01-06-2010, 09:38 AM
Aloha Hawaii Island,
Yesterday we heard testimony on a proposal to decriminalize
cannabis in our county.
Unfortunately in opposition of such a measure we heard from very few
citizenry without an obvious biased opinion against any currently
"illegal" drug. In fact the vast majority of opposition came from
groups and individuals with a vested interest in keeping cannabis
illegal. In fact some of the folks we have heard from have made their
careers from the prohibition of the cannabis-hemp plant.
One citizen who did speak in opposition of the proposal stated
that " a drug is a drug", somehow suggesting that all "drugs" are bad
and should be illegal. The speaker did not state however how he deals
with sickness or pain when he is ill. I'm willing to bet that that
same man has a bottle of a known killer in his cabinet whether it be
over the counter aspirin or some doctor prescribed pharmaceutical.
Let's keep in mind that pharmaceuticals and other "legal drugs"
contribute to over a quarter million deaths in the U..S. alone. Heart
disease is number one killing close to 3/4 of a million people in the
U.S. annually followed by cancer which claims over half a million.
Not only has there never been one death linked solely to the
ingestion of cannabis-hemp, but cannabis has shown great promise in
dealing with cancer in numerous ways from pain management to the
actual shrinking of tumors. It goes without saying that cannabis
stands as a great threat to not only the pharmaceutical industry but
also to a large portion of the medical establishment that does not
profit financially from people being well or healing themselves
through natural herbs. Their lobbyists have consistently proven this.
For the many who may not know, cannabis prohibition, like alcohol
prohibition, was spearheaded by a fanatical racist with too much power
and not enough correct information: Henry Anslinger. Anslinger used
the predjudice fears of the nation at the time to play out his
propaganda campaign with the aid of Hearst Media. Fantastic stories
were printed in Hearst newspapers depicting marijuana as the drug of
choice of "loco Mexicans" and "jazz playing" negroes. Anslinger and
Hearst warned the public that good, honest white women around the
country were being swooned by reefer wielding blacks. Anlslinger told
America that marijuana made a person go crazy and become violent
killers. The film reefer madness stands as a testimonial of the insane
theories being drafted by Anslinger and other anti-cannabis fanatics.
Today Anslinger's message and rhetoric is still being professed by
many in the indoctrinated medical and political realms.
Some of the speakers on January 5th were still repeating already
discounted pseudo-science like the D.A.W.N. reports and information
put forward through the HHS and N.I.D.A.
The D.A.W.N. report takes information from emergency room visits. If a
patient comes in with cocaine, or other substances in his or her
system and also tests positive or has admitted to using cannabis
recently; that information, according to the D.A.W.N. network, is
still attributed as a statistic categorized as a "marijuana mention"
and therefore is labeled a marijuana related emergency room visit.
This is far from good science.
Those who gave testimony about the addictiveness of cannabis and
even quoted N.I.D.A. stats and info, forgot to mention that several
years ago 3 doctors working under N.I.D.A.( the Nation Institute on
Drug Addiction) were given the task of clinically comparing the
addictiveness of cannabis to that of caffeine and nicotine. 1 doctor
gave cannabis a lesser rating to that of caffeine while 2 doctors gave
it an equal addiction rating to that of caffeine.
According to the reasoning of those who testified against cannabis
decriminalization, perhaps we should be flying expensive helicopter
missions searching for coffee and tea plants, while locking up
thousands of their users! Why not, we are the most incarcerated nation
in the world.
An FBI report in 2008 stated that cannabis arrests totaled over
47% of the nations illegal drug arrests. Some 90% of those arrests are
for simple possession. In 2006 over 800,000 Americans were arrested in
this country for cannabis related offenses.
What Anslinger and his cronies didn't tell America is that the
herb "marijuana" they were successfully demonizing was the same herb
that thousands and thousands of Americans had been using for a number
of ailments in tinctures and other forms under the name "cannabis".
Although I was quoted in the Tribune-Herald Jan. 6, I feel that it
was taken a little out of context. What I had said was that
statistically the real killers in America are not even illegal drugs,
let alone the cannabis hemp plant, but FDA approved pharmaceuticals,
food additives and preservatives, not to mention chemical and
industrial toxins. The rise in cancer runs parallel with the birth of
the chemical revolution as does the prohibition of cannabis. The
corporate take over of our food supply coincides with the
proliferation of heart disease and other killers known widely as
"western diet disease". These are the factors that are directly
related to our nation's largest known causes of death, most of which
are quite preventable. I should mention again here that there has
never been 1 single death attributed solely to the ingestion of
cannabis hemp in a history of human use that dates back possibly as
far as 10,000 years.
The DEA has continued to classify Cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug.
This classification paints cannabis as more dangerous than cocaine,
codeine, opium, oxycodone, and amphetamines. This is so obviously
bogus and biased. The DEA has for years refused research licensing for
cannabis, giving the access only to favored groups like N.I.D.A.
The schedule 1 classification of cannabis means that:
1) It has no known medicinal value ( which we know is not true)
2) It has a high potential for abuse ( which according to the 3 NIDA
doctors is no more addictive than caffeine)
3) A lack of accepted safety ( 5-10,000 years of use, not 1 death from
its ingestion)
Does the DEA really expect Americans to believe that drugs like
cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. don't meet this criteria but the cannabis
hemp plant does?
The most convincing propaganda is that which plays on our emotions
and nothing does that more than a supposed threat to our children.
Our children are our most precious resource and they are our future. I
was touched by the intentions of the children who testified Tuesday
via Kona, but was saddened by their obvious misinformation on
cannabis. Many personnel from the Weed and Seed Program, Prosecuting
Attorney's Office, police officers, drug treatment workers( all with
vested interests in prohibition) testified that by not arresting and
locking up adult cannabis users that we would be jeopardizing the
future of our keiki. It is misinformation and miseducation that poses
the biggest threat to our keiki. A well and correctly informed
public, I believe will make much wiser decisions. The continued
Anlinger campaign does not and will never do that. It will never
provide our citizens, adult or child, with the best truthful
information which could empower them, in fact it will do the opposite
and will continue to be a stumbling block to our society.
I spoke to the Council on Tuesday as the father of 8 children,
ages 7 to 22. My wife and I have always tried to share information
with our children as we learn it ourselves, whether it be about
health, religion or other subjects. If our children are given the
impression that we've lied to them, they will rebel and our
credibility will be shattered. If I tell my child that cannabis is a
most dangerous substance, then they observe so many productive members
of society utilizing cannabis with no apparent detriment, how will I
look in my child's eyes? So I do not tell my children this, instead I
let them know that cannabis, like any other substance, is one to be
respected and not abused. It is not for the underdeveloped mind or
body. We hear ads everyday saying " drink responsibly",
yet if I said "smoke responsibly", I'd be labeled as a druggie or pot
head. Strong herbs and natural medicines have been used for thousands
of years, like Awa, medicinally and for recreation. The potential for
abuse is no greater than that of sugar and junk food abused everyday.
The potential for harm is no greater than the lack of education a
person has to guide his or her usage. This is what the children, and
apparently many adults, need to understand.
It is my sincere hope that the police and prosecutors will realize
that the same voters who approved the Peaceful Skies Initiative are
also those who pay their salary and it should be to them that they
have an ultimate duty to serve. It is my sincere opinion that the
relationship between the police and the community will greatly
increase when the community is not in constant fear of being
imprisoned or fined for a natural herb. These improved relations, I
feel would greatly assist and empower the police and communities to
combat real crimes.
I have personally spent many hours researching reports and studies
on cannabis, trying to be as objectionable and thorough as possible.
There are, I admit, mountains of seemingly conflicting information. I
believe, if the public and our legislators are to make a well informed
decision on cannabis or any other subject, we must research
objectionably. We must look at differing points of view. We must
consider sources and possible hidden agendas. We must look at how the
information was collected and how the clinical trials were conducted.
The pseudo-science of the D.A.W.N. Network reporting is a perfect
example of misleading data.
It was stated at the Jan. 5th commission meeting that
decriminalizing cannabis locally will do know good since it is still
illegal on state and federal levels. I say, that kind of thinking is
what prevents positive change like we've seen with medical cannabis in
states. It it weren't for the pioneers of any cause, the established
rule would never be questioned.
Let's face it, the prohibition of the cannabis-hemp plant is
deeply entrenched in the agendas of powerful industries and
indoctrinated political policies. I have no time or room to even begin
to point out the multitude of benefits of "industrial" cannabis-hemp,
who Steve Rawlings formerly of the USDA referred to as the only plant
that could single handedly address our fuel needs and global warming
issues.
Cannabis has been demonized. And what is ironic is that many of
those opposed are subject to their own detrimental vices. I think it
is funny that a man who strongly opposed the decriminalization (which
simply means we stop making prisoners out of consumers) of cannabis
was instrumental in bringing Pahoa its first fast food conglomerates
Burger King and KFC. I also thought it ironic to hear a woman from the
Weed and Seed Committee proclaiming the dangers and addictiveness of
cannabis, whom I see every morning feeding her obvious addiction to
nicotine( often in violation of the smoking ban).
I believe that most of those who spoke in opposition to the
decriminalization of cannabis on Jan 5th, had good intentions and are
good people, maybe just not as well informed as they should be. I
believe our island is truly blessed with a diverse multitude of
honest, caring people full of aloha. I look forward to the day when
the truth is trumpeted and the battle over individual sovereignty and
freedom of personal choice no longer leads to divisions in our
community. Mahalo Nui Loa
Check out:
www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
ASA : Congress to DEA: Reconsider Monopoly on Medical Marijuana ...
Congress to DEA: Reconsider Monopoly on Medical Marijuana Research ...
supplied by NIDA was inadequate for the level of research that
cannabis deserves. ...
www.safeaccessnow.org › Press Room › Press Releases - Cached Home >
News Archive > 2009 > Endocannabinoid System Regulates Emotional
Homeostasis, Study Says
Endocannabinoid System Regulates Emotional Homeostasis, Study Says
Share This Page
January 22, 2009 - Madrid, Spain
Madrid, Spain: Naturally occurring chemicals in the human body that
mimic the effects of plant cannabinoids moderate human emotions and
control anxiety, according to findings published in the Spanish
scientific journal Revista de Neurologica.
Investigators at Complutense University in Madrid report that
manipulating of the endocannabinoid system may one day be a course of
treatment in the management of certain emotional disorders.
"[P]resent data reinforce the involvement of the endocannabinoid
system in the control of emotional homeostasis and further suggest the
pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system [is] a
potential therapeutic tool in the management of anxiety-related
disorders," authors concluded.
Previous research on the endocannabinoid system indicates that
endogenous cannabionoids moderate numerous biological functions,
including appetite, blood pressure, reproduction, motor coordination,
and bone mass.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy
Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Functional role
of the endocannabinoid system in emotional homeostasis," appears in
the January issue of Revista de Neurologica.
updated: Jan 22, 2009
Home > News Archive > 2009 > Marijuana May Be Protective Against
Injury, Study Says
Marijuana May Be Protective Against Injury, Study Says
Share This Page
February 19, 2009 - Lausanne, Switzerland
Lausanne, Switzerland: The use of cannabis is not a contributing
causal factor in injuries requiring hospitalization, and may even
protect users against the likelihood of sustaining such injuries,
according to the results of case-control study published online
Yesterday we heard testimony on a proposal to decriminalize
cannabis in our county.
Unfortunately in opposition of such a measure we heard from very few
citizenry without an obvious biased opinion against any currently
"illegal" drug. In fact the vast majority of opposition came from
groups and individuals with a vested interest in keeping cannabis
illegal. In fact some of the folks we have heard from have made their
careers from the prohibition of the cannabis-hemp plant.
One citizen who did speak in opposition of the proposal stated
that " a drug is a drug", somehow suggesting that all "drugs" are bad
and should be illegal. The speaker did not state however how he deals
with sickness or pain when he is ill. I'm willing to bet that that
same man has a bottle of a known killer in his cabinet whether it be
over the counter aspirin or some doctor prescribed pharmaceutical.
Let's keep in mind that pharmaceuticals and other "legal drugs"
contribute to over a quarter million deaths in the U..S. alone. Heart
disease is number one killing close to 3/4 of a million people in the
U.S. annually followed by cancer which claims over half a million.
Not only has there never been one death linked solely to the
ingestion of cannabis-hemp, but cannabis has shown great promise in
dealing with cancer in numerous ways from pain management to the
actual shrinking of tumors. It goes without saying that cannabis
stands as a great threat to not only the pharmaceutical industry but
also to a large portion of the medical establishment that does not
profit financially from people being well or healing themselves
through natural herbs. Their lobbyists have consistently proven this.
For the many who may not know, cannabis prohibition, like alcohol
prohibition, was spearheaded by a fanatical racist with too much power
and not enough correct information: Henry Anslinger. Anslinger used
the predjudice fears of the nation at the time to play out his
propaganda campaign with the aid of Hearst Media. Fantastic stories
were printed in Hearst newspapers depicting marijuana as the drug of
choice of "loco Mexicans" and "jazz playing" negroes. Anslinger and
Hearst warned the public that good, honest white women around the
country were being swooned by reefer wielding blacks. Anlslinger told
America that marijuana made a person go crazy and become violent
killers. The film reefer madness stands as a testimonial of the insane
theories being drafted by Anslinger and other anti-cannabis fanatics.
Today Anslinger's message and rhetoric is still being professed by
many in the indoctrinated medical and political realms.
Some of the speakers on January 5th were still repeating already
discounted pseudo-science like the D.A.W.N. reports and information
put forward through the HHS and N.I.D.A.
The D.A.W.N. report takes information from emergency room visits. If a
patient comes in with cocaine, or other substances in his or her
system and also tests positive or has admitted to using cannabis
recently; that information, according to the D.A.W.N. network, is
still attributed as a statistic categorized as a "marijuana mention"
and therefore is labeled a marijuana related emergency room visit.
This is far from good science.
Those who gave testimony about the addictiveness of cannabis and
even quoted N.I.D.A. stats and info, forgot to mention that several
years ago 3 doctors working under N.I.D.A.( the Nation Institute on
Drug Addiction) were given the task of clinically comparing the
addictiveness of cannabis to that of caffeine and nicotine. 1 doctor
gave cannabis a lesser rating to that of caffeine while 2 doctors gave
it an equal addiction rating to that of caffeine.
According to the reasoning of those who testified against cannabis
decriminalization, perhaps we should be flying expensive helicopter
missions searching for coffee and tea plants, while locking up
thousands of their users! Why not, we are the most incarcerated nation
in the world.
An FBI report in 2008 stated that cannabis arrests totaled over
47% of the nations illegal drug arrests. Some 90% of those arrests are
for simple possession. In 2006 over 800,000 Americans were arrested in
this country for cannabis related offenses.
What Anslinger and his cronies didn't tell America is that the
herb "marijuana" they were successfully demonizing was the same herb
that thousands and thousands of Americans had been using for a number
of ailments in tinctures and other forms under the name "cannabis".
Although I was quoted in the Tribune-Herald Jan. 6, I feel that it
was taken a little out of context. What I had said was that
statistically the real killers in America are not even illegal drugs,
let alone the cannabis hemp plant, but FDA approved pharmaceuticals,
food additives and preservatives, not to mention chemical and
industrial toxins. The rise in cancer runs parallel with the birth of
the chemical revolution as does the prohibition of cannabis. The
corporate take over of our food supply coincides with the
proliferation of heart disease and other killers known widely as
"western diet disease". These are the factors that are directly
related to our nation's largest known causes of death, most of which
are quite preventable. I should mention again here that there has
never been 1 single death attributed solely to the ingestion of
cannabis hemp in a history of human use that dates back possibly as
far as 10,000 years.
The DEA has continued to classify Cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug.
This classification paints cannabis as more dangerous than cocaine,
codeine, opium, oxycodone, and amphetamines. This is so obviously
bogus and biased. The DEA has for years refused research licensing for
cannabis, giving the access only to favored groups like N.I.D.A.
The schedule 1 classification of cannabis means that:
1) It has no known medicinal value ( which we know is not true)
2) It has a high potential for abuse ( which according to the 3 NIDA
doctors is no more addictive than caffeine)
3) A lack of accepted safety ( 5-10,000 years of use, not 1 death from
its ingestion)
Does the DEA really expect Americans to believe that drugs like
cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. don't meet this criteria but the cannabis
hemp plant does?
The most convincing propaganda is that which plays on our emotions
and nothing does that more than a supposed threat to our children.
Our children are our most precious resource and they are our future. I
was touched by the intentions of the children who testified Tuesday
via Kona, but was saddened by their obvious misinformation on
cannabis. Many personnel from the Weed and Seed Program, Prosecuting
Attorney's Office, police officers, drug treatment workers( all with
vested interests in prohibition) testified that by not arresting and
locking up adult cannabis users that we would be jeopardizing the
future of our keiki. It is misinformation and miseducation that poses
the biggest threat to our keiki. A well and correctly informed
public, I believe will make much wiser decisions. The continued
Anlinger campaign does not and will never do that. It will never
provide our citizens, adult or child, with the best truthful
information which could empower them, in fact it will do the opposite
and will continue to be a stumbling block to our society.
I spoke to the Council on Tuesday as the father of 8 children,
ages 7 to 22. My wife and I have always tried to share information
with our children as we learn it ourselves, whether it be about
health, religion or other subjects. If our children are given the
impression that we've lied to them, they will rebel and our
credibility will be shattered. If I tell my child that cannabis is a
most dangerous substance, then they observe so many productive members
of society utilizing cannabis with no apparent detriment, how will I
look in my child's eyes? So I do not tell my children this, instead I
let them know that cannabis, like any other substance, is one to be
respected and not abused. It is not for the underdeveloped mind or
body. We hear ads everyday saying " drink responsibly",
yet if I said "smoke responsibly", I'd be labeled as a druggie or pot
head. Strong herbs and natural medicines have been used for thousands
of years, like Awa, medicinally and for recreation. The potential for
abuse is no greater than that of sugar and junk food abused everyday.
The potential for harm is no greater than the lack of education a
person has to guide his or her usage. This is what the children, and
apparently many adults, need to understand.
It is my sincere hope that the police and prosecutors will realize
that the same voters who approved the Peaceful Skies Initiative are
also those who pay their salary and it should be to them that they
have an ultimate duty to serve. It is my sincere opinion that the
relationship between the police and the community will greatly
increase when the community is not in constant fear of being
imprisoned or fined for a natural herb. These improved relations, I
feel would greatly assist and empower the police and communities to
combat real crimes.
I have personally spent many hours researching reports and studies
on cannabis, trying to be as objectionable and thorough as possible.
There are, I admit, mountains of seemingly conflicting information. I
believe, if the public and our legislators are to make a well informed
decision on cannabis or any other subject, we must research
objectionably. We must look at differing points of view. We must
consider sources and possible hidden agendas. We must look at how the
information was collected and how the clinical trials were conducted.
The pseudo-science of the D.A.W.N. Network reporting is a perfect
example of misleading data.
It was stated at the Jan. 5th commission meeting that
decriminalizing cannabis locally will do know good since it is still
illegal on state and federal levels. I say, that kind of thinking is
what prevents positive change like we've seen with medical cannabis in
states. It it weren't for the pioneers of any cause, the established
rule would never be questioned.
Let's face it, the prohibition of the cannabis-hemp plant is
deeply entrenched in the agendas of powerful industries and
indoctrinated political policies. I have no time or room to even begin
to point out the multitude of benefits of "industrial" cannabis-hemp,
who Steve Rawlings formerly of the USDA referred to as the only plant
that could single handedly address our fuel needs and global warming
issues.
Cannabis has been demonized. And what is ironic is that many of
those opposed are subject to their own detrimental vices. I think it
is funny that a man who strongly opposed the decriminalization (which
simply means we stop making prisoners out of consumers) of cannabis
was instrumental in bringing Pahoa its first fast food conglomerates
Burger King and KFC. I also thought it ironic to hear a woman from the
Weed and Seed Committee proclaiming the dangers and addictiveness of
cannabis, whom I see every morning feeding her obvious addiction to
nicotine( often in violation of the smoking ban).
I believe that most of those who spoke in opposition to the
decriminalization of cannabis on Jan 5th, had good intentions and are
good people, maybe just not as well informed as they should be. I
believe our island is truly blessed with a diverse multitude of
honest, caring people full of aloha. I look forward to the day when
the truth is trumpeted and the battle over individual sovereignty and
freedom of personal choice no longer leads to divisions in our
community. Mahalo Nui Loa
Check out:
www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
ASA : Congress to DEA: Reconsider Monopoly on Medical Marijuana ...
Congress to DEA: Reconsider Monopoly on Medical Marijuana Research ...
supplied by NIDA was inadequate for the level of research that
cannabis deserves. ...
www.safeaccessnow.org › Press Room › Press Releases - Cached Home >
News Archive > 2009 > Endocannabinoid System Regulates Emotional
Homeostasis, Study Says
Endocannabinoid System Regulates Emotional Homeostasis, Study Says
Share This Page
January 22, 2009 - Madrid, Spain
Madrid, Spain: Naturally occurring chemicals in the human body that
mimic the effects of plant cannabinoids moderate human emotions and
control anxiety, according to findings published in the Spanish
scientific journal Revista de Neurologica.
Investigators at Complutense University in Madrid report that
manipulating of the endocannabinoid system may one day be a course of
treatment in the management of certain emotional disorders.
"[P]resent data reinforce the involvement of the endocannabinoid
system in the control of emotional homeostasis and further suggest the
pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system [is] a
potential therapeutic tool in the management of anxiety-related
disorders," authors concluded.
Previous research on the endocannabinoid system indicates that
endogenous cannabionoids moderate numerous biological functions,
including appetite, blood pressure, reproduction, motor coordination,
and bone mass.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy
Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Functional role
of the endocannabinoid system in emotional homeostasis," appears in
the January issue of Revista de Neurologica.
updated: Jan 22, 2009
Home > News Archive > 2009 > Marijuana May Be Protective Against
Injury, Study Says
Marijuana May Be Protective Against Injury, Study Says
Share This Page
February 19, 2009 - Lausanne, Switzerland
Lausanne, Switzerland: The use of cannabis is not a contributing
causal factor in injuries requiring hospitalization, and may even
protect users against the likelihood of sustaining such injuries,
according to the results of case-control study published online
