Cannabis legislation / legalization

[Snoweagle]

When the Rothschild dynasty claimed their prize of Palestine they sent the English to remove the Turkish military peace keepers stationed there.
The trick was not to really create a bloodbath and create further hostilities with the Islamic friendly Turkish people so they avoided direct military conflict.
So they "bombed" the Turkish military positions with drugs. Loads of drugs and other goodies fell from the sky. The Turkish military were slam dunked trashed loving everyone.
The British came ashore and walked up the beach, packed the Turkish troops onto trucks and sent them home.

During the Blair-Brown years of governing the UK the classification for cannabis was lowered, effectively legalised for personal use. This only lasted a few years but during that time, many new controversial laws were introduced to Parliament and subsequently passed with little opposition. Most importantly, these law changes included the dumbing down of the Treason laws which were necessary for the Zionists to take control of the UK. Blair exploited these changes voraciously.

Now we see in the USA, the promotion of the peace inducing influence of cannabis in place of the anger promoting reactions to alcohol at a time when the global economy is about to crash and warfare breaks out in the US. Ii would not be unreasonable to expect a massive escalation of both hard and soft drugs being infused into the communities across the states. Keeping everybody docile as a keeper smokes the hive, each to their prize.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Excellent read, thanks Prodigal Son.

It is a travesty, like so many other things in this modern world.

All you have to do to see the truth is observe that after more than two thousand years under this same sort of societal structure, the average world citizen is poor, hungry, undereducated and enslaved to the system that purports to enrich their lives. The system, however, is doing just fine, supporting a growing base of wealthy individuals and their companies. Those lucky enough to ride the coattails of these super-rich get to enjoy a modicum of these luxuries handed down as crumbs from the tables of the elite. Such luxuries include a full belly, a 40hr.+ per week job, 40 years of toil, shelter and not much more as they must pay for their own education, home, vacation, savings, health and anything else they might wish to consume.

I still say organized crime has infiltrated our governments at all levels and it is they that control the laws on hemp and others by coercion, threat and violence.

[Ernie Nemeth]

I decided to add a personal note, one I already wrote out in a post but decided to erase. Long ago I was diagnosed with depression, duh. In the old days depression just sort of went hand in hand with seeing through the lies but not being able to convince anyone of that fact.

They wanted to put me on anti-depressants. I refused. Having watched many family and friends put on those drugs and seeing their personalities change into a sort of automaton, there was no way I was going to subject mtself to that.

All the above is the lead in to the fact that I have smoked MJ ever since, closing in on thirty years now. It has allowed me to function in this crazy world to some satisfactory level. And mj, when used therapeutically, is not a brain drain. It does not make you lathargic and lazy, or maybe it does 'cause I am. It has a bit of an effect on short term memory but I learned a method of conpensation that works so well that I can dredge up almost any information I have ever heard and filed away in my brain.

Also, I found mj to be helpful in causing motivation, creativity and sparks of imagination(genius). It helps me maintain a weight just this side of skinny. Without it I'd be in dangerous territory in that regard.

The negative aspects are a certain amount of retardation in emotional growth, a lack of ambition and drive and a phychological addiction that can become obsessive if not managed with great care. I make sure I regularly quit smoking for periods of time like a month or two to make sure I don't begin using the medicine to excess.

Notice I used the term drug for the establishment's version of medicine and medicine for the establishment's idea of MJ.

Without MJ I would not have made it this far in life. I've grown it in my garden, under my garage, in attics, in basements, in closets. I've taught others how to grow it. I've even set up a few grow-ops too, being an electrician. That was all back before the turn of the millenium, before they turned up the heat here in Canada. There was a time, not that long ago, when you could purchase high quality seeds from a catalogue store in British Columbia. We're talking about fifty dollars and up for one seed! 'Course one seed can be used to clone hundreds of plants. I would not try ordering from them any more, not in this political climate with Harper the "tough on crime" ahole that he is.

Some may see this as perfect proof that mj is pretty much a nasty drug, or not. Sometimes I do not know how my posts might be taken by others.

So that's it, gonna smoke a dubbie now. See ya on the other side. Or as my good friend would say, "Onward through the fog!"

[spiritguide]

Entire article...

Sen. Patrick Leahy wants top Obama administration officials to clarify how conflicting state and federal marijuana laws should be handled.

The Vermont Democrat announced Monday that he's invited Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Attorney General James Cole to address the issue at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing next month to discuss the conflict in statutes in the aftermath of Washington and Colorado legalizing marijuana for recreational use in November and 19 states and the District of Columbia allowing the drug to be used for medicinal purposes.

Particularly, Leahy wants to know what assurances the administration are willing to give to state officials responsible for the licensing of marijuana retailers to ensure they will not face criminal penalties for carrying out their duties under those state laws.

"It is important, especially at a time of budget constraints, to determine whether it is the best use of federal resources to prosecute the personal or medicinal use of marijuana in states that have made such consumption legal," Leahy said in a statement. "I believe that these state laws should be respected. At a minimum, there should be guidance about enforcement from the federal government."

Last week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama doesn't advocate any change in federal laws.

Earnest added that the administration's position "has been clear and consistent for some time now that while the prosecution of drug traffickers remains an important priority, the president and the administration believe that targeting individual marijuana users, especially those with serious illnesses and their caregivers, is not the best allocation for federal law enforcement resources."

Maybe some of our Reps are growing a backbone and thinking of those they represent...the people.

Keep it positive with peace and love!

[Dennis Leahy]

Until the US federal government removes cannabis/marijuana from the Schedule drugs list (not just downgrading from Type I to Type II either), they are keeping a back door where they can control everything. In direct opposition to the constitution verbiage and spirit, the federal US government (now UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, INC.) has complete control over States. Exercising "States rights" are like a toddler standing up in a room full of seated toddlers - they simply have not been dealt with yet.

Obama, reportedly quite a "dope" smoker in his day, knows full well that cannabis is only on the Schedule drug list because of collusion with multiple industries (likely Big Pharma being the current major player that hasn't figured out how to make a trillion dollars on legalized cannabis - yet.)

With spiritguide's directive to "keep it positive", I'll try to end on a positive note: I believe a pathway and a comprehensive plan for US citizens to finally understand the gambit and non-violently take control of the US government away from "vested interests" and put it into the hands of citizens has been presented. When a critical threshold of citizens has been reached, I believe we can do this. That will open all the doors to activists' myriad of issues - including the full legalization of this extremely important plant.

Dennis

[Vitalux]

What a beautiful outlook for the future



It's legal to light up in Colorado and Washington, and soon smoking pot could be legalized across the country following a decision Thursday by the federal government.

After Washington state and Colorado passed laws in November 2012 legalizing the consumption and sale of marijuana for adults over 18, lawmakers in both states waited to see whether the federal government would continue to prosecute pot crimes under federal statutes in their states.

Both Colorado and Washington have been working to set up regulatory systems in order to license and tax marijuana growers and retail sellers, but have been wary of whether federal prosecutors would come after them for doing so. They are the first states to legalize pot, and therefore to go through the process of trying to set up a regulatory system.

Consumption and sale of marijuana is still illegal in all other states, though some cities and towns have passed local laws decriminalizing it or making it a low priority for law enforcement officers. There are also movements in many states to legalize pot, including legalization bills introduced in Maine and Rhode Island, discussion of possible bills in states including Massachusetts and Vermont, and talk of ballot initiatives in California and Oregon.

But on Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it would not prosecute marijuana crimes that were legal under state law, a move that could signal the end of the country's longtime prohibition on pot is nearing. "It certainly appears to be potentially the beginning of the end," said Paul Armantano, deputy director of the pot lobby group NORML.

The memo sent to states Thursday by the DOJ said that as long as states set up comprehensive regulations governing marijuana, there would be no need for the federal government to step in, a decision that will save the Justice Department from having to use its limited resources on prosecuting individuals for growing or smoking marijuana.

"This memo appears to be sending the message to states regarding marijuana prohibition that is a recognition that a majority of the public and in some states majority of lawmakers no longer want to continue down the road of illegal cannabis, and would rather experiment with different regulatory schemes of license and retail sale of cannabis," Armantano said.

Richard Collins, a law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that the memo from the DOJ points out specifically that the federal government will only walk away from marijuana crimes in states where there is a solid regulatory system for the drug's growth and disemenation.

For other states to mimic the systems in Colorado and Washington, they will first have to get legalization laws on their ballots or in their state houses, which could post a challenge, he said.

While Colorado and Washington have not yet set up their regulatory systems, both states will likely sell licenses to farmers who want to grow marijuana as well as to manufacturing plants and retail sellers. The marijuana will also likely be taxed at each stage of its growth, processing, and sale.

"In both Colorado and Washington, legalization was done by citizens with no participation by elected representatives until they had to pass laws to comply with the initiative. In other initiative states I would expect such measures - I would expect a new one in California, for instance - and roughly half the states permit this and the rest don't.

"In the states that do have initiatives I expect efforts to get it on the ballot. The other half it will be much tougher. It's hard to get elected representatives to do this," Collins said.

Armantano is more optimistic about the spread of legalized pot. He compared the DOJ's announcement to the federal government's actions toward the end of alcohol prohibition in America a century ago, when states decided to stop following the federal ban on alcohol sales and the federal government said it would not step in and prosecute crimes.

"For first time we now have clear message from fed government saying they will not stand in way of states that wish to implement alternative regulatory schemes in lieu of federal prohibition," Armantano said.

He predicted that within the next one to three years, five or six other states may join Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug, setting the stage for the rest of the country to follow.

Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, was disappointed with the Justice Department's decision, but said that he had already reached out to set up meetings to talk with leadership in the department and he was "open to discussion" about the benefits.

"I would tell you that certainly the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers oppose legalization," he said, "but that is not to say that we're not willing to have a conversation about it. It is, from our perspective, a gateway drug and opinions to the contrary don't have the weight of fact behind them."

"We want to talk to (the DOJ) about their thought process and ours and where the disconnect is," he said. "From our perspective the only fault with the status quo is that we aren't making a bigger dent and we'd like to make a bigger one."


Source

[conk]

The federal gov't logic is likely that a bunch of stoners sitting on the couch watching cartoons will not be much resistance. "Dave? Dave's not here man, they took him away in an armoured vehicle".

[TargeT]

early adopters will gain the most from this, economically, as always.

[Spike]

Posted by Vitalux (here)
What a beautiful outlook for the future



It's legal to light up in Colorado and Washington, and soon smoking pot could be legalized across the country following a decision Thursday by the federal government.

After Washington state and Colorado passed laws in November 2012 legalizing the consumption and sale of marijuana for adults over 18, lawmakers in both states waited to see whether the federal government would continue to prosecute pot crimes under federal statutes in their states.

Both Colorado and Washington have been working to set up regulatory systems in order to license and tax marijuana growers and retail sellers, but have been wary of whether federal prosecutors would come after them for doing so. They are the first states to legalize pot, and therefore to go through the process of trying to set up a regulatory system.

Consumption and sale of marijuana is still illegal in all other states, though some cities and towns have passed local laws decriminalizing it or making it a low priority for law enforcement officers. There are also movements in many states to legalize pot, including legalization bills introduced in Maine and Rhode Island, discussion of possible bills in states including Massachusetts and Vermont, and talk of ballot initiatives in California and Oregon.

But on Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it would not prosecute marijuana crimes that were legal under state law, a move that could signal the end of the country's longtime prohibition on pot is nearing. "It certainly appears to be potentially the beginning of the end," said Paul Armantano, deputy director of the pot lobby group NORML.

The memo sent to states Thursday by the DOJ said that as long as states set up comprehensive regulations governing marijuana, there would be no need for the federal government to step in, a decision that will save the Justice Department from having to use its limited resources on prosecuting individuals for growing or smoking marijuana.

"This memo appears to be sending the message to states regarding marijuana prohibition that is a recognition that a majority of the public and in some states majority of lawmakers no longer want to continue down the road of illegal cannabis, and would rather experiment with different regulatory schemes of license and retail sale of cannabis," Armantano said.

Richard Collins, a law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that the memo from the DOJ points out specifically that the federal government will only walk away from marijuana crimes in states where there is a solid regulatory system for the drug's growth and disemenation.

For other states to mimic the systems in Colorado and Washington, they will first have to get legalization laws on their ballots or in their state houses, which could post a challenge, he said.

While Colorado and Washington have not yet set up their regulatory systems, both states will likely sell licenses to farmers who want to grow marijuana as well as to manufacturing plants and retail sellers. The marijuana will also likely be taxed at each stage of its growth, processing, and sale.

"In both Colorado and Washington, legalization was done by citizens with no participation by elected representatives until they had to pass laws to comply with the initiative. In other initiative states I would expect such measures - I would expect a new one in California, for instance - and roughly half the states permit this and the rest don't.

"In the states that do have initiatives I expect efforts to get it on the ballot. The other half it will be much tougher. It's hard to get elected representatives to do this," Collins said.

Armantano is more optimistic about the spread of legalized pot. He compared the DOJ's announcement to the federal government's actions toward the end of alcohol prohibition in America a century ago, when states decided to stop following the federal ban on alcohol sales and the federal government said it would not step in and prosecute crimes.

"For first time we now have clear message from fed government saying they will not stand in way of states that wish to implement alternative regulatory schemes in lieu of federal prohibition," Armantano said.

He predicted that within the next one to three years, five or six other states may join Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug, setting the stage for the rest of the country to follow.

Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, was disappointed with the Justice Department's decision, but said that he had already reached out to set up meetings to talk with leadership in the department and he was "open to discussion" about the benefits.

"I would tell you that certainly the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers oppose legalization," he said, "but that is not to say that we're not willing to have a conversation about it. It is, from our perspective, a gateway drug and opinions to the contrary don't have the weight of fact behind them."

"We want to talk to (the DOJ) about their thought process and ours and where the disconnect is," he said. "From our perspective the only fault with the status quo is that we aren't making a bigger dent and we'd like to make a bigger one."


Source

The u.s is going for broke the debt limit will be reached by oct 15th so its either make it legal and tax it or false flage attack on banks and stock market.

If you can't make it fake it thee old saying goes.

[Vitalux]

October 03, 2013, 03:47pm

As of this week, the possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana is no longer a criminal offense in Switzerland. Instead, the Swiss have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of weed, replacing possible jail time and a criminal record with a maximum fine of $110. The new law went into effect Tuesday.




The change in the Swiss drug law brings the country in line with other European countries that have either formally or effectively decriminalized pot possession. It also brings uniformity within Switzerland, where previously, some cantons had turned a blind eye to marijuana offenses while others came down hard on offenders.

The change will also relieve pressure on Swiss police and courts. The country has dealt with 30,000 or so marijuana charges each year, a number that should decline dramatically under the new law.

Cultivation and distribution of marijuana remain criminal offenses, as does possession of more than 10 grams. The new law also increases penalties for sale to minors.

The country of some eight million people is thought to have up to 500,000 marijuana users.

Switzerland
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/...zerland_decrim

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Right before you posted this, I had made a local request for an MMJ approval, LOL.

I am surprised that the Swiss are doing this, because they are quite invested in the drug industry (Hoffman LaRoche etc) and stand to lose a bit if people use weed instead of RX ****.

Thank you for posting. I feel somehow vindicated.

Before I start complaining, please note that I as a patient believe that naturopaths are among the only doctors who seem to consistently notice small details. They are less lazy and generally more informed than the traditional American doctor. It was a naturopath who first noticed my elevated liver enzymes -- no one else noticed or cared! So, thank you for what you do for people.

Pre-Existing Conditions:

Asthma (since Childhood, documented -- but I don't have current records). First hospitalized at age 3, Three Rivers Medical Center in Louisa, KY. Saw many doctors in KY and Texas re: management of asthma via inhalers. Marijuana seems to inhibit whatever process causes the asthma symptoms. I know other people who use marijuana to treat their childhood onset asthma.


Back Pain: I had the bad luck of being injured in the US Air Force in 2005. I was asked by a superior NCO to hold the control column of a C-130H aircraft while power was disengaged (this is illegal). The wind blew hard, the tail of the aircraft went downward, and my back was pulled quite severely. I was unable to return to work for 3 days after this incident, my bosses covered it up, and I've suffered back pain ever since.

The month after this USAF injury happened, I was rear-ended on the Interstate (I-64). It hurt my back very badly -- no broken bones, but nothing felt the same since the accident. It was documented by the West Virginia police in 2005 (perhaps the police in the nearby town -- I went there to get a police report for my insurance company). The pain seemed to worsen during my subsequent pregnancy in 2007. Marijuana seems to lessen the pain when this injury is aggravated.

PTSD: I suffer a lot of stress due to the behavior of my father during my childhood and also due to accidents I witnessed in the US Air Force. I find that marijuana lessens the severity and lucidity of fear associated with these memories.

Anti-Cancer properties: as a USAF veteran, I was exposed to agents such as Benzene, sealants that can cause leukemias, propylene glycol, and others. I feel that regular use of marijuana may inhibit any development of tumors or growths that might occur due to military workplace exposures.

Anti-Seizure properties: I was on Lamictal for a long time, but due to undesirable side effects, I ceased usage of that drug. I know that marijuana decreases the severity of the brain signaling associated with seizures and am interested in this application of the medication.

thank you for reviewing my case.

[Vitalux]

Thought this would be of interest to show that even Internationally, attitudes are changing.

It is strange in a way, that a plant that has the potential to help humanity so much, has been demonized.
Perhaps it is time for a change of understanding.
It should be not be a crime to grow or possess it.





Legalizing marijuana would generate more than $450 million annually for the Israeli economy, according to a new study released by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies.

The black market for cannabis in Israel currently is worth $707 million annually, and legalizing the sale of grass, if taxed like cigarettes, would blow $268 million into the government’s money pot. In addition, it would save law enforcement agencies $198 million since they would not have to spend money to smokers of weed.

The study found that approximately 275,000 Israelis, 4 percent of the population, used marijuana in the past year, only 26 percent of Israelis support legalization of marijuana, while 64 percent opposes it.

In the United States, slightly more than half go those surveyed support legalizing grass. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but 20 states to allow the use of medical marijuana. However, the Obama administration last week gave the green light for Colorado and Washington to carry out their laws to permit recreational use of marijuana.

The Justice Department said it would bring charges on marijuana only in certain cases, such as distributing it to minors.

The announcement “demonstrates the sort of political vision and foresight from the White House we’ve been seeking for a long time,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group.

The Justice Department added that it is watching Colorado and Washington closely to see if they can properly control marijuana use.

President Barack Obama has said he smoked grass when he was young, and a federal survey has found that 42 percent of Americans age 12 and older have smoked marijuana at some point in their lives.

The financial gains for states – and Israel is not being ignored,

“Recognizing the enormous financial gains that would come from legalization demands that the government take a serious look at the proposal to legalize cannabis use under specific guidelines,” said Yarden Gazit, who co-authored the study in Israel. “There is no disputing that if the public is able to get past the wholly negative misperceptions associated with marijuana usage and appreciate the potential benefits with limited social or healthcare costs, this is an idea that needs open-minded and serious re-examination at this time.”

News of the survey coincided with Canada’s launch of controlled medical marijuana, an industry that is expected to be worth more than $1 billion in the next 10 years. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada for years but has been highly regulated. Now it is available by mail-order with a doctor’s approval.

Besides all of the arguments over whether marijuana is a drug that can lead to addiction, the underlying desire for governments to legalize it is money.

“We’re fairly confident that we’ll have a healthy commercial industry in time,” Sophie Galarneau, a senior Health Canada official told the Canadian Press.

The Green Leaf party in Israel has been trying to get into the Knesset for years to push its agenda to legalize pot. In early pre-election polls, it usually receives support that puts it on the brink of winning the minimum number of votes to win Knesset seats, but when the real ballots are counted, it always loses out.

The pro-marijuana campaigns in the United States may generate new enthusiasm to legalize marijuana in Israel, where liberal leaders almost always turn to American for cultural guidance.

Portland, Maine media reported Wednesday that supports of legalizing recreation marijuana will start promoting their agenda on city buses, with a message that grass is a better and safer alternative to alcohol.

Critics have complained that the campaign should not be on buses because children ride them to school.

Portland’s voter will go the ballot box in November to decide on a proposal to legalize marijuana by 2016. I

The Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project has targeted Maine and nine other states in its campaign to legalize grass within three years.



Source:
The Jewish Press
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/lega...dy/2013/10/02/

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Thank you for posting this. Hopefully within our lifetimes, bias against natural medicines will lessen enough to allow equality between patients who tow the party line on pharmaceuticals and patients who opt for organic medicines.

I've seen too many people lose their lives, or at least, important parts of their lives, to alcohol. And it's not fair to the recreational smoking community that doctors and mayors be paranoid about the interpretation of the law.

There are many hit-and-runs per week where I live (Eastern WA). This is a big drinking town/area. Lots of gambling.
It would be refreshing to see the return of the "Salon" style establishment, where people trade opinions and smoke together (like Starbucks minus coffee and internet);
with any luck it might replace some of the bars.

People who smoke pot don't leave their cans behind in parks. They don't "drink one for the road to get their courage up to drive home".
Some of them even write books thanks to the experience of cannabis.

One good thing about legalization is, you know whether you are getting indica or sativa.
People don't all need to be tired and burned out because of their downer strain.
Without the help of a knowledgeable grower or doctor, it's easy to make a mistake and end up with something wrong for the patient/user.

I've yet to meet someone who limits their drinking to "one or two drinks". I know they exist, but gosh. it's like an endangered species.

[Snowflower]

sigh... guess what? when marijuana plants are flooded with ten inches of water, they drown. 14 of the most beautiful plants you've ever seen (grown by four people - totally legal) all turned brown. potatoes too, don't like sitting under a foot of water for two weeks. squash, onions, tomatoes, herbs...all gone.

[Ivanhoe]

Dude, when we were smokin' in the 60's we knew the gov could make a heck of a profit, just like with alchohol. Think of all the revenue.....
Oh, I forgot, they had to keep it illegal so they could control it and raise the prices to fuel the coffers of the 3 letter agencies. LOL
Sheesh,.. talk about organised crime....

[Snowflower]

Yes, as one of their sources for the capital needed to build their DUMBS.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

An Inside Scoop on Seattle Justice System circa Oct 2013

Key points of thread:
~Man on probation sentenced to jailtime, loses probation credit, over marijuana usage in a state where even recreational pot is Legal
~Public defender unable to mount any type of effective defense on behalf of above gentleman
~Defendant in question suffered a heart attack/passed out when judge revoked probation and sentenced him over a marijuana UA result
~Seattle Prosecutor and a public defender were laughing in the hall about this man who was pretty much dying in the courtroom
~Judge seemed to be suffering PMS that day but he is a man
~Horrified court attendees watched heavily-sentenced mentally-disabled man wheeled out of courtroom on stretcher

Hello, Avalon. As some of you know, I had to go to court this week. This gave me the chance to observe the "justice system" at work in the lives of others. I won't mention how my own case went, as it just encourages certain trolls to stalk me, so I'll tell you a story about someone else who had to be there Thursday, and how the court treated him.

About an hour into the 1:30pm court session, a fairly young man went forward when his name was called and sat in the hot seat. He had the same public defender who was supposed to represent my own case. Therefore, I had an interest in how his case played out, and watched.

The man was white, fairly heavy, maybe about 250 lbs -- stocky and strong, although kind of round. He had the kind of body I associate with some of the slower students in high school, actually. Like perhaps something wasn't completely normal with his metabolism or whatever; he was just a big guy. He had brownish hair, maybe a touch of red, sideburns.

This fellow had been in some trouble before. Perhaps around the time he graduated from high school, he started having trouble with the law. He looked my age. The judge pointed out that this man had what he called an "extensive and severe criminal record". However, no examples were given to the court or to the public present. We had to "take the judge's word for it" that this man was indeed a career criminal. It seemed a bit unlikely to me that a slower individual could be a "career criminal". He didn't seem the type.

He was respectful to the judge, thoughtful albeit slow, did not slouch, sneer, fidget, or complain. He didn't cry into the microphone like the girls on trial, and he didn't make excuses beyond the facts of his life, such as supporting his family and keeping appointments with doctors and with probation.

This young man had been dragged into court because he failed a random U/A, or Urinalysis. He had been forced into submitting to U/A either by the courts or by his contract with Probation. The drug in question was marijuana. The Seattle Municipal Court was attempting to force this gentleman off of his marijuana and to take such medications as a psychiatrist recommends. In this case, the Rx drug mentioned was Zoloft.

Zoloft, if you look at Wikipedia, is not indicated strongly for people with social anxiety or PTSD. It doesn't work well that way. It's a straight-up antidepressant, manufactured for adult use due to the horrific side effects of earlier drugs. The murder trial of the child Christopher Pittman involved a discussion of Zoloft:

Christopher Frank Pittman (born April 9, 1989 in Florida) was convicted in 2005 of murdering his grandparents, Joe and Joy Pittman, at age 12, on November 28, 2001. The case drew national attention in part because of his age at the time of the crime and in part because his defense that the prescription drug Zoloft caused him to act.

At age twelve Pittman ran away from home, threatened suicide, was picked up by police, and confined to a facility for troubled or runaway children. He was confined there for six days. While there, he was put on Paxil for mild depression.[1] His father, Joe sent him away from their home in Oxford, Florida, to live with his grandparents in Chester, South Carolina, where he frequently visited. His paternal grandparents had been a source of stability to him for years in a life with a mother who had run out on him twice[2] and a father who Pittman claimed to have been abusive.[3]

His doctor in Chester, having no samples of Paxil to give Pittman, gave him samples of Zoloft instead. Although both drugs are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) with similar modes of selective action, abruptly substituting one for the other is usually not advisable.[citation needed] Almost immediately Pittman allegedly began to experience negative side-effects from the new medication; his sister went so far as to describe him as "manic."[3] He purportedly experienced a burning sensation all over his body which required pain medication. He complained about the side effects of the drug. At a subsequent doctor's visit, his dosage was increased from 100 mg daily to 200 mg daily. Zoloft does have several side-effects in children, including aggravated depression, abnormal dreams, paranoid reactions, hallucinations, aggressive behavior and delusions.[4] Risks from overdose include potential "manic reactions."

If you read the above you can see why I would never give Zoloft to someone who is "slow" or "immature" in any way; it would be like giving it to a little kid. And anyway, the man I saw at court said his doctor was on the verge of prescribing Zoloft to replace marijuana.

The judge was supposed to evaluate the severity of the breach of contract with probation. He was also supposed to proscribe a suitable punishment, if needed. At no point was the current legality of marijuana in Washington state mentioned. It was as if this city judge was operating in total ignorance of the state law, and furthermore, he chose to be extremely cruel to this young man. The judge revoked nearly 300 days of probation served when all the probation officer recommended was 60 days' revocation.

Now, anyone on this forum who has been near Seattle knows that medical marijuana stores now outnumber 7-11 Stores in what I'd say is a 10:1 ratio. They are everywhere. Sometimes even next door to each other. Now, having lived in Seattle for almost 6 years, I don't remember seeing that many sick people. Yeah, there is cancer, sure, and obesity, and all the other "normal" diseases. But what I've noticed consistently is that most Seattle residents are more crazy than physically ill. Which suggests that many former "mental patients" have cooked up excuses for purchasing marijuana "legally" in Seattle and this demographic is driving sales, along with recreational users who are outright malingering in order to get a marijuana prescription. This is one of the reasons I was glad that recreational use was legalized here. I was tired of people lying about "needing" it.

But this man I saw in court, gosh. If marijuana was the only drug the court was screening him over, it means that the man was self-medicating, or perhaps using recreationally on a frequent basis, however you want to think of it. And the court knew he was dependent on this drug and that other drugs were simply not working for him.

Recently released research suggests that marijuana of certain types is a highly effective medication for certain mental health situations, including anorexia, PTSD, social stress, even schizophrenia. My own psychiatrist recommended that I check out the medical marijuana scene. He said that the FDA and other agencies have made it almost impossible to obtain enough information on the subject for him to pass judgment, and that if I was interested, I should ask a naturopathic doctor who specializes in herbal alternatives to dangerous pharmaceuticals. I've also heard that medical cannabis could help my autistic son -- other moms in Seattle have already introduced this medicine to their own children. They even talk about it in support group sometimes.

So, considering that, you guys might be shocked that when the judge made his heavy-handed decision on the matter of this young man's future, and the marshalls came into the courtroom to arrest the man and drag him away to jail, it appeared that the man suffered a heart attack or similarly severe reaction. The judge ordered a recess and we were evacuated from the courtroom. While we were standing in the hallway waiting, paramedics arrived with a stretcher and went into the room. It took about 25-30 minutes for them to respond and secure the patient. While this was happening, the prosecutor and one of the public defenders who works there all the time were laughing about what happened.

Yeah, you read it right, while we all waited to see if this guy was even going to live through the hearing, the lawyers and prosecutors and other related personnel of the court were gossiping and laughing about someone on the verge of death, while the rest of the courtroom visitors watched in horror. It was one of the most traumatic and horrifying things I've ever seen in person, relative to how our country serves "justice" relative to the mentally ill and so-called "unfit" elements of society.

The strange thing was, probation made a public statement on the court microphone saying that they wanted to work with this young man, he was largely compliant, i.e. gentle and cooperative from what I gathered, and yet the judge passed such a harsh sentence on him that paramedics had to carry him out of the room and down the hall. I was 2 feet from the stretcher and when it went past, the man's eyes were rolled up in his head and they had his wrists strapped to the sides of the gurney like you see in the movies.

I've never seen a more pathetic thing happen to a person my age than what happened to Joshua Hunt in room 1103.

I've never encountered a more two-faced and disrespectful group of people than the Seattle public defenders, either. The time they should be spending preparing for court, they are literally spending mocking and making fun of their own clients. Only the prosecutors are willing to do any real work in many cases. Mental health patients who need the best representation in court, and are prone to self-admitting guilt whereas real criminals know how to lie to the judge, are falling through the cracks and being thrown in prison over things that are legal.

_________________________________________________________

Don't trust anyone you haven't hired yourself, and don't even trust them.
End of story -- if you want rights you need to know them yourself, because not even the public defender gives a **** about them, and might not even represent your interests at all. Public defenders, at least in this case, satisfy the public perception of the lawyer as a snakelike, spineless, yellow, gutless windbag.

I didn't used to want to believe things like that about people. But it's true. They are the scum of the earth and they will laugh as you are dragged away to jail over something that is legal. They just don't care at all.

And the ones who pretend to care are often so ignorant of anything outside their literal scope of experience that you are better off self-representing, as a judge tends to respect intelligence when it appears, which is rare in the courtroom.

P.S. this guy who they threw in jail has a small child who won't be seeing his daddy anymore, since Seattle is depriving daddy of his legal right to use marijuana and throwing him in jail.

P.P.S. just like the justice system, people who have a lot of money get away with everything marijuana-related. They get approved easier and have the money to pay off doctors and lawyers, whereas people who cannot afford the authorization and co-op membership are left out of the "safety loop".

Something needs to be done about this.

[GCS1103]

I appreciate how you feel and agree that our justice system is completely corrupted. Municipal Court is at the lowest rung of the criminal justice system, so imagine what can happen to people who are brought in front of a State Superior Judge or Federal Judge. In order to escape being the "poster boy" of a particular crime, you must have money, or more importantly, political connections. I have personally witnessed the complete cover-up of Jon Corzine's (former N.J. Governor and Obama pal) billion dollar theft of his client's money. The Dept. of Justice participated in this cover-up and he will never be brought to justice in a criminal case. He is no better than Bernie Madoff who stole billions from his clients; he was just better connected.

When you describe the prosecutors laughing about this poor guy whose life has been destroyed, I'm not surprised. You have to understand that it takes a certain mentality to want to be a prosecutor. For the most part, they are holier-than-thou people who see themselves as white knights of justice or they are in the prosecutor's office because it's a very good starting place for someone with political ambitions. It's a rarity to find a prosecutor who has either compassion or objectivity. Public defenders are nothing more than State employees with a guaranteed paycheck and pension. Your case is just another file to them. Many of them do this work because they couldn't get a good paying job when they got out of law school or they want the trial experience so that they can get a good paying job in the future. No one stays a "career" public defender by choice.

I hope your case went well for you. As the saying goes....."this too shall pass"....applies to the bump in the road of your journey.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Thank you for the kind words and also for the honest words, GCS1103.

In regards to the outcome of my case, well, the ineptitude and corruption of my latest two public defenders resulted in a very "weird" situation,
where I signed an agreement allowing the local judge to defer punishment WITHOUT admitting guilt or innocence.
It's called an SoC, a stipulated order of continuance.
Unfortunately there is a clause included in this agreement that I did not realize provided the prosecutors from another district to try me an additional time for the same charge.
People who accept an SoC rather than going to trial are told that it's the safe option, when in fact it leaves the client open to being tried in the future without the benefit of a jury, witnesses, or statements one's own behalf.

In effect my local attorney bamboozled me during a period of extreme stress (this was after my husband took our car and left me stranded for a week) and delivered me straight into the hands of Seattle prosecutors -- by asking me to sign an agreement allowing an external district to review the decision of the local judge.

What this means is that although I was almost off probation in the other district, the judge presiding over that district/municipality may have the ability to overturn the better judgment of the local officials relevant to the recent charges -- like, the town I live in, might have been willing to give me a chance, except it turns out that the agreement supposedly providing that chance has enabled prosecutors affiliated with an old case in another town to throw me in jail, when I was otherwise compliant with the court.

The charge in question, maybe I shouldn't say a whole lot, but it boils down to this:

[Someone] got locked out while mentally compromised and called 911.
911 operator was rude and unhelpful, offered no services including women's shelter or locksmith phone number.
911 operator failed to recognize the need for psychiatric evaluation of the caller.
Caller had no access to medications, bed, email, apartment; was suffering panic attack while under the influence.
911 and police drummed up a bogus phone harassment charge, lowered to public nuisance charge later.
SoC was presented by defense attorney and encouraged as the "best of all possible solutions".
Attorney attempted to discuss private details of case in front of full court room, client asked for privacy.
Attorney did not provide addendum to SoC copy for client, which would have been a police report.
Client would not have signed agreement if police report was present and sufficiently negative.
Agreement relieves local court of most responsibility and allows separate court to prosecute a resolved case.

It's a really crappy loophole and they are full of ****.

[Kindling]

Wow Tesla, thanks so much for the update. I've been thinking about you and wondering how you were doing . So trapped in the ****ing system, huh?! You seem to be doing all that you can at this point to get through this as best you can. Sad but you have been forced to learn the ropes. What a tragedy for the young man in court!! It's wonderful that you shined a light on his story by sharing it here. Brenda