Just sharing.
 
—–Original Message—–
 
Sent: June 22, 2012 6/22/12
 
The government of Uruguay announced on June 20 that it will submit a proposal for the legalization of the sale of marijuana (possession and use of marijuana is already legal in Uruguay). If adopted, Uruguay would become the first country in the world to establish a controlled marketplace for marijuana, which would be a major breakthrough and would break a taboo, challenge international laws, and set a precedent. Uruguay has also been debating cultivation for personal use for over one year. The approval of both measures would be a giant step forward. 
We know that pressure must already be building on the Uruguayan government to drop its marijuana legalization project, just like it did on Guatemala and its neighbors last February. We cannot afford to drop the ball on Uruguay.
 
 
I prepared a letter for you to sign http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/06/23/support-uruguay-marijuana-legalization/.
 
 
When you sign this letter, it will be sent with your signature to President José Mujica and the two major opposition parties.
 
 
Remember: This is just a proposal for the time being, and it needs to go thru parliamentary approval. For those you who think that it doesn’t go far enough, that it gives too much control to the government, just think about the uphill battle President José Mujica and his government are facing, and the expected US government’s stonewalling. There is absolutely no guarantee that this proposal will go thru, which is why we need to show our support.
 
 
Please share this blog post on Facebook, on Twitter and other social medias or by email.
 
 
Jeffrey Dhywood
Investigative writer, author of "World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization"
 
 
 
Click on this link to get more information about prohibitionism, the War on Drugs and controlled legalization. You may download a free 42 pages excerpt of  “World war-D”, the reference book on prohibitionism, the War on Drugs and controlled legalization. http://www.world-war-d.com/
 
 
For the latest developments: http://www.facebook.com/worldward or follow me on Twitter: @JDhywood
 
 
Send a letter to the editor:  http://www.signon.org/tools/lte.html?id=(phone#-removed)-3jw1pK
 
 
 
 
This message was sent to Chet by Jeffrey Dhywood, Support Guatemalan presidents call for drug legalization Campaign from the SignOn.org system. MoveOn.org Civic Action sponsors SignOn.org, but does not endorse specific campaigns or the contents of this message.
 
To unsubscribe or report this email as inappropriate, click here:http://www.signon.org/unsub.html?i=(phone#-removed)-3jw1pK

I've got a question to ask you: Are you Healthier because you smoke weed? I
for one am healthier; I don't get sick easy; i don't have any general pains
… unless i don't smoke … i'm in my 40's …
 
 
col0rado
Herald at Arms
of the Cannabis Nation
 
marijuanahomepage.com
#opcannabis

From: martinvictor [mailto:s..[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 10:13 AM
 

 
Marla,
 
I think you got Mickey mixed up, he believes that " ALL USE IS MEDICAL"
that means " scrapped knee" and anything else.
 

 
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 2:16 PM
 

 
Mickey,
 
You are so right. Our fight is for safe access for patients. As long as the
Federal Government believes that cannabis has no medical use, we lose. The
Feds make a lot of money from"the drug war". My wish list would be that the
California medical board would crack down on the doctors that give
recommendations to anyone with a scrapped knee. That is why many city
councils look at medical marijuana as a "farce" . We are a very divided
group. So many personal dramas. Its very tiring.
 
Marla in Huntington Beach
 
On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 11:06 AM, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]>
wrote:
 
You somewhat miss the point. The point is simple….all use is not medical
as determined by the society we live in.
 

 
You can argue until we are blue in the face, but that is the fact. We can
continue to try and convince the world that everything that goes on in the
medical cannabis industry is 100% medical related; but the fact is that this
argument is losing. Our communities are rejecting this notion resoundingly,
as more bans and limitations continue to be put forth to stop the perceived
out of control industry.
 

 
On October 7th, 2011 the 4 US Attorneys for CA did a press conference
announcing that they were launching a crckdown. The basis for this crackdown
was widespread abuses in the system, but do not take my word for it…here
is a piece from the LA Times that explains it a bit better:
 

 
Birotte said the new strategy was not triggered by any specific event but
was inspired by a stream of complaints from California law enforcement
officials. The crackdown announced Friday came after months of consultation
between the U.S. attorneys and Justice Department officials in Washington.
The prosecutors acknowledged that they are not getting more money or
prosecutors.
 
Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney, predicted that
intense coordination with federal prosecutors would make a huge difference.
"It's advancing in the right direction from our perspective," he said. In
Los Angeles, Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, said her office
intended to work closely with Birotte's. "We're gratified that they see what
we see, which is what began as an opportunity to help seriously ill patients
has evolved into storefront drug sales and trafficking," she said.
 
Source:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/local/la-me-obama-medical-marijuana-
20111008
 
Our reality is that we have overplayed the medical card. Where was all this
"straighten up and fly right" rhetoric a year ago when cannabis moguls were
doing well and there was no crackdown? The money was flowing, and nobody
gave a shit. Now all of the sudden there is an issue? Why? Because the US
Attorneys said there is an issue, that is why…..and that issue is that
they do not think this industry is legit in its current form.
 

 
So it is not me you have to convince. It is the guys with the guns…but I
assure you if we are fighting the battle on their terms, we are
losing…..but you do not need me to tell you that. Just look around…..
 

 
Mickey
 

 
Mickey Martin
T-Comp Consulting Director
 
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
www.cannabiswarrior.com
www.tcompconsulting.com
s..[email protected]
(phone#-removed)
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views
of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I
am affiliated with.***
 

 
_____
 
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 4:55 PM
 

 
MIckey: You are a victim of your socialization. I refuse to concede to the
general point of view. That pov perceives those who behave badly as bad.
Prisons are designed to punish. What if we saw that no one in their right
mind would murder, rape, steal? Insanity defense all around! Of course
people have to be sequestered from harming others if they are prone to
violence and theft, but their incarceration ought to include means for them
to be healed and productive to what ever extent that is possible.
 
You probably think that is off topic and naive also, but what I see is your
dismay at the notion that all use is medical derives from some common
perception that someone who wants to drink a bottle of Nyquilt or smoke til
they drop is somehow undeserving of what relief they get from doing that.
"The abuse of a drug is its own punishment" so why would folks punish
themselves? BEcause they are sick in ways that are not commonly accepted,
but I assure you, they are ill. Your discomfort about them is a kind of
extension of our Puritan roots.
 
I have consistantly said that all use is not medical because I am willing to
allow that recreation is more a spiritual practice than a medical response
to disease consideration. In this point of view I am able to point at the
origins of holiday that is Holy day, the concept of a day of rest, the real
meaning of recreation that is re=creation, and the origin of vacation in
vacating oneself from daily concerns and opening to a new self reborn from
that practice.
 
Our society is uncomfortable with a religious pov that extends into a world
view that encompasses how a person lives their daily lives. Daily cannabis
use is uplifting for some, and probably keeps them from the diseases that
would mandate that they use it medicinally daily.
 
I think that freedom means that a person can choose to fck themselves up. I
am a doctor and would rather they did not, but hell I am a human first and I
want to do what I want and as long as you do not harm me, I stand by your
right to do what you want. That will always be my primary start for how I
approach life and those around me.
 
I do understand what the majority think, but I will stand for the truth and
logic. It is illogical to chide people for what they do and to imprison them
for what they do if they do not hurt others. So of course we are on the same
side, no one in prison for having a relation with hemp, cannabis, weed. If
there ever were a bad law that is based on lies and illogic and greed well
there it is.
 
So if we can not get people to agree to all use is medical or to the idea
that people have the right to be free, or that people have a right to take a
substance as part of their spiritual religious practice, then we are dealing
with Puritans. That is the socialization that we have underlying our society
and those people were fanatics who had little tolerance for anything other
than their herd mentality agreed upon.
 
I will always stand for each person's right to be an individual. Without
that, there is no freedom.
 
On Jun 20, 2012, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]> wrote:
 
 

<http://cannabiswarrior.com/2012/06/20/what-the-fuck-are-we-fighting-for-any
way/> What the fuck are we fighting for anyway?Posted by Mickey Martin on
June 20th, 2012
 
 

 
The longer and harder I try to figure this out, the further I always seem
from finding an answer. What the fuck are we fighting for anyway? Who knows
any more?
 
I always thought we were fighting for cannabis freedom. Real cannabis
freedom..you know, grown-ass people being able to use weed for whatever they
want whenever they want. Pretty simple stuff, right? How do we get more
people to be able to use and grow weed legally without the fear of going to
prison, losing their rights, or being considered an outcast? How do we get
our society to quit taking people to jail for weed?
 
But somewhere along the line shit has gotten complicated. The first real
reforms passed that allowed for a certain class of people to use cannabis
without going to jail, or suffering consequences, were medical cannabis
laws. It was easy to see how sick and dying people that found relief from
cannabis should be allowed to use weed without fear of being arrested or
losing their position in society. Medical cannabis is a no-brainer. The
reason medical marijuana support is around 70-80% of our society is because
only a real asshole would think that a sick person should be arrested for
using weed if it helps them to feel better. Medical should be a given. And
in some states it was for a minute..kind of, sort of, not really…but close
enough.
 
But then EVERYONE got hella sick. All of the sudden any and every ailment
ever had by a person was an ongoing and chronic condition that only cannabis
could heal. We convinced ourselves that if we justified every cannabis use
as a medical procedure that we would be afforded the same glorious
protections as the sickest chemo patient.
 
Now all of the sudden the Choom Gangs were no longer choomed out, but
instead they were very ill and in need of some serious medicine. Fire up the
fat-ass blunt so a brother can get his medicine on already.
 
Six-foot bong rips are medicine. Check.
 
My doctor's office is at a Cypress Hill show. Check.
 
I eat 500mg THC brownies (as much as an ENTIRE BOTTLE of the strongest dose
Marinol) because I am so sick that only a dosage that makes me drool on
myself will suffice. Check.
 
I fire up mad torches and hit the one gram globs because I have such a
severe medical condition that only ridiculous amounts of pure concentrate to
the face will work for my pain. Check.
 
"What are you saying, Mickey?"..I am saying that we are full of shit…
 
We have been half brainwashed by the allowance of medical cannabis and have
forgotten what the fuck we are fighting for. Medical cannabis has been
successful in advancing our cause, and in no way am I demeaning the real
medical effects cannabis has on MANY people who truly need it. I am not
saying everyone is full of shit, but I am saying that much of the activity
that we have deemed "medicating" is just way the fuck beyond medical
dosages, applications, and use. If I have a bottle of Nyquil, and I take the
2 tablespoons of Nyquil before bed because I feel like shit, then I am
medicating. If I drink the entire bottle of Nyquil in an effort to get
fucked up and pass out "so I can rest" then I am not really medicating any
more at that point, am I? I have gone beyond a medical application to a
choice of wanting to be more fucked up and to just go to sleep. But I do not
think there is a doctor alive who would recommend drinking a bottle of
Nyquil so you could get the spins and pass out for 12 hours…
 
Yet, this is what we see in our "medical" industry. The usage rates and
common practices do not coincide with the realities of our medical standards
for treatment. Why? Because most of us, even people with legitimate medical
concerns as I have, often use cannabis for much more than our medical
afflictions. It is a social thing, no doubt. I do not ask my buddies if they
want to share my antibiotics, or even my pain meds (though some I am sure
wish I would). We do not stand in a circle and pop Vicodin together and
discuss them. I do not load up as many Ibuprofen as I can and see if I can
finish them all.
 
Cannabis is different…and I can hear the diehard medical only fanatics
now.."Cannabis is a plant, Mickey. The social benefits of using it are also
medical."
 
So we can say the same about booze, and even coffee then, right? So every
bar is now a medical dispensary because they dispense social well-being and
liquid courage? Is shopping medical, because I do feel beter when getting
new shit. Does my insurance cover that?
 
Where I am going with this is that we have lost our focus and have allowed
for the watering down of what is medical, and what is not, interfere with
reality. The result has been an ongoing effort to crackdown on the "medical"
industry, and to regulate the shit out of it similar to other medicines in
our society. We have continued to declare that patients rights are the only
rights we need for cannabis users, and have gotten tunnel vision. Now that
tunnel vision is being used to kill us off.
 
There is no shortage of media and news coverage questioning the legitimacy
of our medical industry. It is the big joke in our society. Everyone gets
it. We can see pretty clearly that a lot of people also do not think it is
funny.
 
So we are losing our place in society and our seat at the table. Our
industry swelled in 2010 after the Ogden memo, and is rapidly shrinking as
the crackdown continues. Great operators are losing their position and
livelihood from landlord letters, sanctions, lawsuits, and raids.
Dispensaries, growers, producers, and patients continue to watch as the
industry they once knew becomes a shell of itself. Dedicated and passionate
soldiers are turning and walking away in disgust and frustration. Some will
not be back.
 
I cannot say I blame them either. This industry can drive a person nuts, no
doubt. I think you have to be a little nuts just to even get into it. Who
wants to work hard and fight daily to barely survive in a cut-throat
environment when you also have to risk a decade in prison at the same time?
Fuck that shit. And who the fuck wants to continue to fight under the same
weak-ass pretenses that our side has been putting forth to no avail for
decades? It is incredibly frustrating on the surface, but as you dig deeper
it is easy to see how maddening the reality of cannabis reform is these
days. Fuck it.
 
I am pretty sure that most in this industry/movement, and out of this
industry/movement, have NO IDEA what the fuck we are fighting for any more.
I know I don't, and I am knee deep in this shit. All I know is I want our
society to quit taking people to jail for weed. I think we have overplayed
the medical hand, and we must begin to work on the larger goal of making
cannabis available for adult use. If we continue to make concessions in
order to comply with what is medical and who is a patient then we lose. We
see more people going to jail for weed, not less.
 
Right now we are losing. We are getting our asses handed to us daily, and
many are scrambling to try and figure out how to stop the bleeding. Good for
you. We will never put up points constantly playing defense, and frankly,
our defense kind of sucks some times. We must begin to attack the larger
societal issues and begin to use our voices to actually create real and
meaningful change. Progress can happen, but we have to figure out what the
fuck it is we are really fighting for first..
 
If we are fighting to place further limits on an already severely abused and
somewhat misunderstood medical cannabis industry to maintain some semblance
of what we currently have, then count me out.
 
If we are continuing to build off of our succeses in the medical cannabis
industry and developing a powerful voice for true cannabis freedom that
demands we quit taking our friends, neighbors, and mostly poor people to
jail for weed, then count me in. I will get my ass-kicking shoes on.
 

 
Mickey Martin
T-Comp Consulting Director
 
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
www.cannabiswarrior.com <http://www.cannabiswarrior.com/>
www.tcompconsulting.com <http://www.tcompconsulting.com/>
s..[email protected]
(phone#-removed)
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this

Whatever keeps people out of jail for weed..

A sad fucking reality….
Posted by Mickey Martin on June 22nd, 2012
We are losing.
I look around me, and I am disheartened by our current standing and our inability to find reasonable and effective strategies to combat the all out assault we see happening to the cannabis industry at this time. I see a lot of ground we have gained in years past being lost in the shuffle; and very little effective tactics being deployed on our side to combat this agression. There is kind of a deer in the headlights thing happening that, to me, seems like a sad fucking reality.
A wave of depression has overcome the cannabis industry/movement of late that has crippled our ability to stand and fight for what we believe. I see a lot of grasping at straws and hanging on to failed strategies in some effort to preserve what is. There is very little focus on what should be. Our reactive stance is more of a “going through the motions” exercise in futility, than it is a true movement towards freedom justice, and morality. We simply lack direction.
I am not sure what the answer is either, so it is not like I am casting stones here. I am just acknowledging that the current state of affairs is a sad fucking reality. I wake up daily hoping that the inspiration and desire to do something great moves me. I fight off my own depression, and apathy, and craziness, and anger, and disappointment…and, and, and. It is easy to let this constant roller coaster of instability and chaos get to you.
It is hard to wake up everyday knowing that you travel uphill both ways to work. We operate in a thankless industry that often provides more risk than reward. Many people risk their freedom and livelihood to provide cannabis to those who want and need it. It is an honorable and noble effort, and one most should be proud of.
But not a day goes by that we are not confronted as criminals, and looked down upon as lesser members of our society. Even the vast understanding of how important the medical aspects of cannabis are has begun to fall on deaf ears, as we are losing the PR battle for the hearts and minds of our communities. The increasing concern about the abuses in the medical cannabis system are resulting in coordinated efforts to expose and amplify the industry as a fraud.
Yet, instead of putting the blame squarely where it belongs- on an out of control law enforcement and private prison industry that has forced people to decide between abusing a silly system, or going to prison for the plants in their back yard- we continue to backpedal like we are in agreement that we have done something wrong. Let us be clear. We are in the right. People should be able to use cannabis, period. If they have to get a doctor to sign off on that right now because that is the only avenue this stupid society has left open for us, then so be it.
But we refuse to acknowledge that. We do not defend our rights, or the honor of the plant. We see the direction and rhetoric of our movement’s talking heads continue to ignore the reality of the situation; or even worse, they condemn it. Not me. Fuck it. I embrace it. People have found a loophole and have exploited it to avoid going to prison. Some people have made money in the process. Big fucking deal. Get over it. Quit taking people to jail for weed.
You wanna talk a racket? You wanna talk about abuse? You want to talk about lies and deception? You are talking about the cops, private prison companies, and big business lobbyists that have sold this racket of a drug war to the American people, and who continue to fleece us for money and liberty in the name of drugs. We need to start turning the conversation back on the real problem, which is prohibition. This is where we will win the battle. It will not be won or lost on whether a dispensary can be 600 ft. or 100 ft from a school, park, or youth facility. It will not be won or lost on a mandatory registration program that expands prohibition. It will be won or lost on our ability to expose the war criminals and to educate our neighbors on the danger, and wastefulness, of prohibition.
But right now, in this moment. the sad fucking reality is that we are dead in the water. The sad fucking reality is that we are fractured and confused. The sad fucking reality is that we are trying to answer questions that were never asked in hopes of stopping the bleeding; but in the process we have failed to ask questions that truly advance our cause. We have failed to find the pressure points of our societal views on cannabis and exploit the drug warriors for the frauds and villains they really are.
You wanna talk about “profiteers?” How about a woman who runs the DEA who can afford to spend $137k on chartering a flight and who makes hundreds of thousands of tax-payer salaries every year not even being able to answer a question of whether or not heroin is more dangerous than cannabis. Yup. Now there is a profiteer. Or the private prison moguls that have made billions from locking up mostly poor people, many for weed. Or the drug testing companies. Or the cops who have inflated their budgets by instilling fear about these dangerous drugs in or communities.
These are your profiteers. These are the one’s making money off of drugs…just off keeping them illegal, dangerous, and in the hands of criminals. You want to talk profits? See how much GEO Prisons cleared last year. Here is an excerpt from the Daily Kos:
The CEO of GEO George C. Zoley earned a salary of $1,145,000, got a bonus of $1,334,498and with other compensations like stock options, the total for him is $5,734,949. The company he heads up, the GEO Group, is raking in the blood money by the barrel full.
That is what dude gets for locking up poor people for weed every year. But people want to be mad that a person who sells some weed makes a couple of hundred grand? Please. Get a grip.
But this is all part of our sad fucking reality. This is part of us continuing to play the role of second-class citizen, and appeasing the oppressors. We are not criminals. The people capitalizing off of the drug war and manufacturing crime in an effort to enslave and imprison 25% of the world’s prison population while only having 5% of the actual population are the fucking criminals. Until we can begin to turn the tables and get that message out, we will continue to get our asses handed to us and we will continue to see a coordinated retreat happen.
We CAN end this thing. We CAN make a difference. We CAN begin moving in the right direction….but first we have to do some serious self-reflecting and soul searching. We must understand that our sad fucking reality is partially our own fucking fault and our destiny is up to us to create. Once we can do that, we can begin to move rapidly forward and we will begin to see the walls of prohibition truly crumble.
 
Mickey Martin
T-Comp Consulting Director
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
www.cannabiswarrior.com
www.tcompconsulting.com
s..[email protected]
(phone#-removed)
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I am affiliated with.***

Mickey,
You are so right. Our fight is for safe access for patients. As long as the
Federal Government believes that cannabis has no medical use, we lose. The
Feds make a lot of money from"the drug war". My wish list would be that
the California medical board would crack down on the doctors that give
recommendations to anyone with a scrapped knee. That is why many city
councils look at medical marijuana as a "farce" . We are a very divided
group. So many personal dramas. Its very tiring.
Marla in Huntington Beach
 

No you misunderstood me since I said that society does not understand that bad people are most often ill and abuse of any substance is an indication also of illness and that neither of these two real truths are accepted by society. So I agree that society does not at this time recognize that all use is medical except if it is sacramental and society does not recognize that and the Puritan aspect of our society does not recognize our right to have fun either so even the idea that we ougtht to have the right to do what we want in the name of freedom does not cut it. So if we can get pain and depression that takes care of a huge number of people who are sick.
 
Then maybe we can also push for freedom and the economic and ecological benefits of hemp as a means of altering the mess our society is in…
 
that is the only means of chipping away at the monolith that I see but for me most important is getting the publlic aware that hemp is fuel and the whole 1% mess is based on an unfair restraint of trade against the US farmers might be what could get pepole riled up enough to demand change , but it will take an enormous amount of education to get that piece of the puzzle inot the heads of our stampeding public.
 
On Jun 21, 2012, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]> wrote:
 
You somewhat miss the point. The point is simple….all use is not medical as determined by the society we live in.
 
You can argue until we are blue in the face, but that is the fact. We can continue to try and convince the world that everything that goes on in the medical cannabis industry is 100% medical related; but the fact is that this argument is losing. Our communities are rejecting this notion resoundingly, as more bans and limitations continue to be put forth to stop the perceived out of control industry.
 
On October 7th, 2011 the 4 US Attorneys for CA did a press conference announcing that they were launching a crckdown. The basis for this crackdown was widespread abuses in the system, but do not take my word for it…here is a piece from the LA Times that explains it a bit better:
 
Birotte said the new strategy was not triggered by any specific event but was inspired by a stream of complaints from California law enforcement officials. The crackdown announced Friday came after months of consultation between the US attorneys and Justice Department officials in Washington. The prosecutors acknowledged that they are not getting more money or prosecutors.
 
Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney, predicted that intense coordination with federal prosecutors would make a huge difference. "It's advancing in the right direction from our perspective," he said. In Los Angeles, Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, said her office intended to work closely with Birotte's. "We're gratified that they see what we see, which is what began as an opportunity to help seriously ill patients has evolved into storefront drug sales and trafficking," she said.
 
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/local/la-me-obama-medical-marijuana-20111008
 
Our reality is that we have overplayed the medical card. Where was all this "straighten up and fly right" rhetoric a year ago when cannabis moguls were doing well and there was no crackdown? The money was flowing, and nobody gave a shit. Now all of the sudden there is an issue? Why? Because the US Attorneys said there is an issue, that is why…..and that issue is that they do not think this industry is legit in its current form.
 
So it is not me you have to convince. It is the guys with the guns…but I assure you if we are fighting the battle on their terms, we are losing…..but you do not need me to tell you that. Just look around…..
 
Mickey
 
Mickey Martin
 
T-Comp Consulting Director
 
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
 
www.cannabiswarrior.com
 
www.tcompconsulting.com
 
s..[email protected]
 
(phone#-removed)
 
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
 
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I am affiliated with.***
 
 
 
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 4:55 PM
 
 
MIckey: You are a victim of your socialization. I refuse to concede to the general point of view. That pov perceives those who behave badly as bad. Prisons are designed to punish. What if we saw that no one in their right mind would murder, rape, steal? Insanity defense all around! Of course people have to be sequestered from harming others if they are prone to violence and theft, but their incarceration ought to include means for them to be healed and productive to what ever extent that is possible.
 
You probably think that is off topic and naive also, but what I see is your dismay at the notion that all use is medical derives from some common perception that someone who wants to drink a bottle of Nyquilt or smoke til they drop is somehow undeserving of what relief they get from doing that. "The abuse of a drug is its own punishment" so why would folks punish themselves? BEcause they are sick in ways that are not commonly accepted, but I assure you, they are ill. Your discomfort about them is a kind of extension of our Puritan roots.
 
I have consistantly said that all use is not medical because I am willing to allow that recreation is more a spiritual practice than a medical response to disease consideration. In this point of view I am able to point at the origins of holiday that is Holy day, the concept of a day of rest, the real meaning of recreation that is re=creation, and the origin of vacation in vacating oneself from daily concerns and opening to a new self reborn from that practice.
 
Our society is uncomfortable with a religious pov that extends into a world view that encompasses how a person lives their daily lives. Daily cannabis use is uplifting for some, and probably keeps them from the diseases that would mandate that they use it medicinally daily.
 
I think that freedom means that a person can choose to fck themselves up. I am a doctor and would rather they did not, but hell I am a human first and I want to do what I want and as long as you do not harm me, I stand by your right to do what you want. That will always be my primary start for how I approach life and those around me.
 
I do understand what the majority think, but I will stand for the truth and logic. It is illogical to chide people for what they do and to imprison them for what they do if they do not hurt others. So of course we are on the same side, no one in prison for having a relation with hemp, cannabis, weed. If there ever were a bad law that is based on lies and illogic and greed well there it is.
 
So if we can not get people to agree to all use is medical or to the idea that people have the right to be free, or that people have a right to take a substance as part of their spiritual religious practice, then we are dealing with Puritans. That is the socialization that we have underlying our society and those people were fanatics who had little tolerance for anything other than their herd mentality agreed upon.
 
I will always stand for each person's right to be an individual. Without that, there is no freedom.
 
On Jun 20, 2012, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]> wrote:
 
What the fuck are we fighting for anyway?Posted by Mickey Martin on June 20th, 2012
 
The longer and harder I try to figure this out, the further I always seem from finding an answer. What the fuck are we fighting for anyway? Who knows any more?
 
I always thought we were fighting for cannabis freedom. Real cannabis freedom….you know, grown-ass people being able to use weed for whatever they want whenever they want. Pretty simple stuff, right? How do we get more people to be able to use and grow weed legally without the fear of going to prison, losing their rights, or being considered an outcast? How do we get our society to quit taking people to jail for weed?
 
But somewhere along the line shit has gotten complicated. The first real reforms passed that allowed for a certain class of people to use cannabis without going to jail, or suffering consequences, were medical cannabis laws. It was easy to see how sick and dying people that found relief from cannabis should be allowed to use weed without fear of being arrested or losing their position in society. Medical cannabis is a no-brainer. The reason medical marijuana support is around 70-80% of our society is because only a real asshole would think that a sick person should be arrested for using weed if it helps them to feel better. Medical should be a given. And in some states it was for a minute….kind of, sort of, not really…..but close enough.
 
But then EVERYONE got hella sick. All of the sudden any and every ailment ever had by a person was an ongoing and chronic condition that only cannabis could heal. We convinced ourselves that if we justified every cannabis use as a medical procedure that we would be afforded the same glorious protections as the sickest chemo patient.
 
Now all of the sudden the Choom Gangs were no longer choomed out, but instead they were very ill and in need of some serious medicine. Fire up the fat-ass blunt so a brother can get his medicine on already.
 
Six-foot bong rips are medicine. Check.
 
My doctor's office is at a Cypress Hill show. Check.
 
I eat 500mg THC brownies (as much as an ENTIRE BOTTLE of the strongest dose Marinol) because I am so sick that only a dosage that makes me drool on myself will suffice. Check.
 
I fire up mad torches and hit the one gram globs because I have such a severe medical condition that only ridiculous amounts of pure concentrate to the face will work for my pain. Check.
 
“What are you saying, Mickey?”….I am saying that we are full of shit…..
 
We have been half brainwashed by the allowance of medical cannabis and have forgotten what the fuck we are fighting for. Medical cannabis has been successful in advancing our cause, and in no way am I demeaning the real medical effects cannabis has on MANY people who truly need it. I am not saying everyone is full of shit, but I am saying that much of the activity that we have deemed ”medicating” is just way the fuck beyond medical dosages, applications, and use. If I have a bottle of Nyquil, and I take the 2 tablespoons of Nyquil before bed because I feel like shit, then I am medicating. If I drink the entire bottle of Nyquil in an effort to get fucked up and pass out “so I can rest” then I am not really medicating any more at that point, am I? I have gone beyond a medical application to a choice of wanting to be more fucked up and to just go to sleep. But I do not think there is a doctor alive who would recommend drinking a bottle of Nyquil so you could get the spins and pass out for 12 hours…..
 
Yet, this is what we see in our “medical” industry. The usage rates and common practices do not coincide with the realities of our medical standards for treatment. Why? Because most of us, even people with legitimate medical concerns as I have, often use cannabis for much more than our medical afflictions. It is a social thing, no doubt. I do not ask my buddies if they want to share my antibiotics, or even my pain meds (though some I am sure wish I would). We do not stand in a circle and pop Vicodin together and discuss them. I do not load up as many Ibuprofen as I can and see if I can finish them all.
 
Cannabis is different…..and I can hear the diehard medical only fanatics now….”Cannabis is a plant, Mickey. The social benefits of using it are also medical.”
 
So we can say the same about booze, and even coffee then, right? So every bar is now a medical dispensary because they dispense social well-being and liquid courage? Is shopping medical, because I do feel beter when getting new shit. Does my insurance cover that?
 
Where I am going with this is that we have lost our focus and have allowed for the watering down of what is medical, and what is not, interfere with reality. The result has been an ongoing effort to crackdown on the “medical” industry, and to regulate the shit out of it similar to other medicines in our society. We have continued to declare that patients rights are the only rights we need for cannabis users, and have gotten tunnel vision. Now that tunnel vision is being used to kill us off.
 
There is no shortage of media and news coverage questioning the legitimacy of our medical industry. It is the big joke in our society. Everyone gets it. We can see pretty clearly that a lot of people also do not think it is funny.
 
So we are losing our place in society and our seat at the table. Our industry swelled in 2010 after the Ogden memo, and is rapidly shrinking as the crackdown continues. Great operators are losing their position and livelihood from landlord letters, sanctions, lawsuits, and raids. Dispensaries, growers, producers, and patients continue to watch as the industry they once knew becomes a shell of itself. Dedicated and passionate soldiers are turning and walking away in disgust and frustration. Some will not be back.
 
I cannot say I blame them either. This industry can drive a person nuts, no doubt. I think you have to be a little nuts just to even get into it. Who wants to work hard and fight daily to barely survive in a cut-throat environment when you also have to risk a decade in prison at the same time? Fuck that shit. And who the fuck wants to continue to fight under the same weak-ass pretenses that our side has been putting forth to no avail for decades? It is incredibly frustrating on the surface, but as you dig deeper it is easy to see how maddening the reality of cannabis reform is these days. Fuck it…
 
I am pretty sure that most in this industry/movement, and out of this industry/movement, have NO IDEA what the fuck we are fighting for any more. I know I don't, and I am knee deep in this shit. All I know is I want our society to quit taking people to jail for weed. I think we have overplayed the medical hand, and we must begin to work on the larger goal of making cannabis available for adult use. If we continue to make concessions in order to comply with what is medical and who is a patient then we lose. We see more people going to jail for weed, not less.
 
Right now we are losing. We are getting our asses handed to us daily, and many are scrambling to try and figure out how to stop the bleeding. Good for you. We will never put up points constantly playing defense, and frankly, our defense kind of sucks some times. We must begin to attack the larger societal issues and begin to use our voices to actually create real and meaningful change. Progress can happen, but we have to figure out what the fuck it is we are really fighting for first….
 
If we are fighting to place further limits on an already severely abused and somewhat misunderstood medical cannabis industry to maintain some semblance of what we currently have, then count me out.
 
If we are continuing to build off of our succeses in the medical cannabis industry and developing a powerful voice for true cannabis freedom that demands we quit taking our friends, neighbors, and mostly poor people to jail for weed, then count me in. I will get my ass-kicking shoes on.
 
Mickey Martin
 
T-Comp Consulting Director
 
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
 
www.cannabiswarrior.com
 
www.tcompconsulting.com
 
s..[email protected]
 
(phone#-removed)
 
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
 
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I am affiliated with.***
 
–
 
You received this

" My wish list would be that the California medical board would crack down on the doctors that give recommendations to anyone with a scrapped knee." Marla James
 
Marla, let me ask you a simple question:
 
Q: If you agree that Cannabis is safer than beer then why in heaven would you need a "card," a doctors approval etc. to use Cannabis as an adult: for any reason including simply to get "high?"
 
It saddens me, nearly 2 years after Jack Herer's untimely death, that his message would ALREADY be getting lost. I knew Jack for over 20 years and have read various incarnations of "The Emperor" many times. His primary message was the Cannabis became illegal in 1937 primarily because it was a threat to oil, paper and synthetics industries. And just before he collapsed at HempStalk he made the prophetic statement that the government should not get a single dollar from the taxation of Cannabis.
 
Jack certainly acknowledged the medical benefits of Cannabis but also saw it as a spiritual medicine. But he really never liked the "medical approach" and only accepted it because it was the only path that Soros, Lewis and Sperling would support. But these same assholes have since been supporting initiatives that I believe were really intended to ultimately give our plant over to Big Pharma and Monsanto: companies these assholes hold significant holdings.
 
The bottom line is (1) you should no more need a "card" to smoke Marijuana than you would need a "card" to drink a beer, and (2) we need to free Cannabis as an alternative to paper, oil, synthetics and to reduce our carbon footprint in the process.
 
Our best course forward would be to redirect our energies beyond "Medical Marijuana." It served its purpose. But we now have about 56% of America now supporting full legalization and I think it time we stop accepting a few scraps from the Globalists table, when we could instead enjoy the full 5 course meal. So, to me, the best course forward is to insure that Cannabis remains part of the "commons" so that there is no way it can be monopolized or used as an excuse to rob us of our liberties, our homes, our cars or to be thrown into a jail cell for years.
 
The wind is at our back. The judgement of the moon and the stars is in our favor. So let us legalize Cannabis in such a way that it becomes part of our transition beyond the failed "Petro Corporate Ponzi" Epoch. Let us transition toward sustainable, localized economies while robbing the Global Elites of the leverage they have long had to enslave all of us.
 
Get me drift?
 
Bruce W. Cain
===========
 
"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre."
Frank Zappa.
 
Please join my FB group by clicking on the first link below. Spread the word:
 
Bruce Cain for 2012 Presidency wants a "Green Economy based on Marijuana"
https://www.facebook.com/groups(phone#-removed)326/
 
New Candidate for 2012 Presidency wants a "Green Economy" Based on Marijuana
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama57.htm
 
Bruce Cain for President 2012: The Great Betrayal

 
Because Marijuana is Safer that Beer . . .
How About We Start Treating It That Way?
MERP Headquarters
The Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy Project (MRPP)= "MERP"
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP.htm
 
YouTube Videos Covering Candidate Bruce Cain's "New Agenda for America"
http://www.youtube.com/user/bcainw?feature=mhee
 
Bruce Cain for President to Legalize Marijuana
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a(phone#-removed)567(phone#-removed)(phone#-removed)&type=3
 
 
—– Original Message —–
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 5:16:00 PM
 
 
Mickey,
You are so right. Our fight is for safe access for patients. As long as the Federal Government believes that cannabis has no medical use, we lose. The Feds make a lot of money from"the drug war". My wish list would be that the California medical board would crack down on the doctors that give recommendations to anyone with a scrapped knee. That is why many city councils look at medical marijuana as a "farce" . We are a very divided group. So many personal dramas. Its very tiring.
Marla in Huntington Beach
 
 
On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 11:06 AM, Mickey Martin < s..[email protected] > wrote:
 
 
 
 
 
You somewhat miss the point. The point is simple….all use is not medical as determined by the society we live in.
 
 
You can argue until we are blue in the face, but that is the fact. We can continue to try and convince the world that everything that goes on in the medical cannabis industry is 100% medical related; but the fact is that this argument is losing. Our communities are rejecting this notion resoundingly, as more bans and limitations continue to be put forth to stop the perceived out of control industry.
 
 
On October 7th, 2011 the 4 US Attorneys for CA did a press conference announcing that they were launching a crckdown. The basis for this crackdown was widespread abuses in the system, but do not take my word for it…here is a piece from the LA Times that explains it a bit better:
 
 
 
Birotte said the new strategy was not triggered by any specific event but was inspired by a stream of complaints from California law enforcement officials. The crackdown announced Friday came after months of consultation between the U.S. attorneys and Justice Department officials in Washington. The prosecutors acknowledged that they are not getting more money or prosecutors.
Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney, predicted that intense coordination with federal prosecutors would make a huge difference. "It's advancing in the right direction from our perspective," he said. In Los Angeles, Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, said her office intended to work closely with Birotte's. "We're gratified that they see what we see, which is what began as an opportunity to help seriously ill patients has evolved into storefront drug sales and trafficking," she said.
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/local/la-me-obama-medical-marijuana-20111008
Our reality is that we have overplayed the medical card. Where was all this "straighten up and fly right" rhetoric a year ago when cannabis moguls were doing well and there was no crackdown? The money was flowing, and nobody gave a shit. Now all of the sudden there is an issue? Why? Because the US Attorneys said there is an issue, that is why…..and that issue is that they do not think this industry is legit in its current form.
 
 
So it is not me you have to convince. It is the guys with the guns…but I assure you if we are fighting the battle on their terms, we are losing…..but you do not need me to tell you that. Just look around…..
 
 
Mickey
 
 
 
Mickey Martin
T-Comp Consulting Director
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
www.cannabiswarrior.com
www.tcompconsulting.com
s..[email protected]
(phone#-removed)
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I am affiliated with.***
 
 
 
 
 
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 4:55 PM
 
 
MIckey: You are a victim of your socialization. I refuse to concede to the general point of view. That pov perceives those who behave badly as bad. Prisons are designed to punish. What if we saw that no one in their right mind would murder, rape, steal? Insanity defense all around! Of course people have to be sequestered from harming others if they are prone to violence and theft, but their incarceration ought to include means for them to be healed and productive to what ever extent that is possible.
 
You probably think that is off topic and naive also, but what I see is your dismay at the notion that all use is medical derives from some common perception that someone who wants to drink a bottle of Nyquilt or smoke til they drop is somehow undeserving of what relief they get from doing that. "The abuse of a drug is its own punishment" so why would folks punish themselves? BEcause they are sick in ways that are not commonly accepted, but I assure you, they are ill. Your discomfort about them is a kind of extension of our Puritan roots.
 
I have consistantly said that all use is not medical because I am willing to allow that recreation is more a spiritual practice than a medical response to disease consideration. In this point of view I am able to point at the origins of holiday that is Holy day, the concept of a day of rest, the real meaning of recreation that is re=creation, and the origin of vacation in vacating oneself from daily concerns and opening to a new self reborn from that practice.
 
Our society is uncomfortable with a religious pov that extends into a world view that encompasses how a person lives their daily lives. Daily cannabis use is uplifting for some, and probably keeps them from the diseases that would mandate that they use it medicinally daily.
 
I think that freedom means that a person can choose to fck themselves up. I am a doctor and would rather they did not, but hell I am a human first and I want to do what I want and as long as you do not harm me, I stand by your right to do what you want. That will always be my primary start for how I approach life and those around me.
 
I do understand what the majority think, but I will stand for the truth and logic. It is illogical to chide people for what they do and to imprison them for what they do if they do not hurt others. So of course we are on the same side, no one in prison for having a relation with hemp, cannabis, weed. If there ever were a bad law that is based on lies and illogic and greed well there it is.
 
So if we can not get people to agree to all use is medical or to the idea that people have the right to be free, or that people have a right to take a substance as part of their spiritual religious practice, then we are dealing with Puritans. That is the socialization that we have underlying our society and those people were fanatics who had little tolerance for anything other than their herd mentality agreed upon.
 
I will always stand for each person's right to be an individual. Without that, there is no freedom.
 
 
On Jun 20, 2012, Mickey Martin < s..[email protected] > wrote:
 
<blockquote>
 
 
What the fuck are we fighting for anyway? Posted by Mickey Martin on June 20th, 2012
 
 
The longer and harder I try to figure this out, the further I always seem from finding an answer. What the fuck are we fighting for anyway? Who knows any more?
I always thought we were fighting for cannabis freedom. Real cannabis freedom….you know, grown-ass people being able to use weed for whatever they want whenever they want. Pretty simple stuff, right? How do we get more people to be able to use and grow weed legally without the fear of going to prison, losing their rights, or being considered an outcast? How do we get our society to quit taking people to jail for weed ?
But somewhere along the line shit has gotten complicated. The first real reforms passed that allowed for a certain class of people to use cannabis without going to jail, or suffering consequences, were medical cannabis laws. It was easy to see how sick and dying people that found relief from cannabis should be allowed to use weed without fear of being arrested or losing their position in society. Medical cannabis is a no-brainer. The reason medical marijuana support is around 70-80% of our society is because only a real asshole would think that a sick person should be arrested for using weed if it helps them to feel better. Medical should be a given. And in some states it was for a minute….kind of, sort of, not really…..but close enough.
But then EVERYONE got hella sick. All of the sudden any and every ailment ever had by a person was an ongoing and chronic condition that only cannabis could heal. We convinced ourselves that if we justified every cannabis use as a medical procedure that we would be afforded the same glorious protections as the sickest chemo patient.
Now all of the sudden the Choom Gangs were no longer choomed out, but instead they were very ill and in need of some serious medicine. Fire up the fat-ass blunt so a brother can get his medicine on already.
Six-foot bong rips are medicine. Check.
My doctor’s office is at a Cypress Hill show. Check.
I eat 500mg THC brownies (as much as an ENTIRE BOTTLE of the strongest dose Marinol) because I am so sick that only a dosage that makes me drool on myself will suffice. Check.
I fire up mad torches and hit the one gram globs because I have such a severe medical condition that only ridiculous amounts of pure concentrate to the face will work for my pain. Check.
“What are you saying, Mickey?”….I am saying that we are full of shit…..
We have been half brainwashed by the allowance of medical cannabis and have forgotten what the fuck we are fighting for. Medical cannabis has been successful in advancing our cause, and in no way am I demeaning the real medical effects cannabis has on MANY people who truly need it. I am not saying everyone is full of shit, but I am saying that much of the activity that we have deemed ”medicating” is just way the fuck beyond medical dosages, applications, and use. If I have a bottle of Nyquil, and I take the 2 tablespoons of Nyquil before bed because I feel like shit, then I am medicating. If I drink the entire bottle of Nyquil in an effort to get fucked up and pass out “so I can rest” then I am not really medicating any more at that point, am I? I have gone beyond a medical application to a choice of wanting to be more fucked up and to just go to sleep. But I do not think there is a doctor alive who would recommend drinking a bottle of Nyquil so you could get the spins and pass out for 12 hours…..
Yet, this is what we see in our “medical” industry. The usage rates and common practices do not coincide with the realities of our medical standards for treatment. Why? Because most of us, even people with legitimate medical concerns as I have, often use cannabis for much more than our medical afflictions. It is a social thing, no doubt. I do not ask my buddies if they want to share my antibiotics, or even my pain meds (though some I am sure wish I would). We do not stand in a circle and pop Vicodin together and discuss them. I do not load up as many Ibuprofen as I can and see if I can finish them all.
Cannabis is different…..and I can hear the diehard medical only fanatics now….”Cannabis is a plant, Mickey. The social benefits of using it are also medical.”
So we can say the same about booze, and even coffee then, right? So every bar is now a medical dispensary because they dispense social well-being and liquid courage? Is shopping medical, because I do feel beter when getting new shit. Does my insurance cover that?
Where I am going with this is that we have lost our focus and have allowed for the watering down of what is medical, and what is not, interfere with reality. The result has been an ongoing effort to crackdown on the “medical” industry, and to regulate the shit out of it similar to other medicines in our society. We have continued to declare that patients rights are the only rights we

I do understand where you are coming from, but the current law requires a
recommendation. Marijuana for all is a good thing, but reality is that many
city councils blame the dispensaries for what a bad doctor does. Right now
I am thinking baby steps. I speak before many city councils who absolutely
don't understand what collectives really are. We try and educate. Some just
don't get it, or don't want to get it.
Marla in Huntington Beach
 

Shame on you! You do not speak for Jack. How dare you try to label your words and feelings as Jacks now that he is dead. Absolutely disgusting. None of us can say what Jack would think now, but I know what he said and did when he was alive. Jack said over and over he was as proud as a pappa of his 'kids' from the bus that went on to open collectives. Me, Debbie. Rick and others that operate collectives all traveled the country with Jack on Hemp Tour spreading our message of hemp for food, fuel, fibre,fun and medicine. Traveling on the bus we had a lot of time to talk and we all had a lot of opinions about a lot of things, like free weed for everyone and no cops or governments either, but one thing I never heard from Jack was hate. Our collective threw Jacks birthday parties and he was at every grand opening of our collectives to show his support. To now use Jack to further your dividing agenda is disgraceful to his memory and a lie, and about what I would expect from someone who is at the same time crying screw the system, but please vote for me for president. I agree, a free soul should not need a card for cannabis or a license to drive or be required to pay taxes to a government one does not believe in, but that's the society we live in. If you want to fight to abolish all laws as they impinge on all freedoms, that would make more sense than to agree to follow some systems of rules like participating in presidential elections and carrying a drivers license, while putting down others for also participating in societal laws and customs such as cannabis regulation.
 

Ok people I've watched this email group go through alot of whinning, bitching and fighting to only come to this sad ending as "oh no were losing". It's time to discuss a plan of action and get EVERYONE on the same page. What are we working with? The medical side is implemented so let's ride it till the wheels fall off. It's keeping people out of jail and provides access and that to me is number one! Thank you doctors for givin prescriptions for scrapped knees! At least they are on the front line doing what they can! The biggest problem I see with the cannabis community is there is no face of leadership. No one who looks professional enough for the political world representing the cannabis community that stands out above the rest. There have been many foot soldiers but we need a king someone who is charismatic with the ability to preach our story. For me that is what this movement misses is a cannabis Martin Luther King! It doesn't matter what side of the fence you are on at the end of the day we all want the same thing. So my suggestions would be stop crying and fighting each other and figure what plan of action needs to be taken for the end result of full legalization no matter how long it takes. Just use the tools we have at our disposal and run with it. Oh and make sure we stay within reasonable site of reality meaning the Feds are not going to allow complete legalization over night or none taxation. It will be regulated it will be taxed just like everything else so unless you plan on changing the government we need to be realistic and reasonable. Just my two cents.
 
Nick
 

Hello all,
 
I do occasionally follow the "Save Cannabis" threads, but mostly I get way too depressed seeing all the fighting.
 
For any of you who know me, I am about the medicine of cannabis; dosable capsules/extracts – mostly rich CBD with one coming out in a couple of weeks that is 26:1 CBD:THC.
 
There is medicine, great medicine, in cannabis, but the stores and docs have truly blown it.
 
Anyone serious with regard to the medicine should consider the best cannabis medicine:
 
1. The entire future is dosable and mostly Cannbidiol based. Again, I am not referring to social cannabis use; just medical with the collectives not only to not promote, but often do their best to ignore.
 
2. Doctors have been equally guilty opening cheap clinics where the "card" but no patient education is promoted. I got a recent rec from one of the beach front docs. The really sad part was that there were really a few sick older patients there because they just don't know there is anything better. Do you really think a 70 y/o patient who has never smoked before, wants to smoke? Of course not. So, they try drinks, edibles and often become toxic. Shouldn't they at least hear that CBD is what they need?
 
3. GW Pharma and Sativex, a cannabinoid extract made in England and already distributed in six countries, will be in the US within two years. This is real medicine. You know what is in it and how much to try and then you can repeat the same dose. As in #2, it is all rich CBD.
 
4. Can you imagine Sativex landing in the US and someone holds up a rice krispy treat in one hand and a bottle of Sativex in the other;??? we will all look like morons.
 
5. When a group of us is standing around smoking and say to some "ney-sayer" that we are medicating, I always state that I am just getting ripped. Medicating? Really? Please.
 
6. So, the collectives and nearly every doc should share in this responsibility. They each bred one another in sort of a "southern style"….if you know what I mean.
 
So, what should we do? At the very least, people involved need to STOP FIGHTING WITH EVERYONE. Pick your battle, whether legalization or medical and keep our arguments cogent.
 
I think it is ok to state that the collectives sprung up as mostly social cannabis stores because that is what people either wanted or THOUGHT they wanted. Legalization in my opinion does not fully equal "medical cannabis". I do believe, or certainly hope, that as the cities, state and feds have to face REAL MEDICINE, the medicine issue will get resolved, but it might not happen with just "legalization"; we will have to incorporate that ancient notion of "science".
 
What SHOULD happen, but will never happen on it's own, is that every doc and collective president/"owner" should ask themselves what they are REALLY doing. If it is social, fine, but don't claim it to be medical. At least there is honesty. At the same time, all need to look into HOW they can represent the incredible cannabis medicine in a more professional way. If not, they should all close until we have a Ballot initiative that passes; which means working together.
 
Whatever we do, let's all not forget that it is the medicine that supposedly got us here; why not truly focus on it going forward.
 
Allan I Frankel, MD
 
——– Original Message ——–
 
 
 
 
 
Mickey,
 
You are so right. Our fight is for safe access for patients. As long as the Federal Government believes that cannabis has no medical use, we lose. The Feds make a lot of money from"the drug war". My wish list would be that the California medical board would crack down on the doctors that give recommendations to anyone with a scrapped knee. That is why many city councils look at medical marijuana as a "farce" . We are a very divided group. So many personal dramas. Its very tiring.
 
Marla in Huntington Beach
 
On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 11:06 AM, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]> wrote:
 
You somewhat miss the point. The point is simple….all use is not medical as determined by the society we live in.
 
You can argue until we are blue in the face, but that is the fact. We can continue to try and convince the world that everything that goes on in the medical cannabis industry is 100% medical related; but the fact is that this argument is losing. Our communities are rejecting this notion resoundingly, as more bans and limitations continue to be put forth to stop the perceived out of control industry.
 
On October 7th, 2011 the 4 US Attorneys for CA did a press conference announcing that they were launching a crckdown. The basis for this crackdown was widespread abuses in the system, but do not take my word for it…here is a piece from the LA Times that explains it a bit better:
 
Birotte said the new strategy was not triggered by any specific event but was inspired by a stream of complaints from California law enforcement officials. The crackdown announced Friday came after months of consultation between the US attorneys and Justice Department officials in Washington. The prosecutors acknowledged that they are not getting more money or prosecutors.
 
Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney, predicted that intense coordination with federal prosecutors would make a huge difference. "It's advancing in the right direction from our perspective," he said. In Los Angeles, Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, said her office intended to work closely with Birotte's. "We're gratified that they see what we see, which is what began as an opportunity to help seriously ill patients has evolved into storefront drug sales and trafficking," she said.
 
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/local/la-me-obama-medical-marijuana-20111008
 
Our reality is that we have overplayed the medical card. Where was all this "straighten up and fly right" rhetoric a year ago when cannabis moguls were doing well and there was no crackdown? The money was flowing, and nobody gave a shit. Now all of the sudden there is an issue? Why? Because the US Attorneys said there is an issue, that is why…..and that issue is that they do not think this industry is legit in its current form.
 
So it is not me you have to convince. It is the guys with the guns…but I assure you if we are fighting the battle on their terms, we are losing…..but you do not need me to tell you that. Just look around…..
 
Mickey
 
Mickey Martin
 
T-Comp Consulting Director
 
Author of Medical Marijuana 101
 
www.cannabiswarrior.com
 
www.tcompconsulting.com
 
s..[email protected]
 
(phone#-removed)
 
http://twitter.com/micKEYmarTIN
 
http://twitter.com/CANNABISconsult
 
***The views expressed in this communication are not necessarily the views of T-Comp Consulting, Tainted Compassion, Cannabis Warrior any other group I am affiliated with.***
 
 
 
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 4:55 PM
 
 
MIckey: You are a victim of your socialization. I refuse to concede to the general point of view. That pov perceives those who behave badly as bad. Prisons are designed to punish. What if we saw that no one in their right mind would murder, rape, steal? Insanity defense all around! Of course people have to be sequestered from harming others if they are prone to violence and theft, but their incarceration ought to include means for them to be healed and productive to what ever extent that is possible.
 
You probably think that is off topic and naive also, but what I see is your dismay at the notion that all use is medical derives from some common perception that someone who wants to drink a bottle of Nyquilt or smoke til they drop is somehow undeserving of what relief they get from doing that. "The abuse of a drug is its own punishment" so why would folks punish themselves? BEcause they are sick in ways that are not commonly accepted, but I assure you, they are ill. Your discomfort about them is a kind of extension of our Puritan roots.
 
I have consistantly said that all use is not medical because I am willing to allow that recreation is more a spiritual practice than a medical response to disease consideration. In this point of view I am able to point at the origins of holiday that is Holy day, the concept of a day of rest, the real meaning of recreation that is re=creation, and the origin of vacation in vacating oneself from daily concerns and opening to a new self reborn from that practice.
 
Our society is uncomfortable with a religious pov that extends into a world view that encompasses how a person lives their daily lives. Daily cannabis use is uplifting for some, and probably keeps them from the diseases that would mandate that they use it medicinally daily.
 
I think that freedom means that a person can choose to fck themselves up. I am a doctor and would rather they did not, but hell I am a human first and I want to do what I want and as long as you do not harm me, I stand by your right to do what you want. That will always be my primary start for how I approach life and those around me.
 
I do understand what the majority think, but I will stand for the truth and logic. It is illogical to chide people for what they do and to imprison them for what they do if they do not hurt others. So of course we are on the same side, no one in prison for having a relation with hemp, cannabis, weed. If there ever were a bad law that is based on lies and illogic and greed well there it is.
 
So if we can not get people to agree to all use is medical or to the idea that people have the right to be free, or that people have a right to take a substance as part of their spiritual religious practice, then we are dealing with Puritans. That is the socialization that we have underlying our society and those people were fanatics who had little tolerance for anything other than their herd mentality agreed upon.
 
I will always stand for each person's right to be an individual. Without that, there is no freedom.
 
On Jun 20, 2012, Mickey Martin <s..[email protected]> wrote:
 
What the fuck are we fighting for anyway?Posted by Mickey Martin on June 20th, 2012
 
The longer and harder I try to figure this out, the further I always seem from finding an answer. What the fuck are we fighting for anyway? Who knows any more?
 
I always thought we were fighting for cannabis freedom. Real cannabis freedom….you know, grown-ass people being able to use weed for whatever they want whenever they want. Pretty simple stuff, right? How do we get more people to be able to use and grow weed legally without the fear of going to prison, losing their rights, or being considered an outcast? How do we get our society to quit taking people to jail for weed?
 
But somewhere along the line shit has gotten complicated. The first real reforms passed that allowed for a certain class of people to use cannabis without going to jail, or suffering consequences, were medical cannabis laws. It was easy to see how sick and dying people that found relief from cannabis should be allowed to use weed without fear of being arrested or losing their position in society. Medical cannabis is a no-brainer. The reason medical marijuana support is around 70-80% of our society is because only a real asshole would think that a sick person should be arrested for using weed if it helps them to feel better. Medical should be a given. And in some states it was for a minute….kind of, sort of, not really…..but close enough.
 
But then EVERYONE got hella sick. All of the sudden any and every ailment ever had by a person was an ongoing and chronic condition that only cannabis could heal. We convinced ourselves that if we justified every cannabis use as a medical procedure that we would be afforded the same glorious protections as the sickest chemo patient.
 
Now all of the sudden the Choom Gangs were no longer choomed out, but instead they were very ill and in need of some serious medicine. Fire up the fat-ass blunt so a brother can get his medicine on already.
 
Six-foot bong rips are medicine. Check.
 
My doctor's office is at a Cypress Hill show. Check.
 
I eat 500mg THC brownies (as much as an ENTIRE BOTTLE of the strongest dose Marinol) because I am so sick that only a dosage that makes me drool on myself will suffice. Check.
 
I fire up mad torches and hit the one gram globs because I have such a severe medical condition that only ridiculous amounts of pure concentrate to the face will work for my pain. Check.
 
“What are you saying, Mickey?”….I am saying that we are full of shit…..
 
We have been half brainwashed by the allowance of medical cannabis and have forgotten what the fuck we are fighting for. Medical cannabis has been successful in advancing our cause, and in no way am I demeaning the real medical effects cannabis has on MANY people who truly need it. I am not saying everyone is full of shit, but I am saying that much of the activity that we have deemed ”medicating” is just way the fuck beyond medical dosages, applications, and use. If I have a bottle of Nyquil, and I take the 2 tablespoons of Nyquil before bed because I feel like shit, then I am medicating. If I drink the entire bottle of Nyquil in an effort to get fucked up and pass out “so I can rest” then I am not really medicating any more at that point, am I? I have gone beyond a medical application to a choice of wanting to be more fucked up and to just go to sleep. But I do not think there is a doctor alive who would recommend drinking a bottle of Nyquil so you could get the spins and pass out for 12 hours…..
 
Yet, this is what we see in our “medical” industry. The usage rates and common practices do not coincide with the realities of our medical standards for treatment. Why? Because most of us, even people with legitimate medical concerns as I have, often use cannabis for much more than our medical afflictions. It is a social thing, no doubt. I do not ask my buddies if they want to share my antibiotics, or even my pain meds (though some I am sure wish I would). We do not stand in a circle and pop Vicodin together and discuss them. I do not load up as many Ibuprofen as I can and see if I can finish them all.
 
Cannabis is different…..and I can hear the diehard medical only fanatics now….”Cannabis is a plant, Mickey. The social benefits of using it are also medical.”
 
So we can say the same about booze, and even coffee then, right? So every bar is now a medical dispensary because they dispense social well-being and liquid courage? Is shopping medical, because I do feel beter when getting new shit. Does my insurance cover that?
 
Where I am going with this is that we have lost our focus and have allowed for the watering down of what is medical, and what is not, interfere with reality. The result has been an ongoing effort to crackdown on the “medical” industry, and to regulate the shit out of it similar to other medicines in our society. We have continued to declare that patients rights are the only rights we need for cannabis users, and have gotten tunnel vision. Now that tunnel vision is being used to kill us off.
 
There is no shortage of media and news coverage questioning the legitimacy of our medical industry. It is the big joke in our society. Everyone gets it. We can see pretty clearly that a lot of people also do not think it is funny.
 
So we are losing our place in society and our seat at the table. Our industry swelled in 2010 after the Ogden memo, and is rapidly shrinking as the crackdown continues. Great operators are losing their position and livelihood from landlord letters, sanctions, lawsuits, and raids. Dispensaries, growers, producers, and patients

sad to say the California Medical Board is in.competent and hen it comes to medicinal cannabis they are the ones that need to be investigated because they are woefully uneducated. Further they seem to have a separate set of guidelines for the recommending of cannabis that does not seem to apply to HMOs,county clinics, community clinics and the prescribing of Viagra or Cialis. I know their lack of expertise in quality assurance matters because for 14 years I was the Medical Director of the oldest Medicaid managed care ;program in the country and quality assurance was one of my responsibilities.
No. The best way to deal with this is not to honour recommendations from any doctor who rites more than 25 recommendations unless they have met certain standards or are accredited by the county,state or the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine.
Peace
Davod Bearman,M.D.
 

I agree with you. I have seen doctors that don't touch patients, see
patients by skype and even presign recommendations having P.A.s see the
patients. I work for a MMJ doctor verifying patients for dispensaries. The
doctor I work for will not give a recommendation without medical records
from the patient's GP. It is important that if a person wants MMJ for
headaches, that he has been seen to rule out brain tumors.
Marla
 

I too have heard many people criticize "pot docs" for handing out
recommendations too easily, and sometimes the strongest criticism has come
from collective operators who are tired of sitting in the hot seat alone.
However, I draw the line at asking the Medical Board to crack down for two
reasons: 1. It's not like they need any encouragement; every cannabis
physician is on the Med Board's watch list from Day One, and 2. Reducing
the number of physicians who recommend cannabis (the ultimate goal of a
crackdown, right?) will reduce patient access while doing absolutely
nothing to improve our standing in society as a whole.
 
The doctor is just one piece of the puzzle, after all. I've lost count of
how many times I've heard non-users demand that cannabis be dispensed at
Walgreens and Rite-Aid instead of some mom-and-pop collective that opens up
a storefront and calls it good. People aren't stupid; they see that the
patients who patronize collectives look and act differently than patients
lined up at a typical pharmacy. They serve needy patients, yes, but also a
bunch of younger adults — mainly men — who look pretty darn healthy to
our untrained eyes. This social disconnect cannot and should not be blamed
on cannabis physicians; if they wrote prescriptions for pharmaceuticals
instead, half the MMJ community would accuse them of being shills for Big
Pharma.
 
Doctors can't win. Collectives can't win. Patients can't win, not in a
politically charged environment where the blame game runs 24/7 (this e-mail
list being a good example). Before we go asking for sanctions on pot docs,
collective operators in particular should think twice. Their ability to
serve so-called "legitimate" patients is often subsidized by purchases from
healthier individuals. Whatever we may think of those "illegitimate"
patients, they help ensure medicine gets to the patients who need cannabis
the most. Society at large thinks we're all stoners anyway, so tweaking the
mix of patients by tweaking the mix of doctors is a losing proposition.
 

2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup
Richmond, Ca
June 23 & 24
http://medcancup.com/san-francisco/

Greetings Patient Advocates -
 
There are many rumors circulating about the LA City Council meeting
tomorrow. However, the ban on dispensaries is still on the agenda.
http://ens.lacity.org/clk/councilagendas/clkcouncilagenda(phone#-removed)2012.pdf
 
While Council has the discretion to take different courses of action
tomorrow, removing the agenda item is not one of them. However, it may
get continued or tabled, etc.
 
Because it IS on the agenda, the BAN cannot be discussed during GENERAL
public comment but patients can address their need for safe, affordable
medical cannabis without mentioning the ban or the failed ordinance or
lawsuits.
 
The Council can choose to not accept speaker cards on the agenda item
itself. Patient advocates witnessed this at yesterday's Council meeting
when a couple dozen concerned citizens signed up to speak on the
redistricting item on the agenda. Council President Wesson denied the
speakers siting that public input had already been taken. The Council can
do the same to anyone who signs up to speak on:
ITEM NO. (2), 11-1737, 11-1737-S1 – CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION, PLANNING AND
LAND USE MANAGEMENT and PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEES’ REPORT and ORDINANCE
FIRST CONSIDERATION relative to amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code
(LAMC) in response to recent appellate court decisions concerning medical
marijuana.
 
La Brea Collective at 5057 Pico Blvd. is hosting breakfast tomorrow at
8:30 a.m. in their patient lounge and a caravan to City Hall for patients
in need. That's compassion in action!
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Degé Coutee
Executive & Program Director
Patient Advocacy Network
 
@PAN4Compassion
www.CannabisSavesLives.org
(323) 334-5282
 
PAN is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization

———- Forwarded message ———-
in Woodland Hills
 
Marijuana Raids at Green Joy, Green Magic Dispensaries in Woodland Hills
 
By Dennis Romero
 
Wed., Jun. 20 2012 at 8:04 AM
 
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/06/marijuana_raid_dispensaries_woodland_hills_lapd.php
 
Cops raided a pair of marijuana dispensaries in Woodland Hills yesterday
for alleged "illegal sales" of marijuana, the LAPD said in a statement last
night.
 
The department wouldn't reveal which pot shops were hit, but a witness told
the Weekly they were Green Joy at 22851 Ventura Blvd. and Green Magic at
23002 Ventura Blvd.
 
The LAPD scheduled a press conference for 1:30 p.m. today at the Topanga
Area Community Police Station, 21501 Schoenborn St. The department states:
 
Items recovered and on display will include marijuana, hashish,
narcotics paraphernalia, money and other evidence of the illegal sales of
marijuana.
 
The search warrant raids were carried out by Topanga Divison narcotics
officers, according to the LAPD.
 
The two pot shops, we were told, are "sister stores." At least one person
was seen being taken into custody, and an owner was still apparently being
sought, our source said.
 
The raids come only days from an expected vote by the L.A. City Council
that could wipe out all of the city's dispensaries.
 
Cannabis shop owners met last night at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel
downtown, we were told, and some believed that three dozen or so other
additional outlets were being targeted by cops.
 
While sharing marijuana with the medically needy in California is legal,
police have argued that selling it for profit is not.
 
The LAPD has been on a tear in the Valley, with the department boasting
that it had wiped out all cannabis stores in its Devonshire Division.
 
[@dennisjromero / s..[email protected] / @LAWeeklyNews]
 
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/06/marijuana_raid_dispensaries_woodland_hills_lapd.php
 
**************
 
Sincerely,
 
Degé Coutee
Executive & Program Director
Patient Advocacy Network
 
@PAN4Compassion
www.CannabisSavesLives.org
(323) 334-5282
 
PAN is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization
 
 
 
 
—
Shona Gochenaur
Executive Director
Axis of Love SF
http://www.facebook.com/axisoflove
http://www.twitter.com/axisoflove

You can track changes through this website,
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ Type AB 2312 in the Quick Search box at
the top right, then click on the link for AB-2312. When the bill pops up
there are several navigational tabs; choose the "text" tab at the far left.
The amended text that was added is shown in blue; the text stricken from
the original version is shown in red, strike-through text.
 
 
 

HI Folks… Lets ask curtis from toms office to forward bill as it
stands. I think everyone wants to get a list of suggested amends
going. Some of which are oversight of board. Define seats incld an
honest defition of patient advocate. Not registering and exposing
cultivators to further federal risk. Define afforable/prevent fining
and fee small colectives of map . Do not create "new crimes" regarding
cannabis ever ! Just a few. Its time for true unity and taking all of
our input and creating something workable for all not something
creating a state monopoly for afew millionaires. Thank you!
 
 
—
Shona Gochenaur
Executive Director
Axis of Love SF
http://www.facebook.com/axisoflove
http://www.twitter.com/axisoflove

For Immediate Release
 
Contact: Patient Advocacy Network
s..[email protected]
CannabisSavesLive.org
 
 
Los Angeles City Council Considers Ban On Medical Cannabis Dispensaries
Patient Advocates Present Resolution To Regulate Local Patient Centers
 
LOS ANGELES, CA – Patient advocates in Los Angeles presented a resolution
this week to the Los Angeles City Council to regulate the area’s medical
cannabis dispensaries in hopes of halting a potential ban on the
businesses that the Council ha scheduled for its June 22, 2012, meeting.
(Resolution text -
http://panorg.blogspot.com/2012/06/resolution-by-people-of-los-angeles-to.html)
 
For several weeks Los Angeles City Council members have held hearings to
determine if the City should ban the over 800 existing medical cannabis
collectives instead of regulating them like the cities of West Hollywood
and San Francisco. The City of Los Angeles passed a restrictive ordinance
in 2010 that sparked dozens of lawsuits costing the City untold hundreds
of thousands of dollars. The dispensaries have won numerous challenges to
the City’s law and scores of dispensaries continue to open because of
unenforceability issues.
 
Patient advocates argue that Los Angeles city officials are just playing
politics. “The Council can provide no reason for a ban other than lawsuits
and some falsified crime statistics. It’s as if they’ve lost the game, so
they’re going to take their ordinance and go home, no matter what a ban
costs the City and its residents,” states Degé Coutee, president of
Patient Advocacy Network, an education and advocacy organization for
medical cannabis patients based in Los Angeles.
 
During that days leading up the Council’s vote this Friday, patients and
dispensary operators have spoken at City Hall voicing concerns about the
ban. Many stated to the Council that a ban will only create more lawsuits
and regulating the businesses appropriately is the safest alternative for
patients and the City. Patients spoke about fears of having to go to the
black market. In response to local patients, advocates drafted a
resolution with guidelines for the City’s dispensaries and presented to
the Council this week.
 
“It’s frustrating to hear council members say on the record that they
don’t know what to do or how to manage the situation. They DO but they
just WON’T,” states Coutee. “So, we presented a resolution to the Council
on record so they cannot deny that a solution was indeed presented to them
by patients and concerned community members.”
 
The Los Angeles City Council will meet Friday, June 22, 2012, at 10 a.m.
at Los Angeles City Hall in Room 340 at 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles,
CA 90012. (Link to agenda -
http://ens.lacity.org/clk/councilagendas/clkcouncilagenda(phone#-removed)2012.pdf)
 
***
 
http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/los-angeles-city-council-considers-ban-on-medical-cannabis-dispensaries
 
#####
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Degé Coutee
Executive & Program Director
Patient Advocacy Network
 
@PAN4Compassion
www.CannabisSavesLives.org
(323) 334-5282
 
PAN is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization

*Study finds no link between medical marijuana, increased teen drug use*
 
*
*
 
* June 20* Source: *The Bay Citizen*
 
 
 
*
http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/study-says-medical-marijuana-doesnt-teen/
*
 
* *
 
Researchers at three universities have found no evidence to support the
argument that legalizing medical marijuana causes an increase in the use of
pot or other drugs by high school students, according to a recent
study<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2067431>published
on the Social Science Research Network.
 
 
 
The study also says legalization has not significantly affected the
availability of drugs on school campuses, which the authors note is “of
particular interest given the recent attempts to close dispensaries
operating near schools.” The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered some
Bay Area marijuana clubs near schools to close, including the largest
dispensary in California, the Berkeley Patients
Group<http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/marijuana-pot-clubs-pelosi-crackdown/>
.
 
 
 
The study also found there is “little evidence that the legalization of
medical marijuana leads to increased use of alcohol or cocaine.”
 
The researchers used data from the national and state Youth Risk Behavior
Surveys and other sources. The risk behavior surveys are conducted
biennially by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
 
 
The study comes on the heels of research that challenges the
argument<http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012/06/study_medical_marijuana_clubs.php>that
medical marijuana dispensaries cause an increase in crime.
 
 
 
Download the whole study here
[PDF]<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2067431>
. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2067431
 
 
—
Brian Webster
Brian Webster and Associates
190 O'Farrell Street Suite 409
San Francisco, CA 94102
Office & Mobile:(phone#-removed)
Email: s..[email protected]
Web: www.brianwebster.com
www.workingmedia.info
 
*
——————————————————————————
*
 
*Thanks to all who supported the Instituto’s 2012 National Labor-Community
Awards*
 
*Friday February 17 in San Francisco! <http://www.ilaboral.org/2012Awards>*
* (www.ilaboral.org/2012Awards)*
 
*Because of you… "Our annual National Labor-Community Awards continues to
be*
 
*the largest event of its kind in the United States.”*
 
*—————————————————————-*