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QuoteYour poll doesn't surprise me at all.
Regardless of what people think. There are more and more pot smokers out there everday. People that you would never think.
And then there are people like me, who everybody thinks would smoke pot, and who doesn't and never has! Weird. I guess if I wanted to stop being thought of that way, I'd cut my hair.
QuoteDid you know that the cotton industry is one the biggest lobbists against the legalization of Marijuana? They are afraid of hemp. HEMP RULES it can do anything cotton can and more.
Yes, cotton and paper. Hemp can be used for paper, too. And yeah, it's a more durable fiber for garments, I think. And it's supposed to be more efficient to grow and yield, I think I heard somewhere.
-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
QuoteDude what are you smoking?
I love weed but to blame cotton for the law is insane.
You could always buy hemp rope or hemp clothing.
Dude, according to what I was told, it was paper companies in the early 20th century that lobbied to get marijuana made illegal, for the reason that it would compete and kick the shit out of the paper mills. (But I'm sure it's been fought against by the cotton industry too.)
You didn't think drugs have always been illegal, did you? It's a 20th century, bigwigs/fatcats-protecting-their-profits thing. People used to be able to buy cocaine at the corner drug store! It was said to "settle the nerves" and shit like that. It was an ingredient in Coca-Cola for cryin' out loud. Drug criminalization is a "new" thing!
QuoteThe bottom line is that old prejudices die hard. Weed was seen as a Black or Mexican drug that caused "those people" to go off. Marijuana is slowly becoming less criminal but no politician in his right mind is going to publically advocate decriminalizing any recreational drug.
Then it'll take electing a guy who is not yet a politician, who will spearhead such a drive. Someone who's not afraid he will lose power because he favors legalization; he'll have never had power -- his power will come from his stance for legalization!
Have you ever heard of "Reefer Madness"? I haven't seen it, but it's supposed to be a movie about how "reefer" (pot) makes people go crazy. They tried, in the early 20th century, to make it seem like pot did to people what PCP does, making them go berserk. The war against drugs like pot is like the war against gun ownership: those who want prohibition HAVE TO LIE in order to make a case against these things. Without lies, there IS no case.
-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
rhys 0
***
Dude, according to what I was told, it was paper companies in the early 20th century that lobbied to get marijuana made illegal, for the reason that it would compete and kick the shit out of the paper mills. (But I'm sure it's been fought against by the cotton industry too.)
Dude, according to what I was told, it was paper companies in the early 20th century that lobbied to get marijuana made illegal, for the reason that it would compete and kick the shit out of the paper mills. (But I'm sure it's been fought against by the cotton industry too.)
Quotei'll think you will find if you look into this subject, it was the petrochemical companies wanting to push products like nylon. plastic is a byproduct of the petrolium industry!
movies like 'reefer madness'(which i have seen, and is very funny) were made and the name marijuana was invented to help make hemp illegal."When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix
Eiley 0
QuoteI also think there would need to be some sort of instantaneous testing similar to a breathalyzer wherein the police could on the basis of that test determine if a person was or was not considered to be under the influence. I have no idea if this is even technologially feasible nor do I have any idea of where you'd set the limits, but you can't make it "legal" without setting some limits as to how much is permissible without being considered under the influence.
Next month here in Melbourne Australia they are introducing 'lollipops' which will be administered the same as random breath testing is now. The lollipops can apparently tell if you have used recently enough for you to be under the influence.
Our government is keen to legalise/decriminalise MJ, but every time it comes up the loudest voting bloc (the blue rinse set) screams it down.
nothing to see here
sunman 0
It was proven almost a century ago that prohibition does not work. The war on drugs is a joke. It has cost more money and killed more people than can be counted. Legalize them all. Repression only makes things worse.
End the war on drugs.
Put the money into things that matter like education, health care, defense...
That is all.
End the war on drugs.
Put the money into things that matter like education, health care, defense...
That is all.
Marijuana should NOT be illegal.
My main concern is not with the population but the excuse the government is using to obliterate our rights.
The U.S. federal government spent $19.179 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second. (this is from the ONDCP)
Someone is arrested for illegal drugs every 20 seconds, and nearly 50% of those arrests are for cannabis (that's just over a half million SO FAR this year for pot offenses alone) (again ONDCP)
The war on drugs is absolutely a war on it's citizens, to even call it a WAR is against our constitutaion. A war against the citizens is considered treason.
To go against the states is ridiculous.. I can't wait until Alaska shuts down all federal offices when the feds go after them for legalizing.. it should be very interesting.
For those of you FOR legalization please take a moment to donate to the MPP.org Education fund.. this is a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation and yes I have donated, and will continue to do so.
I would like to smoke marijuana legally. However my main motivation is certainly the sick. My grandmother died suffering with nausea, pain & the lack of appetite certainly did not help. She should not have been forced to leave this world in discomfort & pain simply because the government did not approve of this treatment for her. If they can grow it and perscribe it to others in this country why not her? Sounds like discrimination and it is.
30 years ago, marijuana was legal.
100 years ago, marijuana was legal.
The biggest problem I have and ANYONE SHOULD have with this so called war on drugs are the lies they use to support their methods. If you knew the truth, then they wouldn't be able to lie to you anymore.
Do you realize the only reason they say it's bad is because the primary way of ingesting it is smoking it? They can't even admit that if it's not smoked, that it can actually be good for you.
Children eating a marijuana cookie or muffin for breakfast have ALL BUT ELIMINATED the need for ADD & AD/HD kids to take dangerious drugs perscribed by our government. Do we care that these kids experience an entire day of being able to focus & participate in life without being drugged down?
16 people have been arrested for minor marijuana usage in the time it took me to write this post...
End the war on our citizens, even if your not one of the "users" it doesn't matter, it's still a war on our citizens and it's wrong.
Millions of families split up each year, children of these families live in an average of 12 foster homes per year, our children, our future, are the ones who suffer the most.
Wanna boost the economy too? Legalize growing, 2+ million families will save thousands of dollars per year and have that much more to spend on shopping, vacations, etc. The average smoker spends about 6K per year in off the street, crappy and unpredictable pot.. yes that's approximately $12,000,000,000 per year.
Seems like lots would be better if that money were floating around our legal economy instead of the black market.
Wage Peace and donate to mpp.org
How much better could it be to deduct a donation to a foundation such as this, who has brought forms of legalization to 11 states in the last couple of years?
My main concern is not with the population but the excuse the government is using to obliterate our rights.
The U.S. federal government spent $19.179 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second. (this is from the ONDCP)
Someone is arrested for illegal drugs every 20 seconds, and nearly 50% of those arrests are for cannabis (that's just over a half million SO FAR this year for pot offenses alone) (again ONDCP)
The war on drugs is absolutely a war on it's citizens, to even call it a WAR is against our constitutaion. A war against the citizens is considered treason.
To go against the states is ridiculous.. I can't wait until Alaska shuts down all federal offices when the feds go after them for legalizing.. it should be very interesting.
For those of you FOR legalization please take a moment to donate to the MPP.org Education fund.. this is a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation and yes I have donated, and will continue to do so.
I would like to smoke marijuana legally. However my main motivation is certainly the sick. My grandmother died suffering with nausea, pain & the lack of appetite certainly did not help. She should not have been forced to leave this world in discomfort & pain simply because the government did not approve of this treatment for her. If they can grow it and perscribe it to others in this country why not her? Sounds like discrimination and it is.
30 years ago, marijuana was legal.
100 years ago, marijuana was legal.
The biggest problem I have and ANYONE SHOULD have with this so called war on drugs are the lies they use to support their methods. If you knew the truth, then they wouldn't be able to lie to you anymore.
Do you realize the only reason they say it's bad is because the primary way of ingesting it is smoking it? They can't even admit that if it's not smoked, that it can actually be good for you.
Children eating a marijuana cookie or muffin for breakfast have ALL BUT ELIMINATED the need for ADD & AD/HD kids to take dangerious drugs perscribed by our government. Do we care that these kids experience an entire day of being able to focus & participate in life without being drugged down?
16 people have been arrested for minor marijuana usage in the time it took me to write this post...
End the war on our citizens, even if your not one of the "users" it doesn't matter, it's still a war on our citizens and it's wrong.
Millions of families split up each year, children of these families live in an average of 12 foster homes per year, our children, our future, are the ones who suffer the most.
Wanna boost the economy too? Legalize growing, 2+ million families will save thousands of dollars per year and have that much more to spend on shopping, vacations, etc. The average smoker spends about 6K per year in off the street, crappy and unpredictable pot.. yes that's approximately $12,000,000,000 per year.
Seems like lots would be better if that money were floating around our legal economy instead of the black market.
Wage Peace and donate to mpp.org
How much better could it be to deduct a donation to a foundation such as this, who has brought forms of legalization to 11 states in the last couple of years?
I think it should be pharmaceuticalized. It could help more people than it does if people undergoing chemo. etc. could have easy access and not be breaking the law. It should be automatically prescribed to certain people w/ terminal chronic/ severely painful illnesses along w/ their regular meds. Morphine, codeine, demoral, etc.- it's all highly addictive and marijuana is much less harmful to the body...
smiles 0
In the Dauphin region of Manitoba, Canada the days are growing shorter and colder, and snow will soon be on the ground, where it will linger until March.
Across the horizon, prairies teem with combines plodding through the fields for the annual hemp harvest. Since early June, when Canadian farmers could be relatively certain that the last frost had passed, hemp plants have grown from seedlings poking through the province's black soil to statuesque stalks, with serrated leaves that give way to ripe flowers full of seeds.
Farmers export the seeds and plant fibers to the United States, where manufacturers use it to make goods such as flour, bread, cheese, butter, birdseed, clothing and personal care products. High in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, hemp foodstuffs appeal to those looking for an alternative to fish, which can contain mercury. The Hemp Industry Association estimates annual sales of U.S. hemp food products is $40 million.
Despite hemp's nutritional benefits, you will not find lush fields of the plant in the U.S. because, since 1958, it has been illegal to grow the "industrial" variety here. Hemp is related to marijuana, but is non-psychoactive and its flowers contain only trace amounts of THC.
Although you'd puke before eating enough hemp bread to get stoned, had a proposed rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration become law, you could have been charged with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance for keeping a loaf in the fridge.
In a 2003 rule change, the DEA tried to criminalize the importation of hemp foods for human consumption (but not birdseed and animal food), claiming they contained THC and thus fell under the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act, which Congress passed in the heady days of 1970.
The Hemp Industry Association, a lobbying group, immediately sued the DEA and also filed a challenge under the North American Free Trade Agreement, of which Canada is a partner. While this move triggered mandatory meetings with the State Department, David Bronner, chairman of the HIA's Food and Oil Committee says, "Under NAFTA rules, you can't change policy. The only avenue was a domestic court."
Enter the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which unanimously ruled that the DEA could not ban nutritious hemp foods and that the Controlled Substances Act specifically exempted "industrial" hemp products, much like it exempted poppy seeds from the list of prohibited opiates.
The Bush Administration failed to appeal the decision by the Sept. 27 deadline, and the court's ruling held.
To celebrate the Ninth Circuit's decision, we broke out the hemp bread and opted for peanut butter and banana as a topping, since hemp cheese should be consumed only with the same caveats as soy cheese; in other words, bleck. Earthy, crunchy and dense, the dark bread (which also contains spelt, kamut and other exotic grains) serves as a good gateway to other hemp foods: the raw seeds taste like their sunflower counterparts and can be roasted; the flour can be used in waffles and nut breads.
Ironically, the Puritans first brought hemp to America in 1645, and the crop flourished in the South and Midwest until the development of the cotton gin and popularity of jute and abaca displaced it. In World War II, imports of abaca and jute were unavailable and hemp briefly came back in vogue. Unlike cotton, hemp requires few pesticides or herbicides, and is often grown organically. Its leaves resemble that of the pot plant, which can confuse law enforcement agents surveilling fields from helicopters.
"People think you can grow pot in a hemp field," says Bronner. "Hemp grows densely and tall and looks very different from marijuana, which is low and busy. No one would grow a drug crop in a non-drug crop. It would cross-pollinate and ruin its potency."
Bronner sees the court's ruling as a step towards eventual legalization of hemp farming in the U.S.
Fourteen states have passed legislation to research hemp agriculture, albeit under extremely controlled circumstances and with federal permits. In 1999, Hawaii received $200,000 from a hair-care company to plant test plots of hemp, although the federal government required the fields to be enclosed in 12-foot-high fence with infrared surveillance.
On the federal level, votehemp.com rated presidential candidates on their stances on U.S. hemp cultivation: Bush received an F for the DEA's proposed rule; Kerry received a failing grade because he did not follow up on a promise to complete the hemp survey. Independent Ralph Nader, Green David Cobb and Libertarian Michael Badnarik received A-pluses for supporting the legalization of industrial hemp.
Vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, who hails from a major tobacco-producing state, North Carolina, received a B-minus for agreeing to allow research without federal permits but remaining undecided on whether to allow farmers to grow it.
Bronner says some members of Congress are sympathetic to the hemp cause, although none will go on the record in favor of hemp during an election year. The HIA is also working with Midwestern farmers to rally support. Still, hemp's opponents contend legalizing hemp farming would, as Bronner describes, "send the wrong message to children."
"Generally you have opposition from the cultural warriors, the religious, zealot right. You can't have the message come out that there are some pretty amazing applications for hemp."
Note: Although you'd puke before eating enough hemp bread to get stoned, if the DEA had its way, you would have been charged with drug possession for owning a loaf.
SMiles
Across the horizon, prairies teem with combines plodding through the fields for the annual hemp harvest. Since early June, when Canadian farmers could be relatively certain that the last frost had passed, hemp plants have grown from seedlings poking through the province's black soil to statuesque stalks, with serrated leaves that give way to ripe flowers full of seeds.
Farmers export the seeds and plant fibers to the United States, where manufacturers use it to make goods such as flour, bread, cheese, butter, birdseed, clothing and personal care products. High in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, hemp foodstuffs appeal to those looking for an alternative to fish, which can contain mercury. The Hemp Industry Association estimates annual sales of U.S. hemp food products is $40 million.
Despite hemp's nutritional benefits, you will not find lush fields of the plant in the U.S. because, since 1958, it has been illegal to grow the "industrial" variety here. Hemp is related to marijuana, but is non-psychoactive and its flowers contain only trace amounts of THC.
Although you'd puke before eating enough hemp bread to get stoned, had a proposed rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration become law, you could have been charged with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance for keeping a loaf in the fridge.
In a 2003 rule change, the DEA tried to criminalize the importation of hemp foods for human consumption (but not birdseed and animal food), claiming they contained THC and thus fell under the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act, which Congress passed in the heady days of 1970.
The Hemp Industry Association, a lobbying group, immediately sued the DEA and also filed a challenge under the North American Free Trade Agreement, of which Canada is a partner. While this move triggered mandatory meetings with the State Department, David Bronner, chairman of the HIA's Food and Oil Committee says, "Under NAFTA rules, you can't change policy. The only avenue was a domestic court."
Enter the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which unanimously ruled that the DEA could not ban nutritious hemp foods and that the Controlled Substances Act specifically exempted "industrial" hemp products, much like it exempted poppy seeds from the list of prohibited opiates.
The Bush Administration failed to appeal the decision by the Sept. 27 deadline, and the court's ruling held.
To celebrate the Ninth Circuit's decision, we broke out the hemp bread and opted for peanut butter and banana as a topping, since hemp cheese should be consumed only with the same caveats as soy cheese; in other words, bleck. Earthy, crunchy and dense, the dark bread (which also contains spelt, kamut and other exotic grains) serves as a good gateway to other hemp foods: the raw seeds taste like their sunflower counterparts and can be roasted; the flour can be used in waffles and nut breads.
Ironically, the Puritans first brought hemp to America in 1645, and the crop flourished in the South and Midwest until the development of the cotton gin and popularity of jute and abaca displaced it. In World War II, imports of abaca and jute were unavailable and hemp briefly came back in vogue. Unlike cotton, hemp requires few pesticides or herbicides, and is often grown organically. Its leaves resemble that of the pot plant, which can confuse law enforcement agents surveilling fields from helicopters.
"People think you can grow pot in a hemp field," says Bronner. "Hemp grows densely and tall and looks very different from marijuana, which is low and busy. No one would grow a drug crop in a non-drug crop. It would cross-pollinate and ruin its potency."
Bronner sees the court's ruling as a step towards eventual legalization of hemp farming in the U.S.
Fourteen states have passed legislation to research hemp agriculture, albeit under extremely controlled circumstances and with federal permits. In 1999, Hawaii received $200,000 from a hair-care company to plant test plots of hemp, although the federal government required the fields to be enclosed in 12-foot-high fence with infrared surveillance.
On the federal level, votehemp.com rated presidential candidates on their stances on U.S. hemp cultivation: Bush received an F for the DEA's proposed rule; Kerry received a failing grade because he did not follow up on a promise to complete the hemp survey. Independent Ralph Nader, Green David Cobb and Libertarian Michael Badnarik received A-pluses for supporting the legalization of industrial hemp.
Vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, who hails from a major tobacco-producing state, North Carolina, received a B-minus for agreeing to allow research without federal permits but remaining undecided on whether to allow farmers to grow it.
Bronner says some members of Congress are sympathetic to the hemp cause, although none will go on the record in favor of hemp during an election year. The HIA is also working with Midwestern farmers to rally support. Still, hemp's opponents contend legalizing hemp farming would, as Bronner describes, "send the wrong message to children."
"Generally you have opposition from the cultural warriors, the religious, zealot right. You can't have the message come out that there are some pretty amazing applications for hemp."
Note: Although you'd puke before eating enough hemp bread to get stoned, if the DEA had its way, you would have been charged with drug possession for owning a loaf.
SMiles
Actually I would vote to decriminalize all drugs. I feel the government should not have the power to tell us adults what we can and cannot put into our own bodies.
Also taxing drugs would be a great way to help reduce the deficit
Also taxing drugs would be a great way to help reduce the deficit
------------------------------------------------------
"From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant,
who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns
"From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant,
who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns
QuoteMarijuana should NOT be illegal.
My main concern is not with the population but the excuse the government is using to obliterate our rights.
Agreed. They really use it to self-sustain their budgets, and their little authoritarian fiefdoms. Each head of a department, be it DEA, FBI, state police, local police, BATFE, is like a little lord, looking to continue to have an excuse for a huge budget, power over the people, and lots of little fun lethal toys.
QuoteSomeone is arrested for illegal drugs every 20 seconds
Wow, that poor guy!! I'll bet his legal costs are astronomical!
He's probably lookin' at thousands of years in prison, too! -Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
Has anyone here read John Ross' Unintended Consequences?
Deals a lot with abuse of authority, and the way in which a populace pushed too far might take back their power over their government.
In a case like this, it might come down to cop-killing, with a note left on the body saying, "Abused his authority; violated my right against warrantless search."
If enough people rose up violently against abuse like that, you'd probably see what happened in the book happen in real life. The abusive authorities would either go so nuts that the rest of society would also rise up in protest, or they'd stand the fuck down / get out of the business / just cease their abusive shit.
Now, I ain't sayin' I "approve" of it, just sayin' it's an option that I'm sure people consider now and then.
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"
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