-------------------------------------------------------------------
A unique opportunity to help Voter Power (Stormy Ray, a multiple sclerosis
patient and chief petitioner for the voter-approved Oregon Medical Marijuana
Act, sends a fundraising plea for the political action committee that
supported Measure 67 and is now working to make sure patients are able to get
medication, and education about what they can and cannot do under the new
law. "A lot of the patients I meet around our state are over 55 years old.
Many like me, missed the entire drug scene and don't know anything about
marijuana, except for them it works. . . . One man was washing his medical
marijuana in 'Dawn' dish soap. He thought that was how to 'clean' it. He was
asking 'Does this stuff always give you a headache?' He was poisoning
himself!")
From: "Stormy Ray" (mbpdoors@cyberhighway.net)
To: "cannabis- patriots" (cp@telelists.com), "dpfor" (dpfor@drugsense.org)
Subject: [cp] "Pain Free Paddleing" fundraiser
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 13:33:55 -0600
Dear Patients, Friends, and Supporters,
Please ask some people to exercise this unique opportunity to help Voter
Power while getting their support donation (up to $50. for an individual
filing and $100. for joint filing) back in taxes they would of had to pay.
See how many pledges you can get before the Voter Powers June meeting. All
your help is greatly appreciated. Remember every dollar helps Voter Power
continue its valuable work.
God Bless,
Stormy
Oregon Medical Marijuana Act
Chief Petitioner -Stormy Ray
541) 889-3876
715 Canyon 2 Rd.
Ontario, OR 97914
***
Oregon Medical Marijuana Act
SUPPORTERS
-Patients and their Support Circle, Caregivers, Activists and Law Abiding
Citizens-
Voter Power Needs Your Help
Oregonians want seriously ill medical patients to be able to use medical
marijuana in a way that doesn't encourage drug abuse. The Oregon Medical
Marijuana Act, passed by voters last fall, allows patients to possess and
grow small amounts of medical marijuana.
Voter Power has been instrumental in getting information out about the
complex challenge of implementing the OMMA. This PAC (Political Action
Committee) is committed to making sure that patients are able to get
medication and education about what they can and cannot do under the new law.
Here's a glimpse of why Voter Powers activities are so important. A lot of
the patients I meet around our state are over 55 years old. Many like me,
missed the entire drug scene and don't know anything about marijuana, except
for them it works.
There is such a great need by patients to have good information to help them.
One man was washing his medical marijuana in "Dawn" dish soap. He thought
that was how to "Clean it". He was asking "Does this stuff always give you a
headache?" He was poisoning himself!
"Oh, God Bless You", was all she could say as her eyes clouded with tears.
This was a small view of reality that occurred 5/1/99. His wife struggled as
she assisted her husband (70 yrs. +) to the end of the bed. His face was grey
and his breathing was labored. There was great concern in her eyes for her
husband with lung cancer. I'd spoken to her on the phone, but was not
prepared for his medical condition. She had to help him with my small glass
pipe. He took 2 small toks and his breathing stopped laboring like it had
been only moments earlier. The color started returning to his face. I could
see the "hunny I'm okay" glances they shared through their smiles to each
other. They were so grateful, she made me promise to thank everyone who had a
hand in making this relief possible for her husband. She praised "Medical
Marijuana".
Would you like to help Voter Power continue to help patients and
implementation of OMMA?
IT'S EASY... Just send your check to: Voter Power 3950 Hawthorne,
Portland, OR 97214
Your donation to Voter Power ($50.00 indiv., $100.00 joint filing) qualifies
for an "Oregon State Tax Credit".
A "Tax credit" is applied to reduce what you would pay in state taxes. So
here's a good way you can help Voter Power continue to implement OMMA and
help patients.
God Bless,
Stormy Ray
OMMA Chief Petitioner and Voter Power Fund-raising Committee
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Official OCTA2k Petition Signature Count (A bulletin from the Campaign for
the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, the sponsors of the Oregon Cannabis
Tax Act voter initiative, says 4,605 signatures were on-hand as of yesterday.
To get on the November 2000 ballot, the comprehensive reform bill will need
66,748 signatures by July of next year.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 01:50:52 -0700
To: CRRH_OCTA2K List Server (Restore@crrh.org)
From: Floyd F Landrath (AAL@InetArena.com)
From: "CRRH mailing list" (restore@crrh.org)
Subject: Official OCTA2k PETITION SIGNATURE COUNT as of 5/28/99
As of today, Friday, May 28, 1999, The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act petition
drive for the year 2000, now has 4,605 signatures on-hand.
Floyd F Landrath - OCTA2k
petition coordinator
***
To subscribe, unsubscribe or switch to immediate or digest mode, please send
your instructions to restore-owner@crrh.org.
***
Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp
CRRH
P.O. Box 86741
Portland, OR 97286
Phone: (503) 235-4606
Fax:(503) 235-0120
Web: http://www.crrh.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PBS on June 1 (A list subscriber says "Point of View," the Public
Broadcasting Service's showcase for independent, non-fiction films, will air
"The Legacy: Murder & Media, Politics & Prisons" on Tuesday night. "The
Legacy" looks at how California's "three strikes" law was enacted, and how
broadcast media and political campaigns influence the public debate about
criminal-justice issues.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 15:28:55 EDT
Originator: friends@freecannabis.org
Sender: friends@freecannabis.org
From: Tim Perkins (tperkinsj@worldnet.att.net)
To: Multiple recipients of list (friends@freecannabis.org)
Subject: PBS on June 1st
From: Gordon D Johnson (gdjohnson2@juno.com)
For those of our friends who have not yet killed their televisions:
Point of View, public television's annual award-winning showcase for
independent non-fiction films, will broadcast "The Legacy: Murder &
Media, Politics & Prisons" nationally on June 1, on PBS (check local
listings) to kick off its 1999 season.
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, IT WILL SHOW ON KCET AT 9:00, FOLLOWED BY A LIFE
& TIMES SEGMENT DEVOTED TO THE 3-STRIKES ISSUE AT 10:30
"The Legacy" explores in detail the process by which California's Three
Strikes law was enacted, and focuses attention on how broadcast media
and political campaigns influence public debate on major criminal justice
reforms. The film examines how Three Strikes advances a
one-size-fits-all approach to justice that has contributed to
California's runaway prison growth.
"The Legacy" features the story of two fathers linked by tragedy, then
divided by conscience and reveals the real story behind the nation's
toughest sentencing law.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Medical Research On Marijuana Right (A staff editorial in the San Antonio
Express-News says the Clinton administration's easing of restrictions on
obtaining marijuana for medical research is a sound decision.)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 18:16:25 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: Editorial: Medical Research On Marijuana Right
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Frank S. World
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Copyright: 1999 San Antonio Express-News
Contact: letters@express-news.net
Website: http://www.expressnews.com/
Forum: http://data.express-news.net:2080/eshare/server?action=4
MEDICAL RESEARCH ON MARIJUANA RIGHT
The Clinton administration has eased restrictions on obtaining marijuana
for medical research.
The decision was sound and should allow scientists to gain important
knowledge about the drug. Enough evidence about the positive medicinal
effects of the drug exists to justify more scientific examination.
In the past, extensive study has been deterred by the emotional baggage
surrounding the illegal, recreational use of marijuana.
Despite previous federal reluctance to explore medical uses of marijuana, a
1996 California initiative allowed the medical use of the drug if
prescribed by doctors.
But federal authorities continued to threaten to arrest doctors who helped
patients obtain marijuana.
More recently, reports the Associated Press, studies by the National
Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health also found
evidence marijuana, or its active ingredients, might have some medical uses.
The drug long has been reported to help glaucoma patients and is credited
with relieving nausea for cancer and AIDS patients.
Supported by the White House Office of National Drug Policy, the new
guidelines will allow scientists easier access to research-grade marijuana
grown on government lands, according to the AP.
The new rules will help ensure the consistency, purity and quality of the
marijuana used in research.
Despite the plant's role in the illegal drug trade across the Americas, the
medical research is worthwhile.
Scientists can examine the benefits and dangers of the substance in an
objective fashion.
Only after thorough studies are completed will Americans really know
whether marijuana has any legitimate use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Police Find Marijuana 'Farm' At Nursing Home (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in
Missouri, doesn't say what led police to raid a St. Louis nursing home
Friday. Officers found 200 marijuana plants and arrested an unnamed
34-year-old employee who had allegedly set up an elaborate growing operation
behind a false wall.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 05:51:18 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US MO: Police Find Marijuana 'Farm' At Nursing Home
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: unoino2
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Copyright: 1999 Post Dispatch
Contact: letters@pd.stlnet.com
Website: http://www.stlnet.com/
Forum: http://www.stlnet.com/postnet/index.nsf/forums
POLICE FIND MARIJUANA "FARM" AT NURSING HOME
A drug bust at a St. Louis nursing home Friday yielded 200 marijuana
plants and the arrest of a 34-year-old employee.
About 11 a.m., 12 St. Louis police officers and five federal Drug
Enforcement Agency agents exercised a search warrant at the Altenheim
St. Louis, at 5408 South Broadway, just north of Bellerive Park in the
city's Carondelet neighborhood.
They raided the basement and moved some furniture to reach a false
wall. Behind the wall was an elaborate growing operation - marijuana
plants thriving in a lighted, irrigated area, a St. Louis police
spokesman said.
Officers also arrested a longtime employee, who authorities allege had
rigged the operation using material from the nursing home's
maintenance department. The suspect's name was not released.
Altenheim management knew nothing of the marijuana operation, the
police spokesman said. Administrators could not be reached Friday.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Man Wins Pot-Smoking Case In Levy County (The Gainesville Sun says Michael
Stauff of Bronson, Florida, was acquitted by a jury Thursday of possessing
half a joint after presenting a 1997 letter from one of his former
physicians. Stauff told the jury smoking marijuana relieves the back pain he
suffers since having a disk removed, and also improves his appetite, which
has been lagging since he was diagnosed with hepatitis C. During jury
selection, assistant state attorney John Wentzlaff asked a pool of potential
jurors how many believed more work should be done to determine the
effectiveness of marijuana as medicine. "When all 12 of them raised their
hands to that question, I knew we were going into the trial with a jury
predisposed to believe the defendant's argument," Wentzlaff said. It took the
jury just minutes to make a decision. Unfortunately, Stauff is still in jail
after allegedly selling 20 Percocets for $100 to an undercover agent with the
sheriff's department the night before the trial.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 16:53:02 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US FL: MMJ: Man Wins Pot-Smoking Case In Levy County
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Ken Wise
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 1999 The Gainesville Sun
Contact: gigabit@ufl.edu
Website: http://www.sunone.com/
Forum: http://www.sunone.com/interactive.shtml
Author: Karen Voyles, Sun Staff WriterAREN VOYLES
MAN WINS POT-SMOKING CASE IN LEVY COUNTY
BRONSON - A Levy County man convinced a jury he needs to smoke marijuana for
medical reasons, but his attorney doesn't think the verdict sets a precedent.
And meanwhile, the admitted pot smoker, Michael Stauff of Bronson, was back
in jail Friday on an unrelated drug charge.
Stauff was charged Jan. 7 for possession of half of a joint - about
two-tenths of a gram of pot - after he gave officers permission to search
his car.
The amount of marijuana was so small that Stauff was charged with a
misdemeanor. Still, the drug charges carried a maximum penalty of a year in
the county jail.
Stauff, 49, presented officials with a letter from one of his former
physicians at the Family Practice Medical Group at the University of
Florida. The letter, written April 7, 1997, by doctor and then-clinical
assistant professor Frederick C. Peterson, explained that Stauff smoked
marijuana daily to ease lower back pain.
"Although this use is of questionable medical validity, it has appeared to
help and has minimized his dependence on standard opioid and non-opioid pain
relievers," Peterson wrote. The doctor later moved out of state and could
not be located to testify at Stauff's trial.
Stauff told the jury of five women and one man that smoking marijuana not
only relieves the back pain he has suffered since having a disk removed form
his spine, the marijuana also improves his appetite, which has been lagging
since being diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
Stauff believes he contracted the disease during his tour of duty in Vietnam
in the 1960s or during a surgery following his discharge from the military.
During jury selection, assistant state attorney John Wentzlaff asked pool of
potential jurors how many of them believed that more work should be done to
determine the effectiveness of marijuana for medical purposes.
"When all 12 of them raised their hands to that questions, I knew we were
going into the trial with a jury predisposed to believe the defendant's
argument," Wentzlaff said.
Assistant public defender Jack Nugent, who represented Stauff, said he was
"stunned" to see all 12 potential jurors raise their hands. More stunning
was the time it took the jury - just minutes - to make a decision in the case.
Said Nugent: "Of course, we are glad that we won - that he was acquitted but
you have to remember that this decision has no value anywhere else - these
kinds of medical defenses are fact specific and this verdict was specific
only to this particular situation," Nugent said.
What Nugent found suspicious about this case was that his client was
arrested on an apparently unrelated drug charge on Wednesday evening, the
evening between jury selection and Thursday's trial.
Levy County Sheriff Ted Glass called it a coincidence.
"It was bad luck on his part - he sold some drugs and we arrested him,"
Glass said. Stauff was arrested after allegedly selling 20 Percocet
painkilling tablets for $100 to someone working undercover for the sheriff's
department. He has been held since that arrest on a $25,000 bond.
"The irony of all this is that this guy is still in jail," said State
Attorney Rod Smith.
Smith said this is probably the first time "medical necessity" has been used
as a defense in a Levy County marijuana case, and his office rarely loses a
case it tries in Levy County.
"I think we ran into some of those in Gainesville several years ago, but I
am not sure if they went to trial," Smith said. "I am a little unhappy about
how this one turned out. Once again, it is an alarming trend when jurors
want to second-guess what the law ought to be rather than what the law is.
We know nationally that more and more jurors are choosing to pardon misdeeds
through their decisions. I think that when a jury does that, they are
abrogating their responsibilities."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Informant Who Succumbed To Drugs Sentenced (The Tampa Tribune, in Florida,
says Charles D. Combs, who robbed eight banks to pay for his crack-cocaine
habit while working as a confidential informant for St. Petersburg
prohibition agents, was sentenced Friday to more than 10 years in federal
prison.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 16:53:05 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US FL: Informant Who Succumbed To Drugs Sentenced
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John Chase
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: Tampa Tribune (FL)
Copyright: 1999, The Tribune Co.
Contact: tribletters@tampatrib.com
Website: http://www.tampatrib.com/
Forum: http://tampabayonline.net/interact/welcome.htm
Author: Gary Sprott, The Tampa Tribune
Note: Gary Sprott covers legal issues and can be reached at (813) 259-7837
INFORMANT WHO SUCCUMBED TO DRUGS SENTENCED
TAMPA - A man who robbed banks to pay for his drug habit while working as a
confidential informant for St. Petersburg narcotics detectives was sentenced
Friday to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Charles D. Combs also was ordered to repay the more than $19,000 he stole
from eight St. Petersburg banks and must complete three years of supervised
release once his prison term ends.
In return for Combs pleading guilty to one count each of bank robbery and
using a firearm, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss eight other counts.
Combs, 29, a former cruise director, was arrested last summer. He testified
that his problems began in the mid-1990s when he offered to provide police
with information about drug activity in south St. Petersburg.
Combs told U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew that he wanted to help
police clean up his neighborhood. He said the stress of his informant work,
however, led him to begin using crack cocaine.
Prosecutors dismissed that scenario, saying Combs had used illegal drugs as
far back as high school. They said narcotics detectives never knew Combs had
begun using drugs again.
Bucklew said she was distressed that Combs seemed unwilling to accept
responsibility.
"Obviously, you blame the St. Petersburg Police Department for the
predicament you're in," she said. "You robbed eight banks ... No one twisted
your arm to get you into drugs.
"The majority of what you're suffering from is your drug addiction," Bucklew
said. "Your drug and alcohol addiction, I should say."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Warriors' Cry (A letter to the editor of the Washington Post points out how
its syndicated columnist, David Broder, is confused about the difference
between drug abuse and drug use. The IOM report suggests marijuana users are
not drug abusers and therefore should not be coerced into rehab programs.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 17:20:07 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US DC: PUB LTE: Warriors' Cry by Gerald Sutliff
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: See the PUB LTE archives http://www.mapinc.org/lte/
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 1999 The Washington Post Company
Page: S 25
Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Gerald Sutliff
Note: This is the 43d PUB LTE by Jerry about to go into our published
letters archive! Friends, if you write enough LTEs, you will be published!
See LTE writing tips at:
http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm
Also: The referenced OPED is at:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n470/a03.html
Warriors' Cry
In his excellent May 2 op-ed column, David Broder inadvertently
repeats the drug warriors' propaganda. He writes, "It long has been
known that drug abuse is the major factor in swelling our prison and
jail population almost to 2 million." There is a great difference
between drug use and drug abuse.
Somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 (or more) of those drug "abuse"
prisoners were arrested for marijuana possession. As stated in the
Institute of Medicine's report on medical use of marijuana,
marijuana's potential for abuse is doubtful or at most slight.
Marijuana's addictive powers are, for most people, nonexistent,
therefore no treatment is necessary.
It's the War on Drugs that is filling our prisons and costing us all
billions and much of the Bill of Rights.
Nevertheless, drug addiction often requires treatment, and America
regards drug addiction as a serious problem. For that reason funding
for "treatment on demand" should be commensurate with our level of
concern. May I suggest $17 billion per year? That sum is the official
budget for the War on Drugs.
-- Gerald Sutliff
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Vote Today for Industrial Hemp! (A list subscriber alerts others to an online
poll at the Michael Reagan Radio Show website. So far, legalizers are winning
with 64 percent support.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 07:32:27 -0400
To: restore@crrh.org
From: Richard Lake (rlake@mapinc.org)
From: "CRRH mailing list" (restore@crrh.org)
Subject: Vote Today for Industrial Hemp!
The Michael Reagan Radio Show, heard nationally, conducts polls on their
website which Mike discusses on the evening broadcast.
Scroll to the bottom of the page at
http://www.reagan.com/
and
VOTE IN TODAY'S POLL:
Do you think industrial hemp should be legalized?
The results, as of 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning Eastern Time:
64.42% YES
24.08% NO
11.50% No Idea.
The poll does allow Chicago style voting (vote early and vote often), but
may not be able to vote again immediately as it blocks second votes from
the same area (ISP?) until someone else has voted. Waiting a few minutes
and voting again worked.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Are People With Schizophrenia Drawn To Smoking Pot? (Britain's New Scientist
recounts recent research published in NeuroReport by Daniele Piomelli and
colleagues at the University of California at Irvine. High levels of
anandamide, a natural THC-like substance, are apparently produced in response
to the excess dopamine associated with schizophrenia. This might explain why
schizophrenics often smoke marijuana.)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 18:40:02 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Are People With Schizophrenia Drawn To Smoking Pot?
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Peter Webster
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: New Scientist (UK)
Page: 7
Copyright: New Scientist, RBI Limited 1999
Contact: letters@newscientist.com
Website: http://www.newscientist.com/
Author: Jonathan Knight, San Francisco
ARE PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA DRAWN TO SMOKING POT?
A COMPOUND related to the active ingredient in marijuana may be
accumulating in the spinal fluid of people with schizophrenia. This
might explain why many sufferers smoke pot.
Many researchers blame schizophrenia on an overactive dopamine system
in the brain. Daniele Piomelli and colleagues at the University of
California at Irvine already knew that making rats' dopamine receptors
hyperactive caused a surge in anandamide, a lipid that binds to the
same receptors in the brain as marijuana.
Now Piomelli's group has examined cerebrospinal fluid from 10
schizophrenic patients, taken for diagnostic purposes at the Medical
College of Hannover in Germany. They found that fluid from
schizophrenic patients had on average twice as much anandamide as
fluid from people who didn't have schizophrenia (NeuroReport, vol 10,
p 1665).
One explanation for the higher levels in schizophrenics is that the
brain is attempting to compensate for a hyperactive dopamine system.
"It's the brain's response to bring this dopamine activity down," says
Piomelli. But the brain cannot keep the amount of anandamide high
enough to lower dopamine levels, he says.
This might also explain why schizophrenics often smoke marijuana. The
drug's active agent, THC, and anandamide both bind to the same
receptor, so patients might be treating themselves, he says. But
because pot does not act selectively in the brain, Piomelli does not
consider it a useful treatment for schizophrenia. "I don't think the
patient wants to be high," he says. "I think the patient wants to feel
better."
One weakness in the data so far is that five of the patients were taking
medication for their symptoms and three others vvere using marijuana daily.
The effects of these drugs on endogenous cannabinoid levels is not known.
"It is imperative to continue with a Sarger sample," says Piomelli. The
researchers are now testing fluid. from more patients to see if the
correlation still holds true.
***
[Portland NORML notes: As the only apparent advocate for psychiatric medical
marijuana patients on the 'net, PDX NORML will venture a few comments, as it
has in at least one earlier version of this article.
Piomelli says the apparent overabundance of anandamide in the spinal fluid of
people with schizophrenia is a response to excessive production of dopamine.
"It's the brain's response to bring this dopamine activity down," he says.
Piomelli also believes the brain cannot keep the amount of anandamide high
enough to lower dopamine levels, but this theory doesn't make sense, since
presumably the amount of excess dopamine must vary from patient to patient
and the severity of the disease. Indeed, using Piomelli's model, one would
infer that patients with a relatively low dopamine imbalance would have
relatively more success treating their symptoms with cannabis to augment
their anandamide production - unless one totally discounts the patients who
report positive effects.
Piomelli does not believe pot acts "selectively" in the brain, so he rejects
it out of hand as a useful treatment for schizophrenia. But why couldn't a
plant variety with just the right cannabinoid makeup be bred? "I don't think
the patient wants to be high," he says. "I think the patient wants to feel
better." Well, duh. So let's rephrase the question. Why are schizophrenics
smoking pot to feel better? Clearly, of the sixty-plus cannabinoids produced
in marijuana, one or more must be having medically beneficial effects on
some patients or they wouldn't be reporting them.
Piomelli also seems to preclude the possibility that certain cannabinoids in
marijuana that might be causing negative side effects could be bred out of a
medicinal plant variety.
Finally, Piomelli seems to overemphasize the "high" experienced by most
medical marijuana patients who consume cannabis on a frequent basis. A good
antidote might be "Marijuana and the Brain: Part II - The Tolerance Factor,"
by former NORML director Jon Gettman.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Where There's Smoke . . . (According to New Scientist, two new reports
in the latest issue of Tobacco Control, a crusading journal published by the
British Medical Association, allege the tobacco industry exacerbates
deforestation and causes fatal house fires. The first report, by Helmut
Geist, a forestry scientist formerly at the University of Dusseldorf, blames
tobacco growers for clearcutting and building wooden barns in South Korea,
China, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uruguay. The second paper, by Andrew McGuire of
the Trauma Foundation, based at San Francisco General Hospital, blames Philip
Morris for the 1,000 people in the U.S. who die each year in fires started by
cigarettes, because it can't develop a self-extinguishing cigarette that
smokers will buy.)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 18:40:00 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Where There's Smoke. . .
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Peter Webster
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: New Scientist (UK)
Page: 15
Copyright: New Scientist, RBI Limited 1999
Contact: letters@newscientist.com
Website: http://www.newscientist.com/
Author: Michael Day
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE. . .
The Hazards Of Tobacco Use Go Far Beyond Personal Health
IF CANCER and heart disease weren't reason enough to quit cigarettes,
smokers might feel a twinge of conscience at two new reports
highlighting how tobacco endangers the environment and public safety.
Both reports are published in the latest issue of the British Medical
Association journal Tobacco Control. In the first (vol 8, p 18),
Helmut Geist, a forestry scientist formerly at the University of
Dusseldorf, reviews data on forestry and tobacco farming from
individual countries and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He
estimates that tobacco farmers clear 200 000 hectares of forest and
woodland every year. More than 90 per cent of the land is in the
developing world and this accounts for nearly 5 per cent of the
deforestation each year in the worst affected countries - which
include South Korea, China, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uruguay.
"The hypothesis promoted by the tobacco industry that no negative
effects such as deforestation are attributable to tobacco must be
challenged," says Geist.
The problem is two-pronged: tobacco growers target virgin forest land
because the soil contains more nutrients and then chop down even more
forest to supply the wood they need to cure the crop and build the
barns for storing their harvests.
In another paper that has not yet been published, Geist calculates
that global tobacco production consumes more than 11 million tonnes of
wood each year. Olivier Dubois of the International Institute for
Environment and Development in London says we need to take a closer
look at the issue. "The key question is whether farmers and their
employers would be doing just as much damage if they weren't working
on the tobacco farms," he says. "We need an environmental impact
assessment."
In the second paper (p 67), Andrew McGuire of the Trauma Foundation
based at the San Francisco General Hospital accuses the tobacco
industry of dragging its heels over introducing a "fire-safe"
cigarette that would slash the death toll from tobacco-related house
fires.
In the US, 1000 people die and many more are injured each year in
fires started by cigarettes - more than in fires with any other single
cause, such as electrical faults or arson. Yet McGuire says that from
1987 onwards, the tobacco giant Philip Morris tested cigarettes that
were less likely to ignite upholstery and mattresses.
According to internal company memos, the new cigarette received
similar scores as ordinary Marlboro cigarettes in taste tests,
although its overall acceptability to smokers was judged to be lower.
The fire-safe cigarette has so far not reached the market.
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How To Make Money Out Of Quitting (According to New Scientist, a report just
out from the World Bank says nations can limit smoking and improve their
economies by raising taxes on cigarettes, banning advertising, and investing
in how-to-quit programmes.)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 12:10:00 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: UK: How To Make Money Out Of Quitting
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Peter Webster
Pubdate: Sat, 29 May 1999
Source: New Scientist (UK)
Copyright: New Scientist, RBI Limited 1999
Contact: letters@newscientist.com
Website: http://www.newscientist.com/
Author: Kurt Kleiner, Washington DC
HOW TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF QUITTING
GOVERNMENTS can improve their countries' economies by taking tough action to
limit cigarette smoking, according to a new report from the World Bank. It
recommends raising taxes on cigarettes, banning advertising and investing in
how-to-quit programmes.
By 2030, according to the bank's report, tobacco will be the leading cause
of death in the world, killing 10 million people a year. The best way to
reduce the number of smokers, it argues, is to increase taxes up to
four-fifths of the retail price. In some countries, such as Britain, taxes
are already this high. In low-income countries, however, taxes account for
half or less of the retail price.
Based on international data, the report's authors argue that for every 10
per cent increase in taxes, the incidence of smoking goes down between 4 and
8 per cent. This would mean that tax increases would both reduce smoking and
increase government revenues, the authors say, which could be used to pay
for other anti-smoking measures.
But other studies have concluded that higher taxes only encourage the
smuggling of untaxed cigarettes. Economist Dwight Lee of Washington
University in St Louis, for instance, found that a tripling of state
cigareee taxes in Michigan in 1994 drove legal sales down 30 per cent. It
also increased smuggling from nearby low-tax states and didn't lower overall
smoking. The World Bank report admits that smuggling is a problem, but says
it should be possible to fight it effectively through better law
enforcement.
Anti-smoking groups have welcomed the World Bank report. "The most effective
things we can do don't cost any money," says John Banzhaf, director of the
US arm of Action on Smoking and Health, based in Washington DC.
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Quick Text Tracks Down Drug Users (New Scientist says police, sports
regulators and employers will soon have a new drug testing technology. A
hand-held unit called the Cozart RapiScan tests saliva for cannabis, cocaine,
amphetamines, ecstasy, opiates and benzodiazepines.)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 11:48:14 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: UK: Quick Text Tracks Down Drug Users
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Peter Webster
Pubdate: May 29, 1999(page 11)
Source: New Scientist (UK)
Copyright: New Scientist, RBI Limited 1999
Contact: letters@newscientist.com
Website: http://www.newscientist.com/
Author: Duncan Graham-Rowe
QUICK TEST TRACKS DOWN DRUG ABUSERS
Police, sports regulators and employers will soon have a new tool to
aid their efforts to monitor drug abuse: a hand-held unit called the
Cozart RapiScan. The device simultaneously tests a sample of saliva
for a host of substances such as cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines,
ecstasy, opiates such as heroin and morphine, and benzodiazepines.
A swab of saliva is placed inside a cartridge containing a strip of
nitrocellulose membrane divided into a number of zones. Each zone is
laced with different types of antibodies and receptors that are
sensitive to a specific drug. As the strip absorbs clean saliva, the
antibodies float free and bind to their receptors, turning the
membrane pink. However, if the saliva contains certain drugs, the
antibodies have to compete with the drugs in order to bind to the
membrane in their respective zones=F0so there is no colour change.
RapiScan reads colour changes electronically so judgments are not
subjective. And the maker claims the system can detect nanogram
quantities of drugs using just a millilitre of saliva. "This is as
reliable as a urine test but much faster, with a result appearing in
five to 12 minutes. It's as easy as reading a pregnancy test," says a
spokeswoman for Cozart, the Oxfordshire-based company which makes the
device.
Police in Australia are now using the RapiScan to see if there is any
connection between road accidents and certain illegal drugs. Cozart
says it has also attracted interest from the British prison service
and the military.
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[End]
to the 1999 Daily News index for May 28-June 3