CannabisFacts.info

From StopTheDrugWar.org:

For 30 years, Donald Tashkin has studied the effects of marijuana on lung function. His work has been funded by the vehemently anti-marijuana National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has long sought to demonstrate that marijuana causes lung cancer. After 3 decades of anti-drug research, here's what Tashkin has to say about marijuana laws:

"Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects," Tashkin says. "But at this point, I'd be in favor of legalization. I wouldn't encourage anybody to smoke any substances. But I don't think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance. Tobacco smoking causes far more harm. And in terms of an intoxicant, alcohol causes far more harm." [McClatchy]

We've been told a thousand times that marijuana destroys your lungs, that it's 5 times worse than cigarettes, and on and on. Yet here is Donald Tashkin, literally the top expert in the world when it comes to marijuana and lung health, telling us it's time to legalize marijuana. His views are shaped not by ideology, but rather by the 30 years he spent studying the issue. He didn't expect the science to come out in favor of marijuana, but that's what happened and he's willing to admit it.

Here's the study that really turned things around:

UCLA's Tashkin studied heavy marijuana smokers to determine whether the use led to increased risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He hypothesized that there would be a definitive link between cancer and marijuana smoking, but the results proved otherwise.

"What we found instead was no association and even a suggestion of some protective effect," says Tashkin, whose research was the largest case-control study ever conducted.

Prejudice against marijuana and smoking in general runs so deep for many people that it just seems inconceivable that marijuana could actually reduce the risk of lung cancer. But that's what the data shows and it not only demolishes a major tenet of popular anti-pot propaganda, but also points towards a potentially groundbreaking opportunity to develop cancer cures through marijuana research.

Over and over again, all the bad things we've been told about marijuana are revealed to be not only false, but often the precise opposite of the truth. So the next time someone tells you that marijuana is worse for your lungs than cigarettes, you might want to mention that the world's leading expert on that subject happens to be a supporter of legalization.

Edwin Stratton is fighting the UK Government over their interpretation and application of the UK's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. His case is documented over at Drug Equality Alliance and there is a discussion thread on this over at UK: Cannabis Ain't A Crime at UK 420:

Edwin Stratton v Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court
The Drug Equality Alliance is providing legal assistance to disabled medical-cannabis user Edwin Stratton, 43, of Leyton in East London, who seeks to achieve equal protection and equal rights for all users of equally-harmful drugs, in the High Court.

In May of 2008, Edwin was at home when a fire broke out in a neighbouring wine bar requiring the evacuation of tenants in adjacent properties. In the process, police discovered the cannabis plants Edwin was growing for his medical condition.

Fully co-operating with police, Edwin admitted the fact that he privately grew cannabis plants in his home, in order to combat his medical condition. Edwin rejected a police caution, reasoning that the denial of property rights in cannabis is discriminatory under the Human Rights Act 1998. This is understood in light of the analogous comparison, that identical property rights are not denied to people who choose to brew the equally or more harmful drug, alcohol.

On his refusal to accept a caution and thus acknowledge culpability, Edwin was charged with production of a controlled drug of Class C, by another, in contravention of section 4 (1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Edwin attended court on October 1st, 2008, accompanied by Darryl Bickler of the Drug Equality Alliance acting as his "McKenzie Friend". Edwin declined to plead, and instead moved to quash the indictment as an abuse of process, using the "Mackeson" application format. The Magistrate properly declined jurisdiction and adjourned proceedings, giv

From MAPing.org:

Marijuana and cocaine for personal use should be decriminalised because the "war on drugs" has been a disaster, according to some of Latin America's most powerful politicians and writers.

The current international policy on drugs encourages corruption and violence that is threatening democracy throughout the continent, according to the former president of Brazil, Fernando Enrique Cardoso, who is a co-president of the Latin American commission on drugs and democracy. As well as politicians, the commission includes the writers Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru, and Paulo Coelho of Brazil.

The election of Barack Obama has opened up the best opportunity for decades to address the failure of the "so-called drugs war", Cardoso told the Guardian today on a visit to London. He said he was hopeful that the international community would acknowledge that the time had come for a "paradigm shift" in the debate on drugs. "The war on drugs has failed in spite of enormous efforts in places like Colombia - the area of coca crops is not reducing," he said.

Retired professional wrestler and former governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura appeared on Fox's Geraldo at large, packing some pot legalization punch.

From DoseNation.com: Former Congressman from Colorado Tom Tancredo has joined the growing list of politicians coming out in favor of legalization, saying the drug war has been a failure and calling for consideration of legalizing drugs. Let's hope he returns to active politics, with some luck he may run for governor or senator soon.

From DoseNation.com: In this video recently retired Orange County Superior Court Judge James Gray shares with correspondent Judy Muller why he thinks our current drug laws are ineffective.

He makes a very good point here about the federal government's utter hypocrisy of repeatedly dismissing the merits of medical marijuana on the grounds that there are no (federally sanctioned) studies showing its medical benefits while at the same time actively preventing this very research from happening.

Thare are many religions that require the use of cannabis as observance or as a part of joining a religious entity/organisation.
It baffeles me that the Aus gov has consistantly said no to shivite hindus who want to celebrate Shivas birth day, and the goverment has gotten away with disregaring artical 18 of the declration of human rights for soo long!?!

(Supreme court of New South Wales, speeches official web site)
Law And Religion In Australia
LAW AND RELIGION IN AUSTRALIA
Justice Keith Mason National Forum on Australia’s Christian Heritage
Monday 7 August 2006
Canberra

Hi all, I figured I should share my thoughts on what I'm trying to achieve with this website. In no particular order:

• To build a single, central repository of all known facts about cannabis
• To assist and support cannabis activists in public debate - to provide a reliable, verifiable repository of facts that can be referenced online and in the public record (e.g. LTEs could reference "cannabisfacts.info/psychosis"). We win on many fronts here - a fact is presented, this plant's correct name is reinforced in the public record, and we advertise the site as well as the concept that this debate can be based on the facts!
• To be run with honesty, integrity, transparency and without bias - anyone can join and contribute facts
• To dispel the most popular myths and lies
• To bring scrutiny and accountability back into the cannabis debate

The genus Cannabis was formerly placed in the Nettle (Urticaceae) or Mulberry (Moraceae) family, but is now considered along with hops (Humulus sp.) to belong to the Hemp family (Cannabaceae). Recent phylogenetic studies based on cpDNA restriction site analysis and gene sequencing strongly suggest that the Cannabaceae arose from within the Celtidaceae clade, and that the two families should be merged to form a single monophyletic group.