The Holy Ale and Demon Weed
DA will prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries – even if L.A. does not ban sales – L.A. Times Online
The Los Angeles Times reported today that District Attorney Steve Cooley, “will prosecute dispensaries that sell medical marijuana even if the Los Angeles City Council adopts an ordinance that does not ban such sales.” At this point it’s the City of Los Angeles versus the State of California. The State troopers who empty each dispensary as a matter of national duty are free to visit a liquor store (oh wait alcohol is sold EVERYWHERE in the US) afterwards and drink themselves into a coma.
It’s no shock to find out that California state officials are trying to eradicate Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. This has been a back and forth struggle in the US for years. State law, used to allow over the counter buying of marijuana while Federal law banned it. Thus cancer and AIDS patients using medical marijuana to relieve symptoms of their terminal illness (nausea, pain relief, appetite inducing), are cut off from their access to their chosen treatment every time the FEDs storm in with masks and weapons to empty the dispensaries of their green.
I have to wonder in a world where prescriptions for narcotics like Oxycontin are given out like candy, by doctors in US and Canada, why the stigma remains that medicinal marijuana is still being black listed. Given the fact that there is capital at stake for the share holders of major pharmaceutical corporations I’m not completely perplexed by this anomaly. Family Doctor’s here in Canada can be sponsored by particular pharmaceutical brands, and prescribe with this alliance in mind. I can only imagine there would be worse corporate endorsement inherent in American health care.
It’s amazing to me how the propaganda used in the media during the 40’s and 50’s still influences our social consciousness in that there is still much taboo and ridicule associated with medicinal cannabis use. The idea of there being any conflict at all over a terminally ill patients choosing to spark up is perplexing. Call me Canadian, but I have seen the negative effects of alcohol (a legal government-regulated substance) including it’s violent history in our society and still wonder why it’s been “blessed” by the government while cannabis remains decriminalized at best?
In Canada, I think we have ourselves to blame more than anything for the continual existence of misconceptions around marijuana. In 2002, our Senate investigated the medical justifications for criminalizing marijuana and came to the following conclusions:
“Thirty years ago, the Le Dain Commission released its report on cannabis. This Commission had far greater resources than we did. However, we had the benefit of Le Dain’s work, a much more highly developed knowledge base since then and of thirty years’ historical perspective.
The Commission concluded that the criminalization of cannabis had no scientific basis. Thirty years later, we confirm this conclusion and add that continued criminalization of cannabis remains unjustified based on scientific data on the danger it poses.”
(http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.htm)
Even hyper-conservatives like the Fraser Institute seem to be behind legalization for the benefits it would offer to business, not to mention the gang-related crime reduction.
Why do we still have a war on marijuana of all things? Probably because people have been so thoroughly convinced that it is morally wrong that it will take years before they can accept scientific evidence with regards to its potential usefulness. Unfortunately, we are forever under the influence of American media and so our hard-earned biases are unlikely to change without the Yanks taking the first few steps. On a positive note, our policy-makers tend to be more progressive and are occasionally willing to make the right changes even if the majority of Canadians oppose them. So hopefully we’ll continue to liberalize and let a change in institutional response loosen up society’s collar a little bit.
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Thanks Ben! This post needed a wonderfully factual, detailed follow up such as this.
Someday I imagine we will all live in a land were men and women alike are free to do what they choose to do with their own bodies. A world were one really does have right to pursue happiness as they see fit. Even if it is sitting at home smoking from a glass pipe.
Sunflowerpipes.com
thanks for the post, great to see more ppl joining the cause
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