"Prohibition was introduced as a fraud; it has been nursed
as a fraud. It is wrapped in the livery of Heaven, but it comes
to serve the devil. It comes to regulate by law our appetites
and our daily lives. It comes to tear down liberty and build
up fanaticism, hypocrisy, and intolerance. It comes to confiscate
by legislative decree the property of many of our fellow citizens.
It comes to send spies, detectives, and informers into our homes;
to have us arrested and carried before courts and condemned
to fines and imprisonments. It comes to dissipate the sunlight
of happiness, peace, and prosperity in which we are now living
and to fill our land with alienations, estrangements, and bitterness.
It comes to bring us evil --only evil-- and that continually.
Let us rise in our might as one and overwhelm it with such indignation
that we shall never hear of it again as long as grass grows
and water runs."
Roger Q. Mills of Texas, 1887.
People often write asking how they can help as a volunteer.
The HEMP Embassy runs an information centre/ paraphernalia
shop in Nimbin all year round to fund our fight against cannabis
laws. This is staffed by rostered volunteers
who live locally, or are on an extended visit.
If you do not live close enough, there is still an opening.
Every year, on the first weekend in May, we
have the Nimbin MardiGrass Drug Law Reform Rally.
To do this takes lots of volunteers
who live locally OR are attending the MardiGrass. We have volunteers
from all over the world who come to help make MardiGrass possible,
not just stand and watch. It's fantastic to see. Feel free to
come and joint in.
If you ever come to Australia, drop in to the HEMP Embassy
in Nimbin. Try to make it coincide with MardiGrass, if u can....otherwise,
come anyway, or oppose stupid laws wherever you are, and you
will be helping us all...
That is the Norml state of affairs, but if you feel you have
special skills that could help the cause, or see a need that
isn't catered to, then communicate
and contribute.
Send us your hemp related writings or art!
"Reject the illusion of power
brought by violence."
"Men, it has been well said, think in herds;
it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover
their senses slowly, and one by one." -- Charles Mackaya
George changed over to a blog after June 15th 2008...
Click above address for the "links
by george" blog. Top right of that page are links to July 1st,
August 1st, August 9th, August 18th, September 1st, September
8th, September 14th, September 21st, September 28th, October
5th, October 12th, October 19th, October 26th, November 11th,
December 1st, December 7th, December 14th and December 21st
editions.
Greetings from the rain forest and hope everyone
is well. I invite you to check out the latest news stories as
well as art offerings. When opening the blog link, if you scroll
down to the bottom of the page, right above the Quotes and Punmaster
Music Article section, I keep adding new art images that you
might enjoy looking at.
As you know, the articles are arranged in a display ranging
from shamanism, health and environmental news, global stories,
politics and the economy in the US. Afterwards are the weekly
quotes and then the music news from punmasters.
Also, please consider any possible donation which of course
will be greatly appreciated.
Click on thefor the latest "links by george" newsletter
and blog.
A nice week to you.
George
Come join us at
the next Tuntable family dinner cafe night this Sunday starting
at 5pm. The theme will be Greek and as always, it will be low
cost vegetarian cuisine with musicians encouraged to come play
as well. The new oven has been installed in the Tuntable community
center/shop and we are happy to start if off with lots of delicious
food items. Looking forward to seeing you then.
George, Stephanie, Nicolette, Sophia and now, our son John
"The person
who stands up and says, 'This is stupid,' either is asked to
behave or, worse, is greeted with a cheerful, 'Yes, we know!
Isn't it terrific!'" ~~~ Frank Zappa
This site has a lot of internal links to interesting
news and images. Well worth a look.
Dr. Robert J. Melamede Ph.D. Chairman of the Biology
Department of the University of Colorado:
"The Cannabinoid System has been around for over 600 million
years. Before the Dinosaurs. The Cannabinoid System is continuously
evolutioning and has been retained by all new species. Food
and feeding is at the heart of the Cannabinoid System."
More here!
SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 18, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Cannabis
Science Inc. (NASD OTCBB: CBIS:), an emerging pharmaceutical
cannabis company, announced today that patent filings are expected
for two of its key innovations. "The Drug Development Team
members recognize the importance of having our first cannabis-based
medicine covered, not just by one patent, but by two,"
Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, Vice President, Research & Development
explained. "A competitor can sometimes engineer
a way around a single patent. Patenting both the manufacturing
process as well as the delivery system virtually guarantees
that our product will be immune to 'invasion' by a competing
company."
Cannabis Science CEO, Steve Kubby, is the
inventor who will assign both of his patents to Cannabis Science.
"Our new manufacturing process allows for the rapid and
uniform harvesting of cannabis 'trichomes,' the part of the
plant containing the active ingredient, THC," Kubby told
potential investors today. "Just as the cotton gin made
cotton harvesting economically feasible, our innovative process
will revolutionize trichome harvesting."
"Having a creative mind like Steve Kubby's at the helm
gives us a competitive advantage," Dr. Robert Melamede,
Chief Scientific Officer commented. "The new manufacturing
process is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The unique
drug delivery system he has designed enhances the stability
and uniform absorption of the active ingredient. We expect our
first product to outshine the competition with rapid---and prolonged---blood
levels of THC." More
here!
A note on eating cannabis confections.
If you take it orally (eating cookies, cakes, etc), you could
be in for quite a ride. The liver metabolises THC into 11-OH-*9-THC,
a compound three times more psychoactive. Foods made with high
THC "heads" or hashish can give a powerful, almost
psychedelic experience, which can be very uncomfortable if you're
not expecting it. The effects are slower to come on (1 to 2
hours) and last considerably longer (around 4 hours).
Different people have different experiences. While one person
might go to sleep, another might smile and laugh excessively,
while another might have a panic attack. These are classic responses
but they are by no means definitive. Experiences vary. If smoking
cannabis makes you nervous or agitated, then
consuming cookies (and indeed other temporarily mind altering
drugs) may be inadvisable.
Do not assume cookies from different sources are of the same
strength. Even different batches from the same source can vary.
Know thyself. Stay in your comfort zone. Try half a cookie
first, and assess the effect.
1973 Nimbin Street and Aquarius Festival archival footage.
Sativex is available now in 22 countries including Australia
via what is known as named patient
supply. GW Pharmaceuticals are not allowed to promote this,
so you are not going to see any advertisements or read about
it in newspapers.
Under this procedure, a patient's doctor writes a prescription
for Sativex that is sent to GW Pharmaceuticals in the UK. In
countries that allow this, the material is then sent directly
to the patient. The process begins with the doctor sending an
enquiry to:
Neil Morgan discusses his right to have a private life
which includes the growing and consumption of cannabis. He has
consistently challenged UK law by repeatedly growing cannabis
and going to jail to the point where the judiciary seem to have
grown tired of jailing him... His grounds for challenge? Article
8 of the UN convention on human rights.
Article 8: Right
to respect for private and family life
1. Everyone has
the right to respect for his private and family life, his home
and his correspondence.
2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with
the exercise of
this right except such as is in accordance with the law and
is necessary
in a democratic society in the interests of national security,
public safety
or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention
of disorder
or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the
protection of
the rights and freedoms of others.
It is disappointing to see government bodies propagating
false information, and charging people money to learn that false
information. This is our tax dollars being misdirected into
socio-political agendas masquerading as science.
Weed Nation Soldiers is an advocacy
comic of stoners created by stoners for stoners!
Weed Nation is brought to you
by Inebria Entertainment
A LAW ENFORCEMENT POINT OF VIEW
Employees of Mark Emery, So Called
"Prince of Pot", Plead Guilty
By Drug Enforcement Administration , Enforcing
Controlled Substance Laws - May 08, 2009
In a U.S. court last week, Michelle Rainey and Gregory Keith
Williams both pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana.
Rainey, 38, and Williams, 54, both of Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada, voluntarily appeared in Seattle to resolve the charges
stemming from a 2005 grand jury indictment. Under the terms
of the plea agreements with Rainey and Williams, both sides
will recommend sentences of two years probation. Sentencing
is scheduled before U.S District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez
on July 17, 2009. The lead defendant in the indictment, marijuana
seed distributor Marc Emery, remains in Canada, fighting extradition
to the United States on the charges. Emery bills himself as
the “Prince of Pot.”
According to facts recounted in her plea agreement, Rainey
worked for Emery from 1998 to 2005. Rainey assisted with Emery’s
mail order marijuana seed business filling orders that came
in by mail. At Emery’s instruction, Rainey sent seeds,
as well as growing instructions, out to customers of which 75%
of the customers were located in the United States. Between
2003 and 2005, Rainey earned as much as $1,000 per week mailing
out the seeds and information.
According to his plea agreement, Williams handled the phone
orders for the business and the wire transfer information customers
used for payment. Williams also worked at the seed desk, selling
seeds directly to customers who came into Emery’s store.
On numerous occasions in 2004, Williams sold seeds to a DEA
undercover agent. At Emery’s request, Williams authored
the growing instructions that were mailed out with the marijuana
seeds. Williams income from the business increased over time
and by 2005, Emery was paying him $300.00 per day.
Williams verified that the information posted on the Emery
website claiming that Emery took in more than $3,000,000 annually
selling marijuana seeds was in fact accurate. Emery claims to
have sold more than 4,000,000 marijuana seeds, three-quarters
of those to customers in the United States. Emery is scheduled
for an extradition hearing in Canada on June 1, 2009.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration
and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Orangeburg, NY: Daily administration of oral synthetic THC
significantly improves symptoms of schizophrenia, according
to the findings of an open-label case series published this
month in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol) can improve
the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Investigators at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg,
New York, and the New York University School of Medicine, administered
2.5 to 5 mg doses of oral THC (dronabinol) for a period of eight
weeks to six patients diagnosed with chronic, refractory schizophrenia.
All of the patients enrolled in the study had reported previously
using cannabis to mitigate their condition.
"Four of the 6 patients improved to a clinically significant
extent (after taking dronabinol)," researchers reported.
"Three of the six patients had a robust response, with
modest to marked reductions in core psychotic symptoms. Patients
1 and 2 showed improvement within several weeks of beginning
the medication, whereas patient 3 required 8 weeks to reach
significant improvement. In addition, robust improvement in
overall functioning was also observed, with patients 1 to 3
changing from being gravely ill to being functioning individuals
able to be discharged. Patient 4 had more limited improvement
in that he was calmer, cooperative, and less aggressive but
had persistence of his core psychosis. Nevertheless, his overall
functioning was significantly improved. ... There were no clinically
adverse effects."
Investigators concluded, "These results ... open a possible
new role for cannabinoids in the treatment of schizophrenia."
Previous studies assessing the use of marijuana in patients
with schizophrenia have produced mixed results. A 2007 German
study reported improved cognition in patients who used cannabis,
and a 2008 Australian study found that patients diagnosed with
schizophrenia report experiencing subjective relief from pot.
Critics of medical cannabis use have argued that heavy marijuana
use may exacerbate psychosis in patients with mental illness.
However, the largest trial ever conducted comparing cannabis
using and non-using schizophrenic patients reported no statistically
significant "differences in syptomatology between schizophrenic
patients who were or were not cannabis users" after controlling
for patients' age, sex, a nd ethnicity.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML
Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study,
"Synthetic Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol) can
improve symptoms of schizophrenia," appears in the June
issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Few, even in the drug policy world, have paid much attention
to Portugal’s remarkable but sensible 2001decision to
remove drug use and possession from the criminal realm and address
it solely as a public health issue.
The details of Portugal’s system are worth checking out,
but basically Portugal, after careful, empirical study, concluded
that criminalizing drug use was creating two barriers to introducing
treatment to those who might need it. First, it diverted funds
that ought to go to drug treatment to ineffective law enforcement
efforts. Second, the threat of arrest naturally caused those
who might seek treatment to avoid, rather than seek out help
from government institutions.
Under the current system, those caught possessing a personal
amount of drugs, including marijuana, are cited by police and
required to appear before a three-person panel made up of legal
and healthcare professionals within 72 hours. The panel then
conducts an informal interview with the person to determine
what, if any, treatment might be necessary.
Greenwald was careful to note that the policy change was not
an ideological decision, nor was it seen by Portuguese officials
as some sort of social experiment. Rather, it was viewed as
a necessary fix to alarming increases in drug abuse in the late
’90s.
The result, according to Greenwald’s analysis of the data
and countless interviews with Portuguese officials, law enforcement
and clients, has been a hands-down success. Despite some initial
fears, drug use and drug-related crime have not increased. In
many important categories and demographics, 15- to 19-year-olds
for example, drug use rates have actually decreased. And, nearly
eight years later, there’s little enthusiasm at all, even
among conservatives and law enforcement leadership, to go back
to criminalizing personal drug use and possession.
There’s nothing about the conservative, largely Catholic
country that would make its success with decriminal-ization
unique. He also suggested that empirical evidence supporting
reform might be far more persuasive for advocates than ideological
arguments about personal freedom or limiting government intrusion
in adults’ private lives.
Drugs in Portugal:
Did Decriminalization Work?
By Maia Szalavitz
Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009
Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws?
(Hint: It's not the Netherlands.)
Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college
kids for marijuana haze–filled "coffee shops,"
Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch
simply don't enforce their laws against the shops. The correct
answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European
country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal
possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and
methamphetamine.
At the recommendation of a national commission charged with
addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with
the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison
drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive
than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services
instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of
possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting
of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate
treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment),
instead of jail.
The question is, does the new policy work? At the time, critics
in the poor, socially conservative and largely Catholic nation
said decriminalizing drug possession would open the country
to "drug tourists" and exacerbate Portugal's drug
problem; the country had some of the highest levels of hard-drug
use in Europe. But the recently released results of a report
commissioned by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank,
suggest otherwise.
The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five
years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal
drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV
infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while
the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more
than doubled.
"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal
has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an
attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted
the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government
to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually
every other Western country does."
Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug
use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal
had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over
15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is
in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have
used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.
The Cato paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal,
rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through
ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens
also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds
fell from 2.5% to 1.8% (although there was a slight increase
in marijuana use in that age group). New HIV infections in drug
users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related
to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half. In addition,
the number of people on methadone and buprenorphine treatment
for drug addiction rose to 14,877 from 6,040, after decriminalization,
and money saved on enforcement allowed for increased funding
of drug-free treatment as well.
Portugal's case study is of some interest to lawmakers in the
U.S., confronted now with the violent overflow of escalating
drug gang wars in Mexico. The U.S. has long championed a hard-line
drug policy, supporting only international agreements that enforce
drug prohibition and imposing on its citizens some of the world's
harshest penalties for drug possession and sales. Yet America
has the highest rates of cocaine and marijuana use in the world,
and while most of the E.U. (including Holland) has more liberal
drug laws than the U.S., it also has less drug use.
"I think we can learn that we should stop being reflexively
opposed when someone else does [decriminalize] and should take
seriously the possibility that anti-user enforcement isn't having
much influence on our drug consumption," says Mark Kleiman,
author of the forthcoming When Brute Force Fails: How to Have
Less Crime and Less Punishment and director of the drug policy
analysis program at UCLA. Kleiman does not consider Portugal
a realistic model for the U.S., however, because of differences
in size and culture between the two countries.
But there is a movement afoot in the U.S., in the legislatures
of New York State, California and Massachusetts, to reconsider
our overly punitive drug laws. Recently, Senators Jim Webb and
Arlen Specter proposed that Congress create a national commission,
not unlike Portugal's, to deal with prison reform and overhaul
drug-sentencing policy. As Webb noted, the U.S. is home to 5%
of the global population but 25% of its prisoners.
At the Cato Institute in early April, Greenwald contended that
a major problem with most American drug policy debate is that
it's based on "speculation and fear mongering," rather
than empirical evidence on the effects of more lenient drug
policies. In Portugal, the effect was to neutralize what had
become the country's number one public health problem, he says.
"The impact in the life of families and our society is
much lower than it was before decriminalization," says
Joao Castel-Branco Goulao, Portugual's "drug czar"
and president of the Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction,
adding that police are now able to re-focus on tracking much
higher level dealers and larger quantities of drugs.
Peter Reuter, a professor of criminology and public policy at
the University of Maryland, like Kleiman, is skeptical. He conceded
in a presentation at the Cato Institute that "it's fair
to say that decriminalization in Portugal has met its central
goal. Drug use did not rise." However, he notes that Portugal
is a small country and that the cyclical nature of drug epidemics
— which tends to occur no matter what policies are in
place — may account for the declines in heroin use and
deaths.
The Cato report's author, Greenwald, hews to the first point:
that the data shows that decriminalization does not result in
increased drug use. Since that is what concerns the public and
policymakers most about decriminalization, he says, "that
is the central concession that will transform the debate."
April '09 * HEMP PARTY
fails membership test again!
Forty two member sample. Eleven
of those sampled denied membership! Only
Fourteen confirmed!
Auckland
Cannabis club tilts at the law
4:00AM Sunday Apr 12, 2009
By David Fisher
A club for cannabis smokers has been openly flouting the law
for months, with hundreds of people a night turning up to buy
and smoke dope.
The "Daktory" has been operating from
an Auckland warehouse since November and boasts having 400 people
on a busy night.
Those behind the scheme are involved in efforts
to have the drug decriminalised, and say they accept arrest
by police is a possible outcome of their provocative club.
One of those involved, Brian Borland, has taken
a further tilt at authority by registering a business through
the Companies Office called the Roaring Lion Cannabis Shoppe.
He says he will pay tax on any cannabis he sells
through the business.
As a promotional stunt, Borland has delivered
cannabis plants to the electorate office of Prime Minister John
Key, and also to TVNZ and TV3.
It follows a trip around the country by the National
Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws group in its "canna-bus".
Protests were held in centres across the country where cannabis
was smoked - and overlooked by police.
Daktory manager Dakta Green, who changed his name
by deed poll from Kenneth Morgan, says police appeared to have
been avoiding arrests because it gave the protesters a platform
to campaign from.
The club began operating in November, charging
$20 a month to those who wanted to become members. "It
was a nice, secure place where people can get good quality weed
at a reasonable price."
Green says it proved so popular that the club
- which was R18 - would attract between 300 and 400 people a
night, and membership reached 1500 people by Christmas. He would
not reveal where he sourced the cannabis but said the large
membership meant a lot was sold.
It wound down in February for reorganisation,
and is reopening this week. This time, Green says it will not
sell cannabis because "you can get it anywhere".
When the Herald on Sunday visited, the warehouse
featured dozens of sofas, tables and bookcases, with an area
for table tennis and a bandstand. There were also dozens of
bongs - used for smoking cannabis - and the occasional bowl
containing shreds of the drug.
Borland said police were aware of his actions.
A detective recently rang to invite him to a police station
to be interviewed about delivering cannabis plants to television
stations.
He answered the phone with a cheery "Roaring
Lion Cannabis Shoppe", only to find a police officer on
the phone.
Borland was not charged over delivering the cannabis
plants. Police failed to return calls to answer questions about
the club.
LEGALISATION? YES WE CAN!
Sent in by: Smoking Moose
The Magic Plant
(48 minutes)
A History of Hemp
Report:
Legalising drugs would save UK plc huge
packet Common sense doomed by Guardian/Daily Mail
axis
By Lewis Page
Posted in Policing, 7th April
2009 11:51 GMT
Comment New research has confirmed a reality which is obvious
to many, but which can seldom be acknowledged in British mainstream
politics: that it is primarily the fact of drugs being illegal
which makes them so damaging to society. Furthermore, if drugs
were legalised - even assuming a huge increase in their use
- the public purse would gain substantially.
The confirmation comes in a report from the thinktank Transform,
funded by charitable foundations and individual donors. In it,
the authors note the poor record to date of today's prohibitive
drug laws, which were "established with the clear aim of
reducing drug supply and use, but have achieved the exact opposite
on a consistent basis". In the year 1970, the UK had fewer
than 2000 dependent heroin and cocaine users; by the turn of
the century there were 100,000 in government treatment programmes
and as many as 200,000 more in the population.
The report's authors also note the rather capricious nature
of the UK's drug laws: dangerous alcohol and tobacco are regulated
but permitted, and comparatively innocuous substances such as
ecstasy and cannabis forbidden. This backfires, of course: as
alcohol is mostly supplied by legal and regulated channels,
a parent - for instance - actually has more visibility of and
control over a teenager's alcohol consumption than his or her
possible heroin, cocaine or skunk habit.
Transform also points out the ridiculous way in which the case
for prohibition is pushed, citing as an example the HIV/AIDS
epidemic which resulted among intravenous drug users sharing
needles - a direct consequence of prohibition, not of drug use
itself. Nonetheless, the Home Office actually sought to use
this to justify strict drug laws.
In this case a specific drug-related harm that is almost exclusively
the result of the highrisk behaviours, rituals, products and
environments that stem directly from prohibition and the default
underground drug cultures it creates, is perversely being used
both to justify the continuation of the very policy that has
fostered it in the first instance, and also to argue against
the policy [legalisation and regulation] that would largely
eliminate it.
In the study, the Transform analysts generally describe a worst-case
scenario for legalisation and regulation. They consider only
the benefits from legalised use of cocaine and heroin; they
assume that there would be little or no tax revenue from these
drug users.
Potential taxation revenue is assumed to be fairly small (for
the non-prescribed opiate and cocaine market), in the region
of tens of millions, once the inflationary pressures of prohibition
are removed. These figures have not been calculated or included.
The analysis also ignores many large potential benefits to
Blighty of legalised drug use, such as no longer having to fight
the war in Afghanistan with one hand tied behind our backs.
(One of the greatest handicaps for our troops there is that
they are committed to wiping out the opiate-farming sector,
the region's main profitable business. This drives people into
the arms of the Taliban, as well as offering them a ready source
of funds.) But this is not included in the report.
We have deliberately been conservative in our assumptions
regarding the benefits of moving to legal regulation of drugs,
and the costs of prohibition. Substantial and acknowledged costs
of the current system of prohibition, prominently including
international drug enforcement and the illicit trade’s
impact on destabilisation of producer and transit countries
(conflict, corruption, terrorism in Afghanistan for example),
are not included ...
The main, easily visible benefit of legalisation, according
to Transform, would be that junkies would no longer need to
mug and burgle to pay for their habits. Legal drugs would be
much cheaper than prohibited ones, so that even poor addicts
could afford them. They would then leave the rest of us alone,
which would save an enormous fortune in policing, court and
prison costs.
There would still be drug crime of the same sort as today's
alcohol crime: druggies fighting, crashing cars, vandalising
and breaching the peace the way drinkers do. But the habit-feeding
robbery would largely cease.
It is a relatively small subset of the using population, made
up of marginalised low income dependent users offending to fund
their drug use, who are disproportionately responsible for creating
the secondary £13.9 billion in acquisitive crime costs
from the £3.7 billion turnover of the illicit market for
heroin and cocaine. That the heroin and cocaine market, freed
of the distorting influence of criminal market economic pressures,
would likely be worth around one tenth of the £3.7 billion
figure highlights this particular negative impact of prohibition
economics even more starkly.
Over half of all UK property crime is to fund drug misuse,
primarily heroin and cocaine. If drugs were available on prescription
or at affordable prices comparable to those paid by dependent
drinkers, it is assumed that levels of acquisitive crime related
to fundraising would be negligible. Intoxication-related offences
would be unchanged (at a given level of use).
Guardian and Daily Mail
readers: La la la la, we aren't listening
Another major potential benefit of legalisation - the massive
health improvements from using nice clean drugs made in pharma
factories rather than poisonous crap from illicit labs, adulterated
with god knows what - is also left out. The death rate among
users is predicted to drop significantly, however, owing to
the arrival of clean needles and the fact that the most unwell
users would be using prescription drugs in a medical setting
rather than a crack den or wherever.
It is argued that significant health harms stem from use of
illicitly supplied drugs in hazardous environments, and that
these would be dramatically reduced under a regulated system.
However, for this paper we assume that health and social care
costs per user remain the same.
As a substantial proportion of the drug death risk factors
stem directly from the behaviours, environments and products
associated with illicit drug culture, particularly around injecting,
we assume that the drug-related death rate would be reduced
...
Around 10% of the most high harm causing problematic users
would have heroin and/or cocaine available on prescription in
some form, so we calculate total costs of prescribing diamorphine
[medical heroin] and cocaine for each scenario modelled.
Finally, the report allows a £150m budget for regulators,
administrators and other infrastructure to manage the new legal
drugs sector.
Transform argues that in fact the level of drug use isn't much
affected by the level of prohibition and/or enforcement: anyone
who wants to will use drugs if they've a mind to and the police
can't stop them. All they can ever do is push up the price,
and so drive addicts to commit more crimes in order to afford
their fix.
Nonetheless, those in favour of prohibition often argue that
there would be a lot more drug use if the laws were relaxed:
and it is true that where only one country or district relaxes
it laws there is often "drugs tourism" by users from
outside. So Transform considered four different scenarios, including
a drop in drug use, no change, or big increases.
The results were, even in the worst-case modelling used, that
the public purse still came out ahead even with a doubling of
hard-drugs users:
The net annual benefit of a move from prohibition to legal
state regulation and control of drug markets would be: Scenario
a) 50% fall in use, net benefit = £13.943 billion Scenario
b) No change in use, net benefit = £10.834 billion Scenario
c) 50% increase in use, net benefit = £7.724 billion Scenario
d) 100% increase in use, net benefit = £4.616 billion
In fact things would probably be a lot better than that. It
seems quite reasonable to expect that you could actually raise
some tax revenue after a while, certainly from the prestige
nose-candy market and similar users.
Once you factor in an actual feasible way ahead in Afghanistan,
the health savings from nice commercial drugs (the difference
would be similar to that between drinking proper whiskey and
send-you-blind moonshine made in a plastic bucket) etc etc -
why, we'd probably be able to afford another bank or two. And
it would become hugely more pleasant to live in and around the
nation's council estates, as the formerly larcenous addicts
would be out of the picture - as would the perhaps still more
irritating dealers, their unpleasant and dangerous retail premises
and their violent business disputes. Those guys think they're
tough businessmen, but they wouldn't stand a chance against
the likes of Glaxo and British American Tobacco.
As the Transform people point out:
The policy of prohibition itself is the direct source of much
of what is perceived as ‘the drug problem’ - specifically
the vast majority of drug-related crime - rather than drug use
per se. The Government has also repeatedly failed to acknowledge
that prohibition is a policy choice ...
Could it ever happen?
Sadly, probably not. Even to speak of legalising cannabis is
to sign one's own political death warrant in Blighty. The kneejerk
Daily Mail reading government-by-crackdown legions up and down
the land are in this case being joined in many cases by Guardian
skunk-fear "liberals", who have only just woken up
to the fact that a certain proportion of people would rather
lie about off their faces all day than get on with their lives
- and will do that more or less regardless of the cost to themselves
and those around them even if there's nothing better than cider
or glue on offer. A certain proportion of these people will
also go mad - become schizophrenic - though this has no measurable
connection with cannabis use.
Unsurprisingly, so far from relaxing on drugs, there's a determined
push under way to prohibit or tax into illegality the remaining
legal drugs: booze, tobacco, even chocolate.
So the Transform report seems likely to fall on stony ground.
It can be read in pdf here.
Cannabis: NDLEA probes114-year-old
man
By Olalekan Adetayo and Femi Adetunji
Published: Thursday, 2 Apr 2009
Nigeria
The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Alhaji
Ahmadu Giade, has ordered that a 114-year-old man, Mr. Sulaiman
Adebayo, be thoroughly investigated over a stash of cannabis
found in his premises.
A statement by the agency‘s Head, Media, Mr. Ofoyeju
Mitchell, on Wednesday, claimed that 6.5 tonnes of the drug
was recovered from Adebayo‘s premises in Oju Sango village,
Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Giade said that the aim of the investigation was to unmask
the suspected trans-border drug cartel behind the seized drugs
and also ascertain the degree of involvement of the suspected
centenarian.
Dean Martin, stoned crooner!
Getting it Straight.
Most people cut down or stop their use of cannabis without
the help of formal treatments (e.g. GPs, counsellors, psychologists,
drug and alcohol services, etc). Despite this, little is known
about how people actually go about markedly reducing or quitting
cannabis.
If you have significantly reduced or stopped your cannabis
use and maintained this change for at least the last 6 months,
we would like to invite you to complete a web-based survey about
your achievement. If you are interested, please follow the link
below for further information and to complete the survey. It
is being conducted by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information
Centre (NCPIC) at the University of New South Wales and is anonymous
and confidential. The findings will be published on the NCPIC
website to help those who wish to quit or reduce on their own.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
(EMCDDA) is one of the European Union's decentralised agencies.
Established in 1993 and based in Lisbon, it is the central source
of comprehensive information on drugs and drug addiction in
Europe.
Andy Frame
24 May 1948 - 6 March 2009
Died suddenly on Friday evening at home on Nightcap Farm, Mt
Nardi.
Andy's Family invite you to join them in a celebration of his
life to be held on the farm at Mt Nardi on Monday 16th March,
commencing at 10:00am.
Should I go to MardiGrass?
Got a Gordian Knot in your gut? We will have fear as long as
newspaper editors remain cynically addicted to fear inducing
headlines for sales. They profit by our fears. The more fearful
we become, the more newspapers we buy to validate those fears.
Hullo hamsters! Keep running. You are generating power for some
historical event somewhere, beyond our control and receiving
our sustenance.
Surely it is not a satisfying life to be afraid of everything
outside your box. Come to MardiGrass and see for yourself that
our difference can be enjoyed and that we threaten nothing.
There might be threateningly different views somewhere else
in the world, but not here.
We wear the peace sign, footprint of the chicken, with some
pride. We have a lighthearted romp and pageant organised round
a peaceful protest once a year. Come and see for yourself the
farce that drug laws, over-policing, and media indifference
or gullibility (you decide!) can combine to create . Compare
the experience to the following Monday's newspaper reports.
We believe cannabis laws and the enforcement of those laws are
causing more social harms than cannabis ever could by itself.
MOB have
been asked if we would like Cheech & Chong to come to MardiGrass,
but the asking price is bigger than the budget. There is a page
on Facebook put up by an Organising Body member that would
like to see them at MardiGrass. Do you really
want to see them?
There is a product called "Brix Plus" sold in hydro
shops that is produced by "Guerilla Gardener" and
claims to be 100% organic, Its purpose is to "Add weight
to your buds, enhance yield, taste and colour" On the back
the directions are to "apply directly from bottle, spray
onto plant 10 days before harvest, re-apply 5 days before havest
and spray with water 1 day before harvest.
Then it says to soak and agitate dry buds in the formula
for 10 mins and then allow to air dry.
There is another brand called "Green Planet Hydroponics
brix+"
Brix – A unit of measure used in the
refractometer. When the Brix reading is divided by 2 it will
be equal to the percent of crude sucrose in the plant tissue.
Refractometer – A device used to measure
the refractive index of plant juices in order to determine the
mineral/sugar ratio of the plant cell protoplasm.
Refractive Index of Crop juices are calibrated in
percent sucrose or degree Brix.
During the growing season it is possible to check a plant
for percent sucrose. A refractometer is easy to use. You will
need something like a garlic squeezer for juicing the plant
sample. To make a reading, place 2 to 3 drops of the liquid
sample on the prism surface, close the cover and point toward
any light source. Focus the eyepiece by turning the ring to
the right or left. Locate the point on the graduated scale where
the light and dark field meet. Read the percent sucrose (solid
content on the scale).
The refractometer measures in units called Brix. The Brix
equals to percent crude carbohydrate per 100 pounds of juice.
The higher the carbohydrate in the plant juice the higher the
mineral content of the plant, the oil content of the plant,
and the protein quality of the plant.
For example, if you were to have 100 pounds of alfalfa that
has a Brix reading of 15 it would mean that there would be 15
pounds of crude carbohydrates if the alfalfa was juiced and
dried to 0 percent moisture. By dividing 15 by 2 it tells us
that the actual amount of simple sugar would be equal to 7.5
pounds.
Crops with higher refractive index will have a higher sugar
content, higher protein content, higher mineral content and
a greater specific gravity or density. This adds up to a sweeter
tasting, more mineral nutritious feed with lower nitrates and
water content and better storage attributes.
Crops with higher Brix will produce more alcohol from fermented
sugars and be more resistant to insects, thus resulting in decreased
insecticide usage. For insect resistance, maintain a Brix of
12 or higher in the juice of the leaves of most plants. Crops
with a higher solids content will have a lower freezing point
and therefore be less prone to frost damage.
Brix readings can also indicate soil fertility needs. If soil
nutrients are in the best balance and are made available (by
microbes) upon demand by plants, readings will be higher.
You will find that when the phosphate levels in the soil are
not up to what they should be, the sugar in the plants will
vary from the bottom of the plant to the top. In other words,
the Brix reading at the bottom of the plant will be higher than
the top of the plant. The better the phosphate levels in ratio
to potassium the more even the Brix reading will be all over
the plant. Also the better the phosphate levels in ratio to
potassium the less fluctuation there will be in the brix reading
in any given 24 hour period.
You will also note that when you are looking into a refractometer
you will sometimes be able to see a very sharp line which is
very easy to read, while at other times it may be a very hazy
line and not well demarcated and so difficult to read. The very
sharp and dark and easy to read line means the crop is lower
in calcium and higher in acid. A very diffuse and hard to read
line tells one that the calcium is higher and the acid is lower
in the plant. This is why a lower Brix reading on a plant will
actually taste sweeter when there is high calcium than one that
may have a little higher Brix reading and a low calcium. The
available soluble sugar is what gives taste and sweetness to
food. The more calcium in the crop along with the sugar, the
sweeter the taste even though the Brix reading will be the same
on two samples.
According to one source,"brix plus is not a contaminant
mate. its a foliar feed or soak that boosts brix levels when
harvesting by helping break down the chlorophl into sugars,
it has nothing to do with adding thc like substances to your
weed it acts internally and enhances the plant sugar levels.
it has nothing at all to do with contaminated weed"
The listed ingredients do not present much of a hazard. The
recommended application, foliar spray in late bloom and soaking
after harvest, does increase the risk of mould, which can be
very harmful. Assuming the worst, that it has sugar to the saturation
point, one litre of solution will have roughly 200 grams of
sugar. The recommended post-harvest application is 1 litre per
500g of harvested material. Assuming all of that sugar ends
up stuck to the surface of the buds, that will increase weight
pretty significantly, at the cost of reducing the THC concentration.
With that much sugar, the buds will look like powdered donuts
and smoking them will taste strongly of burnt sugar. Of course,
since you are already doing a wet cure, you could just rinse
the treated buds off to remove any excess sugar before drying.
Many feel it is a dodgy way of adding weight to plants. On
the face of it, it is a similar practice to cutting powdered
drugs with inert substances.
Europe is reported to have many cases of people putting sand,
talcum, sugar or gravel into deals to inflate the weight. One
dealer put lead sulfide into his deals presumably not realising
he was about to cause an outbreak of lead poisoning, considering
that smoking lead sulfide is a most effective way to absorb
lead. He permanently affected the lives of about 500 people
living in and around Liepzig.
We would hope practices like this do not become commonplace
here, but urge buyers to always exercise caution, examine product
carefully, and not buy if obviously adulterated.
Tobacco-pot mix increases
THC uptake?
"In this study cannabis material has been mixed with tobacco
in order to determine whether tobacco has an influence on the
amount of and ratio between tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabigerol
(CBG), and cannabinol (CBN) administered while smoking. A small-scale
smoking machine has been used and cannabis mixed with various
ratios of tobacco was smoked. The trapped smoke was quantitatively
analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and
the amount of THC, CBG, and CBN was determined for each cigarette.
We have found that tobacco increases the amount of THC inhaled
per gram of cannabis from 32.70 ± 2.29 mg/g for a 100%
cannabis cigarette to 58.90 ± 2.30 mg/g for a 25% cannabis
cigarette. This indicates that tobacco increases the vaporization
efficiency of THC by as much as 45% under the conditions tested."
All tobacco-pot mixers, at last, something to say to your critics!
Passive smoking in a closed van will
not trigger saliva tests?
(and it doesn't matter whether it's straight or mixed
with spin)
"Two studies were conducted to determine if extreme passive
exposure to cannabis smoke in a motor vehicle would produce
positive results for delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral
fluid. Passive exposure to cannabis smoke in an unventilated
room has been shown to produce a transient appearance of THC
in oral fluid for up to 30 min. However, it is well known that
such factors as room size and extent of smoke exposure can affect
results. Questions have also been raised concerning the effects
of tobacco when mixed with marijuana and THC content. We conducted
two passive cannabis studies under severe passive smoke exposure
conditions in an unventilated eight-passenger van. Four passive
subjects sat alongside four active cannabis smokers who each
smoked a single cannabis cigarette containing either 5.4%, 39.5
mg THC (Study 1) or 10.4%, 83.2 mg THC (Study 2). The cigarettes
in Study 1 contained tobacco mixed with cannabis; cigarettes
in Study 2 contained only cannabis. Oral fluid specimens were
collected from passive and active subjects with the Intercept
Oral Specimen Collection Device for 1 h after smoking cessation
while inside the van (Study 1) and up to 72 h (passive) or 8
h (active) outside the van. Additionally in Study 1, Intercept
collectors were exposed to smoke in the van to assess environmental
contamination during collection procedures. For Study 2, all
oral fluid collections were outside the van following smoking
cessation to minimize environmental contamination. Oral samples
were analyzed with the Cannabinoids Intercept MICRO-PLATE EIA
and quantitatively by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
(GC-MS-MS). THC concentrations were adjusted for dilution (x
3). The screening and confirmation cutoff concentrations for
THC in neat oral fluid were 3 ng/mL and 1.5 ng/mL, respectively.
The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) for THC
in the GC-MS-MS assay were 0.3 and 0.75 ng/mL, respectively.
Urine specimens were collected, screened (EMIT, 50 ng/mL cutoff),
and analyzed by GC-MS-MS for THCCOOH (LOD/LOQ = 1.0 ng/mL).
Peak oral fluid THC concentrations in passive subjects recorded
at the end of cannabis smoke exposure were up to 7.5 ng/mL (Study
1) and 1.2 ng/mL (Study 2). Thereafter, THC concentrations quickly
declined to negative levels within 30-45 min in Study 1. It
was found that environmentally exposed Collectors contained
3-14 ng/mL in Study 1. When potential contamination during collection
was eliminated in Study 2, all passive subjects were negative
at screening/confirmation cutoff concentrations throughout the
study. Oral fluid specimens from active smokers had peak concentrations
of THC approximately 100-fold greater than passive subjects
in both studies. Positive oral fluid results were observed for
active smokers 0-8 h. Urine analysis confirmed oral fluid results.
These studies clarify earlier findings on the effects of passive
cannabis smoke on oral fluid results. Oral fluid specimens collected
in the presence of cannabis smoke appear to have been contaminated,
thereby falsely elevating THC concentrations in oral fluid.
The risk of a positive test for THC was virtually eliminated
when specimens were collected in the absence of THC smoke."
N.J. bill allows
use of prescription marijuana for those suffering debilitating
illnesses By Mary Jo Layton
The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Patients suffering from cancer,
AIDS and other chronic or debilitating illnesses could use marijuana
medicinally under a bill passed by the state Senate on Monday.
New Jersey would become the 14th state to have a medical marijuana
law, which would allow patients to keep six marijuana plants
and 1 ounce for personal use.
State Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, said the legislation he
sponsored was as “an avenue of last resort” for patients suffering
from nausea, chronic pain, wasting syndrome, seizures and other
ailments. “This is not the legalization of marijuana for recreational
use,” said Scutari, a lawyer and municipal prosecutor. “We’re
not talking about thrill-seekers and drug addicts here.”
Under the proposed measure, patients would have to be diagnosed
by their physicians as having a debilitating medical condition.
The patient would then obtain a photo registry card issued by
the state Department of Health and Senior Services so they could
obtain marijuana from an alternative medicine center without
fear of arrest or prosecution.
Supporters of the bill, including Sen. Bill Baroni, R-Mercer,
offered passionate testimony about suffering patients, including
a 37-year-old man, the father of three young children, plagued
by multiple sclerosis who found relief from medical marijuana,
not Oxycontin, sleeping aids or other prescription painkillers.
State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Cresskill, was among several
Republicans who opposed the bill, claiming it was written too
broadly. Cardinale said he didn’t object to the concept, but
said that “a very small percentage” of users in states that
allow medical marijuana are patients the law is intended to
aid. Cardinale cited an analysis of medical marijuana patient
records reviewed by the San Diego County, Calif., district attorney,
which revealed that less than 3 percent of patients were suffering
from AIDS, glaucoma or cancer. Additionally, more than half
of those permitted to use medical marijuana were under age 30
and research indicates the substance is harmful. “Moderate use
of marijuana causes brain cells to die,” Cardinale said. “That’s
why the federal government made marijuana forbidden.”
After the vote Monday, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a co-sponsor
of the legislation, said she supported it because it could give
relief to chronically ill patients who were not benefiting from
pain-relief prescriptions. Weinberg noted that this weekend
was the 10th anniversary of her husband’s death following a
long illness. Hospice nurses provided morphine, but her husband
wasn’t able to remain conscious, said Weinberg, D-Teaneck. “To
get relief and still be able to communicate would have been
much better,” she said.
Stephen Cuspilich, 46, of Burlington County, N.J., lobbied lawmakers
in support of the measure before the vote Monday. Using a cane
and carrying a plastic bottle with more than a dozen prescription
pain medications to ease suffering from Crohn’s disease, he
said marijuana had alleviated severe pain in his hips and back
and stopped his vomiting. “It’s a social issue, not a criminal
issue,” said the father of three, a union pipefitter who can
no longer work due to his disability.
Opponents of the measure, including John Tomicki, executive
director of the League of the American Families, vowed to fight
the proposal when it is considered in the Assembly. Each member
would be polled by his organization to determine their vote
prior to the election, he said. “They are going to be called
and asked ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ ” he said. David Evans, executive director
of the Drug Free Schools Coalition, cited the lack of scientific
evidence on marijuana use and noted that several law enforcement
organizations and anti-drug groups — including the National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of New Jersey — oppose
the bill. “The majority of people who are getting it are using
it for back pain, insomnia and other minor problems,” Evans
said. “The standards for who gets it are very loose.” However,
the public typically supports legalizing marijuana for chronically
ill patients, said Roseanne Scotti, director of Drug Policy
Alliance New Jersey. “It’s polled as high as 86 percent in favor,”
Scotti said. “Everybody understands ‘This could be me, my loved
one.’ It’s the option everybody would want.” The bill passed
22-16, mostly along partisan lines. Five Republicans voted for
it. Two Essex County senators abstained from voting. It was
unclear Monday when the Assembly might consider the legislation.
The Aviation Support Branch, as it is now known, has a wide
range of responsibilities including the provision of support
to all policing initiatives undertaken by the New South Wales
Police Service. These may include searching for missing bushwalkers,
vessels or aircraft, assisting police with pursuits of offenders,
specialised rescue missions, cannabis plantation eradication,
bushfire fighting and reconnaissance.
Over the past 2 years the Aviation Support Branch has flown
approximately 3000 hours being involved in the seizure of drugs
and property to value of over $450 million, arresting 317 offenders,
locating and/or rescuing 145 people and recovering 36 deceased
persons.
To increase its effectiveness, the branch deploys modern technology
such as the use of Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) systems
to assist with searches. Specialist equipment including rescue
winches, Nite sun searchlights (30 million candle power), DVP
communications and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) navigation
systems is also used when appropriate. The Branch has a staff
of 28 police and public servants based at Bankstown Airport,
close to the geographical centre of Sydney. Aircraft and crew
are available to provide support 24 hours a day anywhere in
the State of New South Wales and can deploy anywhere in the
State, on relatively short notice.
The Branch utilises a fleet of four helicopters including a
Kawasaki BK-117, which in partnership with NSW Fire Brigades,
is used to respond to major incidents including Hazmat, Urban
Search & Rescue and Bush Fire & Natural Hazard operations.
***
HELICOPTER PILOT – AVIATION SUPPORT BRANCH
Line Pilot/Sergeant, Sydney, Permanent Full-Time, Position
Number 07/5811. Total remuneration package valued to: $90,936
p.a. ($75,477-$82,249). Package includes annual salary, flying
allowance, employer’s contribution to superannuation and
annual leave loading.
Performs pilot duties onboard police aircraft and other tasks
as directed, accountable to the controller, Flying Operations
(Chief Pilot).
Selection Criteria:
· Possession of current Australian Commercial Licence
(Helicopter) with appropriate ratings/endorsements as required
to act as pilot-in-command of aircraft owned and/or operated
by the NSW Police Force Aviation Support Branch.
· 1,000 hours as pilot-in-command rotary wing of which
500 hours is to be on turbine powered aircraft.
· Night Visual Flight Rules rating.
· Low-level flying experience.
· Sling/winch endorsement.
· Common selection criteria also apply.
Notes: Applications should detail nature and duration of experience
This is a photo of a new street sign in Amsterdam which locals
and tourists will see appear in some neigbourhoods. A neigbourhood
in Amsterdam has put up these new signs and is also selling
the signs to other neigbourhoods for 80 euros. When it became
obvious too many being "souvenired", they were made
available for public sale.
The text under it reads "blowverbod," which your
travel dictionary would translate as "blowing forbidden."
Barack Obama "I inhaled frequently"
"That was the point"
The Hemp Party has
its very own website once again
The masses obtained in European commerce are called Guaza.
Bhang consists of specially dried leaves and flowering shoots
of both male and female plants, wild or cultivated. Ganja consists
of dried flowering tops of the cultivated hemp plant which become
coated with a resinous exudation. Charas is the name given to
the resinous matter collected from the leaves and flowering
tops of the plant, and constitutes the active principle of hemp;
the best quality and the maximum amount of resin is obtained
from plants grown in Yarkand in Chinese Turkestan, and the major
part of the Charas produced in Chinese Turkestan finds its way
into India. In S. Africa it is smoked under the name of dagga.
Hello
I live in Thailand and this guy that lives down the road - simply
known as Peter - suddenly dies from a snake bite and then we
discover that he is AKA Luc Tournier.
Peter died here and cannot be buried or cremated as no one
can find his passort or visa.
Do you guys have any pics of him or any other details.
Regards Kelvin
Luc Tournier lived at Yelgun in 1978
and was raided by Qld police. John Burns of the Northern Rivers
Human Rights Group defended him. He had a wife and children.
All we know. Have sent this to few who might know. Await replies.
Great as without someone ID'ing the body
it will remain in the morgue for 12 months.
Luc was going by the name of Peter Bieg here and it wasnt until
he died that we found out from his estranged wife in Switzerland
that he was Luc.
Any info would help as then the proper embassy claim the body
Regards Kelvin
hello
Pete AKA Luc is entombed in a concrete box at the back of the
temple Wat
Here is a pic of him a few years before he died
Does anyone recognise him and if not then we will have to end
this investigation
thanks for your help to date
We have been living beyond the sidewalks for over 18 years.
Our little ‘A’ frame cabin sits on Tierra Sol Farm,
near the west branch of the Feather River, in the Sierra foothills.
Ten years ago, on a Mother’s Day morning, I scooped up
some runaway ducklings and slipped and fell. In one swift move,
I dislocated my ankle, shattered 3” of leg bone, shredded
my tendons, and severed the nerves!
The Doctor was sure I’d have to use a cane the rest of
my life and all he could suggest for the pain and swelling was
cortisone shots. This seemed pretty bleak, but I wasn’t
willing to settle for it, besides I have 30 acres to attend
to!
I have been making salves for the family for years, from the
herbs grown in our garden. So I started researching various
herbs that would help heal my injuries. While formulating the
cream I was introduced to cannabis root. I discovered that the
chief element in restorative creams of early pharmacopoeia was
Cannabis hemp, the active ingredient essential to oils prescribed
in both the Aramaic and Hebrew versions of the Old Testament.
Hemp root, myrrh, and olive oil preparations were applied topically
to alleviate swelling and joint pain, or as salves for burns.
So I added it to the batch, making a 9 herb formula.
After using the cream, The bruising was gone, The swelling
was gone, the circulation was back, I gained full movement of
my foot and ankle, and no more pain. I was so excited that I
shared the cream with family and friends. The results were fantastic.
It’s works on sore muscles, burns, eczema, arthritis,
and even insect bites too. Everyone has encouraged me to put
it on the market. So now I am working with our community college’s
small business development center to launch our new venture.
Last month a gal who is taking Hemp studies at the University
of Idaho in Hailey, contacted me about using my cream for her
study, of course I said yes. She took a jar with her to Holland
last week for a complete chromatography testing! I am so excited
to be a part of this! I'll share with you the results when I
get them back. Many people consider the root to be a by-product
to be tossed in the compost pile, but we all need to understand
that it's the whole mother that's healing.
"A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All" has
redefined the holiday special for the new millennium. But it
may also have redefined holiday songs for the 21st century as
well, especially Willie Nelson and Stephen Colbert's "Little
Dealer Boy." Think "Little Drummer Boy" 2.0,
substitute the phrase "finest gifts" for marijuana,
and you're there.
Or better yet, just check out the video of the entire song
above. It's a double-exposure romp that might make Jesus blush,
if he wasn't already rumored to have used cannabis himself.
After all, as Willie sings in the duet, cannabis is a "plant
that smokes more sweetly than either frankincense or myrrh."
Auckland
Cannabis club tilts at the law
