Information from Jack Herer
- Thread starter DrLongbottom
- Start date
Date: Feb 13, 2007 3:53 PM
Subject Breaking News: Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 Introduce
Body: (Note from Jack: This hemp will only be allowed to have 0.3 percent THC. Since THC is the hemp plant's sunscreen and protects it, these hemp plants will not be as strong and useful as they would be if allowed to grow naturally.)
H.R. 1009 Would Give States Right to Regulate Farming of Versatile Hemp Crop
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second time
since the federal government outlawed hemp farming in the United States, a
federal bill has been introduced that would remove restrictions on the
cultivation of non-psychoactive industrial hemp. The chief sponsor of H.R.
1009, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007," is Representative Ron Paul
(R-TX) and the nine original co-sponsors are Representatives Tammy Baldwin
(D-WI), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY),
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), Pete
Stark (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). The bill may be viewed online at:
http://www.votehemp.com/federal.html
"It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American
farmers from growing this crop. The prohibition subsidizes farmers in
countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and
encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that
utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United
States," said Dr. Paul. "By passing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act the
House of Representatives can help American farmers and reduce the trade
deficit -- all without spending a single taxpayer dollar."
U.S. companies that manufacture or sell products made with hemp include
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a California company who manufactures the
number-one-selling natural soap, and FlexForm Technologies, an Indiana
company whose natural fiber materials are used in over 2 million cars. Hemp
food manufacturers such as French Meadow Bakery, Hempzels, Living Harvest,
Nature's Path and Nutiva now make their products from Canadian hemp.
Although hemp grows wild across the U.S., a vestige of centuries of hemp
farming, the hemp for these products must be imported. Health Canada
statistics show that 48,060 acres of industrial hemp were produced in
Canada in 2006. Farmers in Canada have reported that hemp is one of the
most profitable crops that they can grow. Hemp clothing is made around the
world by well-known brands such as Patagonia, Bono's Edun and Giorgio
Armani.
There is strong support among key national organizations for a change
in the federal government's position on hemp. The National Association of
State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) "supports revisions to the federal
rules and regulations authorizing commercial production of industrial
hemp." The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has also passed
a pro-hemp resolution.
Numerous individual states have expressed interest in industrial hemp
as well. Fifteen states have passed pro-hemp legislation; seven (Hawaii,
Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia) have
removed barriers to its production or research. North Dakota has issued
state licenses, the first in fifty years, to two farmers so far. Rep.
Paul's bill would remove federal barriers and allow laws in these states
regulating the growing and processing of industrial hemp to take effect.
"Under the current national drug control policy, industrial hemp can be
imported, but it can't be grown by American farmers," says Eric Steenstra,
president of Vote Hemp. "The DEA has taken the Controlled Substances Act's
antiquated definition of marijuana out of context and used it as an
excuse to ban industrial hemp farming. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of
2007 will bring us back to more rational times when the government
regulated marijuana, but told farmers they could go ahead and continue
raising hemp just as they always had," says Mr. Steenstra.
More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses can be
found at http://www.VoteHemp.com.
Subject Breaking News: Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 Introduce
Body: (Note from Jack: This hemp will only be allowed to have 0.3 percent THC. Since THC is the hemp plant's sunscreen and protects it, these hemp plants will not be as strong and useful as they would be if allowed to grow naturally.)
H.R. 1009 Would Give States Right to Regulate Farming of Versatile Hemp Crop
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second time
since the federal government outlawed hemp farming in the United States, a
federal bill has been introduced that would remove restrictions on the
cultivation of non-psychoactive industrial hemp. The chief sponsor of H.R.
1009, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007," is Representative Ron Paul
(R-TX) and the nine original co-sponsors are Representatives Tammy Baldwin
(D-WI), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY),
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), Pete
Stark (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). The bill may be viewed online at:
http://www.votehemp.com/federal.html
"It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American
farmers from growing this crop. The prohibition subsidizes farmers in
countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and
encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that
utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United
States," said Dr. Paul. "By passing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act the
House of Representatives can help American farmers and reduce the trade
deficit -- all without spending a single taxpayer dollar."
U.S. companies that manufacture or sell products made with hemp include
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a California company who manufactures the
number-one-selling natural soap, and FlexForm Technologies, an Indiana
company whose natural fiber materials are used in over 2 million cars. Hemp
food manufacturers such as French Meadow Bakery, Hempzels, Living Harvest,
Nature's Path and Nutiva now make their products from Canadian hemp.
Although hemp grows wild across the U.S., a vestige of centuries of hemp
farming, the hemp for these products must be imported. Health Canada
statistics show that 48,060 acres of industrial hemp were produced in
Canada in 2006. Farmers in Canada have reported that hemp is one of the
most profitable crops that they can grow. Hemp clothing is made around the
world by well-known brands such as Patagonia, Bono's Edun and Giorgio
Armani.
There is strong support among key national organizations for a change
in the federal government's position on hemp. The National Association of
State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) "supports revisions to the federal
rules and regulations authorizing commercial production of industrial
hemp." The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has also passed
a pro-hemp resolution.
Numerous individual states have expressed interest in industrial hemp
as well. Fifteen states have passed pro-hemp legislation; seven (Hawaii,
Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia) have
removed barriers to its production or research. North Dakota has issued
state licenses, the first in fifty years, to two farmers so far. Rep.
Paul's bill would remove federal barriers and allow laws in these states
regulating the growing and processing of industrial hemp to take effect.
"Under the current national drug control policy, industrial hemp can be
imported, but it can't be grown by American farmers," says Eric Steenstra,
president of Vote Hemp. "The DEA has taken the Controlled Substances Act's
antiquated definition of marijuana out of context and used it as an
excuse to ban industrial hemp farming. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of
2007 will bring us back to more rational times when the government
regulated marijuana, but told farmers they could go ahead and continue
raising hemp just as they always had," says Mr. Steenstra.
More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses can be
found at http://www.VoteHemp.com.
From: Texas NORML
Date: Feb 13, 2007 6:32 PM
A marijuana decriminalization bill, HB 758, has been introduced in the Texas legislature. Please repost for everyone in Texas. We need to urge all of our elected representatives to support this bill!!
For convenience, sample letters are available below.
If you live in Texas and need to find who your elected Representative is go to http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php
House Bill 758, an act to reclassify possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor, has been introduced in state legislature. If enacted, this measure would remove the threat of incarceration for minor marijuana offenders. Such a change would ensure that these individuals will no longer be subject to criminal arrest, prosecution and -- most importantly, incarceration -- or the emotional, social, and financial hardships that follow. (Read the full text of the bill here:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx..?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB758.)
According to state arrest data, more than 95 percent of all Texans arrested on marijuana violations are charged with possession only. Moreover, among those arrested for pot possession, some 75 percent are under 30 years old. Passage of HB 758 will assure that these tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, mainly young people, will not have to suffer the lifelong indignity and lack of opportunity that accompanies a criminal record.
Please contact your state Representative now and urge him or her to support HB 758, and tell them that law enforcement should stop wasting taxpayers' dollars arresting and jailing minor marijuana offenders. For your convenience, you can send a "sample letter" directly from NORML's website or you can copy and past the one provided below.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Representative _____________,
As your constituent, I urge you to support House Bill 758, an act to reclassify possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor. If enacted, this measure would remove the threat of incarceration for minor marijuana offenders. Such a change would ensure that these individuals will no longer be subject to criminal arrest, prosecution and -- most importantly, incarceration -- or the emotional, social, and financial hardships that follow.
According to state arrest data, more than 95 percent of all Texans arrested on marijuana violations are charged with possession only. Moreover, among those arrested for pot possession, some 75 percent are under 30 years old. Passage of HB 758 will assure that these tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, mainly young people, will not have to suffer the lifelong indignity and lack of opportunity that accompanies a criminal record.
Texas lawmakers have tried being 'tough on crime.' It's time to be 'smart on crime.' Approving HB 758 will continue to send a strong message discouraging marijuana abuse, while at the same time freeing up taxpayers' dollars and criminal justices resources that can be better utilized targeting serious and violent crimes.
Please support HB 758 and reclassify minor pot offenses as a Class C misdemeanor.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
Please share this bulletin with anyone you know in Texas
Date: Feb 13, 2007 6:32 PM
A marijuana decriminalization bill, HB 758, has been introduced in the Texas legislature. Please repost for everyone in Texas. We need to urge all of our elected representatives to support this bill!!
For convenience, sample letters are available below.
If you live in Texas and need to find who your elected Representative is go to http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php
House Bill 758, an act to reclassify possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor, has been introduced in state legislature. If enacted, this measure would remove the threat of incarceration for minor marijuana offenders. Such a change would ensure that these individuals will no longer be subject to criminal arrest, prosecution and -- most importantly, incarceration -- or the emotional, social, and financial hardships that follow. (Read the full text of the bill here:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx..?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB758.)
According to state arrest data, more than 95 percent of all Texans arrested on marijuana violations are charged with possession only. Moreover, among those arrested for pot possession, some 75 percent are under 30 years old. Passage of HB 758 will assure that these tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, mainly young people, will not have to suffer the lifelong indignity and lack of opportunity that accompanies a criminal record.
Please contact your state Representative now and urge him or her to support HB 758, and tell them that law enforcement should stop wasting taxpayers' dollars arresting and jailing minor marijuana offenders. For your convenience, you can send a "sample letter" directly from NORML's website or you can copy and past the one provided below.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Representative _____________,
As your constituent, I urge you to support House Bill 758, an act to reclassify possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor. If enacted, this measure would remove the threat of incarceration for minor marijuana offenders. Such a change would ensure that these individuals will no longer be subject to criminal arrest, prosecution and -- most importantly, incarceration -- or the emotional, social, and financial hardships that follow.
According to state arrest data, more than 95 percent of all Texans arrested on marijuana violations are charged with possession only. Moreover, among those arrested for pot possession, some 75 percent are under 30 years old. Passage of HB 758 will assure that these tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, mainly young people, will not have to suffer the lifelong indignity and lack of opportunity that accompanies a criminal record.
Texas lawmakers have tried being 'tough on crime.' It's time to be 'smart on crime.' Approving HB 758 will continue to send a strong message discouraging marijuana abuse, while at the same time freeing up taxpayers' dollars and criminal justices resources that can be better utilized targeting serious and violent crimes.
Please support HB 758 and reclassify minor pot offenses as a Class C misdemeanor.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
Please share this bulletin with anyone you know in Texas
Feb 14, 2007 12:49 PM
Subject How to Save the World with Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana!
Body: This is my work in progress. I sent this to Virgin Earth Fuels. I’m going to send it to the Virgin Earth Challenge as soon as I figure out how to enter the challenge.
Plant hemp on 600 million acres of secondary farm land in the United States.
Plant hemp on 600 million to 1 billion acres of secondary farm land in Canada.
Plant hemp on 1 to 2 billion acres of secondary farm land in Russia and Siberia.
Plant hemp on 1 to 2 billion acres of secondary farm land in Africa.
Plant hemp on 500 million acres of secondary farm land in South America.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Australia.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Asia.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Europe.
All fuel will be made of methanol or a derivative of hemp.
All fossil fuel, oil, coal, and natural gas will no longer be used. It will stay in the ground for emergency only. For example, when we had the earthquake Krakatoa, there was about two years that the sun was blocked in that area.
All paper will be made from hemp. No trees will be cut for paper. That’s the way it was 130 years ago. That will save half the trees on the planet that would otherwise be cut down in the next 30 years. All the trees will be healthier and bigger.
Most building material will be made from hemp composite.
20 to 50 percent of all proteins for food will be made from hemp seeds. In China, from 5,000 years ago to about 150 years ago, approximately 50 percent of all food was made from hemp seeds. And 20 percent of all food in Europe. On the Chinese border from Laos to Nepal to Tibet to Afghanistan all the way up to the northern border of Upper Mongolia, 50 percent of all proteins for food is still made out of hemp, and 90 percent of all butter. This starts on either side of the border to about 100 miles away from the border.
No more cotton for clothing, unless it is raised organically. Clothing will mostly be made from hemp, bamboo, soy and flax.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam in Israel believes that 30 percent of all medicines will be made out of cannabis or combinations of cannabis and other drugs.
The arid land from the Sahara all the way across the world will be planted with hemp.
People from 18 to 30 years of ago, throughout the world, will join a different kind of military, the Hemp Corps, for planting and harvesting and packaging hemp. In return for four years of duty, they will receive four years of college paid by the government.
People will live about two year’s longer using cannabis.
Everything will be a lot more fun. There will be new jobs for everybody. The auto industry will build cars mostly from hemp. Computer companies will be build computers of hemp. Furniture will be made of hemp cloth and hemp composite wood.
Hemp grows everywhere, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, from the valleys to about 6,000 feet up in the mountains. It’s the healthiest of the 3 million plants that grow on Earth. It has the deepest roots. It’s the only plant you can grow over and over each year, and the soil will only get better.
People will be able to pay their taxes with hemp.
I wrote my book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes”, 25 years ago. I have been teaching people how to save the world with cannabis/hemp/marijuana since 1979.
Prove us wrong! Prove us wrong! Prove us wrong!
We hereby extend our $100,000 challenge to prove us wrong!
If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction, were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the greenhouse effect and stop deforestation; then there is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of providing the overall majority of the world's paper and textiles; meet all of the world's transportation, industrial and home energy needs, while simultaneously reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil and cleaning the atmosphere all at the same time... and that substance is the same one that has done it before . . . CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA!
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the only known plant that can be grown from the Equator to the Arctic Circle and to the Antarctic Circle; from the mountains to the valleys, from the oceans to the plains, including arid lands and everywhere in between. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the healthiest plant for the ground out of the 300,000 known species, and the millions and millions of subspecies, of plants on Earth, because it has a root system that grows 10 to 12 inches in 30 days compared to one inch for rye, barley grass, etc. The roots penetrate up to 6 feet deep, pulverizing the soil and making it arable. After harvest it leaves a root system that is mulched into the ground, revitalizing the land and making it live once again. It is the KING KONG of the King Kongs of all plant life.
All of my information about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA has been taken from Federal and State Department of Agriculture reports, articles from Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Pulp & Paper Magazine, Scientific American, entries from encyclopedias and pharmacopoeias, and studies from all over the world during the last 200 years. This is all public information. The United States government is hiding the fact that 125 years ago, and even as far back as 4000 BC, 80% of our economy was based on the use of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA for paper, fiber and fuel. Ten to 20% of our drug economy was based on CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA medicines, 125 years ago.
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was part of our everyday life. Virtually every farm and every plot of land in the cities and towns across the United States and the world, from 100-125 years ago and before, had a CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA patch growing. The U.S. government's cover-up of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA outrages me and it should outrage you, too. I have been studying CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA for over 30 years, and I can't believe how the U.S. government, in 90 seconds in Congress, could outlaw "MARIJUANA" in 1937, without the people realizing they were outlawing CANNABIS/HEMP, the most perfect plant for the planet! They even got other countries to outlaw it, too, after the Second World War and beyond. From 1740 to 1940, 80% of all the world's CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was grown (mostly by Cossacks, who were indentured servants), and then imported from, Russia.
I will again reiterate a few of the facts about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA, which you already know from reading my book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes."
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was the NUMBER ONE annually renewable natural resource for 80% of all paper, fiber, textiles and fuel, from 6,000 years ago until about 125 years ago. Furthermore, it was used for 5 to 50% of the food, light, land and soil reclamation, and even 20% or more of all medicine. Everyone, from the educated to the uneducated, the farmer to the townsperson, the doctors and the scientists used CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA products and depended on them.75 to 90% of all paper used from at least 100 AD to 1883 was made of CANNABIS/HEMP. Books, (including Bibles), money and newspapers all over the world have been mainly printed on CANNABIS/HEMP for as long as these things have existed in human history.
One hundred and 25 years ago, 70 to 90% of all rope, twine, cordage, ship sails, canvas, fiber, cloth, etc., was made out of CANNABIS/HEMP fiber! It was replaced by DuPont's newly discovered petrochemical fiber (nylon) beginning in 1937. By comparison, CANNABIS/HEMP is 4 times softer than cotton, 4 times warmer, 4 times more water absorbent, has 3 times the strength of cotton, is many times more durable, is flame retardant, and doesn't use pesticides. Fifty percent of all pesticides are used on cotton, yet cotton uses only 1% of the farmland in the U.S! CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the most health giving plant on Earth and it doesn't require pesticides or herbicides! It is the healthiest plant for human consumption, and for the Earth itself.
Eighty percent of our economy depended on CANNABIS/HEMP for paper, fiber and fuel, 125 years ago. At that time, it took 300 man-hours to harvest an acre of CANNABIS/HEMP, but with the invention of the brand new HEMP decorticator in the 1930s, it only took 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This is equivalent to reducing the labor burden from $6,000 down to $40 per acre, in today's money. Keep in mind that the cotton gin, in 1793, reduced the man-hours from 300 hours down to 2 hours to harvest and clean an acre of cotton. CANNABIS/HEMP would have taken over the cotton market, as it is far superior to cotton, and pesticide free. The role of CANNABIS/HEMP should be determined by market supply and demand and not by undue influence of prohibition laws, federal subsidies and huge tariffs that keep the natural from replacing the synthetic. I repeat, CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the KING KONG of the King Kongs of all plants!
Of all the 300,000 species of plants on Earth, no other plant source can compare with the nutritional value of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA seeds. It is the only plant on Earth that provides us with the NUMBER ONE source, and the perfect balance of essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, globulin edestin protein, and essential oils all combined in one plant, and in a form which is most naturally digestible to our bodies.
Prior to the 1800s, CANNABIS/HEMPSEED oil was the NUMBER ONE source for lighting oil throughout the world. Until 1937-38, even paints and varnishes were 80% CANNABIS/HEMPSEED oil. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is non-toxic and has been used to make high-grade diesel fuel, oil, aircraft and precision oil and even the NUMBER ONE vegetable oil. The U.S. Army/Navy standards purchasing specifications list HEMP OIL as the NUMBER ONE preferred lubricant for their machinery. CANNABIS/HEMP is the best sustainable source of plant pulp for biomass fuel to make charcoal, gas, methanol, gasoline and electricity in a natural way.
In 1850, 80% of all paper, fiber, fuel, and oil was made out of CANNABIS/HEMP in America and the rest of the world. This was before the discovery of coal and petroleum for energy in the late 1850s...before the start of the worst permanent pollution ever experienced on Earth... fossil fuel pollution (coal and petroleum)!!
As a medicine, the worldwide use of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA goes back at least 6,000 years. Remember, 10 to 20%t of our medicines used to be CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA based medicines. It has been found to be healthy and effective in the treatment of chronic pain, cancer, strokes, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, AIDS wasting and many other illnesses, including simple nausea, appetite stimulant, anxiety and muscle pains, etc.
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 to man," and asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule it. The DEA refused, keeping it as a Schedule I drug, which they say "has no known medical use"! Thousands of studies have been done all over the world, documenting the medical use of MARIJUANA (England, Spain, Hungary, Holland, and the U.S., just to name a few). No one has ever died from MARIJUANA in over 6,000 years of recorded history... unless they were shot by a COP!
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was also used for land reclamation until 1915. CANNABIS/HEMP was planted or left to grow feral as ground cover and on riverbanks, and not intended for harvest. It is the NUMBER ONE plant in history used to prevent mudslides and loss of watershed, and river and soil erosion on Earth. It has been illegal to grow this NUMBER ONE plant in the United States since 1937.What disgusts me the most is how the U.S. government, as well as the people, knew about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA and praised its value and then look what happened! In literally 90 seconds, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 passed in Congress. By using the unknown name "MARIJUANA" instead of the familiar name "CANNABIS HEMP", Congress was able to accomplish this because no one knew what plant they were talking about. CANNABIS/HEMP became illegal and was replaced by petrochemical products, coal and natural gas. They made it such a banned and forbidden plant that the words "HEMP" and "CANNABIS/HEMP" were not even taught in schools from the 1940s, 50s and thereafter.
The role of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was erased from America's history (as well as most of the rest of the world's) after 1945. To prove it, think... what did you learn about CANNABIS/HEMP in grade school? High school? College? From your parents and grandparents? Nothing! (Unless it was from the underground press within the last 15 to 20 years.) The continuing suppression of this information by the U.S. government places us all in mortal jeopardy. I believe that, in order to save our planet, we must use non-fossil fuel energy. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA, in conjunction with wind, solar, tidal and hydroelectric power, could save the planet by providing all of our energy, fuel, paper, fiber, and 10 to 20% of our medical needs, naturally. It would also reduce acid rain and chemical pollution, rebuild the soil, and reverse the greenhouse effect (no other plant can do this!). CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was used to make over 25,000 products before it was outlawed in 1937.
Why does the U.S. government want to eradicate this seed, out of all the seeds on Earth? They want to kill the most perfect plant on the planet. We must stop this insanity and demand that the laws against CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA be 100% repealed!!
Federal Attorney General John Ashcroft, Drug Enforcement Administration head, Asa Hutchison, and White House Drug Czar, John Walters, have been given all of these proven facts and yet are still set against the legalization of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA and recognition of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIUANA knowledge. For whatever personal reasons, they refuse to believe the facts and are willing to sacrifice the future of our planet and the health of our people by keeping it illegal.
The ban of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is so extreme and its intention is to hide the truth. The truth is that out of the 300,000 species, and the millions and millions of subspecies, of plants on Earth, CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the NUMBER ONE plant for our survival and quality of life here on Earth. Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. government and Attorney General John Ashcroft have been calling MARIJUANA users "terrorists" and yet the government of the United States has been "terrorizing" MARIJUANA users for the last 65 years! There have been over 14 million arrests for CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA in the last 65 years, in the U.S. alone! 13 million were within the last 30 years!
No one has taken the $100,000 challenge to prove me wrong. Why? Because I am right. The U.S. government has been lying to us since the early 1900s. Do economic interests and the police have more to say than the people about the future of our planet? How angry are you for being lied to by the U.S. government about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA? Are you willing to make a stand right now? No one can dispute this information and knowledge. YOU have to join me in this fight. Either you are on the U.S. government's side or you are on my side.
Please help me spread this everywhere. Thank you!
Jack Herer
www.jackherer.com
2/14/07
Subject How to Save the World with Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana!
Body: This is my work in progress. I sent this to Virgin Earth Fuels. I’m going to send it to the Virgin Earth Challenge as soon as I figure out how to enter the challenge.
Plant hemp on 600 million acres of secondary farm land in the United States.
Plant hemp on 600 million to 1 billion acres of secondary farm land in Canada.
Plant hemp on 1 to 2 billion acres of secondary farm land in Russia and Siberia.
Plant hemp on 1 to 2 billion acres of secondary farm land in Africa.
Plant hemp on 500 million acres of secondary farm land in South America.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Australia.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Asia.
Plant hemp on ? acres in Europe.
All fuel will be made of methanol or a derivative of hemp.
All fossil fuel, oil, coal, and natural gas will no longer be used. It will stay in the ground for emergency only. For example, when we had the earthquake Krakatoa, there was about two years that the sun was blocked in that area.
All paper will be made from hemp. No trees will be cut for paper. That’s the way it was 130 years ago. That will save half the trees on the planet that would otherwise be cut down in the next 30 years. All the trees will be healthier and bigger.
Most building material will be made from hemp composite.
20 to 50 percent of all proteins for food will be made from hemp seeds. In China, from 5,000 years ago to about 150 years ago, approximately 50 percent of all food was made from hemp seeds. And 20 percent of all food in Europe. On the Chinese border from Laos to Nepal to Tibet to Afghanistan all the way up to the northern border of Upper Mongolia, 50 percent of all proteins for food is still made out of hemp, and 90 percent of all butter. This starts on either side of the border to about 100 miles away from the border.
No more cotton for clothing, unless it is raised organically. Clothing will mostly be made from hemp, bamboo, soy and flax.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam in Israel believes that 30 percent of all medicines will be made out of cannabis or combinations of cannabis and other drugs.
The arid land from the Sahara all the way across the world will be planted with hemp.
People from 18 to 30 years of ago, throughout the world, will join a different kind of military, the Hemp Corps, for planting and harvesting and packaging hemp. In return for four years of duty, they will receive four years of college paid by the government.
People will live about two year’s longer using cannabis.
Everything will be a lot more fun. There will be new jobs for everybody. The auto industry will build cars mostly from hemp. Computer companies will be build computers of hemp. Furniture will be made of hemp cloth and hemp composite wood.
Hemp grows everywhere, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, from the valleys to about 6,000 feet up in the mountains. It’s the healthiest of the 3 million plants that grow on Earth. It has the deepest roots. It’s the only plant you can grow over and over each year, and the soil will only get better.
People will be able to pay their taxes with hemp.
I wrote my book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes”, 25 years ago. I have been teaching people how to save the world with cannabis/hemp/marijuana since 1979.
Prove us wrong! Prove us wrong! Prove us wrong!
We hereby extend our $100,000 challenge to prove us wrong!
If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction, were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the greenhouse effect and stop deforestation; then there is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of providing the overall majority of the world's paper and textiles; meet all of the world's transportation, industrial and home energy needs, while simultaneously reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil and cleaning the atmosphere all at the same time... and that substance is the same one that has done it before . . . CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA!
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the only known plant that can be grown from the Equator to the Arctic Circle and to the Antarctic Circle; from the mountains to the valleys, from the oceans to the plains, including arid lands and everywhere in between. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the healthiest plant for the ground out of the 300,000 known species, and the millions and millions of subspecies, of plants on Earth, because it has a root system that grows 10 to 12 inches in 30 days compared to one inch for rye, barley grass, etc. The roots penetrate up to 6 feet deep, pulverizing the soil and making it arable. After harvest it leaves a root system that is mulched into the ground, revitalizing the land and making it live once again. It is the KING KONG of the King Kongs of all plant life.
All of my information about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA has been taken from Federal and State Department of Agriculture reports, articles from Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Pulp & Paper Magazine, Scientific American, entries from encyclopedias and pharmacopoeias, and studies from all over the world during the last 200 years. This is all public information. The United States government is hiding the fact that 125 years ago, and even as far back as 4000 BC, 80% of our economy was based on the use of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA for paper, fiber and fuel. Ten to 20% of our drug economy was based on CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA medicines, 125 years ago.
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was part of our everyday life. Virtually every farm and every plot of land in the cities and towns across the United States and the world, from 100-125 years ago and before, had a CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA patch growing. The U.S. government's cover-up of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA outrages me and it should outrage you, too. I have been studying CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA for over 30 years, and I can't believe how the U.S. government, in 90 seconds in Congress, could outlaw "MARIJUANA" in 1937, without the people realizing they were outlawing CANNABIS/HEMP, the most perfect plant for the planet! They even got other countries to outlaw it, too, after the Second World War and beyond. From 1740 to 1940, 80% of all the world's CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was grown (mostly by Cossacks, who were indentured servants), and then imported from, Russia.
I will again reiterate a few of the facts about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA, which you already know from reading my book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes."
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was the NUMBER ONE annually renewable natural resource for 80% of all paper, fiber, textiles and fuel, from 6,000 years ago until about 125 years ago. Furthermore, it was used for 5 to 50% of the food, light, land and soil reclamation, and even 20% or more of all medicine. Everyone, from the educated to the uneducated, the farmer to the townsperson, the doctors and the scientists used CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA products and depended on them.75 to 90% of all paper used from at least 100 AD to 1883 was made of CANNABIS/HEMP. Books, (including Bibles), money and newspapers all over the world have been mainly printed on CANNABIS/HEMP for as long as these things have existed in human history.
One hundred and 25 years ago, 70 to 90% of all rope, twine, cordage, ship sails, canvas, fiber, cloth, etc., was made out of CANNABIS/HEMP fiber! It was replaced by DuPont's newly discovered petrochemical fiber (nylon) beginning in 1937. By comparison, CANNABIS/HEMP is 4 times softer than cotton, 4 times warmer, 4 times more water absorbent, has 3 times the strength of cotton, is many times more durable, is flame retardant, and doesn't use pesticides. Fifty percent of all pesticides are used on cotton, yet cotton uses only 1% of the farmland in the U.S! CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the most health giving plant on Earth and it doesn't require pesticides or herbicides! It is the healthiest plant for human consumption, and for the Earth itself.
Eighty percent of our economy depended on CANNABIS/HEMP for paper, fiber and fuel, 125 years ago. At that time, it took 300 man-hours to harvest an acre of CANNABIS/HEMP, but with the invention of the brand new HEMP decorticator in the 1930s, it only took 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This is equivalent to reducing the labor burden from $6,000 down to $40 per acre, in today's money. Keep in mind that the cotton gin, in 1793, reduced the man-hours from 300 hours down to 2 hours to harvest and clean an acre of cotton. CANNABIS/HEMP would have taken over the cotton market, as it is far superior to cotton, and pesticide free. The role of CANNABIS/HEMP should be determined by market supply and demand and not by undue influence of prohibition laws, federal subsidies and huge tariffs that keep the natural from replacing the synthetic. I repeat, CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the KING KONG of the King Kongs of all plants!
Of all the 300,000 species of plants on Earth, no other plant source can compare with the nutritional value of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA seeds. It is the only plant on Earth that provides us with the NUMBER ONE source, and the perfect balance of essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, globulin edestin protein, and essential oils all combined in one plant, and in a form which is most naturally digestible to our bodies.
Prior to the 1800s, CANNABIS/HEMPSEED oil was the NUMBER ONE source for lighting oil throughout the world. Until 1937-38, even paints and varnishes were 80% CANNABIS/HEMPSEED oil. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is non-toxic and has been used to make high-grade diesel fuel, oil, aircraft and precision oil and even the NUMBER ONE vegetable oil. The U.S. Army/Navy standards purchasing specifications list HEMP OIL as the NUMBER ONE preferred lubricant for their machinery. CANNABIS/HEMP is the best sustainable source of plant pulp for biomass fuel to make charcoal, gas, methanol, gasoline and electricity in a natural way.
In 1850, 80% of all paper, fiber, fuel, and oil was made out of CANNABIS/HEMP in America and the rest of the world. This was before the discovery of coal and petroleum for energy in the late 1850s...before the start of the worst permanent pollution ever experienced on Earth... fossil fuel pollution (coal and petroleum)!!
As a medicine, the worldwide use of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA goes back at least 6,000 years. Remember, 10 to 20%t of our medicines used to be CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA based medicines. It has been found to be healthy and effective in the treatment of chronic pain, cancer, strokes, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, AIDS wasting and many other illnesses, including simple nausea, appetite stimulant, anxiety and muscle pains, etc.
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 to man," and asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule it. The DEA refused, keeping it as a Schedule I drug, which they say "has no known medical use"! Thousands of studies have been done all over the world, documenting the medical use of MARIJUANA (England, Spain, Hungary, Holland, and the U.S., just to name a few). No one has ever died from MARIJUANA in over 6,000 years of recorded history... unless they were shot by a COP!
CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was also used for land reclamation until 1915. CANNABIS/HEMP was planted or left to grow feral as ground cover and on riverbanks, and not intended for harvest. It is the NUMBER ONE plant in history used to prevent mudslides and loss of watershed, and river and soil erosion on Earth. It has been illegal to grow this NUMBER ONE plant in the United States since 1937.What disgusts me the most is how the U.S. government, as well as the people, knew about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA and praised its value and then look what happened! In literally 90 seconds, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 passed in Congress. By using the unknown name "MARIJUANA" instead of the familiar name "CANNABIS HEMP", Congress was able to accomplish this because no one knew what plant they were talking about. CANNABIS/HEMP became illegal and was replaced by petrochemical products, coal and natural gas. They made it such a banned and forbidden plant that the words "HEMP" and "CANNABIS/HEMP" were not even taught in schools from the 1940s, 50s and thereafter.
The role of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was erased from America's history (as well as most of the rest of the world's) after 1945. To prove it, think... what did you learn about CANNABIS/HEMP in grade school? High school? College? From your parents and grandparents? Nothing! (Unless it was from the underground press within the last 15 to 20 years.) The continuing suppression of this information by the U.S. government places us all in mortal jeopardy. I believe that, in order to save our planet, we must use non-fossil fuel energy. CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA, in conjunction with wind, solar, tidal and hydroelectric power, could save the planet by providing all of our energy, fuel, paper, fiber, and 10 to 20% of our medical needs, naturally. It would also reduce acid rain and chemical pollution, rebuild the soil, and reverse the greenhouse effect (no other plant can do this!). CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA was used to make over 25,000 products before it was outlawed in 1937.
Why does the U.S. government want to eradicate this seed, out of all the seeds on Earth? They want to kill the most perfect plant on the planet. We must stop this insanity and demand that the laws against CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA be 100% repealed!!
Federal Attorney General John Ashcroft, Drug Enforcement Administration head, Asa Hutchison, and White House Drug Czar, John Walters, have been given all of these proven facts and yet are still set against the legalization of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA and recognition of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIUANA knowledge. For whatever personal reasons, they refuse to believe the facts and are willing to sacrifice the future of our planet and the health of our people by keeping it illegal.
The ban of CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is so extreme and its intention is to hide the truth. The truth is that out of the 300,000 species, and the millions and millions of subspecies, of plants on Earth, CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA is the NUMBER ONE plant for our survival and quality of life here on Earth. Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. government and Attorney General John Ashcroft have been calling MARIJUANA users "terrorists" and yet the government of the United States has been "terrorizing" MARIJUANA users for the last 65 years! There have been over 14 million arrests for CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA in the last 65 years, in the U.S. alone! 13 million were within the last 30 years!
No one has taken the $100,000 challenge to prove me wrong. Why? Because I am right. The U.S. government has been lying to us since the early 1900s. Do economic interests and the police have more to say than the people about the future of our planet? How angry are you for being lied to by the U.S. government about CANNABIS/HEMP/MARIJUANA? Are you willing to make a stand right now? No one can dispute this information and knowledge. YOU have to join me in this fight. Either you are on the U.S. government's side or you are on my side.
Please help me spread this everywhere. Thank you!
Jack Herer
www.jackherer.com
2/14/07
Date: Feb 14, 2007 7:34 PM
Action: Congress wants to monitor all emails, IMs, etc.
The Seminal | February 13, 2007
A bill introduced last week by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) is beginning to raise eyebrows.
[It] would require ISPs to record all users' surfing activity, IM conversations and email traffic indefinitely . The bill, dubbed the Safety Act by sponsor Lamar Smith, a republican congressman from Texas, would impose fines and a prison term of one year on ISPs which failed to keep full records. (emphasis mine)
This is a terrifying development and it must be stopped before it gains any significant momentum. Background, Action items and contact information below the fold.
Under the guise of reducing child pornography, the SAFETY (Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth) Act is currently the gravest threat to digital privacy rights on the Internet. Given the increasing tendency of people, especially young people, to use the Internet as a primary means of communication, this measure would affect nearly all Americans in ways we are only beginning to understand. Also, given the fact that the Act requires all Internet Service Providers to record the web surfing activity of all Internet users, this amounts to the warrantless wiretapping of the entire Internet.
Amazingly, although the bill was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday Feb. 6, it has been virtually ignored by both the corporate media and major blogs alike. By combining such draconian legislation with several child pornography measures, Smith is trying to pull a fast one on the Judiciary Committee and on the democratically controlled Congress as a whole. I say we don't let this happen. So, first, a little background information. Then below, I've outlined a few actions you can take if you'd like to spread the word on this.
Background :
The original SAFETY Act, introduced in June of 2006 by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), was shot down due to free speech concerns over aspects of the bill other than the ones I've focused on here. At the time, the Center for Democracy and Technology wrote that the bill “would undermine First Amendment free speech protections and do nothing to protect children on the Internet.”
So what was Lamar Smith's response, you ask? He added the misguided measures discussed above in an attempt to fulfill the demands of the FBI. In an October 2006 conference of police chiefs, FBI Director Robert Mueller made the following statement :
Terrorists coordinate their plans cloaked in the anonymity of the Internet, as do violent sexual predators prowling chat rooms. All too often, we find that before we can catch these offenders, Internet service providers have unwittingly deleted the very records that would help us identify these offenders and protect future victims.
Mueller was signaling to Congress that he would like to see measures put in place that would require ISPs to store records of all Internet usage so he could access it when he felt it was neccessary. But, as has been pointed out :
The thing about retention laws is that they require all data to be maintained, not simply the data from child pornographers and terrorists. This means that such laws are usually favored by other, unrelated groups who would like access to such log files. Groups like the music labels. In Europe, where retention rules are already in place, the entertainment industry has already stated its belief that the data should be available for use in the investigation of any crime, even copyright infringement.
Action:
There are two ways to make members of Congress listen to your concerns.
1. Inundate them with phone calls and emails.
2. Get negative media coverage of what they are trying to accomplish.
Please contact any or all of the people and organizations listed below. Let them know that the SAFETY ACT, as it is written, is not acceptable.
Sponsor:
Rep. Lamar Smith, web form , 202-225-4236
Cosponsors:
Rep. Steve Chabot, (202) 225-2216
Rep. Tom Feeney, (202) 225-2706
Rep. J. Randy Forbes, (202) 225-6365
Rep. Trent Franks, (202) 225-4576
Rep. Elton Gallegly, (202) 225-5811
Rep. Dan Lungren, (202) 225-5716
Rep. Mike Pence, (202) 225-3021
House Judiciary Committee Chair:
Rep. John Conyers, (202) 225-5126
Action: Congress wants to monitor all emails, IMs, etc.
The Seminal | February 13, 2007
A bill introduced last week by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) is beginning to raise eyebrows.
[It] would require ISPs to record all users' surfing activity, IM conversations and email traffic indefinitely . The bill, dubbed the Safety Act by sponsor Lamar Smith, a republican congressman from Texas, would impose fines and a prison term of one year on ISPs which failed to keep full records. (emphasis mine)
This is a terrifying development and it must be stopped before it gains any significant momentum. Background, Action items and contact information below the fold.
Under the guise of reducing child pornography, the SAFETY (Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth) Act is currently the gravest threat to digital privacy rights on the Internet. Given the increasing tendency of people, especially young people, to use the Internet as a primary means of communication, this measure would affect nearly all Americans in ways we are only beginning to understand. Also, given the fact that the Act requires all Internet Service Providers to record the web surfing activity of all Internet users, this amounts to the warrantless wiretapping of the entire Internet.
Amazingly, although the bill was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday Feb. 6, it has been virtually ignored by both the corporate media and major blogs alike. By combining such draconian legislation with several child pornography measures, Smith is trying to pull a fast one on the Judiciary Committee and on the democratically controlled Congress as a whole. I say we don't let this happen. So, first, a little background information. Then below, I've outlined a few actions you can take if you'd like to spread the word on this.
Background :
The original SAFETY Act, introduced in June of 2006 by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), was shot down due to free speech concerns over aspects of the bill other than the ones I've focused on here. At the time, the Center for Democracy and Technology wrote that the bill “would undermine First Amendment free speech protections and do nothing to protect children on the Internet.”
So what was Lamar Smith's response, you ask? He added the misguided measures discussed above in an attempt to fulfill the demands of the FBI. In an October 2006 conference of police chiefs, FBI Director Robert Mueller made the following statement :
Terrorists coordinate their plans cloaked in the anonymity of the Internet, as do violent sexual predators prowling chat rooms. All too often, we find that before we can catch these offenders, Internet service providers have unwittingly deleted the very records that would help us identify these offenders and protect future victims.
Mueller was signaling to Congress that he would like to see measures put in place that would require ISPs to store records of all Internet usage so he could access it when he felt it was neccessary. But, as has been pointed out :
The thing about retention laws is that they require all data to be maintained, not simply the data from child pornographers and terrorists. This means that such laws are usually favored by other, unrelated groups who would like access to such log files. Groups like the music labels. In Europe, where retention rules are already in place, the entertainment industry has already stated its belief that the data should be available for use in the investigation of any crime, even copyright infringement.
Action:
There are two ways to make members of Congress listen to your concerns.
1. Inundate them with phone calls and emails.
2. Get negative media coverage of what they are trying to accomplish.
Please contact any or all of the people and organizations listed below. Let them know that the SAFETY ACT, as it is written, is not acceptable.
Sponsor:
Rep. Lamar Smith, web form , 202-225-4236
Cosponsors:
Rep. Steve Chabot, (202) 225-2216
Rep. Tom Feeney, (202) 225-2706
Rep. J. Randy Forbes, (202) 225-6365
Rep. Trent Franks, (202) 225-4576
Rep. Elton Gallegly, (202) 225-5811
Rep. Dan Lungren, (202) 225-5716
Rep. Mike Pence, (202) 225-3021
House Judiciary Committee Chair:
Rep. John Conyers, (202) 225-5126
Capt. Zigzag
Member
DrLongbottom said:
All the rest is okay with me, but not on this continent. This continent is for medical growers. It'll fuck EVERYTHING UP.
Let that shit blow around somewhere else.
I'm not down on Ind. Hemp here, just not on this continent.
-
Cannabis group wins ally to fund US entry
Western Daily Press - Feb. 16, 2007
Japanese giant will also help research new uses for West firm's compounds
West cannabis drug developer GW Pharmaceuticals sealed a breakthrough deal yesterday with Otsuko, one of the largest drug company in Japan.
The Far Eastern giant has agreed not only to fund and market GW's cannabis-based cancer pain relief drug Sativex in the US but has also signed up to a broad research collaboration.
A US deal had been rumoured for some time, driving up Porton Down-based GW's share price a total of 20p in recent weeks. Yesterday the stock rose a further 2p or two per cent to 101.75p.
Heralded as a long-term alliance, the move should secure GW's future.
Privately-owned Otsuko comprises 87 companies and employs 27,000 people in 17 countries. It earned 6.8 billion in 2005.
It is GW's third Sativex partnership deal giving the drug coverage across virtually every major country in the world. GW's other partners are German giant Bayer Healthcare and Spain's Almirall.
The new partners will now begin detailed talks about collaborating to research the use of cannabis-based drugs on diseases of the central nervous system and cancer.
Otsuka has focused on disorders of the central nervous system for the past 27 years. Abilify, its schizophrenia product, had sales of more than 1.9bn in 2006.
GW finance director David Kirk said: "We are delighted with the deal. When they first approached us it was about working together in science - they did not know we were looking for a partner in the US.
"I think it has secured our future - we expect an R&D agreement to follow later this year.
"One of the reasons making Otsuka a partner of choice for us is that they have built their business on niche and speciality products and are not afraid of marketing them."
The tie-up was well received in the market with brokers Investec describing it as a huge validation of all GW's non-Sativex research products.
"We are celebrating, that's for sure," said Mr Kirk. "We feel this is an excellent deal. There is all to play for with a very good partner."
He added that the company is confident it can scale up cannabis production as required. It is licensed by the Home Office to grow the normally illegal drug under contract in climate-controlled greenhouses at secret locations in the UK.
"The process is tightly controlled to produce pharmaceutical-grade plants - unlike the unlicensed variety, we know exactly what we are getting," said Mr Kirk.
Western Daily Press - Feb. 16, 2007
Japanese giant will also help research new uses for West firm's compounds
West cannabis drug developer GW Pharmaceuticals sealed a breakthrough deal yesterday with Otsuko, one of the largest drug company in Japan.
The Far Eastern giant has agreed not only to fund and market GW's cannabis-based cancer pain relief drug Sativex in the US but has also signed up to a broad research collaboration.
A US deal had been rumoured for some time, driving up Porton Down-based GW's share price a total of 20p in recent weeks. Yesterday the stock rose a further 2p or two per cent to 101.75p.
Heralded as a long-term alliance, the move should secure GW's future.
Privately-owned Otsuko comprises 87 companies and employs 27,000 people in 17 countries. It earned 6.8 billion in 2005.
It is GW's third Sativex partnership deal giving the drug coverage across virtually every major country in the world. GW's other partners are German giant Bayer Healthcare and Spain's Almirall.
The new partners will now begin detailed talks about collaborating to research the use of cannabis-based drugs on diseases of the central nervous system and cancer.
Otsuka has focused on disorders of the central nervous system for the past 27 years. Abilify, its schizophrenia product, had sales of more than 1.9bn in 2006.
GW finance director David Kirk said: "We are delighted with the deal. When they first approached us it was about working together in science - they did not know we were looking for a partner in the US.
"I think it has secured our future - we expect an R&D agreement to follow later this year.
"One of the reasons making Otsuka a partner of choice for us is that they have built their business on niche and speciality products and are not afraid of marketing them."
The tie-up was well received in the market with brokers Investec describing it as a huge validation of all GW's non-Sativex research products.
"We are celebrating, that's for sure," said Mr Kirk. "We feel this is an excellent deal. There is all to play for with a very good partner."
He added that the company is confident it can scale up cannabis production as required. It is licensed by the Home Office to grow the normally illegal drug under contract in climate-controlled greenhouses at secret locations in the UK.
"The process is tightly controlled to produce pharmaceutical-grade plants - unlike the unlicensed variety, we know exactly what we are getting," said Mr Kirk.
Marijuana Advocate Ken Gorman Dies In Shooting
Marijuana Advocate Ken Gorman Dies In Shooting
Date: Feb 18, 2007 9:29 PM
Subject Marijuana Advocate Ken Gorman Dies In Shooting
(CBS4) DENVER A Denver man known as a pioneer in Colorado's medical marijuana community was shot and killed Saturday night after his house was broken into.
Ken Gorman, an outspoken advocate for legalizing marijuana, grew pot in his home on the 1,000 block of South Decatur Street.
Denver police said they are investigating the shooting, but were releasing few details Sunday afternoon. Family members told CBS4 Gorman was the victim in the crime.
Last weekend, CBS4's Rick Sallinger did an investigation on Colorado's medical marijuana law that centered on Gorman. Gorman had recently been giving seminars on how to use the law to obtain the drug even if you aren't sick.
Gorman was on Colorado's medical marijuana registry. He said he had been suffering chronic pain from bersitis.
A CBS4 employee recently approached Gorman with a hidden camera and told him he only wanted marijuana to get high. Gorman then filled a form designating CBS4's employee as one of his caregivers.
"When we passed the law we passed a great, great law," Gorman said to the CBS4 employee. "There are so many holes in it that for us, the patient, police can't do anything."
Gorman was also the host of an annual large marijuana smoke-out at the state capitol. He once ran for the state's highest office, and earned the nickname, "the governor."
Colorado is one of 11 states that has legalized the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
Marijuana Advocate Ken Gorman Dies In Shooting
Date: Feb 18, 2007 9:29 PM
Subject Marijuana Advocate Ken Gorman Dies In Shooting
(CBS4) DENVER A Denver man known as a pioneer in Colorado's medical marijuana community was shot and killed Saturday night after his house was broken into.
Ken Gorman, an outspoken advocate for legalizing marijuana, grew pot in his home on the 1,000 block of South Decatur Street.
Denver police said they are investigating the shooting, but were releasing few details Sunday afternoon. Family members told CBS4 Gorman was the victim in the crime.
Last weekend, CBS4's Rick Sallinger did an investigation on Colorado's medical marijuana law that centered on Gorman. Gorman had recently been giving seminars on how to use the law to obtain the drug even if you aren't sick.
Gorman was on Colorado's medical marijuana registry. He said he had been suffering chronic pain from bersitis.
A CBS4 employee recently approached Gorman with a hidden camera and told him he only wanted marijuana to get high. Gorman then filled a form designating CBS4's employee as one of his caregivers.
"When we passed the law we passed a great, great law," Gorman said to the CBS4 employee. "There are so many holes in it that for us, the patient, police can't do anything."
Gorman was also the host of an annual large marijuana smoke-out at the state capitol. He once ran for the state's highest office, and earned the nickname, "the governor."
Colorado is one of 11 states that has legalized the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
New Effort To Allow Hemp Farming In CA
What Separates This Attempt?
By Carolyn Tyler
Feb. 19 - KGO - Two California lawmakers have launched a new campaign to legalize hemp. It's a challenge to federal drug laws from two men on opposite sides of the political spectrum. But they have a common goal -- to help the state's struggling farmers.
Charles Meyer is a third generation California farmer. His land is in the Central Valley town of Stratford, where he grows the highest quality cotton and wheat. He would like to cultivate another crop.
Charles Meyer, California farmer: "I looked for the crop that had versatility. Hemp is one of the most versatile we can grow."
Hemp comes from the same plant as marijuana. Both are cannabis sativa, but hemp has only trace amounts of THC, the stuff that gets you high.
Assemblyman Mark Leno, (D) San Francisco: "A good analogy would be industrial hemp has about as much THC content as the poppy seeds that your bagel has opium."
State Assemblyman Mark Leno wants to let Charles Meyer and other California farmers try their hand at hemp. It's already legal in at least 30 countries, including China, Canada and most of Europe. Right now it's illegal for Americans to grow the crop, but they can import the seeds, oil, and fiber. Which can be turned into food rich in omega 3, clothing, even things as strong as car parts.
Hundreds of hemp products are made in California. At Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps in Escondido near San Diego. Like other manufacturers in the state, they get their hemp from Canada."
David Bronner, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps: "Of course most people hear hemp and there's the giggle factor, so we have to break through that and say no, hemp is renewable, it's a great crop."
Hemp is grown without herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. David Bronner began adding the oil to his soaps in 1999. It makes the lather smoother. They are now the number one brand of natural soaps nationwide.
David Bronner: "We're everywhere now -- just crossing over, as is the whole health food movement, it's becoming main stream."
Bronner spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year importing industrial hemp.
Mark Leno, S.F. Democrat: "What wisdom is there in a public policy that forces manufacturers in the U.S. to send their dollars abroad?"
Mark Leno, a San Francisco liberal Democrat, he's teamed up with Chuck Devore, an Orange County conservative Republican. Devore was once the youngest appointee in the Reagan White House. He and Leno are a political odd couple who agree on one thing.
Assemblyman Chuck Devore, (R) Irvine: "It's absolutely criminal that American farmers, the most productive and efficient farmers on the planet, cannot be allowed to grow a naturally occurring plant, that grows wild in America."
Last year Devore and Leno co-authored a bill to legalize hemp farming. It passed both houses of the legislature, but Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it. The measure will be re-introduced this year. Once again it limits the concentration of THC allowed in the plants.
Mark Leno, S.F. Democrat: "It will be the farmer's responsibility to get it tested, and get a certificate that shows their field is no more than three-tenths of one percent the content."
Much of the opposition comes from the law enforcement community. Javier Pena is special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Javier Pena, Drug Enforcement Administration: "It doesn't matter it could be half of a half of a half percent. If it's THC, it's illegal under federal statutes."
And the California Narcotic Law Officers Association is also opposed. A spokesman showed us pictures of hemp grown for seed and marijuana that look similar.
John Lovell, CA Narcotic Officers Association: "The problem becomes those people who are illicitly growing marijuana and who will use hemp as a blind, if you will. to conceal their marijuana activities."
But hemp proponents say planting the crops together decreases the THC, so an illegal marijuana grower would avoid cross-pollination. That argument doesn't convince Lovell. And he says there are none of the safeguards in the California bill like those in place in other countries.
John Lovell, CA Narcotic Officers Association: "For example in Canada, the law requires anyone who wants to cultivate industrial hemp must receive a license from the government, they have to renew it every year, and get a criminal background check."
The government once wanted the crop. A video from the USDA shows the so-called 'Hemp for Victory' campaign that encouraged American farmers to grow the plant for rope during World War II. Now it's other countries cultivating hemp, and consumers here at home have turned the market into a multi-million dollar a year industry.
David Bronner: "The cross section is not just myself, your average hemp consumer is a suburban mom driving around, and they are just looking for healthy foods and products."
California lawmakers are now challenging federal law, so farmers can cash in.
Leno's bill will be formally introduced on Wednesday. A similar measure on the federal level was introduced last week.
Copyright 2007, ABC7/KGO-TV/DT
What Separates This Attempt?
By Carolyn Tyler
Feb. 19 - KGO - Two California lawmakers have launched a new campaign to legalize hemp. It's a challenge to federal drug laws from two men on opposite sides of the political spectrum. But they have a common goal -- to help the state's struggling farmers.
Charles Meyer is a third generation California farmer. His land is in the Central Valley town of Stratford, where he grows the highest quality cotton and wheat. He would like to cultivate another crop.
Charles Meyer, California farmer: "I looked for the crop that had versatility. Hemp is one of the most versatile we can grow."
Hemp comes from the same plant as marijuana. Both are cannabis sativa, but hemp has only trace amounts of THC, the stuff that gets you high.
Assemblyman Mark Leno, (D) San Francisco: "A good analogy would be industrial hemp has about as much THC content as the poppy seeds that your bagel has opium."
State Assemblyman Mark Leno wants to let Charles Meyer and other California farmers try their hand at hemp. It's already legal in at least 30 countries, including China, Canada and most of Europe. Right now it's illegal for Americans to grow the crop, but they can import the seeds, oil, and fiber. Which can be turned into food rich in omega 3, clothing, even things as strong as car parts.
Hundreds of hemp products are made in California. At Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps in Escondido near San Diego. Like other manufacturers in the state, they get their hemp from Canada."
David Bronner, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps: "Of course most people hear hemp and there's the giggle factor, so we have to break through that and say no, hemp is renewable, it's a great crop."
Hemp is grown without herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. David Bronner began adding the oil to his soaps in 1999. It makes the lather smoother. They are now the number one brand of natural soaps nationwide.
David Bronner: "We're everywhere now -- just crossing over, as is the whole health food movement, it's becoming main stream."
Bronner spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year importing industrial hemp.
Mark Leno, S.F. Democrat: "What wisdom is there in a public policy that forces manufacturers in the U.S. to send their dollars abroad?"
Mark Leno, a San Francisco liberal Democrat, he's teamed up with Chuck Devore, an Orange County conservative Republican. Devore was once the youngest appointee in the Reagan White House. He and Leno are a political odd couple who agree on one thing.
Assemblyman Chuck Devore, (R) Irvine: "It's absolutely criminal that American farmers, the most productive and efficient farmers on the planet, cannot be allowed to grow a naturally occurring plant, that grows wild in America."
Last year Devore and Leno co-authored a bill to legalize hemp farming. It passed both houses of the legislature, but Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it. The measure will be re-introduced this year. Once again it limits the concentration of THC allowed in the plants.
Mark Leno, S.F. Democrat: "It will be the farmer's responsibility to get it tested, and get a certificate that shows their field is no more than three-tenths of one percent the content."
Much of the opposition comes from the law enforcement community. Javier Pena is special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Javier Pena, Drug Enforcement Administration: "It doesn't matter it could be half of a half of a half percent. If it's THC, it's illegal under federal statutes."
And the California Narcotic Law Officers Association is also opposed. A spokesman showed us pictures of hemp grown for seed and marijuana that look similar.
John Lovell, CA Narcotic Officers Association: "The problem becomes those people who are illicitly growing marijuana and who will use hemp as a blind, if you will. to conceal their marijuana activities."
But hemp proponents say planting the crops together decreases the THC, so an illegal marijuana grower would avoid cross-pollination. That argument doesn't convince Lovell. And he says there are none of the safeguards in the California bill like those in place in other countries.
John Lovell, CA Narcotic Officers Association: "For example in Canada, the law requires anyone who wants to cultivate industrial hemp must receive a license from the government, they have to renew it every year, and get a criminal background check."
The government once wanted the crop. A video from the USDA shows the so-called 'Hemp for Victory' campaign that encouraged American farmers to grow the plant for rope during World War II. Now it's other countries cultivating hemp, and consumers here at home have turned the market into a multi-million dollar a year industry.
David Bronner: "The cross section is not just myself, your average hemp consumer is a suburban mom driving around, and they are just looking for healthy foods and products."
California lawmakers are now challenging federal law, so farmers can cash in.
Leno's bill will be formally introduced on Wednesday. A similar measure on the federal level was introduced last week.
Copyright 2007, ABC7/KGO-TV/DT
Date: Feb 21, 2007 1:43 PM
Subject Medical pot advocates sue feds over false info
Body: Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
Medical marijuana advocates have sued the federal Department of Health and Human Services, accusing it of lying to the nation about the drug's lack of accepted medical use despite scientific studies showing its efficacy.
The lawsuit, filed today in federal court in Oakland, comes a week after the release of a controlled, clinical University of California, San Francisco study showing HIV patients who smoked marijuana found relief from chronic foot pain.
"We are asking the courts to weigh in on the science ... and force the government to stop making false statements about medical cannabis," said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.
ASA attorney Joe Elford said the lawsuit is brought under the federal Administrative Procedure Act, which provides for judicial review and reversal of any agency action found to be arbitrary and capricious.
ASA in October 2004 had petitioned the Department of Health and Human Services and its subordinate Food and Drug Administration under the Data Quality Act, a 2000 law requiring information circulated by federal agencies to be fair, objective and meet certain quality guidelines. That law lets citizens challenge government information believed to be inaccurate or based on bad data; ASA's petition claimed the government has ignored scientific studies and medical consensus on marijuana's efficacy as medicine.
HHS denied the petition in 2005 and denied an appeal in July 2006. Those decisions are arbitrary and capricious, Elford said, and so Americans for Safe Access has been biding its time ever since to sue.
"We aimed to file this lawsuit at a time when the country was talking about the science," Sherer said, but her group doesn't think it even needs the newly released UCSF study to bolster its case; it believed the science was solid enough when it petitioned HHS in 2004.
"The federal government has had enough information in front of it for years to break the gridlock on this issue," she said. "We're suing to demand that the FDA stop holding science hostage to politics."
Sherer is one of four medical-marijuana users used as examples in the lawsuit. She suffered a neck injury in 2000 and later developed kidney problems from the ibuprofen and other painkillers she'd been prescribed. The government told her marijuana had no medical use, so she was delayed in seeking a doctor's advice to the contrary and finding relief, she says.
California voters approved medical use of marijuana by passing Proposition 215 in 1996, but federal law still bans the drug's cultivation, possession and use. Despite years of lobbying by advocates, it remains on the nation's list of most-restricted drugs -- along with substances such as heroin and LSD -- without accepted medical use. And despite a 1999 federal Institute of Medicine study urging more research, studies like UCSF's still face enormous obstacles and so remain rare.
Medical marijuana patients Angel Raich of Oakland and Diane Monson of Oroville sued federal law enforcement officials in 2002, claiming the federal government lacks authority to prosecute California's patients and providers. The U.S. Supreme Court in June 2005 ruled 6-3 to uphold federal prosecutions, finding that even marijuana grown in back yards for personal medical use can affect or contribute to the illegal interstate marijuana market and so is within Congress' constitutional reach.
But the court, in a footnote, did "acknowledge that evidence proffered by respondents in this case regarding the effective medical uses for marijuana, if found credible after trial, would cast serious doubt on the accuracy of the findings that require marijuana to be listed" among the most-restricted drugs.
Subject Medical pot advocates sue feds over false info
Body: Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
Medical marijuana advocates have sued the federal Department of Health and Human Services, accusing it of lying to the nation about the drug's lack of accepted medical use despite scientific studies showing its efficacy.
The lawsuit, filed today in federal court in Oakland, comes a week after the release of a controlled, clinical University of California, San Francisco study showing HIV patients who smoked marijuana found relief from chronic foot pain.
"We are asking the courts to weigh in on the science ... and force the government to stop making false statements about medical cannabis," said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.
ASA attorney Joe Elford said the lawsuit is brought under the federal Administrative Procedure Act, which provides for judicial review and reversal of any agency action found to be arbitrary and capricious.
ASA in October 2004 had petitioned the Department of Health and Human Services and its subordinate Food and Drug Administration under the Data Quality Act, a 2000 law requiring information circulated by federal agencies to be fair, objective and meet certain quality guidelines. That law lets citizens challenge government information believed to be inaccurate or based on bad data; ASA's petition claimed the government has ignored scientific studies and medical consensus on marijuana's efficacy as medicine.
HHS denied the petition in 2005 and denied an appeal in July 2006. Those decisions are arbitrary and capricious, Elford said, and so Americans for Safe Access has been biding its time ever since to sue.
"We aimed to file this lawsuit at a time when the country was talking about the science," Sherer said, but her group doesn't think it even needs the newly released UCSF study to bolster its case; it believed the science was solid enough when it petitioned HHS in 2004.
"The federal government has had enough information in front of it for years to break the gridlock on this issue," she said. "We're suing to demand that the FDA stop holding science hostage to politics."
Sherer is one of four medical-marijuana users used as examples in the lawsuit. She suffered a neck injury in 2000 and later developed kidney problems from the ibuprofen and other painkillers she'd been prescribed. The government told her marijuana had no medical use, so she was delayed in seeking a doctor's advice to the contrary and finding relief, she says.
California voters approved medical use of marijuana by passing Proposition 215 in 1996, but federal law still bans the drug's cultivation, possession and use. Despite years of lobbying by advocates, it remains on the nation's list of most-restricted drugs -- along with substances such as heroin and LSD -- without accepted medical use. And despite a 1999 federal Institute of Medicine study urging more research, studies like UCSF's still face enormous obstacles and so remain rare.
Medical marijuana patients Angel Raich of Oakland and Diane Monson of Oroville sued federal law enforcement officials in 2002, claiming the federal government lacks authority to prosecute California's patients and providers. The U.S. Supreme Court in June 2005 ruled 6-3 to uphold federal prosecutions, finding that even marijuana grown in back yards for personal medical use can affect or contribute to the illegal interstate marijuana market and so is within Congress' constitutional reach.
But the court, in a footnote, did "acknowledge that evidence proffered by respondents in this case regarding the effective medical uses for marijuana, if found credible after trial, would cast serious doubt on the accuracy of the findings that require marijuana to be listed" among the most-restricted drugs.
Date: Apr 13, 2007 10:54 PM
Subject Oregon Medical Marijuana Doctor Answers All
Body: Bonnie King Salem-News.com
He's been a fighter since his days in the Army during World War Two, when he captured 26 Nazi officers. These days this veteran physician fights for the rights of patients who use marijuana as a medicine.
Salem-News.com
Photo and video by: Tim King
(SALEM) - The world is changing fast and medical marijuana is a daily reality for thousands of patients in Oregon, and hundreds of thousands of people nationwide who suffer from a variety of illnesses.
But who can pot smokers turn to for medical care? Needless to say, a vast majority of users are hesitant to discuss their use with physicians, and doctors are fearful when it comes to discussing a substance that potentially violates the law.
Federal laws still consider possession of pot illegal, even though states and individual counties have adopted their own standards.
Because of the federal shadow cast on the situation, hundreds of thousands of legal users and millions of illegal users, go without adequate medical advice.
In a unique new segment, Salem-News.com brings viewers the words and wisdom of one of Oregon's most famous doctors, Dr. Phillip Leveque, a man who fought in World War Two and now fights to make access to marijuana a matter of reality. He also was instrumental in the initial changing of Oregon law that allowed medical the use of Medical Marijuana in the first place.
See video at this link:
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april132007/potdoc_41307.php
Transcript of interview with Dr. Phillip Leveque
He’s not Jack Kevorkian, but the man who was named Oregon’s most dangerous doctor, Dr. Phillip Leveque, is equally notorious in his own right, as an outspoken advocate of medical marijuana legalization.
But who is Dr. Leveque? His story begins long ago, on the battlefields of France and Belgium, during a period in WWII that claimed tens of thousands of his fellow American soldiers. It was around the time of the Battle of the Bulge, as U.S. soldiers fought ferociously against the armed forces of Hitler’s third Reich. Phillip Leveque was 19 years old.
“Well, this was about six weeks before the end of the war. The main attack was down in the bottom of a valley where the main road was but my group was up at the top coming in from the side of the town, and Capt. Otterbine, my captain said Leveque, “you and Branon check out that house over there” which was about fifty yards away or something like that, and fortunately had had quite a few trees, so we went into the trees and we leapfrogged from tree to tree and they were about oh, a foot or so in diameter so you could hide behind them in a manner of speaking.
So, I got up to the last tree and I told Branon. I says ‘cover me, I’m gonna’ run for the corner of the house.’
I ran past the window and through the window I could see gray uniforms inside and I knew there was a whole bunch but I couldn’t count them. So I just stopped there,’What am I gonna’ do next’?
Then clump, clump clump and it was German captain. And I had my rifle poked right under his chin, so I asked him in German how many solders there were in there and he said 26, so I asked him in German, “Do they have weapons?”
“No”
And I didn’t believe that at all, so whatever.
There were two of us, what was going to do with 26 prisoners, especially depending on whether or not they had weapons? I gotta’ take this dude over to the captain and find out what we’re gonna do next. And so I marched the captain over with the gun pointed in his back and we got over there and he gave him a heil Hitler salute. And I said to Captain Otterbine, I said, should I give him a rifle butt? He says no, no no what’s going on? And I said ‘he says there are 26 officers over in that house’ and he looked me up and down like, “you lyin’ so and so.”
So he says I’ll send you half a squad to guard them, six people, and I said “that’s great.”
After World War Two, Phillip Leveque was accepted by the Oregon Medical School and so began his years of education leading to an esteemed medical career that led him around the world.
I got my PHD in Pharmacology and Toxicology in 1954, and I was an instructor at the medical school and an instructor and assistant professor at the dental school, and then my first real job was at the medical college of Georgia which was 3,000 miles away.
When I left Portland in 1955 I told my mother I would be home in two years, it took 22 years to get back home.
Doctor Leveque left behind a legacy, having helped establish some of the first practicing doctors in third world areas.
I was invited by the University of London to teach in Africa, I was in Africa; Uganda and Tanzania, and I helped train the first doctors in Tanzania.
Even the earliest facet of his medical career included an encounter with the natural substance he would later come to advocate. A plant that’s use is legal for tens of thousands of medical patients in the United States alone.
The first job that I had in the department, the doctor says “Leveque, go into the stock room, you can straighten it out and make some kind of order. Well one of the first things that I found was a gallon jog of cannabis cough medicine; It had been 13 years since a law that said it was illegal to have any kind of cannabis anyplace, anywhere, anything and so I said ‘well it says cannabis cough medicine, it was manufactured by Park Davis Pharmaceuticals,’ and so I poured myself a pint of it and I brought it home and it’s probably out in the barn here someplace, I haven’t seen it in years but it’s probably out there but it worked… and that was a surprise to me.”
“I ended up with about 30 severe chronic pain patients that no other doctor wanted to take care of, and so I had in addition to being a physician, I am also a professional toxicologist and I have been in court over 400 times as an expert witness. And I, just like I say, I thought I knew how to treat patients with chronic pain and I’m still convinced that I do and I did and so forth. But, the insurance company lawyer says that I was over diagnosing, over treating and over charging, and so in 1986, the Board of Medical Examiners suspended me for ten years because I was taking care of too many chronic pain patients, which nobody else wanted to take care of, so that was quite an insult to my character because I felt that I knew as much pharmacology and therapeutics as any doctor, any place.
And probably somewhere between ten and twenty million people use it, almost on a daily basis when they can get it. Now, this whole business about it being addictive is crazy, it’s not addicting, it’s less addicting than Starbucks coffee.
As a new service of Salem-News.com, Dr. Phillip Leveque is going to begin taking questions and providing expert answers about medical marijuana and other toxicology issues, including those that want to learn more about cannabis as a medical treatment.
Most people want to know, “will marijuana help my medical condition.” And I think after seeing 6,000 patients I know what condition it will help and ones it probably won’t,
But the strange things is, that some of the pharmacology textbooks from 75 years ago, say that marijuana is a euphoriant and is habit forming, euphoriant meaning it makes you feel good, what’s wrong with feeling good? And I think that in most instances regarding the pharmacology or therapeutics of cannabis is that it makes them feel good. Now 20 or 30 years ago they used to take amphetamines, or Dexedrine or nowadays they use methamphetamines, which really gives them a euphoria, so it works well for that and anybody that says it is dangerous is crazy, it is not, I mean the worst side affect is if you overdose you will sleep for 24-hours but some time one of my patients said, “I overdosed, and fell asleep in front of the refrigerator”. So it’s probably the least harmful drug that’s ever been used by man, probably so, and that includes alcohol, nicotine, aspirin, aspirin kills several thousand people a year in the United States, and even caffeine can kill a person
If I don’t know it nobody else does either, and the fact of the matter is I have written a cannabis pharmacology book, and I read over 400 articles to put my book together, if it’s not in my book it ain’t no place else either, it just isn’t. And I say that on this basis: that I am a physician who has treated between four and six thousand patients but I’m also I believe the only professor of pharmacology who is treating patients. You’re either talking about it or you’re doing it, I’m doing it.
DLB
Subject Oregon Medical Marijuana Doctor Answers All
Body: Bonnie King Salem-News.com
He's been a fighter since his days in the Army during World War Two, when he captured 26 Nazi officers. These days this veteran physician fights for the rights of patients who use marijuana as a medicine.
Salem-News.com
Photo and video by: Tim King
(SALEM) - The world is changing fast and medical marijuana is a daily reality for thousands of patients in Oregon, and hundreds of thousands of people nationwide who suffer from a variety of illnesses.
But who can pot smokers turn to for medical care? Needless to say, a vast majority of users are hesitant to discuss their use with physicians, and doctors are fearful when it comes to discussing a substance that potentially violates the law.
Federal laws still consider possession of pot illegal, even though states and individual counties have adopted their own standards.
Because of the federal shadow cast on the situation, hundreds of thousands of legal users and millions of illegal users, go without adequate medical advice.
In a unique new segment, Salem-News.com brings viewers the words and wisdom of one of Oregon's most famous doctors, Dr. Phillip Leveque, a man who fought in World War Two and now fights to make access to marijuana a matter of reality. He also was instrumental in the initial changing of Oregon law that allowed medical the use of Medical Marijuana in the first place.
See video at this link:
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april132007/potdoc_41307.php
Transcript of interview with Dr. Phillip Leveque
He’s not Jack Kevorkian, but the man who was named Oregon’s most dangerous doctor, Dr. Phillip Leveque, is equally notorious in his own right, as an outspoken advocate of medical marijuana legalization.
But who is Dr. Leveque? His story begins long ago, on the battlefields of France and Belgium, during a period in WWII that claimed tens of thousands of his fellow American soldiers. It was around the time of the Battle of the Bulge, as U.S. soldiers fought ferociously against the armed forces of Hitler’s third Reich. Phillip Leveque was 19 years old.
“Well, this was about six weeks before the end of the war. The main attack was down in the bottom of a valley where the main road was but my group was up at the top coming in from the side of the town, and Capt. Otterbine, my captain said Leveque, “you and Branon check out that house over there” which was about fifty yards away or something like that, and fortunately had had quite a few trees, so we went into the trees and we leapfrogged from tree to tree and they were about oh, a foot or so in diameter so you could hide behind them in a manner of speaking.
So, I got up to the last tree and I told Branon. I says ‘cover me, I’m gonna’ run for the corner of the house.’
I ran past the window and through the window I could see gray uniforms inside and I knew there was a whole bunch but I couldn’t count them. So I just stopped there,’What am I gonna’ do next’?
Then clump, clump clump and it was German captain. And I had my rifle poked right under his chin, so I asked him in German how many solders there were in there and he said 26, so I asked him in German, “Do they have weapons?”
“No”
And I didn’t believe that at all, so whatever.
There were two of us, what was going to do with 26 prisoners, especially depending on whether or not they had weapons? I gotta’ take this dude over to the captain and find out what we’re gonna do next. And so I marched the captain over with the gun pointed in his back and we got over there and he gave him a heil Hitler salute. And I said to Captain Otterbine, I said, should I give him a rifle butt? He says no, no no what’s going on? And I said ‘he says there are 26 officers over in that house’ and he looked me up and down like, “you lyin’ so and so.”
So he says I’ll send you half a squad to guard them, six people, and I said “that’s great.”
After World War Two, Phillip Leveque was accepted by the Oregon Medical School and so began his years of education leading to an esteemed medical career that led him around the world.
I got my PHD in Pharmacology and Toxicology in 1954, and I was an instructor at the medical school and an instructor and assistant professor at the dental school, and then my first real job was at the medical college of Georgia which was 3,000 miles away.
When I left Portland in 1955 I told my mother I would be home in two years, it took 22 years to get back home.
Doctor Leveque left behind a legacy, having helped establish some of the first practicing doctors in third world areas.
I was invited by the University of London to teach in Africa, I was in Africa; Uganda and Tanzania, and I helped train the first doctors in Tanzania.
Even the earliest facet of his medical career included an encounter with the natural substance he would later come to advocate. A plant that’s use is legal for tens of thousands of medical patients in the United States alone.
The first job that I had in the department, the doctor says “Leveque, go into the stock room, you can straighten it out and make some kind of order. Well one of the first things that I found was a gallon jog of cannabis cough medicine; It had been 13 years since a law that said it was illegal to have any kind of cannabis anyplace, anywhere, anything and so I said ‘well it says cannabis cough medicine, it was manufactured by Park Davis Pharmaceuticals,’ and so I poured myself a pint of it and I brought it home and it’s probably out in the barn here someplace, I haven’t seen it in years but it’s probably out there but it worked… and that was a surprise to me.”
“I ended up with about 30 severe chronic pain patients that no other doctor wanted to take care of, and so I had in addition to being a physician, I am also a professional toxicologist and I have been in court over 400 times as an expert witness. And I, just like I say, I thought I knew how to treat patients with chronic pain and I’m still convinced that I do and I did and so forth. But, the insurance company lawyer says that I was over diagnosing, over treating and over charging, and so in 1986, the Board of Medical Examiners suspended me for ten years because I was taking care of too many chronic pain patients, which nobody else wanted to take care of, so that was quite an insult to my character because I felt that I knew as much pharmacology and therapeutics as any doctor, any place.
And probably somewhere between ten and twenty million people use it, almost on a daily basis when they can get it. Now, this whole business about it being addictive is crazy, it’s not addicting, it’s less addicting than Starbucks coffee.
As a new service of Salem-News.com, Dr. Phillip Leveque is going to begin taking questions and providing expert answers about medical marijuana and other toxicology issues, including those that want to learn more about cannabis as a medical treatment.
Most people want to know, “will marijuana help my medical condition.” And I think after seeing 6,000 patients I know what condition it will help and ones it probably won’t,
But the strange things is, that some of the pharmacology textbooks from 75 years ago, say that marijuana is a euphoriant and is habit forming, euphoriant meaning it makes you feel good, what’s wrong with feeling good? And I think that in most instances regarding the pharmacology or therapeutics of cannabis is that it makes them feel good. Now 20 or 30 years ago they used to take amphetamines, or Dexedrine or nowadays they use methamphetamines, which really gives them a euphoria, so it works well for that and anybody that says it is dangerous is crazy, it is not, I mean the worst side affect is if you overdose you will sleep for 24-hours but some time one of my patients said, “I overdosed, and fell asleep in front of the refrigerator”. So it’s probably the least harmful drug that’s ever been used by man, probably so, and that includes alcohol, nicotine, aspirin, aspirin kills several thousand people a year in the United States, and even caffeine can kill a person
If I don’t know it nobody else does either, and the fact of the matter is I have written a cannabis pharmacology book, and I read over 400 articles to put my book together, if it’s not in my book it ain’t no place else either, it just isn’t. And I say that on this basis: that I am a physician who has treated between four and six thousand patients but I’m also I believe the only professor of pharmacology who is treating patients. You’re either talking about it or you’re doing it, I’m doing it.
DLB
Date: May 22, 2007 11:39 PM
Subject Rest in Peace - Dr. Tod Mikuriya - a true hero
Body: TOD MIKURIYA - PSYCHIATRIST, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE
Tod H. Mikuriya, a Berkeley psychiatrist who helped draft
California's medical marijuana law, died at his home Sunday of
complications of cancer. He was 73.
Dr. Mikuriya was a well-known medical marijuana advocate whose
practice made him the physician of last resort for patients
throughout California who said marijuana eases their suffering.
He was the founder of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and an
architect of Proposition 215, the initiative approved in 1996 by
state voters that legalized growing and using marijuana for medical
purposes with a doctor's recommendation.
In 2003, Dr. Mikuriya was investigated by the Medical Board of
California on allegations of unprofessional conduct and negligence in
his handling of 16 cases since 1998. Supporters said the case was
politically motivated and payback for his vocal support of medical marijuana.
The state placed him on probation, but Dr. Mikuriya appealed and
continued to practice. "If his health hadn't failed, he would have
appealed (to a state appeals court)," friend Fred Gardner said Monday.
"It didn't affect his practice, it just affected his pride," Gardner
said of the Medical Board's ruling. "It hurt him that he was
considered anything but a great doctor going by the book."
Dr. Mikuriya was born in Pennsylvania in 1933 to Anna Schwenk, a
German immigrant and practicing Baha'i, and Tadafumi Mikuriya, a
Japanese samurai who converted to Christianity. He received a Quaker education at George School and Haverford College before graduating from Reed College and serving as a medic in the Army. He attended Temple University School of Medicine, where he saw a reference in a pharmacology text to the medical uses of marijuana.
After getting his medical degree, he served an internship at Southern Pacific General Hospital in San Francisco, specialized in psychiatry at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem and completed his training at Mendocino State Hospital.
In 1967, Dr. Mikuriya became director of nonclassified marijuana
research for the National Institute of Mental Health Center for
Narcotics and Drug Abuse. But he left the position after several
months when "it became clear they only wanted research into damaging effects (of marijuana), not helpful ones," he said.
Dr. Mikuriya moved to Berkeley in 1970 and entered private practice.
In 1973, Dr. Mikuriya published "Marijuana Medical Papers," an
anthology of journal articles devoted to cannabis.
His interests were varied, said his family, who called him a "modern
man for all seasons."
He enjoyed racing cars, flying airplanes, singing and playing
traditional folk music, and singing choral music and Elizabethan
madrigals. He collected tools, electronic gadgets, political
newspaper cartoons and marijuana T-shirts and posters.
"People didn't really appreciate that Tod was not just all about
pot," his sister, Beverly Mikuriya, 61, of Bucks County, Pa., said
Monday. "He was really a very eclectic person who had lots of other
interests and abilities."
Besides Beverly Mikuriya, Dr. Mikuriya is survived by another sister,
Mary Jane Mikuriya, 71, of San Francisco; his son, Tadafumi "Sean,"
34, of Nevada City; and daughter, Hero. Contributions can be made to
the Friends Committee on Legislation, 245 Second St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-5795; George School, Annual Fund Director, Box 4438, Newtown, PA 18940-0908; or Reed College, Office of College Relations, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR 97202-8199.
A memorial service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Quaker
Berkeley Friends Church, 1600 Sacramento St., Berkeley.
Subject Rest in Peace - Dr. Tod Mikuriya - a true hero
Body: TOD MIKURIYA - PSYCHIATRIST, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE
Tod H. Mikuriya, a Berkeley psychiatrist who helped draft
California's medical marijuana law, died at his home Sunday of
complications of cancer. He was 73.
Dr. Mikuriya was a well-known medical marijuana advocate whose
practice made him the physician of last resort for patients
throughout California who said marijuana eases their suffering.
He was the founder of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and an
architect of Proposition 215, the initiative approved in 1996 by
state voters that legalized growing and using marijuana for medical
purposes with a doctor's recommendation.
In 2003, Dr. Mikuriya was investigated by the Medical Board of
California on allegations of unprofessional conduct and negligence in
his handling of 16 cases since 1998. Supporters said the case was
politically motivated and payback for his vocal support of medical marijuana.
The state placed him on probation, but Dr. Mikuriya appealed and
continued to practice. "If his health hadn't failed, he would have
appealed (to a state appeals court)," friend Fred Gardner said Monday.
"It didn't affect his practice, it just affected his pride," Gardner
said of the Medical Board's ruling. "It hurt him that he was
considered anything but a great doctor going by the book."
Dr. Mikuriya was born in Pennsylvania in 1933 to Anna Schwenk, a
German immigrant and practicing Baha'i, and Tadafumi Mikuriya, a
Japanese samurai who converted to Christianity. He received a Quaker education at George School and Haverford College before graduating from Reed College and serving as a medic in the Army. He attended Temple University School of Medicine, where he saw a reference in a pharmacology text to the medical uses of marijuana.
After getting his medical degree, he served an internship at Southern Pacific General Hospital in San Francisco, specialized in psychiatry at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem and completed his training at Mendocino State Hospital.
In 1967, Dr. Mikuriya became director of nonclassified marijuana
research for the National Institute of Mental Health Center for
Narcotics and Drug Abuse. But he left the position after several
months when "it became clear they only wanted research into damaging effects (of marijuana), not helpful ones," he said.
Dr. Mikuriya moved to Berkeley in 1970 and entered private practice.
In 1973, Dr. Mikuriya published "Marijuana Medical Papers," an
anthology of journal articles devoted to cannabis.
His interests were varied, said his family, who called him a "modern
man for all seasons."
He enjoyed racing cars, flying airplanes, singing and playing
traditional folk music, and singing choral music and Elizabethan
madrigals. He collected tools, electronic gadgets, political
newspaper cartoons and marijuana T-shirts and posters.
"People didn't really appreciate that Tod was not just all about
pot," his sister, Beverly Mikuriya, 61, of Bucks County, Pa., said
Monday. "He was really a very eclectic person who had lots of other
interests and abilities."
Besides Beverly Mikuriya, Dr. Mikuriya is survived by another sister,
Mary Jane Mikuriya, 71, of San Francisco; his son, Tadafumi "Sean,"
34, of Nevada City; and daughter, Hero. Contributions can be made to
the Friends Committee on Legislation, 245 Second St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-5795; George School, Annual Fund Director, Box 4438, Newtown, PA 18940-0908; or Reed College, Office of College Relations, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR 97202-8199.
A memorial service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Quaker
Berkeley Friends Church, 1600 Sacramento St., Berkeley.
Very interesting thread Dr Longbottom...
(at least the first few posts I read before I gave up trying to continue following along from the frustration of having to scroll sideways in order to read your writings)
I wonder if anyone has pointed it out to you yet, or if you're doing this intentionally ?
THAT damn continuous string of dashes in your signature forces the page to be waaay too wide. It makes the readers have to scroll left to right to read each sentence in your text. This is VERY frusterating to say the least.
I guess THAT is why you call yourself Dr "longbottom" huh ?
Please fix it by removing that long string of hyphens from your sig.
tia,
10k
(at least the first few posts I read before I gave up trying to continue following along from the frustration of having to scroll sideways in order to read your writings)
I wonder if anyone has pointed it out to you yet, or if you're doing this intentionally ?
THAT damn continuous string of dashes in your signature forces the page to be waaay too wide. It makes the readers have to scroll left to right to read each sentence in your text. This is VERY frusterating to say the least.
I guess THAT is why you call yourself Dr "longbottom" huh ?
Please fix it by removing that long string of hyphens from your sig.
tia,
10k
Dr. Tod Mikuriya brushed up against certain "dark forces" who are quite hostile to any claims supporting the efficacy and safety of Cannabis as a therapeutic natural resource.....they took from him what was most precious for him, his medical license to practice medicine for the general public, yet he still kept advocating the use of Cannabis for those with terminal illnesses, AIDS, etc.....
Did he write a book while working for the Haight Street Free Clinic, or am i thinking of someone else...?
kind regards from guineapig
Did he write a book while working for the Haight Street Free Clinic, or am i thinking of someone else...?
kind regards from guineapig
G
Guest
Wow, this stuff really depresses me.... time to roll a doobie!
Date: Oct 22, 2007 8:19 AM
Subject: Toxicologist Says Treatment for PTSD Should Include Cannabis
Body: Dr. Philip Leveque Salem-News.com
Phillip Leveque, a former WWII combat infantryman, physician and toxicologist, discusses the merits of marijuana use for those who suffer from PTSD.
(MOLLALA, Ore.) - For those who do not know it, the humans and all animals so far tested produce two marijuana like substances, Anandamide and 2- Arachidonal glycerol (2AG), which produce exactly the same medical functions as marijuana.
Secondly marijuana/cannabis has been used in human medicine for about 4,000 years and have never killed anybody, which cannot be said for almost any other medicine.
Thirdly, between 1850 and 1900 cannabis medicine was the most prescribed and most used medicine for about 100 different diseases in the U.S.
Fourthly, in 1988 after hearing 15 days of testimony, pro and con, DEA Administrative Judge Francis L. Young made the following ruling, “Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. Marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.” Three DEA Administrators, all non-physicians, refused to comply and have deprived millions of desperately ill patients’ effective relief.
Authors Note: Many newspapers and magazines are currently publishing articles about PTSD – what is it and what to do about it. Most reporters AND psychiatrists don’t have a clue. One heavy artillery or mortar barrage would give them some insight.
In World War I, it was called “Shell Shock”. As a frontline Combat Infantryman, pointman, scout and forward observer, I know what an artillery or mortar barrage is like – it scares the bejesus out of the soldier. In a long barrage, I can see the soldier going psychotic – frozen in space and time and not being able to speak or move, even if some battalion officer visiting the front would order him to do so. It happened a lot.
During World War II, if the soldier was lucky (I’m joking) he would be sent back to an aid station and be given a triple dose of a barbiturate sleeping pill. These were called “blue 88s”. They would knock-out the soldier for at least 24 hours. Then he was often sent back to the front. On the off chance it was an officer, he would be sent way back to a rest area, often with as much booze as he wanted for as long as he wanted.
Army psychiatrists have had a field day with this. They first called it “homesickness” (what a crock). They also called it “war neurosis”. That doesn’t cover it. Everybody in a war zone has neurosis. It’s how we cope. Battle is super stressful. A recent example is the serial killer at Virginia Tech who killed 32 students.
The whole student body and faculty had a neurosis. Many will suffer from PTSD.
For a soldier who may be almost constantly under fire with the knowledge that a whole bunch of enemy are trying to kill him and he is so tired and stressed out, does anyone, including psychiatrists, believe the soldier can carry on indefinitely?
Battle fatigue, terror fatigue, combat stress or PTSD seems to slightly cover the situation.
One of the symptoms is the belief that one cannot survive. This is NOT fear or paranoia. With horrible death and destruction all around, how can a soldier NOT know he won’t survive? But still, he carries on.
During World War II, in North Africa, the “nervous breakdown” ratio (another name for the same) was 15 to 20% of living casualties. Some other casualties went berserk and charged a machine gun or ran into a minefield. At the Battle of the Bulge, they shot themselves in the foot or let their feet freeze. No toes on a foot was better than a shot in the head.
The Vietnam soldier discovered an effective treatment for PTSD. They discovered it while in Vietnam. It was high-grade Marijuana and sometimes opium or a combination of both.
It isn’t even known how high a percentage of frontline “grunts”, as they were called, used the above, but it was a lot. They also had access to all the beer or booze they could get their hands on.
This was certainly no different than the “blue 88s” of WWII, and better in the long run.
The Vietnam Administration Clinics have tried every anti-psychotic and anti-depressant in the book as well as highly potent pain killers like Oxycontin and M.S. contin (morphine) with minimal success for PTSD. They did end up with thousands of drug addicts and alcoholics.
I had about 500 Vietnam vet patients. Many had PTSD which was not acceptable for an Oregon Medical Marijuana permit. Most did have some physical injury for which I could give them a permit.
Will vets please write in their experiences?
Email your story to Dr. Leveque at [email protected].
Note: This is modified from the article: “Battle Fatigue: What’s wrong with these sissies?” from the author’s book “General Patton’s Dogface Soldier” by Phil Leveque.
*******************************************************
DLB
Subject: Toxicologist Says Treatment for PTSD Should Include Cannabis
Body: Dr. Philip Leveque Salem-News.com
Phillip Leveque, a former WWII combat infantryman, physician and toxicologist, discusses the merits of marijuana use for those who suffer from PTSD.
(MOLLALA, Ore.) - For those who do not know it, the humans and all animals so far tested produce two marijuana like substances, Anandamide and 2- Arachidonal glycerol (2AG), which produce exactly the same medical functions as marijuana.
Secondly marijuana/cannabis has been used in human medicine for about 4,000 years and have never killed anybody, which cannot be said for almost any other medicine.
Thirdly, between 1850 and 1900 cannabis medicine was the most prescribed and most used medicine for about 100 different diseases in the U.S.
Fourthly, in 1988 after hearing 15 days of testimony, pro and con, DEA Administrative Judge Francis L. Young made the following ruling, “Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. Marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.” Three DEA Administrators, all non-physicians, refused to comply and have deprived millions of desperately ill patients’ effective relief.
Authors Note: Many newspapers and magazines are currently publishing articles about PTSD – what is it and what to do about it. Most reporters AND psychiatrists don’t have a clue. One heavy artillery or mortar barrage would give them some insight.
In World War I, it was called “Shell Shock”. As a frontline Combat Infantryman, pointman, scout and forward observer, I know what an artillery or mortar barrage is like – it scares the bejesus out of the soldier. In a long barrage, I can see the soldier going psychotic – frozen in space and time and not being able to speak or move, even if some battalion officer visiting the front would order him to do so. It happened a lot.
During World War II, if the soldier was lucky (I’m joking) he would be sent back to an aid station and be given a triple dose of a barbiturate sleeping pill. These were called “blue 88s”. They would knock-out the soldier for at least 24 hours. Then he was often sent back to the front. On the off chance it was an officer, he would be sent way back to a rest area, often with as much booze as he wanted for as long as he wanted.
Army psychiatrists have had a field day with this. They first called it “homesickness” (what a crock). They also called it “war neurosis”. That doesn’t cover it. Everybody in a war zone has neurosis. It’s how we cope. Battle is super stressful. A recent example is the serial killer at Virginia Tech who killed 32 students.
The whole student body and faculty had a neurosis. Many will suffer from PTSD.
For a soldier who may be almost constantly under fire with the knowledge that a whole bunch of enemy are trying to kill him and he is so tired and stressed out, does anyone, including psychiatrists, believe the soldier can carry on indefinitely?
Battle fatigue, terror fatigue, combat stress or PTSD seems to slightly cover the situation.
One of the symptoms is the belief that one cannot survive. This is NOT fear or paranoia. With horrible death and destruction all around, how can a soldier NOT know he won’t survive? But still, he carries on.
During World War II, in North Africa, the “nervous breakdown” ratio (another name for the same) was 15 to 20% of living casualties. Some other casualties went berserk and charged a machine gun or ran into a minefield. At the Battle of the Bulge, they shot themselves in the foot or let their feet freeze. No toes on a foot was better than a shot in the head.
The Vietnam soldier discovered an effective treatment for PTSD. They discovered it while in Vietnam. It was high-grade Marijuana and sometimes opium or a combination of both.
It isn’t even known how high a percentage of frontline “grunts”, as they were called, used the above, but it was a lot. They also had access to all the beer or booze they could get their hands on.
This was certainly no different than the “blue 88s” of WWII, and better in the long run.
The Vietnam Administration Clinics have tried every anti-psychotic and anti-depressant in the book as well as highly potent pain killers like Oxycontin and M.S. contin (morphine) with minimal success for PTSD. They did end up with thousands of drug addicts and alcoholics.
I had about 500 Vietnam vet patients. Many had PTSD which was not acceptable for an Oregon Medical Marijuana permit. Most did have some physical injury for which I could give them a permit.
Will vets please write in their experiences?
Email your story to Dr. Leveque at [email protected].
Note: This is modified from the article: “Battle Fatigue: What’s wrong with these sissies?” from the author’s book “General Patton’s Dogface Soldier” by Phil Leveque.
*******************************************************
DLB
3rd annual Wonders of Cannabis Festival at Golden Gate Park
Body: CONTACT: Serene Moussa, Hamilton Ink PR
415-381-3484, [email protected]
3rd annual Wonders of Cannabis Festival at Golden Gate Park October 27 and 28
Roll it, weave it, smoke it, eat it; the benefits of cannabis and hemp are featured in this two-day concert, expo and festival.
San Francisco, CA - Pot, weed, bud, herb, hemp, ganja and grass; whatever you choose to call it, the cannabis plant has permeated the fabric of American culture and counterculture, with the San Francisco Bay area a hot-bed for continued activism and debate.
On October 27 and 28 the Wonders of Cannabis Festival returns for the 3rd year at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. Emceed by special guest Tommy Chong with his wife Shelby, the indoor/outdoor showcase will feature live music, comedy, speakers, forums, and vendors. The enlightening two-day event is meant to educate and celebrate this versatile plant and the dynamic culture that has surrounded it for over five thousand years, and will touch on important topics suck as user rights, advances in research.
Hours are: Saturday, Oct 27th from 11am-7pm, and Sunday, October 28th from 11am-6pm. Tickets are $25; $20 seniors/disabled, and are available at the door. The Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park is located near 9th Street and Lincoln Avenue.
Web Site: http://www.wondersofcannabis.com
Along with Tommy Chong, comedians Ngao Bealum and Geechy Guy will keep the crowd laughing during the “green” event, which will also feature a full line up of entertainment including live music from the JGB band, BLVD, Ry Kihn Band, and The Basics, among many others. The large exhibit hall will feature a celebration of the craftsmanship and artistry alive within the culture. Each day will feature the popular Rolling Contests with prizes for the fastest, longest, fattest, and best one-handed joints.
“Cannabis is a helpful herb used by millions of people,” says Ed Rosenthal, activist and founder of the event. “We want to educate the public about the truth gained through legitimate research.” In order to playfully, yet pointedly, draw attention to the magical qualities of the herb, Ed will appear at the event in full magician's gear with cannabis elements to add flare.
The Wonders of Cannabis Festival is a fundraiser in support of Green Aid, a medical marijuana legal defense and education fund based in Oakland, CA.
Founder Ed Rosenthal is recognized worldwide as an authority on marijuana. In his thirty-plus years as a cannabis expert, he has served as a columnist for High Times, Cannabis Culture and Skunk Magazines. He has written or edited more than a dozen books about marijuana cultivation and social policy.
http://www.wondersofcannabis.com/
DLB
Body: CONTACT: Serene Moussa, Hamilton Ink PR
415-381-3484, [email protected]
3rd annual Wonders of Cannabis Festival at Golden Gate Park October 27 and 28
Roll it, weave it, smoke it, eat it; the benefits of cannabis and hemp are featured in this two-day concert, expo and festival.
San Francisco, CA - Pot, weed, bud, herb, hemp, ganja and grass; whatever you choose to call it, the cannabis plant has permeated the fabric of American culture and counterculture, with the San Francisco Bay area a hot-bed for continued activism and debate.
On October 27 and 28 the Wonders of Cannabis Festival returns for the 3rd year at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. Emceed by special guest Tommy Chong with his wife Shelby, the indoor/outdoor showcase will feature live music, comedy, speakers, forums, and vendors. The enlightening two-day event is meant to educate and celebrate this versatile plant and the dynamic culture that has surrounded it for over five thousand years, and will touch on important topics suck as user rights, advances in research.
Hours are: Saturday, Oct 27th from 11am-7pm, and Sunday, October 28th from 11am-6pm. Tickets are $25; $20 seniors/disabled, and are available at the door. The Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park is located near 9th Street and Lincoln Avenue.
Web Site: http://www.wondersofcannabis.com
Along with Tommy Chong, comedians Ngao Bealum and Geechy Guy will keep the crowd laughing during the “green” event, which will also feature a full line up of entertainment including live music from the JGB band, BLVD, Ry Kihn Band, and The Basics, among many others. The large exhibit hall will feature a celebration of the craftsmanship and artistry alive within the culture. Each day will feature the popular Rolling Contests with prizes for the fastest, longest, fattest, and best one-handed joints.
“Cannabis is a helpful herb used by millions of people,” says Ed Rosenthal, activist and founder of the event. “We want to educate the public about the truth gained through legitimate research.” In order to playfully, yet pointedly, draw attention to the magical qualities of the herb, Ed will appear at the event in full magician's gear with cannabis elements to add flare.
The Wonders of Cannabis Festival is a fundraiser in support of Green Aid, a medical marijuana legal defense and education fund based in Oakland, CA.
Founder Ed Rosenthal is recognized worldwide as an authority on marijuana. In his thirty-plus years as a cannabis expert, he has served as a columnist for High Times, Cannabis Culture and Skunk Magazines. He has written or edited more than a dozen books about marijuana cultivation and social policy.
http://www.wondersofcannabis.com/
DLB
Subject: NORML Does LA: The 2007 National Convention
Body: from Drug War Chronicle, Issue #506, 10/19/07
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) held its 2007 national conference last weekend in Los Angeles, or more precisely, at the Sheraton hotel in Universal City. Hundreds of marijuana patients, activists, and aficionados from across the Golden State and the nation poured in to the upscale venue for a solid weekend of strategizing, educating, and acquaintance-making, not to mention medicating and recreating.
Recreational pot-smoking is fine, but more tokers need to get off their couches and hit the barricades, said NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre as he greeted attendees at the opening session. "I'm working 70 hours a week at NORML because I'm an adult, I smoke cannabis and I don't want to be a criminal," St. Pierre said.
But he needs some help, he said, noting that only 0.1% of marijuana users get involved with reform efforts. Imagine what could happen if even 1% got involved, he said. "We need to come off that mountaintop ignited for change," St. Pierre said. "Not united, ignited for change."
That message was especially resonant in California, where marijuana is the state's number one cash crop and the state's broadly-written medical marijuana law has resulted in hundreds of dispensaries, and numerous medical offices, cropping up around the state to serve the medical marijuana market.
Indeed, the conference was fairly Cali-centric, which is little surprise given that it was held in LA, California is the nation's most populous state, and it is on the cutting edge of marijuana law reform. Still, there were broader discussions, with different panels addressing the national reform picture, tackling common questions about marijuana, and giving out advice on "cannabis consumer safety," among other topics.
Things are happening in other parts of the country besides California to be sure. For example, in one plenary session Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) executive director Rob Kampia announced that MPP will be involved in at least four statewide marijuana initiatives: Medical marijuana in Arizona, Maine, and Michigan, and decriminalization in Massachusetts. The organization is also involved in legislative medical marijuana efforts in Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York, Kampia said. On the same panel, John Sajo of the Oregon group Voter Power described their pending initiative to expand the Oregon medical marijuana law OMMA.
"We have 12 states with effective medical marijuana laws now," said Kampia. "We could have 18 states in the next couple of years. Things are on a fast track."
Of course, it wouldn’t have been NORML without the appearance of movement luminaries. "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" author and founder of the modern day hemp movement, Jack Herer, manned a table as well as addressing the convention and urging support for a full-blown legalization initiative. Ed Rosenthal, the "guru of ganja," swept through the crowd in a wizard's robe and cap, and travel writer Rick Steves wondered aloud why Europeans were so much more civilized than Americans when it came to marijuana policy.
And Tommy Chong showed up Saturday night to address the dinner crowed. Among other things, Chong recounted how he got paranoid too late about being involved with the bong-making operation that got him nine months in federal prison. "About three months after I got to prison, I woke up one night and thought 'Man, I shouldn't have put my face on those bongs," he said to appreciative laughter.
While the weekend had a full schedule of panels and speeches, many attendees spent considerable time schmoozing outside, where California's tough anti-smoking laws are not in effect and the medicating and recreating was going non-stop. Much of the buzz in those outdoor gabfests was about the state of affairs in California, which to goggle-eyed activists from other states appeared to be the Promised Land, with dispensaries popping up like mushrooms, billboards with huge marijuana buds saying "1-800-GET-KUSH," and ads featuring a sexy doctor in a mini-skirt alluringly claiming she wants to be "your medical marijuana doctor."
It's not that simple or that easy, Golden State residents were quick to point out, citing DEA raids, local busts, and difficult access for patients in many parts of the state. But it still looks pretty damned alluring to outsiders.
DLB
Body: from Drug War Chronicle, Issue #506, 10/19/07
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) held its 2007 national conference last weekend in Los Angeles, or more precisely, at the Sheraton hotel in Universal City. Hundreds of marijuana patients, activists, and aficionados from across the Golden State and the nation poured in to the upscale venue for a solid weekend of strategizing, educating, and acquaintance-making, not to mention medicating and recreating.
Recreational pot-smoking is fine, but more tokers need to get off their couches and hit the barricades, said NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre as he greeted attendees at the opening session. "I'm working 70 hours a week at NORML because I'm an adult, I smoke cannabis and I don't want to be a criminal," St. Pierre said.
But he needs some help, he said, noting that only 0.1% of marijuana users get involved with reform efforts. Imagine what could happen if even 1% got involved, he said. "We need to come off that mountaintop ignited for change," St. Pierre said. "Not united, ignited for change."
That message was especially resonant in California, where marijuana is the state's number one cash crop and the state's broadly-written medical marijuana law has resulted in hundreds of dispensaries, and numerous medical offices, cropping up around the state to serve the medical marijuana market.
Indeed, the conference was fairly Cali-centric, which is little surprise given that it was held in LA, California is the nation's most populous state, and it is on the cutting edge of marijuana law reform. Still, there were broader discussions, with different panels addressing the national reform picture, tackling common questions about marijuana, and giving out advice on "cannabis consumer safety," among other topics.
Things are happening in other parts of the country besides California to be sure. For example, in one plenary session Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) executive director Rob Kampia announced that MPP will be involved in at least four statewide marijuana initiatives: Medical marijuana in Arizona, Maine, and Michigan, and decriminalization in Massachusetts. The organization is also involved in legislative medical marijuana efforts in Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York, Kampia said. On the same panel, John Sajo of the Oregon group Voter Power described their pending initiative to expand the Oregon medical marijuana law OMMA.
"We have 12 states with effective medical marijuana laws now," said Kampia. "We could have 18 states in the next couple of years. Things are on a fast track."
Of course, it wouldn’t have been NORML without the appearance of movement luminaries. "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" author and founder of the modern day hemp movement, Jack Herer, manned a table as well as addressing the convention and urging support for a full-blown legalization initiative. Ed Rosenthal, the "guru of ganja," swept through the crowd in a wizard's robe and cap, and travel writer Rick Steves wondered aloud why Europeans were so much more civilized than Americans when it came to marijuana policy.
And Tommy Chong showed up Saturday night to address the dinner crowed. Among other things, Chong recounted how he got paranoid too late about being involved with the bong-making operation that got him nine months in federal prison. "About three months after I got to prison, I woke up one night and thought 'Man, I shouldn't have put my face on those bongs," he said to appreciative laughter.
While the weekend had a full schedule of panels and speeches, many attendees spent considerable time schmoozing outside, where California's tough anti-smoking laws are not in effect and the medicating and recreating was going non-stop. Much of the buzz in those outdoor gabfests was about the state of affairs in California, which to goggle-eyed activists from other states appeared to be the Promised Land, with dispensaries popping up like mushrooms, billboards with huge marijuana buds saying "1-800-GET-KUSH," and ads featuring a sexy doctor in a mini-skirt alluringly claiming she wants to be "your medical marijuana doctor."
It's not that simple or that easy, Golden State residents were quick to point out, citing DEA raids, local busts, and difficult access for patients in many parts of the state. But it still looks pretty damned alluring to outsiders.
DLB
scifreak69
Member
thanks for the info dlb
wish i would have known moms lives in la
wish i would have known moms lives in la
