer's and rheumatoid arthritis, Carter said.

Synthetic marijuana drugs, such as Marinol, pale in comparison to the real thing, Carter said.

"They're not as effective at all," he said. The synthetics take longer to absorb, and patients have little ability to control their dosage.

Ironically, Marinol contains 100 percent pure THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and can be prescribed with a simple phone call from a doctor, whereas natural cannabis contains 20 percent THC but is considered a Schedule 1 substance, meaning the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers it as having a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use.

"It's just ridiculous," Carter said. "It's mind-boggling how stupid the laws are, how they have ruined people's lives and how much they have cost the government. They're just absolutely insane."

"I think the DEA and FDA need to stop being guided by propaganda," he continued. "Rational minds need to drive drug policy, separating myth from fact, right from wrong, and responsible medicinal use from other uses."

Because marijuana is illegal in New York state, Gamble must buy his stash on the black market. Two of his "dealers" are an older couple, one of whom is dying of cancer. They sell marijuana on the side to pay their bills.

"Instead of paying $200 an ounce, why can't I go to a dispensary and pay a $50 co-pay?" Gamble asked.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

interview 6/4/09

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tCg6eyL7BQ]YouTube - Majority Of Americans Believe Marijuana Should Be Legal[/ame]

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Cops Say To Legalize Drugs

(The Huffington Post speaks to LEAP Executive Director Jack Cole, May 19, 2009)

President Obama drew a slew of criticism recently when he derisively dismissed a drug reform question during a town hall meeting. Here was the "crazy" question that warranted such a disrespectful response:

"With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals?"

This was the top ranked question on Whitehouse.gov, and yet Obama treated the query as if it came from a pack of giggling stoners. The president chuckled, "I don't know what that says about the online audience...The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."

As is so often the case when discussing the War on Drugs, the president offered no proof of this claim. He doesn't have to. The room applauded, while laughing at his little joke. Stupid stoners. Always thinking about their pot.

But what Americans may not know is that many former law enforcement officers have recently stepped forward to speak against the failed War on Drugs.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/cops-say-to-legalize-drug_b_205112.html to continue?