Cannabis Freedom: 8/10/08

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Unintended Consequences - The Drug War and Evironmental Destruction

0 comments Posted by Ganja Blue at 3:20 PM

Every year hundreds of acres of old growth forest are defiled by evil corn farmers in order to supply energy fiends with a healthy supply of ethanol corn. No, not really, because corn farming is a legal business and corn farmers are able to manage existing privately-owned farm land to tend their crops. This is not the case with cannabis farming.

Outdoor cannabis farming is a risky profession. Not only does a grower have to protect his/her crop from like natural dangers, pests, mold, and drought, the grower must also maintain security from rivals and law enforcement. These risks force growers into old growth forest like the beautiful and pristine Sequoia National Forest where the chances of being discovered amongst the massive trees is slim. I'll concede it is true these clandestine farmers don't have the best interests of the public or forest in mind when choosing a growing patch, fertilizers, or security measures.

From my previous post you know that I support the protection of America's remaining old growth forest, especially the Old Forest at Overton Park. The DEA and other LEOs would have you to believe that deforestation for the purpose of cannabis farming is rooted in the evil intentions of growers. If the environment was really the concern of the Drug Warriors then legitimate businesses would be able to farm hemp outdoors and cultivate medicinal-quality marijuana in secure indoor greenhouses. Asset forfeiture policies make growing on private property too risky, as a result delicate ecosystems suffer.

Legalizing marijuana and hemp will move production from criminal growers on public land, to legitimate farmers on private property. Re-Legalization is a policy of environmental harm reduction.

clipped from www.cnn.com

Mexican cartels running pot farms in U.S. national forest

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST, California (CNN) -- Beyond the towering trees that have stood here for thousands of years, an intense drug war is being waged.

Ten thousand marijuana plants, some 5 feet tall, dotted the mountainside's steep terrain amid thick brush, often near streams. This garden's street value is an estimated $40 million, authorities said.

"It's something that's troubling for many of us in law enforcement," he said. "You have illegal criminal activity in the mountain regions not only destroying the natural beauty of the landscape but as well as the potential for this product to reach the children of this community."

Save the Forest - Citizen's to Preserve Overton Park

0 comments Posted by Ganja Blue at 2:50 PM

I am in full support of the efforts of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park to protect Memphis' crown jewel, The Old Forest at Overton Park. The Memphis Flyer's cover story this week, Out of the Woods profiles the concerns of the CPOP and the Zoo's efforts to turn a 10,000 living forest into a dead exhibit. Of course, this has nothing at all to do with Cannabis Freedom, but did you ever notice that where government treads, death and destruction follow?

Today I noticed that the small CPOP flyer image on Flickr was the perfect size for my cell phone wallpaper. You can save it and email it to your phone's MMS email address. Check your service provider if you don't know it.

clipped from www.flickr.com

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Most Dangerous Drugs In America - Prescriptions

0 comments Posted by Ganja Blue at 2:27 PM

Phillip Leveque, MD notes some interesting facts about FDA approved psychotropic drugs. These dangerous pills are some of the most abused substances in America. However, the government still wants to believe that cannabis, a non-toxic plant, proven to safely and effectively manage pain, is dangerous enough to warrant breaking down doors and caging human beings.

clipped from www.salem-news.com

The list included the following highly advertised Antidepressant, obviously very dangerous drugs: Prozac, Zoloff, Paxil, Effexor, Celexa, Wellbutrin (Zyban), Cymbalta, Chantex, Lexapro, Luvox, Remerom, Ritalin, Psychotropics, ADHD meds, SSRI’s, Seroquel, Strattera, Resperdal, Accutane, Steroids, Desipramine, Zoloft plus Ambien and Valium, Lexapro with Zoloft and Methadone. I only looked at the first five of the thirty-five pages. I’m almost afraid to look further.

The bizarre behavior included school shootings, murder and murder attempts, suicides, mania and psychosis, bank robbery, many deaths, self mutilation, violent behavior, anxiety, panic attacks. I could go on but I hope the reader gets the idea.

Drug War Logic - West Helena, AR Under Siege

0 comments Posted by Ganja Blue at 2:10 PM

West Helena Mayor James Valley says, “The citizens deserve peace, that some infringement on constitutional rights is OK and we have not violated anything as far as the Constitution.” The mayor and the city council have put the tiny Arkansas town under a 24-hour curfew. The people of West Helena are being imprisoned, without cause, in their own homes.

Reason's Jacob Sullum tries to wade through the bullshit:

clipped from www.reason.com

So the government creates a black market that disproportionately hurts poor people, enforces its drug laws in a way that disproportionately hurts poor people, and responds to the resulting violence and disorder with police tactics that disproportionately hurt poor people. When civil libertarians object, they are dismissed as privileged pointy-heads who do not understand the problems of poor people.

Drug War Hypocricy Holds Police to a Lower Standard

0 comments Posted by Ganja Blue at 9:38 AM

The Liberty Papers has a thoughtful piece on the dichotomy between the justice system's expectations of untrained, startled, and terrified citizens and their expectations of well-armed, tactically trained law enforcement officers. Heaven forbid that a private citizen try to protect babies from masked, heavily-armed gunmen breaking down the doors of their homes in the middle of the night. We, as a society, justify the intrusion and murder of innocent people just to keep Americans from getting high.

When I was growing up I remember learning that as a society, we held police, elected officials, and other authority figures to a higher moral standard. Now we justify barbaric behavior with the "Drug War," which is really just a war on the American People. Like our imperial foreign policy, we've allowed the ends to justify the means.

Hat tip: The Agitator

clipped from www.thelibertypapers.org

A Tale of Two Drug Raids

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For those who wore the badge, they could do no wrong. For the “badge-nots,” they could do no right.

I only wish this was a work of fiction but it is not. When it comes to drug raids (often no-knock raids), suspects (whether guilty or innocent) are treated with a different standard when a life is taken by mistake.