Saturday, November 13, 2010

ONE SMALL TOKE FOR MANKIND!

Possibly the first story in the Arizona Republic that I approve of!



Arizona voters have approved Proposition 203, which legalizes marijuana for medicinal use.


The Secretary of State's unofficial results indicate that the "yes" vote on the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act has won by a narrow margin of 4,341 votes, or 50.13 percent of more than 1.67 million votes counted.

This after Maricopa County officials finished counting about 11,000 outstanding ballots Saturday.

The "yes" and "no" votes remained neck-and-neck for more than a week since Election Night, with the "yes" vote trailing behind by at least 3,000 each day. But the "yes" vote picked up traction after election officials started counting provisional ballots and by Friday, it was leading by 4,421 for the first time.


Arizona would be the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana.

The general-election canvass will be held Nov. 29. The Arizona Department of Health Services has 120 days from that day to finalize all rules for implementation. The department is expected to begin reviewing dispensary and patient applications by April 2011.

Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the pro-Prop. 203 Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, said he believes there are more Arizonans who support medical marijuana than what the votes show. He said voter skepticism was rooted in concerns that Arizona's medical-marijuana program would be similar to ones in California and Colorado.

But Myers said Prop. 203 was written to create a strict and regulated medical-marijuana program.



Mellow out, dude! Maybe I really DO have glaucoma!

"It's up to us now to prove them wrong and assuage those concerns," Myers said.

The state health department and local planning and zoning officials have said they would implement as many rules as possible to ensure the program is tightly regulated, and for the benefit of patients with debilitating diseases.

But Carolyn Short, chairwoman of the anti-Prop. 203 campaign Keep AZ Drug Free, said Friday that voters will find they voted for a "concept," and anybody who wants marijuana will get it. Short said Saturday that she is disappointed to see Prop. 203 pass.

Chris Ross, administrator and owner of Arizona's Medical Marijuana Community, an online forum where users can share information on doctors, dispensaries and marijuana strains, said there still will be a stigma around patients using marijuana for awhile. He created the website so patients could discreetly access information and find which doctors are sympathetic to the use of marijuana as a medicine, he said.

Ross, whose sister has stage-four breast cancer, said he is "ecstatic" Prop. 203 pulled through.

"It was disappointing (at first), but when the tide turned on Friday, I was just in shock," Ross said. "The people who oppose it see the worst-case scenario, but I see the best-case scenario. People like my sister - they're going to get the help they need."

Supporters of the measure attribute the vote surge to provisional ballots, which voters cast when there is a question about the voter's eligibility. Provisional voters tend to be younger people whose addresses do not match the voter roll because they move around often, Myers said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal use.

But these are the Feds, the same fascists who are suing Arizona over its immigration law. These people NEED to mellow out!



Licensed physicians could recommend medical marijuana to patients with debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease. Patients would register for identification cards with the state health department. They could also receive up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 plants if they live 25 miles or more from a dispensary.

The law allows for no more than 124 dispensaries operated by non-profits to start, proportionate to the number of pharmacies in the state.

Which brings us to an interesting dilemna. You see, that is not the only Arizona marijuana news this weekend.



Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies made a large marijuana bust north of Phoenix on Friday night. They seized 1,700 pounds of marijuana on Interstate 17.


It was found after deputies pulled over a limousine pulling a large trailer near Black Canyon City. They said the driver had been driving erratically.

Big surprise there.

But since this interesting turn of events with Prop 203, doesn't that make the guys in the limo a mobile pharmacy?

5 comments:

  1. >>...The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal use.

    >>...But these are the Feds, the same fascists who are suing Arizona over its immigration law. These people NEED to mellow out!


    Here I was all prepared to inform you about this sudden turn of events, only to find you've already heard 'n' posted. Gotta toke up pretty early in the morning to get the drop on you. And the early toke gets the high.

    Yeah, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the same fascist Feds who are deliberately withholding information from the American people about the effectiveness of Laetrile (or "Vitamin B-17") in preventing (and in many cases, even curing) cancer. They also don't want the American people to know how Lecithin prevents and dissolves plaque build-up in the arteries.

    To quote A. Ralph Epperson from page 366 of his book "THE UNSEEN HAND":

    "But, in the U.S., those who want to take Laetrile as a treatment for their cancer can't, because the individual's body does not belong to the individual.

    "It does only if you wish to take the life of an unborn child!

    "The Supreme Court has so ruled!"


    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  2. Stephen-

    Pot legalization is an interesting issue.

    On the one hand, I am all for individual freedom.

    On the other, what better way to really dumb down America than widespread pot use on a daily basis?

    If everyone went home from work and toked up, the Powers That Be would have their dumb, happy, docile society.

    ~Ganja Disc Dude

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  3. Yeah, and we're "dumb, happy, and docile" enough as it is. Why add pot and stir?

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  4. This news is a postitive step. The drug war, and especially on pot, is such a waste.

    I don't know that the "dumb down America" concern raised in the comments is necessary valid. The people like you describe are probably already like that thru the aid of alcohol, food, TV, video games, computers, etc, etc. I don't think availability use of pot is going to change anything that much.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  5. Stephen-

    I'm still for legalizing it. If you want to stop the dumbing down of America, I think we need to start confiscating television sets.

    Lee-

    I'm with ya on the war on pot.

    Do we really need society to be kept safe from Cheech & Chong, Bill & Ted, Harold & Kumar, or those guys in "Dude Where's My Car"?

    Of course, next thing you know I'll question all of the airport boarding procedures.

    It'll be anarchy!

    Larry

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