Harsh Mellow
CU Police Post 420 Pics Online, Offer $50 For Each ID’d Pot Smoker
By Courtney Lowery, 4-28-06
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The campus police at the University of Colorado in Boulder have posted 150 rather damning photos of the annual 420 party at Farrand Field last week and are offering $50 a pop for identifications of the pot-smoking folks in the photos.
Lieutenant Tim McGraw said the photos were posted late Thursday evening. When word got out Friday morning, "the phones were ringing off the hook," he told New West.
By mid-afternoon Friday, 50 people had been identified, McGraw said.
The 420 party (held at 4:20 on 4/20, of course) has been an annual event for the past several years and McGraw admits, it's been a frustrating case to crack. He said this is not the first time the Police Department has gathered photos of the party and the university often threatens in the days prior to the party that photos will be taken. But this year is the first that the department has used the web for an identification tool on the party pics.
Identified students will be sent to the university's Judicial Affairs department and may face university sanctions. But, they likely won't be criminally charged, McGraw said.
As for the photographer who snapped all the up close shots of smiling, boasting smokers (and one streaking blond guy), McGraw said, "we're not describing who took (the photos) right now."
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Comments
How much money was spent and time wasted to violate these people's rights?
How many cops took photos of potheads all day instead of looking for criminals?
How much more money will be wasted encouraging fellow students to snitch each other out?
This is Boulder, by the way, where pot smoking is a birthright.
I wonder how many students who claim their $50 were either A) At the event too, or B) will use it to buy pot.
Albert Einstein, "My First Impression of the U.S.A.", 1921
Police in Scotland recently said they want to legalize drugs because everyone is using and its impossible to enforce.
The US needs to realize that, if anything, drugs should be treated as a medical problem and not a criminal one. A group called Law Enforcement Against prohibition, or LEAP, believes this should be done.
Maybe the CU fuzz will get a real job as TSA screeners at DIA.
"I'll tell you that anybody that the campera did catch that I'd know WOULD be ID'd by me, and you know why? "
For the court, please provide all the credentials with qualify you as a photographic identification expert.
Prepare for the day to strike for freedom.
Just wait for a new set of Founders worthy of following who will guide the masses to a new era of peace, freedom, and, hopefully, at least partial prosperity.
Theirin lies the paradox.
Well, that's the difference between us, then, Mateo. You apparently have a tendency to obey signs without ever thinking to wonder why they are there. I'm inferring that you'd have been the first to stop making jokes or even cracking a smile when these guys told you to: <http://kcimprov.com/missions/01.php>
If you really think that taking pictures of kids who can't be charged with anything more than trespassing on the basis of such "evidence" is a good use of your tax dollars (because McGraw himself admits that no charges will be filed, so let's not kid ourselves about who's footing the bill for those $50 rewards): this is your government, and you're welcome to it. It's no skin off my nose. I make enough money that I can afford to subsidize this kind of rubbish, but I reserve the right to point out that I really shouldn't have to, and neither should you.
Meanwhile, kids are undoubtedly looking at this page and saying to themselves, "Wow, that girl is hot, and she smokes weed. Time to get hooked up." CU-Boulder's dope dealers have to be among the world's happpier people at the moment, and they owe it all to Lt. McGraw the Crime Dog.
"Let freedom grow" -- Steve Kubby
These kids stand to lose access to student loan money ... for the rest of their lives.
Read about it here:
http://www.csdp.org/news/news/heareform.htm
Not so funny.
Well, probably not. No charges are being filed in this case, so the double-jeopardy HEA provisions (which require a conviction) won't go into effect. Not that those provisions aren't incredibly stupid and counterproductive, and not that they shouldn't be repealed. Thank Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), whose ability to craft incredibly stupid and counterproductive laws knows few bounds.
The bright side is that this one dumb law has done wonders for student involvement with CSDP, which is a class act all around.
I agree wholeheartedly, provided that you're referring to Democrats and Republicans. :)
If the University decides to kick them out of college, I'm sure they'll have no trouble getting jobs as dancers in strip clubs, outcall dating services, massage parlors.
They may even hit the big time, doing something along the lines of providing special entertainment to Congressmen at the Watergate.
This case provides a splendid example of what the sado-moralism of Zero Tolerance is ultimately all about, when all is said and done.
Break them on the wheel. Send them to gangland...
The article says the kids "likely won't" face criminal charges. That's not definite.
Seems like a waste of $ for the school to spend $50 per positive ID to slap these kids on the wrist.
Can't be done. There's no actionable evidence that any crime is being committed here apart from trespassing, and even that's iffy. Just because it looks like they're smoking pot (and presumably are) doesn't mean that it would ever hold up in court, especially given that this sort of thing is the ACLU's bread and butter. That organization would be all over it the moment charges were filed, and they would win. Lt. McGraw knows this, the D.A. knows this, and the CU_Boulder administration know this. If they were even to try prosecuting it, they'd most likely lose even more money than that Michigan town that got a bit too overexuberant with Joe Biden's RAVE Act. This is grandstanding, jealousy of youth, and another step toward both legalization and freedom of assembly, in a state that's already starting to come around to the foolishness of the status quo.
That would be assuming the cops didn't obtain some physical evidence -- picking up roaches dropped on the ground, for instance -- that could be matched with the people in the photos.
Cadets Vent at West Point After Drug Searches
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 28, 2006; Page A10
At least 1,000 West Point cadets demonstrated last week against the manner in which a drug search was carried out in their barracks, shouting and throwing fireworks and other objects from their windows, according to accounts of the incident.
"Hundreds of cadets were hollering obscenities out of their windows and some were throwing objects," according to an incident summary obtained by the Times Herald-Record of Orange County, N.Y., which ran an article about the incident yesterday.
The report, written by a duty officer, also stated, "It was a shameful, pitiful day" for the United States Military Academy, the official name of the institution, which trains students to be Army officers.
"A team-size element of firemen responded to the scene as cadets were throwing objects that were on fire out of the windows in Bradley Barracks," the incident report said. One cadet was reportedly hit with a jar of peanut butter but was not hurt.
The incident report also stated that "about 2,000 cadets were involved and witness to this travesty," according to the newspaper... http://tinyurl.com/oxhcl
These are like those "police abuse" stories where it goes something like "drunk man approach cops with knife. Cops tell him to drop it 5 times, man refuses too, police shoot him in the leg."
The cops told them what would happen, they weren't on the look out for cops with cameras, and now they're getting busted. Boo-hoo. Be smarter next time, hippies.
Those W.P. cadets are going to have to get used to that. I was in the army 4 years and, in that time, had to put up with at least a couple dozen such 'health & welfare inspections'. The usual drill: 3:30 in the morning a couple of MPs use a pass key to let themselves into your room; They turn on the lights; You're told to stay in your bunk while they go through your personal belongings, aided by a drug-sniffing dog; Then they escort you to the latrine where someone watches you pee in a bottle, carefully watching the urine exit your uretha.
Something people don't realize when they sign on the dotted line is that, so long as they are in the military, they live under martial law (the Uniform Code of Military Justice) -- privacy, protection from 'unreasonable search and seizure', etc. do not exist.
1) Our drug laws are stupid.
2) Those kids weren't hurting anyone.
Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
Please review your answers to the questions on the reporting form. If you wish to change or add information, please click on the "Edit Report" button below and resubmit the form. If your answers are complete, please click on the "Send Report" button below. Thank you.
What type of incident is being reported?
civil liberties violation
Where did that incident occur?
Farrand Field, 4/20
When did that incident occur?
4/20/06 4:20 PM
Do you know any of the people involved? If so, please provide as much detail as possible about these people.
Campus police, taking photographs of students smoking marijuana.
Please describe, in as much detail as possible, what happened.
Police decide to spend energy and resources focusing on marijuana use, when the true culprit on campus is alcohol, the abuse of which has actually caused deaths on campus. Citizens are scratching their heads wondering who decides the priorities for the CU police department, such as offering financial rewards for snitches.
smoking from a bong isn't illegal. how does a picture prove the person wasn't smoking cherry tobacco?
"smoking from a bong isn't illegal..."
Are you sure about that? Tommy Chong got a year in a federal prison for selling glass. You can get arrested if you have a glow stick or a pacifier on you at a dance. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a law against smiling in public.
Take heed you pukes, if I see you snapping photos next year (I dont care if you are a pig or not) You are gunna get knocked down.
Pertaining to the question about pipes-
Here's a modest proposal.
I'm not much for tobacco smoking, and have never had the habit. But I think that for those who want to cut down their tobacco addiction or quit, using a one-hit pipe and holding the smoke as long as possible would probably siginificantly cut down on the amount of harmful material ingested. Who knows, a pack-a-day smoker might find out that they only require a couple of cigarettes worth of tobacco every day to satisfy their craving.
It could work better than nicoderm patches or gum.
So if anyone wants to experiment with this, buy that little brass one-hitter, and burn a few quick bowls outside the office, or at the bus stop.
Undoubtedly, there are all sorts of materials that can be burned in pipes, or rolled into cigarettes. The options are hardly limited to either tobacco or cannabis.
The real story is that the cadets pitched a riot in response.
What that tells me is that many of the current class of cadets are questioning what it is that they've signed on to. Between illegal wars brokered by ivory tower chicken hawks, and having their rooms tossed for contraband, the present political institutions of the United States of America may no longer appeal to their idealism. And sincere idealism- love of the traditions of liberty associated with this country's heritage- is not to be underestimated as a motive for young people to pursue military careers.
Whammo. Sounds like something just hit the wall. Cognitive dissonance sometimes resolves like that.
My Dad is a West Point graduate. His physical condition is presently too frail for me to tell him about this story. If I broke the news to him, he'd probably expire on the spot. It's unheard of.
Speaking of "unheard of"- has anyone heard any more attention in the press about this story than the minimum notice required for "papers of record" like the New York Times and the Washington Post? Did anyone out there catch anything about the West Point story on a television broadcast?
I think the anti-MJ folks who are praising this action are missing the point. Anyone who is hoping that these kids will pay for their heinous criminal behavior is probably going to be waiting a long time, because the operation simply wasn't set up in a manner that has any teeth. There's probably no way for the cops even to recover the cost of those $50 rewards. To me, that's fairly contemptuous toward the Colorado taxpayers who will be forced to foot the bill for the rewards, not to mention the server bandwidth and the many hours that Lt. McGraw and his camera-happy little friend have obviously spent on this project by now.
You're right. The remarkable thing about the West Point story is not what prompted the riot, but that there was a riot at all. I was in the enlisted ranks, but I got to meet a few West Point grads. They were a breed apart.
Something is happening. Noam Chomsky was invited to speak at W.P. and got a standing O from the cadets after calling their 'commander in chief' a war criminal. Then there are the retired generals grousing about Rumsfeld.
I saw the W.P. riot story a couple of days ago, only because it was linked at antiwar.com.
It just keeps getting stupider. Check this out:
http://daregeneration.blogspot.com/2006/04/somethings-rotten-in-state-of-south.html
"Oh? I'm sorry, you are mistaken, that is legal tabaco..."
"But this is obviously pot, you are at a gathering celebrating Pot! You are guilty"
"Interesting, who's laws are you refering to, China's perhaps? Please provide your physical evidence that your statement is true and mine is false... You have slandered me sir and I shall sue you for it."
ps - if using marijuana funds terrorists, why not make it legal to grow? Even if you're against weed use, isn't stopping terrorists more important?
1) Our drug laws are stupid.
2) Those kids weren't hurting anyone."
1) Maybe they are stupid. But that doesn't mean they are any less of a "law". You can choose to obey it, or you can choose to petition your represenative to change it. But if you choose to break it, then you should face the consequences.
2) I disagree. They are hurting themselves in more than one way.
Sure smoking pot is "cool". All the "cool" kids do it. Its loads of fun. And there is nothing wrong with it. Except that in our current state of the Union, its aganist the law. I pay our LEOs to uphold the laws of this country, every one of them. I for one, do not consider the law unjust. But then again, I can find a million better things to do with my time, my life, and my resources than sit around and smoke pot. But thats just me.
We are witnessing the DEAth of the War on Drugs. Finally, Cannabis Prohibition is becoming a casualty of Truth. But they have told too many lies to stop telling them now. After all, they have told them for so long, THEY believe them.
Cannaceuticals, not Pharmapoisons. Whole, natural medicine, not Pick-a-Part, or Create-a-Part-for-Profit.
Using politics, the FDA has assured cannabis will be moved into the realm of science. Bingo. Proof in the pudding.
Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
These students are activists, and while they arguably could have taken more direct action for their cause of choice by writing to their congresscritters or sending along the cost of their next eighth to Students for Sensible Drug Policy or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition...sometimes there's something to be said for just standing on a field, smoking something or pretending to, waiting for the cops to show up, and letting one's community decide how much it's willing to spend on that.
Sure you don't want the cops to just blast them away with M-16s instead? After all, they are just Hippies and I'm sure no one will miss them. (Sheesh)
Every person who accepted that 50.00 payoff is a potential Nazi.
Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
the world has gotten so stupid
were's the freedom in this country anymore
do not smoke what you want , but it's ok to go to other country's with are young people and kill there people
lay this asshole cop off
he should be fired
leave those kids alone dammit. dont you think it is a bit hypocritical to prosecute these kids while at the same time your government actually promotes the distribution of hard drugs like heroin and cocaine through its foreign policy? not to say that there might be more pressing matters in the "homeland" as well...
dont give in Denver students!!, fascism has to be stopped in its roots (and yes being german i know what i m talking about when i say fascism)
one love
Axel
You have to understand one thing about us Americans: We like to kill or imprison people who are different from us. Remember that and you'll understand what's happening when what we're doing seems to be at odds with our rhetoric about exporting 'democracy' and 'freedom'.
a. You dont have the "freedom" to do as you wish where you wish. This is in fact America
b. All real hippies are dead
c. Any and all Hippies that are alive now; Die
d. People who smoke weed are usually just lazy optimistic do nothings ie. "4:20 party man, lets screw the government by smoking more weed."
Your little demonstration does nothing for anyone, yet you portray it as a world changing event. I hate to break it to ya, its not.
This is not to say that most of those kids are active on that front, but some of them undoubtedly are. And after this little affair, more of them probably will be, in much the same way that Students For Sensible Drug Policy wouldn't have nearly its current influence or strength in numbers if certain congresscritters hadn't come up with the RAVE Act or the HEA drug provision first. As Gandhi wrote: "First they ignore you; then they mock you; then they punish you; then you win."
Changing the world always takes time, though I guess I wouldn't expect someone who uses the word "optimistic" as an insult to appreciate that.
Just tell me where,
I'll meet you there.
I'll square off with you,
Be you Christian or Jew;
If tobacco's your thing,
I'll bring some to chew.
But if you want to get high
As a way not to die...
Bring some matches.
Second point: If you ever enjoy an alcoholic beverage, say a word of thanks to the people who -- 70-some years ago --disobeyed the 18th amendment, then the law of the land. They made the law an unenforceable farce and the government eventually gave up. The same will happen with weed. Hang in there.
May God bless America.
Sober up and go read a book. Make it about Ghandi.
2nd of all, you say that people were making a political statement by gathering and smoking, and that they shouldnt make this statement because it is essientially pointless since they will not change anything... I would like for you to show me 1 example of an issue that didnt start with the people.. Politicans dont just conjure laws and regualtions. IT ALL STARTS WITH THE PEOPLE. Womens rights, the appeal of Prohibition, etc etc.. Were not thought up by politicans- But by the people.. Though ill give you that a lot of kids were out there to get high--- Many were out there to make a statement to the community that Marijuana is a serious issue and it needs to be debated more-- and obviously that was an outcome of 420..
I really believe that 420 in Boulder will start to take the direction of creating a sensible Marijuana law instead of just getting high.
But in the mean time, why dont you think before you post things on here...
I hope that anyone who gets in trouble understands that Freedom of Association is PROTECTED in the Bill of Rights. The school cant possibly punish you for being around others that may or may not be breaking the law.
IHATEHIPPIES- Gatherings and Protests are the way that large issues get delt with in this country. So if you dont like it, then ignore it or GO FUCK YOURSELF.... People just like you disagreed with every major movement this country has had. But the people know what they want, so dont assume that your smarter then those 5,000 people smoking in the field.. Are you really that inlove with yourself that your gonna argue that your smarter then 5,000 other people/?? I dont think so
former hippy: If you read my line correctly you would understand that I was addressing you. I just didn't place a comma where I should have. Minor mistake, no harm no foul. /QUOTE "You former hippies..." You said "You former hippie know this..." /QUOTE That comment should have been "You, "former hippie" <-----(identity on this message board) know this...". Sorry for the error. Maybe I can get a few "potheads" to smoke for the sake of good punctuation. I'm sure 50 people smoking weed in a field will change the way we view a comma forever. Ghandi weeps.
GetOverYourself: We're debating on a MESSAGE BOARD, is this all the 420 movement can muster? There's no national attention, no 11o'clock news, no march on Washington. That's how things start, with MOTIVATED people that have a just and common cause capture the hearts of the media then the world. What happens next? Change. When it came time to rid ourselves of prohibition what did we do? That's right, I remember now, 6 people drank wine in silence.....
Jonnyboy: I didn't say "Don't gather to make a statement" I said "If you actually HAVE a statement do more than gather." I'm sure with all the great "stoner" minds of the past you can follow a more creative path. But maybe that takes too much thought. The funny thing is I am not a supporter of the Bush Administration so you're taking this from a proud Liberal.
Lloydyboy: I'm sure you are the affluent individual you say you are. One question, where were your "middle-aged and successful professionals -- an M.D., a chiropractor and a PhD microbiologist" friends in the pics? I'm sure if they want to stay in their upstanding positions there wouldn't be any white coats in the crowd; would there?
And last but certainly not least,
Jimmy: Don't be a retard. Its obviously drug paraphernalia in the pictures, it would stand up in court. When the cops pull you over and find a bowl in your car, tell them you're an avid pipe smoker.
Just what are you "liberal" about?
Curious...
Pretty cool, isn't it? All these kids had to do to get people nationwide talking about freedom of assembly again was to stand in one place on a field, smoke pot or pretend to smoke pot, and accept -- for the signs left little doubt -- that they'd be photographed and subjected to a taxpayer-funded snitch drive.
Activism takes all kinds, IHateHippies. Both the "culture" and the "ideal" of natural rights have been alive for thousands of years, and they'll be alive for thousands more (assuming that we as a species make it that far).
Also you refered to 420 as a movement, but its not. I SAID I BELIEVE that 420 will turn into a legalization or sensiable marijuana policy.
"When it came time to rid ourselves of prohibition what did we do? "
We didnt sit in silence. We drank ALOT, until the violence the blackmarket was creating was to much to bear for the Government and until politicans began listening their constituents.
"That's how things start, with MOTIVATED people that have a just and common cause capture the hearts of the media then the world."
I hardly think that the people who wanted end to prohibition won the hearts of the media and then the world. Are you joking?? Honestly? The Appeal of prohibition didnt win the hearts of anyone... People started listening to their minds and not their hearts, because i believe the majority of people know in their hearts the problems of alcohol strongly outweight the benefits... But people listened to their minds and saw that the government should have no role in whether or not i choose to drink.
"I'm sure with all the great "stoner" minds of the past you can follow a more creative path. But maybe that takes too much thought."
once again this shows how incrediably narrowminded you are.. I would bet thousands that there are many more people that smoke pot and will still be more successful then you could only dream of. You just dont understand that marijuana is not just a college drug, there are millions of closet smokers across the country and world. CEO's, business owners, politicans, actors, athletes... So dont make the case that marijuana smokers are not as smart as others.
I could rip into every comment you have on this board, but to be honest.. I just got done studying and now to relax im gonna go smoke a nice little joint......- Just for you
Check this website out... This shows one of the camera men... actaully selling bud, and smoking it on video tape. I think he meant no harm, but some of the pictures from his camera definatly show up on the Pigs website
You are right about one thing. You won't see my friends or I out in public smoking doobie in order to make a statement. Funny thing happens when you have a career, a family and bills: you tend to become cautious. My approach is more 'grown-up': a letter to the editor about drug policy here, a donation to the ACLU or NORML there. I do salute these kids, though. Going to that park did take some nerve. It's nice to see kids care about something.
You call yourself a "proud Liberal" -- what does that mean? Where does your hostility to these kids come from? What would you rather these kids be doing?
Jon Benet Ramsay case? Cops are scumbags.
This is harassment pure and simple. If the Colorado Police had any brass at all, they would charge these protesters with the crime they allegedly committed. Instead they are saying "we know the law is BS and that a charge would get laughed out of court but it is embarrassing to us so we will work outside of the law to punish these people."
As my ma used to say "S**t or get off the pot." If you think they broke the law, charge them. Anything else and you are not acting as a police officer. You are acting as a vigilante.
Here's a comment for the UC administration: If you act against a participant in this protest and that participant decides to sue you will have to explain to the judge why you decided to act on an allegation that the police themselves felt was too shaky to prosecute. Just because Kangaroo Court includes the word "court" doesn't make it legal.
THIS is the future of America?… Great!
1) to the "drug laws are dumb" comment. They're still the laws. If you don't like it, do something about it other that using an alleged "civil liberties protest" as an excuse to get high in public.
2) the police are not attempting to bust people for smoking pot. they are going to issue summons for trespassing on Farrand Field when it had been closed. A picture of someone on the field at the time of the closure will be more than enough to prosecute on this type of charge.
3) the university doesn't even have to pay off the snitches. if/when the offender pays their fine of $100, the informant gets their $50.
4) NOT paying the fine as yet another "protest" is only going to make matters worse. I can promise they WILL seek bench warrants for those who don't pay. It's called failure to comply. You can go to jail for it.
5) for those of you who didn't catch it the first time and are already bitching about my comments, sputtering that "it's stupid for them to bust us!" smoking pot is still illegal, like it or not.
6) grow the fuck up. either vote/volunteer and change what you don't like or shut up, waste some more of your parents money for an "education" that you're just pissing away, drive around in the beemer daddy bought you and we'll see your face on the website again next year for trespassing on the field. your parents must be so proud.
Nobody cares what you say. Shut up.
MARIJUANA, MYTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA, AND OTHER NON-"STONER" REASONS THAT MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED.
First of all, this is information on marijuana from a purely factual stand point, so even if you are against marijuana PLEASE READ THIS. there are too many ignorant people against marijuana...you dont have to smoke it to be for it's legalization.
MARIJUANA MYTHS
1. Marijuana causes brain damage
The most celebrated study that claims to show brain damage is the rhesus monkey study of Dr. Robert Heath, done in the late 1970s. This study was reviewed by a distinguished panel of scientists sponsored by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Their results were published under the title, Marijuana and Health in 1982. Heath's work was sharply criticized for its insufficient sample size (only four monkeys), its failure to control experimental bias, and the misidentification of normal monkey brain structure as "damaged". Actual studies of human populations of marijuana users have shown no evidence of brain damage. For example, two studies from 1977, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed no evidence of brain damage in heavy users of marijuana. That same year, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially came out in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. That's not the sort of thing you'd expect if the AMA thought marijuana damaged the brain.
2. Marijuana damages the reproductive system
This claim is based chiefly on the work of Dr. Gabriel Nahas, who experimented with tissue (cells) isolated in petri dishes, and the work of researchers who dosed animals with near-lethal amounts of cannabinoids (i.e., the intoxicating part of marijuana). Nahas' generalizations from his petri dishes to human beings have been rejected by the scientific community as being invalid. In the case of the animal experiments, the animals that survived their ordeal returned to normal within 30 days of the end of the experiment. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system.
3. Marijuana is a "gateway" drug -- it leads to hard drugs
This is one of the more persistent myths. A real world example of what happens when marijuana is readily available can be found in Holland. The Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 1970s. Since then, hard drug use -- heroin and cocaine -- have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone up, not down. This apparent "negative gateway" effect has also been observed in the United States. Studies done in the early 1970s showed a negative correlation between use of marijuana and use of alcohol. A 1993 Rand Corporation study that compared drug use in states that had decriminalized marijuana versus those that had not, found that where marijuana was more available -- the states that had decriminalized -- hard drug abuse as measured by emergency room episodes decreased. In short, what science and actual experience tell us is that marijuana tends to substitute for the much more dangerous hard drugs like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.
4. Marijuana suppresses the immune system
Like the studies claiming to show damage to the reproductive system, this myth is based on studies where animals were given extremely high -- in many cases, near-lethal -- doses of cannabinoids. These results have never been duplicated in human beings. Interestingly, two studies done in 1978 and one done in 1988 showed that hashish and marijuana may have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied.
5. Marijuana is much more dangerous than tobacco
Smoked marijuana contains about the same amount of carcinogens as does an equivalent amount of tobacco. It should be remembered, however, that a heavy tobacco smoker consumes much more tobacco than a heavy marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is because smoked tobacco, with a 90% addiction rate, is the most addictive of all drugs while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Two other factors are important. The first is that paraphernalia laws directed against marijuana users make it difficult to smoke safely. These laws make water pipes and bongs, which filter some of the carcinogens out of the smoke, illegal and, hence, unavailable. The second is that, if marijuana were legal, it would be more economical to have cannabis drinks like bhang (a traditional drink in the Middle East) or tea which are totally non-carcinogenic. This is in stark contrast with "smokeless" tobacco products like snuff which can cause cancer of the mouth and throat. When all ofthese facts are taken together, it can be clearly seen that the reverse is true: marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
6. Legal marijuana would cause carnage on the highways
Although marijuana, when used to intoxication, does impair performance in a manner similar to alcohol, actual studies of the effect of marijuana on the automobile accident rate suggest that it poses LESS of a hazard than alcohol. When a random sample of fatal accident victims was studied, it was initially found that marijuana was associated with RELATIVELY as many accidents as alcohol. In other words, the number of accident victims intoxicated on marijuana relative to the number of marijuana users in society gave a ratio similar to that for accident victims intoxicated on alcohol relative to the total number of alcohol users. However, a closer examination of the victims revealed that around 85% of the people intoxicated on marijuana WERE ALSO INTOXICATED ON ALCOHOL. For people only intoxicated on marijuana, the rate was much lower than for alcohol alone. This finding has been supported by other research using completely different methods. For example, an economic analysis of the effects of decriminalization on marijuana usage found that states that had reduced penalties for marijuana possession experienced a rise in marijuana use and a decline in alcohol use with the result that fatal highway accidents decreased. This would suggest that, far from causing "carnage", legal marijuana might actually save lives.
7. Marijuana "flattens" human brainwaves
This is an out-and-out lie perpetrated by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. A few years ago, they ran a TV ad that purported to show, first, a normal human brainwave, and second, a flat brainwave from a 14-year-old "on marijuana". When researchers called up the TV networks to complain about this commercial, the Partnership had to pull it from the air. It seems that the Partnership faked the flat "marijuana brainwave". In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly INCREASING alpha wave activity. Alpha waves are associated with meditative and relaxed states which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity.
8. Marijuana is more potent today than in the past
This myth is the result of bad data. The researchers who made the claim of increased potency used as their baseline the THC content of marijuana seized by police in the early 1970s. Poor storage of this marijuana in un-air conditioned evidence rooms caused it to deteriorate and decline in potency before any chemical assay was performed. Contemporaneous, independent assays of unseized "street" marijuana from the early 1970s showed a potency equivalent to that of modern "street" marijuana. Actually, the most potent form of this drug that was generally available was sold legally in the 1920s and 1930s by the pharmaceutical company Smith-Klein under the name, "American Cannabis".
9. Marijuana impairs short-term memory
This is true but misleading. Any impairment of short-term memory disappears when one is no longer under the influence of marijuana. Often, the short-term memory effect is paired with a reference to Dr. Heath's poor rhesus monkeys to imply that the condition is permanent.
10. Marijuana lingers in the body like DDT
This is also true but misleading. Cannabinoids are fat soluble as are innumerable nutrients and, yes, some poisons like DDT. For example, the essential nutrient, Vitamin A, is fat soluble but one never hears people who favor marijuana prohibition making this comparison.
11. There are over a thousand chemicals in marijuana smoke
Again, true but misleading. The 31 August 1990 issue of the magazine Science notes that of the over 800 volatile chemicals present in roasted COFFEE, only 21 have actually been tested on animals and 16 of these cause cancer in rodents. Yet, coffee remains legal and is generally considered fairly safe.
12. No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose
This is true. It was put in to see if you are paying attention. Animal tests have revealed that extremely high doses of cannabinoids are needed to have lethal effect. This has led scientists to conclude that the ratio of the amount of cannabinoids necessary to get a person intoxicated (i.e., stoned) relative to the amount necessary to kill them is 1 to 40,000. In other words, to overdose, you would have to consume 40,000 times as much marijuana as you needed to get stoned. In contrast, the ratio for alcohol varies between 1 to 4 and 1 to 10. It is easy to see how upwards of 5000 people die from alcohol overdoses every year and no one EVER dies of marijuana overdoses.
This is what the government won't tell to us Americans. They are too stubborn to take back a law that has been in place for 69 years (Marijuana Tax Act of 1937).
Along with making marijuana illegal, the government spends billions of dollars each year fighting the drug war to keep marijuana and other drugs out of this country. Now i would like you to think of one person in this country that is unable to obtain marijuana or any other drug. If marijuana was legal, it would be create a market in the USA and there would be no reason for drug smuggling. Because marijuana would then be contained in the USA and smuggling would no longer be a problem, the government could much more easily control the use of the substance. Since everyone would now be buying their marijuana from stores in the USA, there would be a tax on this creating billions more in revenue for the government to add on to the billions no longer being spent on the war against marijuana.
A very high % of prisoners are non-violent drug offenders. With marijuana legalized, we wouldnt have to worry about drug dealers as much, which means less people going to prison, which in turn means more tax money to spend on something more important, like the HUGE deficit we have managed to create.
Marijuana might be a harmful substance, but so are many other substances that are legal, many of which are much more harmful. Marijuana is actually EASIER to obtain because it is illegal and is costing us billions of dollars to make it easier, why would we want to do that?
I hope you feel more informed after this. PLEASE REPOST THIS, whether you are for or against its legalization, people need to know the facts, not just that marijuana gets you high and screws up your life (which for the most part is not true). Also, tell everyone you know about these facts. Marijuana should be legal and the government will not do anything about it unless we stand up and voice the TRUTH.
Nice Job Uncle Sam.
There is a pro-medical marijuana campaign taking place tomorrow (5/6) here in Colorado Springs, noon to 5 PM, in Acacia Park, downtown. Live music and much celebration...all interested should make an appearance! Contact me if you need more .
That information having been disseminated...I have found that there are several people on this board who claim that the pot smokers out there are useless, wastes of skin; the ones who aren't, simply can't afford to support the cause. I disagree!
My friends (and at the risk of bragging, we're talking more than two here) and I are all avid pot smokers. Our CUMULATIVE GPA's are no lower than 3.76 (as upperclass students in the engineering, communication, business, and psychology departments at the University of Colorado - C/S); in addition, we are all gainfully employed at various restaurants/hotels/dry cleaning shops (we ARE college students, after all) here in town. We all pay our rent on time. Some of us (me?) were actually just inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication honor society. Some of us are actually graduting early due to our strong work ethics. One of us served his country in the Navy for five years. We're successful, and we get high, and we were there. We supported the cause.
But whatever we do, we'd best not come home at the end of a long day of work/school/studying/some combination of the three, roll a fatty, eat a Snickers, and go to bed. We need to keep the streets safe for drunks who like to gamble away their paychecks and beat strippers.
END CANNABIS PERSECUTION NOW!!!!
Tomorrow (May 6) there will be a pro-medical marijuana campaign in Colorado Springs, downtown, at Acacia Park, noon-5 PM. Live music, much celebration, and a public assembly to fight for our trampled civil liberties! Please come! If you need more information, contact .
With that information having been disseminated...I have noticed several people on this board who claim that pot smokers are stupid wastes of skin, and the ones who aren't are too cowardly to fight for what they believe in. I disagree!
My friends (and at the risk of bragging, we're talking more than two here) and I are avid pot smokers. In addition, our CUMULATIVE GPA's fall no lower than 3.76 (as upperclass students at the University of Colorado - C/S in the fields of engineering, communication, business, and psychology, respectively [yes, there are more than four of us]). We are all gainfully employed at various restuarants/hotels/dry cleaning shops (we are college students, after all) here in town. We all pay our rent on time. Some of us are in national honor societies catering to our respective majors. Some of us will actually graduate early, due to our stellar work ethic. One of us served his country for five years in the Navy. We went. We were there. We're successful, and we supported a cause dear to our hearts.
But we had best not come home from a long day of work/school/studying/some combination of the three, roll a fatty, eat a Snickers, and go to bed. You see, we need to keep the streets safe for the drunks that want to gamble away their paychecks and beat strippers.
END CANNABIS PERSECUTION NOW!!!
The same thing holds true for the deputy d.a.'s who are ready to prosecute the tokers.
The Marihuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937 (only 4 years after Prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment) came into being because of hysterical and even racist anti-pot propaganda. E.g., Smoking a joint will make a Latino or Black man want a White woman. Congress didn't give a fair hearing to the A.M.A.'s representative, who was both an attorney and an M.D. It didn't give him a hearing at all.
Follow the money. I think that the pharmaceutical and liquor companies are anti-weed for their own fiscal reasons.
Phase 2: Perpetuate drug prohibition, thereby ensuring that illegal drugs become the economic mainstay of many poor neighborhoods. Concentrate the repression in poor and ethnic minority communities. Turn up the heat until scorched, for more than 25 years. Keep it on until every family in an urban poor neighborhood has at least one relative in prison, and one set of children in foster care.
Phase 3: Blame "the liberals" for not siding with the Sado-Moralist Crusade, making sure to play the race and class card: "a bunch of middle to upper class whiteys got busted smoking pot...Expel and arrest them all."
Kap, what a phony you are.
The weed train is sounding louder.
CraigX
It's easy. FIND OUT WHO SNITCHED and then post THEIR picture on a website identifying them as a snitch.
How? Easy, CU is a public university. That means their records, including who they write checks to, can be examined using the FOIA (Freedom of information act request).
Tada!!
Keep standing up for you rights! Civil disobedience--especially when it is non-violent--is an American tradition...It is as American as apple pie. Craig X Rubin
COPS IN CO ARE PATHETIC
Amanda, I'm glad you're smart, and you certainly go against a lot of the stereotypes that exist about pot-smokers. But honestly, there's better things to protest about (genocide in Darfur, the environment, poverty, etc). "Cannabis persecution"? Please. If you were fighting on behalf of medical marijuana, that's fine (though also not applicable to this article). But there's better things to argue about than how one spends one's recreation time. In the meantime, what's illegal is illegal, and the government has the right to enforce its own laws.
#1) The government has no rights. People have rights.
And;
#2) You want people to protest what's happening in Darfur -- the other side of the planet -- but not what's going in their own town? That's bizarre.
Which, in addition, I don't understand why you're attacking...my beliefs, that is. There are so many people out there who criticize my generation for being lazy, no-good freeloaders with no drive, opinions, or ambition. At least I'm one with enough conviction to stand up for what I believe in and what is important to me. Child poverty in Darfur is another global travesty. But I've picked my own 'crusade', if I may be so serious :)
What is getting lost in the argument here is that not all the people there were smoking. In fact, many activists make it a point NOT to smoke in public, especially at these gatherings, because all it does is give the drug war mongers more ammo. Assholes like myself would have been walking around actually smoking tobacco, mullien, or some other legal smoke from those pipes / bongs / etc.. ;)
No matter what we do there will always be people who smoke too much weed. There will always be people who show up at demonstrations just as a chance to smoke in public, and that is sad, but we can't stop that from happening.
As student of medical sciences I can tell you that marijuana is indeed harmful, but that is not the point. Just how harmful IS marijuana?? LESS harmful than cigarettes, LESS harmful than alcohol, LESS harmful than coke, heroin, nearly all the widely used and / or abused prescription medications... after seeing what 30 days of nothing but fast food did to the super size me guy, one can easily argue that it is LESS harmful than even fast food.
It is a mind-altering substance, like alcohol, nicotine, and caffine, but less harmful. Yes, there will always be people who abuse it, just like all these and many other substances, it is also clear that people who abuse marijuana and no other substances are primarily damaging only themselves which, although stupid, is thier right. One could argue that they harm others and society by thier actions under the influence, etc... but that is a huge load of BS not because pot smokers are less likely to have behavior issues (true, though), but because alcohol, as well as other more harmful substances, are much more highly correlated with violent crime. Therefore, if that were an issue, these other substances would all be illegal as well, which we have already proven back in the 20's as not a practical substance management policy. We all need to put aside our opinions, especially 'stoners', and take the time to really know the facts, examine them, and decide what is best for our people as a whole.
I AM SICK AS SHIT of people pointing to holland as an example. Yes, they are a good example, with use rates and crime rates across the board dramatically lowered, but marijuana is NOT legal there, only "tolerated". Marijuana IS in fact legal in the czech republic, who also have dramatically lowered use and crime rates across the board. ;) Also in spain, not techincally legal, but the personal freedom law there is such that if the marijuana never leaves your home, then it is legal. They also have no major marijuana related societal issues.
it sure is nice to have freedom of speech on the internet here, isn't it?
whatever "side" of this thing you sit on, tonight before you go to sleep, allow 10% of your inner picture of yourself to actually hold the truth in yourself, that the opposite "side" of this issue is actually true and correct.
just allow yourself to think that and see how you wake up.
...just for a little free, inner-world thinking exercise type of fun for stoners... and non-stoners... and anti-stoners alike.
Its illegal.
Bud
i think people can smoke pot and do coke and speed and whatever else they want its there chose if they want to do it!!
i have been doing all the drugs under the sun and im fine
the drugs i do the most is speed ice e'z coke pot dature and i sniff paint and petrel but its my chose i started when i was only 7 im not 17
i dont do all the drugs every day i only do pot speed and coke everyday the rest i do when i want to i hate life so when i get the buzz i feel beter about my self!!
so leave people alone they do what they want to do!!
The cops in boulder ( CU POLICE ) INCLUDED...are nothing more then rookies...trying to prove that they are cops...there for they harrass and abuse there rights....and lets face it...cops are just guys with very small cocks who feel less of a man then normal guys...and when they walk around with there gun..they feel like a real man...which they are not