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Voters To Decide Question Of Medical Marijuana Use (An Article In The Bend,
Oregon, 'Bulletin' About Measure 67, The Oregon Medical Marijuana Act,
Says A Few Local Doctors Who Have Treated Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
Or HIV Or Those Undergoing Chemotherapy Say The Patients Who Used Marijuana
Experienced Some Benefits)

From: cwagoner@bendnet.com
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 18:48:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: DPFOR: Voters to decide question of medical marijuana use
To: dpfor@drugsense.org
Sender: owner-dpfor@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfor@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/
Newshawk: Curt Wagoner (cwagoner@bendnet.com)
Source: The Bulletin (bulletin@bendbulletin.com)
Website: http://www.bendbulletin.com
Pubdate: 10-3-98
Section: Election 98
Page: A-3

VOTERS TO DECIDE QUESTION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

* Some patients say the drug helps, others worry about message

Will smoking marijuana make me feel better?

It's a question a few local doctors have been asked by patients being
treated for multiple sclerosis, HIV ans AIDS, and side effects of
chemotherapy.

The patients who have used marijuana for medical relief experienced some
benefits, the physicians say. For MS patients, those included pain relief
and mental clarity. For AIDS patients and those with chemotherapy-induced
nausea, the drug apparently increased appetite and helped them keep down
their food.

Those are the patients who would benefit most if voters approve a
measure on the Nov. 3 ballot to make marijuana legal to use for medicinal
purposes in Oregon. Measure 67, the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, would
allow patients, with a doctors approval, to use the illegal drug to relieve
symptoms of specific diseases and illnesses, including cancer, glacoma, Lou
Gehrig's (ALS), AIDS, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries.

Supporters of the measure say it would not permit the sale of marijuana,
would not allow marijuana to be smoked in public places, and would not make
marijuana legal for use or possession by the general public. They also
argue that marijuana is an age old remedy that suffering people should have
the right to choose.

But opponents say the measure is a gateway effort to legalize marijuana,
and eventually all drugs. They say the measure sets a poor example for
children, who are taught that drugs such as marijuana are dangerous and
detrimental.

And they say enforcing such a law would be a nightmare, especially
because the measure only requires patients to be suffering from pain for a
doctor to authorize use of the drug.

If the measure passes, patients would be required to obtain a letter of
permission to use marijuana from a physician. With the letter, patients
then would be able to recieve a medical marijuana user identification card
from the Oregon Health Division. The card would allow the patient to carry
up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to three plants.

The chief petitioners for the measure are Dr. Richard Bayer, a retired
Portland physician, and Stormy Ray, a grandmother from Ontario who suffers
from multiple sclerosis. Ray began using marijuana to combat the symptoms
of the disease after several alternative methods failed.

Measure 67's supporters include some physicians and sufferers who
believe in the healing power of marijuana. But funding for the campaign to
pass the measure is coming from out-of-state coffers.

Opponents fear Measure 67 is just a method of legalizing drugs. Among
the chief opponents are political action committees representing law
enforcement officers in Oregon. Many district attorneys, sheriffs and
police chiefs also have come out against the measure.

Local law enforcement officals are among those who oppose legalizing
marijuana for medical use. Redmond Police Chief Jim Carlton said he
personally feels the law would be a bad for children and would be
impossible to enforce.

"My primary concern is that I think it sends the wrong message to
children," Carlton said. "Marijuana smoking has adverse factors, and it's
a gateway drug," meaning people who start smoking marijuana often move on
to using other illegal drugs.

Prineville Police Chief Jim Soules echoed Carlton's concerns, adding
that he personally is unconvinced of the medical benefits of marijuana.

"My first concern is that there are no legitimate, respected medical
studies that show there is any benefit," Soules said." And it's never been
through the FDA ( Federal Drug Administration ) test."

Local doctors remain ambivalent about the measure. They say Marinol, a
synthetic version of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is a
reasonable alternative. That's the drug prescribed when patients ask if
marijuana might help them.

"That's the medicine I can prescribe legally," said Dr. Richard Boone,
an oncologist with Bend Memorial Clinic. " Marijuana doesn't need to be
legal. It's already available by prescription, and in a much safer form."

Boone says he has an arsenal of anti-nausea and other drugs to
prescribe to his patients, and that he only writes half a dozen
prescriptions a year for Marinol. When he does write a prescription, it's
at a patients request.

Patients that smoke marijuana, including Stormy Ray, say Marinol does
not work as well as smoking the real, and that it takes longer for the
synthetic version to take effect.

To reach Oregonians for Medical Rights, the Yes on 67 committee, call
503-371-4711.

To reach Oregonians Against Dangerous Drugs, the No on 67 committee,
call 503-598-8806.

***

Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 21:08:37 -0500
From: "Dr. Richard E. Pearl, Sr." (rpearl1@hotcom.net)
To: Cannabis Patriots (cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com)
Subject: Re: CanPat - Voters to decide question of medical marijuana use
Sender: owner-cannabis-patriots-l@smtp.teleport.com

My friends,

I read this story with interest for one simple reason. My history. One
particular paragraph in the story caught my attention like no other.

>"But opponents say the measure is a gateway effort to legalize
>marijuana, and eventually all drugs. They say the measure sets a poor
>example for children, who are taught that drugs such as marijuana are
>dangerous and detrimental."

I was taught that, and I also saw "Reefer Madness" and all the other
propaganda films. But like many kids, I decided to try marijuana
anyway. Well, I found out that they lied about marijuana. It didn't do
any of the things they said it would. It just gave me a nice, mellow
buzz that was very pleasant. I even saw that some of my rowdier friends
even calmed down when they smoked it. No one had problems when we
couldn't get any, we just said oh well and went on. Nobody got
addicted. When I realized how much they had lied, I decided that they
must be lying about everything else, too. I tried heroin and began a 3
year nightmare in hell. They weren't lying about that.

My point is this. When kids find out they are lying about marijuana,
they don't believe anything else they say, so even when they tell the
truth, it's not believed. Many people make the choices they do based on
the quality of information they get. If the information from one source
about one thing is bad, they assume all the information from that source
about everything is also bad. The government lying to me about
marijuana is the reason I spent three years on heroin. I assumed they
were lying again.

This is all the more reason why the rhetoric about harmful marijuana
must be stopped. It's just plain flat not true, and when people
consider other substances, they will assume that their experience with
marijuana will be followed by a similar experience with the other
substance. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

I know. Been there. Done that.

Richard

PS

I do not use marijuana now. I don't drink alcohol either, except on
VERY rare occasions. But the day we win and marijuana is legal again,
I'm going to roll up the biggest bomber you ever saw and smile for a
week.

cwagoner@bendnet.com wrote:

> Newshawk: Curt Wagoner (cwagoner@bendnet.com)
> Source: The Bulletin (bulletin@bendbulletin.com)
> Website: http://www.bendbulletin.com
> Pubdate: 10-3-98
> Section: Election 98
> Page: A-3
>
> VOTERS TO DECIDE QUESTION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

[snip - ed.]

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Four Dogs Shot In Drug Raid ('The Associated Press' Says Portland Police Shot
And Killed Four Rottweilers Friday During A Methamphetamine Raid
That Revived Memories Of A 1979 Drug Bust In The Same Location,
Then The Clubhouse Of The Outsiders Motorcycle Club, In Which Officer
David Crowther Was Fatally Shot - Arrests In That Raid Later Were Dismissed
After An Investigation Found Officers Lied To Obtain Their Search Warrant)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Four dogs shot in OR drug raid
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 22:02:35 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Four dogs shot in drug raid
The Associated Press
10/03/98 12:26 AM Eastern

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Police shot and killed four Rottweilers during a drug
raid Friday at a Harley Davidson motorcycle shop and adjacent house in
Portland's St. Johns neighborhood.

The raid revived memories of a 1979 drug bust in the same location, then the
clubhouse of the Outsiders Motorcycle Club, in which Officer David Crowther
was fatally shot. Arrests in that raid later were dismissed after an
investigation found officers lied to obtain their search warrant.

On Friday, officers from the Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency
Reaction Team and the Drug and Vice Division, assisted by officers from the
Washington County sheriff's SWAT team, surrounded the property about 12:10
p.m.

"The information they had was that the home was fortified with attack dogs,"
said Officer Henry Groepper, police spokesman. "They shot and killed two
guard dogs that were inside the house and two that were in the business."

Four adults, including owner Larry Anderson, 50, and a child were inside at
the time.

Anderson was arrested on charges of drug distribution and possession. He
also was charged with three counts of possession of a destructive device,
two counts of manufacturing a destructive device and one count of child
neglect.

Anderson was being held under $70,000 bond.

Police seized a small amount of methamphetamine, drug packaging material,
rifles and handguns, bulletproof vests, three explosive devices and stolen
motorcycle parts, Kanzler said.

Anderson has owned the house since 1977, but was not living there when the
1979 raid occurred. He has run the motorcycle shop since 1974.

Mark Savely said he came to the house to pick up a friend when police
arrived and told him to move out of the way.

"They started firing," Savely said. "I didn't know what at."

Jason Hamman, who works at Baxter Auto Parts across the street, said he
heard the gunshots and ran outside to see what was going on. Police had
detained Anderson outside the house, and Anderson was shouting to his wife
to run inside the house and shut the door, Hamman said.

"Police were going up to the door, and I could hear automatic gunfire,"
Hamman said.

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Portland Drug Raid Brings One Arrest (The Oregonian version)

The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/

Portland drug raid brings 1 arrest

* Police kill four dogs during the action that revisits the North Lombard
Street site of a notorious 1979 bust

Saturday, October 3 1998

By Maxine Bernstein
of The Oregonian staff

Gunfire rang out Friday afternoon as teams of police raided a North Lombard
Street home and fatally shot four Rottweilers when officers burst through
the front doors of the residence and the adjacent bike shop.

The noontime commotion drew onlookers in the St. Johns neighborhood and
revived memories of a 1979 drug bust-gone-bad at the same location, which
was the clubhouse of the Outsiders Motorcycle Club.

Portland Police Officer David Crowther was fatally shot during that raid 19
years ago, and arrests from that drug bust later were dismissed after a
probe found that three narcotics officers lied to obtain their search warrant.

On Friday, Portland police burst into 9014 and 9020 N. Lombard St. with a
search warrant, suspecting that the same owner of the home and adjacent
Harley Davidson motorcycle shop was selling methamphetamine.

Officers from the Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team
and the Drug and Vice Division, assisted by officers from the Washington
County sheriff's SWAT unit, surrounded the property about 12:10 p.m.

"The information they had was that the home was fortified with attack dogs,
said Officer Henry Groepper, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. They shot
and killed two guard dogs that were inside the house and two that were in
the business.

The owner, Larry Anderson, 50, and three other people were detained as
narcotics detectives moved in to Groepper said. Anderson later was arrested
on suspicion of distributing and possessing methamphetamine and
manufacturing explosives, Detective Sgt. Cheryl Kanzler said.

Anderson was accused of distribution of a controlled substance, possession
of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of a destructive
device, two counts of manufacturing a destructive device and one count of
child neglect. Anderson was being held in lieu of $70,000 bond.

Police confiscated a small amount of methamphetamine, drug packaging
material, rifles and handguns, bulletproof vests and stolen motorcycle
parts, Kanzler said, and a 2-year-old at the home was taken into protective
custody.

Rebukes from residents

The surprise raid drew rebukes from area residents.

Some contend the police action is part of an effort to push Anderson from
the site, which the Multnomah County Health District has been considering
for years as a future home for its health clinic.

"That is the property the county has been looking at, and they have been
negotiating with the owner, said Gina Mattioda, a spokeswoman for the county
Health Department. The current health clinic doesnt address the needs, and
we need a larger facility to provide more comprehensive service to more people.

The county's North Clinic is now at 8918 N. Woolsey Court and has reached
maximum capacity, Mattioda said.

Anderson's house is about a mile away, on a mostly vacant block. The county
has been trying to get Anderson to sell the North Portland parcel, but
Anderson, who has owned the house since 1977, has refused to budge. He has
tacked up red- and blue-painted Not for Sale signs all around his home and
motorcycle shop, which he's run since 1974.

When the 1979 raid occurred, Anderson was not living at the site.

"There's always been this animosity between the owner and the county, said
Chris Knight, an area resident. I kind of wonder whether they're trying to
get him out.

Portland police dismissed those suspicions.

"Were independent of the county, Groepper said. This is strictly our drug
unit, our investigation.

Kanzler said Portland police had worked several months on the investigation
with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Neighborhood takes notice

The heavy police presence and gunfire on North Lombard Street did not go
unnoticed Friday afternoon.

Tonya Rayley was walking to a neighborhood market when she saw an officer in
camouflage standing behind a truck and pointing a gun at the house.

"I thought, Oh, my god, that guy has a gun. What the heck is going on here?
Rayley said.

Mark Savely said he came to the house to pick up a friend when police
arrived and told him to move out of the way.

"They started firing Savely said. I didn't know what at.

Jason Hamman, who works at Baxter Auto Parts across the street, said he
heard the gunshots and ran outside to see what was going on. Police had
detained Anderson outside the house, and Anderson was shouting to his wife
to run inside the house and shut the door, Hamman said.

"Police were going up to the door, and I could hear automatic gunfire,
Hamman said.

Animal control officers promptly removed the dogs from the property, and
detectives spent more than five hours searching the home and bike shop.

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Report Suggests Tax On Liquor, Fast Food ('The Associated Press'
Says A 36-Page Report, 'Searching For Fairness,' Presented Friday
To The Oregon Health Council, The Group That Makes Recommendations
Regarding The Oregon Health Plan, Which Insures 350,000 Low-Income Residents,
Says Most Oregonians Believe Health Care Should Be Available To All,
But An Unspecified Percentage Believes Those Who Smoke, Drink,
Or Eat Fast Food Should Pay More)

Associated Press
found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/
feedback (letters to the editor):
feedback@thewire.ap.org

Report suggests tax on liquor, fast food

The Associated Press
10/3/98 3:33 PM

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Most Oregonians believe health care should be available
to everyone, especially people who can't afford to pay. But some believe
those who smoke, drink and eat fast food should pay more, a new report says.

The comments come from about 2,200 people statewide who suggested ideas on
making the system fair to everyone.

"Taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, McDonald's, etc., would help to pay for the
cost of later self-imposed disease," according to the report. "People don't
see the connection between personal responsibility and the right to health
care."

The 36-page report, "Searching for Fairness," was given Friday to the Oregon
Health Council. The body makes recommendations on the Oregon Health Plan,
which insures 350,000 low-income residents.

The report is supposed to help council members consider the voices of
ordinary people in making future decisions on health insurance.

Council members didn't make specific comments on the report, but they talked
about how they could make it useful in the future.

Council member Michael Bonazzola, a Portland doctor, said he found the
report interesting but full of contradictory opinions.

"There are clearly conflicting values here," he said. He suggested the
council "distill it into a set of core values" that members can use as a
guide as they make decisions.

"Maybe it will link grass-roots field work with policy making," he said.

Comments were collected by Health Decisions, a group appointed by the
council in 1983 to keep it in touch with what citizens statewide want from
health-care programs.

For this report, the group held 165 meetings around the state and guided
people as they discussed fairness and health care.

The community discussions may be wide-ranging, but ideas from the field
meetings have actually influenced Oregon's approach to health care.

Past discussions have helped the Health Services Commission prioritize
medical services and treatments covered by the health plan.

Comments from the field reinforced the idea that the state should pay for
effective medical treatments for the highest number of low-income people
possible rather than spending tax dollars on costly treatments with a low
success rate.

(c)1998 Oregon Live LLC

Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Medical association rejects marijuana initiative (The Associated Press
says the Washington State Medical Association took a voice vote at its annual
conference Saturday, resulting in a resounding "no" for Initiative 692, which
would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for people who are dying or
suffering a debilitating illness. How the doctors might have voted privately
is anyone's guess.)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: WA Medical association rejects marijuana initiative
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 18:27:26 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Medical association rejects marijuana initiative
The Associated Press
10/03/98 11:43 PM Eastern

BELLEVUE (AP) -- On a voice vote at its annual conference Saturday, the
Washington State Medical Association said a resounding no to an initiative
that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for people who are dying or
suffering a debilitating illness.

But Initiative 692, which is one of the measures on the Nov. 3 ballot,
remains controversial among the association's 8,000 Washington members.

"There is disagreement whether there is scientific data showing whether
smoking marijuana helps in any way," said Pete Marsh, president of the
Washington State Medical Association.

Several physicians on Friday debated the pros and cons of the initiative,
with supporters noting the measure offers hope and reduces suffering for the
terminally ill and those with debilitating illnesses.

Opponents argued it's compassionate but "unscientific" at best, socially
irresponsible at worst.

Both sides agree Initiative 692 -- which focuses only on medicinal marijuana
and not other drugs -- is "narrower" in scope than last year's Initiative
685, which the association opposed. That measure failed to win approval of
voters.

"This measure is far more restricted, limiting marijuana to the chronically
debilitated and terminally ill," said William Robertson, who gave Initiative
685 the thumbs down, but this year is urging his peers to endorse medical
marijuana.

"The NIH (National Institutes of Health) is looking at whether marijuana
works or not, but I don't feel compelled to be quite so stringent regarding
the terminally ill," he said. "Why raise such a fuss for a very, very
limited group?"

***

When away, you can STOP and RESTART W.H.E.N.'s news clippings by sending an
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"unsubscribe when" to STOP. To RESTART, put "subscribe when" in the e-mail
instead (No quotation marks.)

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Doctors And Marijuana (Three Letters To The Editor of 'The Los Angeles Times'
Discuss The Medical Marijuana Issue - The First Letter Cites A Survey
From 1971, When Marijuana Use Was Still A Felony And Before Many People
Knew About Its Medical Uses, Suggesting 72 Percent Of Students At A Southern
California Medical School Had Tried Marijuana At Least Once, 18 Percent
Had Smoked It At Least Once Weekly, And More Than 40 Percent Used It At Least
Once Monthly)

Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 14:23:14 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: 3 PUB LTE's: Doctors and Marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Pubdate: Sat, 3 Oct 1998
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Fax: 213-237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/

DOCTORS AND MARIJUANA

Scott Gottlieb (Opinion, Sept. 27) suggests that making marijuana
available medically will result in U.S. physicians regularly abusing
marijuana, causing the "stoned age" of medicine.

That certainly has never happened with physicians prescribing morphine
and the other opiates, cocaine and even methamphetamine. Gottlieb
cites the British experience, where medical use of marijuana is
encouraged, and he alleges that "46% of medical students in England
have tried marijuana at least once, while 10% claimed to smoke one
joint or more per week." He connects this with Britain's early efforts
to legalize recreational marijuana use. Interestingly, we have data on
American medical students' use of marijuana in 1971, before anyone
thought about its medical uses. Fully 72% of medical students surveyed
in a Southern California medical school had tried marijuana at least
once, 18% smoked at least once weekly and over 40% used at least once
monthly, far more than our British colleagues (Ungerleider, et al.,
Journal of the American Medical Assn., 1971). Before 1975 in
California, being "under the influence of" marijuana was a felony;
conviction resulted in a minimum mandatory sentence of 90 days in
jail. Thus the high use was despite draconian laws.

J. THOMAS UNGERLEIDER MD
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
UCLA Medical Center

***

Perhaps the American Medical Assn. is recommending a review of
the demonized weed because there are stacks of scientific research
that show it has numerous benefits and few side effects, not to
mention anecdotal evidence.

Has Gottlieb ever spoken to a cancer or AIDS patient who uses it? They
usually prefer inhaled pot over Marinol because they can't adjust the
dosage in pill form. The great irony is that the "legal pot pill" gets
you more stoned than its inhaled parent. As for this sending the wrong
message: Does prescribing opiates for those in chronic pain send a
message that heroin is a desirable party drug?

MICHAEL SIMMONS Los Angeles

***

Gottlieb should develop the first requirement of being a useful
physician: the ability to objectively evaluate facts.

Marijuana is a relatively safe drug with few minor side
effects.

The worst "side effect" is the possibility of criminalization by the
justice system. Marijuana has a 5,000-year recorded history of being
used for its therapeutic benefits: relaxation, euphoria and pain relief.

One might think that doctors and medical students might appreciate
those benefits. If someday I need marijuana to treat nausea, vomiting
or pain from any cause, I certainly would give it a try, rather than
those toxic, synthetic substances that can be had in any pharmacy or
grocery store.

GREGORY WENTZEL La Mesa

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Bay Area Students Cut Class, Protest Spending On Prisons
(The San Jose Mercury News notes about 2,000 students from throughout
the San Francisco Bay Area cut classes Thursday to protest the $60,000
per year California spends to incarcerate each prisoner versus the $8,000
it spends on each student, and the 19 prisons built by California
in the past decade, versus only one university.)

Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 03:20:02 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Bay Area Students Cut Class, Protest Spending On Prisons
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus/Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 3 Oct 1998
Author: E. Mark Moreno, Mercury News Staff Writer

BAY AREA STUDENTS CUT CLASS, PROTEST SPENDING ON PRISONS

2,000 march, urge lawmakers to give priority to education

SAN LEANDRO -- About 2,000 students from throughout the Bay Area cut classes
to march and rally Thursday, protesting that the state spends more to lock
up young people than to educate them.

Teens from Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland, San Francisco and Daly
City, among others, took part in the march. The protesters gathered at a San
Leandro BART station, started marching about 10 a.m. and then walked to the
Alameda County juvenile hall before circling back.

Police rerouted traffic in places. Some scuffles and other incidents were
reported, such as the hurling of plastic bottles and rocks at police, but no
arrests were made.

The young organizers of the walkouts -- members of an Oakland-based youth
group called OLIN, named after the Mexican Indian word for ``movement'' --
claimed victory in getting their message across.

They said the government spends up to $60,000 a year to incarcerate someone
and $8,000 to educate a student, and that the state has built 19 prisons and
only one university in the past decade.

``That's the reason we do the walkouts. They're not listening to our
petitions, our voices,'' said Patricia Sanchez, 20, of San Francisco, a
march organizer.

``The issue is education, not incarceration,'' said Cindy Wiesner, another
protest organizer and Oakland high school student. ``This is a protest
demonstrating the student priorities of the state.''

But California is spending $35 billion on kindergarten through 12th-grade
education and $4.4 billion on the juvenile and adult correction system, said
Sean Walsh, spokesman for Gov. Pete Wilson.

``Kids who can't get into Berkeley aren't enrolling into San Quentin,''
Walsh said. ``The government has an obligation to educate its citizenry and
protect the public. We can't choose one or the other.''

In San Leandro, workers and residents stepped outside momentarily to watch
the three-hour protest, which was led by students with megaphones. While the
march was mostly peaceful, many were startled when a fire extinguisher was
taken from the group's supply truck and its contents sprayed into the air as
the march ended at the Bay Fair BART station.

Valley Times Staff Writer Michael Pena and Mercury News wire services
contributed to this report.

1997 - 1998 Mercury Center.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thousands Turn Out For Annual Marijuana Rally; More Than 40 Arrested
(An 'Associated Press' Account Of The The Ninth Annual Freedom Rally
On Boston Common Saturday - The Rally Supporting Legalization Of The Herb
Saw Attendance Increase From 10,000 To 40,000 And Arrests Drop From 150
Last Year, Despite Police Vows Of A Crackdown)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Thousands at MA pot rally;over 40 arrested
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 15:56:09 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Thousands turn out for annual marijuana rally; more than 40 arrested

By DAVE HOWLAND
The Associated Press
10/03/98 6:49 PM Eastern

BOSTON (AP) -- With swirls of marijuana smoke wafting through the air, about
40,000 people poured into Boston Common on Saturday for a rally supporting
legalization of the drug.

Police, who had vowed a crackdown on the 9th Annual Freedom Rally, arrested
about 40 on drug possession charges. That's far fewer than the 150 arrests
at last year's event, which attracted about 10,000 more people.

"The cops were trying to intimidate people from coming ... but I don't think
it worked," said Bill Downing, president of the Massachusetts Cannabis
Reform Coalition.

At one police checkpoint, Amy Cook and three other students prayed for pot
smokers to turn away from drugs. "They're going to do what they're going to
do. But they might see us and think twice later," she said.

Doug Goudreau, 19, of Peabody, said marijuana was plentiful at the rally --
at about $5 per cigarette, or $20 to $30 for a small bag.

The police, he said, missed a lot of the dealing.

"They don't know what's going on," Goudreau said. "They look for the fools
who are acting stupid."

Tie-dyed shirts, mushroom-shaped hats and marijuana-leaf motifs were
everywhere, as was the unmistakable odor of pot -- masked occasionally by
the smell of tobacco or clove cigarettes.

Richard Elrick, a councilman in the Cape Cod town of Barnstable, sold
"Decriminalize Marijuana" buttons to help raise money for the cause.

"Marijuana is less of a public health threat than alcohol or tobacco," he
said. "I can't think of a more counterproductive way for society to spend
its resources than to arrest marijuana users."

On the west side of the park, 16-year-old Jake Sealine of Cambridge
displayed homemade didgeridoos -- a musical wind instrument. Many mistook
them for marijuana bongs and Sealine had to explain himself again and again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Marijuana Supporters Sue Orlando To Use Park ('The Orlando Sentinel'
Says The Cannabis Action Network In Gainesville, Florida, Has Sued The City
Of Orlando In Federal Court, Contending Its Right To Free Speech
Is Being Denied Because The City Wants To Charge The Group About $1,500
To Stage A Rally With Live Music At The Lake Eola Park Amphitheater
October 11)

Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 14:17:54 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US FL: Marijuana Supporters Sue Orlando To Use Park
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Sat, 3 Oct 1998
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Contact: osoinsight@aol.com
Website: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Author: Dan Tracy

MARIJUANA SUPPORTERS SUE ORLANDO TO USE PARK

A Gainesville group trying to legalize marijuana has sued Orlando in
federal court, contending its right to free speech is being denied
because the city wants to charge it to use Lake Eola Park.

The Cannabis Action Network is seeking a temporary injunction that
would allow it to stage a rally with live music at the Lake Eola
amphitheater Oct. 11.

City officials say the network is welcome to use the park if it pays
fees of about $1,500, including $800 to lease the stage and $700 for
insurance.

Such charges, the hemp backers counter, are unconstitutional because
they prevent poorly funded groups from getting out their messages.

"What that means is if you're rich, you can have a rally. If you're
poor, you can't. I don't think that's what the Constitution says,"
said Orlando lawyer Dick Wilson, who represents the network.

City Attorney Scott Gabrielson said Orlando always charges rent for
the amphitheater, regardless of a group's politics. The amphitheater,
he said, is no different than the Orlando Arena, where acts are
charged rent in order to perform.

"Arguably," Gabrielson said, "Garth Brooks is going to exercise his
right to free speech soon, but we are going to charge him for it."

As a compromise, Gabrielson said, the city offered virtually free
access to the east side of Lake Eola, where there is no stage, but the
group refused.

"We want to be where we can attract the most attention," said Kevin
Aplin, a network spokesman.

The Cannabis Action Network wants doctors to be able to prescribe
marijuana for patients suffering from illnesses such as AIDS, cancer
and glaucoma.

Supporters say marijuana often soothes the nausea caused by drugs used
to combat AIDS and cancer and can lower blood pressure in people
suffering from glaucoma.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Fawsett in Orlando has been assigned the
case but has not scheduled a hearing date.

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Pentagon To Spend $50 Million To Supply Troops - With Viagra (The Chicago
Tribune says if Pfizer's new impotence drug were given to everyone who wanted
it, the cost could top $100 million, but the military is dispensing it only
to men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction by a physician, and no one is
allowed more than six pills a month.)

Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 18:30:59 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Pentagon To Spend $50 Million To Supply Troops--With Viagra
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Steve Young
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Pubdate: 3 Oct 1998
Author: From Tribune News Services
Section: Sec. 1

PENTAGON TO SPEND $50 MILLION TO SUPPLY TROOPS--WITH VIAGRA

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Pentagon estimates it will spend $50 million in the
coming year to provide the impotence drug Viagra to American troops and
military retirees.

The cost is roughly the price of two new Marine Corps Harrier jets or 45
Tomahawk cruise missiles and is among unexpected military expenses Pentagon
officials recently told Congress have come up since they made their
original 1999 budget requests.

"Viagra sort of burst on the scene," Pentagon spokesman Jim Turner said
Friday.

Defense Department health officials estimated that if the drug were given
to everyone who wanted it, the cost could top $100 million. But the
military is limiting Viagra to men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction by a
physician, and no one is allowed more than six pills a month.

Since Viagra was authorized for sale in the United States in March, the
drug has been prescribed to more than 4 million American men, according to
its maker, Pfizer Inc.

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Destroying Propaganda - Anslingerisms (A list subscriber learns that a Texas
newspaper editor, and presumably a lot of other people, are unaware of the
origins of marijuana prohibition. So he compiles a brief history and
numerous quotes from Harry Anslinger, the rabidly ignorant liar and chief of
the Federal Narcotics Bureau who was most responsible for the Marijuana Tax
Act of 1937 and the Single Convention Treaty of 1961.)

Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 09:49:48 -0700
To: mattalk@islandnet.com, maptalk@mapinc.org, drctalk@drcnet.org
From: R Givens (rgivens@sirius.com)
Subject: Destroying Propaganda: Anslingerisms

A while back I got a call from the editor of a major Texas newspaper
verifying a letter. Whenever members of an editorial team call, I always try
to give them a witness about the insanity of drug prohibition.

Imagine my shock when I learned that this fellow had no idea of who Harry
Anslinger was or how the marijuana laws got enacted in the first place.
Naturally I told him a few things about Anslinger's Reefer Madness claims
and how they were the ONLY basis for marijuana prohibition. A lot of people
think there's scientific evidence to support a marijuana ban, but Anslinger
and the Treasury Department never presented a single piece of documented
primary evidence to support their absurd claims and no factual support for
Reefer Madness has EVER been found!

In other words, an intelligent investigator soon concludes that marijuana
prohibition is a complete fraud without the slightest basis in truth.

The fact that any member of the editorial staff of a major paper, including
letter readers, is ignorant of Harry Anslinger and his Reefer Madness is
totally unacceptable. We have to educate these people about the origins of
these drug laws because in every case the narcomaniacs failed to prove the
necessity of prohibition.

Anslinger cut such an absurd figure with his over the top damnation of
marijuana that modern drug warriors shudder when a repealer begins talking
about Anslinger. They simply cannot deal with the absurd claims Anslinger
made. Starting off a debate by conceding that the main protagonist of your
prohibition law was a complete liar makes it pretty tough to convince an
audience.

Even case-hardened narcs run for cover when you bring Anslinger into the
conversation.

Spice up your letters with an Anslingerism or two and knock the bottom out
of bombastic Reefer Maniacs. Defy them to come up with something better than
Anslinger's propaganda. After 70 years the narcs still haven't come up with
a good reason to outlaw marijuana, but what do you expect from people who
lie for a living.

R Givens

PS: If anybody has some hot Anslingerisms not in this list, please post.

***

Here are some examples of Anslinger's lies, dissembling and propaganda to
help in educating the media.

Anslinger stops research!

The response to that project was reminiscent of an incident that occurred
nearly half a century ago. In 1950, when he found out that the Navy was
investigating the use of coca to prevent muscular fatigue, Harry Anslinger,
director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, wrote to the principal
researcher. "The fact that a domestic scientific project was in progress in
the United States, involving the study of the effect of chewing of coca
leaves on fatigue, would have a most unfortunate effect on our efforts to
achieve international agreement on limitation of production of the leaves,"
Anslinger said in a letter uncovered by historian Paul Gootenberg. "I
therefore must strongly urge that that part of the project involving the use
of coca leaves be abandoned." It was.

***

During the hearings on the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, Harry J. Anslinger read
this letter into the official record, "I wish I could show you what a small
marijuana cigarette can do to one of our degenerate Spanish-speaking
residents. That's why our problem is so great; the greatest percentage of
our population is composed of Spanish-speaking persons, most of who are low
mentally, because of social and racial conditions."

Discriminatory intent was not limited to the Federal level. In Texas, the
anti-marijuana proponents included this statement in the official records;
"All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what
makes them crazy." Perhaps even more disturbing is the testimony of Dr. Fred
Fulsher during Montana's prohibition; "Marijuana is Mexican opium, a plant
used by Mexicans and cultivated for sale by Indians. When some beet field
peon takes a few rares of this stuff, he thinks he has just been elected
president of Mexico so he starts out to execute all his political enemies. I
understand that over in Butte where the Mexicans often go for the winter
they stage imaginary bullfights in the "Bower of Roses" or put on
tournaments for the favor of "Spanish Rose" after a couple whiffs of
Marijuana. The Silver Bow and Yellowstone delegations both deplore these
international complications."

***

UNITED STATES PHARMACOPEIA listed cannabis until 1942 [4], after which it
was removed under political pressure. The U.S. PHARMACOPEIA recommended
cannabis for the treatment of over 100 illnesses, such as:

fatigue, fits of coughing, rheumatism, asthma, delirium tremens, migraine
headaches, and the cramps and depression associated with menstruation [3].

UNITED STATES DISPENSATORY [5] also listed cannabis as a useful medicine.
The 1851 edition states:

The complaints in which it [cannabis] has been specially recommended are
neuralgia, gout, rheumatism, tetanus, hydrophobia, epidemic cholera,
convulsions, chorea, hysteria, mental depression, delirium tremens, insanity
and uterine hemorrhage.

Cannabis was removed from the US Pharmacopeia in 1942 because of political
pressure from Harry Anslinger and the U S Treasury Department.

***

Little Known Fact

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 (MTA) permitted the medical use of cannabis
until 1969! That's right folks. Medical marijuana was legal in the US until
the Controlled Substance Act went into force in the early 1970s after the
MTA had been declared unConstitutional. The new law "neglected" to make
provision for industrial hemp or medical cannabis, so these uses became
illegal by default.

Many people think that "medical marijuana" is a new idea, but the fact is
that cannabis was used medically in both the US and Britain for well over
150 years.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 also permitted industrial HEMP until 1969.
There was never any specific legislation outlawing medical cannabis or
industrial HEMP. The new laws merely neglected to make any provision for
these uses, so they became illegal by (deliberate) omission.

These facts show that the debate about cannabis's medical utility and the
arguments about industrial HEMP are pure hypocrisy and ignorance.

The fact that HEMP and medical marijuana were legal for over 30 years
without any law enforcement problems while recreational use was forbidden
proves that the Reefer Maniacs are lying about so-called problems
distinguishing licensed crops from outlaw grows.

The fact that the MTA was in force for so long without causing any special
problems proves that the Reefer Madness crowd is purely lying.

***

"If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster
marijuana he would drop dead of fright."

***

"But here we have drug that is not like opium. Opium has all of the good of
Dr. Jekyll and all the evil of Mr. Hyde. This drug is entirely the monster
Hyde, the harmful effect of which cannot be measured."

***

"Some people will fly into a delirious rage, and they are temporarily
irresponsible and may commit violent crimes. Other people will laugh
uncontrollably. It is impossible to say what the effect will be on any
individual."

***

SENATOR DAVIS: How many [marihuana] cigarettes would you have to smoke
before you got this vicious mental attitude toward your neighbor?

MR. ANSLINGER: I believe in some cases one [marihuana] cigarette might
develop a homicidal mania, probably to kill his brother. It depends on the
physical characteristics of the individual. Every individual reacts
differently to the drug. It stimulates some and others it depresses. It is
impossible to say just what the action of the drug will be on a given
individual, of the amount. Probably some people could smoke five before it
would take that effect, but all the experts agree that the continued use
leads to insanity. There are many cases of insanity. Sworn Congressional
testimony 1937

***

"Those who are habitually accustomed to use of the drug are said to develop
a delirious rage after its administration, during which they are
temporarily, at least, irresponsible and liable to commit violent crimes.
The prolonged use of this narcotic is said to produce mental deterioration.
It apparently releases inhibitions of an antisocial nature which dwell
within the individual."
Sworn Congressional testimony 1937

***

"In many respects, the action of cannabis sativa is similar to that of
alcohol or morphine. Its toxic effects are ecstasy, merriment,
uncontrollable laughter, self-satisfaction, bizarre ideas lacking in
continuity, and its results are extreme hyperacidity, with occasional
attacks of nausea and vomiting. It has also been described as producing, in
moderate doses, from a mild intoxication to a dead drunk, a drowsy and
semicomatose condition, lapsing into a dreamy state, with a rapid flow of
ideas of a sexual nature and ending in a deep sleep, interrupted by dreams.
On awakening, there is a feeling of great dejection and prostration."

Sworn Congressional testimony 1937

***

MR. DINGELL: I am just wondering whether the marihuana addict graduates into
a heroin, an opium, or a cocaine user.

MR. ANSLINGER: No, sir; I have not heard of a case of that kind. I think it
is an entirely different class. The marihuana addict does not go in that
direction. Sworn Congressional testimony 1937

***

By 1951, Anslinger changed his tune and invented the "steppingstone theory"
claiming that pot inevitably lead to HEROIN addiction. Commissioner
Anslinger told a Senate committee that "eventually if used over a long
period, [marijuana] does lead to heroin addiction."

Mr. Boggs. From just what little I saw in that demonstration, I have
forgotten the figure Dr. Isbell gave, but my recollection is that only a
small percentage of those marijuana cases was anything more than a temporary
degree of exhilaration ....

Mr. Anslinger. The danger is this: Over 50 percent of those young addicts
started on marijuana smoking. They started there and graduated to heroin;
they took the needle when the thrill of marijuana was gone.45
Congressional testimony for Boggs Act 1951

***

Obviously Anslinger was not one to concern himself with differences in
correlation and causality. He also didn't mind perjuring himself whenever
necessary.

***

Often repeated accusation

"How many murders, suicides, robberies, criminal assaults, holdups,
burglaries, and deeds of maniacal insanity it (marijuana) causes each year,
especially among the young, can only be conjectured." Harry Anslinger

These things could only be "conjectured" because they never happened.
Anslinger's claims were all based on yellow journalism which he himself had
inspired. For instance, Anslinger would attend a conference of newspaper
editors and then the papers would print the Reefer Madness stories he had
told them. Then Anslinger used the newspaper articles as EVIDENCE that he
was right. Anslinger did this again and again. However, never once in his
lying career did Anslinger ever present one shred of scientific evidence to
support any of his Reefer Madness accusations.

***

"As a matter of fact the staminate leaves are about as harmless as a
rattlesnake."

***

MR. REED: Is there any cure for a person who becomes an addict?

MR. ANSLINGER: I do not think there is such a thing as not being able to
cure an addict. Marihuana addicts may go to a Federal narcotic farm. But I
have not seen many addicts who could not be cured. An addict could drop it
and he will not experience any ill effects. Sworn Congressional testimony 1937

***

"This drug is as old as civilization itself. Homer wrote about, as a drug
that made men forget their homes, and that turned them into swine. In
Persia, a thousand years before Christ, there was a religious and military
order founded which was called the Assassins and they derived their name
from the drug called hashish which is now known in this country as
marihuana. They were noted for their acts of cruelty, and the word
"assassin" very aptly describes the drug."

***

"Inasmuch as the harmful effects of the use of the drug is becoming more
widely known each day, and it has been classed as a narcotic by the
statutory laws of 17 American states, England, and Mexico, and persons
addicted to its use have been made eligible for treatment in the United
States narcotics farms, the United States Government, unquestionably, will
be compelled to adopt a consistent attitude toward this drug, and include it
in the Harrison antinarcotic law, so as to give Federal aid to the States in
their effort to suppress a traffic as deadly and as destructive to society
as the traffic in the other forms of narcotics now prohibited by the
Harrison Act."

from statement Anslinger submitted to Congress for The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

***

MR. MCCORMACK: Is it used by the criminal class?

MR. ANSLINGER: Yes, it is. It is dangerous to the mind and body, and
particularly dangerous to the criminal type, because it releases all of the
inhibitions.

I have here statements by the foremost expert in the world talking on this
subject, and by Dr. Cutter a noted and distinguished medical man in this

Those who are habitually accustomed to use of the drug are said to develop a
delirious rage after its administration, during which they are temporarily,
at least, irresponsible and liable to commit violent crimes. The prolonged
use of this narcotic is said to produce mental deterioration. It apparently
releases inhibitions of an antisocial nature which dwell within the individual.

***

MR. MCCORMACK: What are its first manifestations, a feeling of grandeur and
self-exaltation, and things of that sort?

MR. ANSLINGER: It affects different individuals in different ways. Some
individuals have a complete loss of sense of time or a sense of value. They
lose their sense of place. They have an increased feeling of physical
strength and power.

Some people will fly into a delirious rage, and they are temporarily
irresponsible and may commit violent crimes. Other people will laugh
uncontrollably. It is impossible to say what the effect will be on any
individual. Those research men who have tried it have always been under
control. They have always insisted upon that.

***

In 1909, the importation of smoking opium was prohibited altogether.l5 This
law was successful in the sense that smoking opium imported through the
customhouses fell to zero, but it did not solve the opium-smoking problem.
Congress in January 1914 found it necessary to amend the 1909 law 16 and to
pass an additional statute imposing a prohibitive tax ($300 per pound) on
opium prepared for smoking within the United States.7 In December 1914
Congress passed the Harrison Narcotic Act, with far broader provisional~
(see Chapter 8). Yet as late as 1930, according to Federal Narcotics
Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger and United States Attorney William F.
Tompkins, "opium dens could be found in almost any American city." 19

19. Harry J. Anslinger and William F. Tompkins, The Traffic in Narcotics
(New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1953), p. 54.

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Alleged Trafficker Dies Of Wounds In Ensenada Attack (The Orange County
Register says Fermin Castro Ramirez died as a result of complications from
bullet wounds he received during the massacre last month of 18 members of his
extended family.)

Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 18:17:08 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexico: Alleged Trafficker Dies Of Wounds In Ensenada Attack
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John W. Black
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 3 Oct 1998

ALLEGED TRAFFICKER DIES OF WOUNDS IN ENSENADA ATTACK

An alleged drug trafficker who survived the massacre of his extended family
last month died Friday in the Baja California town of Ensenada, police said.

State police Officer Cesar Beltran Lopez said that Fermin Castro Ramirez
died at a hospital as a result of complications from two bullet wounds in
the Sept. 17 killings that left 18 people dead near Ensenada.

Also on Friday, police arrested four more suspects in connection with the
massacre.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Eton Expels Boy Who Took Cannabis (The Daily Telegraph, in Britain,
says the unnamed youth, in the same lower sixth year as Prince William,
was caught by a housemaster at Common Lane House. John Lewis, the headmaster
from New Zealand, has maintained a strict approach towards illegal drugs
since he took over in 1994.)

Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 01:56:18 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: UK: Eton Expels Boy Who Took Cannabis
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Martin Cooke (mjc1947@cyberclub.iol.ie)
Pubdate: Sat, 03 Oct 1998
Source: Telegraph, The (UK)
Contact: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk

ETON EXPELS BOY WHO TOOK CANNABIS

A BOY at Eton, where Princes William, 16, and Harry, 14, are pupils, has
been expelled for smoking cannabis.

A school spokesman said yesterday: "A boy was asked to leave the school
earlier this week in connection with a drugs incident. This is an internal
matter that has been dealt with by the headmaster, who will not comment on
disciplinary matters within the school."

The boy, who has not been named, was caught smoking cannabis by Angus
Graham-Campbell, housemaster at Common Lane House. A report in a newspaper
yesterday said the boy was in the same lower sixth year as Prince William.
John Lewis, the headmaster from New Zealand, has maintained a strict
approach towards illegal drugs since he took over in 1994.

In March, two sixth formers aged 17 and 18 were excluded from Eton after a
policeman caught them smoking cannabis in Windsor, a mile from the school.

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[End]