Latin American ex-leaders urge legalization of marjiana, end to failed drug war

reply to post by ItsallCrazy


The pure hypocrisy that comes with the government holding a patent for the medicinal properties of marijuana is that it is how they justify a schedule 1 classification. The DEA still refuses to acknowledge medical benefits of it even though the department of health and human servcies owns the patent that completely refutes their claim.

As a matter of fact:

Marinol, a THC (active cannabinoid in marijuana) drug used to treat nausia and appetite in cancer patients is classified as a schedule 3 drug, which means it can be perscribed by a doctor. While the source of THC remains illegal.


[edit on 13-2-2009 by ExistenceUnknown]

I also agree. It is far less dangerous on the user or bystanders than alcohol. I never understood why alcohol is legal and cannabis isn't. Anyways. here's a few quotes I felt everyone should take a look at.

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country."
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
- George Washington, U.S. President

"We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."
- John Adams, U.S. President

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana." - Jimmy Carter, U.S. President

"I inhaled frequently. That was the point." - Barack Obama, U.S. President

"The war on drugs has been an utter failure. We need to rethink and decriminalize our nation's marijuana laws." -Barack Obama, January 2004

"The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world." - Carl Sagan, renown scientist, astronomer, astrochemist, author and TV host

"Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?" - Henry Ford, whose first Model-T was constructed from hemp fibers and built to run on hemp gasoline

"Prohibition... goes beyond the bound of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded" -Abraham Lincoln

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf." - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California



www.huffingtonpost.com...

reply to post by ExistenceUnknown


Interesting stuff.. I've seen a few documentaries, 'stoned in suburbia' was one they didn't mention anything along the lines of classification though. I know it could be used to help simple conditions such as arthritis etc. Any idea how common the distribution of it for description purposes? (I can feel a few aches and pains coming on!)

Why would they be so backwards about the legalization if they have such a solid patent for its medical use?

[edit on 13-2-2009 by ItsallCrazy]

Originally posted by ItsallCrazy
reply to post by ExistenceUnknown

 

Why would they be so backwards about the legalization if they have such a solid patent for its medical use?

[edit on 13-2-2009 by ItsallCrazy]

Why indeed, the DEA needs it to justify their existence and their grossly large budget. Not to mention that the prison industry has already been privatized and their stock value is based largely on how many inmates they have.

CCA

This is one of them, as indicated by Wikipedia they have a 1.4 billion dollar revenue as of 2007.

reply to post by ExistenceUnknown


Ah right, you're well clued up on this! I just hope someone with a little bit more weight behind them pushes for the legalization.

I just think they can't be bothered to pursue some of the harder criminals which they'd have to (if it was legalized) to keep the prison numbers up and the money flowing in.

Whats your view on this by the way? I'm a little biased to be honest

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by LockwithnoKey

 

Yeah but they could always do what American government is good at. TAX it. It is about the only tax I'd be willing to pay right now.

Very true, taxation is the way of life from old days to future ones and we are quite good at it.
My thinking is that legalizing it would require Gov't oversight and therefore the funds produced would have to be accounted for.
If it is kept at it's current status, the money that's collected by the cartels and shared with the CIA in addition to all the bucks that can be funneled off of the "War on Drugs" budget to parts unknown, is safe from the prying eyes of those whos money is being manipulated and taken.

Seems akin to the illegality of making your own moonshine. It's easy and can be just as safe as mass production, yet it is illegal. Why? Money! Remember that little branch called ATF, they need to have a reason to exist. And what better way of getting more money than creating an urgent need for a war! The War on drugs! And our wars must be funded to greater ends, so send in the boot stompers and lock up dem hippies.

reply to post by ItsallCrazy


The Prison population would be significantly reduced. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, as of June 30, 2007, American prisons and jails held 2,299,116 inmates. Nearly half of them for non-violent offenses. The U.S. also has the highest incarceration rate of any industrialized nation. So if legalized the prison population would definately take a hit.

reply to post by ExistenceUnknown


Some very nice points you made about the patents and prison system. Starred. I guess it always come down to money. The prison system, DEA, ATF all have to justify their existence. I guess they have figured they make more money seizing the drugs, selling them, then rounding them up off the street than they would if they just taxed it. Just more money out of the peoples hands and back into the system I guess.

People are starting to wake up to the fact that pot isn't the devil. So many people smoke it and realize its harmless and there are legal substances that have far more adverse effects. When enough people wake up there will be a change.

reply to post by bringthelight


Marijuana is far from the devil. A 2005 CDC report on mortality in the U.S. says that Legal drug overdoses were responsible for over 33,000 deaths. Compare that to marijuana at an amazing 0 deaths.

The CDC report is here for anyone curious.

A couple points yet unraised.Firstly,The Tree of Life is not harmless.It has more ammonia than tobacco in the smoke.Water pipe use mitigates that as does a vaporizer.Secondly,and more to the point of legal status,is the Single Convention Ban,an international treaty the US put forth and is of course a signitory partner.Since treaty is the supreme law(according to DEA)they have to prosecute the Cannabis Compassion centers in Cali,despite local and state allowances.As I see it,as a Minister in a Church which holds entheogens as Sacred,the only way through this mess is to match treaty for treaty.Fortunately the religious right has done most of the leg work for that by writing and pushing treaties protecting religious practices.The previous administrations did whatever was asked by the religious right,to protect their interests,but had to write the laws in such a vague manner that as long as actual harm is not caused,religious practices must be allowed.A good example is PUBLIC LAW 105-292.Backed up by the First Ammendment of the US Bill of Rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act RFRA,the state must prove harm and/or find the least restrictive means to maintain public safety.Since Cannabis is not proven harmful to others when consumed in one's home,as long as one doesn't drive while smoking there's not much to say against it but the "stepping stone theory" I think that when Cannabis is decriminalized,hard drug use will decline.The addictive nature of,say crack coc aine,will stand in stark contrast to the mellow,slightly reinforcing(Think catnip for kitties)mental effects of The Tree of Life.Crack dealers will be seen for what they are,pushers of dangerous soul killing hardcore CIA brought in money extracting poison.A crack dealer ordinarily will not smoke,if s/he wants to stay in business.On the other hand,Cannabis afficianadoes try any different flavor strains to compare and contrast and maintain a sophisticated palette and be able to converse intelligently on the various merits of different(priced)strains.Flavors are more varied than THC cannibinoid profiles as seen in any seed seller's descriptions.

If cannabis were legal, why the heck would I buy it from a store and pay tax on it? Since it is easy to grow and will grow just about anywhere without much attention, I wouldn't need to pay taxes on it. Cannabis cannot be taxed in the same way alcohol and tobacco can.

[edit on 13-2-2009 by TheComte]

Well you would pay a tax on the seeds.
Buy a grower's license.
A scale tax.Glass tax.Soil,cutting gel,scissors,baggies,all taxed.
Wouldn't you pay a piddly tax and get a stamp,to not be paranoid some armed goon might come busting your door down?And know you were helping to fix the mess we're in?

reply to post by trueforger


That is one hell of a post.. very impressive. As to the poster who said there were no recorded deaths in 2005 due to weed use, I swear I remember reading there's never been one recorded death, I noted those stats were only for the USA but I've never heard of a case over here in the UK either.

"Tetrahydrocannabinol is a very safe drug. Laboratory animals (rats, mice, dogs, monkeys) can tolerate doses of up to 1,000 mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram). This would be equivalent to a 70 kg person swallowing 70 grams of the drug -- about 5,000 times more than is required to produce a high. Despite the widespread illicit use of cannabis there are very few if any instances of people dying from an overdose. In Britain, official government statistics listed five deaths from cannabis in the period 1993-1995 but on closer examination these proved to have been deaths due to inhalation of vomit that could not be directly attributed to cannabis (House of Lords Report, 1998). By comparison with other commonly used recreational drugs these statistics are impressive."


A Johns Hopkins study published in May 1999, examined marijuana's effects on cognition on 1,318 participants over a 15 year period. Researchers reported "no significant differences in cognitive decline between heavy users, light users, and nonusers of cannabis." They also found "no male-female differences in cognitive decline in relation to cannabis use." "These results ... seem to provide strong evidence of the absence of a long-term residual effect of cannabis use on cognition," they concluded.

I suppose I'd be classed as a heavy user for smoking it most days for nearly four years now.. but I've held down my job, pay my bills, I don't see a problem

[edit on 13-2-2009 by ItsallCrazy]

Oh and by the way,quality Cannabis is not easy to ''grow anywhere''!Not even considering legality.
If it were legal,I estimate more than half the attempts would end in failure.Outdoors, mold,worms,deer,groundhogs,rabbits,rip-offs,drought,flood,frost,slugs,moles,gophers,wild weed seeds it is surprising that it is the world's #1 cash crop.Indoors,light issues,heat,accidents and don't even start with hydroponics.,mites,moths,mold,OMG itsa jungle in there...Legal organic,hand manicured high quality Cannabis would cost $10 a gram.

Originally posted by trueforger
Oh and by the way,quality Cannabis is not easy to ''grow anywhere''!Not even considering legality.
If it were legal,I estimate more than half the attempts would end in failure.Outdoors, mold,worms,deer,groundhogs,rabbits,rip-offs,drought,flood,frost,slugs,moles,gophers,wild weed seeds it is surprising that it is the world's #1 cash crop.Indoors,light issues,heat,accidents and don't even start with hydroponics.,mites,moths,mold,OMG itsa jungle in there...Legal organic,hand manicured high quality Cannabis would cost $10 a gram.

Howdy Howdy
You are forgetting that one mans dank is another mans schwag. Opinions of quality will always vary, but it is easy to grow. Hence the term "Weed", the individuals level of growing success may not bring the plant to it's full potential but will likely still fill the need of the gardener. If information was more freely available and less taboo of a subject people could likely do better across the board.

I agree it should be legal. The government would make so much money selling it. Yeah some people would grow it, but it takes 3 months to grow so even those people would buy. Plus its a lot less dangerous than drinking...and that's legal. I don't know anyone that wants to fight or start **** while blazed out...only when drunk.

Check out some of these quotes....

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country."
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
- George Washington, U.S. President

"We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."
- John Adams, U.S. President

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana." - Jimmy Carter, U.S. President

"I inhaled frequently. That was the point." - Barack Obama, U.S. President

"The war on drugs has been an utter failure. We need to rethink and decriminalize our nation's marijuana laws." -Barack Obama, January 2004

"The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world." - Carl Sagan, renown scientist, astronomer, astrochemist, author and TV host

"Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?" - Henry Ford, whose first Model-T was constructed from hemp fibers and built to run on hemp gasoline

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf." - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California



Source:
www.huffingtonpost.com...

The point about growing your own is irrelevant. I, like many others, would much rather go to a convenience store pick up a pack of good hydroponnics and a couple of snacks and go home. Some people will definitly choose to grow their own, just like with tobacco and alcohol, but if they choose to sell it is where the problem occurs. The government doesn't have a problem with people growing tobacco or owning a brewery in their basement as long as it is only for personal consumption, the moment I try to sell my particular brand without paying taxes is when the government has a problem.

I know growing up here in Southern California majority of police officers used to have you empty bag out if they caught you with some,like being caught with beer underaged,cops would make you pour it out,but some states like Texas or Arizona they treat it like a murder,I think it is crazy,go after hard drugs,I know people in 90's still smoke it,and thats not the era thats their respected ages

Originally posted by trueforger
Well you would pay a tax on the seeds.
Buy a grower's license.
A scale tax.Glass tax.Soil,cutting gel,scissors,baggies,all taxed.
Wouldn't you pay a piddly tax and get a stamp,to not be paranoid some armed goon might come busting your door down?And know you were helping to fix the mess we're in?

All that stuff is taxed already. And, tell me, how would a tax stop someone from robbing you? There will always be people willing to rob instead of doing the work themselves. You would still have to keep things secret, I think.

And to the member who mentioned mold and pests: if it were legal then all these things are moot as you could legally tend your plants and prevent these maladies. After all, they are a result of clandestine grows where you cannot easily take care of the plants. But, even if it were legal there would still be rip offs.

The casual user could grow a few plants in his backyard, tend them, and easily have enough cannabis to supply his needs for a whole year, until the next season's harvest. To tax this would be like taxing everyone who grows tomatoes.

Oh, and having your own still making hard liquor is still illegal, I believe. It also requires a level of expertise not to mention the equipment for the still. And tobacco is not that easy to grow and cure. Certainly not as easy as cannabis.

[edit on 13-2-2009 by TheComte]

Originally posted by bringthelight
Thank you for the video Wethesheeple! We have the current president stating that the war on drugs "is not working".

I know he was just a newbie senator back then and he has a lot more people tugging on his strings now, but come on! There is much more pressure for decriminalization as the war on drugs is not working and has proven to be a massive waste of money and time.

With the economy the way it is today, anything that is hemorrhaging money should be cut. Im not saying lets all throw a crack party in the streets, just lighten up on pot.

[edit on 12-2-2009 by bringthelight]

Wow I could go on forever about this controversial debate on Cannabis/Hemp.

Cannabis would be the number one cash crop and most dependent (hemp) of all crops.

It would literally eliminate a variety of scarcity.

65% of Prisoners are NON-VIOLENT drug offenders.

A staggering number considering more then half of those offenders are in because of Cannabis, and mostly are users not distributors.

That means that prisons are filling up with these non violent offenders instead of thief's, Murderers, Rapists etc.....

Reason while it's illegal is absolutely simple it opens your conscious level on a different plane of thinking...out side of the box. America is a giant corporation, alcohol companies, oil companies, material companies etc... etc.. etc... would be affected tremendously!!!

www.naihc.org...




[edit on 13-2-2009 by Psychonaughty]