Cannabis issue rehashed

The Battalion ^ | January 13, 2003 | George Deutsch

[Wolfie]

Canadian pols have a way of letting the courts do what they themselves lack the spine to accomplish. At any rate, they have 6 months to make up their minds.

[bigfootbob]

"Canadian pols have a way of letting the courts do what they themselves lack the spine to accomplish"

Kinda of like socialist liberal democRATS in America?

[Sender]

$1200.00 a month

I think that you could have all 40 additional therapeutic compounds, a pizza and a movie for that kind of money ;)

[mitchbert]

These commercials would be laugh-a-minute material if it weren't for the fact that a surprising number of people take this garbage as fact. In reality these are nothing but adaptations of scenes from "Reefer Madness."

1. Kids run down little girl on bike = stoned youth in car peeling away from the curb and does a hit and run on old man crossing the street.

2. Girl raped at party = girl, nearly comatose on sofa after a couple of tokes being groped by stoned friend.

3. Friend, in stoned haze, shoots friend = stoned hallucinating guy kills girl that is the love of his life.

You would think the people creating these ads would show a little more creativity, but lo, they have to go back to a thoroughly discredited propaganda piece from the 20's (30's? Can't quite remember. Saw it in university and well, umm...). It's one thing when a government engages in stupid and ultimately destructive policies. It's another altogether when they have to resort to insulting the nation's intelligence (even though they probably believe this rot) to do so.

[bigfootbob]

"I think that you could have all 40 additional therapeutic compounds, a pizza and a movie for that kind of money ;)"

That's the point. But, unlike a liberal, I'm not going to bi*ch about the evil drug companies. The problem lies with the Federal Government.

[MrLeRoy]

Good catch!

[Poohbah]

Cannabis issue rehashed

A Freudian slip, I'm sure :o)

[Dead Corpse]

1937. I've got the DVD with both RM and Cocaine Fever on it.

Hillarious. Be that as it may, it seems our Drug Czar is still taking all his cues from the Ghost of Anslinger. Next stop, blaming the plague on Jazz musicians. Or in todays paralance Pop/Rap/Rock stars.

[Nick Thimmesch]

"Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana!"
NORML Charges In New Report Rebutting Drug Czar:

"Exaggerating marijuana's potential harm only undermines the government's
credibility and ability to effectively warn of the harms of truly dangerous drugs," Says NORML Head

Washington, DC: NORML unveiled a new Internet and media campaign today in response to a recent wave of federal anti-marijuana propaganda from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. NORML's new "Marijuana Truth" campaign seeks to counter this rhetoric with fact-based information and
scientific reports to stimulate an honest public discussion about the minimal risks presented by marijuana, and the disproportionate harms associated with criminal pot prohibition.

The first salvo in this campaign is the release of NORML's most comprehensive report to date, entitled, "Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana: A Refutation of the Drug Czar's 'Open Letter to America's Prosecutors.'" This report responds to a recent letter from the Drug Czar's office urging law enforcement officials to "aggressively prosecute" marijuana violators. The letter further advocates prosecutors "tell the truth" about marijuana, and then lists more than a dozen unsubstantiated, misleading, and fallacious statements regarding cannabis - including the allegation that "no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana," and the claim that marijuana is more addictive than "alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and all other illegal drugs combined."

NORML's report offers a scientific, point-by-point rebuttal to the Drug Czar's claims. "We invite all who are interested in learning the truth about marijuana to read the Drug Czar's letter, and then read NORML's rebuttal, and decide for yourself who is lying about marijuana and why," NORML Executive
Director Keith Stroup said.

He added: "NORML believes there is nothing to be gained by exaggerating marijuana's harmfulness. On the contrary, by overstating marijuana's potential harm, our policy-makers and law enforcement community undermine their credibility, and their ability to effectively educate the public of the
legitimate harms associated with more dangerous drugs. We cannot any longer remain silent and permit this taxpayer-funded propaganda to occur without a challenge."

Stroup concluded: "It is time for us as a nation to allow the science, as opposed to the rhetoric, dictate our public policy regarding marijuana. Exaggerating the dangers associated with the responsible use of marijuana results in the needless arrest of hundreds for thousands of good, productive citizens in this country, and does nothing to promote public safety."

NORML's report (along with a copy of the Drug Czar's letter) is available online in both HTML and PDF formats at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5513

[Dead Corpse]

Shoot. 1938 under the title "Tell Your Children". Re-released in 1947 under the title "Reefer Madness".

Anyone got a copy of "Devil's Harvest"? I think I'll try and collect the whole set.

[bigfootbob]

Thank you. I just joined NORML last week.

[mitchbert]

[MrLeRoy]

A footnote in NORML's excellent point-by-point refutation led me to the following info from the Institute of Medicine:

Drug Category | Proportion of Users That Ever Became Dependent (%)

Tobacco 32

Alcohol 15

Marijuana (including hashish) 9

Anxiolytics (including sedatives and hypnotic drugs) 9

Cocaine 17

Heroin 23

[Hemingway's Ghost]

My first reaction to these PSAs is uncontrollable laughter because they look as though they came straight out of Reefer Madness, one of the funniest movies ever made.

[MrLeRoy]

My first reaction to these PSAs is uncontrollable laughter because they look as though they came straight out of Reefer Madness, one of the funniest movies ever made.

See post 24.

[vin-one]

one of these days, I am going to find that movie and watch it
the only problem is I have teenage kids, and the wifey is dead set against MJ.
what to do, what to do?
is it for rent anywhere?????????

[Hemingway's Ghost]

See post 24.

I know---I was trying to map each commercial to each scene but this brother's already done it for me. I thought each scenario sounded familiar.

For a complete set, they've got to update the evil boogeyman black jazz pianist corrupting all the young, impressionable white women with his hot jazz. Maybe the jazz musician could translate to some thug rapper.

[MrLeRoy]

one of these days, I am going to find that movie and watch it
the only problem is I have teenage kids, and the wifey is dead set against MJ.

I can see the problem---they'd have no trouble with the movie, but you'd have bitten a hole through your cheek trying not to laugh out loud.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

what to do, what to do? is it for rent anywhere?????????

I bought the vid on the cheap from Newbury Comics, an alterno record store up here. I used it as a booby prize for a wine tasting party my wife and I threw, but the winner forgot to take it home, and now it's part of my personal stash.

[GSWarrior]

Unfortunately, it is parents take these commercials at face value.
My parents were in their 20s in the 1930s and, because they blamed my occasional pot use in high school on everything from my having to have braces to having discovered the joys of self-abuse, I can only assume they fell for the propaganda hook line and sinker.