Pot Prohibition Is 'Failed Public Health Policy

State Medical Association Says Pot Prohibition Is 'Failed Public Health Policy' In a laudable nod to the obvious, members of the California Medical Association's (CMA) House of Delegates have endorsed a resolution stating that the criminal prohibition of marijuana is a "failed public health policy."
As enacted, Resolution 704a-09, the "Criminalization of Marijuana" states: "[The] CMA considers the criminalization of marijuana to be a failed public health policy, ... and encourage[s] ... debate and education regarding the health aspects of changing current policy regarding cannabis use." The CMA has more than 35,000 members statewide.
A report just published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal highlights another good reason to question marijuana prohibition: Health-related "social costs" per user are eight times higher for alcohol users than for those who use marijuana, and more than 40 times higher for tobacco smokers.
The report gauges related costs per user at more than $800 yearly for tobacco; $165 for alcohol; and only $20 for cannabis.
The newly adopted CMA resolution coincides with the scheduling of legislative hearings regarding Assembly Bill 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, which seeks to tax and regulate the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis to those age 21 or older. The California Assembly Committee on Public Safety is anticipated to vote on AB 390 by late January.
The CMA's resolution comes on the heels of last week's resolution from the American Medical Association (AMA) that "marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines."
This was a significant reversal, since the AMA had previously called for cannabis to be "retained in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act," a legal classification that defines the substance and its natural compounds as possessing "no currently accepted use in treatment in the United States

Portland, Oregon Opens First Cannabis Café

The first marijuana cafe in the U.S. opened its doors this week in Portland, Oregon, offering consumers a wide variety of marijuana-related health options and a place where they can freely use or consume their marijuana.

The cafe's menu includes the usual staples found in most coffee shops, but all with a special ingredient.

The cafe also offers courses about marijuana’s medicinal properties and how best to grow marijuana.

The owners say that more than a public restaurant, their aim is to create an exclusive establishment, like a club, where people must become members and enter with an official medical card licensing them for the consumption of marijuana.

Many states and cities in the U.S. have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, but with a doctor’s prescription. But federal laws outlawing marijuana use - for any reason - have always trumped state and local laws, until the arrival of the Obama administration.

In Chile, marijuana is considered a “hard drug” by state authorities and its use or possession can lead to a stiff jail sentence.

Rightist presidential contender Sebastian Piñera in Monday’s debate said he would not soften Chile’s marijuana laws if elected, while independent candidate Marco Enriquez-Ominami says he favors legalization, but only if a national review of the issue determines it would be in Chile’s best interest. The position taken on the issue by presidential contenders Eduardo Frei and Jorge Arrate is not clear.

Where have all the trees gone,long time passing.

Oregon is running out of trees,and the logging community wants to blame the Hippies and enviromentalist.But its not the hippies fault.
The fact is the the logging companies have over logged Oregon,s forests.
Trees take up to 50 years to maturity to be logged. Most of the trees being logged now are less then 25 years. Over logging is causing the forest soil to be depleated because they havent put any kind of fertilizer back into the ground for 150 years of logging. Trees are not an infinitely renewable resource.Its time people recognize that.We did warn them what would happen if they kept up there unsustainabe logging practices. Now its too late.

Todays Kids

Todays Kids are nothing more then a bunch of lazy fat pansies, that get everything handed to them,and have nothing better to do then cause trouble.Maby its time to rethink child labor laws. I started working in the fields at age 7. And I enjoyed it.I didnt feel the lest bid taken advantage of.Get these kids today out of the Gangs and doing something better for themselves.On the other hand kids are being overprotected to the point that they have no freedoms left or evan the right to express there own veiws or self expression. So who's really the problem here. The kids or the system.