CannabisPatientVoice

my world AIDS day 07 text message poem:

2007-12-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

my world AIDS day 07 txt msg poem: nu fone 2day.
i trnsfr AIDS- dead cntacts w/the living.
miss u, want u back. what profit can b in no cure?
med cannabis keeps us aliver.
–richard kearns & weho/la mmj cmnty

dire passages: kearns sidelined 51 days from g-tube infection

2007-11-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

chers on thanxg---

just a getting well thanks note. today, thanksgiving, thursday nov 22, 2007, here in lthe la/weho greater metropolitan area, i have been sidelined for 51 days from infection in & accompanying abcess around g-tube placed october 11. hospitalized in cedars 23-oct to 6-nov and bouncing back and forth between the nursing home wing and my regular assisted-care haunts where i live. have started to gain weight.

in the meantime, tube in place, i’m jumping back into my activism. i hope to organize poetry readings in weho-la-area medical cannabis clinics december 1-2, 2007 — world AIDS day weekend. this will be the second year. in addition, i have some print projects underway, and maybe t-shirt poetry.

check in at the blog --- am about to start writing again. bunches.

http://aids-write.org

namasté

---rk

kearns' personal medical AIDS update: my new g-tube, fat HIVers, occult wasting & stigma

2007-10-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

chers—

i write this post to you with my newly-placed g-tube sticking out of my abdomen from a big patch of bleach-white gauze and paper tape, a feeding device to provide me with enough supplemental calories to gain 20 pounds and stabilize there by the end of the year. i’m sore — my doctor threaded it through me endoscopically (puncturing me from the inside out). my favorite kind of operation: the anaesthesiologist added gunk to my iv, and the next thing i knew, the procedure was finished. i went home

back at the end of may (my birthday) i had some kind of bug (aside from HIV) and my weight dropped to 135. there was just not enough of me to go around (and it’s not the first time i’ve been at this weight, though it’s my first time with a food tube).

i set a goal of gaining ten pounds by the end of the summer. started out fine — my weight was up to 143 mid-july. then i pushed too hard & got another bug, & dropped back down again.

i kept expecting to gain weight on 1,000 calories/day, thinking that if it were split up into six teeny daily meals, it would somehow alter the caloric arithmetic. my rational mind fell asleep at the switch, i guess (vanity of vanities, saith the preacher). i need to be clearing 3,000 calories/day, from both oral & tube feeding (this despite the AIDS-meds-triggered diabetes). once i get the intake and weight up, the next step is to stabilize at the weight, followed by weaning from the tube. will also have to make contact with a gym, or find some dumbbells for my room come december.

then i saw the report from kaiser network: Two-Thirds of HIV-Positive People in U.S. Overweight, Obese, Study Says.

. . . Some experts said there could be psychological reasons for the weight gain and that some HIV-positive people might be gaining weight to avoid wasting syndrome. In addition, HIV-positive people are living longer and might be prone to poor eating and exercise habits, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

“We used to worry that [HIV-positive people] would lose weight and become wasted,” Crum-Cianflone said, adding, “Maybe we should redirect our concerns to making sure they are maintaining a healthy, normal weight.” John Brooks — an epidemiologist in HIV/AIDS prevention at CDC who did not participate in the study — said, “It’s very clear now that HIV is no longer a wasting disease in America” (Chang, AP/Post-Intelligencer , 10/4).

for about thirty seconds, i felt like old dobbin witnessing the advent of the horseless carriage. then i spotted the underpinnings of stigma shaping the article: a cure for AIDS takes a back seat to undetectability.

“some HIV-positive people might be gaining weight to avoid wasting syndrome,” says the report. what dobbin-pucky. they’re avoiding looking like they have AIDS.

in the rest of the world, AIDS is a wasting disease. oh yeah. all those guys — the unamericans, the ones who don’t matter, the skin-and-bones refugee set, dying now worldwide.

contrary to the cdc’s john brooks’ wishful sentiments, in fat america, AIDS is still a wasting disease. why?

quick background: i taught aerobics and was an ACE-certified personal trainer for 20 years — two of my many AIDS-driven expertises. i developed exercise programs specific to the needs of HIVers in several la-area gyms. the basic principle of those programs? total body weight is not a predictor of survivability with AIDS. lean weight is. the fat component of your body weight doesn’t matter, although its increase relative to lean weight can signal an overall deterioration in wellness.

from the body:

Scale weight alone is not an adequate indicator of internal health. When someone loses, gains or even maintains weight, the composition of that weight needs to be frequently assessed and monitored.

If weight gain has occurred, was it in fat or body cell [“lean”] mass? If weight loss has taken place, was it in fat or body cell mass? And if weight has remained stable, has the makeup of that weight changed internally?

HIVers go through a process called occult wasting, defined as a “significant depletion of lean body mass without significant weight loss.” basically, as the disease progresses, you lose muscle and you gain fat, even though it doesn’t show. you can determine your lean and fat cell masses at your doctor’s office with a bioelectrical impedance analysis (HIVers should monitor BIA once a year, or more often when your weight is changing).

but inside each one of those overweight & obese & seemingly happy press-culture HIVers is a skinny PWA like me, a time bomb ticking away.

who’s kidding whom? it’s our national obsession: looks vs. substance. ideology vs. science. fancy vs. fact. (the preacher saith all is vanity)

in the meantime, tube in place, i’m jumping back into my activism. i will be attending nedra kline weinreich’s social marketing university training monday-wednesday october 15-17, 2007 on ucla campus. i have several projects i want to work on there, and i look forward to seeing what other attendees are doing. i am also organizing poetry readings in la-area medical cannabis clinics december 1-2, 2007 — world aids day weekend. this will be the second year. in addition, i have some print projects underway, and maybe t-shirt poetry.

catch you there.

namasté

—rk

kaiser network: two-thirds u.s. HIVers overweight or obese

2007-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Public Health & Education | About Two-Thirds of HIV-Positive People in U.S. Overweight, Obese, Study Says

[Oct 04, 2007]

About two-thirds of HIV-positive people in the U.S. might be overweight or obese, "mirroring" the total U.S. population, according to a study released Thursday at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in San Diego, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

For the study, Nancy Crum-Cianflone of TriService AIDS Clinical Consortium in San Diego and colleagues examined medical records of 663 HIV-positive patients at U.S. Navy hospitals in San Diego and Maryland. The researchers considered medication records, how long participants had been HIV-positive and whether participants had a history of diabetes or high blood pressure.

The study found that 63% of participants were either overweight or obese and that 3% were underweight. About 30% of participants who had progressed to AIDS were overweight or obese, the study found. The study did not find a connection between antiretroviral drugs and weight gain. Participants with weight gain put on an average of 13 pounds over 10 years, the study found. In addition, the study found that people who contracted HIV at younger ages, those who had been HIV-positive for a longer time and those who had high blood pressure were at a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese.

None of the participants had "wasting" syndrome, which is characterized by the uncontrollable loss of 10% of body weight, as well as fever and diarrhea. Wasting syndrome was common among people living with HIV/AIDS when the virus was first discovered, the AP/Post-Intelligencer reports.

According to the AP/Post-Intelligencer, the study's findings are "particularly striking" because many of the study participants were in the military or were military spouses, who tend to be in better physical shape than the general population. Earlier research had found that about 40% of HIV-positive people are overweight.

Reaction

Some experts said there could be psychological reasons for the weight gain and that some HIV-positive people might be gaining weight to avoid wasting syndrome. In addition, HIV-positive people are living longer and might be prone to poor eating and exercise habits, the AP/Times reports.

"We used to worry that [HIV-positive people] would lose weight and become wasted," Crum-Cianflone said, adding, "Maybe we should redirect our concerns to making sure they are maintaining a healthy, normal weight." John Brooks -- an epidemiologist in HIV/AIDS prevention at CDC who did not participate in the study -- said, "It's very clear now that HIV is no longer a wasting disease in America" (Chang, AP/Post-Intelligencer , 10/4).

john james at AIDS treatment news: int'l drug war clashes with AIDS fight

2007-10-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Drug War Clashes With Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Posted: 03 Oct 2007 06:27 PM CDT

Inter Press Service October 3, 2007

Posted by John S James at 7:20 PM

AIDS Treatment News Daily Alerts

"For more than two decades, the Geneva-based International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has tried to discourage nations from developing harm reduction programmes and other HIV/AIDS prevention programmes. ...

"In March 2007, the INCB made public statements which were widely covered by Canadian media against Insite, North America's only supervised injection located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. ...

"Insite presently has over 800 users a day and has, according to 20 peer-reviewed academic studies, reduced public drug use, reduced dangerous syringe sharing, reduced HIV/AIDS and reduced publicly discarded syringes. Overdose deaths have also decreased in the four-and-a-half years it has been in operation. ...

"INCB Board meetings are also closed to the public and no minutes are available. Critics have argued that none of the members of the INCB have expertise in health, international law or human rights."

from http://aids-write.org

stealing your breath to birmingham: citizen journalism at icpoz.three — eleven posts, one sentence, one tale retold (368.1)

insite, located in vancouver, bc, canada, is the only safe injection site in north america. this is an excerpt from the august 31, 2006 insite fact sheet, posted by a nameless “third year bsc. (nursing) student at university of ottawa in collaboration with algonquin college. i had the opportunity to go to insite this summer and really get an idea of the effect this resource has in the downtown eastside community. there were over 800 visits to the site the day before my tour.”

facts and figures (from insite homepage and pers. comm from my tour)

• people using insite are more likely to enter a detox program, with one in five regular visitors beginning a detox program

• over a two year period 4,084 referrals were made with 40 per cent of them made to addiction counseling

• to date there have been over 500 overdoses at insite. thanks to prompt medical attention there have been no deaths.

• daily average visits: 607

• number of nursing care interventions: 6,227

• number of nursing interventions for abscess care: 2,055

• busiest day: may 25, 2005 (933 visits in 18 hours). So, nearly 1000 needles kept off of the street, nearly 1000 instances where a needle was not shared.1000 instances where an individual had the opportunity to access the healthcare system, not only for drug-related treatment but also for mental health, hiv / aids care, pregnancy testing and maternity care, social work services, counseling and peer-support.

from http://protectinsite.blogspot.com/

GRASSrooters: find your federal, state, county & la city reps

2007-10-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

chers---

find out who represents you. then start a dialog. voting is like going to church on sundays.

the one-stop la spot: go to http://www.lacity.org/council.htm. scroll down until you see the following form (“MY NEIGHBORHOOD”) in the right-hand column

(the form below will probably not work. go to the city council site. results below are from entering my address)

namasté

---rk

Top of Form

MY NEIGHBORHOOD

Enter an address or intersection
Ex: 200 N Main St or Nordhoff/De Soto

(find your council district, police station,
fire station, and more...

Bottom of Form

here’s my list:

Elected Officials

City Council DISTRICT 5 JACK WEISS

County Supervisor DISTRICT 3 ZEV YAROSLAVSKY

State Senate DISTRICT 23 SHEILA J. KUEHL

State Assembly DISTRICT 42 MIKE FEUER

US Congress DISTRICT 30 HENRY A. WAXMAN

with other links to everything from trash collection to cable monopoly

Regional Services

Public Safety

Planning/Construction

Other

if you live outside of la city, you might try these links:

US house of reps

http://www.house.gov/

california state

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

CA State Assembly Members' Home Pages
CA State Assembly Members' Addresses
CA State Senators' Home Pages
CA State Senators' Addresses

paul koretz to run for la city council 5th district seat in 2009

2007-10-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

from the paul koret z article at wikipedia

Paul Koretz (D-Los Angeles) announced his plans on August 2, 2007[1] to seek the Los Angeles 5th District City Council seat now occupied by Jack Weiss in 2009. Weiss is expected to run for Los Angels City Attorney against the current City Attorney, Rock Delgadio. It is also widely believed that former Los Angeles City Controller Rick Tuttle will also run for Weiss's seat.

Prior to that Koretz represented the 42nd district in the California Assembly from 2000 to 2006, serving the maximum 3 terms allowed under California term limit law. The district includes West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal City, and the portions of the City of Los Angeles encompassing the Sunset Strip, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Westwood, Brentwood, Studio City, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and North Hollywood/Valley Village.

Koretz's wife Gail[2] serves as Director of Public Affairs for Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. They have one daughter, Rachel. The Koretz family currently resides in the Beverly-Fairfax District of the City of Los Angeles[3].

please click on this sentnce to view entire wikipedia article.

west hollywood city council bios

2007-09-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Mayor John J. Duran

Mayor Pro Tempore Jeffrey Prang

Councilmember Sal Guarriello

Councilmember John Heilman

Councilmember Abbe Land

west hollywood entry, wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Hollywood%2C_California

West Hollywood, an incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, was founded on 29 November 1984. The total residential population is just over 37,000; however, the nighttime and weekend population swells to between 80,000 and 100,000, with a high of up to 500,000 during major events such as Halloween or the Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department which provides police services for West Hollywood. The city is one of the most notable gay villages in the United States. This area is occasionally referred to as WeHo and BoysTown.

West Hollywood is bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, on the east by the Hollywood District of Los Angeles, on the west by the city of Beverly Hills and on the south by the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.

wikipedia links to bios: los angeles city council members

2007-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

President of the Council: Eric Garcetti
President Pro Tempore: Wendy Greuel
Assistant President Pro Tempore: Jan Perry

1. Ed Reyes

2. Wendy Greuel

3. Dennis P. Zine

4. Tom LaBonge

5. Jack Weiss

6. Tony Cardenas

7. Richard Alarcón

8. Bernard Parks

9. Jan Perry

10. Herb Wesson

11. Bill Rosendahl

12. Greig Smith

13. Eric Garcetti

14. José Huizar

15. Janice Hahn

wikipedia links to bios: us congressional delegation from greater los angeles

2007-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

California 22 Kevin McCarthy (r)

California 26 David Dreier (r)* christian scientist

California 27 Brad Sherman (d)

California 28 Howard Berman (d)

California 29 Adam Schiff (d)

California 30 Henry Waxman (d)

California 31 Xavier Becerra (d)

California 32 Hilda Solis (d)

California 33 Diane Watson (d)

California 34 Lucille Roybal-Allard (d)

California 35 Maxine Waters (d)

California 36 Jane Harman (d)

California 37 Laura Richardson^[B](newly-elected)

California 38 Grace Napolitano (d)

California 39 Linda Sánchez (d)

California 42 Gary Miller (r)

California 46 Dana Rohrabacher

inflammatory 60 mins cannabis piece on imler airs tonight -- PAN-poet kearns calls for la-weho internet-response (links & suggs)

2007-09-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

chers---

scott imler’s interview is the cornerstone for an inflammatory report about medical cannabis in the los angeles/west hollywood area that cbs is broadcasting tonight at 7pm on 60 minutes. interviews are also expected with Don Duncan from ASA, and patient William Leahy, currently working at the “farmacy”™ but not so employed at the time of the interview.

we are hoping for comments from at least 100 patients from our community. that means you. Please watch the program, sign up and post a comment tonight. notes and suggestions follow.

namasté

---richard kearns

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/20/60minutes/main3281715.shtml

The Debate On California's Pot Shops

Sept. 20, 2007(CBS) The idea was a noble one: pass a law to make marijuana legal for cancer and AIDS sufferers whose pain and nausea the drug is known to relieve. But the law the Rev. Scott Imler thought would one day put the drug in pharmacies has instead created "pot dealers in storefronts" who sell to anyone with doctors' notes that are fairly easy to obtain.

60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer speaks to Imler and others for a report on medical marijuana, this Sunday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Imler admits the noble idea turned out to be a pipe dream. "I think there's a lot of [people just buying the drug to get high]," he tells Safer. "A lot of what we have now is basically pot dealers in storefronts."

Imler lives in California, one of 12 states to pass a medical marijuana bill. To pass California's Proposition 215, Imler says many more types of patients besides cancer and AIDS sufferers had to be included. "They all have their lobbies. The kidney patient and the heart patient," says Imler.

That led to a blanket law covering anyone with pain, setting the stage for the easy-to-get doctor's notes and hundreds of storefront marijuana "clubs." "It's just ridiculous the amount of money going through these cannabis clubs," Imler tells Safer.

Don Duncan, an owner of three medical marijuana clubs in California, says abuse is to be expected as it occurs with prescription drugs as well. "There's bound to be abuse in the system," says Duncan. "What we really need right now are regulations that address those issues."

The "clubs" are supposed to be comprised of patients who grow marijuana for the sole reason of distributing it to fellow members, but Imler says, "Most of these cannabis centers are buying their marijuana off the black market. They're dumping millions of dollars into the criminal black market."

This has not escaped the notice of federal officials, for whom the drug is still illegal under federal law. One of Duncan's clubs was raided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Shutting down the clubs solves one problem, but could affect the quality of life for people like William Leahy, who suffers from vascular degeneration. "I have a deformity here," he says, pointing to his hip, "and a great deal of pain and discomfort. [The clubs] help me with that," says Leahy.

Imler says it's time for the federal government to step up for people like Leahy. "We only saw the local cannabis programs as a stopgap measure on the way to the federal government rescheduling it and making [marijuana] available in the pharmacy like regular medicines are. Until that happens, we're going to have what we have now, which is chaos."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/20/60minutes/main3281715.shtml

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Comments [ + Post Your Own ]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/20/60minutes/main3281715.shtml#Post

rk’s list of things you might comment about (pick one):

1) talk about your experience with medical cannabis.

2) talk about what safe access means to you

3) talk about your experience with the regulatory process in los angeles. did you offer testimony? do you have confidence in the working committee? what has your experience been in west hollywood? can you talk about working with local government to come up with a plan?

4) talk about your experience with stigma & cannabis

5) if all marijuana is black market, according to the dea, then what does imler mean when he says the clinics purchase from black market sources? and how is the black market different from the “criminal” black market (into which the regular black market is “dumping millions of dollars.” how does imler know this? or does he just suppose it to be true? his speech isused in a circular attemt to stigmatize us with word games.

6) imler has a rep in the community of cooperating with the dea. the problem here is is his credibility --- focus on his credibility.

7) cbs should be providing fair an balanced coverage of this issue. how does this fit that bill?

8) talk about going to your doctor to get a letter of recommendation, and how the clinics verify it.

9) note that other persons posting may be putting up lies (and may also be from anti-drug orgs). when you see another commentor assert something that isn’t true, take issue with the comment. for instance:

Take it from someone who spent the last 24 years watching this problem grow first hand.
1 Who ever smokes pot gets all the same poisons as a person that smokes cigarettes.
2 Mendocino County CA alone profits over $45 Billions a year from pot.
3 More than half of the pot sold in this country is sold to students under the age of 18.
4 There has been the THC pill ( marinol ) around for the last 35 years. We don’’t need pot.
5 These drug dealers took advantage of our sympathy for people in pain.
6 The pot growers care about nothing but money, and they make tons of it. Mostly from our kids.
We need to turn this around. We don’’’’t need to legalize pot and start collecting kids lunch money through taxation.
We need to stop the lie of med pot and stop the poisoning of kids now.

10) in one of the sidebar stories backing up the report tonight, marijuana is listed as a narcotic with the following properties (none of which is backed up with references, so it must be god’s truth). do you think it reveals a bias in the coverage?

Marijuana

Street Names: pot, herb, weed, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, and chronic

Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or bong. In recent years, marijuana has appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug, such as crack. Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.

Main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The short term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem-solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks.

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke.

Marijuana is addictive because it causes compulsive, often uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.

from comments posted already

Page 1 of 3 | First | 1 2 3 | Last

Casey, I don''t want to look like a pot smoking radical (that happens to have a condition that marijuana helps with). I couldn''t post my thoughts all in one comment so after writing it I had to break up my comment into separate posts, with my comments reading backwards. I do believe that our country''s current view on marijuana is greatly skewed in many ways. An interesting thing is I earned my Eagle Scout by the age of 17. So you would think my feelings would be more to the right wing, like my fathers were until he saw first hand how marijuana relieve my nausea and vomiting.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 03:56 PM : Sep 22, 2007

snidegrass: there may be millions of drunks on the road, so perhaps you should start preaching about the ban of alcohol.

there is a very simple reason why marijuana was made illegal: corporations cant control it as a product; it occurs in nature and what you need you can grow in your backyard. one way or another: its all about $$$

which is why hard grains (vodka, gin) are legal but moonshine is not. think about it.

alcohol is more debilitating and more addictive, as is gambling but they are legal. Hmmmmm. I wish you would just be honest and admit that it is all about $$$ run by the friends of politicians.

Posted by hewhispers at 03:32 PM : Sep 22, 2007

As a Maryland medicinal marijuana patient/advocate I hope your episode doesn''t go too far in labeling people as just another pot smoker trying to get high when it comes to pain. I run a political blog called Casey''s Dream on which I ask people to send me their stories. I want to make sure that every person under the care of a doctor for chronic pain has as an option to use cannabis to relieve their pain. I personally am a polio survivor. I now have Post Polio Syndrome. Due to the changes in my muscular/skeletal system I have multiple compressed or herniated discs. I have osteoarthritis, who doesn''t at 54. The thing is my osteoarthritis was diagnosed when I was in high school. It now affects my hands and knees, as well as the cervical and lumbar regions of my spine. Add to this the muscle pain from fatigue I endure everyday and did so from my early twenties to my late forties without significant drug therapy you might understand my frustrations. I currently take a combination of five medicines, or 12 pills a day just to be able to have some sort of normal functionality in my life. I testified before committees of the Maryland legislature last year and plan on doing so again this year. Mr. Safer, I know you remember the summers of polio scares and telethons for the little children in braces. Well we grew up and we''re in pain please don''t help America now turn its back on us now. http://caseysdream.blogspot.com

Posted by Caseys_Dream at 11:25 AM : Sep 22, 2007

If you go to my first post a few below this one and read my post up from there it will flow right.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 06:51 AM : Sep 22, 2007

Tobacco was once America''s cash crop, and alcohol used to be illegal under prohibition, though times have changed. Society''s antiquated associations with marijuana hinder America''s development of health care and our symbiotic relationship with each other and nature.

People of the modern age prefer prohibiting a healthy substance that anyone can grow in a window. To men in white coats designing drugs that cost a fortune and are synthesized from god only knows what.

It''s time for change.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 05:39 AM : Sep 22, 2007

Now step aside... don''t just think of marijuana as a medicine, but rather as a recreational substance. Perhaps "Bud" could be accepted as something like tobacco and alcohol. Pot could be a commodity that is taxed, regulated, voted on, and governed by the states.

Law enforcement has been wasting time locking up and busting people for possession and distribution of this stigmatized plant. Tax payers waste money prosecuting citizens who in turn spend money defending themselves from harsh marijuana laws.

However, if the herb was legalized and taxed the government''s problems with funding education could be subsidized. Optimist believe all education and law enforcement could be funded with the legalization and taxation of marijuana.

Imagine the government generating revenue from marijuana: growers, employers, employees, and customers of hash bars/smoke shops could all be taxed on different levels. Enterprising Americans can see the potential in marijuana being a new facet of commerce.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 05:35 AM : Sep 22, 2007

Thank god I live in Oregon, a state that accepts marijuana as medicine. If a doctor suggests Marijuana could help a patient''s condition, the patient can pay a fee to OMMP and register a grow site.

Being able to grow and use my own medicine has worked better than anything I''ve been prescribed. In monetary terms this medicinal plant has saved me, and the government thousands of dollars.

When I medicate with herbs I don''t have to fill my prescription for Marinol, suppositories, or Valiums all of which hardly work, and cost a fortune. Also I''m not Valiumed out or so doped up to where I can hardly keep my tongue in my mouth.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 05:34 AM : Sep 22, 2007

Almost on a daily basis I suffer from chronic nausea and vomiting caused from Diabetic Gastropasesis. Diabetic Gastroparesis is severe nerve damage in the stomach, an affliction I''ve suffered with for over seven years.
Following a doctors prescription I have tried different types of Valiums, these knock me out, if it even stays down. I''ve used various suppositories; they''re not much fun to use, and they help about like a Valium. I have also used Marinol. When I don''t vomit it up Marinol can take anywhere from half an hour or more to do anything (and often times it helps none at all). Marinol can costs up to 10 dollars a pill, or more, which is more expensive than marijuana harvested from a home garden.
Often when I smoke marijuana while experiencing an episode of nausea or vomiting. My stomach pain ebbs and the nausea often subsides or ends all together, occasionally instantly. Sometimes without marijuana these episodes of nausea and vomiting have lasted for days. This herb helps in keeping these episode''s shorter, fewer in number, and when I do have a serious episode out of the hospital from dehydration; by helping me hold down enough fluids to stay hydrated.

Posted by dbuck1075 at 05:24 AM : Sep 22, 2007

According to the growing tide of research, the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and potentially curative effects of cannabis continues to support that marijuana is a safe, effective part of therapeutic treatment. Twelve states legally recognize the medicinal use of marijuana, and eighty percent of Americans support medical cannabis, according to a 2002 CNN/Time poll. Get involved in the movement for safe and legal access to medical cannabis today. Our power comes from our collective action. Whether it''s calling Congress, attending rallies, organizing a local ASA chapter, signing an online petition, or supporting federal defendants, take action today! When your elected officials hear from you %u2013 and often %u2013 they are more likely to support our calls for safe and legal access to medical cannabis!

http://americansforsafeaccess.org/

Posted by tonebowles at 05:11 PM : Sep 21, 2007

I am sure that the majority Americans agree that people with serious and terminal medical conditions should be allowed to obtain and use a limited amount of marijuana if recommended by their physician.

Logic says that doctors can prescribe far more dangerous and addicting drugs than marijuana. Common sense says that this issue ought to be decided for the good of the patient, in the privacy of the doctor-patient relationship. Compassion says that no patient should suffer needlessly, and no patient should go to prison for following a doctor''s advice. Science says that marijuana has great potential to safely relieve pain and other symptoms associated with a wide range of medical conditions.

Registered nurses have taken a leadership position on this issue because so many of us have seen first hand how marijuana can safely and effectively relieve patient suffering. It is our duty, as patient advocates, to speak out. For more information, visit www.medicalcannabis.com/, the web site of Patients Out of Time. Patients Out of Time''s 5th National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics is scheduled for April 4 - 5, 2008 in Pacific Grove, California.

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc., (www.cmmnj.org )
844 Spruce St.
Trenton, NJ 08648
609.394.2137 ohamkrw@aol.com

THC has been available in pill form for the last 35 years. It''s called Marinol and it doesn''t have all the carcinogens that come with smoking anything.

Posted by marcpcbs at 09:36 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Take it from someone who spent the last 24 years watching this problem grow first hand.

1 Who ever smokes pot gets all the same poisons as a person that smokes cigarettes.

2 Mendocino County CA alone profits over $45 Billions a year from pot.

3 More than half of the pot sold in this country is sold to students under the age of 18.

4 There has been the THC pill ( marinol ) around for the last 35 years. We don''t need pot.

5 These drug dealers took advantage of our sympathy for people in pain.

6 The pot growers care about nothing but money, and they make tons of it. Mostly from our kids.

We need to turn this around. We don''''t need to legalize pot and start collecting kids lunch money through taxation.

We need to stop the lie of med pot and stop the poisoning of kids now.

Posted by marcpcbs at 09:32 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Take it from someone who spent the lasy 24 years watching this problem grow first hand.

1 Who ever smokes pot gets all the same poisons as a person that smokes sigarettes.

2 Mendocino County CA alone profits over $45 Billions a year from pot.

3 More than half of the pot sold in this country is sold to students under the age of 18.

4 There has been the THC pill ( marinol ) around for the last 35 years. We dont need pot.

5 These drug deakers took advantage of our simpathy for people in pain.

6 The pot growers care about nothing but money, and they make tons of it. Mostly from our kids.

We need to turn this around. We don''t need to legalize pot and start collecting kids lunch money through taxation.

We need to stop the lie of med pot and stop the poisoning of kids now.

Posted by marcpcbs at 09:28 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Greetings Brethren,

Scott Imlar is a narc. He informed on peter Mc Williams and others in LA for his own profit. Nothing said by him should be given any credence - as he has none outside such credible sources as Morley Safer.

By the Way, the first intimations of Prop 215 came when Peter Gorman, editor of High times magazine, hosted Dennis Peron and our own Rev. Sam Smith of Our Church in his hotel room at the Norml convention in Washington DC in 1992 or 3. Sam met with Dennis to broach the subject, they worked out the details over seveal hours, and Dennis went back to San Francisco to write and organize the petition drive that resulted in the Initiative 215 being passed. Jack Herer attempted to mount a seperate initiative for hemp legalization that failed to get on the ballot as I recall. I have a picture of Dennis and Jack, united together on election nite 1996 in San Francisco, smoking the Peace Herb to their mutual delight. This has been verified to me as reported by Peter Gorman, by Dennis and Jack.

Again, give Scott Imlar a wide berth. He has no honor, nor respect amongst those who actually did the work. He has the blood of Peter McWilliams on his hands.

One Love revtombrown.

Posted by Revtombrown at 08:14 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Imler admits the noble idea turned out to be a pipe dream. "I think there''s a lot of people just buying the drug to get high,"
WOW, REALLY?
Minister or not. Just another liberal idiot who can''t see past his nose, much less long term consequences.

Posted by bizzzz at 06:51 PM : Sep 20, 2007

HAHA My back hurts, I''m movin to California!

Posted by linfinster at 06:39 PM : Sep 20, 2007

No, prohibition will never work. The biggest problem is that marijuana is considered a drug. That in itself is ridiculous. It''''s a plant that grows in the ground, and has many uses. Law enforcement should concentrate their efforts elsewhere

Posted by rematenaj

LOLOLOL...cocaine is also derived from a natural plant...doesn''t make it harmless.

Posted by sbbm at 06:02 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Just tax it, and that should relieve any angst the FED has about its'' distribution. Case in point: isn''t that why the killer of millions known as tobacco is still on the market?

Posted by thee0racle at 04:57 PM : Sep 20, 2007

No, prohibition will never work. The biggest problem is that marijuana is considered a drug. That in itself is ridiculous. It''s a plant that grows in the ground, and has many uses. Law enforcement should concentrate their efforts elsewhere!

Posted by rematenaj at 04:48 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Marijuana has been illegal for over 70 years and today it is America''s #1 cash crop.
Prohibition will never work.
Cops say legalize and regulate marijuana.
FIGHT CRIME AND VIOLENCE!
www.leap.cc

Posted by GunOwnerDan at 04:35 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Just tax it, and that should relieve any angst the FED has about its'' distribution. Case in point: isn''t that why the killer of millions known as tobacco is still on the market?

Posted by thee0racle at 04:57 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Posted by rematenaj at 04:48 PM : Sep 20, 2007

Marijuana has been illegal for over 70 years and today it is America''s #1 cash crop.
Prohibition will never work.
Cops say legalize and regulate marijuana.
FIGHT CRIME AND VIOLENCE!
www.leap.cc

Posted by GunOwnerDan at 04:35 PM : Sep 20, 2007

kearns reads new poem "river beast" at weho city council meeting 9-17

2007-09-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

i roll into

monday brightness

feetseeking earth

a sundayless

listener

waiting to wake

(medicating for non-heaval

sun-burnishing the pain)

i hear

the riverroadcall

deep humm’d

feel the pull of my

wet-trailing

blue-shoe-sailing

one-at-a-time

soles-don’t-fail-me

pre-steps practiced

dreamed & planned to

imaginary imperfection

traipsed to my

inner port & back

in unanticipation &

urgency & certain-seem’d

sureity about returnity

(shots & prepills &

ointments & more pre)

river song

river call

river might

river thrall

river beat

river on fire

shivering heat

risen like a dawn wind

from gilded waves

as they burn

aroused now

my river beast

sallies the day

battling forty thousand

fathoms of mud

heart first

---rk

photos from the 9-15 mmj exposition #9

2007-09-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

josh kurpies, jeff prang & moi properly cropped

yami & lisa

PAN's lynette shaw performs as bluesetta, backed up by PAN's dege coutee

2007-09-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

lynette & band

dege backing up bluesetta

photos from the 9-15 mmj expo #8

2007-09-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

james anthony

ed rosenthal & judy scobee

photos from the 9-15 mmj expo #7

2007-09-15T17:43:00.001-07:00

chrs fusco & me

d, me & sunshine

photos from the 9-15 mmj expo #6

2007-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

me & don duncan

duke & wendy

photos from the 9-15 mmj expo #5

2007-09-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

new cpvoice blogger gary g

lapcg's jane and rk

photos from the 9-15 mmj expo #4

2007-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

richard eastman & richard kearns

lynette shaw / bluesetta

photos from the 9-25 mmj expo #3

2007-09-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

april from the farmacy

rachel & rebecca from the farmacy

photos from the 9-25 mmj expo #2

2007-09-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

rk & dege

trevor & rk

photos from the 9-25 mmj expo #1

2007-09-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

josh kurpies, jeff prang & moi

wendy christakes

2nd round of DEA threat-letters sent to mmj clinic landlords; PAN calls for patients to contact LA city council & demand MOU with LAPD

2007-09-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

chers---

Patient Advocacy Network (PAN) learned over the course of the last week that the DEA has mailed another round of letters, dated August 25, 2007, threatening to confiscate real property of landlords who permit the sale of cannabis on their properties. Reports have come in from clinics in Hollywood, Long Beach, San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area, and we are anticipating more reports. We are concerned that last time, letters were followed with highly-publicized politically-timed raids.

PAN urges patients to contact their los angeles city councilmembers and demand that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) be implemented immediately between LA city and LAPD that would prohibit the police department from cooperating with any DEA raids on cannabis dispensaries, raids that enforce outdated unpopular and deadly federal law

Our community needs this understanding to be in place while the moratorium is in effect. At the August 15 WAMC (Women Advancing Medical Cannabis) rally downtown, LA City Councilmember Janice Hahn called for a “moratorium on DEA raids” while the Los Angeles moratorium on new clinics is in place.

to find your city councilmember, click on the link below, scroll down, fill in your address and get a complete list of your federal, state and city representatives:

http://www.lacity.org/council.htm

you can write your own text or cut and paste from this post for your letter. better yet, call.

namaste

---rk & dege

maps & public transportation links to saturday’s mmj expo (9-15-07)

2007-09-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

links to get to the mmj expo

West Hollywood Park Auditorium
647 N. San Vicente Blvd.
(on san vicente between santa monica & melrose)
West Hollywood, CA 90069

click here to view site on google map

la metro trip planner --- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is unique among the nation’s transportation agencies. It serves as transportation planner and coordinator, designer, builder and operator for one of the country’s largest, most populous counties. More than 9.6 million people – nearly one-third of California’s residents – live, work, and play within its 1,433-square-mile service area.

you will need your address and the above address

http://www.mta.net/riding_metro/

namasté

---rk

liveblogging from saturday's la medical marijuana expo 9-15-07

2007-09-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

chers---

liveblogging!

from the
la medical marijuana exposition
11am - 9pm, 9-15-2007
PAN booth

http://CannabisPatientVoice.com
http://CannabisPatientVoice.Blogspot.com

west hollywood park auditorium
647 n. san vicente blvd.
(on san vicente between santa monica & melrose)
west hollywood, ca 90069

stop by! say hi! post!

---rk

jane at lapcg: asa needs volunteers to staff table at 9-15 la county medical marijuana exposition

2007-09-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Dear LAPCG members and supporters:

This has been a tough summer for medical cannabis patients and providers in Southern California. It seems like the DEA is attacking us multiple fronts – raiding collectives, threatening landlords, and busting cultivators. I want to let everyone know how proud I am of the spirit of empowerment and resistance I have seen in our community during this latest crack down. It is so encouraging to see our members, ASA Members, and others taking initiative and fighting back for patients’ access. Never doubt that you are making a difference. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be leaning on us so hard.

There are many events in the coming month. I hope to see you at all of them. I know you’ll see many of our faces there.

stay safe,

jane
lapcg

2nd Annual LA County Medical Marijuana Exposition & Patients Festival
Saturday, September 15 @ 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM -
647 S. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
http://www.LAMedMJExpo.org
Volunteers for the ASA table are needed. Call Don or Chris at (323) 882-6766.

Join over 1,000 medical marijuana patients, caregivers, providers, and supporters for LA's largest medical marijuana event! Don't miss this full day of live music, special guest speakers, medical cannabis exhibitors, comedy, and more!

Come hear guest speakers including West Hollywood Mayor John Duran, The "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal, Medical Marijuana Pioneer Dennis Peron, & music by Bobby Hardy, Norman A. Norman, the LuchaDoors, and more.

What: 2nd Annual LA County Medical Marijuana Exposition & Patient Festival
When: Saturday, September 15, 2007; All Day... 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Where: West Hollywood Park Auditorium; 647 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood (Between Sunset Blvd. and Melrose Ave.)
How much: $5 Donation at the Door. Of course, you can give more to support the Exposition and the campaign for safe access! No one turned away for lack of funds.

For exhibitor or event information, contact Event Producer Richard Eastman
at (323) 474-4602 between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM weekdays.

The Exposition is sponsored by the LA County Medical Marijuana Task Force and the Los Angeles Chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA).

don duncan: gearing up for protest at schwarzenegger's LA office noon Thu 10-11-07

2007-09-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hello, ASA Members and Allies.

This has been a tough summer for medical cannabis patients and providers in Southern California. It seems like the DEA is attacking us multiple fronts – raiding collectives, threatening landlords, and busting cultivators. I want to let everyone know how proud I am of the spirit of empowerment and resistance I have seen in our community during this latest crack down. It is so encouraging to see ASA Members and others taking initiative and fighting back for patients’ access. Never doubt that you are making a difference. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be leaning on us so hard.

On Thursday, October 11, 2007, ASA is calling on individuals and organizations that support medical cannabis to join us in a statewide mobilization to the Governor’s office in Los Angeles. The mobilization is called “Stand Up for Patients’ Rights: Defend California’s Medical Marijuana Law” and is part of our campaign to persuade Governor Schwarzenegger to finally take a stand against federal interference in California’s medical cannabis program. The campaign consists of statewide call in days, legislative visits from constituents and lobbyists, and sign on letters from key public officials and organizations. Our goal is to use the build up to October 11 and the political momentum following that event to greatly expand the size and clout of the coalition support medical cannabis in California.

When doctor, lawyers, health care and condition-specific advocacy organizations join the traditional medical cannabis community in calling for an end to raids and full implementation of our laws, their voices will be hard to ignore in Sacramento. This broader coalition will have the muscle to get the Governor and his colleagues behind us, finally standing up for our rights in California and in Washington, DC. ASA staff and lobbyists have been building relationships and seeding this effort across California for years. Now, we need to put the grassroots numbers behind this campaign to make it effective. I hope you will plan to attend this historic event and reach out to the individuals you know and organizations in which you participate to help get people to Los Angeles on October 11.

The official event announcements, flyers, and posters will be out next week. In the meantime, I hope you will all start making plans to be at the rally and help get others on board, too. You can help by distributing flyers and posters, posting the event on online calendars, and putting it on the agenda for organizational meetings. You can download a simple temporary quarter-page flyer (in .pdf format) at http://www.ASAaction.org right now. The professional glossy flyers and posters will be out soon! We will be hosting the event organizing meeting on Saturday, September 22, but volunteers are needed right away. See the listing below for all the details.

Let’s wrap up this tough summer and start fall out with a big hit. Get ready for October 11 in Los Angeles! Look for more details soon...

By the way, the new LA-ASA office number is (323) 882-6766. You can still reach me at Don@SafeAccessNow.org

Thanks for helping fight for patients’ access. I look forward to seeing you, your friends, and your loved ones on October 11th!

---Don Duncan

Interim California Campaign Director
Americans for Safe Access
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org
Los Angeles Office
7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800
West Hollywood, CA 90046
P: 323-882-6766 F: 323-882-6263

christina peňa at LA independent 9-06-07 front page report about la-weho townhall cannabis update

2007-09-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Patient advocate Richard [Kearns] says medical marijuana has helped him battle AIDS for twenty years. photo by Noam Nitzani

A Marijuana Informational

A meeting aims to inform residents about the status of current cannabis laws

by Christina Peňa

September 6, 2007

In response to a series of DEA raids earlier this year, ten medical marijuana clinics located in West Hollywood and Los Angeles hosted a town hall meeting Aug. 30 at Plummer Park to update residents about the use of medical marijuana and to address the concerns of patients and non-patients.

The evening began with a potluck dinner and gelato-tasting presented by The Medical Marijuana Farmacy, followed with presentations by a [four]-person panel.

According to attorney William Kroger, the first speaker of the night, much of the problem stems from the ambiguity between local, state and federal law.

Since 1970, the controlled stubstance act has classified cannabis as a Schedule I substance, describing it as haing a high potential for abuse and no accepted value in medical treatment. Under federal law, the possession, use, sale or furnishing use of medical cannabis is illegal.

On November 5, 1996, California voters approved proposition 215, known as the compassionate use act. this has allowed seriously ill Californians the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes if it is recommended by a physician. The statute also ensures that primary caregivers and their patients who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes are not subject to criminal prosecuton.

In addition, West Hollywood has been declared a “sanctuary” for medical marijuana use since the approval of a “lowest law-enforcement priority” resolution in 2001, which calls on sheriff’s deputies to not “tarket adult marijuana users who consume this drug in private and pose no danger to the community.”

“There is state and federal law and people still have a lot of confusion and [users] don’t understand what the differences really are,” said Kroger, who currently is representing patients and dispensaries involved in the recent raids.

Kroger advised that patients should not only be aware of the current laws but also follow them. “Don’t keep your cannabis separated in different baggies,” he said. “Another thing that i see that is a problem is that people have scales on them. When you go to a dispensary you can trust them that they are giving you the ammount that you asked and are paying for. There is no reason to have a scale on you. You don’t want to get caught and charged for sales.”

According to Joanna LaForce, The Farmacy’s chief pharmacist, the solution lies in properly educating patients along with medical professioals and law enforcement. “It’s amazint how many physicians do not want to take a stand on this,” LaForce said. “We have a big challenge ahead of us to let people see the value of what we are doing, so that people have a safe choice for those with Alzheimer’s, AIDS and cancer.”

Before Proposition [215] was passed, LaForce would regularly come across cases in which caregivers in the vulnerable and often dangerous position of seeking out marijuana to treat dying loved ones, sha daid, “I didn’t have any way to tell them how to get it,” LaForce said. “So what was happening is that they ended up on the streets, driving to wierd places, strange cities trying to find cannabis and the problem with that is that you don’t know what you are getting.”

Diagnosed with AIDS 20 years ago, Richard [Kearns] said he would not be alive today if not for the ability to access cannabis for medicinal use. Cannabis alleviates the harsh side-effects such as nausea caused by the intense inti-viral AIDS medication, he said, and helps him maintain an appetite.

According to [Degé Coute, president of the Patient Advocacy Network (PAN)], activism within the community is crucial to not only maintain current patient rights but also to allow greater access.

“The thing that concerns me is that we are dealing with people who aren’t really part of this community and don’t have an understanding of how to use an herbal medicine alternative,” [Coutee] said. “I started PAN as an opportunity to allow patients to get involved on a level that they hadn’t before. Unfortunately this issue is not on Congress’ radar. Our goal is to make patients and advocates be effective on this ussue. . . . It is going to be increasingly important that patients make [their] voices heard so that we don’t lose this.”

For Los Angeles couple Antonio and Dina, the meeting was educational, clarifying the law and updating them on the current legal situation. “There is such a large grey area that you need these updates regularly,” said Antonio, who is a cannabis user.

“It’s very hard to get clear answers to point,” said non-user Dina. “My partner [uses cannabis] for medicinal reasons and i need to know the legalities of it, like if i’m drivinng him to pick up the drug.”

cpena@wavepublication.com

kearns’ new poem: river beast

2007-09-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

i roll into

monday brightness

feetseeking earth

a sundayless

listener

waiting to wake

(medicating for non-heaval

sun-burnishing the pain)

i hear

the riverroadcall

deep humm’d

feel the pull of my

wet-trailing

blue-shoe-sailing

one-at-a-time

soles-don’t-fail-me

pre-steps practiced

dreamed & planned to

imaginary imperfection

traipsed to my

inner port & back

in unanticipation &

urgency & certain-seem’d

sureity about returnity

(shots & prepills &

ointments & more pre)

river song

river call

river might

river thrall

river beat

river on fire

shivering heat

risen like a dawn wind

from gilded waves

as they burn

aroused now

my river beast

sallies the day

battling forty thousand

fathoms of mud

heart first

---rk

kaiser presidential tracking poll: healthcare still #2 to war in iraq, but gaining in august

2007-09-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

New Kaiser Tracking Poll Finds Health Care Follows Only Iraq Among Issues The Public Wants Presidential Candidates to Talk About In the Campaign
Health Care Second To Iraq Among Both Republicans and Independents, While Democrats For the First Time Rank The Two Issues Equally Among Topics They Want Candidates To Discuss

Thursday, August 30, 2007

In order to assess what issues are on the public’s agenda, polling organizations including Kaiser usually ask about priorities for government or Congressional action or priorities for people’s vote. In our August tracking poll, Iraq continues to lead the list of issues the public most wants the government to address, with 42 percent naming it as one of the top two issues. Health care is once again the second most mentioned issue, and the top domestic issue, with 27 percent citing it. The economy ranked third at 16 percent and immigration fourth at 13 percent.

The survey finds that self-identified Democrats and independents tend to agree about the top three issues for government to address — Iraq, health care, and the economy. However, for self-identified Republicans Iraq stays on top, but terrorism comes in at number two, followed by health care and immigration virtually tied.

However, with the presidential election 15 months away, and any real Congressional debate about comprehensive health reform not expected until 2009, it may be too soon to gauge what the public wants the next president and Congress to do about health care or on what basis they’ll vote. But, with the primary campaigns heating up, we thought it may be at least as relevant to ask a more immediate question: what does the public want the presidential candidates to talk about in the campaign right now.

What emerges is a slightly different picture. Health rises sharply for Democrats and climbs to the number two issue for Republicans, just ahead of terrorism. Both findings are at least a little surprising: that any issue would rank as high as Iraq on any question related to the campaign (even if Democrats have always ranked health highly); and that Republicans would rank health as the number two issue for candidates to talk about (because it is generally believed that health is a less salient issue for Republicans). We do note that with immigration slipping from the limelight, and gas prices subsiding, something has to fill the void among domestic issues, and that issue could be health, including for Republicans. On the other hand, the current mortgage crisis could produce a different result the next time we poll.

When we asked specifically about what they would most like to hear presidential candidates talk about, Iraq and health care are the top two issues for Republicans, Democrats and independents alike. For Democrats, the same percentage mentions Iraq (42 percent) as says health care (42 percent) — the first time we have seen this and a dramatic change from our June tracking poll. Among Republicans, 32 percent cite Iraq as the most important issue, with health care coming in second at 21 percent, followed by terrorism at 16 percent and immigration and the economy, both at 15 percent.

The August tracking poll also continues to examine people’s thoughts about the presidential candidates’ positions on, and commitment to, health care as an issue. As we found in our last two tracking polls, nearly six in 10 people (59 percent) still don’t know or can’t name a candidate who best represents their views on health, or says that no candidate represents their views.

Among the 41 percent who named a candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton remains the top candidate on this question, with 19 percent of the public overall, and 35 percent of Democrats saying she best represents their health care views. Senator Clinton’s numbers have inched up slightly on this question since March, when she was named by 14 percent of the public overall and 27 percent of Democrats (her share among independents has also inched up from 9 percent in March to 15 percent in August). Senator Barack Obama is the second ranking candidate on this question (named by 6 percent overall, and 9 percent of Democrats), and former Senator John Edwards ranks third (4 percent overall and 6 percent of Democrats).

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani remains the top pick among Republicans, but only with 8 percent of Republicans (and 3 percent of the public overall) saying he best represents their views on health. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (5 percent of Republicans, 2 percent overall) is the next most mentioned candidate, followed by Senator John McCain and former Senator Fred Thompson (both named by 2 percent of Republicans, 1 percent overall).

This latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008, the third in a series, was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation. A nationally representative random sample of 1,500 adults was interviewed by telephone between August 2 and August 8, 2007. The margin of sampling error for the survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points; for results based on subgroups, the sampling error is higher.

Full results are available online here.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 - August 2007

This August 2007 tracking poll finds that health care remains the top domestic issue that the public wants presidential candidates to address in the campaign, trailing only Iraq on the public’s overall priority list.

Both Republicans and Independents rank health care second to Iraq, while Democrats for the first time rank the two issues as equally important for the candidates to discuss.

The poll also examines the public’s perceptions of the presidential candidates’ positions and commitment to health care as an issue. Consistent with the previous two tracking polls, nearly six in 10 people don’t know or can’t name a candidate who best represents their own views on health.

The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 is part of a broader effort by the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide a central hub for resources and information about health policy issues in the 2008 election. The August poll was designed and analyzed by Foundation researchers and involved a nationally representative random sample of 1,500 adults, who were interviewed by telephone between August 2 and August 8. The margin of sampling error for the survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points; for results based on subgroups, the sampling error is higher.

Key Findings

Toplines

mathew trevisan at ontario, canada’s globe & mail: lt. governor david onley says it’s time

2007-09-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

ONTARIO'S LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR

Time to address medical marijuana, Onley says

MATTHEW TREVISAN

September 7, 2007

TORONTO -- He didn't say it outright, but one day after being sworn in as Ontario's 28th Lieutenant-Governor, David Onley all but endorsed medicinal marijuana use by the chronically ill.

"It seems to me that when there is no alternative in terms of conventional medicine, anything that has been approved for medical purposes should be accepted and understood," Lt. Gov. Onley wrote during an online discussion yesterday with The Globe and Mail. "It's an issue that has to be addressed!"

The former Toronto broadcaster was responding to a reader concerned that too many Canadians are suffering because they cannot get access to medical marijuana.

"I know what it is to be in severe and chronic pain, especially after major reconstructive knee surgeries when I was a child," wrote Mr. Onley, who had polio as a child and is paralyzed from the waist down. "The pain was so intense that I required heavy-duty narcotics, which only partially deadened the pain ...

"While this is not the same as a chronic disorder, I have always felt that when I saw a story on television, or reported on one about medical marijuana, I had a better understanding than most people."

degé & don: court support for tom kikuchi, tuesday 9-11, 2pm

2007-09-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

chers---

my apologies for not getting these notes from degé & don up sooner.

namasté

---lyr

__________________

Dear Friends and Advocates -

If you have any flexibility in your schedule today, please attend court support of this very wonderful person and caregiver.

Tom Kikuchi is no stranger to being harassed, raided and arrested by federal authorities. His story is part of what is now referred to as the Landa Gage Kikuchi Case. (Visit www.stephanielanda.com for details on their case.)

Tom has already served 39 months in federal prison for cultivating medical cannabis. Tomorrow he is being brought before the court on a parole violation.

When: Tuesday, September 11th, 2007, 2 p.m.

Where: 312 North Spring Street, Federal Courtroom, Dept. G, Downtown LA

Court support can help demonstrate the character of the defendant. Judges are impacted by the number of people who attend a hearing. It is also a very educational experience if you have not spent much time witnessing criminal court proceedings.

Please dress the way you would want others to dress if they were supporting you in court. Please have your ID with you. You will pass through a secured area. Please do not carry any metal or other items you would not want found by a federal marshal.

Be well and be safe.

Truly,

Degé

p.s. I, unfortunately, will be in and out a veterinary hospital the better part of the day tomorrow. I fear that I am no going to be available for Tom and it makes me sad. However, it has always been my goal that when I can't be available for one of our soldiers - I try to get as many others to be there in my place. I hope you will be present and bring others with you. You will certainly see other familiar faces there.

__________________

Hello, ASA Members and Allies.

Alleged medical cannabis cultivator Tom Kikuchi will have an important hearing on Tuesday, September 11, to determine whether or not his probation should be revoked following his recent arrest. You may recall that Tom was arrested by Federal Marshals last week when he reported for a routine drug test as required by his bail agreement in a pending state case. The case has now been turned over to the US Attorney for prosecution, so Tom will be unable to use his status as a legal medical cannabis patient and collective member in his defense.

Please come show your support for this brave and compassionate man, who has been denied bail and is waiting in jail right now.

What: Hearing for Tom Kikuchi

When: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 * 2:00 PM

Where: Department G - US Federal Courthouse, 312 N. Spring St., Downtown LA

Remember that all persons entering the courthouse are subject to search. Do not bring medicine, rolling papers, pipes, etc.

Thank you for helping!

Don Duncan

kearns announces 5 panelists at la-weho med cannabis townhall 8-30

2007-08-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION

please contact:

Richard Kearns

Poet-Secretary,

Patient Advocacy Network (PAN)

310-488-1328 (cell)

rk@aids-write.org

http://aids-write.org

http://cannabispatientvoice.com

Kearns announcs 5 panelists at la-weho medical cannabis townhall meeting 8-30

Five panelists will offer background briefings for dicussion at the Los Angeles-West Hollywood Medical Cannabis Townhall Meeting Thursday night, August 30, 2007 at Plummer Park, according to AIDS activist and medical cannabis advocate Richard Kearns, poet-secretary of the Patient Advocacy Network (PAN) and the evening’s moderator. Speakers include:

William S. Kroger Jr., Attorney at Law
Joanna LaForce, R.Ph., CGP, chief pharmacist at the “farmacy”™
Dale Prokupek, MD (HIV care, gastroenterology)
Andrea Apodaca, Americans for Safe Access staffer on-site during the July 25 DEA raid at CPG
Degé Coutee, madam president of PAN, a grassroots LA-area medical cannabis educational & public benefit nonprofit corporation

“This is a place to catch up on the roller coaster ride of recent events the southland medical cannabis community has experienced,” said Kearns .”For eleven years, voters in California, whether they are patients or not, already understand medical cannabis saves lives. We also want our stakeholding allies to be informed about our continuing efforts in the arena of social justice. We want to expose the DEA raids as stigma-generated, inspired by poltical appearances rather than public good, and fit them in with the long history of conflict between state and local government over social change. We want to discuss how we propose cannabis be de-regulated. We want our fellow stakeholders to understand that this issue is linked with an across-the-boards struggle over ideology vs. science as a guide in public policy decisionmaking.”

All members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting and contribute to the dialog, which begins at 6:30pm. Free potluck dinner and gelato tasting begin at 6:00pm.

LA-WEHO TOWNHALL MEETING: MEDICAL CANNABIS UPDATE, Thursday night, August 30, 2007 at Plummer Park Community Center, rooms 5-6, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046. For more information, please contact Richard Kearns at rk@aids-write.org, or call 310-488-1328.

richard kearns reads la-weho townhall med cannabis update invite/poem to weho city council (8-20)

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/richard-kearns-reads-la-weho-townhall.html

PAN poet-sec’y kearns’ press release: cannabis clinics host la-weho townhall meeting 8-30

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/pan-poet-secy-kearns-press-release.html

metro trip planner link

http://www.mta.net/riding_metro/

also, a mapquest link

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=250&addtohistory=&address=7377+Santa+Monica+Boulevard&city=West+Hollywood&state=ca&amp;zipcode=&submit=Get+Map

kearns calls for POTluck activists to bring dishes for LA-WEHO med cannabis townhall meet & dinner thursday, 8-30

2007-08-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

chers---

we need your help. thursday night, august 30 at 6, ten weho-area dispensaries will be hosting a town meeting and dinner. help us out. be a POTluck activist. bring

a casserole
a salad
potato chips, dip, etc
an extra pizza
fruit
sandwiches (from subway or togos)
sodas & water
cups, plates, paper towels

the “farmacy”™ is donating a freezer full of non-leaded gelato to taste

sign-up lists will be in your dispensaries today. or call me. then come meet our fellow stakeholding non-patient voting allies.

namasté

---rk

kearns’ med cannabis townhall call to action: new channels for your activism

2007-08-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

chers---

each of us has

power to

change the world

it is something we

know to be true inside

(ask your in-silence knower)

something hoped

but how how how

how do we connect to it?

what is the difference between

expectation & change?

we must march

we must advance

together. i must step forward

first now, then next, then after that

we find we never march alone we

help each other. we soon become

the strong shoulders

on which the newer will

gain their feet

we are one road ourselves

a bound-together macadam

a way away from here

to be an activist is to

wake & dream when

you walk through life

to see the light of your

own actions

give new meaning to dark

worldnesses around you

to cast a new picture

a new image

an unsuspected truth

to hear the light

from other lips

we are candles

we are stars

we are shining rain

& rainbows

where once cement

was the only

unwashed color

brighten ye the world

with every step

begin with these, my

thousand heartbeated

hows hows hows

now &

your every

next step

not as difficult

as joyful

namasté

---lyr

chers---

a lot of poems arrive at dawn. this one came this morning.

we need your help today.

there is a pan/asa action downtown this morning & this afternoon at the health fair

sunday 8-26: respondng to the dea

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/sunday-8-26-respondng-to-dea.html

What: Responding to the DEA
When: Sunday, August 26 @ 11:30 AM
Where: Father Serra Park, where N. Los Angeles St. meets N Alameda St. (across from Union Station)

i also need volunteers to get the word out for this thursday’s townhall meeting.

kearns moderates la-weho townhall meet med cannabis update & dinner 8-30

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/kearns-moderates-la-weho-townhall-meet.html

PAN poet-sec’y kearns’ press release: cannabis clinics host la-weho townhall meeting 8-30

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/pan-poet-secy-kearns-press-release.html

please call me or check in with me today at cannabis & coffee at lapcg at 11am (if you’re not downtown)

i have not yet caught up with lori or justeen yet about writing for cannabispatientvoice. i am going at what is for me breakneck speed. maybe will see you today. my apologies.

we also need POTluck activists for thursday’s townhall meeting. be an activist and bring a casserole or an extra bottle of pop. estimating 50 people in attendance. “farmacy”™ is also donating gelato-tasting for attendees.

am waiting to confirm the last of 5 speakers and will make that announcement later.

we need you. there is no one else as qualified. commit to bringing a salad. help take flyers and posters around.

namasté

richard kearns

310-488-1328

rk@aids-write.org

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com

http://aids-write.org

kearns: travel info for la-weho townhall med cannabis meeting 8-30; link to streaming video of monday night poem to weho city council

2007-08-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

chers---

address info, travel and map links, as well as a link to the BROWNACTivism reading monday night.

crankin’. hope you are too.

namasté

---lyr

WehoTV: Video On Demand!

The City of West Hollywood is proud to provide live and archived streaming video of City Council Meetings, our Citychannel 10, as well as other select programming. We hope you enjoy this new feature.

http://weho.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=5

time index 33:52

http://www.mta.net/riding_metro/

metro trip planner link

also, a mapquest link

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=250&addtohistory=&address=7377+Santa+Monica+Boulevard&city=West+Hollywood&state=ca&zipcode=&submit=Get+Map

richard eastman announces 9-15 annual la medical marijuana expo during public comments at west hollywood city council meeting monday night

2007-08-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

2^nd Annual LA County

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Exposition & Patients’ Festival

a full day of music, special guest speakers, medical cannabis exhibitors, entertainment, celebration & fun for the whole comunity!

September 15, 2007

West Hollywood Park Auditorium

647 N. San Vicente Blvd.

West Hollywood

ALL DAY

11am to 9pm

$5 donation at the door

no one turned away for lack of funds!

Invited Speakers

Dennis Peron

Ed Rosengthal

Don Duncan

Richard Eastman

& elected officials including

WEHO Mayor John Duran

musical guests . . .

Luche-Doors &

Norman A. Norman

Celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of the Summer of Love with Medical Marijuana & Compassion

sponsored by the la county medical marijuana task force and the los angeles chapter of americans for safe access (asa)

http://www.lamedmjexpo.org/

323- 464-7719 l 323-474-4602

WehoTV: Video On Demand!

The City of West Hollywood is proud to provide live and archived streaming video of City Council Meetings, our Citychannel 10, as well as other select programming. We hope you enjoy this new feature.

you can view richard eastman's announcement at time index 41:40

kearns calls for POTluck activists for la-weho townhall meeting/med cannabis update 8-30

2007-08-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

chers---

i have a fun program to announce: POTluck patient volunteer auxiliary activists (PPVAA).

here’s the story.

on thursday, august 30, we’ll be having a dinner and townhall meeting about medical cannabis in west hollywood at plummer park. the farmacy has pledged to offer unleaded gelato-tasting for attendees. we want to match their pledge and come up with a POTluck dinner for attendees.

who can bring a casserole? a salad? One or two large pizzas? napkins? plastic forks & more? a big bottl of soda? water?

POTluck activists arise!

then we’ll be ready for other meetings and events too! getting water to demonstrators. feeding ourselves. enriching the community culture with our presence.

will report this weekend on the number of people we expect to attend, as well as announce the full list of speakers.

feel free to forward the press release to anyone you might have contacts with. thanks.

in haste.

namasté

---richard kearns

poet-secretary pan

sunday 8-26: respondng to the dea

2007-08-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

chers---

sorry i wasn’t on top of this one. thanks for catching me, don. i haven’t been able to get details --- i think it’s duke who’s organizing this , & i haven't been able to keep up with him.

namasté

---lyr

photo of duke & dennis & chris from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/

On Sunday, August 26, members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Americans for Safe Access (LA-ASA) will join members of Patients Advocacy Network (PAN) and other cannabis and medical cannabis advocates at an educational fair and rally in downtown Los Angeles. PAN organized this day of education and empowerment to help advocates find out how they can help fight back against the DEA attacks on safe access. This will be a great opportunity for outreach as there is a large health fair just across the street!

Please come and join patients, caregivers, and others. Participants include PAN, LA-ASA, California NORML, Dank, Los Angeles County Medical Marijuana task Force, and others.

What: Responding to the DEA
When: Sunday, August 26 @ 11:30 AM
Where: Father Serra Park, where N. Los Angeles St. meets N Alameda St. (across from Union Station)

LA-ASA is looking for volunteers to man our table on Sunday. Call Don or Chris at (323) 882-6766 between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM if you can volunteer any time beginning around 11:00 AM on Sunday.

click on this sentence to see a map:

PAN poet-sec’y kearns’ press release: cannabis clinics host la-weho townhall meeting 8-30

2007-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION

please contact:

Richard Kearns

Poet-Secretary,

Patient Advocacy Network (PAN)

310-488-1328 (cell)

rk@aids-write.org

http://aids-write.org

http://cannabispatientvoice.com

Cannabis Clinics Host

LA-WEHO Townhall Meeting August 30

Ten West Hollywood-Los Angeles area medical Cannabis clinics will host a townhall meeting, dinner and gelato-tasting Thursday night, August 30, 2007 at Plummer Park to update residents and stakeholders on “Medical Cannabis in the News and in our Neighborhoods,” announced Richard Kearns Monday night during a Brown Act poetry reading before the West Hollywood City Council. AIDS activist Kearns is poet-secretary of the Patient Advocacy Network (PAN), a medical cannabis educational non-profit public benefit corporation.

”Come ye all,” said Kearns, “to the

la-weho townhall update
dinner & gelato taste &
dialog on medical cannabis

thursday, august 30
at plummer park
rooms five & six ...

light dinner at 6pm &
“farmacy”™ non-leaded gelato-tasting
followed by those five panelists & me & you
in dialogue that is a plain-spoken record
of what it takes to stay alive
in the cannabis patient community
sorting it out. tale by tale

“We want to catch up our prop-215-supporting non-patient allies with the roller coaster ride of events we’ve been going through” said Kearns. “You can’t figure out what’s happening just by following the LA Times’ non-coverage. We aim to focus on our activities as a social justice movement in the context of across-the-board national and international public health policy conflicts between ideology and science. We aim to take a look at the issue of state vs. federal jurisdiction in matters of grassroots social change.”

Kearns says the comments and discussion will be videorecorded, transcribed and posted at http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com where information from this townhall meeting can be used as “resource” material for other townhalls and neighborhood council meetings throughout los angeles county later in the year.

Kearns expects to release a list of panel members early next week.

LA-WEHO TOWNHALL MEETING: MEDICAL CANNABIS UPDATE, Thursday night, August 30, 2007 at Plummer Park, rooms 5-6, 8300 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. For more information, please contact Richard Kearns at rk@aids-write.org, or call 310-488-1328.

text of complete poem to west hollywood city council

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/richard-kearns-reads-la-weho-townhall.html

mandate for bloggers at cannabispatientvoice:

http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com/2007/08/kearns-launches-cannabispatietvoice.html

jasmyne cannick, nbjc: laura richardson wins 37th us congressional district seat (carson, long beach, compton, signal hill, watts, & willowbrook)

2007-08-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

Laura Richardson Wins!

Yep that’s right. I'm standing next to California State Assemblywoman Laura Richardson who is the newest member of the United States Congress, unofficially.

With 100 percent of the 334 precincts reporting in the race for California’s 37th Congressional District, Richardson has emerged as victorious in her campaign to replace the late Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald who passed away from cancer in April. Richardson, 45, is the 243rd woman and 26th African-American female ever to serve in the United States Congress. Richardson received 67.05% of the votes cast.

The final election results are expected to be certified by California’s Secretary of State Debra BowenRichardson will be sworn into office on September 4, 2007 in Washington D.C. this week.

The 37th Congressional of California includes the diverse communities of Carson, Long Beach, Compton, Signal Hill, Watts, and Willowbrook.

Congrats Laura!

WWW.JASMYNECANNICK.COM OR WWW.BLACKGAYNEWS.COM

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JASMYNECANNICK

norman a. norman: Wowwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

Now, THIS is GREAT NEWS!!!!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

All Democratic presidential candidate pledge to end medical marijuana raids, group says

Last night in Nashua US Senator Barack Obama became the latest Democratic presidential candidate to say that if he were elected president he would end raids from federal law enforcement agencies against those who use medical marijuana in the dozen states where it is legal to do so.

According to Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, this means that now all 2008 Democratic presidential candidates have agreed to stop raids, something the group says has been on the rise this summer, especially in California.

latebreaker from don duncan: court support for felix kha, return of medical cannabis thurs afternoon 8-23

2007-08-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

photo of don duncan from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/

Hello, ASA Members and Friends.

Tomorrow [Thursday], ASA will be presenting oral arguments in California Appellate Court in the return of property case for Felix Kha, a Garden Grove medical cannabis patient suing for return of his medical cannabis. Kha has been fighting for eight grams of medicine for years, and ASA is representing him to help secure the rights of every medical cannabis patient in California. Details about the case are below. Please try to come out and support Kha and ASA in Santa Ana tomorrow:

Medical Marijuana Patients Argue for Right to Unlawfully Seized Property
Hearing Thursday in state appellate court could mark an end to years of local law enforcement violations –

What: Oral arguments for two medical marijuana "Return of Property" cases in State Appellate Court
When: Thursday, August 23 at 1:30pm
Where: California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District, 925 N. Spurgeon Street, Santa Ana
Who: ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer, Chief Counsel Joe Elford will all be available for comment after the hearing

ASA’s legal team answers dozens of questions for patients, attorneys, doctors, and others every day. They have also secured important legal victories for patients, like our landmark suit against the California Highway Patrol. Read more about our Patients’ Rights Project at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=4217

We need your support to keep doing this innovative legal work. Visit http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/donate to help out.

Santa Ana, CA -- After more than two years, Garden Grove patient Felix Kha may finally see the return of his wrongfully confiscated 8 grams of medical marijuana. California's Fourth Appellate District in Santa Ana will hear oral arguments in a case that has drawn the attention of the State Attorney General and the California Police Chiefs Association. Both organizations filed amicus briefs in the case, which supported opposite sides of the issue whether law enforcement has a right to seize a patient's marijuana and, in the event of an unlawful seizure, whether that patient has a right to get it back. Kha was cited for marijuana possession and had his medicine seized in June 2005, but after the case was dismissed in August 2005, an Orange County Superior Court judge ordered the return of his medicine. However, the City of Garden Grove not only refused to return Kha's unlawfully seized property, it also appealed the order, an unprecedented action by a California city.

"More than ten years after the passage of the Compassionate Use Act, patients are still victim to routine medical marijuana seizures by local law enforcement," said Americans for Safe Access Chief Counsel, and Kha's attorney, Joe Elford. "It is bad enough to have your medicine indiscriminately seized by police, but to then be denied its rightful return shows a blatant disregard for state law and the hundreds of thousands of California patients for whom this law was designed to protect."

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has compiled reports from nearly eight hundred patient encounters with local or state police during a period of more than two years. These reports show a glaring trend: more than 90% of all encounters result in medicine seizure by police regardless of any probable cause. According to reports received by ASA, rampant seizure of medical marijuana from qualified patients and primary caregivers has taken place in 53 of California's 58 counties. These violations of state law occur in both urban and rural locales, in the north as well as the south, and by both city and county law enforcement.

Until 2005, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) held the record for the worst violator of Proposition 215, with a policy of mandatory seizure of medical marijuana regardless of patient status. In early 2005, ASA sued the state's top law enforcement agency and by August of that year the CHP had revised its policy to better respect patients' rights. As a result of that policy change, the CHP went from being the most irresponsible law enforcement agency with regard to the unlawful seizure of medical marijuana to one of the state's best. As a result of different litigation, also involving ASA, the County of Merced revised its police policy in June 2007 to prevent the unlawful seizure of marijuana from qualified patients.

As a consequence of the high number of medicine seizures, ASA has assisted scores of patients in seeking the return of their property. Although fairly onerous, California criminal courts have a mechanism to seek the return of medical marijuana; patients can file a motion for return of property and request a hearing. According to ASA, at least thirty of these motions have resulted in Superior Court orders and the return of patient medicine. At the same time, an undue number of denials have also occurred. In fact, Kha's case will be heard alongside the case of Jim Spray, a Huntington Beach patient that was denied a court order by a different judge in the same Superior Court that issued Kha's order. This discrepancy makes the issue ripe for an appellate court decision.

Felix Kha backgrounder with links

Garden Grove patient Felix Kha was pulled over by local police on June 10, 2005 for not making a full stop. The police searched Kha’s vehicle without consent and found his approximately 8 grams of medical marijuana. Kha proceeded to show the GGPD officers his doctor’s recommendation, which was met with the response that the then-recent [U.S. Supreme Court] Raich decision made medical marijuana illegal. Kha’s case was dismissed in August 2005, and he immediately asked for the return of his medical marijuana. The next day, Kha obtained a court order for return of property from the Orange County Superior Court. However, when Kha attempted to get his 8 grams back from GGPD, they refused. ASA intervened and wrote two letters to the City of Garden Grove on Kha’s behalf, demanding that it relinquish property that was rightfully his. ASA’s final letter to the City of Garden Grove threatened contempt proceedings.

On October 31, 2005, in an unprecedented move, the City of Garden Grove appealed the Orange County Superior Court ruling to return Kha’s marijuana, filing in the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District. Then on January 7, 2006, ASA filed an informal opposition on behalf of Kha, who is the real party in interest. Of particular note, California Attorney General (AG) Bill Lockyer filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief on November 1, 2006 in support of Kha and the return of his property. On December 19, 2006, the California Police Chiefs Association filed an amicus brief in support of the City of Garden Grove. A decision by California's Fourth Appellate District is currently pending.

ASA letter to City of Garden Grove threatening contempt (sent 10/20/05)
Garden Grove Appeal of Orange County Superior Court Order for Return of Property (filed 10/31/05)
ASA opposition to Garden Grove Appeal (filed 1/7/06)
Garden Grove Reply (filed 1/19/06)
Attorney General amicus brief in support of Kha (filed 11/1/06)
California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) amicus brief in support of Garden Grove (filed 12/19/06)
ASA opposition to CPCA amicus brief (filed 1/3/07)

For further information, refer to Felix Kha's return of property case , including a description and legal briefs.

__________________
Don Duncan
Southern California Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org <http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/>

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Are you an ASA member? ….http://www.AmericansforSafeAccessNow.org/donate

Los Angeles Office
7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800
West Hollywood, CA 90046
P: 323-882-6766 F: 323-882-6263

richard kearns reads la-weho townhall med cannabis update invite/poem to weho city council tonight (8-20)

2007-08-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

richard kearns, poet activist

enchant this day
o my song
be a river
be a voice
be my herald
tell my tale
careen my joy
among the bells
of stars at night
clapper'd by a
darken'd moon
here is the news
i dawn'd this day
[august 20, 2007,
for the weho city council]

come ye all to the
la-weho townhall update
dinner & gelato taste &
dialog on medical cannabis
thursday, august 30
at plummer park
rooms five & six
hosted by ten medical
cannabis clinics inside &
barely over the weho line
down melrose & la brea
with thanks to josh kurpies &
jeff prang's office &
support as well from pan
asa wamc & glaca
i am waiting, waiting to
confirm panel speakers
like i gotta pee in a store with
no bathroom (how long? how long?)
(soon soon. i'll tell you soon)
think about light dinner at 6pm &
“farmacy”™ non-leaded gelato-tasting
followed by those five & me & you
in dialogue that is a plain-spoken record
of what it takes to stay alive
in the cannabis patient community
sorting it out. tale by tale

& you can read about it at another
joyfully just-launched project
http://CannabisPatientVoice.blogspot.com
a virtual hometown, like http://aids-write.org
for more than twenty
new media citizen journalists
keyboarding their news
for you

i write on the page
i feel its emptiness
fill

& when i read i stand
not in the room but
there in ruins in
battered fields in
harvest in lost in burnt in
unfindable wreckage

home

namasté

steve llamb: 2 more photos of la women’s cannabis rally (8-15)

2007-08-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

kearns moderates la-weho townhall meet med cannabis update & dinner 8-30

2007-08-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

chers---

on thursday night, august 30 i will be moderating a townhall meeting in plummer park, rooms 5 and 6. there will be a light dinner and gelato tasting (gelato from the “farmacy”™) and then a panel discussion and open forum updating non-patients on the current state of medical cannabis in los angeles, as we see it. five speakers, then public comment & dialog. dinner starts at 6:00. discussion starts at 6:30. am still waiting to hear back about all speakers and anticipate a press release monday. also jeff prang’s weho newsletter will announce the meeting to residents.

this is a place to catch up our voting non-patient allies with the roller coaster ride of events we’ve been going through (like you could figure out what was happening just by following the la times’ non-coverage). i want to focus on our activities as a social justice movement in the context of across-the-board national and international problems of ideology vs. science. i want us to take a look at the issue of state vs. federal jurisdiction in matters of grassroots social change. we will record and transcribe the comments and discussion as “resource” material for other neighborhood meetings throughout la county.

the meeting is sponsored by a coalition representing ten dispensaries inside and just outside the city limits of west hollywood. we have support from pan and asa, wamc and are waiting to confirm a positive & cordial response from glaca. we need your support too, each person who reads this. i am very excited about this effort to work with our stakeholding non-patient citizen allies.

while i’m too tired to be at the asa meeting today, i do anticipate being at the cannabis & coffee meeting tomorrow morning (8-19) at 11 at lapcg. i’d be happy to talk with you about it if you want to stop by. also, i am looking for patients interested in learning how to blog for http://cannabispatientvoice.blogspot.com , which has been off to a good start. right now there is a jpeg posted at the site you can use for flyers for the townhall meeting. contact me rk@aids-write.org for 4-up and 10-up jpegs to print out your own flyers. watch for announcements at cpvoice. i also anticipate an informal poetry reading sunday afternoon around 5pm at galaxy gallery. will probably have a draft of the poem i will be reading to the west hollywood city council monday night, august 20 at 6:30pm. show up at the weho park auditorium, on san vicente between santa monica & melrose, at 6 to sign up for public comments yourself.

hope this post finds you well and safe.

namasté

richard kearns

rk@aids-write.org

310-488-1328

degé coutee calls for volunteers at noho medical cannabis patient advocacy center

2007-08-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings Patient Advocates –

The Patient Advocacy Center is ours for at least another 6 weeks, maybe longer and there is a lot of work to do. We need volunteers to help run the Center and be here as a resource for patients during this critical time. We can maintain the hours we want and need!

The Center is located at 10652 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. I am available tomorrow, Friday from 1 – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 2 – 5 p.m.

Please stop in and get involved! We hope to open with our full-time schedule by Monday. We need you to help make that happen. Hope to see you tomorrow or Saturday.

Truly,

Degé
Patient Advocacy Network
323/334-5282

richard kearns --- an echoing of boos: 6 photos from women's medical cannabis rally

2007-08-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

don duncan: la city council grills lapd

2007-08-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles City Councilmember Janice Hahn and her colleagues posed pointed questions wednesday about the police department's involvement in last month's DEA raids at medical cannabis facilities to LAPD Commander Donne, who appeared in lieu of Chief Bratton at a City Council hearing today. Representatives from Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and other advocates have complained about the LAPD cooperation with the DEA, especially the appearance of LAPD Detective Dennis Packer in a DEA uniform during the raid at California Patients Group (CPG) in Hollywood. Packer, an asset forfeiture specialist on a LAPD/DEA task force, later signed warrants seizing bank accounts from CPG and affiliated collectives in West Hollywood and Berkeley.

Commander Donne’s assertion that only collectives that were problematic were targeted on July 25 drew an angry outburst from advocates in the audience. Donne’s brief comments caused several verbal outbursts from a crowd of almost 100 advocates, some of who were members or operators of closed collectives. Donne told the City Council that the LAPD works closely with many other law enforcement agencies and has approximately 20 officers who are also deputized as DEA agents. He explained that Detective Packer, who has been present at a majority of DEA raids in the city, worked with the DEA “when asset forfeiture is appropriate.” Donne repeated allegations from yesterday’s Police Commission meeting, saying that targeted collectives were associated with organized crime, gang activity, and profiteering. Councilmember Hahn drew loud applause when she told Donne that it was not his job to decide how much money a collective should be making.

Councilmember William Rosendahl complained that the LAPD report was incomplete and worried that collectives that comply with registration requirements in the city’s newly adopted moratorium may also be targeted. The City Council approved a motion by Councilmember Dennis Zine calling on the LAPD and City Attorney to report back to the Public Safety Commission about the impact of policies refusing non-cooperation with DEA raids in other cities. ASA’ LA County Field Coordinator Chris Fusco is working with City Council staff to develop a resolution of non-cooperation. If adopted, the resolution will set an important precedent for cities statewide and become an important component of ASA’s work to get state officials to stand behind patients and providers in California.

Today’s meeting was a bitter-sweet victory for advocates, who are seeing the results of two years of effective advocacy while feeling the heat of the DEA latest crack down on medical cannabis. Advocates complain that some of the most compassionate and reputable collectives in the city have been closed already. They also mistrust Donne’s claim that the LAPD would not target collectives that comply with the terms of the new moratorium or upcoming regulations. Advocates believe that the LAPD and DEA routinely cooperate and are determined to close all of LA’s collectives.

One silver lining of the DEA attacks in Los Angeles is that it has re-galvanized the community. Medical cannabis advocates with ASA and other groups are vowing to escalate their opposition to DEA tactics like targeting landlords, raiding collectives, and seizing assets. Five protesters were arrested blocking the DEA exit at CPG on July 25. Dozens of others engaged in a stand-off with LAPD officers who repeatedly try to push protester back from the scene – sometimes aggressively. This spirit of defiance was visible at today’s City Council meeting when advocates spoke... and shouted. Afterwards, small groups convened impromptu meetings in the hallways to plan next steps. Two City Council Members even joined us to offer input. LA ASA members are organizing affinity groups for non-violent civil disobedience training right now. It is remarkable to see how active and motivated the community of advocates have become in LA. Two years ago, ASA started training spokespeople, educating the community, and lobbying elected officials. It is so great to see those efforts paying off.

We need the participation of every advocate to fight back in LA. The nest LA ASA meeting will be at 1:00 PM on Saturday, August 18, at the Patients ID Center located at 470 S. San Vicente Blvd., between Wilshire Blvd. and 3rd St. Visit http://www.ASAaction.org

__________________
Don Duncan
Southern California Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org <http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/>

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Join us today….www.AmericansforSafeAccessNow.org
Los Angeles Office
7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800
West Hollywood, CA 90046

chris conrad: texts of prop 215, ca sb 420, & other medical cannabis documents

2007-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

click here for chris’ linkpage

California's Proposition 215 was the first statewide medical marijuana initiative to pass in the USA (1996).
• Text of Prop 215 (Cal HS 11362.5)
• Text and analysis of SB 420 (Cal HS 11362.7)
• Text of other selected California marijuana laws
• Mower Decision: Medical marijuana Burden of Proof is on prosecution
• Trippet Decision: Amounts reasonably related to need
• Peron Decision: Medical marijuana caregivers can be compensated
• Demurrer to dismiss charges, Penal Code 1002-1008
• Local Guidelines by California City or County
• Safe Access Now: Coalition promotes Medical Marijuana Garden Guidelines
• Ballot arguments on Prop 215 / Download as a PDF
• Nevada State Medical Marijuana Law
• Federal Ninth Circuit Conant Decision: Doctors can recommend cannabis
• Federal Supreme Court Raich Decision: States cannot shield patients from federal prosecution

It's still the law. Cannabis (marijuana) was listed in medical texts to treat over 100 different health conditions, prior to its ban in 1937 over the objections of the AMA. Medical use is still allowed under the UN Single Convention Treaty on Narcotic Drugs.

• Text of selected California marijuana laws: Health and Safety Code 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360, 11361, 11362.5, 11362.7, 11362.9, 11366, 11570
• Medical Marijuana: Health and Safety § 11362.5 / Prop 215
• Penal Code 1000: Deferred entry of judgement or diversion from prison
• CA: Diversion for personal cultivation: Williamson Hearing
• CA: Benefits of law change are retroactive
• Court rulings, federal and state
• CA: Medical Marijuana: Burden of Proof is on Prosecution: Mower Decision
• California: Peron decision allows caregivers to be compensated
• Police liable for violating civil rights, can legally return medical marijuana, relevant state / federal laws
• California: Hippie Profiling illegal grounds for car search

Overview of California Marijuana Laws

Expert witness testimony is available for the defense to dispute statements by prosecution experts. If you are unable to afford an expert, the County may be required to pay for this service per Evidence Code §730. Click here to find out more.

Marijuana defined -- "Marijuana means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. It does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination." California Health & Safety Code 11018.

Concentrated cannabis defined -- "Concentrated cannabis means the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from marijuana." Health & Safety Code 11006.5.

Medical marijuana defined -- "Only the dried mature processed flowers of female cannabis plant or the plant conversion shall be considered when determining allowable quantities of marijuana under this section." Health & Safety Code 11362.77(d)

Medical marijuana is legal in California for qualified individuals: Medical patients and their designated primary caregivers may legally possess HS 11357 and cultivate HS 11358, but not distribute or sell, marijuana under HS 11362.5 (Prop 215) if they have a physician's recommendation or approval. Leislation that takes effect on January 1, 2004 extends that protection to transportation

Possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor under California Health and Safety Code Section 11357.

Possession of one ounce (28.5 gms) or less is punishable by a maximum $100 fine; jail time is possible for larger amounts or for hashish, which is an optional felony ("wobbler"). Possession offenders can avoid conviction by making a preguilty plea under Penal Code 1000, in which case their charges are dismissed upon successful completion of a diversion program. Possession offenses are expunged from the record after two years under Health and Safety Code Sections 11361.5 and 11361.7.

Possession with intent to sell any amount of marijuana is a felony. Health and Safety Code 11359.

Cultivation of any amount of marijuana is a felony under Health and Safety Code 11358. People who grow for personal use are eligible for diversion under Penal Code 1000 so long as there is no evidence of intent to sell. There are no fixed plant number limits to personal use cultivation. It is possible to win diversion through a Williamson Hearing.

Sale, transportation or distribution of marijuana is a felony under Health and Safety Code Sections 11360. Transporting or giving away (furnishing) one ounce or less is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum $100 fine.

Sale or distribution to minors is a felony under Health and Safety Code 11361.

Marijuana paraphernalia is illegal to sell or manufacture, but not possess, under Health and Safety Code 11364. All marijuana paraphernalia is subject to seizure by the police.

Driving suspension for minors: Any minor (age under 21) convicted of a marijuana, alcohol, or other drug offense faces a 12-month drivers license suspension, regardless of whether the offense was driving-related. The court may allow restricted license privileges if the minor demonstrates a "critical need to drive." Vehicle Code 13202.5 . (Note: This penalty can be avoided by entering a diversion program).

Forfeiture: Unlike federal law, California law requires a conviction for forfeiture of property involved in a drug crime. Also unlike federal law, state law does not permit forfeiture of personal real estate for marijuana cultivation. Vehicles may be forfeited only if 10 pounds or more of marijuana is involved. Health and Safety Code 11470.

California Law search full text of codes: www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

Federal Law: Marijuana is also illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Federal charges are typically brought only in large cases where commercial distribution is suspected (e.g., cultivation of several hundred plants). Text of the Controlled Substances Act.

Analysis provided by California NORML.

steve llamb photos of la women’s cannabis rally where councilwoman janice hahn calls for moratorium on DEA raids in los angeles

2007-08-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

from \Leanne Suter's abc report

City Councilwoman Janice Hahn says the DEA is going too far. "I'm calling on the federal government to have a moratorium on these raids.”

from steve hymon's la times report, reprinted at policeone.com

Councilwoman Janice Hahn said the LAPD didn't always follow the federal lead. Over the years, the LAPD has ignored federal immigration laws and chosen not to ask people about their immigration status as a way to build a better relationship with the community, she said.

from rich orloff's la daily news report:

Hahn said she is prepared to call for the LAPD to stop participating in DEA raids or ask the DEA to impose a moratorium on raids.

more of steve's pictures of the rally at images burnside:

christo: last night i lobbied barbara lee about medical cannabis

2007-08-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

chers---

i like christo’s first-person first-timer narrative here. i like the tone of it.

christo will be publishing more at CannabisPatientVoice when he returns to oakland, ca from a visit with his dad in tucson,az. we’ll get to see then if he wants to let us know his last name. for now, pix of the gates in central park.

namasté

---lyr

Last night I lobbied my Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Here is the story:

I made it to the town hall meeting in Piedmont (Oakland) last night and spoke with Barbara Lee, my Congressional Representative, about adding her name and her support to the letter that Reps. Dana Rohrbacher and Tim Oliver are sending to DEA administrator Karen Tandy about the opinion and ruling by a DEA Administrative law judge regarding research on the medical use of cannabis. I spoke with Congresswoman Lee about this directly after the meeting. I put the letter requesting her support into her hands. She promised to take a look at it. I explained to her that it was not fair for the Feds to try to have it both ways - by claiming that medicinal cannabis has no medical value, and by also disallowing any research materials to be produced so that the needed research can be done to prove the facts. (Good language Sonnet, thx, I used it.)

I also spoke with her Director of Constituent Services/Scheduler - Saundra Andrews. I also spoke at length with Daniela Quintanilla, a staffer based here in Oakland, who has agreed to take a meeting on this subject.

I must say that Barbara Lee is terrific. She was open and available after the town hall meeting. I had to jostle a bit for position, but I definitely had the opportunity to say my piece directly to her and to hand her the paperwork to review later.

I first thanked her for her vote on the Hinchey-Rohrbacher amendment. She gave me a big smile and said, "Yes, wasn't that a good one?" After I thanked her, and it was clear that she was receptive to me, and it was also apparent that I knew what I was talking about, then the half dozen staffers who were moving around with her closely in a tight phalanx of security gave me some breathing room to speak to her for a minute. I quickly explained that the federal government was attempting to have it both ways on the issue of the medical benefits of cannabis. They are claiming that cannabis has no medicinal value while at the same time blocking respected institutions from producing the research materials necessary to do the research to prove the facts. I then asked her to please review the letter from Reps. Dana Rohrbacher and Tim Oliver, and to consider adding her signature to the letter. She stated that she would look at it.

I then followed up with her staff. Saundra Andrews and Daniela Quintanilla were both very receptive and warm. All of Barbara Lee's staffers are amazing. I got their cards and promised to follow up to set up a meeting, which I am eager to do. I feel like I should seek some guidance and direction from the ASA office next to see how to proceed. I would like to call and/or email today or tomorrow to set up a meeting with Daniela, and I would like to recruit peeps from the ASA office to come to the meeting with me.

All in all, it was a very powerful town hall meeting. Many of the people were there about Iraq and impeachment. Barbara Lee was the ONLY member of Congress to vote against the war when it first came up for a vote. She is superb on this issue, and there were already many constituents there to lobby her to remain strong on this, and to get impeachment on the table, too. The hall was completely filled with people. There wasn't any room for more chairs. There were well over 150 people there - standing room only.

I was going to ask a question about impeachment, but that issue seemed very well represented by the crowd. So, I decided to lobby exclusively on MMJ rights. I wrote out three MMJ questions, but none of them were read and answered by her during the town hall. Two of them were considerably lacking in brevity, however, so I understand why that may be. Anyway, her staff saw how interested and involved I was as an activist and all of the questions I wrote and gave to them. And it seemed like they allowed me some space to speak with her afterward. Also, I expect that all of the unanswered written questions will receive a response via email or snail mail eventually.

The event was very empowering for me. I was a little nervous, but I won't be as nervous next time. I look forward to following up with a meeting with her staffers, or maybe even with her.

I really enjoyed doing this! I encourage all of you to become activists and to take direct action to make your representatives and local public officials understand how important this issue is to you. It does work. They do want to hear from you!!

I hope this sending may inspire some of you to action in terms of lobbying your local and national representatives on MMJ issues. Things seem to be heating up right now. With all the raids in LA, the letters from the DEA threatening dispensaries’ landlords with asset forfeiture and the seizure of the Berkeley Patients Group’s bank account, now is the time for action! It is time to stand up and make our voices heard. If we don’t fight back now, we may not have dispensaries left to defend soon. The DEA does seem intent on shutting them down by all means available to them.

---christo

richard mitchell, the underground grammarian: hunger in america

2007-08-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

chers---

this is a tough article, and i still find new stuff in it every time i read it. it's not perfect, either.

i will help you out: mitchell talks about ideology versus science, the same conflict in which we find ourselves caught up today. mitchell would make the case that drug czar walters is illiterate.

have fun. write home often and regularly. the picture above is of mitchell composing the underground grammarian on a movable-lead-type printing press he inherited and installed in his basement. he believed the internet was a greater printing press and mainstay of a free press for informed, literate readers who could understand metaphor.

namasté

---lyr

Hunger in America, published 1984

Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. § Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. § For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries; and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood... § Go up into Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; in vain shalt thou use many medicines, for thou shalt not be cured. § The nations have heard of thy shame...

THE EPIGRAPH is, to be sure, unusual, and a bit long. Please read it anyway. Twice. Read it not with the reading of the schools, not as 'a receiver of a communication,' but as a thoughtful inquirer into the meaning of what is said, as one who intends to say something about what is said.

Read it slowly, as you would read a gnarled sonnet of Donne, moving your lips the while. Listen. Discover its voice and its tone. Judge the effects of diction, its rhythms, its curt images and its metaphors. Pronounce it, at last, not right or wrong, which is useful only with regard to 'a communication,' but good or bad, either well-wrought or ill. Consider how, if there were going to be a test, you could justify your verdict. Do all of that now, and do it well, for there is going to be a test -- every day of your life, and what follows is the dreadful tale of a man who failed it. So take your time. We can wait.

Good. All of that has made you an understander, not just a receiver.

What understanding have you of the word 'medicines'? What sorts of 'medicines' does he have in mind, who speaks those words? Is he thinking of such things as antibiotics and decongestants, or even some imaginable ancient equivalents?

In what tone and with what intent does he say those words? Are they a taunting rebuke to that 'daughter of Egypt,' assuring her that she has no hope at all of evading the just consequences of her deeds: or are they a bit of helpful advice on health-care?

Or can it be that the bloody aggressions of Egypt have nothing to do with the case? Did the speaker, all in the midst of his imprecations against the trouble-makers of a turbulent time, take a little time off to issue a commandment to us? When he says, 'In vain shalt though use many medicines, for thou shalt not be cured,' is he ordering us, or anyone at all, to refrain utterly from all medical knowledge and practice?

If that is what you have concluded from your reading of the cited passage, then you are utterly illiterate. You cannot read. It matters not at all that you know the letters and the words.

Consider now the plight of a man who knows the letters and the words, but who can not read at all. Because he can not read at all, and because he imagines that he can, he was found guilty of certain criminal acts related to the death of his son.

Bill Barnhart's child died of hunger at the age of two and a half. For five months, what nourishment the boy had been able to swallow was gobbled up by the tumor that was growing in his belly. The child shriveled and the tumor prospered, until its greed undid them both. After a meager last supper, a few dry Cheerios and a sip of grape juice, host and guest died quietly together.

Barnhart, along with his wife, was eventually convicted of endangering the life of a child, and involuntary manslaughter. He can not, for the life of him, understand why.

He is as much aggrieved as grieved. He understands the passage that you have so carefully read, along with a few carefully selected other passages that he can not read, as God's commandment to him to keep sick children away from doctors.

'I did nothing wrong,' he said. 'My conscience doesn't bother me.'

That, we do believe. Conscience is a high wall of scrawled graffiti where the world can write what it pleases, a random anthology of pet notions, unexamined sentiments, and popular slogans remarkable chiefly for their vagueness. Conscience stands always in need of editing, a job that can't be done except through thoughtful reading of the scrawls.

But something bothers Barnhart. He is baffled and vexed, all unable to account for his suffering. He wonders why not one member of the jury was willing to 'stand up for God's rights,' in which notion he sees neither the absurdity nor the irony. In a speech whose devastating and utterly unintended power makes him sound like a character in a play by Arthur Miller, he points out the very passage cited above, and says to a reporter (Michael E. Ruane, in The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, June 17, 1984):

I want you to read that and see what you expect somebody to take out of that there. I'd like you to tell me what your interpretation is. I'd like you to study the whole thing out.

How long would it take to sit down with Bill Barnhart to study the whole thing out? That is exactly what he needs: the whole thing, the whole art and power of language and thought.

Literacy is not a knack. It is a moral condition. The ability to read attentively, reflectively, and judiciously is also the ability to be attentive, reflective, and judicious. It is not an optional adornment for just and sane living. It is a necessity. It is the necessity. It is not a variety or portion of education. It is education. It is the whole thing, the wholesome nourishment of the mind, by which the mind may grow strong enough to be the master of the will and not its slave, the judge of desire and not its procurer, the censor of sentiment and not its tool, and the inquisitor of belief, not its flack. It [literacy] is our only path to whatever wisdom we can have, which is our only path to whatever goodness we can know, which is our only path to whatever happiness we can enjoy.

Bill Barnhart is not a happy man. His 'faith,' which is every bit as involuntary as his manslaughter, has not made him whole. He taketh no balm in Gilead. In vain shall he use many medicines, for he shall not be cured. Hunger is eating him up. All that might nourish him is straightway devoured by the tumor that lives in his belly.

The Barnharts of our time, by the millions, live by the law of the belly. The belly was once believed to be the origin and dwelling place of impulse and appetite, the nettles and whips of our nature least susceptible to the governance of Reason. Orwell saluted the appropriateness of that metaphor in 'bellyfeel,' the mindless and ardent loyalty of the 'true believer,' and we acknowledge it when we have 'gut feelings.'

As to the presence of gut feelings, there is not disputation. We can not doubt Barnhart's word when he says, 'We feel that God wrote this Bible.' Although a thoughtful person would have said 'I feel,' recognizing that as to the feelings of others all evidence is hearsay, and ackowledging the possibility that Justin probably had no feelings one way or the other in this crucial matter, we nevertheless do believe that Barnhart does believe that he feels what he says he feels. And so do we all.

When he justifies his acts by his feelings, Barnhart stands where we all stand, often, every day. It is the Occasion of Education. All he needs is a true teacher to stay him a while.

In this case, a true teacher would probably start out by quoting from Isaiah: 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.' And he will leave aside until later, much later, the rest of that verse. He will not quarrel as to the author of the Bible, for it truly doesn't matter. He would urge only that if God had written a book, it would turn out to be a very fine book indeed. Better than anything ever done by Homer, or Dante, or Milton. Better than Shakespeare, far better. Whatever excellencies of language and thought we find in the countless books by the legions of the lesser, shall we not find in ultimate perfection in the one perfect book of the greater? Where the many plumb deepness beyond deepness, shall the one not leave us glimpses of the abyss? If the simple song of a poet can dwell forever in the mind, arising and living again and again, shining each time with new, undreamed of light, shall we knock off a line of Jeremiah and say, 'That's that'?

Just now, of course, none of that would mean anything to Barnhart. He has been to school, which is why he can not read. He knows nothing of the excellencies of language and thought, for no one could show them to him. He knows nothing of deepness in great authors, for he hasn't read them. The words of poets do not arise and live in his mind, and even the words by which he lives and requires helpless children to live -- or to die, as luck would have it -- even the words he calls 'God's' are dead slogans, bones that can not live.

Fundamental literalism is not only a sickness of religion; it is a sickness of the mind. It is essentially a Basic Minimum Competence writ large and applied indiscriminately to all supposed human 'problems' -- anything from filling out an application for a driving license to distinguishing the worthy from the unworthy. Among its components, two are essential. One is a blindness to metaphor, and the other is the nourishment of the tumor that lives in the belly, the feeling that feeling is knowing. Out of the notion that communication is the purpose of language, the schools provide the first, and out of the feeling that education is the result of 'adjustment' in 'the affective domain,' the schools provide the second. In fact, though they haven't the wit to figure it out, the simpleton religionists have no better friends than the simpleton educationists, who turn out, yearly, millions of empty children, prepared not for life, but only for the unexamined life, and so terribly hungry that they will swallow anything.

They will take no balm. In vain will they gobble up dry Cheerios and guzzle down grape juice, for they will never be nourished.

Richard Mitchell

the underground grammarian

Hunger in America, 1984

brother blogger jaime green — “simplicity and raw honesty”

2007-08-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

from aids-write.org:

Thursday, October 19th, 2006

rk---

keeping it simple has always been best in my life and i always urge my friends & associates to operate on very basic levels of trust and to speak up when things bother them: simplicity and raw honesty always earn great respect

…..i remain humbly, jaime.

[aidswriteorg] awo’s brother blogger jaime green — “simplicity and raw honesty” (429)

lauren rothman: wamc prepares for march downtown wed, aug 15

2007-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Women Advancing Medical Cannabis met tonight to prepare the finishes touches to our inaugural event, which we have chosen to commemorate by beginning the morning with a rally at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, after which LA City Council Member Janice Hahn (District 15) and several other women (and perhaps a few supportive men) of note will speak on behalf of the utmost importance of a supportive community in which safe access flourishes and medical cannabis patients are treated with the same candor and professionalism afforded to mainstream pharmaceutical patients.

So dainty. So fitting. So true.

If anything, we intend to be more functional and more accountable, which is largely why many of us have come to medical cannabis, in addition to its beneficial qualities in conjunction with prescribed pharmaceutical medication.

We got so much accomplished tonight! Thank you to every single one of you for all that you did tonight, the enthusiasm and excitement for this event seems to grow by the day.

Here's some more of this evening's handiwork, lovingly crafted by my fellow patients and dedicated friends.

I hope we get a stereophonic assault on August 15th:

We would appreciate it if those of you planning to arrive via the proposed WAMC bus would please email wamc.myspace@gmail.com as soon as possible, we want to have room for all of you! Think of it as an RSVP of sorts, and a huge thank you is in order to the collectives thoughtfully providing transportation for our event!

Thanks again to all of you, WAMC wouldn't be a reality without us.

Lauren Rothman
Women Advancing Medical Cannabis

don duncan: update from the front lines 8-09-07

2007-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, ASA members and allies.

The last six weeks have been tumultuous, so I want to make sure everyone is up to date on what is happening locally. Please make note of the dates below and forward this message to your friends and loved ones so they can attend the events, too.

ASA is working daily to stop the LAPD and DEA raids at collectives and mitigate the impact of the DEA letters to their landlords. We are also coordinating our local response with organizers statewide for a mass mobilization to Sacramento later this year. In Washington, DC, our lobbyists are working with a professional PR firm to rally our allies and champions in Congress to change federal law. Our budget was already stretched to capacity before the latest crackdown. I need your help right now more than ever. Please visit http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/donate and join today. If you can make a monthly pledge or one time contribution, it will make an immediate difference in our work here and in the Capitol.

Chris and I are settling into our new office in West Hollywood and could use some help moving some boxes to storage and other logistics. Please email me at dondduncan@yahoo.com if you can help out. The address is 7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800, in West Hollywood, CA 90046. The cross street is Formosa, two blocks west of La Brea. (The office is on the second floor and there is no elevator.)

Here is some of what is happening in LA right now:

The ordinance establishing a moratorium on new collectives is waiting for the Mayor’s signature right now. It will become effective 30 days after he signs it.
Councilmember Dennis Zine has sent a letter to the DEA asking them to stop targeting landlords and let the Council regulate collectives without further interference. This letter was read into the Congressional Record during the Hinchey-Rohrabacher debate and is now part of ASA’s lobbying effort in Washington, DC.
Councilmember Hahn has asked LAPD Chief Bratton to appear before the City Council to explain the department’s involvement in DEA raids. Hahn and her colleagues are especially concerned about Detective Packer’s work with the DEA following his appearance in a DEA uniform inside a Hollywood collective on July 25.
The City Council is considering a resolution of non-cooperation with the DEA on medical cannabis raids. If adopted, this resolution would be the cornerstone of a statewide effort to rally local support to influence the Governor to stand up for us.
ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer and I appeared with Councilmember Zine on his monthly cable access show last week to discuss medical cannabis issues in LA.
ASA lobbyists continue to meet with members of Congress in Washington, DC, to build opposition the the DEA letters and raids. We are circulating a sign-on letter to members of the House and working on a letter for Republicans in national, state, and local office in Southern California. There is so much going on with our federal campaign right now that I could not possibly list it all here. Read more about it at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=301 Remember that we must solve the federal problem to protect patients’ access. Please note – ASA is still $15,000 short on fundraising for lobbying and PR work in DC this month! You can help right now... http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/donate

Mark you calendars for these dates:

Friday, August 11 -
The “First Occasional Los Angeles Cannabis Comedy Festival”
Benefit comedy show featuring Ngaio Bealum, Greg Proops, Garrett Morris, Jefferey Peterson, Rich Chassler, Joe Bartnick and more! There will be music by the Luchadoors and DJ Ill Media! The show starts at 9:00 PM sharp at Garrett Morris’ Downtown Comedy Club located on the second floor of the historic Hotel Alexandria (the corner of 5th and Spring St.) in the heart of Gallery Row. Tickets are $15.00, and all proceeds go to ASA. Email ngaio@lamedicalmarijuana.com for information.

Wednesday, August 15 –
Women Advancing Medical Cannabis March
9:00 AM at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building located at 255 E. Temple St. in downtown LA. Invited speakers include LA City Council Member Janice Hahn and Maria Shriver (wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). Email march@wamcla.org for information.

Saturday, August 18 –
Los Angeles ASA Meeting
1:00 PM at 470 S. San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048-4107. This meeting will have a special focus on Non-violent Civil Disobedience and strategic planning in response to the crisis in LA. Please invite your friends and loved ones. The meeting is not at a collective and the venue is 100% accessible. Visit http://www.ASAaction.org for directions.

See you all at these events!

__________________
Don Duncan
Southern California Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org <http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/>

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Join us today….www.AmericansforSafeAccessNow.org

Los Angeles Office
7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800
West Hollywood, CA 90046
P: 323-464-7719 F: 323-464-7355
Cell (323) 326-6347 * AIM - DonDDLA

blank physician’s statement recommending medical cannabis

2007-08-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Physician’s Statement
Regarding Medical Cannabis
as per California Health & Safety Code 11362.5

To Whom It May Concern:

this statement certifies that

___________________________________________
(patient)

is a patient uncer my care and supervision for the treatment of

___________________________________________
(diagnosis)

____ (optional; please check if applicable) I decline to state my patient’s diagnosis to protect his or her confidentiality

I have discussed the benefits and risks of cannabis use with my patient as a treatment for his or her condition. I recommend or approve cannabis use for my patient. If my patient chooses to use cannabis therapeutically, I will continue to monitor his or her condition and provide feedback on his or her progress.

I understand that I will be contacted to verify the content of this letter. My patient authorizes me to discuss this recommendation or approval for verification purposes only.

I am a physician licensed to practice medicine in California.

This statement is valid until

___________________________________________
expiration date

___________________________________________
physician’s signature

___________________________________________
physician’s name (please print)

___________________________________________
physician’s CA license no.

___________________________________________
date of recommendation

___________________________________________
physician’s address 1

___________________________________________
physician’s address 2

___________________________________________
city, state, zip

___________________________________________
physician’s telephone

this letter is a confidential medical statement

degé coutee: PAN update - meeting nancy pelosi's office about medical cannabis

2007-08-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends and Advocates–

Yesterday I met with Nancy Pelosi’s District Aid thanks to the efforts of advocates in San Francisco.

Our discussion included educating their office on the recent history in Southern California, from San Diego, December 2005 to LA, July 2007. They were unaware of the extent to which local law enforcement and officials have been involved with these raids and closures, i.e., cross-deputized officers, joint task forces, unethical public officials. They knew nothing of the landlord threats until the scheduling of this meeting.

We requested immediate action from the Speaker as well as short and long-term commitments. We offered our suggestions and requested feedback as to whether our asks were legislatively possible and could provide the desired outcome. We requested a statement from the Speaker to be read at an upcoming press conference. We inquired about the usefulness of opening congressional hearings on medical cannabis as well as any amendment or resolution that would be feasible during this political climate. We discussed the usefulness of removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

What we learned from the district office – They recognize Nancy as a big supporter of medical cannabis and wanted to make sure we were aware of her reputation for that. They wanted to make sure we knew that the Speaker’s office is not the “one-stop shop to Congress” and we need to be putting pressure on all members of Congress in areas that have been most effected as well as specific committee heads. More pressure on the governor’s office and attorney general was suggested. We were urged to get other groups and organizations to speak out for our cause as well, i.e., civil liberties, health reform, etc. All of our questions and requests were taken down by the aid and we will have some answers by next Monday.

What they learned from us – We recognize that Nancy has said favorable things about medical cannabis in the past but that it is time for her to demonstrate leadership and provide ACTIVE support now – this is a crisis.

The Supreme Court has charged that Congress has to be the body to remedy this problem – we are asking Nancy to be a leader on this. We had actively contacted Congress during Hinchey-Rohrabacher. We now need some direction as to what Congress can actually do for us SOON as to not waste any time asking them to do something they cannot. We have tried to bend the governor and attorney general’s ear on this to no avail but are still trying – still it takes Congress to act. We are committed to this until medical cannabis is legal and the prisoners return home – we will work with the Speaker and any/all Congress members to make this happen.

Overall, it was a positive and energetic meeting. I learned two things that are very important to us and our movement:

The grassroots movement has to take leadership roles, locally and nationally. Case in point - National policy orgs that were personally provided with the landlord letter early in July never forwarded it Congress as they stated. Pelosi’s office knew nothing of the crisis in LA until now.
We have A LOT of work to do. The general feedback I’ve received from elected officials offices is that they are NOT HEARING FROM US in any significant numbers. We are not on their radar at this time. We have to change that.

Currently PAN is conducting positive guerilla education campaigns and street theatre in local communities to raise awareness and gain support from community members. We are conducting letter writing and phone call campaigns targeting specific local and state officials. We will have a clear ask for Congress here soon! We, of course, still offer numerous workshops to patients and caregivers. Do not hesitate to get involved. If you do, it will be too late!!

We will have our North Hollywood Patient Advocacy Center longer than we thought. Please look for more information in the next couple days about our expanded hours and upcoming workshops and events. The Center is located at 10652 Magnolia Blvd. and is currently open Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Thursday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. More to come…

Our Riverside Patient Advocacy Center is very active. IE patients should contact Ryan at 909/996-1197 for more information. The Center is at 7201 Arlington Ave., Suite B, Riverside and is open Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. We have activity every Sunday at 4:20 p.m.

Thanks you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Remember, PAN needs your ongoing involvement and financial support to continue winning these battles. Thanks to everyone who helped make the trip to Speaker Pelosi’s office possible.

Truly Yours,

Degé

kearns @ pan/aids-write reads open poem to la-city plum committee 5-15-07: “who are you to tell me how to sing the blues?”

2007-08-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

chers—

here are my remarks prepared & delivered to the la-city planning & land use management committee earlier today, may 15, 2007, urging them to move forward with the medical cannabis regulation process. there must have been a couple of dozen of us there.

the city clerk’s report was unavailable at the time of the meeting, so a vote on the item was deferred until next week. i’ll be back with more to say next week too.

namasté

—lyr

my name is richard kearns. i am a 55-year-old gay man alive with AIDS in los angeles for more than 20 years. i am a medical cannabis patient & advocate. a citizen journalist & poet. i speak today in favor of regulating medical cannabis. this is my open poem calling for a city that’s a good place to die [5-15-2007].

to the self-appointed
hall monitors with
machine guns
uninformed about the law
sure about the criminals
killing us with pretense
& to all their many poisoned ears

who are you
to tell me how
to sing the blues?
i am the blues
i ring the blues out loud
for you: hear me now
these are the 1983
denver AIDS principles
in song: we are persons
with AIDS, we are, we must be
expert voices hearkened to
in all public health
policy dialogs about
our lives & deaths & our disease
the refrain is the same for
medical cannabis

here are the blues
i sing to you
our city must be
not only a good
place to live
but also also a
good place to die

this day’s challenge? to
create a greater good
with our land use wisdom

who are you
to tell me how
to sing the blues?
listen to my song
medical cannabis
saves lives
medical cannabis
can save more lives
medical cannabis
is the single most significant
in-place but unaccessed
AIDS treatment option
available today
in los angeles
for the more than
60,000 persons
livng here with
AIDS & HIV disease
& we represent
only 25 clandestined percent
of the medical cannabis community

i’m here
i’m queer
i medicate
here is my song
the time is ripe
to regulate
help us create
livable lives & deaths
who are you
to tell me how
to sing the blues?
i am the blues
song & singer
tap your foot &amp; hum & listen
before i’m gone

namasté

—richard kearns
poet-secretary, patient advocacy network
citizen journalist, http://aids-write.org

rk@aids-write.org

kearns @ pan/aids-write reads open poem to la-city plum committee 5-15-07: “who are you to tell me how to sing the blues?” (646)

aids-write metaphoric resource: 1983 denver AIDS principles

2007-08-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

from ACT-UP ny: 1983 denver AIDS principles

Ever since people with AIDS stormed the stage at a Denver conference in 1983 and demanded self-determination, grassroots AIDS activism has taken its lead from the people most affected.

There is no better way to cite the history of the PWA self-empowerment movement that to quote the principles articulated in Denver in 1983. They are as relevant and powerful today as they were then.

THE DENVER PRINCIPLES

(Statement from the advisory committee of the People with AIDS)
We condemn attempts to label us as “victims,” a term which implies defeat, and we are only occasionally “patients,” a term which implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others. We are “People With AIDS.”

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL PEOPLE

1. Support us in our struggle against those who would fire us from our jobs, evict us from our homes, refuse to touch us or separate us from our loved ones, our community or our peers, since available evidence does not support the view that AIDS can be spread by casual, social contact.

2. Not scapegoat people with AIDS, blame us for the epidemic or generalize about our lifestyles.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS

1. Form caucuses to choose their own representatives, to deal with the media, to choose their own agenda and to plan their own strategies.

2. Be involved at every level of decision-making and specifically serve on the boards of directors of provider organizations.

3. Be included in all AIDS forums with equal credibility as other participants, to share their own experiences and knowledge.

4. Substitute low-risk sexual behaviors for those which could endanger themselves or their partners; we feel people with AIDS have an ethical responsibility to inform their potential sexual partners of their health status.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS

1. To as full and satisfying sexual and emotional lives as anyone else.

2. To quality medical treatment and quality social service provision without discrimination of any form including sexual orientation, gender, diagnosis, economic status or race.

3. To full explanations of all medical procedures and risks, to choose or refuse their treatment modalities, to refuse to participate in research without jeopardizing their treatment and to make informed decisions about their lives.

4. To privacy, to confidentiality of medical records, to human respect and to choose who their significant others are.

5. To die–and to LIVE–in dignity.

norman a. norman: medical cannabis “saved by cyberspace!”

2007-08-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

NORMAN’S VAPO WORLD;
AUGUST, 2007

“Saved by Cyberspace!”

Dear Diary and all:

I got up from my nap after a morning of work in my home office. It was 6pm Thursday, August 02, 2007. Time to dash to The Club(CPG) to see DJ NOJ for his Thursday vinyl,his amazing and stimulating patter about everything from interactive and quantum physics to politics to the history of recorded media and, of course, Noj’s original tunes such as “Tasty Hot Chocolate.”.. Gotta get there at 6:55 to get the parking space right in front of CPG at 7, when, once again, it’s no longer a tow away zone, but before the valets at Jimmy’s bar next door grab all of the spaces:-).. Creature of habits; At least a few times per week. 6:56 so that the meter maids wouldn’t ticket. Just for that last hour, and to ease my arthritis at “last coal” from R. or T.S. or E. or J.

Oops!!!!!!!!!!!

Then, once more, I realize that The Club is gone. But now, instead of crying and feeling upset, as I shamelessly admit to having done the first few days, I sit down at the computer and find that, just like we sometimes packed The Club, we will now fill each other’s e-mail boxes and continue planning to get together, albeit a bit less frequently.

First, I’d like to thank everyone who has read and followed my column in JEMM. Special thanks to Don Duncan, Chris Fusco and the thousands of patients and patient-activists who are making the dream of safe access, and the resultant cultural revolution, a reality in L.A.. With the willingness to withstand the meanings within our setbacks and to walk the talk -- with a little patience-- we’ll get there. Remember, as I so often quipped at The Club: “At California Patients Group, Patience is our middle name!”

For first time readers, I’ll give you some quick background.

I’m a professional keyboard player and songwriter. I entertain around the L.A. area. Medical Cannabis is the very best medicine for the arthritis in my fingers and for the sciatica that affects my back and causes leg pain. I tried every medical and healing approach (other than surgery, which had too much obvious risk) Nothing worked, until I found Medical Cannabis. Since I’ve been a Medical Cannabis patient, I’ve found a return to a quality of life I haven’t dreamed of in decades. I am once again able to lift and move heavier, better sounding keyboards and amps and now find it easy to play the weighted action keys. I am a happier, more productive person. and am way more active than I’ve ever been!

My column is about the culture ---art, music, poetry, books, photography, fashion et all---that has enriched the L.A. area as a result of, among and within our Medical Cannabis community. This edition is an opener to a new series—an Internet edition. And what better cultural medium to talk about than the Internet??!!!!!!!:-)’

Today, while on the phone with JAIME GREEN, Jaime said something beyond profound: “The Internet is the best thing that ever happened to activism.”

Truer words are hard pressed to be found!.

For a year, “The Club,” as CPG patients called it, was the support and social center for thousands of patients and the headquarters of L.A.-ASA, As a compassionate and cleanly run Medical Cannabis Dispensary, CPG was unquestionably the most excellent. Soo I catch myself and realize, once more, that we all have each other, albeit not at The Club. We have each other because we have the Internet to keep us informed and connected.

Yes, culturally and socially, the Medical Cannabis Movement, with help from 21st century technologies, has brought people of the same mind together in a way that I haven’t seen since the sixties. And this time, thankfully, the gathering need never end.

“Summer 1968. My folks told me ‘don’t go to Grant Park,’ but the lure of the protests during the Democratic Convention was too much to avoid. Chicago was sooo oppressive. I had medicated for the first time only days before. At that time, my biggest medical issues were psychological, but I realized, from the first time, that this was good medicine. The police were in charge, and they herded us—hundreds of us among the thousands—into the paddy wagons and off to jail, as the crowd chanted:’ The whole world’s watching! The whole world’s watching!’.”

You’ve seen the films of the police riots during the ’68 Democratic Convention. 16mm black & white; grainy; reminiscent of the days when there were no cell phones or computers. Can you imagine how much more cohesive the anti-war movement would have been back then, had we been privy to 21st Century technology?

“Marshall McLuhan; How ya doin? You were right on: The media is the massage (yes, massage; not message—but that too. LOL”

No; in the ‘60’s we didn’t have the means to communicate as we do now. To this day, I find myself occasionally trying to find one or another old acquaintance from the “hippie days” because, by the early ‘70’s, soo many of us had lost touch with each other. And when I’ve succeeded in re-connecting with an old acquaintance, it’s nearly always because I found them in Cyberspace.

The pioneers are the sites. www.safeaccessnow.org, http://aids-write.org www.canorml.org, , www.weedtracker.com and more!!!

We still have beautiful art on dispensary walls, music at Medical Cannabis Parties, and a myriad of opportunities to get together to celebrate our Movement and the memory of CPG. But today I’ll say VIVA CYBERSPACE!!!

In Solidarity,
NORMAN A. NORMAN
“Are We There Yet?”

a note from norman a. norman: asa comedy fundraiser 8/11 @ downtown comedy club

2007-08-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

As promised: Pasted below -- note from Ngaio with 8/11 ASA Comedy Benefit details.

Way more later.

N.

Please come to the Downtown Comedy Club (5th and Spring Streets) on Saturday August 11th for the Cannabis Comedy Festival. Garrett Morris is the host and MC, Greg Proops,Jay London, Rich Chassler, Ngaio Bealum, Jeffery Peterson and many other guests will be there. Music by DJ Ill Media and The Luchadoors. Show Starts at 9pm. Tickets are only $15.00 and proceeds go to ASA, which as you know, could really use all the help and support and money we can give them. So please come out and bring your friends and enjoy this show!!!! Thank You.

aids-write’s kearns to la cc 7-27-07: “the evolution of local self-governing ‘neighborhood councils’ in the medical cannabis community"

2007-08-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

my name is richard kearns. i am a poet
activist and new media citizen journalist alive
with AIDS for more than 20 years in los
angeles. i am here this day, [friday, july 27,
2007] to express my joy & admiration &
gratitude over your courageous actions in
passing the moratorium and ico for medical
cannabis and for supporting us

but i wanted also to touch on some broader
issues that defy simple comment
for or against your work.

i suggest to you that we are watching the
evolution of local self-governing community
bodies in the medical cannabis comunity—
self-government the way socrates and
jefferson would understand it

self-government, inner government, which
socrates and jefferson would tell us is the
only firm foundation for successful
community government. i mean la-style
stakeholder government — representing
citizens who live, work, play and stay alive in
our comunity, our neighborhood. i mean the
startup of self-governing community councils
that include stakeholder-style representaton
of medical cannabis comunity members that
could include:

• patients
• caregivers
• clinic operators
• clinic staffers
• growers
• advocates &
• non-patient reps

these councils could act in partnership and
advise the city council as a kind of
“neighborhood council” in the process of
coming up with a permanent set of
regulations for safe access to medical
cannabis in los angeles. these councils
could i also implement & help maintain
standards of medical cannabis community
practice. they could mediate disputes

outer government without the foundation of
self-government is tyranny. community
government founded on self-government
is the only way to go.

i would be very eager to consult with the
office of neighbohood empowerment — ONE
— i believe the person’s name i remember is
john lewis — to help realize this vision.
please help me make that contact and set up
a meeting.

thank you very much for your support &
consideraton. i look forward to working
with you on this matter.

namasté

—richard kearns
rk@aids-write.org
310-488-1328
http://aids-write.org

aids-write’s kearns to la city council 7-24-07: “risking my life to save my life”

2007-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

my name is richard kearns. i am a 56-year-old gay angelino alive with AIDS for more than 20 years. i am a medical cannabis patient & advocate. i am a new media citizen journalist & poet

i stand before you today
risking my life
to save my life
pushing my health luck
way past safe limits
to speak to you this morning

drug czar john walters’ claim
that i am a “violent criminal terrorist”
because i am a cannabis patient & grower
is so foolish and plainly self-serving it
seduces us into not taking it seriously
it can be understood, though:
principle defines walters’ behavior
even without informing it

the good is the enemy of the better

we are stewards of the better. our mission
is to create wiser government, using reason
science, ratonal judgment & public discourse
to change the rules. our aim is to transform
social blight into life

this issue of self-government flies
right past drug czar walters:
dea officers are like busdrivers who
despise their riders

medical cannabis is part of my
AIDS treatment regimen. it keeps me
alive and able to contribute to my community

were there truly safe access in los angeles
tomorrow morning, i estimate between
25 and 30,000 HIVers could walk into clinics and
improve their chances of survival 3.3 times.
250-300,000 members of other medically-defined
communities would experience similar benefits

here are three ways you can help us today:

1) implement the “hardship” language of the ico & ensure our clinics can relocate & stay in service

2) help us bring pressure to bear on congress this week to pass the hinchey-rohrbacher amendmendment, which would cut off dea funding for medical cannabis investigations

3) continue our partnership to make medical cannabis access safe for all

namasté

—richard kearns