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DRUGSENSE WEEKLY

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DrugSense Weekly,             Feb. 20, 2009                        #588

Read This Publication On-line at:  http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

* This Just In

    (1) Editorial: Phelps A Perfect Show Of Marijuana Woes
    (2) Column: End the Collateral Damage of Marijuana Misdemeanors
    (3) Anxiety In Massachusetts Over Softer Marijuana Law
    (4) NM Proposes To Crack Down On Drugged Driving

* Weekly News in Review

Drug Policy-

    (5) Grass-Roots Effort: Village Legalizes Medical Marijuana
    (6) Visalia Cheerleaders To Be Subject To Drug Testing
    (7) Sampson Regional Puts An End To Dispensing Of Narcotic Pain Meds
    (8) Schumer Pushes Funding To Combat Drug Trafficking

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

    (9) Prisons Director Demands Reforms
    (10) Bill Calls For Special Licenses, Plates For Drug Dealers
    (11) DEA Spends $123,000 To Fly Agency Chief To Colombia
    (12) No Drug Charges For Elementary Students

Cannabis & Hemp-

    (13) Should Pot Be Decriminalized?
    (14) Phelps Avoids S.C. Pot Charges
    (15) DMV Sued Over Medical Marijuana
    (16) Mind Your Mental Health - Warning On Cannabis Targets Teenagers

International News-

    (17) Mexicans Protest Campaign Against Drug Cartels
    (18) Cartels May Be Paying Protesters
    (19) Time To Consider Legalizing Drugs, Says Local Councillor
    (20) Police Officer Calls For Drug Legalization
    (21) Expect More Of The Same

* Hot Off The 'Net

    Joe Rogan's Letter To Kellogg's
    5 Of The Most Overrated Legal Highs / Manfred Johnson
    Sheriff Lott's Pot Shot / Jacob Sullum
    Drug  War  Horror  Story  Is  Only  A  Seam  In  A  Complex Fabric
    Resolving Marijuana Prohibition
    The Ibogaine Forum 2009
    Report  Of  The  International  Narcotics  Control  Board For 2008
    INCB  Reaffirms  Its  Shameful Commitment To Politics Over Science
    Drug Truth Network
    Ministry Of Defence Propaganda And The Afghan Drug War
    Seattle Police Chief Says Legalize Drugs

* What You Can Do This Week

    Grinspoon  Needs  Help  Answering The Question: Why Use Marijuana?
    Support Medicinal Cannabis In New Jersey

* Letter Of The Week

    Time To Change U.S. Drug Policies / Dalan Crockett and Paul Bennett

* Feature Article

    Another  Dead On Arrival Medical Cannabis Bill, HB 164 / Jimmy/420

* Quote of the Week

    William Ellery Channing

DrugSense  needs  your  support  to  continue this newsletter and many
other important projects - see how you can help at
http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

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THIS JUST IN
=======================================================================

(1) EDITORIAL: PHELPS A PERFECT SHOW OF MARIJUANA WOES

Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2009
Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)
Copyright: 2009 The Sun-Times Co.

On  Monday,  after  Richland County, S.C., Sheriff Leon Lott announced
that  he  did  not  have  enough  evidence  to  arrest Olympic swimmer
Michael Phelps for smoking marijuana at a November party in
Columbia,  the  gold  medalist  issued  a statement of regret. "I used
bad  judgment,  and  it's  a mistake I won't make again," Phelps said.
"For  young  people  especially  -- be careful about the decisions you
make.  One  bad  decision  can really hurt you and the people you care
about."

Phelps'  mistake  was  not smoking pot so much as doing it in front of
someone  with  a  cell  phone  camera and no compunction about selling
the  picture  to a British tabloid. And if that mistake hurt him, it's
not  because  marijuana  turned  the  record-breaking  champion into a
slacker  or  a  drug  addict.  It's  because  consuming an arbitrarily
proscribed  intoxicant  can  result  in  serious legal ( and therefore
social  and  economic  )  consequences, which cause far more harm than
marijuana itself.

This  reality  should  be  recognized  by  President  Obama, whose own
youthful  pot  smoking  did not exactly hold him back but whose future
might  have  been  very  different  if  he  had  been arrested on drug
charges  in  high  school  or  college.  The same, of course, could be
said  for  the  two  drug-experienced baby boomers who preceded him in
the  White  House.  But there are some indications that Obama may take
a less dogmatic approach to drug policy.

A  few  days  after that photo of Phelps sucking on a bong appeared in
the  News  of  the  World,  the Obama administration signaled that the
president will keep his campaign promise to stop the Drug
Enforcement Administration's raids on medical marijuana
dispensaries,  five  of which have occurred since he took office. "The
president  believes  that  federal  resources  should  not  be used to
circumvent  state  laws,"  a White House spokesman told the Washington
Times,  "and  as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out
the  ranks  of the federal government, he expects them to review their
policies with that in mind."

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n199/a01.html

===

(2) COLUMN: END THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF MARIJUANA MISDEMEANORS AND
SAVE TAX DOLLARS

Pubdate: Fri, 20 Feb 2009
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2009 The Seattle Times Company
Author: Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist

Two  bills  to  decriminalize small amounts of marijuana appear doomed
in  the  state Legislature. Timid politicians cost taxpayers millions.

A  dozen  other  states have concluded jail time for simple possession
of  marijuana  is  ruinous public policy. Oregon made that call almost
four  decades  ago. In a time of imploding government budgets, Olympia
is  averting  its eyes from easy savings. The criminal-justice expense
is a substantial and grievous waste of tax dollars.

Senate  Bill  5615  and  House  Bill  1177 -- sponsored by Sen. Jeanne
Kohl-Welles,  D-Seattle,  and  Rep.  Dave  Upthegrove, D-Des Moines --
would  reclassify  adult  possession  of 40 grams or less of marijuana
as  a  civil  infraction. A $100 fine payable through the mail, like a
parking  ticket.  Current law is a mandatory day in jail, and up to 90
days behind bars.

The  oversized  penalty  is  just  the  start. A misdemeanor-marijuana
conviction  haunts  an  offender  seemingly  forever.  Alison Holcomb,
drug-policy  director  of the ACLU of Washington, said that record can
lead  to  loss  of  employment,  housing and federal financial aid for
college.

The  proposal  to  reclassify  40  grams  of  marijuana -- roughly two
packs  of  cigarettes  --  from  a  misdemeanor  to  a  class  2 civil
infraction  passed  out  of  the  Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday
with bipartisan support.

At  an  earlier  hearing,  proponents,  including  the King County Bar
Association,  testified  about  the  mistaken  application of criminal
sanctions  to  a  public-health issue and the collateral damage of the
convictions  in  personal  lives.  The  misdemeanors  get dragged into
divorce and child-custody proceedings.

The  default  position  for  opponents declares marijuana a gateway to
harder  illegal  drugs. Increasingly that argument does not hold up to
analysis and long-term studies.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n201/a07.html

===

(3) ANXIETY IN MASSACHUSETTS OVER SOFTER MARIJUANA LAW

Pubdate: Fri, 20 Feb 2009
Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)
Copyright: 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society
Author: Jeremy Kutner, Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

Some  Towns  and  Cities  Seek Stiffer Penalties for Public Use, After
State Voters Approved Decriminalization.

Massachusetts  voters  made  history by approving a sweeping marijuana
decriminalization  law  on  Election  Day,  but  campaign  debates are
reigniting as communities start to enforce the new rule.

The  large  margin  of  victory for the ballot initiative - 65 percent
of voters approved the law - is already inspiring similar
legislative  efforts  in  other  New  England  states, prompting close
attention  nationwide  to  the  effects  of a less stringent marijuana
law.

Massachusetts  is  not  the  first  state  to  decriminalize marijuana
possession  -  12  others  have done so. But it is the first since the
1970s  to  eliminate  criminal  penalties  for  possession  of  small
amounts of the drug, even for repeat offenders.

"There  were  changes  in  this  direction  between 1973 and 1978, but
then  that  movement  just  stopped,  and  stopped  dead,"  says Peter
Reuter,  a  professor  of  public policy at the University of Maryland
and  the  former  director  of  the Drug Policy Research Center at the
RAND  Corp.  "It  revitalizes a reform movement that had put laws like
this on the back burner."

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n202/a01.html

===

(4) NM PROPOSES TO CRACK DOWN ON DRUGGED DRIVING

Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2009
Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)
Copyright: 2009 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Author: Barry Massey, The Associated Press

Gov.  Bill  Richardson  and  activists  against  drunken  driving have
another  target:  motorists  who  drive  while  under the influence of
illegal drugs, including marijuana.

A  legislative  proposal  backed  by  Richardson  would  crack down on
"drugged  driving"  by  establishing  blood  concentration  levels for
five  illegal  drugs:  marijuana,  cocaine,  heroin,  amphetamine  and
methamphetamine.  The  limits would establish a legal presumption that
a driver was under the influence of a drug.

More  than  a dozen states have "per se" laws against drugged driving.

The  proposed  drug limits serve the same purpose as the blood-alcohol
concentration  standards  New  Mexico  and  many other states have for
drunken  driving.  In  New  Mexico,  it's  illegal  to operate a motor
vehicle  with  a  blood-alcohol  level  at  or  above  0.08  percent.

Rep.  William  Rehm,  R-Albuquerque,  said  some drivers mix drugs and
alcohol.

"It  stands  to  reason if you are going out to party, you're going to
go  out  and  party,"  Rehm,  a  retired law enforcement officer, said
Wednesday.  However,  it  can  be  difficult  currently  to  prosecute
drivers  who  mix drugs and alcohol if their blood-alcohol level falls
below the 0.08 percent threshold.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n201/a04.html

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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW
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Domestic News- Policy
----------------------------------

COMMENT: (5-8)

 One  brave effort to change medical marijuana laws is taking place in
 a  small  Missouri  town.  Elsewhere,  typical  drug  war  overkill
 continues  along  with  more  of the same from people politicians who
 should know better.

===

(5) GRASS-ROOTS EFFORT: VILLAGE LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Pubdate: Sun, 15 Feb 2009
Source: Joplin Globe, The (MO)
Copyright: 2009 The Joplin Globe
Author: Derek Spellman

CLIFF  VILLAGE,  Mo.  - It's early evening and Joe Blundell is splayed
out on his bed, on his stomach.

After  a  couple  days  of  media  interviews,  it's  just  him,  some
friends, and a bout of pain.

I'm  on  my  stomach  because  I  couldn't  sit ( in my wheelchair ),"
Blundell said.

More  than  three  weeks have passed since Blundell, 30, stopped using
marijuana.  He  abandoned  the  drug  not long before he introduced an
ordinance  legalizing  its  use  for  medical  reasons  inside  Cliff
Village,  a  hamlet  on  Joplin's  southern  fringes,  where  Blundell
serves as mayor. That ordinance passed two weeks ago.

Cliff  Village  has  no  employees  and levies no taxes. It gets about
$1,300  a  year  in distributions of state fuel taxes for road repairs
and  $120  to  $200  more  in cable TV franchise fees. But the village
doesn't make many headlines. Until now.

The  ordinance  is  largely  a  symbolic gesture. Cliff Village has no
local  court  system  of  its own and the small Joplin suburb is still
subject  to  state  laws that ban marijuana even for medical purposes.

But  Blundell  and  others  are  hoping their action will raise debate
about the uses of marijuana.

This  is  symbolism,  pure and simple," Blundell explained during some
of  his  interviews.  "I  would like to be the brave one who grows the
first  plant,  but  they've  built  a  lot of cages for the people who
stick their necks out."

 [snip]

Continues: : http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n185/a04.html

===

(6) VISALIA CHEERLEADERS TO BE SUBJECT TO DRUG TESTING, JUST LIKE
ATHLETES

Pubdate: Thu, 12 Feb 2009
Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Fresno Bee
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/161
Author: Lewis Griswold
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

High  school  cheerleaders have argued for years that they're athletes
- -- just like football, baseball and basketball players.
Cheerleaders  do  complex  stunts, work out with weights, and practice
from June to March.

Now  cheerleaders  in  Visalia  can  prove  their point: They're being
tested  for  drugs.  Under  a  school  policy  approved  last  month,
cheerleaders  must  submit  to  the  same  random  drug tests given to
other  student-athletes.  It  appears  to be the first district in the
central San Joaquin Valley to take this step.

Cheerleading  coach  Cara  Carnahan  at  Mt. Whitney High welcomes the
change.  "You  don't  want  your daughter being thrown into the air by
anyone on drugs," Carnahan said.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n178/a01.html

===

(7) SAMPSON REGIONAL PUTS AN END TO DISPENSING OF NARCOTIC PAIN MEDS

Pubdate: Sun, 15 Feb 2009
Source: Sampson Independent, The (NC)
Copyright: 2009, The Sampson Independent
Author: Chris Berendt

In  an  effort to reduce the epidemic of prescription drug abuse being
felt  in  Sampson  and  across  the  country,  emergency physicians at
Sampson  Regional  Medical  Center  are  no  longer refilling narcotic
pain  and  sedative medications. Instead of dispensing narcotic pills,
they  are  instead  doling out referrals to primary care physicians so
patients may receive the proper treatment.

Sampson  Regional  is  another  in  the  growing  number  of emergency
departments  taking  such measures to reduce the increasing overuse of
narcotic  and  sedative  medications  used  to  treat  chronic  pain.

Medications  such  as  Codeine,  Hydrocodone  (  Lortab and Vicodin ),
Oxycodone  (  Percocet  ),  Morphine,  Darvocet,  Oxycontin, Xanax and
Valium  are  just  some  that will no longer be dispensed by emergency
physicians. A full list is provided by hospital officials.

"We  are  trying  to  limit  the amount of narcotics being given out,"
said  Dr.  Steven  D.  Kelley,  chief of emergency medicine at Sampson
Regional.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n184/a02.html

===

(8) SCHUMER PUSHES FUNDING TO COMBAT DRUG TRAFFICKING

Pubdate: Wed, 18 Feb 2009
Source: Watertown Daily Times (NY)
Copyright: 2009 Watertown Daily Times

U.S.  Sen.  Charles  E.  Schumer  will visit Watertown this morning to
detail  his  push  for more federal funding to combat drug trafficking
in four north country counties.

In  a  press  release, the Democratic senator said he and Rep. John M.
McHugh,  R-Pierrepont  Manor,  are working in tandem to secure a "drug
trafficking"  designation  for  Jefferson,  St. Lawrence, Franklin and
Clinton counties.

The  Office  of  National  Drug Control Policy recently hired two drug
intelligence  officers  to  serve  at  the northern border through the
New  York/New  Jersey  High  Intensity  Drug Trafficking Area program,
the senator's office said. It is that program that the two
politicians hope to persuade officials to bring here.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n197/a02.html

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Law Enforcement & Prisons
-------------------------

COMMENT: (9-12)

 The  leader  of  one  state prison system said something amazing last
 week:

 "We've  lost  the  war  on drugs, yet we keep sending people to state
 prisons."  He then went on to explain why the war on drugs is already
 overwhelming  the  prison system. In Louisiana, one lawmaker wants to
 see  special  license plates for drug dealers. A report suggests that
 the  head  of  the  DEA  spent  more  than  $120,000 on one chartered
 flight,  even  though  the agency has its own fleet of planes. And in
 South Carolina, there won't be local charges for a pair of
 10-year-olds  who  brought  cannabis  to school, but the county still
 hasn't finished its investigation.

===

(9) PRISONS DIRECTOR DEMANDS REFORMS

Pubdate: Fri, 13 Feb 2009
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2009 The Columbus Dispatch
Author: Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch

State  Lawmakers  Urged to Alter Sentencing Laws to Help With Crowding

The head of Ohio's prison system gave state legislators a
no-nonsense  budget  talk  yesterday,  saying,  "We've lost the war on
drugs, yet we keep sending people to state prisons."

Terry  Collins,  director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction,  made  an  impassioned  plea  for  sentencing  reforms  to
divert  more  offenders  from  overcrowded  state prisons and ease the
burden on the financially strapped system.

The  alternative:  closing  another  prison  in  2011,  Collins told a
House committee reviewing the state budget.

"We are at a critical and urgent stage," he said.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n176/a02.html

===

(10) BILL CALLS FOR SPECIAL LICENSES, PLATES FOR DRUG DEALERS

Pubdate: Sat, 14 Feb 2009
Source: Monroe News-Star (LA)
Copyright: 2009 The News-Star, Gannett
Author: Mike Hasten

BATON  ROUGE  -  If  drug dealers want to stay in business after being
arrested  more  than once, they should have to let the world know what
they  are,  says  a  Lafayette  lawmaker who says he's tired of seeing
drug deals and their effects in his neighborhood.

Rep.  Rickey  Hardy,  D-Lafayette,  has  pre-filed HB11, that seeks to
require  second-offense  drug  dealers  to  carry  special  driver's
licenses  and  put  brightly  colored  license  plates  on their cars.

I'm  pushing  for  it  to be bright orange," said Hardy, who envisions
that  if  dealers  know  they could face such a stigma, they might get
out of the trade.

Drugs  destroy  communities and destroy families," he said. "They lead
to  rape,  murder, burglaries, drive-by shootings and the list goes on
and  on.  We  can  no  longer  defend  the drug dealers. We need to do
something about them."

Hardy  said  the  intent  of  his  bill is "to embarrass them. If they
don't  want  to be upstanding citizens, make them stand out. They want
a badge of honor? Here it is."

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n188/a04.html

===

(11) DEA SPENDS $123,000 TO FLY AGENCY CHIEF TO COLOMBIA

Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009
Source: Belleville News-Democrat (IL)
Copyright: 2009 Belleville News-Democrat
Author: Marisa Taylor

WASHINGTON  --  The  head of the Drug Enforcement Administration spent
more  than  $123,000  to  charter  a  private  jet  to  fly to Bogota,
Colombia,  last  fall  instead  of  taking  one  of  the  agency's 106
planes.

The  DEA  paid  a  contractor  an  additional $5,380 to arrange Acting
Administrator  Michele  Leonhart's  trip  last  Oct.  28-30  with  an
outside company.

The  DEA  scheduled  the trip as the nation was reeling from the worst
economic  crisis  in decades and the national debt was climbing toward
$10  trillion.  Three  weeks  later, lawmakers slammed chief executive
officers  from  three  automakers  for flying to Washington in private
jets  as  Congress  debated  whether  to  bail  out the auto industry.

William  Brown,  the  special  agent  in  charge of the DEA's aviation
division,  said  he  had  asked  DEA  contractor L-3 Communications to
arrange  the  flight  because  the  plane  that  ordinarily would have
flown  the  administrator  was  grounded for scheduled maintenance. He
said he didn't question the cost at the time.

"Was  it  excessive?  I  guess  you  could  look at it that way, but I
don't think so," he said.

"I  understand  the  concern  about  costs for these things. But we do
our  best  to  keep  costs  under  control.  I  think  the DEA is very
conservative compared to other agencies."

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n192/a08.html

===

(12) NO DRUG CHARGES FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2009
Source: Aiken Standard (SC)
Copyright: 2009sAiken Standard
Author: Karen Daily

Family  Court  prosecutors  will  not  pursue  charges  against  two
10-year-old  boys  caught  at  school in early February with more than
three  grams  of  marijuana.  The  boys  tried  to  sell the drugs for
dessert  and  bubble  gum. Officials said Monday the youngest age that
children  can  be  charged  with  a crime is 10, and typically that is
done  when  the  authorities  have  a  strong belief that the children
knew  what  they  were doing was wrong. Knowing that the children were
trying  to  sell  the  drugs  for  cakes  and  gum begs that question.

"I  am  fine with ( the outcome )," said Burnettown Police Chief David
Paul  Smith.  "You really need to try and look at a what a 10-year-old
really understands."

Burnettown  police  said  they  don't  know  where  the  two Jefferson
Elementary  School  fourth-graders  found  the  drugs or what prompted
them to bring the drugs to school.

Smith  said  the  investigation  is  now  in  the  hands  of narcotics
officers at the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

"Both students live outside my jurisdiction," he said.

Smith  went  on to say that the parents of the two boys were not under
investigation,  but  he  said  the police would not leave them out the
equation.

"If  Aiken  County  were  to  find  there are drugs in the homes, then
charges could be filed," he said.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n193/a09.html

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Cannabis & Hemp-
---------------------------

COMMENT: (13-16)

 Police  in  Hawaii  are predictably opposing a bill that would reduce
 the  penalty  for  possessing  under  an ounce to a $100.00 fine, on
 the  grounds that the current criminal penalties are seldom enforced
 anyway, sending the wrong message to kids.
 
 Sheriff  Leon  Lott decided to abandon his much ridiculed prosecution
 of  Michael  Phelps,  thanks in part to Phelps never specifying which
 lapse  in  judgement he regrets, smoking cannabis or smoking cannabis
 near a camera.

 Activists  in  California  have  launched  a lawsuit against the DMV
 for  unjustly  suspending  the  driving  privileges  of  registered  
 medicinal cannabis consumers.
 
 Following  the  recent,  reactionary  cannabis re-reclassification in
 Britain,  the  Home  Office  is now producing unintentionally amusing
 anti-cannabis ads for television.
 
===

(13) SHOULD POT BE DECRIMINALIZED?

Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, HI)
Copyright: 2009 Hawaii Tribune Herald
Author: Peter Sur

Possessing under 1 ounce would draw fine, no jail time

The  law enforcement community is taking a united stand against a bill
that would reduce penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

House Bill 1192, now awaiting action in the Judiciary Committee, would
make  possession of less than an ounce a civil violation, subject to a
$100 fine.

Minors  would  also  be required to complete a drug awareness program,
consisting  of  at  least four hours of classroom instruction or group
discussion and 10 hours of community service.

The  bill has already survived votes by the combined Public Safety and
Human  Services  committees.  While most of the other bills introduced
this  session  propose  to amend the state's medical marijuana law, HB
1192  would  remove  the  threat  of  jail  time  for  some offenders.

First  Deputy Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi said the penalties don't need
to be reduced any further.

"They just get a slap on the wrist, anyway," Iboshi said.

Possession  of  marijuana in any amount is a misdemeanor punishable by
up to 30 days in jail, although "they never get 30 days," Iboshi said.

She  rejected  the argument, advanced by proponents of decriminalizing
marijuana,  that  it  would  save  money. Iboshi said police typically
recover small amounts of marijuana during traffic stops, and that such
prosecutions don't add to the cost of law enforcement.

"It's not taking any more than a DUI, and it's not like a lot of money
is spent" to make the arrest, she said.

The  Hawaii Police Department submitted written testimony for the Feb.
5 committee hearing to oppose the bill.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n194.a03.html

===

(14) PHELPS AVOIDS S.C. POT CHARGES

Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2009
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 2009 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc
Cited: Richland County sheriff http://www.rcsd.net/

Physical Evidence Lacking, Sheriff Says

Michael  Phelps  will  not  face criminal charges after a photo of him
apparently  smoking  marijuana from a pipe sparked an investigation in
South Carolina.

Richland  County  Sheriff  Leon  Lott  said Monday that he didn't have
enough  physical  evidence  to  press  charges against the 23-year-old
swimmer after the November party near the University of South Carolina
in Columbia.

"We  had  a  photo  and  him  saying  he  was  sorry for inappropriate
behavior,"  Lott  said at a news conference. "He never said, 'I smoked
marijuana.' We didn't have physical evidence."

Lott  defended the investigation, calling Phelps "an American hero ...
but  even with his star status, he is still obligated to obey the laws
of our state."

In  a  statement  Monday,  Phelps  said  he  would move forward in his
training, "having put this whole thing behind me."

"I'm  glad  this  matter is put to rest," Phelps' statement said. "But
there  are also some important lessons that I've learned. For me, it's
all  about  recognizing  that I used bad judgment and it's a mistake I
won't  make again. For young people especially -- be careful about the
decisions  you  make.  One  bad  decision  can really hurt you and the
people you care about."

The  sheriff  said  the  investigation  began  Feb. 2. Two days later,
officers  found  the  marijuana  pipe thought to be used in the photo.
They  found  it in a car. "The bong never made it to eBay," Lott said,
referring  to  newspaper  reports that the pipe had been posted on the
online auction site.

Lott said the person who took the photo of Phelps at the party sold it
for  $100,000.  He  would  not identify the photographer or say how he
knew the amount.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n193.a02.html

===

(15) DMV SUED OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles Times
Author: Maura Dolan, Reporting from San Francisco

The Lawsuit Says Patients Are Unfairly Targeted for License
Suspensions.

When  Matt  Vaughn  was  pulled  over  for speeding on Interstate 5 in
Northern  California  early  on  a  Sunday  morning,  he  had a bag of
marijuana on the passenger seat.

The  California  Highway Patrol officer smelled the weed, searched the
car,  took  the  marijuana  and  pipe and gave Vaughn a sobriety test,
which  he  passed.  An  angry  Vaughn  showed the officer his doctor's
recommendation  to  use  marijuana  for  glaucoma.  The  officer  was
unimpressed.

"He  said,  in  Glenn  County,  they  don't  recognize  those kinds of
things," said Vaughn, 55, who has a long ponytail, mustache and beard.
"He was not very friendly about it."

The  2005  incident  cost Vaughn a speeding ticket, his 1 1/4 ounce of
pot  and  his  driver's  license  --  and  nine months of fighting the
California  Department  of  Motor  Vehicles  --  before  he prevailed.

As  a result of that and other encounters involving medical marijuana,
an  advocacy  group has sued the DMV, asking for a written policy that
says  medical  marijuana  should  be  treated the same as prescription
drugs.

The  suit  contends  that  the  DMV has a pattern of investigating and
suspending  the  driver's  licenses  of  people  who  use  pot  on the
recommendation of their doctors.

"It happens a disturbing amount," said Joseph D. Elford, chief counsel
for Americans for Safe Access, which promotes legalizing marijuana for
medicinal purposes and research.

 [snip]
 
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n189.a01.html

===

(16) MIND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH - WARNING ON CANNABIS TARGETS TEENAGERS

Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Guardian News and Media Limited
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Audrey Gillan
Cited: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiIo9Ufg798

Teenage 'Dabblers' And Binge Smokers Targeted

Ukp 2m Campaign Welcomed After Drug's Reclassification

Drugs  campaigners  welcomed  a new television advert shown last night
aimed  at  warning  teenagers of the mental health problems associated
with cannabis.

The  UKP  2.2m  government campaign is targeted at 11-18 year olds. In
the  advert,  one  actor  demonstrates  the  symptoms  associated with
smoking  the  drug.  The  film  shows the mind-altering effects of the
drug.  The  voiceover  at  the  end  warns:  "The  more  you mess with
cannabis, the more it can mess with your mind."

Promoted  by  Frank,  the  drugs  advice  and  information service for
teenagers  run  by  the  Home  Office the Department of Health and the
Department  for  Children, Families and Schools, it aims to tackle the
high  number of teenagers treated for cannabis use. In 2005, 10,000 11
to  17-year-olds  were  treated - 10 times the number a decade ago. It
also  aims  to  curtail  the increasing use of skunk, a potent form of
cannabis.

While  it  is  not the first anti-cannabis advert to appear on British
television,  it  is  the  first  to specifically target 11-14 year-old
"dabblers  and  contemplaters",  children considering smoking the drug
without  awareness  of  any  consequent  problems. It is also aimed at
slightly older peers who may have already tried the drug.

The  campaign follows the reclassification of cannabis last month from
class  C  to  class B. The home secretary overruled the opinion of the
Advisory  Council  on the Misuse of Drugs, which advised that cannabis
should remain class C.

 [snip]
 
Now,  no  one is expecting Jamesian subtlety in a 40-second government
health ad - but neon signs above people's heads? Really? Sometimes you
just  gotta  love  the government for trying. But alas, suggestion and
allusion  aren't  optional extras in successful advertising - they are
its  defining feature. That's why the Flake advert entered into legend
and why the pizza splattering across the windscreen in the public road
safety  campaign  of  a  few years ago sticks in the mind. It's why we
were  advised  to  Go  to  Work  on an Egg, rather than Eat an Egg for
Breakfast  Every  Morning Because Then You Won't Be Hungry All Morning
in  the Office. Even the much-parodied American "This is your brain on
drugs"  campaign,  which  involved  a  lot  of  eggs being smashed and
scrambled  piqued  the  interest momentarily, in a way that adjectives
rendered in neon simply do not.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n186.a05.html

=======================================================================

International News
---------------------------

COMMENT: (17-21)

 In  Mexico,  hundreds  protested  against  the Mexican army, stopping
 traffic  at  the  U.S.  border.  "The  Soldiers  won't let us Live in
 Peace,  We  are  Scared," read banners. Government sources were quick
 to  claim  the  protests  were organized by drug traffickers who paid
 protesters  with  "backpacks  full  of  schoolbooks, pens and paper,"
 according  to  Die  Weld newspaper. Other protesters complained about
 "illegal  detentions  of  loved ones, who they say were taken away in
 military  vehicles  and  have  not  been  seen  or heard from since."

 And  in  Canada, more Al Capone -style gangland turf-battles prompted
 a  chorus of editorials calling, seemingly in unison, for longer jail
 terms.  At  the  same time we present three pieces this week from the
 Canadian  press  bucking  that  trend, each arguing for reform. Maple
 Ridge  British Columbia Councilor Craig Speirs this week broke with a
 long-standing  government  taboo,  using  the "P-word" (prohibition),
 describing  "prohibition  law"  as  effective  -  for "gangsters". In
 Victoria,  B.C.,  Victoria police officer David Bratzer spoke against
 drugs  prohibition  this  week,  also.  "We have an environment where
 law-enforcement  officers  are realizing these laws are ineffective,"
 said  Bratzer,  a  member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. And
 from  the  editorial  board  of  the  Chilliwack  Times  in the lower
 mainland,  B.C.,  while  decrying  "gangs... selling drugs" the Times
 went  on to admit, "There is a total disconnect right now between our
 drug  laws  and  actual  human  behaviour...  the  truth is that many
 otherwise  law-abiding  people  use  them...  Many  people  of  all
 political  stripes  now  recognize  that  prohibition has not worked,
 just like it failed with alcohol".

===

(17) MEXICANS PROTEST CAMPAIGN AGAINST DRUG CARTELS

Pubdate: Wed, 18 Feb 2009
Source: Die Welt (Germany)
Copyright: DIE WELT, 2009
Author: Robin Emmott

In  the  largest  in  a series of anti-army protests this week, around
300  Mexican  protesters congregated in the northern town of Monterrey
Tuesday  to  protest  army  operations against drug gangs. Another 300
protesters  shut  highways  in  the  Gulf  city of Veracruz. Officials
claimed that the protest was organized by drug traffickers.

Protesters  block  a  main avenue as they hold up a banner that reads:
"The  Soldiers  won't  let  us  Live  in  Peace, We are Scared" in the
northern  industrial  city  of  Monterrey,  Mexico,  Tuesday,  Feb. 17

 [snip]

Natividad  Gonzalez,  governor  of  Nuevo  Leon state, blamed Mexico's
most  violent  drug  gang,  the  Gulf  cartel, and its armed wing, The
Zetas, for the protests.

"There  are  reasons  to believe it has to do with the Gulf cartel and
the group known as The Zetas," he told a news conference.

Ten  people  died  in  a  gun battle between troops and drug hitmen in
Reynosa  on  Tuesday, police said, but added that the violence was not
related to the protests.

State police chief Aldo Fasci said last week that crime
organizations  were  paying  people  to  protest  against the army and
that  gangs  were  handing out backpacks full of schoolbooks, pens and
paper to poor families who joined the demonstrations.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n193.a05.html

===

(18) CARTELS MAY BE PAYING PROTESTERS

Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2009
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2009 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Author: Laurence Iliff, The Dallas Morning News

Border Rallies Target Use of Arny in Drug Areas

MEXICO  CITY  -  Drug cartels unleashed a new and potentially powerful
weapon  this  week in their battle with the government, analysts say -
the  use  of  unarmed  civilian protesters to demand the withdrawal of
army  soldiers  in  drug  hot  spots  along  the  Mexico-Texas border.

Protesters  paralyzed nine bridges linking Mexico to Texas on Tuesday,
and local, state and federal authorities allege that the demonstrators
were paid by drug-trafficking groups.

If true, it puts the government in a delicate position. The protesters
have  a  constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully, and they face
increasingly tough economic conditions, including growing unemployment
and a $5-a-day minimum wage.

 [snip]

Media  reports  quoted  some protesters who anonymously said that they
had  been  paid  to  hold  anti-army  signs.  But others said they had
legitimate  grievances  against  the  army  for  illegal detentions of
loved  ones,  who  they  say  were taken away in military vehicles and
have not been seen or heard from since.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n199.a10.html

===

(19) TIME TO CONSIDER LEGALIZING DRUGS, SAYS LOCAL COUNCILLOR

Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2009
Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc
Author: Amy Steele

Until  Canada  ends  its  prohibition  against  drugs cracking down on
gangs  won't  be successful because drug sales are too lucrative, said
Councillor Craig Speirs at Monday's workshop meeting.

 [snip]

Speirs  said  the  province needs to take a look at current drug laws,
pointing  out  if  they're  legalized "you remove their money stream."

He  said  the  current  "prohibition  law"  works "extremely well" for
gangsters.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n198.a04.html

===

(20) POLICE OFFICER CALLS FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION

Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Times Colonist
Author: Katie Derosa

Canada's  drug  laws are harmful, result in repeat offenders and waste
taxpayers'  money,  a Victoria police officer told a group of students
and marijuana activists yesterday.

David  Bratzer  was  speaking  at the 10th annual Cannabis Convention,
held at the University of Victoria by the student society's
Hempology  101  Club  and  the  International  Hempology  101 Society.

"We  have  an environment where law-enforcement officers are realizing
these  laws  are  ineffective,"  said Bratzer, speaking as a member of
the U.S.-based Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

 [snip]

As  for  the  recent  spate  of  violent  and  brazen gang slayings in
Vancouver,  Bratzer  calls  them  "drug-prohibition  deaths,"  arguing
they're  the  result  of  gang  members fighting to control the multi-
billion-dollar illegal drug market.

 [snip]

Law-enforcement  officials,  who deal with the adverse effects of drug
prohibition  every  day,  are  able  to  more effectively champion the
cause for legalization, said Ted Smith, president of the
International Hempology 101 Society.

"It's  one  thing  to  put  us  off  as  a bunch of potheads, but when
sober,  intelligent  people  speak out, their opinion carries a lot of
weight because of that."

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n187.a03.html

===

(21) EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME

Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2009
Source: Chilliwack Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Chilliwack Times

 [snip]

It  seems  clear  the rise of gang activity in our region has a lot to
do  with  a system that doesn't want to punish gangs for selling drugs
or  weapons  offences.  Many  have blamed judges for being out of step
with the public. And they're right.

But  there's  another  problem.  There is a total disconnect right now
between  our  drug  laws  and actual human behaviour. It's easy to say
our  legislators  are  out  of  step with the public. We don't want to
make  light  of  the  health  consequences  of drugs, but the truth is
that  many  otherwise law-abiding people use them. A 2004 Stats Canada
report  said  12.2 per cent of Canadians had used marijuana within the
previous  12  months--almost  double the 1989 totals. The real numbers
are probably higher.

Many  people  of  all political stripes now recognize that prohibition
has  not  worked,  just like it failed with alcohol--another drug with
serious  health  consequences.  It  is  arguably  the  biggest  social
engineering  failure  in modern history. Note that no one is seriously
talking  about  bringing  it back to combat alcohol problems. The last
thing  we  need  is  a  bunch of alcoholics busting into houses to pay
for their habit.

 [snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n196.a08.html

***********************************************************************

HOT OFF THE 'NET
-------------------------------

JOE ROGAN'S LETTER TO KELLOGG'S

From The Joe Rogan Blog - http://blog.joerogan.net

http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/454

===

5 OF THE MOST OVERRATED LEGAL HIGHS

An  Attack  On  Everyday  Drugs  (And  A  Few  You've  Never Heard Of)

By Manfred Johnson

Have  you  ever  noticed  that  a  lot of the legal drugs out there --
including  the  popular  ones,  like  alcohol -- are wildly overrated?

http://drugsense.org/url/sOByAsMX

===

SHERIFF LOTT'S POT SHOT

By Jacob Sullum

Will  Obama  reject  the anti-drug zealotry highlighted by the Michael
Phelps farce?

http://www.reason.com/news/show/131730.html

===

DRUG WAR HORROR STORY IS ONLY A SEAM IN A COMPLEX FABRIC

By Bill Conroy - Narconews

In  covering  the drug war along the U.S./Mexican border over the past
five  years,  I've discovered that there are two kinds of stories: the
ones  that  only  make sense on the surface and those that are layered
with the complexity of reality.

http://drugsense.org/url/ituHuhfz

===

RESOLVING MARIJUANA PROHIBITION

Students,  faculty,  media,  politicians,  activists  and  interested
public  across  Canada  are  joining  Marc-Boris St-Maurice, Executive
Director  of  NORML  Canada  as  he embarks on a national fact-finding
tour  to  introduce  "The  National Resolution for the Legalization of
Marijuana".

http://norml.ca/

===

THE IBOGAINE FORUM 2009

This was a live broadcast from "The Ibogaine Forum 2009" at
Northeastern  University,  in  Boston,  Mass.  Presidents  Day Weekend
(Sat., Feb. 14 to Mon., Feb. 16)

http://drugsense.org/url/4FcuWX99

===

REPORT  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  NARCOTICS  CONTROL  BOARD  FOR  2008

http://www.incb.org/incb/annual-report-2008.html

===

INCB  REAFFIRMS  ITS  SHAMEFUL  COMMITMENT  TO  POLITICS  OVER SCIENCE

By Ethan Nadelmann

The  International  Narcotics  Control  Board  (INCB), the independent
and  quasi-judicial  control  organ  monitoring  the implementation of
the  United  Nations  drug  control  conventions,  released its Annual
Report 2008 today.

http://drugsense.org/url/Fj51vv3R

===

DRUG TRUTH NETWORK

Century of Lies - 02/17/09 - Mike Gray

Mike  Gray,  author  of Drug Crazy & Chairman of Common Sense for Drug
Policy  +  RN  Ken  Wolski reports on progress of marijuana law in New
Jersey

http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2301

Cultural Baggage Radio Show - 02/18/09 - Harold Hurtt

Police  Chief  of Houston Texas, Harold Hurtt + Irma Rios the director
of the Houston crime lab.

http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2302

===

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE PROPAGANDA AND THE AFGHAN DRUG WAR

Transform Drug Policy Foundation (TDPF)

The media today is full of reports about a massive military
operation  in  the  Helmand province of Afghanistan, codenamed DIESEL.
Closer  examination  reveals  reporting  of the operation to have been
dramatically  propagandized  by  the  Ministry  of  Defense,  with the
media  acting  as  their willing - if somewhat confused - accomplices.

http://drugsense.org/url/XcEEXsg5

===

SEATTLE POLICE CHIEF SAYS LEGALIZE DRUGS

Retired  Seattle  Police  Chief Norm Stamper thinks we should legalize
drugs  after  what  he  witnessed  fighting  on the front lines of the
"war on drugs."

http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php?name=Web_Links&l_op=visit&lid=188

***********************************************************************

WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK
--------------------------------------------------

GRINSPOON  NEEDS  HELP ANSWERING THE QUESTION: WHY DO I USE MARIJUANA?

By Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director

Author,  Harvard  academician,  NORML  Advisory  Board  member  and
respected  physician,  Lester  Grinspoon, recently updated his webpage
and  is  seeking  cannabis consumers to contribute essays to his newly
launched  blog  devoted  to  furthering understanding and appreciation
of the way in which cannabis enhances a variety of human
experiences.

http://drugsense.org/url/FU8tV2GH

===

SUPPORT MEDICINAL CANNABIS IN NEW JERSEY

Meet  Nancy.  She lives with multiple sclerosis and risks arrest every
time  she  uses  medical marijuana to relieve her symptoms. Watch this
video ( http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=GT6rk3avPPaR-xqMCijHyw.. ) and
make  a  donation  to  join  us  in  fighting  for medical marijuana.
( http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=ILKBQKdT6xxh5PJZqY1N_Q.. )

***********************************************************************

LETTER OF THE WEEK
------------------------------------

TIME TO CHANGE U.S. DRUG POLICIES

By Dalan Crockett and Paul Bennett

Editor of the Reformer:

An open letter to President Obama:

Dear Mr.  President,

Not  one  American belongs in prison for drug use alone, in absence of
a  real  crime.  Using any drug in and of itself should not constitute
criminal  activity.  Laws  criminalizing personal behavior in which no
one  harms  others  or  their  property  are  arbitrary and subjective
means  that  impose  the  will  of  one  group  of  people on another.
American  jurisprudence  too  often  omits the laws of nature in favor
of  harsh  legal  judgments  that  one-sidedly  interpret  some  human
behavior as being unlawful.

Two  people  have recently come under criminal investigation following
marijuana  allegations.  How  did  it  feel  to learn of the arrest of
your  wary-gazed  and  proud brother in Kenya who asks for nothing but
the  dignity  to  live  his own life; or an Olympic medalist groveling
to  the  media with an act of contrition that he did something "not in
a manner people have come to expect" of him? No one in good
conscience  would  make  adults  who use marijuana wait another day to
exercise their right of choice, free from criminal justice
supervision.

Let  us  begin  rational  drug policy in your administration by ending
marijuana  prohibition,  and  moving this important and lucrative crop
into  the  realm  of a taxed and licensed supply and demand market for
adult consumption.

In  the  main,  adult  use of marijuana is not criminally intended nor
does  it  represent  conduct  unbecoming of a good citizen. Failure of
this  nation  to understand that sends the message to millions of hard
working,  law  abiding  citizens that justice lay with the accusation,
not upon an actual crime.

Furthermore,  it  is  an  insult  to the American people that they are
portrayed  as  incapable  of  maturely  using  marijuana  in  a manner
consistent with responsible adult behavior.

This  is  not  solely  a  matter  of  who  is right, it is a matter of
whether  our  nation  is  wrong to criminalize adults for private drug
use.  By  doing  so,  the American and international drug war sends an
immoral message to kids everywhere that adults settle their
differences  by  locking  each  other up. Moreover, that we stigmatize
adult  behavior  that  turns  friend  against  friend, brother against
brother,  neighbor  against neighbor and creates crime where there was
no crime before.

Therefore,  we  are not strictly writing to you as a matter of opinion
or  advocacy.  Rather,  we  appeal to your good conscience. Please ask
yourself,  Mr.  President,  what  kind  of  civilized  nation puts its
people  into  prison  for  privately  using  drugs?  When  will  this
greatest  of  modern  human rights abuses come to an end, so that this
nation,  or  any  nation,  will  never again conduct a war against its
own people?

Dalan Crockett
and Paul Bennett

Pubdate: Wed, 11 Feb 2009
Source: Brattleboro Reformer (VT)

***********************************************************************

FEATURE ARTICLE
-------------------------------

Another Dead On Arrival Medical Cannabis Bill, HB 164

By Jimmy/420

2009  marks  yet  another  year  with  yet  another bill, aimed toward
legalizing  marijuana  for  medicinal  purposes.  But,  wait a minute.
Aren't  we  the  ones  always  decrying  the  beating of a dead horse,
namely,  the  drug war? So, why is "our side" dragging out yet another
doomed  medi-pot  bill,  HB  164? As of today, "our side" is unable to
persuade  anyone  to  write  a companion bill. A bill cannot pass into
law  without  a  companion  bill.  D.O.A.  HB  164  doesn't  have  any
sponsors,  as  yet,  although  there  are several pro-medical cannabis
supporters  in  our  Texas  legislature.  So,  where are these heroic,
intelligent individuals?

They  are  bored,  that's  where they are. They are unmotivated. Maybe
they'll  get  on  board  this year, and maybe they won't. Chances are,
they  wont  hear  too  awful  much  feedback  from their constituents,
either  way,  except  the usual batch of form letters, supplied to us,
and  our  representatives,  courtesy  of  our  own  big organizations.
After  all,  this is one of hundreds of bills that appear in committee
each  year,  and never even make it out onto the floor to be voted on.
Except  for  the  few  that  do not get resubmitted in any form, these
kind  of  bills  are the lowest of the low. Certainly, they don't rank
up  there  with  the bills that almost got passed last session, nor of
the  "sure  to be passed" darlings that already have tons of sponsors,
representatives  who  pledge  to  vote  in favor of said bill. No, our
bills  invoke  barely  more  than  a  yawn  to  those  on  our side in
congress.  To  those  not  on  our  side,  our  bills scare the living
daylights  out  of  them. They either believe that our bills will lead
to  social  disaster  of  some  mysterious sort, or they have ulterior
motives  (these  would  be  in  the  minority), such as drug companies
being major contributors.

But,  we  are not asleep when it comes to getting our bills passed! We
are  not  corrupt, nor uneducated. HB 164 is OUR bill; it protects US,
our  fellow  Texans,  our  friends,  family,  and  yes, every citizen.
Texas  needs  to  recognize  some financial benefits, medical cannabis
patients  need  to  be able to benefit from their medication in safety
and  security,  to  the  greatest  extent  the  law will allow! Nobody
benefits from throwing sick people into jail!

Our  side  can't  keep  letting  yawns  and  lies dwell on our state's
glowing  Capitol  Building.  Maybe you've had the privilege of driving
past this majestic landmark on a starry, clear night. It's
inspiring.  It's  where  lives  are  changed  -  where  our  lives are
changed,  and  where  the  quality  of our lives is changed. We hadn't
ought  to  be  sitting  around just letting such changes occur without
our  input  or  direction. Just voting is not enough. Whomever we vote
on  will  never  vote  our  way  all the time. That's why we must tell
them  whenever  something  very  important  comes before them. We must
tell them how we want them to vote.

Please  join  Operation  Contact Hi!, a weekly contact list containing
4  people  or  places  you can contact to help get HB 164 passed. Each
year,  our  bills  die  in  committee  because we fail to breathe life
into  them.  This  year,  "give  the  gift of life". Help save Texas!!

Jimmy/420  is  a  pseudonym  for  a middle-aged conservative Christian
Republican medi-pot patient somewhere in north Texas.

***********************************************************************

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
------------------------------------

"Knowledge  is  essential  to  freedom."  -  William  Ellery  Channing

***********************************************************************

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===

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