The John Doe Radio Show

If you hit the jump in the previous JDR BLOG post, and read into the McCain’s finances, then you read Cindy McCain is a recovering prescription-drug addict from Vicodin and Percocet, and who owns the third largest Budweiser beer distributorship in the world.  Cindy McCain reportedly became addicted to the painkillers in 1989 after she had spinal surgery, twice, to fix ruptured discs and to deal with stress.  Apparently, she at one point was taking up to twenty pills a day, and was having illegal prescription scripts made out for her to support the habit.  And in 1992, her parents staged an intervention, and informed John McCain of the problem.  In 1993 a medical employee who knew of the addiction and illegal scripts, tipped off the DEA.  Mrs. McCain was ordered to a diversion program and to pay for the investigation into crimes.

I don’t mention any of this to damage John, or Cindy McCain.  Or to stump the presidential effort going for the McCain’s.  Hopefully if McCain is elected, she will have a big part in adding to treatment programs for people who need them.  It makes sense, especially seeing how she distributes one of this countries real drug problem.  (ok, that was an attack, sorry)  I’m just saying she would have made a great Medical Marijuana Candidate…  I know it happened before med pot laws but, I’m just saying.  Yah’ know?

Resources, citations and info all available here.

First off, that is the actual headline.  ‘Marijuana Addiction: Is Pot Addictive?’ Show a hand if you feel the line is a little misleading and more loaded than Mrs. McCain on her Budweiser distributorship (Mrs. McCain controls the Money)… anyone?  I thought so.

We always seem to jump back to prehistoric times when we don’t understand a topic.  Apparently our friends the people at NARCANON are still stuck in the prehistoric ages with the people at the ONDCP.  How can a person with a fully capable and functioning brain pretend to pass off dribble more ridiculous than betting against the USA Olympic Basketball team in Beijing?  We go another round, and all they seem to be doing is dragging, trolling for lost souls who will believe anything, anyone has to say.  It is an extremely scary situation.

“Many baby-boomers recall their younger years fondly,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia. “Part of the culture was the summer of love, and marijuana was passed around freely. As they grew up, and moved on, most left pot behind and became responsible adults.

“They would be in for a shock today. With THC content of modern commercial marijuana in some cases 15 to 20 times more powerful than the marijuana produced in the 60’s and 70’s, marijuana addiction is a real threat.

“Don’t let kids or others fool you: It’s not ‘just pot’ any more. These levels of THC now make marijuana extremely dangerous, extremely powerful, extremely addictive.”

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=54578&cat=10

I seem to have a taste of propaganda left in my mouth.  The above caption sums the article up.  No need to really read any further.  Just remember.  The enemy never sleeps;  Or grows up.

Thank you to the NORML blog at Marijuana Law Reform – NORML and ABC and Florida LEO for the info, and fodder.

This is a sad story.  One that I think hits close to home for a few of us out there.  During my struggle in the past year with the law, I was asked multiple times by LEO to snitch on the very people I thought were doing absolutely nothing wrong, and I never gave in.  But a lot of people do, understandably so in a way.  Its a frustrating and a down right insane practice to “flip” marijuana users.  Why would you put someone and yourself as an officer in more risk than the drug itself is worth.

The answer is easy and it is a sad one.  LEO does not care, and they do not make an attempt for a distinction between drugs.  They are impervious to anything they are doing to a human being who just smokes pot.  And will use them as a tool in the “War” anyway they can.  Unfortunately, it is a powerful tool seeing what the cost could be to your freedom, and life…

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:53:04 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Share This Article

Rachel Hoffman is dead.
Rachel Hoffman, like many young adults, occasionally smoked marijuana.
But Rachel Hoffman is not dead as a result of smoking marijuana; she is dead as a result of marijuana prohibition.
Under prohibition, Rachel faced up to five years in prison for possessing a small amount of marijuana.
Under prohibition, the police in Rachel’s community viewed her as nothing more than a common “criminal,” and threatened her with years in jail unless she cooperated with them as an untrained, unsupervised confidential informant.
Under prohibition, the law enforcement officers responsible for placing Rachel in the very situation that resulted in her murder have failed to publicly express any remorse — because, after all, under prohibition Rachel Hoffman was no longer a human being deserving of such sympathies.
Tonight, ABC’s 20/20 will shed a national spotlight on the tragedy surrounding Rachel Hoffman’s untimely death — and the tragedy that is marijuana prohibition. Are pot users criminals? The tragic case of Rachel Hoffman

via ABC News
After being caught twice with a “baggie” of marijuana, 23-year old Rachel Hoffman was reportedly told by police in Tallahassee, Florida that she would go to prison for four years unless she became an undercover informant.
The young woman, a recent graduate of Florida State University, was murdered during a botched sting operation two months ago.
Her case will be profiled Friday on 20/20.
“The idea of waging a war on drugs is to protect people and here it seems like we’re putting people in harm’s way,” said Lance Block, a lawyer hired by Rachel’s parents.
The Florida Attorney General’s office says it is reviewing the procedures and protocol of the Tallahassee police.Rachel’s case also has raised new questions about state and federal laws related to marijuana possession.
“I’m calling her a criminal,” Tallahassee police chief Dennis Jones told 20/20, who maintains that both drug dealers and drug users are considered criminals to his department.
Under Florida law, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a felony.
Rachel was also found in possession of two ecstasy pills, a felony under Florida law no matter the quantity because it “has a high potential for abuse and has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.”
The Tallahassee police chief says Rachel was suspected of selling drugs and she was rightly treated as a criminal.

I admit, I shed a tear.

~Sincerely yours in Reform,
JDR

An awesome article was posted on Science Daily this month.  One of the main points of the article and information explains how cannabinoids are produced naturally by the body, especially in times of pain.  The research also focuses on and eludes to certain ‘endocannabinoids’ that can be used to treat a specific illness, and allow a patient to avoid the “high” that comes with using Marijuana.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714192555.htm

“We don’t have cannabinoid receptors just in case we come into contact with plant-derived chemicals that activate them but rather because we have our own molecules that do this,” said Christopher Fowler, Professor of Pharmacology at Umea University, in Sweden, and co-chair of the meeting.

“The neat thing about endocannabinoids is that they are often produced only when we need them, such as when our bodies are damaged in some way; pain, for example, leads to a release of endocannabinoids in a region of the brain that is involved with pain control.

“The problem with this natural protective ‘endocannabinoid system’ is that it is too short-lived to be of great benefit — enzymes in our bodies quickly breakdown or metabolise the endocannabinoids negating their effect. It’s a bit like a bathtub without a plug — the water is turned on but rapidly disappears down the plughole. This suggests an immediate target: block the plughole and the water will stay longer.

Good times.  Keep Studying.

Do you recall the last time you saw an anti-drug commercial besides one for marijuana? I can’t, and the chances are good that you can’t either. Unless a local group or state agency has placed a methamphetamine commercial in the local programming, the chances of seeing an ONDCP sponsored non-pot commercial is slim to nil.  It supports the idea the Government has reared its money bearing head directly at pot. The War on Pot is a good description. In fact, all of the commercials on the government sponsored, Above the Influence website are all about Marijuana.

And the latest propaganda piece is called “Hurt”. It depicts burning spots on the neck and arms of a child bugging him throughout his normal day. I would have bet almost anything it was about Meth. But sure enough the “burning” is his contempt for his sister smoking pot.  In the end, he walks in on her and her friends smoking, and the burn moves to his eyes. Unfortunately, lol, the ONDCP doesn’t promote on YouTube so I don’t have the video for you offhand. Take my word though; I’m sure you will see it on TV soon though.  It is disturbing to think a talking dog, and misleading emotional statements are the best weapon to fight the so called war on drugs, when there are examples in every police stations mug shot lineup, of the ravages other drugs do to a person in a very small amount of time. I’m not condoning the fact people are being arrested for harsher drugs also. The depressing statistics of how many Americans are arrested for drugs like meth and heroin, and now prescription drugs included in there also, is prime proof that we need to improve treatment programs and put our money where it really counts, instead of just jail, and horrible anti-drug ads.

It is an incredible theory the ONDCP has come up with. Attack marijuana and the other drugs shall fall with it. First, you have to “defeat” pot, and second I guess it makes sense to attack the base of a pillar when you place marijuana as the base for that pillar of thinking as the lead “gateway” drug. Do they think if pot goes away the rest of the big bad world will also? The difference with marijuana is compassion, and understanding is mixed up with fear and a bullheadedness to resist change.

More studies in the past few weeks were released stating the health benefits of marijuana, and its active ingredients. Including news even if cancer cells are not killed, the ingredients of marijuana can weaken them enough for chemotherapy and other treatments to become more effective. We keep getting wowed.

• NORML Blog on Cancer and Cannabis:

http://blog.norml.org/2008/07/17/so-what-if-pot-can-cure-cancer-thats-no-reason-for-you-to-use-it/