Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-05-13

It’s Tuesday, May 13th and it’s 4:20 somewhere in the world. I’m your host, “Radical” Russ Belville.

We here at NORML would like to remind you to get involved in the cannabis civil rights movement and join us here at NORML – you can learn everything you need to know at NORML.org. Make a donation, write a letter, attend a march – it all starts with you. Call your Congress at 202-224-3121 – they’ll ask your zip code and put you in touch with your elected officials. Tell them to support HR5842 and HR5843 to end DEA raids in medical marijuana states and legalize personal possession of pot. It still is a government of We the People, but you have to step up and do your part.

Tuesday is Government at Work day on the podcast, and coming up after the news, we’re going to speak with Dan Linn of Illinois NORML. A medical marijuana bill in the Illinois legislature has recently been amended to address the concerns of law enforcement and Dan joins us to break down the latest changes.

After that Cannabis Karri brings us Rocker-T from Oakland, CA. His song “Tru Ganjaman” is an excellent hybrid of dancehall and reggae that will get your toes tapping and feet moving. Irie!

We’ll wrap up today with the latest scary report about how heavy marijuana use could lead to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Bruce Mirken from Marijuana Policy Project joins us to rebut the findings and to ask one simple question: “Where are the bodies?”

There’s plenty to talk about, so sit back and relax with your favorite strain – this is your NORML Daily Audio Stash.

We invite a true ganja man to today’s stash with ROCKER-T and his toker-inspired tune, “Tru Ganjaman”. Rocker-T grew up in Brooklyn, NY and has lived in San Fransico and Amsterdam and currently calls Oakland, CA home-base. Rocker-T’s music is reggae and dancehall mixed up into a hot rasta blend. He has played in some of the greatest venues around including Amsterdam’s Cannabis Cup, S.F.’s Golden Gate Park, The Fillmore, L.A. House of Blues, the Wetlands in NYC (oh how we miss this legendary club), Reggae on the River, and he is a regular fixture at yearly rainbow family gatherings. Today’s track is a fan favorite and even has an audio cameo in a scene from the stoner-classic film, Next Friday. This track is from his album, “If yu luv luv, show ya luv”. Find out more about Rocker-T, his philosophy and his music at rocker-t.com.

Rocker-T
“Tru Ganjaman (Jump Up An Wap Dem Mix)” (mp3)
from “If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv”
(Positive Sound Massive Recordings)

More On This Album

Canadian Majority Would Legalize Marijuana: Angus Reid Global Monitor
Adults in Canada believe the consumption of cannabis should be allowed in their country, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 53 per cent of respondents support the legalization of marijuana.

Less than 10 per cent of respondents believe other drugs—such as ecstasy, powder cocaine, heroin, crack cocaine and crystal meth—should be legalized.

In July 2002, Canada became the first nation in the world to regulate the consumption of cannabis for medical reasons. In the 2004 federal election, the Marijuana party—which seeks the outright legalization of the substance—received 0.3 per cent of the popular vote.

In November 2004, the Canadian federal government—headed at the time by Liberal prime minister Paul Martin—re-introduced a controversial bill that sought “alternate penalty frameworks” for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill, which would have allowed any person caught with 15 grams of the drug or less to face fines instead of criminal charges, was never put to a vote in the House of Commons.

Earlier this month, Debbie Stultz-Giffin—a member of Maritimers United for Medical Marijuana—urged the current administration to abandon its proposal to authorize a mandatory six-month prison sentence for marijuana growers, adding, “With the federal government talking about pulling exemption holders grow permits and forcing us to buy our marijuana from the government, it’s going to put a lot of medical marijuana patients in a precarious situation.”

I believe we are close to reaching the tipping point where a majority of North Americans favor the legalization, or at least decriminalization, or marijuana.  It looks like Canada is there already, and I know we’re close to that here on the West Coast.  Soon, as more stalwart drug warriors are swept out of Congress and statehouses in the upcoming election, I believe that younger, more liberal officials will take their place.  As our representatives begin to match the population that has come of age with legal medical marijuana and a more relaxed cultural attitude toward cannabis, I believe that we will see the end of adult marijuana prohibition in my lifetime.

ABC News has now picked up on the story in Florida about Rachel Hoffman, the young woman murdered after Tallahassee police inserted her into a dangerous undercover drug sting.  More details have been uncovered, such as the discovery of over five ounces of marijuana at Hoffman’s home, along with scales and baggies.

ABC News: Cops Pressed to Explain Dead Informant
In addition to the 2007 drug charge, authorities also released information about an underage drinking charge Hoffman faced in 2003, as well as multiple instances in which she was targeted by thieves — crimes he said are often related to drugs.

“They’re basically pointing the finger at Rachel,” said [defense attorney Johnny] Devine, who served as Hoffman’s attorney after the 2007 bust, in an interview with ABC News. “What does her underage drinking charge have anything to do with what happened to her?”

[Devine] wanted to know why, as her attorney, he did not know about this offer from police — something McCranie said was not uncommon.

“They’re asking her to do something that would put her in a life or death situation,” Devine said. “I have never had any time where the police department has not called me to tell me this is what’s happening.”

Further, Devine said, Hoffman did not have any previous experience with firearms, but authorities knew from the terms of the deal that she would be confronted by a pair of men — one of whom had a violent criminal past — who were carrying at least one gun.

“She had never worked as an undercover agent,” he said. “She had no experience or training in this matter.”

Finally, Hoffman challenged police reluctance to at least share with her family members some details from the murder scene to allow them to grieve.

“They are left to speculate and guess about the cause of her death,” he said. “Was she tortured? Was she beaten?”

While the police continue to defend the decisions that drew Hoffman into her role as an informant, even William “Willie” Meggs, the state’s attorney in Tallahassee who will ultimately prosecute Green and Bradshaw, said that his office should have known about the April raid at Hoffman’s apartment and her subsequent deal with authorities.

“We would have liked to have known and we did not,” Meggs told ABC News, stressing that as a participant in the drug court, Hoffman already had a relationship with a case worker in the program and should not have any kind of drug interaction involving police without his office knowing.

The police continue to play “blame the victim”, saying that what killed Hoffman was two murderers and her “drug lifestyle”.  But Hoffman was only involved in small amounts of marijuana and was never involved with guns, so to send her on a drug buy for 1500 ecstasy pills, two ounces of coke, and a handgun was completely out of her character.  This is not the kind of nuance that is lost on hard-core drug dealers, especially when you have been recently released from police custody and you ask to meet them in a public place.

I will never say that smoking marijuana makes you stupid.  However, some stupid people do smoke marijuana.  You’d think most people wouldn’t need to be told that you shouldn’t bring your stash to a courtroom, but then again, this is a country where we have to place “dramatization” disclaimers on flying cars in TV ads so people won’t sue when their new ride won’t fly.

It’s only an added bonus that this story comes from one of the seventeen or so places in North America named after my ancestors.

Authorities to courthouse’s visitors: Leave drugs at home — – chicagotribune.com
BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Visitors to St. Clair County’s courthouse are being put on notice that bringing drugs into the building isn’t a bright idea.

Three people have been arrested at the Belleville courthouse in less than a week after they allegedly were found to be carrying drugs at a security checkpoint.

Sheriff’s officials say bailiff Josh Pea arrested a man Monday who was carrying marijuana in one of his pockets. The man was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Last Wednesday, Pea nabbed a man who swallowed a bag of suspected cocaine he refused to turn over the bailiff. That man was charged with obstructing a peace officer.

The next day, Pea arrested another man at the checkpoint who was also carrying marijuana.

The Marijuana Express Card.  Don’t leave home with it!  And for crying out loud, don’t take it to court with you!  Next week, Damon Stoudamire and Michael Vick explain why marijuana and airports usually don’t mix.

TheStar.com | GTA | Eatery won’t fight pot smoker
A Burlington businessman brought to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal after he told a medical marijuana user not to light up in front of his family restaurant has given up fighting the complaint because he couldn’t afford the legal fees.

“The financial burden, the burden on me and on my family was too much,” Ted Kindos, owner of Gator Ted’s Tap and Grill, said yesterday after reaching a settlement.

Kindos said his lawyer told him it could cost up to $60,000 to continue fighting the complaint; it was scheduled for eight days of hearings at the Human Rights Tribunal beginning yesterday. Kindos said he has already spent $20,000.

Steve Gibson, a long-time customer, complained to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2005 after Kindos told him to leave the premises for smoking marijuana in the doorway of the restaurant at Burlington Heights Plaza.

“The principle I was fighting for was to be able to have quality of life and to be able to go out without being stuck at home because I need my medical marijuana,” said Gibson, adding he was pleased with the settlement.

Although the commission’s lawyers do not represent the complainants, their positions are often similar, said commission spokesperson Jeff Poirier.

“For the commission, this case is about being treated the same as the other smokers. This is a smoker with a disability who uses medicinal marijuana that’s legally prescribed to him so he’s seeking access to the designated smoking area,” said Poirier.

Kindos said he originally refused to allow Gibson to smoke marijuana in the smoking room of the restaurant. Gibson then began smoking in front of the restaurant and patrons complained of the smell, said Kindos.

These cases are gaining ground in Canada and the twelve US medical marijuana states.  If marijuana is to be treated the same as other medicines, then we have to address the question of how patients are to use their medicine outside of their home.

In many states, smoking anything in or near a public building is absolutely forbidden.  But in this case, the restaurant made an allowance for tobacco smokers to be able to smoke in a designated area.  So if patrons have a right to smoke tobacco for no medical purpose - indeed, to the detriment of their own health, and the health of others through secondhand smoke - then it is hard to understand banning a medical cannabis smoker in the same area.

The only consideration would be a moral judgment that smoking cannabis is wrong, which seemed to be the situation here.  Kindos alleged that the patrons of his restaurant didn’t want their children exposed to the smell of cannabis.  There is no health risk associated with children smelling marijuana, but there is the risk that witnessing a harmless man smoking marijuana without any negative consequences will open the minds of those children and make them harder to fool with drug war reefer madness.

Times-News: Magicvalley.com, Twin Falls, ID
Several Hailey city officials sued their city Friday over three pro-marijuana voter initiatives, a course of action aimed at getting a judge to rule against the legality of the measures and bring and end to the controversy.

This lawsuit, which has been in the works for 3 1/2 months, has allowed council members to freeze any implementation pending a judge’s ruling.

Plaintiffs Mayor Rick Davis, councilmember Don Keirn and police chief Jeffrey Gunter, all say the initiatives passed by voters in November violate their freedom of speech, conflict with federal law, state law or are otherwise illegal.

Those allegations assembled into a complaint by attorney Keith Roark, have already been raised by city attorney Ned Williamson and the Idaho attorney general.

A judge’s ruling, however, carries the force of a final verdict.

The initiatives would legalize medicinal marijuana and industrial hemp, and make the enforcement of marijuana laws a lower police priority. Voters did not approve a fourth initiative to legalize marijuana.

According to the text of their complaint, the city officials allege their freedom of speech would be abridged because the initiatives “require the City of Hailey and its officers to advocate for changes in marijuana laws”.  What I don’t understand is how a city official acting under direction of the majority of the voters is afforded any free speech rights in the first place.  Nothing is requiring the mayor to say he personally favors changing marijuana laws, merely that as mayor his duty is to express the will of his constituents.

Read the rest of this entry by clicking here

Marijuana may up heart attack, stroke risk: study | Health | Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.

Levels of a protein called apolipoprotein C-III were found to be 30 percent higher in the marijuana users compared to the others. This protein is involved in the body’s metabolism of triglycerides — a type of fat found in the blood — and higher levels cause increased levels of triglycerides.

High levels of triglycerides can contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, raising the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

The study did not look at whether the heavy marijuana users actually had heart disease.

The marijuana users in the study averaged smoking 78 to 350 marijuana cigarettes per week, based on self-reported drug history, the researchers said.

The researchers said the active ingredient in marijuana, known as THC, seems to overstimulate marijuana receptors in the liver, leading to overproduction of the protein. [They] said higher levels of the protein in marijuana users could raise future risk for cardiac abnormalities, blood flow problems, heart attack and stroke.

A U.S. group supporting legal sales and regulation of marijuana disputed the findings. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, for example, the study involved people who were extremely heavy users.

“I think the low end was 78 joints a week. That’s 10 or 11 joints a day,” Mirken said in a telephone interview.

“We’re talking about people who are stoned all the time. We’re talking about the marijuana equivalent of the guy in the alley clutching a bottle of cheap wine. If you do anything to that level of excess, it might well have some untoward effects, whether it’s marijuana or wine or broccoli,” Mirken added.

“Even if you take this finding at face value, it’s not at all clear that it has any relevance to the real world because there is still no data showing higher rates of mortality among marijuana smokers. If this was a significant cause of cardiovascular disease, where are the bodies?”

Mirken’s right.  78 to 350 joints a week?  That’s 11 to 50 joints per day. Let’s see, the government-rolled joints weigh in at about ¾ gram each (you do know there are official US Federal Government joints, right?), but the folks I know roll them a bit bigger (even to the ridiculous cubit-sized 70-gram models).  However, most researchers seem happy with the ¾ gram model, so let’s do the math:

Low-end = 11 joints/day = 11 x 0.75g = 8.25g/day = about 2 ounces / week
High-end = 50 joints/day = 50 x 0.75g = 37.5g/day = over 9 ounces / week

So if you are consuming daily enough cannabis to equal about one-half to two-and-one-half pounds per month, then you might run an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.  Personally, I’m thinking that at $300 per ounce, you’re more likely to run the risk of bankruptcy!

Yet still, note that the study doesn’t check to see if the heavy marijuana users actually do have heart disease.  The research done on the health effects of even heavy marijuana smokers show little if any difference between cannabis users and their non-using counterparts, and some studies even show a benefit from cannabis in treating hypertension.

However, overeating, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco are proven to have deleterious effects on the heart and on health.  I doubt we’re going to see any major effort to arrest the users of those substances, though.

A devoted Stash listener forwarded me a response he received after contacting his congressman, Brad Ellsworth, of Indiana’s 8th District. What impresses me most is Ellsworth’s ability to fit so much reefer madness into so few sentences.

Thank you for contacting me to share your views on marijuana. I appreciate your comments, and I welcome this opportunity to share my thoughts.

According to a 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States¹. While marijuana use is generally unhealthy² and has negative social repercussions³, it also serves as a gateway drug to more dangerous substance abuse⁴. For these reasons, I remain concerned by the prevalence of drug abuse⁵ in our culture and the harmful consequences that are the result of this behavior.

As a career law enforcement officer, I saw firsthand the devastating effects that illicit drug use can have on both individuals and communities⁶. While a member of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, I initiated the Drug Abuse Resistance Effort (DARE)⁷ program to make children aware of the dangers posed by drug use. I made fighting drugs a top priority within the department and I will continue to do so in the United States Congress. Currently, no legislation regarding the legalization of non-medicinal marijuana has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives⁸. If such legislation is introduced, I will not support it.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your views with me. I need your input to make the best decisions possible, so please stay in touch!

Well, then, Congressman, here is some input:

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