CHANGE THE WORLD
Current mood: high
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
From: Add me if you want to help legalize....
Date: Dec 19 2006 10:55 AM
From: Jack Herer
Date: Dec 12 2006 7:48 PM
From: "PotHead Society"
Your job today is to change the world, and to do it in your own special way. Your job today is to move the world
closer to the best it can be by pushing yourself toward the best you can be.
The world will be different at the end of the day because of the way you have lived. The world will change during this
day because of the thoughts you have focused upon and the actions you have taken.
There is no one else who can do your job for you. There is no one else who can give to life the unique value that
you're able to give.
It is an awesome responsibility and a magnificent opportunity. For the more you give of yourself, the more life will
resemble the best vision you have for it.
That is your job today, to give the best of what you have and to truly make life better for the effort. Do that job well,
and the rewards will be rich indeed.
-Anonymous
From: [black sunrise]
Date: Dec 12 2006 8:20 PM
ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS FROM...
Tobacco.......................400,000
Alcohol..........................100,000
All Legal Drugs.................20,000
All Illegal Drugs.................15,000
Caffeine..............................2,000
Aspirin................................500
Marijuana.............................0
Ignorance Is The Most Violent Element In Society Today (LEGALIZE FREEDOM)
From: Ganja Granny
Date: Dec 12 2006 7:20 PM
Drug War Facts
Medical Marijuana
1. Since 1996, eleven states have legalized medical marijuana use: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ME, NV, OR, RI, VT and
WA. Eight of the ten did so through the initiative process, Hawaii's law was enacted by the legislature and signed by
the governor in 2000, Vermont's was enacted by the legislature and passed into law without the governor's
signature in May 2004, and Rhode Island's was enacted overriding the governor's veto in January 2006.
Source: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), from the web at
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3391, last accessed Jan. 4, 2006, and the Marijuana Policy Project
(MPP), from the web at http://www.mpp.org/RI_number_11.html, last accessed Jan. 4, 2006.
2. The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical marijuana stated, "The accumulated data indicate a potential
therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and
vomiting, and appetite stimulation."
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the
Science Base," Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1999).
3. The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical marijuana examined the question whether the medical use of
marijuana would lead to an increase of marijuana use in the general population and concluded that, "At this point
there are no convincing data to support this concern. The existing data are consistent with the idea that this would
not be a problem if the medical use of marijuana were as closely regulated as other medications with abuse
potential." The report also noted that, "this question is beyond the issues normally considered for medical uses of
drugs, and should not be a factor in evaluating the therapeutic potential of marijuana or cannabinoids."
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the
Science Base," Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1999).
4. In the Institute of Medicine's report on medical marijuana, the researchers examined the physiological risks of
using marijuana and cautioned, "Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety
of effects. However, except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within
the range of effects tolerated for other medications."
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the
Science Base," Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1999).
5. The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical marijuana examined the question of whether marijuana could
diminish patients' immune system - an important question when considering marijuana use by AIDS and cancer
patients. The report concluded that, "the short-term immunosuppressive effects are not well established but, if they
exist, are not likely great enough to preclude a legitimate medical use."
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the
Science Base," Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1999).
6. "Conclusions: Smoked and oral cannabinoids did not seem to be unsafe in people with HIV infection with respect
to HIV RNA levels, CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts, or protease inhibitor levels over a 21-day treatment."
Source: Abrams, Donald I., MD, et al., "Short-Term Effects of Cannabinoids in Patients with HIV-1 Infection - A
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine, Aug. 19, 2003, Vol. 139, No. 4
(American College of Physicians), p. 258.
7. "This study provides evidence that short-term use of cannabinoids, either oral or smoked, does not substantially
elevate viral load in individuals with HIV infection who are receiving stable antiretroviral regimens containing nelfi-
navir or indinavir. Upper confidence bounds for all estimated effects of cannabinoids on HIV RNA level from all
analyses were no greater than an increase of 0.23 log10 copies/mL compared with placebo. Because this study was
randomized and analyses were controlled for all known potential confounders, it is very unlikely that chance
imbalance on any known or unknown covariate masked a harmful effect of cannabinoids. Study participants in all
groups may have been expected to benefit from the equivalent of directly observed antiretroviral therapy, as well as
decreased stress and, for some, improved nutrition over the 25-day inpatient stay."
Source: Abrams, Donald I., MD, et al., "Short-Term Effects of Cannabinoids in Patients with HIV-1 Infection - A
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine, Aug. 19, 2003, Vol. 139, No. 4
(American College of Physicians), p. 264.
8. "Nevertheless, when considering all 15 studies (i.e., those that met both strict and more relaxed criteria) we only
noted that regular cannabis users performed worse on memory tests, but that the magnitude of the effect was very
small. The small magnitude of effect sizes from observations of chronic users of cannabis suggests that cannabis
compounds, if found to have therapeutic value, should have a good margin of safety from a neurocognitive
standpoint under the more limited conditions of exposure that would likely obtain in a medical setting."
Source: Grant, Igor, et al., "Non-Acute (Residual) Neurocognitive Effects Of Cannabis Use: A Meta-Analytic Study,"
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (Cambridge University Press: July 2003), 9, pp. 687-8.
9. In spite of the established medical value of marijuana, doctors are presently permitted to prescribe cocaine and
morphine - but not marijuana.
Source: The Controlled Substances Act of 1970, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq.
10. Organizations that have endorsed medical access to marijuana include: the Institute of Medicine, the American
Academy of Family Physicians; American Bar Association; American Public Health Association; American Society of
Addiction Medicine; AIDS Action Council; British Medical Association; California Academy of Family Physicians;
California Legislative Council for Older Americans; California Medical Association; California Nurses Association;
California Pharmacists Association; California Society of Addiction Medicine; California-Pacific Annual Conference of
the United Methodist Church; Colorado Nurses Association; Consumer Reports Magazine; Kaiser Permanente;
Lymphoma Foundation of America; Multiple Sclerosis California Action Network; National Association of Attorneys
General; National Association of People with AIDS; National Nurses Society on Addictions; New Mexico Nurses
Association; New York State Nurses Association; New England Journal of Medicine; and Virginia Nurses Association.
11. A few of the editorial boards that have endorsed medical access to marijuana include: Boston Globe; Chicago
Tribune; Miami Herald; New York Times; Orange County Register; and USA Today.
12. Many organizations have favorable positions (e.g., unimpeded research) on medical marijuana. These groups
include: The Institute of Medicine, The American Cancer Society; American Medical Association; Australian
Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health; California Medical Association; Federation of American
Scientists; Florida Medical Association; and the National Academy of Sciences.
13. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 established five categories, or "schedules," into which all illicit and
prescription drugs were placed. Marijuana was placed in Schedule I, which defines the substance as having a high
potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use
under medical supervision. To contrast, over 90 published reports and studies have shown marijuana has medical
efficacy.
Source: The Controlled Substances Act of 1970, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq.; Common Sense for Drug Policy,
Compendium of Reports, Research and Articles Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana, Vol. I & Vol.
II (Falls Church, VA: Common Sense for Drug Policy, March 1997).
14. The U.S. Penal Code states that any person can be imprisoned for up to one year for possession of one
marijuana cigarette and imprisoned for up to five years for growing a single marijuana plant.
Source: The Controlled Substances Act of 1970, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq.
15. On September 6, 1988, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis L.
Young, ruled:
"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known....[T]he provisions of the
[Controlled Substances] Act permit and require the transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II. It would be
unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of
this substance."
Source: US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency, "In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition,"
[Docket 86-22] (September 6, 1988), p. 57.
16. The DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young concluded: "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer
than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By
comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one
of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be
safely used within the supervised routine of medical care."
Source: US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency, "In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition,"
[Docket 86-22], (September 6, 1988), p. 57.
17. Between 1978 and 1997, 35 states and the District of Columbia passed legislation recognizing marijuana's
medicinal value.
States include: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IA, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH,
OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI.
For additional research on medical marijuana, see this excellent analysis of medical marijuana research by Common
Sense for Drug Policy President Kevin B. Zeese and this update from Common Sense for Drug Policy, as well as the
Drug War Facts section on marijuana.
Home Common Sense for Drug Policy Research Links and Materials for Journalists and Policy Makers Media
Awareness Project News Archive Public Education and Advertising Campaign
Drug War Distortions Effective National Drug Control Strategy Put a Drug War Facts banner on YOUR site Links to
Drug and Criminal Policy Organizations Real-Time Drug War Clock
Copyright © 2000-2005, Common Sense for Drug Policy
Updated: Wednesday, 15-Feb-2006 09:06:26 PST ~ Accessed: 280233 times
From: Ganja Granny
Date: Dec 12 2006 7:22 PM
Q: Is marijuana an effective treatment for the symptoms of hepatitis C?
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The U.S. National Institute of Health states on its website, retrieved on Sept. 29, 2006:
"Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).[...]
There are approximately 4 million people in the United States who are infected with hepatitis C (about 1 in 70 to 100
people). Other hepatitis virus infections include hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Each viral hepatitis infection is caused
by a different virus.
Many people who are infected with the hepatitis C do not have symptoms. Hepatitis C is often detected during blood
tests for a routine physical or other medical procedure. If the infection has been present for many years, the liver
may be permanently scarred -- a condition called cirrhosis. In many cases, there may be no symptoms of the
disease until cirrhosis has developed.
The following symptoms could occur with hepatitis C infection: Jaundice, Abdominal pain (right upper abdomen),
Fatigue, Loss of appetite, Nausea, Vomiting, Low-grade fever, Pale or clay-colored stools, Dark urine, Generalized
itching, Ascites, Bleeding varices (dilated veins in the esophagus)."
Sept. 29, 2006 National Institute of Health
PRO (YES)
Diana L. Sylvestre, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California,
San Francisco, et al. stated in their October 2006 article "Cannabis Use Improves Retention and Virological
Outcomes in Patients Treated for Hepatitis C," published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
(18(10):1057-1063):
"Our results suggest that modest cannabis use may offer symptomatic and virological benefit to some patients
undergoing HCV treatment by helping them maintain adherence to the challenging medication regimen."
October 2006 Diana L. Sylvestre
Benedikt Fischer, Ph.D., Director of the Illicit Drugs, Public Health and Policy Unit at the Centre for Addictions
Research at the University of Victoria, and Jens Reimer, M.D., a Research Psychiatrist at the Center for
Interdisciplinary Addiction Research at the University of Hamburg, et al., stated in their October 2006 article
"Treatment for Hepatitis C Virus and Cannabis Use in Illicit Drug User Patients: Implications and Questions,"
published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (18(10):1057-1063):
"In fact, there is substantial evidence that cannabis use may help address key challenges faced by drug users in
HCV treatment (e.g., nausea, depression), especially when such treatment occurs in the context of methadone
maintenance treatment which may amplify these consequences.
While further research is required on the biological and clinical aspects of the benefits of cannabis use for HCV
treatment, and the effectiveness of cannabis use for HCV treatment needs to be explored in larger study
populations, we advocate that in the interim existing barriers to cannabis use are removed for drug users
undergoing HCV treatment until the conclusive empirical basis for evidence-based guidance is available."
October 2006 Benedikt Fischer and Jens Reimer
Rick Weiss, a science and medical reporter, discusses the study noted above (by Benedikt Fischer et al.) in his
article "Marijuana Aids Therapy," published Sept. 13, 2006 in the Washington Post:
"Marijuana can improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for hepatitis C, a potentially deadly viral infection that
affects more than 3 million Americans, a study has found. The work adds to a growing literature supporting the
notion that in some circumstances pot can offer medical benefits.
Treatment for hepatitis C involves months of therapy with two powerful drugs, interferon and ribavirin, that have
severe side effects, including extreme fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, loss of appetite and depression. Because of
those side effects, many patients do not finish treatment and the virus ends up destroying their livers.
While it is possible that the marijuana had a specific, positive biomedical effect, it is more likely that it helped
patients by reducing depression, improving appetite and offering psychological benefits that helped the patients
tolerate the treatment's side effects, the team reports in the current issue of the European Journal of
Gastroenterology & Hepatology."
Sept. 13, 2006 Rick Weiss
Dean Edell, M.D., states in a Nov. 30, 2000 article "I'm Getting Treatment For Hepatitis C. Will Marijuana Help Me Or
Harm Me?" in response to a letter from an individual with Hepatitis C using marijuana, posted on HealthCentral.com:
"People [...] have used marijuana to fight nausea with no negative consequences and any anti-nausea drug that the
doctor gives you will also be metabolized by the liver. I feel more secure with your liver trying to handle marijuana.
Marinol, the FDA-approved pill form of marijuana has shown no toxicity to the liver.
I would estimate marijuana to be as safe as anything else. Interferon and ribarvirin is a pretty hefty combination that
can be curative in a significant percentage of cases. It's basically all we have for hepatitis C. Interferon can make
you pretty sick, but ribarvirin is fairly easy on you. They are both antiviral drugs."
Nov. 30, 2000 Dean Edell
CON (NO)
The Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit multi-specialty academic medical center, when asked if marijuana is dangerous to
Hepatitis C patients, responded in a July 1, 2005 posting on its website:
"Although marijuana may not have a direct effect on the liver, it can negatively affect his physical and psychological
health."
July 1, 2005 Cleveland Clinic
David Bernstein, M.D., states in his report "Hepatitis C - Current State of the Art and Future Directions," presented
Oct. 31, 2004 at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases/Viral Liver
Disease:
"Most hepatitis C experts agree that factors such as alcohol intake, coinfection with either hepatitis B or the human
immunodeficiency virus [HIV], and age at infection may lead to the development of significant fibrosis [scarring of the
liver].
Other factors remain elusive and not proven. Of particular interest is the effect of Cannabis sativa, or marijuana, on
[HCV] disease progression. Many patients use marijuana for pleasure or to combat complaints of nausea associated
with antiviral therapy. Marijuana is known to exert its effects via the CB1 and CB2 receptors. An upregulation of CB1
receptors has been found to be present in cirrhosis.[...]
By both univariate [a process or mathematical expression with only one variable] and multivariate [a process or
mathematical expression with multiple variables] analyses, daily marijuana smoking was found to be associated with
the development of significant hepatic fibrosis. Thus, this study reports a strong association between daily
marijuana use and fibrosis progression; the underlying mechanism needs to be further determined, although current
data would suggest a role in the upregulation of the CB1 receptor.
These findings should encourage physicians to advise their patients with hepatitis C infection to avoid marijuana
use. Further studies regarding this important and controversial topic need to be addressed."
Oct. 31, 2004 David Bernstein
Christophe Hezode, M.D., of the Hôpital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France, et al. stated Oct. 31, 2004 at the 55th
Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, in describing his study of Hepatitis C
patients who also used cannabis [marijuana]:
"This study shows a strong link between daily cannabis consumption and fibrosis [scarring of the liver] progression
rate in patients with chronic hepatitis C. [...]
Daily cannabis consumption should be avoided in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Patients with HCV infection who
smoke cannabis to help with fatigue or appetite should really be aware that daily consumption could exacerbate
their disease."
Oct. 31, 2004 Christophe Hezode
From: Ganja Granny
Date: Dec 12 2006 7:23 PM
Q: Is marijuana an effective treatment for epilepsy (seizures)?
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The 1999 U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on medical marijuana states on page 172:
"Proving efficacy of anticonvulsants generally requires large numbers of patients followed for months because the
frequency of seizures is highly variable and the response to therapy varies depending on seizure type."
(March 1999) Institute of Medicine
The British Epilepsy Association states on their website, as of 5/3/06:
"There is scientific evidence to suggest that cannabis may be beneficial in treating a number of conditions, including
epilepsy.... Some reports suggest that it can reduce seizures. Other reports point to an increase in seizures."
(5/3/06) British Epilepsy Association
PRO (YES)
The journal Neurology stated in a 2004 article by D. W. Gross, M.D., et al., "Marijuana Use and Epilepsy;
Prevalence in Patients of a Tertiary Care Epilepsy Center" (Vol. 62, pp. 2095-2097):
"Twenty-one percent of subjects had used marijuana in the past year with the majority of active users reporting
beneficial effects on seizures. Twenty-four percent of all subjects believed marijuana was an effective therapy for
epilepsy.
Despite limited evidence of efficacy, many patients with epilepsy believe marijuana is an effective therapy for
epilepsy and are actively using it."
(2004) Neurology
The American Journal of Epidemiology stated in a July 1990 study by Stephen K. C. Ng, M.P.H., Dr.P.H., "Illicit Drug
Use and The Risk of New-onset Seizures," (Vol. 132, No. 1, pp. 47-57):
"Marijuana use appeared to be a protective factor against first seizures in men....The authors conclude that heroin
use is a risk factor and marijuana use a protective factor for new-onset seizures."
(July 1990) American Journal of Epidemiology
A reader of ProCon.org, wishing to remain anonymous, wrote the following in a 9/3/02 email:
"I had a car wreck in 1995 and was knocked into a coma, suffered traumatic brain injury and became epileptic. I
have tried many other epileptic medications and I am taking two now: phenytoin and lamictal. They help, yes, but I
always ended up having another seizure.
I have found that since I began smoking marijuana, it honestly helps with my grand mal and petit mal siezures.
When I do not have it [marijuana], the seizures begin again by themselves and it is impossible to stop them with
anything else at the time with the same effect that marijuana can give to you. I promise you it is really the one thing
in my life now that I am extremely thankful for because it has helped me to return to a more of a normal life."
(9/3/02) Anonymous
CON (NO)
Epilepsy Ontario states on their website, as of 5/3/06:
"Dependable documentation of the effectiveness of Cannabis sativa as an antiepileptic medication is severely
limited at this time.
Some accounts show a reduction in seizure frequency and/or severity for some people with epilepsy. Whether this is
due to anticonvulsant properties of cannabis or to a reduction in physical and/or psychological stress levels is not
fully known and cannot be clarified without further comprehensive scientific scrutiny....
Like any drug, cannabis probably has potential to both harm and heal. Without bone-fide scientific investigation and
evaluation, the efficacy of Cannabis sativa as an antiepileptic drug cannot be safely or surely ascertained....
Since THC has dual effects and there are unknown properties of marijuana, marijuana is NOT recommended for
people with epilepsy.
Reliable documentation of the effectiveness of marijuana as an anti-epileptic medication is extremely limited at this
time. While some accounts show a reduction in seizure frequency and/or severity in some people who have
epilepsy, others suggest that marijuana may actually trigger seizures. Further investigation is needed to determine
the effectiveness and side effects of cannabis as an anti-seizure drug."
(5/3/06) Epilepsy Ontario
Denis Petro, M.D., in his 1997 paper "Seizure Disorders" published in the 1997 book Cannabis in Medical Practice -
A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana, noted on pages 126-127:
"Seizures have been reported in patients after they used THC [Marinol] to control nausea in cancer chemotherapy.
Since THC is psychoactive in many animal studies and is associated with other adverse effects, THC can be
eliminated from consideration as a potential candidate for treatment of epilepsy.
In animal seizure models CBD [cannabidiol] has been shown to have anticonvulsant properties with potential in
grand mal, cortical focal, and complex partial seizures....
In summary, a review of the literature documents some reports of the effects of marijuana in seizure disorders. The
data concerning marijuana is mixed with both positive and negative reports. The scientifice evidence in support of
CBC [cannabidiol] is stronger based on both preclinical and clinical studies."
(1997) Denis Petro
From: Legalize it!
Date: Dec 12 2006 11:28 PM
Its time for some real rhymes my friends and one that we all know and grudge,
It's the one thing the world has been fighting over and its called a drug.
Marijuana my people is something natural and a gift from the heavens,
Why must they look down on the lovely vibrant cannabis?
We use this plant for meditation and healing don't worry we can handle this.
We aren't evil doers nor are we psycho killers or earth haters
We are just mighty people with reason for celebrating mama nature.
We give back more to our communities and environment,
Yet we can't convince the bigger heads to legalize this beauty with the help of the government.
It's been healing hearts minds and souls for generations,
Yet them nature haters fuss and clam and create segregation.
We keep the red hot fire blazin no matter where we go and gaze,
Ya can't stop us herbal lovers for you will be blinded by out mighty haze.
We promote tolerance education and medical advancements,
Yet those high above in the suited world forget the natural commandments,
One, be free
Two, grow trees,
Three, smoke weed.
Stop fighting mama nature and what's naturally glorious,
All we want you to see is that we are tax payers and we are furious.
We take flight get lifted gain insight and get gifted,
But them are cutting off our supply buy getting their facts twisted.
Stop fighting our demands and turning your back on your citizens,
We are a mighty strong army and once we gain power we will not forget your legal sins.
Marijuana we blaze out and cloud your society with mystic smoke,
We will never stop fighting for our freedom and privilege to legally toke.
You might be laughing there in your leather chair and fancy suit,
But don't forget big head man before you were a legal advisor and in college you too reaped the benefits of the
natural truths.
From: Medical Mary Jane
Date: Dec 13 2006 6:03 AM
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: West Memphis Three World Awareness Day
Date: Dec 13 2006 5:50 AM
Zero Skateboards - West Memphis Three (WM3) Skateboard decks -
Here are links to three skateboard shops who carry those great Zero Skateboards West Memphis Three skateboard
decks. These would make great Christmas gifts, and $5 from the purchase of each board goes to the West
Memphis Three legal defense fund.
the first two links do not have the images up yet but do have the boards in stock, the last one has the boards on
page 3 of the Zero Skateboards.
http://www.plusskateshop.com
http://www.pharmacyboardshop.com
http://www.actionvilage.com
We'll also be receiving some signed boards for our online auction... stay tuned for more on this!
SOME INFO ON WHY IT IS ILLEGAL
Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical,
and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.
The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts,
but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You'll see
below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the
Senate.
You'll also see that the history of marijuana's criminalization is filled with:
....Racism....Fear....Protection of Corporate Profits....Yellow Journalism....Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt
Legislators....Personal Career Advancement and Greed.... These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.
Background
For most of human history, marijuana has been completely legal. It's not a recently discovered plant, nor is it a
long-standing law. Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it's been in use. Its known uses go
back further than 7,000 B.C. and it was legal as recently as when Ronald Reagan was a boy.
The marijuana (hemp) plant, of course, has an incredible number of uses. The earliest known woven fabric was
apparently of hemp, and over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more. This
adds to some of the confusion over its introduction in the United States, as the plant was well known from the early
1600's, but did not reach public awareness as a recreational drug until the early 1900's.
America's first marijuana law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619. It was a law "ordering" all farmers
to grow Indian hempseed. There were several other "must grow" laws over the next 200 years (you could be jailed
for not growing hemp during times of shortage in Virginia between 1763 and 1767), and during most of that time,
hemp was legal tender (you could even pay your taxes with hemp -- try that today!) Hemp was such a critical crop
for a number of purposes (including essential war requirements - rope, etc.) that the government went out of its way
to encourage growth.
The United States Census of 1850 counted 8,327 hemp "plantations" (minimum 2,000-acre farm) growing cannabis
hemp for cloth, canvas and even the cordage used for baling cotton.
The Mexican Connection
In the early 1900s, the western states developed significant tensions regarding the influx of Mexican-Americans. The
revolution in Mexico in 1910 spilled over the border, with General Pershing's army clashing with bandit Pancho Villa.
Later in that decade, bad feelings developed between the small farmer and the large farms that used cheaper
Mexican labor. Then, the depression came and increased tensions, as jobs and welfare resources became scarce.
One of the "differences" seized upon during this time was the fact that many Mexicans smoked marijuana and had
brought the plant with them.
However, the first state law outlawing marijuana did so not because of Mexicans using the drug. Oddly enough, it
was because of Mormons using it. Mormons who traveled to Mexico in 1910 came back to Salt Lake City with
marijuana. The church was not pleased and ruled against use of the drug. Since the state of Utah automatically
enshrined church doctrine into law, the first state marijuana prohibition was established in 1915. (Today, Senator
Orrin Hatch serves as the prohibition arm of this heavily church-influenced state.)
Other states quickly followed suit with marijuana prohibition laws, including Wyoming (1915), Texas (1919), Iowa
(1923), Nevada (1923), Oregon (1923), Washington (1923), Arkansas (1923), and Nebraska (1927). These laws
tended to be specifically targeted against the Mexican-American population.
When Montana outlawed marijuana in 1927, the Butte Montana Standard reported a legislator's comment: "When
some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff... he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he
starts out to execute all his political enemies." In Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: "All Mexicans are
crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy."
Jazz and Assassins
In the eastern states, the "problem" was attributed to a combination of Latin Americans and black jazz musicians.
Marijuana and jazz traveled from New Orleans to Chicago, and then to Harlem, where marijuana became an
indispensable part of the music scene, even entering the language of the black hits of the time (Louis Armstrong's
"Muggles", Cab Calloway's "That Funny Reefer Man", Fats Waller's "Viper's Drag").
Again, racism was part of the charge against marijuana, as newspapers in 1934 editorialized: "Marihuana influences
Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men's shadows and look at a white woman twice."
Two other fear-tactic rumors started to spread: one, that Mexicans, Blacks and other foreigners were snaring white
children with marijuana; and two, the story of the "assassins." Early stories of Marco Polo had told of
"hasheesh-eaters" or hashashin, from which derived the term "assassin." In the original stories, these professional
killers were given large doses of hashish and brought to the ruler's garden (to give them a glimpse of the paradise
that awaited them upon successful completion of their mission). Then, after the effects of the drug disappeared, the
assassin would fulfill his ruler's wishes with cool, calculating loyalty.
By the 1930s, the story had changed. Dr. A. E. Fossier wrote in the 1931 New Orleans Medical and Surgical
Journal: "Under the influence of hashish those fanatics would madly rush at their enemies, and ruthlessly massacre
every one within their grasp." Within a very short time, marijuana started being linked to violent behavior.
Alcohol Prohibition and Federal Approaches to Drug Prohibition
During this time, the United States was also dealing with alcohol prohibition, which lasted from 1919 to 1933. Alcohol
prohibition was extremely visible and debated at all levels, while drug laws were passed without the general public's
knowledge. National alcohol prohibition happened through the mechanism of an amendment to the constitution.
Earlier (1914), the Harrison Act was passed, which provided federal tax penalties for opiates and cocaine.
The federal approach is important. It was considered at the time that the federal government did not have the
constitutional power to outlaw alcohol or drugs. It is because of this that alcohol prohibition required a constitutional
amendment.
At that time in our country's history, the judiciary regularly placed the tenth amendment in the path of congressional
regulation of "local" affairs, and direct regulation of medical practice was considered beyond congressional power
under the commerce clause (since then, both provisions have been weakened so far as to have almost no meaning).
Since drugs could not be outlawed at the federal level, the decision was made to use federal taxes as a way around
the restriction. In the Harrison Act, legal uses of opiates and cocaine were taxed (supposedly as a revenue need by
the federal government, which is the only way it would hold up in the courts), and those who didn't follow the law
found themselves in trouble with the treasury department.
In 1930, a new division in the Treasury Department was established -- the Federal Bureau of Narcotics -- and Harry
J. Anslinger was named director. This, if anything, marked the beginning of the all-out war against marijuana.
Harry J. Anslinger
Anslinger was an extremely ambitious man, and he recognized the Bureau of Narcotics as an amazing career
opportunity -- a new government agency with the opportunity to define both the problem and the solution. He
immediately realized that opiates and cocaine wouldn't be enough to help build his agency, so he latched on to
marijuana and started to work on making it illegal at the federal level.
Anslinger immediately drew upon the themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to the problem he
wanted to create. Some of his quotes regarding marijuana...
.."There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and
entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to
seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."
"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."
"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."
"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"
"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."..
And he loved to pull out his own version of the "assassin" definition:
.."In the year 1090, there was founded in Persia the religious and military order of the Assassins, whose history is
one of cruelty, barbarity, and murder, and for good reason: the members were confirmed users of hashish, or
marihuana, and it is from the Arabs' 'hashashin' that we have the English word 'assassin.'"..
Yellow Journalism
Harry Anslinger got some additional help from William Randolf Hearst, owner of a huge chain of newspapers. Hearst
had lots of reasons to help. First, he hated Mexicans. Second, he had invested heavily in the timber industry to
support his newspaper chain and didn't want to see the development of hemp paper in competition. Third, he had
lost 800,000 acres of timberland to Pancho Villa, so he hated Mexicans. Fourth, telling lurid lies about Mexicans
(and the devil marijuana weed causing violence) sold newspapers, making him rich.
Some samples from the San Francisco Examiner:
.."Marihuana makes fiends of boys in thirty days -- Hashish goads users to bloodlust."
"By the tons it is coming into this country -- the deadly, dreadful poison that racks and tears not only the body, but
the very heart and soul of every human being who once becomes a slave to it in any of its cruel and devastating
forms.... Marihuana is a short cut to the insane asylum. Smoke marihuana cigarettes for a month and what was once
your brain will be nothing but a storehouse of horrid specters. Hasheesh makes a murderer who kills for the love of
killing out of the mildest mannered man who ever laughed at the idea that any habit could ever get him...."..
And other nationwide columns...
.."Users of marijuana become STIMULATED as they inhale the drug and are LIKELY TO DO ANYTHING. Most
crimes of violence in this section, especially in country districts are laid to users of that drug."
"Was it marijuana, the new Mexican drug, that nerved the murderous arm of Clara Phillips when she hammered out
her victim's life in Los Angeles?... THREE-FOURTHS OF THE CRIMES of violence in this country today are
committed by DOPE SLAVES -- that is a matter of cold record."..
Hearst and Anslinger were then supported by Dupont chemical company and various pharmaceutical companies in
the effort to outlaw cannabis. Dupont had patented nylon, and wanted hemp removed as competition. The
pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis,
folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.
This all set the stage for...
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.
After two years of secret planning, Anslinger brought his plan to Congress -- complete with a scrapbook full of
sensational Hearst editorials, stories of ax murderers who had supposedly smoked marijuana, and racial slurs.
It was a remarkably short set of hearings.
The one fly in Anslinger's ointment was the appearance by Dr. William C. Woodward, Legislative Council of the
American Medical Association.
Woodward started by slamming Harry Anslinger and the Bureau of Narcotics for distorting earlier AMA statements
that had nothing to do with marijuana and making them appear to be AMA endorsement for Anslinger's view.
He also reproached the legislature and the Bureau for using the term marijuana in the legislation and not publicizing
it as a bill about cannabis or hemp. At this point, marijuana (or marihuana) was a sensationalist word used to refer
to Mexicans smoking a drug and had not been connected in most people's minds to the existing cannabis/hemp
plant. Thus, many who had legitimate reasons to oppose the bill weren't even aware of it.
Woodward went on to state that the AMA was opposed to the legislation and further questioned the approach of the
hearings, coming close to outright accusation of misconduct by Anslinger and the committee:
.."That there is a certain amount of narcotic addiction of an objectionable character no one will deny. The
newspapers have called attention to it so prominently that there must be some grounds for [their] statements [even
Woodward was partially taken in by Hearst's propaganda]. It has surprised me, however, that the facts on which
these statements have been based have not been brought before this committee by competent primary evidence.
We are referred to newspaper publications concerning the prevalence of marihuana addiction. We are told that the
use of marihuana causes crime.
But yet no one has been produced from the Bureau of Prisons to show the number of prisoners who have been
found addicted to the marihuana habit. An informed inquiry shows that the Bureau of Prisons has no evidence on
that point.
You have been told that school children are great users of marihuana cigarettes. No one has been summoned from
the Children's Bureau to show the nature and extent of the habit, among children.
Inquiry of the Children's Bureau shows that they have had no occasion to investigate it and know nothing
particularly of it.
Inquiry of the Office of Education--- and they certainly should know something of the prevalence of the habit among
the school children of the country, if there is a prevalent habit--- indicates that they have had no occasion to
investigate and know nothing of it.
Moreover, there is in the Treasury Department itself, the Public Health Service, with its Division of Mental Hygiene.
The Division of Mental Hygiene was, in the first place, the Division of Narcotics. It was converted into the Division of
Mental Hygiene, I think, about 1930. That particular Bureau has control at the present time of the narcotics farms
that were created about 1929 or 1930 and came into operation a few years later. No one has been summoned from
that Bureau to give evidence on that point.
Informal inquiry by me indicates that they have had no record of any marihuana of Cannabis addicts who have ever
been committed to those farms.
The bureau of Public Health Service has also a division of pharmacology. If you desire evidence as to the
pharmacology of Cannabis, that obviously is the place where you can get direct and primary evidence, rather than
the indirect hearsay evidence."..
Committee members then proceeded to attack Dr. Woodward, questioning his motives in opposing the legislation.
Even the Chairman joined in:
.. The Chairman: If you want to advise us on legislation, you ought to come here with some constructive proposals,
rather than criticism, rather than trying to throw obstacles in the way of something that the Federal Government is
trying to do. It has not only an unselfish motive in this, but they have a serious responsibility.
Dr. Woodward: We cannot understand yet, Mr. Chairman, why this bill should have been prepared in secret for 2
years without any intimation, even, to the profession, that it was being prepared...
After some further bantering...
..The Chairman: I would like to read a quotation from a recent editorial in the Washington Times: ..The marihuana
cigarette is one of the most insidious of all forms of dope, largely because of the failure of the public to understand
its fatal qualities.
The Nation is almost defenseless against it, having no Federal laws to cope with it and virtually no organized
campaign for combating it.
The result is tragic.
School children are the prey of peddlers who infest school neighborhoods.
High school boys and girls buy the destructive weed without knowledge of its capacity of harm, and conscienceless
dealers sell it with impunity.
This is a national problem, and it must have national attention.
The fatal marihuana cigarette must be recognized as a deadly drug, and American children must be protected
against it... That is a pretty severe indictment. They say it is a national question and that it requires effective
legislation. Of course, in a general way, you have responded to all of these statements; but that indicates very
clearly that it is an evil of such magnitude that it is recognized by the press of the country as such. ..
And that was basically it. Yellow journalism won over medical science.
The committee passed the legislation on. And on the floor of the house, the entire discussion was:
..Member from upstate New York: "Mr. Speaker, what is this bill about?"
Speaker Rayburn: "I don't know. It has something to do with a thing called marihuana. I think it's a narcotic of some
kind."
"Mr. Speaker, does the American Medical Association support this bill?"
Member on the committee jumps up and says: "Their Doctor Wentworth[sic] came down here. They support this bill
100 percent."..
And on the basis of that lie, on August 2, 1937, marijuana became illegal at the federal level.
The entire coverage in the New York Times: "President Roosevelt signed today a bill to curb traffic in the narcotic,
marihuana, through heavy taxes on transactions."
Anslinger as precursor to the Drug Czars
Anslinger was essentially the first Drug Czar. Even though the term didn't exist until William Bennett's position as
director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy, Anslinger acted in a similar fashion. In fact, there are
some amazing parallels between Anslinger and the current Drug Czar John Walters. Both had kind of a carte
blanche to go around demonizing drugs and drug users. Both had resources and a large public podium for their
voice to be heard and to promote their personal agenda. Both lied constantly, often when it was unnecessary. Both
were racists. Both had the ear of lawmakers, and both realized that they could persuade legislators and others
based on lies, particularly if they could co-opt the media into squelching or downplaying any opposition views.
Anslinger even had the ability to circumvent the First Amendment. He banned the Canadian movie "Drug Addict," a
1946 documentary that realistically depicted the drug addicts and law enforcement efforts. He even tried to get
Canada to ban the movie in their own country, or failing that, to prevent U.S. citizens from seeing the movie in
Canada. Canada refused. (Today, Drug Czar John Walters is trying to bully Canada into keeping harsh marijuana
laws.)
Anslinger had 37 years to solidify the propaganda and stifle opposition. The lies continued the entire time (although
the stories would adjust -- the 21 year old Florida boy who killed his family of five got younger each time he told it).
In 1961, he looked back at his efforts:
.."Much of the most irrational juvenile violence and that has written a new chapter of shame and tragedy is traceable
directly to this hemp intoxication. A gang of boys tear the clothes from two school girls and rape the screaming girls,
one boy after the other. A sixteen-year-old kills his entire family of five in Florida, a man in Minnesota puts a bullet
through the head of a stranger on the road; in Colorado husband tries to shoot his wife, kills her grandmother
instead and then kills himself. Every one of these crimes had been proceeded [sic] by the smoking of one or more
marijuana "reefers." As the marijuana situation grew worse, I knew action had to be taken to get the proper
legislation passed. By 1937 under my direction, the Bureau launched two important steps First, a legislative plan to
seek from Congress a new law that would place marijuana and its distribution directly under federal control. Second,
on radio and at major forums, such that presented annually by the New York Herald Tribune, I told the story of this
evil weed of the fields and river beds and roadsides. I wrote articles for magazines; our agents gave hundreds of
lectures to parents, educators, social and civic leaders. In network broadcasts I reported on the growing list of
crimes, including murder and rape. I described the nature of marijuana and its close kinship to hashish. I continued
to hammer at the facts.
I believe we did a thorough job, for the public was alerted and the laws to protect them were passed, both nationally
and at the state level. We also brought under control the wild growing marijuana in this country. Working with local
authorities, we cleaned up hundreds of acres of marijuana and we uprooted plants sprouting along the roadsides."..
After Anslinger
On a break from college in the 70s, I was visiting a church in rural Illinois. There in the literature racks in the back of
the church was a lurid pamphlet about the evils of marijuana -- all the old reefer madness propaganda about how it
caused insanity and murder. I approached the minister and said "You can't have this in your church. It's all lies, and
the church shouldn't be about promoting lies." Fortunately, my dad believed me, and he had the material removed.
He didn't even know how it got there. But without me speaking up, neither he nor the other members of the church
had any reason NOT to believe what the pamphlet said. The propaganda machine had been that effective.
The narrative since then has been a continual litany of:
....Politicians wanting to appear tough on crime and passing tougher penalties....Constant increases in spending on
law enforcement and prisons....Racist application of drug laws....Taxpayer funded propaganda....Stifling of
opposition speech....Political contributions from corporations that profit from marijuana being illegal
(pharmaceuticals, alcohol, etc.).... ... but that's another whole story.
..
This account only scratches the surface of the story. If you want to know more about the history of marijuana, Harry
Anslinger, and the saga of criminalization in the United States and elsewhere, visit some of the excellent links below.
(All data and quotes for this piece came from these sources as well).
The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States by Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law, USC
Law School. A Speech to the California Judges Association 1995 annual conference.
THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE LEGAL HISTORY OF
AMERICAN MARIJUANA PROHIBITION by Richard J. Bonnie & Charles H. Whitebread, II. VIRGINIA LAW REVIEW.
VOLUME 56 OCTOBER 1970 NUMBER 6
The Consumers Union Report - Licit and Illicit Drugs by Edward M. Brecher and the Editors of Consumer Reports
Magazine
The History of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 By David F. Musto, M.D., New Haven, Conn. Originally published in
Arch. Gen. Psychiat. Volume 26, February, 1972
The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse I. Control of Marihuana, Alcohol and
Tobacco. History of Marihuana Legislation
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The history of how the Marihuana Tax Act came to be the law of the land.
Marijuana - The First Twelve Thousand Years by Ernest L. Abel, 1980
[Porqué la marihuana es ilegal]