Dutch Close 8 Prisons: Not Enough Inmates

For years prohibitionists, including our own Drug Enforcement Administration, have claimed — falsely — that the tolerant marijuana policies of the Netherlands have made that nation a nest of crime and drug abuse. They may have trouble wrapping their little brains around this:

The Dutch government is getting ready to close eight prisons because they don’t have enough criminals to fill them. Officials attribute the shortage of prisoners to a declining crime rate.

Just for fun, let’s compare the Netherlands to California. With a population of 16.6 million, the Dutch prison population is about 12,000. With its population of 36.7 million, California should have a bit more than double the Dutch prison population. California’s actual prison population is 171,000.

So, whose drug policies are keeping the streets safer?

SOURCE: MPP BLOG












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This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Fine for Pot Possession in Mile High City: $1.00

Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Supreme Court Upholds Right to Medical Marijuana

California Medical Marijuana ID Card

When California passed its Medical Marijuana law some years ago, three counties steadfastly refused to issue identification cards to patients, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Merced. San Diego argued that federal law, which does not recognize medical marijuana usage, supersedes state law. San Diego lost that argument in a state trial and in the appellate courts. The California Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Merced dropped out of the case.

San Diego and San Bernardino decided to take a long-shot gamble to attempt to to have the U.S. Supreme Court hear the case. The United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case upholding the rights of medical marijuana patients. This is a landmark decision, or non-decision that paves the way for Medical Marijuana to be the law of the land in California.

To anyone who has followed the unethical actions of the San Diego and San Bernardino Supervisors over the past three years, the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear their appeal shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the counties’ vapid arguments had previously been struck down — unanimously — by the Superior Court of the State of California in the 4th District Court of Appeals.

In addition, the Legislative Counsel of California, the state Attorney General’s Office, and a majority of the California legislature had also previously determined that local politicians and law enforcement were obligated to uphold the provisions of California’s medical marijuana laws. Finally, California’s constitution is also quite clear on this point — mandating that police have a sworn duty to uphold state law, not to enforce federal statutes.

Let’s be blunt: San Diego and San Bernardino’s protracted lawsuits — lawsuits that arguably cost county taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and jeopardized the health and safety of thousands (if not tens of thousands) of citizens — were never about resolving legal ambiguity. Rather, it was about the arrogance and recalcitrance of those who willfully chose to abuse their power and position to hamstring the will of the voters, the legislature, and the courts.

And while this particular legal battle is now over, our outrage shouldn’t be. We now know that Medical marijuana, if used in its proper form as an ingestible medication (Hemp Oil with THC) kills cancer cells. It is being proven all over the world, It is time that the US lift Gerald Ford's 1975 ban on anyone being allowed to test marijuana in the U.S. other than pharmaceutical companies, and launch a full testing program to confirm the miraculous properties of this natural herb.


















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A Burning Loss of Freedom in America

Medical Fascism in America

A US couple who refused chemotherapy for their 13-year-old son on religious grounds have been ordered to have the boy re-evaluated to see if he would still benefit from the cancer treatment.

A judge in Minnesota found that Daniel Hauser had been "medically neglected" by his parents, Colleen and Anthony Hauser, who belong to a religious group that believes in using only natural healing methods practised by some American Indians. Judge John Rodenberg allowed Daniel to stay with his parents, noting that they love him and had acted in good faith. But he gave them until Tuesday to get an updated chest X-ray and select an oncologist.

If the tumour has not grown and if Daniel's prognosis remains as optimistic as doctors testified in a hearing last week, then chemotherapy and possible radiation appear to be in Daniel's best interest, the judge said. "The State has successfully shown by clear and convincing evidence that continued chemotherapy is medically necessary," he said in a written judgment, adding he would not order chemotherapy if doctors find the cancer has advanced to a point where it is "too late".

If chemotherapy is ordered and the family refuses, the judge said, Daniel will be placed in temporary custody. It was unclear how the medicine would be administered if the boy fights it, which he said he would do, according to his court testimony unsealed on Friday.

He believes the chemo will kill him, and said: "I'd fight it. I'd punch them and I'd kick them."

Click to read full story.

Anyone who saw Farrah Fawcett's story on television KNOWS that it was the fact that chemotherapy and radiation burned and destroyed ALL CELLS, not just the unhealthy ones, that has led to physicians at UCLA Medical Center insisting that further surgery was not possible for her.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

It is well known that cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than normal cells and most anticancer drugs are designed specifically to destroy growing cells. Normal healthy cells also grow and multiply and some more quickly than others. The chemotherapy agent targeted for cancer cells, therefore, can also affect these cells. This results in damage to healthy tissue which is one of the main side effects of chemotherapy. The extent of these effects on normal tissue varies depending upon the type of drugs that are used and how the body reacts. Over time, normal cells will recover and continue functioning; cancer cells die off. Medical oncologists (the doctors who specialize in giving chemotherapy) explain the side effects that are most likely to occur with the agents which are to be used and prescribe medications to help with these side effects.

The side effects may include: Nausea and vomiting; Fatigue; Anemia; Hair loss, loss of fertility, and damage to blood platelets and white blood cells. The medications prescribed for these side effects themselves come with additional sometimes serious side effects. THERE IS NO PROOF THAT CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION ARE CURES FOR CANCER. THEY ARE NOT.

These two barbaric therapies that involve the destruction of ALL cells, healthy or sick, is simply the best our medical system can do.

THE MYTH OF REMISSION

After surgery or treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, a doctor will then do tests to see if the cancer is still there. If there are no signs of cancer, then the patient is in REMISSION. Remission is the goal when anyone with cancer goes to the hospital for treatment. Sometimes, this means additional chemotherapy might be needed for a while to keep cancer cells from coming back. They proclaim the patient, "Cancer free". That is, until the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

Cancer patients cured by chemotherapy? Zero

There is not a single cancer patient that has ever been cured by chemotherapy. Zero. Nado. None. Not one single documented case in the history of western medicine. Why? Because conventional medicine operates from the false belief that there is no cure for cancer. Anyone suggesting there may be a cure is immediately dismissed as a nutcase or a quack. In the meantime, the real quackery is the toxic chemotherapy chemicals that are injected into the bodies of patients and called "treatment". It's no different than napalming the jungles in Vietnam. Everything gets killed including healthy cells.

CONCLUSION

It is time to stop forcing people to submit to barbaric therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy. The stated purpose of the American Cancer Society and other similar organizations, in what would is known as the 'War on Cancer' - (a phrase coined by Richard Nixon) - is to find a cure for cancer! Year after year, these organizations collect hundreds of millions of dollars promising that effective treatment for cancer is right around the corner. "We can complete the Mission. We can stamp out cancer in your lifetime. But we need your help!"

To ask the American Cancer Society or the National Cancer Institute to find a cancer cure is to say, 'Be successful. Once you have achieved your goal, promptly commit suicide.' For once a real cancer cure or cures are announced, the need for these organizations, which collect hundreds of billions of dollars in the aggregate annually for treatment and research - from governments, agencies, foundations, corporations, insurance companies, and private individuals - all of them, without exception, will have lost their reason for existence. That is why a cancer cure will never come from them: the very nature of their mandate is a violation of Natural Law. It is a grand act of political expediency and managerial stupidity that has made what should have been an easy-to-solve medical puzzle and turned it into the single greatest act of man-made carnage in history -- a fraud of unspeakable magnitude that has spanned more than a century, and has needlessly caused the premature deaths of tens of millions of people.

No court in America has the right to force a family into such a barbaric and potentially fatal "treatment" as has been ordered by the court in this young boy's case. We have written in this column many times about the fact that more and more medical evidence is surfacing that Cannabinoids kill cancer cells. Hemp Oil with THC has been proven to do so in Canada as described by Rick Simpson. Is anyone listening?

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The Candid Blogger Exposes Phony Medical "Studies"

ATTACKS ON VITAMINS AND ANTIOXIDANTS ARE BOGUS -- INSPIRED BY BIG PHARMA?

There is a web portal that is known for its outrageous postings and topics. I will not give the owner of that site a link because many of his actions including posting any false information he could find about President Obama, much of which this "webmaster" knew to be untrue. Now he is posting so-called medical studies that attack the viability of vitamins and antioxidants! Is he being paid by the Pharmaceutical industry? Judge for yourself. There are several articles or studies. First, let's examine the one entitled, ANTIOXIDANTS INTERFERE WITH CHEMOTHERAPY Provocative, no? There is no author listed and this article can be found at: PRESS TV.

Who is PRESS TV? Their website says it all:

Press TV takes revolutionary steps as the first Iranian international news network, broadcasting in English on a round-the-clock basis. Our global Tehran-based headquarters is staffed with outstanding Iranian and foreign media professionals.

Here is what it says (OUR COMMENTS ARE IN CAPS AND BOLD):

Scientists claim that routine use of antioxidants during radiation and chemotherapy reduces the anticancer benefits of the treatment. THERE ARE NO ANTI-CANCER BENEFITS OF RADIATION AND CHEMOTHERAPY. THESE METHODS KILL ALL CELLS, CANCEROUS OR HEALTHY.

Previous studies had shown that antioxidant supplements protect healthy tissues and reduce the side effects of anti-cancer treatment. THAT'S RIGHT, THEY PROTECT THE HEALTHY CELLS FROM BURNING UP FROM CHEMO AND RADIATION.

Naval Medical Center scientists said taking antioxidants such as green tea, b-carotene, and vitamin A and E supplements does not have a considerable effect on the life span. Moreover, taking antioxidant supplements protect cancer cells from being killed by the treatment the same way they protect normal cells from harm. SO THEY CONFIRM THAT THESE ANTIOXIDANTS AND VITAMINS DO PROTECT CELLS.

According to the study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, radiation and many chemotherapy agents destroy tumor cells by inducing free radicals which damage DNA and proteins. AS WE SAID, THEY KILL ALL CELLS! Antioxidants interfere with this process. THANKFULLY!

PKH/HGH

Here is one that is truly insidious.

PROSTATE CANCER MANAGEABLE WITH RADIATION. (This one is complete baloney).

Standard medical treatment with the help of radiotherapy reduces the mortality rate in prostate cancer patients, a new study says. According to the study published in The Lancet Oncology, radiation therapy along with regular hormonal drugs doubles the survival rate in individuals suffering from advanced prostate cancer. The findings revealed that while 24 percent of prostate cancer sufferers die in 10 years of receiving medical treatment, adding radiation to the treatment regimen reduces this rate to less than 12 percent.

Radiotherapy improves the quality of life in these patients without posing additional side effects, the study said.

PKH/MD

OH REALLY? ACCORDING TO THE CANCER RESEARCH CENTER:

Side Effect of Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy may cause patients to become very tired as treatment continues. Resting is important, but doctors usually advise patients who have undergone radiation therapy to treat their prostate cancer to try to stay as active as they can. Patients may have diarrhea or frequent and uncomfortable urination. In addition, when patients receive external radiation therapy, it is common for the skin in the treated area to become red, dry, and tender. Other potential side effects of radiation therapy can include hair loss in the pelvic area. The loss may be temporary or permanent, depending on the amount of radiation used.

Radiation therapy causes impotence in some men. This does not occur as often with internal radiation therapy as with external radiation therapy; internal radiation therapy is not as likely to damage the nerves that control erection.

The truth is that American medicine is clueless as to how to cure cancer. Our government knows the cure, however, but will not allow it to become public. We have an absolute cure, proven by our government in testing in Virginia in 1975, and in further tests around the world since then. It is hemp oil with THC. Here is the video:



RUN FROM THE CURE.

Remember, the pharmaceutical industry is trying to destroy the supplement market and require prescriptions for virtually all herbal and non-drug solutions to our medical problems. There will be many such bogus studies in the near future as they try to propagandize the Rockefeller-based allopathic medicine our country practices. It's all about MONEY, not about your health.

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Fawcett Another Cancer Victim as U.S. Withholds the Cure

Farrah Fawcett - One of Charlie's Angels

We sadly say Good-Bye to Farrah who passed on today. Rest in peace.

Farrah Fawcett has been hospitalized and is in bad shape, sources close to family and friends tell RadarOnline.com exclusively. She has been battling cancer for three years and recently returned from Germany, where she had experimental stem-cell treatment. Sources told RadarOnline.com that she is critical but stable in a Los Angeles-area hospital. They also say she is unconscious and has been hospitalized for days.

Long-time love Ryan O’Neal has been by Farrah’s bedside, as has troubled son Redmond, who bolted from rehab earlier this week. Farrah, 62, was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and later pronounced cancer free at a press conference. It is not known whether she will survive.

source: RadarOnline.com

HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?

There IS a cure for cancer yet thousands of people die from this horrible disease every year. The United States government has known about a cure since 1974. Richard Nixon was furious at a young generation of activists that had turned America against him and who flaunted the use of marijuana in his face.

In 1974. wanting to find damaging evidence that marijuana is harmful, researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, were funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system. SURPRISE! They discovered instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice -- lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.

The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, in his book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes ." In 1976 President Gerald Ford who replaced the disgraced Nixon as president, put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out -- UNSUCCESSFULLY -- to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the "high." The synthetic marinol simply doesn't work.

This was not the only medical research that has produced such exciting results.

In 2000 Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University in Madrid Spain re-discovered that THC destroys tumors with no negative side effects whatsoever. His team also irrigated healthy rats brains with high doses of THC for seven days and again found no negative results. Cannabinoids kill cancer cells by cutting off their blood supply but not to the healthy cells. These results have since been duplicated around the globe with many other cancers as well.

In 2005 Dr. Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan found that THC actually promotes the growth of brain cells bringing new hope for head trauma and stroke patients. The same year the Scripps Institute reported that THC was a superior inhibitor of the plaque that causes Alzheimers. Unfortunately we hear little of any of these findings.

In 2008 researchers in Italy and the U.K. found that cannabinoids have germ killing activity against MRSA and kill bacteria in a different way than current antibiotics, meaning they might bypass bacterial resistance. MRSA's are becoming more and more prevalent and new treatments are desperately needed.

Even now, more medical evidence continues to mount around the world as more tests are conducted that the main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study released Thursday.

The authors from the Complutense University in Madrid, working with scientists from other universities, found that the active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy -- the breakdown that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

The research, which appears in the April edition of US-published Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates that THC and related "cannabinoids" appear to be "a new family of potential antitumoral agent." The authors wrote that the chemical may prove useful in the development of future "antitumoral agents."

The scientists conducted their research on mice, first stimulating the growth of cancer in the lab animals, then injecting them with a daily dose of THC near the site of their tumors. The researchers also analyzed the tumors of two patients in an experimental trial looking at the effects of THC on a highly aggressive form of brain tumor, and saw findings "in line with the preclinical evidence" first observed in the laboratory mice.

NOTED U.S. PHYSICIAN AGREES

Dr. Dean Ornish is a world renowned authority on fighting diseases with lifestyle and dietary changes. As clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco he has undeniable credentials and brain capacity to have his words taken seriously. Corrupted genes cause cancer.

According to Dr. Dean Ornish: “when you eat healthier, manage stress and exercise more, your brain gets more blood flow and more oxygen.”

Dr. Dean Ornish recommends following to increase brain cells:

• Chocolate

• Tea

• Blueberries

• Moderate intake of Alcohol

• Stress management

• Canabinoids (aka Marijuana)

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All Rights Reserved

New Medical Evidence that Marijuana Kills Cancer Cells

This Beautiful Plant Kills Cancer Cells

Medical evidence continues to mount around the world as more tests are conducted that the main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study released Thursday.

The authors from the Complutense University in Madrid, working with scientists from other universities, found that the active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy -- the breakdown that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

The research, which appears in the April edition of US-published Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates that THC and related "cannabinoids" appear to be "a new family of potential antitumoral agent." The authors wrote that the chemical may prove useful in the development of future "antitumoral agents."

The scientists conducted their research on mice, first stimulating the growth of cancer in the lab animals, then injecting them with a daily dose of THC near the site of their tumors. The researchers also analyzed the tumors of two patients in an experimental trial looking at the effects of THC on a highly aggressive form of brain tumor, and saw findings "in line with the preclinical evidence" first observed in the laboratory mice.

This is simply another result in the mounting evidence that marijuana does indeed kill cancer cells. Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no major U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and UPI news wires, on Feb. 29, 2000. This isn't the first time scientists have discovered that THC shrinks tumors.

In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice -- lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.

The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on the events in his book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." In 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out -- unsuccessfully -- to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the "high."

In 2005 Dr. Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan found that THC actually promotes the growth of brain cells bringing new hope for head trauma and stroke patients. The same year the Scripps Institute reported that THC was a superior inhibitor of the plaque that causes Alzheimers. Unfortunately we hear little of any of these findings.

In 2008 researchers in Italy and the U.K. found that cannabinoids have germ killing activity against MRSA and kill bacteria in a different way than current antibiotics, meaning they might bypass bacterial resistance. MRSA's are becoming more and more prevalent and new treatments are desperately needed.

It is now HIGH TIME for the American people to DEMAND the legalization of marijuana. President Obama said he wanted a cure for cancer. He has one. Let's tell him about it. PASS THIS ON and don't let up.


source: RAW STORY
















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A Response to Obama on Legalizing Marijuana

Webb Will Fight to End Insane Drug Policy

Mr. Obama's joking response to a serious question posed by thousands of his supporters was discomforting enough for us to post yesterday's remarks which we entitled, THE PRESIDENT MADE A BIG MISTAKE. His comments and attitude has spurred other reactions as well. Here is one:

"Despite the president's flippant comments today, the grievous harms of marijuana prohibition are no laughing matter," said Jack Cole, a former undercover narcotics officer and founding member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, in a statement to RAW STORY. "Certainly, the 800,000 people arrested last year on marijuana charges find nothing funny about it, nor do the millions of Americans struggling in this sluggish economy. It would be an enormous economic stimulus if we stopped wasting so much money arresting and locking people up for nonviolent drug offenses and instead brought in new tax revenue from legal sales, just as we did when ended alcohol prohibition 75 years ago during the Great Depression."

Better yet, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia was quietly preparing to introduce major legislation which has the potential to dramatically alter US drug laws. Calling the US criminal justice system "a national disgrace," two US senators called for a top-to-bottom review with an eye on reforms aimed at reducing America's vast prison population.

Senator Webb, backed by Republican Senator Arlen Specter, introduced legislation to create a blue-ribbon panel that would conduct an 18-month assessment and offer concrete recommendations for reform. Sen. Webb's legislation enjoys not just bipartisan support, but "quiet encouragement from President Barack Obama," reported The Virginian-Pilot.

"America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace," Webb said, noting that the United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prisoners.

According to a document released by Sen. Webb's office, "Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-ranging reforms to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration, and establish a system for reintegrating ex-offenders."

The Virginia lawmaker noted soaring numbers of drug offenders in prison, and charged that four times more mentally ill people are incarcerated than are in mental health hospitals. "We are doing something drastically wrong," said Webb, whose plan also aims to improve the US response to armed gangs, especially drug-related groups, as it seeks to bring the prison population down from about 2.4 million people.

"The high-level commission created by the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 legislation will be comprised of experts in fields including criminal justice, law enforcement, public heath, national security, prison administration, social services, prisoner reentry, and victims' rights," read a statement from Webb's office. "It will be led by a chairperson to be appointed by the President. The Majority and Minority Leaders in the House and Senate, and the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations will appoint the remaining members of the commission."

About five million people are on probation or parole.

"We are not protecting our citizens from the increasing danger of criminals who perpetrate violence and intimidation as a way of life, and we are locking up too many people who do not belong in jail," said Webb.

source: RAW STORY



We agree with you, Senator Webb, and encourage everyone to forward our article supporting the legalization of marijuana to the White House.

Here is the link: THE PRESIDENT MAKES A BIG MISTAKE.

















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The President Makes a Big Mistake

Mr. President, Say It Isn't So

This is an open letter to you, Mr. President, because I feel I know you. Since your speech at the Convention in 2004, I knew you would become President. Your approach to the world, your patience, your calm, and your ability to see the whole forest, not just the trees in front of you, make you the equal of few humans, among them Tiger Woods. Focus and direction are abilities that few people master.

Now, enough with the platitudes, I would like to talk with you in layman's terms about a statement you made today that a man of your reasoning abilities must realize is baloney (balogna for the Italians who read this). Here it is:



That is your politically correct answer. Remember this?



I realize that this topic is very delicate for you POLITICALLY, but it's one that we must discuss without bias or prejudice. Let's put politics aside and discuss what is truly in the best interest of the American people. What would you say, Mr. President, if I told you that we have a PROVEN CURE FOR CANCER? Would you listen to me for the American people?

I believe in your programs and agree that we must address healthcare, education, jobs and energy all at once. I also believe it will generate the short term growth and stability you are seeking. However, we MUST HAVE additional revenue sources that will provide LONG-TERM stability and growth. We have those sources AVAILABLE NOW.

Let's agree to ground rules. I will present many arguments in favor of the legalization of marijuana and welcome your response to each.

1. Religion

First, it is both moral and ethical for you to legalize this God-given plant. As a Christian, I am sure you adhere to the teachings of the Bible. I am not a Bible scholar and the information presented to you is a result of research and assistance for more Godly friends. What does the Bible tell us about marijuana (Cannabis)?


At Exodus 30:22-25, God gives the recipe to Moses for holy anointing oil. One of the key ingredients of this oil is cannabis hemp. The Hebrew word “Keneh-bosem” is mistranslated as sweet calamus, aromatic cane or sweet cane. The story goes that King James intentionally mistranslated Keneh-bosem into Calamus after his wife was caught in an affair. Canaan was named for Cannabis. Evidently, the bible translators are trying to hide the fact that this is marijuana. Cannabis Hemp is one of the many blessings that God gave to man as stated at Genesis 1:11 and Genesis 1:29, and we are commanded to appreciate and to use all of God's creations as long as it is received with thanks, as stated at 1 Timothy 4:4.

In 1860 the Ohio State Medical Society concurred with Biblical scholars that 'the gall and vinegar or myrrhed wine offered to our saviour immediately before his crucifixion was a preparation of Indian hemp”.


For purposes of this communication, I will refer to Marijuana or Cannabis as Hemp. The difference between marijuana and hemp is the absence of THC in the hemp plant. Here is a timeline of the usage of hemp in the United States:

A Timeline of Hemp in the United States

1619 - Virginia colony makes hemp cultivation mandatory, followed by most other colonies. Europe pays hemp bounties.

1631 - Hemp used as money throughout American colonies.

1776 - American 'Declaration of Independence' drafted on hemp paper.

1791 - President Washington sets duties on hemp to encourage domestic industry; Jefferson calls hemp "a necessity", and urges farmers to grow hemp instead of tobacco.

1801 - Certain premiums offered to encourage the cultivation of hemp in Upper and Lower Canada.

1800's Australia survives two prolonged famines by eating virtually nothing but hemp seed for protein and hemp leaves for roughage.

Then it happened . . .

The corporations stepped in:

1850's – The Petrochemical age begins. Toxic sulfite and chlorine processes make paper from trees, steamships replace sails, tropical fibers introduced.

1930's - New machines invented to break hemp, process the fiber, and convert pulp or hurds into paper, plastics, etc. - DuPont was getting ready to file patents for nylon. He got his friend William Hearst, owner of a network of National newspapers to spread Racist fears of Mexicans, Asians, and African Americans engaging in illicit activities with innocent young white girls that lead to an outcry for cannabis to be outlawed. Isn't it amazing what a controlled Racist press can do?

1937 - Marijuana Tax Act forbids hemp farming in the US. Dupont files patent for nylon.

1938 - Canada prohibits production of hemp under Opium And Narcotics Control Act.

Outraged by the ban, Henry Ford built a car out of hemp as a means of protest in 1941. Here it is:



Does that give you any ideas as to the Auto Industry, or the potential of Industrial Hemp? Henry Ford ran 40,000 vehicles on hemp fuel from only 10,000 acres. The emissions are what you exhale, and next year’s crop is reconverting it back to oxygen. That’s a natural cycle fuel! Best of all... the money stays home.

In 1943, faced with a desperate shortage of war materials, the United States government produced a movie entitled “Hemp for Victory”, and urged farmers in America to grow hemp in the interest of national security. The Farmers of America answered the call. Here is that movie:



Mr. President, the Farmers of America answered the call. In 1938, Popular Mechanics Magazine declared that Hemp was the “NEXT BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY” and a boon for farmers across America. However, the corporate influence of men like Hearst and DuPont stepped in and, appealing to the most racist and base instincts of Americans, banned both marijuana and hemp. This was not in the best interest of Americans. It was corporate greed. Now, here is a plea to you from Willie Nelson, representing the Farmers of America.




In 1955, hemp farming was again banned. Since that time, the world has begun to come to its senses.

1992 - Australia licences hemp farming.

1993 - England eases restriction on hemp farming. News media declare hemp clothes and cannabis leaf logo hottest new fashion.

1994 - Under the CNCA, one license was granted to a Canadian company, Hempline Inc., to grow hemp experimentally in Canada under the strict supervision of the authorities.

1996 - The Canadian federal government passed Bill C8 stating that mature hemp stalks are exempt from the list of controlled substances.

1998 - The Canadian government legalizes the commercial growth of industrial hemp.


I listed a short history of Hemp in the United States simply as a means of introduction. Here is a two-minute video of the worldwide importance of hemp.



The Time for Acceptance is NOW

Hemp is one of the most diverse plants on the planet, and could literally supply most of humankind's needs for fuel, food, clothing, building products, and medicine. Despite its usefulness, hemp is illegal to grow in the United States.

Hemp as Food

The Nutritional Composition of a Hemp Seed is Exceptional. Whole hemp seeds contain approximately 25% protein, 31% fat (in the form of a nutritious oil), and 34% carbohydrates, in addition to an interesting array of vitamins and minerals.

1972 - U.S.D.A. finds that hemp seed is lower in saturated fats than any other vegetable oil (including soybean and canola). Other studies note that until this century hemp-cake (the by-product of pressing the seed for oil ) was one of the world's principle animal feeds. It is also found that hemp seed, like soybeans, can produce a tofu-like curd and be spiced to taste like chicken, steak or pork; can be sprouted for salads, ground into meal, and also made into margarine.

Hemp seed is recommended as a nutritionally balanced food for domestic pets and farm animals.

A direct result of marijuana prohibition has been malnutrition and hunger in many parts of the world. Because hemp is the ONLY common seed with three essential fatty acids is unique and essential. In response to global climate change, the climate mitigation potential of cannabis agriculture should be considered.

Hemp as Fuel

The thought of hemp production as a cheap alternative to oil and gas is appealing because it can be converted to "biomass" that is, in turn, converted to energy. "Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol or gasoline at a fraction of the current cost of oil, coal or nuclear energy," Jack Herer, a longtime hemp activist and author of "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," said. In his book, he says, "Hemp stems are 80 percent hurds" (pulp byproduct after the hemp fiber is removed from the plant). Hemps hurds are 77 percent cellulose - a primary chemical feed stock (industrial raw material) used in the production of chemicals, plastics and fibers ... an acre of full-grown hemp plants can provide from 50 to 100 times the cellulose found in cornstalks, kenaf or sugar cane."

According to Herer's research, "Farming only 6 percent of the continental U.S. acreage with biomass [from hemp] crops would provide all of Americans' gas and oil energy needs, ending dependence upon fossil fuels." Think about that! If we would just farm only 6% of our available acreage, we would end our dependency upon foreign countries!

He added, "Each acre of hemp would yield 1,000 gallons of methanol. Fuels from hemp, along with the recycling of paper, etc., would be enough to run America virtually without oil." Herer explained the versatility of hemp by saying, "It can be grown in virtually any climate or soil condition on Earth, even marginal ones."

Hemp as Medicine

We are familiar, Mr. President, with the benefits of medical marijuana as published. However, its benefits are far greater than has been allowed to be known.

1975 - Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia discover that cannabis is incredibly successful for reducing the size of many types of tumors, both benign and cancerous.

In 2000 Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University in Madrid Spain re-discovered that THC destroys tumors with no negative side effects whatsoever. His team also irrigated healthy rats brains with high doses of THC for seven days and again found no negative results. Cannabinoids kill cancer cells by cutting off their blood supply but not to the healthy cells. These results have since been duplicated around the globe with many other cancers as well.

In 2005 Dr. Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan found that THC actually promotes the growth of brain cells bringing new hope for head trauma and stroke patients. The same year the Scripps Institute reported that THC was a superior inhibitor of the plaque that causes Alzheimers. Unfortunately we hear little of any of these findings.

In 2008 researchers in Italy and the U.K. found that cannabinoids have germ killing activity against MRSA and kill bacteria in a different way than current antibiotics, meaning they might bypass bacterial resistance. MRSA's are becoming more and more prevalent and new treatments are desperately needed.

Cannabis has also been found extremely helpful with autism, epilepsy, arthritis, migraine, asthma, emphysema, MS, ALS, OCD, ADHD, chronic pain, nausea, cystic fibrosis, lupus, tuberculosis, muscular dystrophy, depression, diabetes, glaucoma, alcoholism, herpes, anxiety, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, Tourettes, Crohn's disease, and more. It is the safest medicine known to man. All mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles have cannabinoid receptors throughout their body that work independently of those that control the heart and breathing which is why cannabis cannot kill you. The hemp seed is the single most nutritionally complete food source on Earth, reintroduced to our diets it will alleviate many of the above mentioned diseases and help end world hunger.

So, if you take this information and add it to all the all the nutritional, industrial and cosmetic uses, then add in that it was God himself that in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament instructed Moses to use 250 shekels of cannabis(kaneh bosm) in the Holy Oil used to anoint all Priests, Kings, and Prophets, for all generations to come, including that of Jesus and even today as the title Christ/Messiah means literally covered in oil, anointed, I think we have the botanical Messiah, the Mystical Tree of Life, not a worthless plant!!!

Now, Mr. President, please let me introduce you to Rick Simpson, author of “Run From the Cure”. Rick, and an entire town in Nova Scotia, have PROVEN that a mixture of Hemp Oil with THC cures cancer. This is not rumor or conjecture, it is FACT. I invite you to invite your wife to watch this video with you. Its importance cannot be underestimated.

After a serious head injury in 1997, Rick Simpson sought relief from his medical condition through the use of medicinal hemp oil. When Rick discovered that the hemp oil (with its high concentration of T.H.C.) cured cancers and other illnesses, he tried to share it with as many people as he could free of charge - curing and controlling literally hundreds of people's illnesses... but when the story went public, the long arm of the law snatched the medicine - leaving potentially thousands of people without their cancer treatments - and leaving Rick with unconstitutional charges of possessing and trafficking marijuana! Canada, like the United States, is in the middle of a CANCER EPIDEMIC and the traditional medical industry has no clue how to stop it! Meet the people who were not allowed to testify on Rick's behalf at the Supreme Court of Canada's Infamous Rick Simpson Trial on September 10, 2007... INCLUDING A MAN WHO WAS CURED OF TERMINAL CANCER USING HEMP OIL!

Please watch this video and explain to me why you should not invite Rick Simpson to the United States to supervise the preparation of Hemp Oil with THC. I'll bet you will have millions of cancer suffers willing to undergo the cure.



Mr. President, to avoid the legalization of marijuana is NOT in the best interests of the American people both economically and healthwise. It is vital that the racist ban be removed and our people allowed to experience this gift of nature to mankind.

Based upon this information, please reconsider your stance. We will support you.


















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All Rights Reserved

Recent Research on Medical Marijuana

Despite the ongoing political debate regarding the legality of medicinal marijuana, clinical investigations of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids are now more prevalent than at any time in history. A search of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed website quantifies this fact. A keyword search using the terms "cannabis, 1996" (the year California voters became the first of 13 states to allow for the drug’s medical use under state law) reveals just 258 scientific journal articles published on the subject during that year. Perform this same search for the year 2008, and one will find over 2,100 published scientific studies.

While much of the renewed interest in cannabinoid therapeutics is a result of the discovery of the endocannabinoid regulatory system, some of this increased attention is also due to the growing body of testimonials from medicinal cannabis patients and their physicians. Nevertheless, despite this influx of anecdotal reports, much of the modern investigation of medicinal cannabis remains limited to preclinical (animal) studies of individual cannabinoids (e.g. THC or cannabidiol) and/or synthetic cannabinoid agonists (e.g., dronabinol or WIN 55,212-2) rather than clinical trial investigations involving whole plant material. Predictably, because of the US government's strong public policy stance against any use of cannabis, the bulk of this modern cannabinoid research is taking place outside the United States.

As clinical research into the therapeutic value of cannabinoids has proliferated – there are now more than 17,000 published papers in the scientific literature analyzing marijuana and its constituents — so too has investigators' understanding of cannabis' remarkable capability to combat disease. Whereas researchers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s primarily assessed cannabis' ability to temporarily alleviate various disease symptoms — such as the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy — scientists today are exploring the potential role of cannabinoids to modify disease.

Of particular interest, scientists are investigating cannabinoids' capacity to moderate autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as their role in the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease.)

Investigators are also studying the anti-cancer activities of cannabis, as a growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago.

THE SAFETY PROFILE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS

Cannabinoids have a remarkable safety record, particularly when compared to other therapeutically active substances. Most significantly, the consumption of marijuana – regardless of quantity or potency -- cannot induce a fatal overdose. According to a 1995 review prepared for the World Health Organization, “There are no recorded cases of overdose fatalities attributed to cannabis, and the estimated lethal dose for humans extrapolated from animal studies is so high that it cannot be achieved by … users.”

In 2008, investigators at McGill University Health Centre and McGill University in Montreal and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver reviewed 23 clinical investigations of medicinal cannabinoid drugs (typically oral THC or liquid cannabis extracts) and eight observational studies conducted between 1966 and 2007. Investigators "did not find a higher incidence rate of serious adverse events associated with medical cannabinoid use" compared to non-using controls over these three decades.

That said, cannabis should not necessarily be viewed as a ‘harmless’ substance. Its active constituents may produce a variety of physiological and euphoric effects. As a result, there may be some populations that are susceptible to increased risks from the use of cannabis, such as adolescents, pregnant or nursing mothers, and patients who have a family history of mental illness. Patients with Hepatitis C, decreased lung function (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or who have a history of heart disease or stroke may also be at a greater risk of experiencing adverse side effects from marijuana. As with any medication, patients should consult thoroughly with their physician before deciding whether the medicinal use of cannabis is safe and appropriate.

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT

As states continue to approve legislation enabling the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana, more patients with varying disease types are exploring the use of therapeutic cannabis. Many of these patients and their physicians are now discussing this issue for the first time, and are seeking guidance on whether the therapeutic use of cannabis may or may not be advisable. This report seeks to provide this guidance by summarizing the most recently published scientific research (2000-2009) on the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 19 clinical indications:

* Alzheimer's disease
* Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
* Chronic Pain
* Diabetes mellitus
* Dystonia
* Fibromyalgia
* Gastrointestinal disorders
* Gliomas
* Hepatitis C
* Human Immunodeficiency Virus
* Hypertension
* Incontinence
* Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA)
* Multiple sclerosis
* Osteoporosis
* Pruritus
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Sleep apnea
* Tourette's syndrome

In some of these cases, modern science is now affirming longtime anecdotal reports of medicinal cannabis users (e.g., the use of cannabis to alleviate GI disorders). In other cases, this research is highlighting entirely new potential clinical utilities for cannabinoids (e.g., the use of cannabinoids to modify the progression of diabetes.)

The conditions profiled in this report were chosen because patients frequently inquire about the therapeutic use of cannabis to treat these disorders. In addition, many of the indications included in this report may be moderated by cannabis therapy. In several cases, preclinical data and clinical indicates that cannabinoids may halt the progression of these diseases in a more efficacious manner than available pharmaceuticals. In virtually all cases, this report is the most thorough and comprehensive review of the recent scientific literature regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids.

For patients and their physicians, let this report serve as a primer for those who are considering using or recommending medicinal cannabis. For others, let this report serve as an introduction to the broad range of emerging clinical applications for cannabis and its various compounds.

Paul Armentano
Deputy Director
NORML | NORML Foundation
Washington, DC
January 15, 2009


















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Obama Blunts Raids on Cannabis Clubs

A Real Danger to the Community

In what an ever-increasing number of Americans hope is just the first step on the way to legalization of marijuana, especially in light of the recent results of Hemp Oil with THC curing cancer, Barack Obama has officially called off the dogs.  There will be no more raids on cannabis clubs that dispense medicinal marijuana.  

In a little-noticed remark Wednesday, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries established under state laws but technically prohibited by the federal government.  The decision marks a shift from the Bush Administration, which was more draconian in its approach to hunting those who sought to dispense marijuana for medical purposes. 

Numerous states have decriminalized marijuana in recent years, and new fiscal pressures are turning more states toward being more lenient toward first-time drug offenders as the cost of keeping drug users in jail becomes untenable for state budgets.  The remark was caught by The Huffington Post's Ryan Grimm.

The Drug Enforcement Administration continued to carry out such raids after Obama's inauguration, Grimm says, despite an Obama campaign promise to cease the practice. But asked at a press conference Wednesday, Holder said it wouldn't be the Administration's policy going forward.

"No" it won't be Obama policy, Holder said. "What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy."

During the campaign, Obama told an Oregon newspaper that he agreed with the idea of medical marijuana. "I think the basic concept of using medical marijuana for the same purposes and with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors, I think that's entirely appropriate," said Obama.

Filed by John Byrne and David Edwards

RAW STORY

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