Our Unkown Government The Michigan Municipal League

[+Dizledot]

OK so we can all sit here and complain to high heavens but we still don't have our foot in the door to educate these people. They only know what is spoon fed to them...most politicians have no clue what they are even voting on or supporting. We need a very polished educator who is credible that can approach the MML and MTA or better yet the communities. Spoon feed these morons medical marijuana information. I'm telling all of you its just not out there. Every politician out there can't see past what they see as legal issues if they permit us to open shop or even grow. The lack of information about MM is killing us!

 

So what are we going to do?

 

Dizz

[+RevThad]

 

So what are we going to do?

 

Dizz

Riot JUST KIDDING.

 

We need to figure out a good channel for getting the information into the cycle of what is being spoon fed to these folks. Even if it was a set of info packets that are handed out at these council meetings, some focusing on the law, some focusing on the benefits, and many focusing on correcting the misinformation (propaganda). I am thinking a series of them, because nobody is going to read a 50 page document from a stranger, yet a 3-5 page information packet will at least get a quick once over. Think planting seeds.

[1337Gr33n]

What would our community do without people like PB and Dizz. You two are awesome! Thanks for continually keeping us informed.

[Romen]

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

-Thomas Jefferson

 

 

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...Prudence will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

-Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Independence

 

"It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself."

THOMAS JEFFERSON, Notes on Virginia

 

Thank you, peanutbutter, for shining a light on those who wish to control our lives under the false pretense of protection. A new front on which to fight. Injustice and error are tools implemented by the ignorant and weak minded. Truth will prevail, it is unstoppable and all-powerful.

 

 

 

I would only add "The level of tyranny you live under is the level of tyranny you will allow"

[chi_guy]

PB, Is this 'City Attorney' appointed into office or elected?

 

If he's elected VOTE him out... if he's appointed VOTE OUT the person that appointed him.

 

The voter's of Ann Arbor and other municipalities have a right to know these things regarding the people and politicians that are making important decisions concerning their lives.

 

And I believe there are SUNSHINE laws that require ALL decisions made by appointed and / or elected officials be done with FULL public knowledge that such 'meetings' are being held.

 

City Attorney's are appointed. If we are getting rid of City Attorney's, Clyde Robinson City Attorney for Kalamazoo needs to go as well. He seems to be speaking the MML tounge also. Mr. Robinson testified before the city commission stating that the City Attorney of Ann Arbor told him that "people are growing marijuana in warehouses right down the street from city hall". Oh my God! Now the world is ending because medicine is being grown in a warehouse down the street from city hall. The City Attorney's are trying to use scare tactics to influence city officals into keeping legitimate commercial medical marijuana businesses from operating.

[peanutbutter]

OK so we can all sit here and complain to high heavens but we still don't have our foot in the door to educate these people. They only know what is spoon fed to them...most politicians have no clue what they are even voting on or supporting. We need a very polished educator who is credible that can approach the MML and MTA or better yet the communities. Spoon feed these morons medical marijuana information. I'm telling all of you its just not out there. Every politician out there can't see past what they see as legal issues if they permit us to open shop or even grow. The lack of information about MM is killing us!

 

So what are we going to do?

 

Dizz

 

I would guess that we would be considered as close to an organized group as they would recognize.

 

Perhaps the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association could ask for equal time.

 

After all, they have been letting the DEA to present for two years now.

[+Dizledot]

We need to get to the communities who haven't reacted to MM yet. They do not understand who uses MM. They need to see the extreme side of the paitents who have more than chronic back pain. I hate to exploit patients but they just don't see the whole picture.

 

Any packages you send out must be requested to be placed on the planning commission agendas. They are a recommending body who send their decisions to the city counsel or township board for final approval. Make sure you follow the three second rule with any handouts. Most people will loose interest in 3 seconds of visually scanning the page unless you grab them with statements, pictures and bold print instantly.....campaign litature trick! Don't mail the packets hand deliver them and look like a business person!!! They judge most by looks and first impressions. Make appointments to speak to their economic development directors...they are the one who 'bring' new businesses to town. Talk to their downtown development authority chaipsersons or directors. Make sure you have an iron clad plan if you want to open a grow warehouse or dispensary. Talk tax dollars to them that they are loosing to unpaid taxes and empty buildings. Yes MMMA is a large org. but it will take more than protest to put an end to the ignorance! Talk to them on their level. How will it benefit the community? Home occupied businesses? OK if the LEO is cool let the city/ township inspect. You should be code any way! They want to make sure YOU are safe and safe to your neighbors. Electrical is up to code no chance of fire. You are legal 100% ... right? I know , I know! I don't want my grow exposed either but you want the communities and LEO off your backs? Then you have to step up to the plate and take the bull by the horns. Local LEO are controlled by the city counsel/ township board, mayor or township supervisor. If you don't follow their rules they get nasty and if you get pushy they push back......I think I pretty much painted the picture of how these communities work.

 

Dizz

 

Dizz

[peanutbutter]

I'm talking about equal time in front of the ML.

[+Dizledot]

Yes the MML also but we still need to hit the communities. The only municipalities that follow MTA/MML recommendatuons are the ones who actively participate and attend their meetings, read the news letter etc. It is not manditory that all officials attend or read the lit. If we can focus on the ones who haven't been twisted around yet it may get our foot in the door with the community. One more thing just because MML/MTA are recommended to support a new law or recommendation its still a vote before the local governing body. We make no decisions unless we deliberate and vote no matter who the recommendation is from. That's why you have to hit them all at the same time. That's how they work. Make a plan and execute it all in the same week or month.

[+Dizledot]

PB,

 

The sunshine law is the open meetings act. You can research any law we MUST follw at Michigan Public Acts. On the left side menu scroll down to Often Requested Acts or Laws. You can find a wealth of ammo there. Yes all but very few of our decisions MUST be made at an open meeting. You can nail MML if they are deliberating in closed meetings. They can only give seminars and classes.

[freemannabis]

And, speaking of shady things ...

 

Here's a little reminder from the ONDCP. (And, be sure to check out the "membership list" after the article!):

 

***

 

Countering Attempts to Legalize Marijuana

 

Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the provisions of the Controlled Substance Act, Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, because of its high potential for abuse and lack of accepted medical use. Federal law prohibits the prescription, distribution, or possession of marijuana and other Schedule I drugs like heroin and LSD and strictly controls Schedule II drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. Federal law also prohibits the cultivation of Cannabis sativa, the marijuana plant. Marijuana is similarly controlled internationally through inclusion on Schedule I of the U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. In the past decade, data regarding the negative impact of marijuana on our youth has accumulated. As described in Chapter II, marijuana use by young people correlates with delinquent and antisocial behavior.

 

In response to anecdotal claims about marijuana's medical effectiveness, the NIH have sponsored conferences involving leading researchers and is supporting peer-reviewed research on the drug's safety and efficacy. ONDCP is supporting a comprehensive review of existing research on marijuana's potential benefits and harms. This eighteen-month study, conducted by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, is considering scientific evidence on several topics related to marijuana, including the drug's pharmacological effects; the state of current scientific knowledge; marijuana's ability to produce psychological dependence; risks posed to public health; marijuana's history and current pattern of abuse; and the scope, duration, and significance of abuse.

 

The U.S. medical-scientific process has not closed the door on marijuana or any other substance that may offer therapeutic benefits. However, both law and common sense dictate that the process for establishing substances as medicine be thorough and science-based. By law, laboratory and clinical trial data are submitted to medical experts in the DHHS, including the FDA, for evaluation of safety and efficacy. If scientific evidence, including results of adequate and well controlled clinical studies demonstrates that the benefits of a drug product outweigh associated risks, the substance can be approved for medical use. This rigorous process protects public health. Allowing marijuana or any other drug to bypass this process is unwise.

 

Permitting hemp cultivation would result in de facto legalization of marijuana cultivation because both hemp and marijuana come from the same plant -- Cannabis sativa, which contains THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Chemical analysis is the only way to differentiate between cannabis variants intended for hemp production and hybrids grown for their psychoactive properties.8 In June 1998, a New Hampshire magistrate determined that the Controlled Substances Act unambiguously prohibits the cultivation of hemp. The magistrate found that hemp is marijuana under the statute's definition.

 

According to a Department of Agriculture review of university studies, hemp is unlikely to be a sustainable, economically viable alternative crop given the uncertainty of demand and market prices. The current U.S. market for hemp products is small, and the potential seems high to reach a situation of oversupply quickly in this niche market. For every proposed use of industrial hemp, competing raw materials and proven manufacturing practices already exist. The ready availability of other lower cost raw materials is a major reason for a 50 percent drop in worldwide hemp production since the early 1980s.

 

Given concerns about encroaching efforts to justify legalization of harmful psychoactive drugs, the 1999 Strategy outlines specific steps to counter the potential harm such activities pose. Such measures, which have been elaborated throughout this document, include:

 

1) Presenting information that demonstrates the harm caused by substance abuse.

 

2) Teaching youth that substance abuse is detrimental to their health and well-being.

 

3) Supporting established scientific procedures to ensure that only safe and effective drugs are used for the treatment of medical ailments.

 

4) Informing state and local government as well as community coalitions and civic organizations about the techniques associated with the drug legalization movement.

 

5) Ensuring the rule of law.

 

6) Working with the international community to reinforce mutual efforts against drug legalization.

 

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

 

* Current member organizations are:

 

100 Black Men, Inc., AMBUCS, AMVETS, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts of America, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Campus Outreach Opportunity League, Civitan International, Fraternal Order of Eagles, General Federation of Women's Clubs, Girls, Inc., Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Improved Benevolent Order of Elks of the World, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Junior Chamber International, Knights of Columbus, Lions Clubs International, Moose International, Masonic National Foundation for Children, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, National Beta Club, National Council of Negro Women, National Council of Youth Sports, National Exchange Club, National 4-H Council, National FFA Organization, National Panhellenic Conference, National Retired Teachers Association, Optimist International, Pilot International, Quota International, United Native Indian Tribal Youth, Rotary International, Ruritan International, Sertoma International, Soroptimist International, The LINKS, Inc., Veterans of Foreign WArs, YMCA of the USA, Youth Power, Youth to Youth International, YWCA of the USA, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

 

1999 National Drug Control Strategy Office of National Drug Control Policy

 

http://www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/policy/99ndcs/iv-a.html

 

****

 

WOW! (see, I told you it wasn't very warm & fuzzy; Well, maybe a bit "fuzzy" ... but, certainly, chilly!)

 

Sure are some pretty "popular" social groups and fraternal organizations on the ONDCP's "current membership" list, eh?!

 

Wonder how much these politically malleable targets of lobbyists [and their individual supporters] actually know and understand to partially or completely appreciate] the wonderful, healing plant we all have each [personally and communally] - come to know and understand, and vigorously, wholeheartedly embrace as SOOTHING, HEALING and THERAPEUTIC CANNABIS?

 

Probably not much, if anything, really.

 

Don't we just hate it [what kind of person wouldn't hate it?!] when other bipeds feel a desire to dictate the thoughts and actions - and even our hopes and dreams - of our personal lives?

 

And, then, there's always this "special report" entitled" "Medical Marijuana - The Facts" to consider [or reconsider, for those who have regarded it more than once or twice already] - from the ONDCP web site; Lest we forget to keep in mind where the Anti-FREEs are going and coming [and have been comin] from in regards to "Public Awareness & Education" pertaining to the dreaded "devil-weed" (some pretty chilling stuff!):

 

***

 

"Medical" Marijuana - The Facts

 

Medical marijuana already exists. It's called Marinol.

 

 

A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.

 

 

Unlike smoked marijuana--which contains more than 400 different chemicals, including most of the hazardous chemicals found in tobacco smoke-Marinol has been studied and approved by the medical community and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the nation's watchdog over unsafe and harmful food and drug products. Since the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, any drug that is marketed in the United States must undergo rigorous scientific testing. The approval process mandated by this act ensures that claims of safety and therapeutic value are supported by clinical evidence and keeps unsafe, ineffective and dangerous drugs off the market.

 

 

There are no FDA-approved medications that are smoked. For one thing, smoking is generally a poor way to deliver medicine. It is difficult to administer safe, regulated dosages of medicines in smoked form. Secondly, the harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are byproducts of smoking create entirely new health problems. There are four times the level of tar in a marijuana cigarette, for example, than in a tobacco cigarette.

 

 

 

Morphine, for example, has proven to be a medically valuable drug, but the FDA does not endorse the smoking of opium or heroin. Instead, scientists have extracted active ingredients from opium, which are sold as pharmaceutical products like morphine, codeine, hydrocodone or oxycodone. In a similar vein, the FDA has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, but has approved the active ingredient-THC-in the form of scientifically regulated Marinol.

 

 

The DEA helped facilitate the research on Marinol. The National Cancer Institute approached the DEA in the early 1980s regarding their study of THC's in relieving nausea and vomiting. As a result, the DEA facilitated the registration and provided regulatory support and guidance for the study.

 

 

The DEA recognizes the importance of listening to science. That's why the DEA has registered seven research initiatives to continue researching the effects of smoked marijuana as medicine. For example, under one program established by the State of California, researchers are studying the potential use of marijuana and its ingredients on conditions such as multiple sclerosis and pain. At this time, however, neither the medical community nor the scientific community has found sufficient data to conclude that smoked marijuana is the best approach to dealing with these important medical issues.

 

 

The most comprehensive, scientifically rigorous review of studies of smoked marijuana was conducted by the Institute of Medicine, an organization chartered by the National Academy of Sciences. In a report released in 1999, the Institute did not recommend the use of smoked marijuana, but did conclude that active ingredients in marijuana could be isolated and developed into a variety of pharmaceuticals, such as Marinol.

 

 

In the meantime, the DEA is working with pain management groups, such as Last Acts, to make sure that those who need access to safe, effective pain medication can get the best medication available.

 

****

 

So, who's ever heard of "LAST ACTS"?

 

Well, either way, here's a little something relayed about "pain and pharmaceutical awareness" from their now defunct web site:

***

 

How Much Does It Hurt?

 

Published: Dec 31, 2004

 

Untreated or inadequately treated pain is among the greatest medical problem in our society. Our society has the tools to treat most pain effectively; yet, many people continue to suffer severe pain. Failure to treat pain adequately and effectively occurs for a variety of reasons. For example, who you are and where you live can affect how well your pain is managed. Patients as well a doctors and nurses have misplaced fears of addiction. Many physicians don't know how to manage pain effectively and may not want to learn to do it because of fear of government regulation and oversight. Pharmacists don't stock the necessary drugs for fear of robbery and regulatory burdens.

 

For these reasons and more, we face an epidemic of untreated and under treated pain.

 

A 1999 Gallup survey found that 89 percent of Americans suffer from regular pain at least once a month.1 46 percent of those experiencing regular pain report that their pain is moderate. However, 15 percent report that they are in severe pain – that's 38 million Americans in severe pain.

 

Less than half (43 percent) of those who said they were in moderate or severe pain felt they were in control of their suffering. Respondents reported that pain frequently affects their participation in some activities.

 

27 percent—68 million people—said they had missed work in the past year due to pain.

 

60 percent of those interviewed believe that pain is just something you have to live with.

 

55 percent were uncomfortable with the idea of taking medication to deal with their pain.

 

The study found that as people get older they are more likely to suffer from frequent or chronic pain, and more likely to suffer with severe or moderate pain for increasingly long periods of time.

 

Fully half of all hospitalized patients have moderate to severe pain in their last days of life.

 

Patients in nursing homes are very likely to experience untreated pain. A 1998 study found daily pain to be prevalent and often untreated among nursing home residents with cancer, particularly among older patients and minority patients. A recent study found that even when pain was being “treated,” the treatment was inappropriate and substandard.

 

A recent review of research literature dealing with pain in women found that women have a higher prevalence of chronic pain syndromes and diseases associated with chronic pain than men do. Women also are biologically more sensitive to pain than men and respond differently to certain medications. Nonetheless, women's reports of pain are taken less seriously than men's and women receive less aggressive pain treatment than men.

 

An examination of research about the treatment of pain among minorities found that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be under treated for pain than whites. African Americans were, for example, found to be more likely than whites to wait to see a health care provider after the onset of their pain, and they were more likely to use the emergency room. African Americans were also shown to be less likely than whites to be referred for pain treatment by male physicians.

 

African Americans agreed more strongly than whites that they should have been referred earlier for pain treatment.

 

The myth that young children and infants do not experience pain or do not remember it has not only been disproved but it also has been shown that untreated pain in infants can cause disturbances well beyond the pain-causing event. Yet, appropriate treatment of pain in children continues to be a serious problem. A recent survey of parents of children who died found that 89 percent of the parents believed their child had suffered “a lot” or “a great deal” in the last month of life.

 

A study of cancer patients found that, despite published guidelines for cancer pain management, many patients have considerable pain and receive inadequate pain control.

 

A 1996 clinical update about pain in people with AIDS found that up to 85 percent of patients are under treated for pain—twice the number of those who are under-treated for cancer pain and similar to that observed in cancer patients one or two decades ago.

Addiction among patients who use opioids for pain management is exceedingly rare. In a study of nearly 12,000 patients being treated with narcotics, only four became addicted.

A recent survey of Texas physicians found serious misconceptions and misinformation about pain management. The fear of patients' becoming addicted was widespread, even though evidence shows that very few patients taking narcotics for pain management ever become psychologically addicted to these drugs. The physicians also indicated that they limit their prescribing to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

 

A 1998 survey of Wisconsin pharmacists found a serious lack of knowledge among some pharmacists about what constitutes legitimate dispensing practices for controlled substances in emergencies or for dying patients. Many also were unaware of important distinctions between addiction, physical dependence and tolerance. Furthermore, many did not view the chronic prescribing/dispensing of opioids for more than several months to patients with chronic pain as a lawful and acceptable medical practice.15 (It is lawful and often necessary.)

 

A 2000 study of pharmacists in New York City found that only 25 percent of pharmacies in predominantly nonwhite neighborhoods had opioid supplies that were sufficient to treat patients in severe pain, as compared to 72 percent of pharmacies in predominantly white neighborhoods.

 

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on www.lastacts.org, the Web site for Last Acts, formerly a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Be advised that the content of this article might be dated or inaccurate. The Foundation is reprinting the article here as a matter of general and historical interest.

 

http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=21342

 

http://www.rwjf.org/healthpolicy/product.jsp?id=15481

 

****

 

And, just what kind of research is awarded by the LAST ACT"?

 

this kind:

 

http://www.rwjf.org/healthpolicy/product.jsp?id=16369

 

And, one more interesting "movement" coming to your town soon - maybe, sooner than you think (... good thing MEDICINAL CANNABIS isn't "prescribable"):

 

http://www.deaeducationalfoundation.org/initiatives/the-rx-factor/

 

And, here's how the DEA is "educating" everyone sitting in a classroom:

 

http://www.deamuseum.org/educator/drugsandterror.pdf

 

****

 

Drugs, Terrorists, Students and Teachers ...

 

Now who in the WORLD could lump those all of those precious "subjects" [in more ways than one!] into one concept of communication - "for our protection"?!

 

Well, now, isn't THAT interesting?!

 

Other than that - in retrospect, I guess I might've thought to add - had I thought of it any earlier - and followed through on it:

 

"This 'ad' may not be suitable for patients with ADD."

 

: \

 

Be Informed.

 

Be FREE!

 

CANNABIS CURES - Without Fears.

 

SHARE The HEALING