PRESS RELEASE - 7th OCTOBER, 2003

Edition 14.

Cannabis News Items From Around the World

Canadian PM Mulls Smoking Marijuana When He Retires

Source: washingtonpost.com
Canadian PM Mulls Smoking Marijuana When He Retires
Reuters
Friday, October 3, 2003; 10:26 AM

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Now Canada can understand why Prime Minister Jean Chretien seems to be in such a hurry to push through a law decriminalizing marijuana.

Chretien, 69, said in an interview published on Friday that he might give pot a try once it is no longer a criminal offence -- presumably after he retires in February. Under the new law, pot users would only pay a fine if caught with small amounts.

"I don't know what is marijuana. Perhaps I will try it when it will no longer be criminal. I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand," he said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.

Over the objections of the U.S. administration, Chretien's government has introduced a bill which would end criminal penalties for possession of 15 grams (half an ounce, or 15 to 30 joints) of marijuana. It would remain illegal, however, but only tickets would be handed out.

Some members of Chretien's Liberal Party oppose the bill, however, and it was uncertain whether it would pass in time for his retirement. © 2003 Reuters

FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEW WITH CANADIAN PM CHRETIEN

Pubdate: Fri, 03 Oct 2003
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2003 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: mailto:letters@freepress.mb.ca
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Paul Samyn
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

FACE-TO-FACE WITH CHRETIEN

A proud prime minister reflects on his past, muses about his future and jokes about trying pot

OTTAWA -- For a prime minister under siege, Jean Chretien is a surprisingly liberated politician.

His party wants him to fast-forward his retirement date. Paul Martin is increasingly invading his turf. And party fundraisers like the one Chretien will speak at tonight in Winnipeg are no longer hot tickets.

But sitting at the oak desk on Parliament Hill, which has been his domain for the past 3,621 days, there are no signs of stress, no hint of disappointment.

Instead, the Right Honourable Jean Chretien is a man proud of his political past and excited about his future after 40 years in public life.

Free Press National Reporter Paul Samyn was given a rare opportunity to have a face-to-face interview with the prime minister on the eve of his last official visit to Winnipeg. The following are excerpts of their conversation:

FREE PRESS: Ten years ago, your political opponents were calling you yesterday's man. But last week, the influential magazine The Economist talked about Canada being cool. Does that mean, by extension, that the country's 69-year-old prime minister is also cool?

CHRETIEN:Of course. As a nation we are not great braggarts even when we do very well. We always show an element of shyness. We tend to look too much at the negative side of things. But the reality is that this is a country which has become an example to the world. That The Economist calls it cool is a great compliment in a way. We have a society which is the envy of the world. We are not the richest, but we call it cool. We have done a lot of things in synch with the times.

FREE PRESS: How does it feel to have bills to legalize same-sex marriages and decriminalize marijuana as the exclamation points to your political career?

CHRETIEN:The decriminalization of marijuana is making normal what is the practice. It is still illegal, but do you think Canadians want their kids, 18 years old or 17, who smoke marijuana once and get caught by the police to have a criminal record for the rest of their life? So what has happened is so illogical that they are not prosecuted any more. So let's make the law adjust to the realities. It is still illegal, but they will pay a fine. It is in synch with the times. I don't know what is marijuana. Perhaps I will try it when it will no longer be criminal. I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand.

Same-sex marriage -- the decision has been coming from the court. Some people complain that perhaps the judgment goes a little too far. But for me, it is better to err on the side of giving more rights than taking away rights.

FREE PRESS: I know you don't like to mix faith and politics, but did the same-sex issue pose any difficulties for you as a Catholic?

CHRETIEN:For me, I made up my mind a long time ago and it has been a tradition of the Liberal Party. My grandfather had been refused holy communion because he was a Liberal organizer. For us, my mentality, my religion belongs to me an I will deal personally with that. I am a public person in a very diverse society and I don't think I can impose every limit of my morality on others, because I don't want others to impose their morality on me.

FREE PRESS: After a decade in power, what would be the high point?

CHRETIEN:

The day I won. And I hope the day I depart will be a high point. Normally, most of the politicians when they quit, they are in difficulty. I am not in difficulty with the Canadian public. I have never been so popular personally. And one element I am very proud of is that I have never been so popular in Quebec. You remember there was a time when I was probably below zero in popularity. And now I am finishing with a majority of seats in Quebec.

FREE PRESS: And the low point?

CHRETIEN:I do not dwell on low points. It is like when you play hockey -- you know that someday you will go into the boards. It is inevitable. So, OK, I was in the boards today. I will get the guy in the boards tomorrow. You never write about the guys who fell on the ice. You talk about the guy who scored goals.

FREE PRESS: After 40 years in public life, what will Jean Chretien do to occupy his time post politics?

CHRETIEN:What will I do? I will work. No doubt about it. My wife does not want me in the kitchen every morning and every day. I am not very good there anyway.

FREE PRESS: But what will you be doing?

CHRETIEN:Well, I am a lawyer and many law firms are asking me to join them where I can be a general counsel with a lot of experience, and lawyers will come with their clients and ask my views on all sorts of problems. I have seen a lot of problems. After that I will be involved in some international
affairs. Kofi Annan said, "Don't think you are going into complete retirement, Jean." That is what he said in front of the press at the UN last week. I don't want a full-time job for any organization. I want the freedom of moving around. I will probably be lecturing here and there and do what I please, but I want to be useful.

FREE PRESS: How would you like Canadians to remember your time as prime minister?

CHRETIEN:I don't worry about it. Don't think about your legacy. It is a big mistake. People will judge you for what you have done. I am not preoccupied. I have done my best all the time, for 40 years. Perhaps my best was not good enough, but in a sense after 10 years as prime minister I am proud of what I have done.

FREE PRESS: During your last visit to Winnipeg, you visited the federal disease lab and made clear the important role it has been playing. Is the Winnipeg facility the logical place to headquarter a Canadian version of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and what are you prepared to do to have that happen before you leave office?

CHRETIEN:I don't know if we are ready to make a decision on that. I was impressed by what I saw. Other parts of Canada would like to have it too. So we will analyze all the things. It is a plus for Winnipeg, but the decision will be made in due course. The decision will be made very objectively.

FREE PRESS: Given both the Kyoto Protocol and the blackouts in Ontario this summer, does Canada need an east-west power grid, and what role should Ottawa play in funding it?

CHRETIEN:I discussed that with (Manitoba Premier Gary) Doer, I have discussed that with the premier of Ontario and I have discussed that with the premier of Quebec. My view is that I would like the electricity of Manitoba to be used in Ontario, but they will sell to the best price. If it were to replace coal in Ontario, we could have good reason to help financially through our need to meet our climate change goals.

FREE PRESS: Does the fact the Liberal seat count from Western Canada fell in every election since 1993 mean your government has been out of touch with Western Canadians?

CHRETIEN:Compare the number of seats the Liberals had before me in the West and my number of seats. Three elections in a row we had seats in Alberta. Many times (before) we didn't have any. I have traveled more in the West than any of my predecessors. Sweeping Alberta for the Liberal party will be a great thing, but I am not sure it is about to arrive because of the tradition. Other parts of the country have other traditions that favour us. They know in the West that we will win but they vote for another party anyway.

FREE PRESS: In his first press conference after winning the Liberal leadership, Paul Martin talked about the need to fundamentally change the way the country was governed. In your mind, which is more important, change or continuity?

CHRETIEN:It is for him to decide. Each leader is different. For me, I am satisfied with what I have done. The Economist is satisfied with what I have done. If there is a need for fundamental change, fine. That is the judgment of one person. I am a different leader than Trudeau was, than Pearson was, than
St. Laurent was. But for me, I ran the government the way I thought was the best way and I look at the results.

FREE PRESS: One of the changes the next prime minister has promised to do is reduce the powers of his office as part of a plan to tackle what he calls the "democratic deficit." Is that naive?

CHRETIEN:I don't comment. You pass your judgment. There is reality that there is one day you have to make up your mind. You can never escape that. Process is very important, but the right decision is even more important. There is a lot of criticism of the way we name judges. Fine. But everyone writes that the judges named to the Supreme Court were all of the first quality. If you make a bad judgment you are blamed. I am telling you that as the prime minister you have a lot of responsibility there. You don't want the people to blame you because you named a bad (judge).

FREE PRESS: You talk about wanting the Liberal party to win the next national election. Given that, are you at all willing to budge on your retirement date of February if it is seen to be in the best interests of the party?

CHRETIEN:I made it very clear and the decision (to leave in February) was made in what I thought was the best interests of the party, and nothing has changed my mind so far. We have an agenda, we had a Speech from the Throne and, you know, we are making a lot of progress. So far, I see no reason and Mr. Martin and Madame Copps both said they have no objection. But I could die tomorrow and there would be a change.

CANADIAN PM COMMENTS INFLAME MARIJUANA OPPONENTS

Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada Web)
Webpage: http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/10/03/chretienpot031001
Copyright: 2003 CBC
Contact: mailto:letters@cbc.ca
Website: http://www.cbc.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1412
Related: http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/marijuana/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Chretien (PM Chretien)

PM INFLAMES MARIJUANA OPPONENTS

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Jean Chretien is coming under heavy criticism for some off-the-cuff remarks he made about smoking marijuana.

Chretien has always said he's never smoked pot, but on Friday he said he might consider it. "I never tried it. I said I might be able someday to do it," he said.

Chretien was more specific in an interview with a Winnipeg newspaper. "Perhaps I will try it when it will no longer be criminal," he said. "I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand."

Chretien was referring to proposed legislation that would decriminalize marijuana. People caught with 30 grams or less would be subject to a fine, not a court appearance or a criminal record.

But the government is also trying to deter young people from smoking marijuana. Canadian Alliance MP Randy White, who is also vice-chair of the House of Commons drug committee, says Chretien's comments are counter-productive.

"To suggest to our young people that you can just start smoking marijuana, and just pay the fine and be done with it, is just irresponsible," said White.

Alberta Solicitor General Heather Forsyth has fought against decriminalization, saying it will encourage organized crime.

"I think it's a terrible message to send to our young people in this country. I think it's a terrible message to send to our young people, period."

Medical Marijuana researchers reach for pot of gold

October 2003 Volume 9 Number 10 p 1227, Nature

Marijuana researchers reach for pot of gold

Apoorva Mandavilli

The words 'medical marijuana' instantly conjure images of agitated politicians and emotional patients, each heatedly arguing their point of view. Thanks to marijuana's popularity as a recreational drug, the debates are usually informed more by moral and cultural beliefs than by rigorous scientific evidence.

But the real story is quietly unfolding behind the politics, where cannabis research has been seeping into mainstream neuroscience. Since the discovery of the first endocannabinoid (the body's own chemical that resembles those found in cannabis) in 1992, scientists have been busy unraveling what appears to be a major neurotransmitter system with an astounding panoply
of effects.

What they've found so far suggests that the endocannabinoid system has an important role in nearly every paradigm of pain, in memory, in neurodegeneration and in inflammation. "There is no major biological system where these compounds are not involved," says Israeli researcher Raphael
Mechoulam, who is credited with several seminal findings in the field.

If cannabinoids are crucial to so many biological processes, it follows that their clinical potential is enormous. Until recently, however, most of the evidence for cannabinoid use had been anecdotal because many countries are reluctant to fund research on its medical potential.

Marijuana has been banned in the US since 1937 and in the UK since 1971. A few countries support its medical use: Mechoulam gets his 'hash' from the Israeli police, Canada legalized medical marijuana in 2001, and the Netherlands sanctioned its use in September.

Cannabis sativa contains more than 60 active compounds, the most active of which is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). People have used cannabis to treat all manner of pain, nausea, muscle cramps, glaucoma, asthma, strokes and insomnia. A few small clinical trials have confirmed its efficacy in managing some of these.

Critics point to marijuana's ability to induce anxiety, panic and paranoia. But a recent meta-analysis concluded that there is no substantial effect of its long-term use on the brain. "Compared to many of the drugs doctors prescribe to their patients, marijuana is a pretty harmless substance,"
says Donald Abrams, professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF).

Abrams' experience with clinical trials illustrates how inextricably marijuana research is linked with politics. Abrams first applied to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the only legal source of marijuana in the US, for funds to study marijuana's effects on AIDS patients. After twice being rejected, he reworded his proposal to highlight the drug's potential negative effects. He received nearly $1 million in funding.The US government has not initiated a study evaluating medical marijuana in two decades. Because marijuana is classified as a schedule I drug (with a high potential for abuse and no medical use) cannabis research faces scrutiny by four federal agencies.

"I can go out and get cannabis on the street easier than [I can get] candy," says Roger Nicoll, a pharmacologist at UCSF. "There is a total disconnect between the use of marijuana and the way in which the government is controlling it."

Most researchers say the scales may tip in marijuana's favor if researchers can find a way to deliver therapy free of its 'high'. The key may lie in basic research on the cannabinoid receptors.

There are two known cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. CB1 is the most abundant G-protein-coupled receptor in the brain, and its distribution there hints at intriguing functions: it is ubiquitous in the cerebellum, but in the hippocampus (the memory center) it is only found in a subclass of neurons that regulate memory storage and retrieval.

CB2, in contrast, is found only in peripheral sites with immune functions. Some researchers suggest that using CB2-specific compounds may be one way to avoid psychotropic effects. Mechoulam, at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has developed one such compound unevocatively called HU308, and a US team has reported preliminary results with another molecule.

Mechoulam is also focusing on cannabidiol, the second biggest ingredient in cannabis and the least psychoactive. Cannabidiol is known to be a potent agent against rheumatoid arthritis. Based on a synthetic cannabidiol developed by Mechoulam, the Israeli company Pharmos is conducting clinical trials of the compound's effects on brain injury. UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals is testing cannabis extracts with different ratios of THC and cannabidiol.

Cannabidiol's mechanism of action is unknown, in part because it does not possibilities for specific manipulation of the system.Delivery technologies for cannabis are another avenue of research. Many patients prefer to smoke cannabis because it takes effect quickly and they can titrate the doses better. But some scientists are uncomfortable with the idea of a smoked therapeutic. "There isn't a single drug that is being smoked?and for good reasons," says Mechoulam.

GW has developed a cannabis extract in a mouth spray. It is also working on nasal inhalers and tablets that dissolve under the tongue.

As evidence of marijuana's potential mounts and scientists discover ways to minimize its downside, governments are reconsidering their stance. A US National Institutes of Health report in 1997 and a report from the Institute of Medicine in 1990 both recommended more research to evaluate
marijuana's medical potential. Based on the reports, California funded the first Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research.

Abrams, one of the researchers at the center, now runs three clinical trials. "The science is fascinating enough to keep my attention," Abrams says. "I'll leave the politics to other people."

Hundreds on drugs at the wheel in Victoria, they say.

By Darren Gray
State Editor
October 3, 2003

Hundreds of motorists, many of them teenagers or aged in their early 20s, have been charged with driving while affected by drugs under Victoria's toughened road safety regime.

New Victoria Police figures show that 585 drivers have been assessed by police for possible drug impairment under new road safety laws. Of these, 495 were charged and 247 convicted.

A comprehensive analysis by police done early this year of drivers charged for drug impairment revealed:

- An average driver age of 27 years.

- 85 per cent of drivers charged were male.

- 31 per cent were unlicensed.

- 10 per cent had a dangerous combination of alcohol and drugs in their bloodstream.

- 73 per cent had a history of drug use.

- 21 per cent were aged under 21 years.

The head of the Victoria Police traffic support division, Superintendent Peter Keogh, said he was not surprised by the figures, given the prevalence of drug use in the community.

He warned motorists that drug use had a similar impact to alcohol on a driver's ability to control a car. It increased a motorist's risk of killing themselves, their passengers and other people, he said.

The overall figures on drug-drive charges and convictions cover the period from late 2000 to October 1, 2003.

Motorists convicted under the Road Safety Act for driving while affected by drugs face stiff penalties. The penalty for a first offence is a fine of up to $1200 and loss of licence for at least 12 months. For a subsequent offence there is a fine of up to $2500 or imprisonment for up to three months, plus loss of licence for at least two years.

Laws to crack down on motorists who take drugs were toughened in late 2000.

WHAT WAS DETECTED

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam and temazepam 67 %

Morphine/methadone 48 %

Cannabis 40 %

Amphetamines 22 %

A mix of alcohol and drugs 10 %

NB. Does not add up to 100 % because some drivers were detected with more than one drug in their bloodstream.

SOURCE: VICTORIA POLICE

Accident research has found that almost one in four motorists killed in traffic accidents had drugs other than alcohol in his or her system.

A spokesman for the Police and Emergency Services Minister Andre Haermeyer said the Government took the issue of drug-impaired driving very seriously, and had led the way by creating new laws to tackle the problem.

"This is resulting in more drug-impaired drivers being taken off Victorian roads. Drug impairment testing is just one of a host of road safety initiatives that are helping to keep Victoria's road toll at record lows," he said.

But Opposition police spokesman Kim Wells called for more police to be trained to test suspect drivers.

Police statistics he obtained under freedom of information laws show that at the end of June this year, 145 police officers were trained to conduct drug testing. Mr Wells said the Government was too focused on its speed-camera policy.

Margaret Hamilton, director of the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, urged people on prescription medications such as benzodiazepines to carefully read the warning labels.

These medications, often used as sleeping tablets, could diminish a person's capacity to drive, she said.

Police may decide to investigate a driver for possible drug use if they have broken road rules, are involved in an accident, or are driving erratically.

An interview and special sobriety test - including a request to stand on one leg and count - are conducted as part of the assessment.

On completion of the early assessments, police can request a blood sample if they believe a driver is affected by drugs.

Next year Victoria is expected to get new technology that will be used for random roadside drug testing.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/02/1064988349334.html

Vandalism Rampage in Nimbin main street

Speed and alcohol? It's the only mitigating thought that comes to me.

Four youths smashed eleven shopfronts in the main drag. The Rainbow looked like it had experienced a terrorist attack.
The Rainbow, Herbal Highs, Chemist/ATM, Apothecary, Hemp Embassy, Hotel, Bringabong, Steph's Noodle Bar, and the little shop next to it, that i can remember, all had broken windows. All shops between the Museum and the Emporium had broken windows.

The rainbow was totally vandalised. Not a machine left functional. Crockery smashed. Most of the birds on Burri's mural had holes in them. Front door unhinged, front window framing detached. Debris to your ankles in the kitchen, a structural support smashed out.

Rainbow proprietor, Gerald put on a brave face the day after, but may be forced to close. The damage is like $40,000.00 for Rainbow damage alone.

The offenders at some point after midnight broke into the hotel and helped themselves to drinks under the watchful eye of surveillance cameras, and left, later returning for seconds, immortalised on video.

Bloody fingerprints were left at all premises mentioned. The Hemp Embassy no longer leaves a float in the till, and nothing emotionally valuable was missing, though a small number of t-shirts are suspected stolen.

There is a claim that person "X" found one of the offenders trying to steal his car, and challenged him, whereupon he was hit in the head by an accomplice armed with a piece of timber. "X" said he did not wish to lay a complaint, but reserved the right to sort it out in his own way if the occasion arose.

Forensic spent the whole morning collecting evidence in a shell shocked street. They wanted to get fingerprints from every store affected so there wouldn't be any "I only did that one, don't know about the others" situations. They were very thorough, and much more professional in the way they went about things than the cowboys attracted to drug squad duties that we usually see. They did take the Hemp Embassy keys for evidence, causing some mayhem there, but it was sorted out.

There is a sense that this destructive rampage was too much, even for Nimbin, but outrage will subside. Nimbin, fortunately, is not a place of enduring hatreds. Some would like to lynch the offenders, but others pity them for their youthful imprisonment in so harsh a place; the left hand and the right hand speaking as it were. Slowly, calm is regained, as the community attempts to come to terms with such wanton destructiveness, trying to understand how it came about.

The four youths principally concerned turned themselves in to police. The Northern Star suggested "fear of retaliation" as the motive. (?? I doubt that somehow.)

Bail was refused, all were remanded in custody, and dates were set for further hearings within two months.

UPDATE:

Gerald has just signed a contract for the publication of his book, "Jesus Weed", and the advance will help the Rainbow recover...

Eleven Years for Selling Baking Soda in Ohio

Eleven Years for Selling Baking Soda
Date: 10/3/03

A judge in Ohio's Stark County sentenced a Massillon man to 11 years in prison Tuesday for selling fake cocaine to an undercover police officer. Kenyan Chandler, 22, was convicted of cocaine trafficking after selling a small bag of bogus crack -- actually baking soda -- in July. The bag was supposed to be a sample for a larger, 4.5 ounce deal valued at $8,000.

Although no cocaine was involved, a jury last week convicted Chandler of cocaine trafficking. Under Ohio law, trafficking is defined as selling or offering to sell the drug. Stark County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vance told the Associated Press that the fact Chandler sold baking soda, not cocaine, made no difference. And because the supposed deal was for more than 100 grams, that qualified Chandler as a "major drug trafficker" subject to a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

"It's absurd," Chandler's attorney, Rick Pitinii, told the AP. Chandler was convicted of the wrong crime, Pitinii said. Under Ohio law, selling fake drugs or "counterfeit controlled substances," is a crime. That is what Chandler should have been charged with, he added. Chandler will appeal, Pitinii said.

Alaska Marijuana Initiative Back on Track

Alaska Marijuana Initiative Back on Track, but Does it Matter now?
Date:10/3/03

An Alaska Superior Court judge has overturned a finding by state election officials that invalidated thousands of signatures for an initiative that would decriminalize marijuana possession. Last fall Free Hemp in Alaska (http://www.freehempinak.org), the initiative organizers, gathered nearly 50,000 signatures to place the issue on the ballot, but Lt. Governor Loren Leman, an avowed foe of marijuana reform whose duties include overseeing elections, threw out nearly 29,000 signatures, leaving the measure short of the 28,000 needed to qualify.

Free Hemp in Alaska appealed, charging that the disqualifications were politically motivated and based on technical violations that should not invalidate the signatures. In Alaska, signature gatherers are given books to do their work. Leman throw out 194 of 484 books turned in, including 188 because gatherers failed to identify who got the signatures, three because gatherers were not registered to vote, two because they failed to name the organization that paid the gatherer, and one because the gatherer failed to check a box stating whether or not he was paid.

Superior Court Judge Suddock agreed with Free Hemp in a September 22 ruling notable for its harshness toward Leman and the state Division of Elections. "Our Supreme Court has reiterated on several occasions that the right to initiative is not to be defeated by technical rule violations," he wrote. And he wondered in print whether the Division of Elections was trying to sabotage the initiative by failing to notify organizers of problems. "The Court is hesitant to find on this record that the Division of Elections lay as a snake in the grass, knowing that the initiative committee was at risk by virtue of its reporting errors... However, the Division was, at least, asleep at the switch," Suddock added.

Leman denied to several media outlets that his opinion of the initiative influenced his rulings on the signatures, but initiative supporters weren't buying it. "We anticipated some type of adversity from Loren Leman," one of the initiative's organizers, Scott Dunnachie told the Juneau Empire, adding that it was one of the reasons they collected so many extra signatures. "I do feel that there was something personal there. It is rare that an initiative is thrown out over a regulation."

Judge Suddock ordered the elections office to recount the 194 disqualified booklets, which should push the number of signatures well above the 28,000 needed. The Alaska Department of Law has not indicated whether it will appeal the ruling. It has until October 23 to do so.

According to attorney Kenneth Jacobus, who represented Free Hemp, the ruling should mean Alaska voters will have a chance to vote for decriminalization on the 2004 ballot. It "pretty much will be on the ballot," he told the Empire. But it may be a moot point, given last month's appeals court ruling that there is no law against marijuana possession in the home in Alaska. Stay tuned.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!