February 25th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, News
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New Hampshire may be the next state to decriminalize marijuana, following the lead of 12 states so far, as two New Hampshire legislators from Nashua have filed the legislation papers. The bill is to be voted on next month by the state House of Representatives, and would decrease the penalty for small amounts of marijuana to a $200 civil fine.
The news comes at a time when the general sentiment about pot of the American people is shifting. Almost half of the United States population has at least experimented with pot, and while many still believe it should not be fully legalized, having a criminal record for pot is beginning to seem more and more excessive.
The debate will be lively with many supporters and opponents of the legislation. The opposition of the bill feels that decreasing the penalties for marijuana possession will encourage its use among the younger generations and cause them to believe that using marijuana is ok.
I do agree with people who say smoking pot all day all the time will lead to a lazy and unfulfilling life. That is why it is our responsibility as parents, friends, brothers, sisters, and people to educate each other about moderation in all parts of life. While there are many risks associated with marijuana, there are also many benefits.
Even for those of us that are not citizens of New Hampshire, the future of marijuana’s legal status is close to the hearts of many. Personally I support the decriminalization, and full legalization would benefit the country greatly in new tax revenues and reduced law enforcement costs. Even though I am not from New Hampshire, I whole-heartedly believe in their motto “Live Free or Die!” and to me part of being free is having the right to make your own decisions.
February 22nd, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: News
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The well known marijuana legalization activist Jack Herer is leading an initiative to get marijuana legalization on the 2008 November ballot in California.
According to Jack Herer’s website, “This initiative will legalize Cannabis Hemp for (a) industrial products, (b) medicinal preparations, (c) nutritional products, (d) religious and spiritual products, and (e) recreational and euphoric use and products.”
In addition, the initiative would provide for immediate amnesty and release from prison for any persons jailed for marijuana related offenses by the state of California.
They are going to need 400,000+ signatures from California residents by April, which they are already well on their way to achieving.
For more information on Jack Herer and his cause please visit Jack Herer’s Website.
February 20th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Marijuana Effects, Medical Marijuana, News
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The American College Of Physicians is the second biggest doctor’s organization in America, consisting of 124,000 physicians. Yesterday the college issued a statement pointing to strong evidence that marijuana is useful in treating AIDS wasting syndrome, glaucoma, and easing side effects from cancer.
Here is a summary of their main argument:
"Position 1: ACP supports programs and funding for rigorous scientific evaluation of the potential therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana and the publication of such findings.
Position 1a: ACP supports increased research for conditions where the efficacy of marijuana has been established to determine optimal dosage and route of delivery.
Position 1b: Medical marijuana research should not only focus on determining drug efficacy and safety but also on determining efficacy in comparison with other available treatments.
Position 2: ACP encourages the use of non-smoked forms of THC that have proven therapeutic value.
Position 3: ACP supports the current process for obtaining federal research-grade cannabis.
Position 4: ACP urges review of marijuana’s status as a schedule I controlled substance and its reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence regarding marijuana’s safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions.
Position 5: ACP strongly supports exemption from federal criminal prosecution; civil liability; or professional sanctioning, such as loss of licensure or credentialing, for physicians who prescribe or dispense medical marijuana in accordance with state law."
The American College Physicians is the first medical organization to outright oppose the governments laws against medical marijuana. This is a historic step towards the medical community’s acceptance of marijuana as medicine. The largest medical organization in the United States, the American Medical Association, has lagged behind on the issue, and this will put pressure on them to follow suit.
Source: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/524/american_college_physicians_medical_marijuana_policy_statement
Sponsor:
To learn more about alternative ways of consuming medical marijuana check out vaporizers that are gaining much popularity among the medical marijuana community!
February 19th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, Opinion
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Vaporizers: Why It Is Time To Legalize Marijuana
There may finally be no reason for the government to keep marijuana a criminal act, as the defense for the drug war has completely fallen apart over the past couple years. Each argument that John Walters (the drug czar) and his predecessors have put forth for the criminalization of marijuana has no merit. Below I will go over each argument that the federal government has put forth for the criminalization of weed, and prove to you that the only reason marijuana is still legal is corrupt media officials and politicians with ties to big business.
1.Claim: The main ingredient delta9-tetrahydrocannibinol is a mind-altering substance. Most recently, Josh Walters has been spending millions of dollars on advertisements claiming Marijuana causes schizophrenia.
Actually, Marijuana is only mind altering for a short period of time, after which the brain returns to a normal state. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan as recently as a month ago found that marijuana increases brain cell growth. Synthetic cannabinoid was injected into mice and there was actually growth in the hippocampus, which is crucial in forming memory and is believed these cells help fight depression and mood disorders. So if anything about the mind is being altered, it is for the better. The schizophrenia argument has been shot down by every psychologist in the field that I have talked to. If you want to read more about why this article is false read here.
2.Claim: Marijuana today is 25 times stronger than that of the 1960s, and can be cut with dangerous chemicals that may cause cancer.
There is no lethal dose of marijuana. While, taking 25 times your recommended Tylenol amount will kill you, smoking marijuana with 25 times as much THC will just cause you to feel a more intense high. In fact, the numbers are more like 4 to 6 times stronger and this is largely due to advancements in cultivation technology over the years. Dangerous chemicals may or may not make it to the marijuana before it gets to the smoker, however it is only because marijuana is illegal and unregulated that this is the case. In fact, marijuana itself has been shown in studies that date back to the 1960s that marijuana slows and may even help prevent cancer. Read about how cannabis can slow cancer.
3.Claim: Marijuana is harmful to your lungs.
This is only true when cannabis is consumed by smoking. Over the past couple years vaporizers have been an emerging technology in the herbal smoking world. Vaporizers heat the herbal substance to between 350-380 degrees and therefore it eliminates 99% of carcinogens. So smoking with a vaporizer basically refutes the one and only scientifically sound argument that supporters of cannabis prohibition have.
So how with no scientific basis is marijuana still illegal? The answer lies in the media. Frankly, articles like this don’t get this same kind of exposure that fox news can have. They are quick to promote studies showing marijuana increasing gum disease, but will never promote one that shows positive benefits. In fact fox news has a history of censoring and altering news in the favor of big business. Here is one example where fox censored news that Monsanto’s cow growth hormone causes cancer.. The oil, paper, and cotton industries all benefit from the legalization of hemp and marijuana because hemp can replace plastics, paper, textiles and fuel. In addition cannabis has a much higher yield per acre than any other ethanol producing plant.
Politicians are responsible for this too. They are not listening to the people. In national polls, 60& of people want marijuana decriminalized and 80% support its medicinal use. 45% Support the legalization for use by adults. The only explanation for this is that the politicians controlling marijuana policy have interests with big business.
So in attempt to take a stand and challenge the status quo I want you to read this, and think about what I have presented you. If you find an argument for a reason you feel marijuana should be illegal, post it on this blog and I will respond in this article. If you support what I am trying to say, then digg this article or feel free to reproduce and submit this article* anywhere you can so that we can try to combat the propaganda mainstream media is spreading. With the power of the internet we have the potential to dispel propaganda no matter how much money the government spends!
Get involved however you can, I propose a toast to the cause of marijuana legalization!
-Peter Bonginelli
*If you want to reproduce the article on your own blog please credit this website.
February 18th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Uncategorized
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The short answer is yes. There is no lethal dose of Marijuana as there is Alcohol, and no significant changes to brain structure. However, alcohol can severely damage brain function. Many Universities across the country including both Colorado State Universities and Appalachian State University have brought arguments before their schools in an attempt to equalize penalties for alcohol and marijuana consumption.
Intoxication:
Marijuana is much safer than alcohol in terms of temporary impairment. While alcohol causes sever motor skill deficiency rendering one unable to drive or perform other coordinated tasks, marijuana does little other than slow these processes down.
Withdrawal:
Alcohol withdrawal is widely known as one of the biggest reasons it is hard to stop drinking. Marijuana however, has no physical withdrawals (other than the psychological withdrawal of not being high).
Tolerance:
Alcohol tolerance increases substantially with abuse. While marijuana tolerance will increase with use, there is a much smaller difference between a pothead and first time smoker’s needs than there is an alcoholic and a first time drinker.
Dependence:
It is very difficult for Alcoholics to put the bottle down for good. Marijuana has been smoked by nearly 50% of all Americans, and only 1% of that number smoke regularly. Take the total number of citizens in the United States and figure how many people have tried alcohol, and how many are alcoholics, and you’ll be left with a figure 10 times that of marijuana.
Reinforcement:
Reinforcement is one of those qualities that it is hard to measure by taking a substance, but what it really means is potential for addiction. Marijuana has almost no potential for physical addiction (as stated in withdrawals) but can be psychologically addicting. Many marijuana users get used to the lifestyle and quitting the substance isn’t the problem, it’s the social life they have developed around it.
So overall marijuana is safer than alcohol, but much more inconvenient for the paper and oil companies that alcohol and tobacco. What does this mean? It means the drug czar, John Walters, gets tens of millions every year to spread the type of ignorance we are trying to fight. His latest episodes of marijuana propaganda include the myth that marijuana creates mental illness. This is supported by no psychologists in the field that I have read about or talked to, however it does seem that marijuana may bring forth underlying mental illnesses that already exist.
If you liked this article, please check out this new one too! (I site more sources in this article, it is more professional) Vaporizers: Why It Is Time To Legalize Marijuana
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