You can be deceived by...

of raising false hopes.

Well, there's a lot of reasons, but one of them is you lot are doing a craptastic job of advocating change of marijuana policy. I'm referring to the vast bulk of the comment posters on this page.

STOP griping, restating the problem, bashing politicians, or going off on long ranting tangents. START analyzing individual situations, organizing effective responses, and discussing possible strategies, arguments and responses. When you write a communication about the drug war, think about my 60 year old republican aunt in Baton Rouge LA. You should be thinking "that's my audience, that's who I want on my side". We need to convince the uninformed and ignorant masses of the errors of drug prohibition and the way to do that is by appearing calmer, cooler, and more rational than the ranting raving drug warriors.

FOR EXAMPLE, I note that in one of the above given links, you can find the email addresses of individuals at the DOJ who had a hand in this decision. They are:david.kowal@usdoj.gov and rasha.gerges@usdoj.gov. Note also that you can contact the office of the DOJ at: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. Why not take a few minutes, and formulate a calm, rational, and compelling as possible response to these events, and let your government know how you feel. Contact all your sympathetic friends and family, and try to get them to write a response as well. Write your local newspaper or televisions station while you are at it. It may or may not help, but it will certainly do a lot more good than the above ranting and raving.

Here is what I wrote the DOJ. If you have a better response, share it with others.:

Greetings.

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with your offices recent decision regarding Charles Lynch. I was given to understand, by public statements made by president Obama, as well as by public statements made by Attorney General Holder, that the DOJ would no longer be going after Medical Marijuana Dispensaries operating within the bounds of their states laws.

Charles Lynch has never been charged or tried by the state of California. From what I understand, his lawyers were prevented from arguing that his activities were legal in California, because he was being prosecuted under federal law. Everything I have read about the case indicates that mr. Lynch's cooperation with local authorities, including the city council and chamber of commerce, has been thorough and well documented.

In my eyes, and indeed in the eyes of millions of Americans, you are prosecuting a guiltless man who helped the sick and dying in his community

Please keep your promises to the American people, and rethink your decision in this case.

Yours,
Glen Stark

anyone who jumps into bed with them.

Milton Friedman said it in 1998: "There's No Justice in the War on Drugs"

People who expect justice from the Democrats, Barack Obama and his authoritarian drug warrior Justice department are delusional. Justice is not in their lexicon.

The Democrats and Republicans who support the war on drugs are authoritarians. Until they are vociferously confronted they recognize no values or opinion other than their own.

Few reform groups are leading anti drug war protests in the streets and so it looks like there is not much opposition to the authoritarian drug war. Getting as many people out in the streets as often as possible is the only thing that will change the minds of drug war supporting thugs.

May 2, 2009
PhillyNORML - 2009 Global Cannabis March

The 2009 Global Cannabis March, or Philadelphia Cannabis Festival, will be taking place on Saturday May 2, 2009. The event is still being planned, so more information will be posted as it becomes available. The GCM is an annual event that brings out hundreds of supporters, patients, and onlookers. It's an excellent opportunity to show just how popular legalization is, and to have a lot of fun. In 2008 we had our biggest one yet with over 400 people. This year we hope to top 1,000. Check back often for updates!

Saturday, May 2, 2009
Meet at Broad St. and South St. at 3:30 - 4:00pm
March towards Headhouse Square at 4:20pm
Arrive at Headhouse Square by 5:20pm
Speeches - done by 6:30pm

I suspect that our president has discovered what I believe to be the real reason why marijuana is illegal in the United States. Suppose a powerful, prosperous industry discovered that changing a prohibition law would result in that industry losing billions of dollars a year in profit. Would this industry, which has armies of skilled and proven lobbyists, allow such a change? Not on your life! Even if it means your life. What is the most potent analgesic, appetite enhancer, anti-glaucoma drug in the world that cannot be patented? Cannabis. Legalizing cannabis threatens the profits of every major pharmaceutical house in business today, by eliminating demand for some of their most profitable products.

Used properly, cannabis is effective in the treatment of dozens of afflictions, from toothache to menstrual cramps. Because cannabis has been cultivated and used medicinally for thousands of years, our brains have more receptor sites for the compounds in cannabis smoke than any other medicinal substance. As long as cannabis is grown by users, there is no profit in it for drug companies, only loses. These companies have repeatedly forced their will upon the American people, through lobbying efforts that are nearly traceless.

Several times, commissions created by presidents have recommended relaxing or repealing laws against hemp products. In each case, the recommendations have not only been ignored, but some presidents have actually acted in opposite of the recommendations, as Nixon did when he arbitrarily put marijuana in the same enforcement schedule as heroin. Isn't it likely that these presidents have been under intense pressure from somewhere to act as they have? Could it be that President Obama has discovered a power greater than the presidency? Surely, there is some organized and powerful resistance to any appearance of tolerating medicinal marijuana, and I don't think that it is coming from law enforcement agencies. Only the federal government has continued to insist that marijuana is a threat of any kind, and the Drug Enforcement Agency rarely acknowledges that there are any illegal substances besides marijuana.

The greed of the pharmaceutical houses is well documented, as well as their astonishing profitability. This industry actually wants people on drugs, as long as they are drugs that are patented. This industry rushes new drugs onto the market in spite of minimal testing, and has repeatedly ignored evidence that the drugs may be harmful. This industry has repeatedly resisted attempts to lower drug costs in the United States, which are the highest in the world. No other industry, organization, or interest group has more at stake in maintaining the marijuana prohibition than the pharmaceutical industry. Medical marijuana is not in danger from law enforcement, it is in danger from the drug companies.

Jail Term to Be Sought in Medical Marijuana Case
New York Times

"Judge George H. Wu, a Bush appointee who is hearing his first federal case, postponed sentencing until June 11, by which time he will receive final briefings from government and defense lawyers. Judge Wu seemed inclined at times Thursday to hand down a lighter sentence than the government was seeking but repeatedly said he was constrained by federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws."