government to legalize medicinal marijuana?

Rev.Gregory

http://www.commondreams.org/views/120700-103.htm

good article

**Mystic Power** · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 12:27 am Post subject:

Dr. Grinspoon knows what he's talking about.

Many years ago, he was completely anti-herb...based on a lack of knowledge...

His son developed a form of cancer and had to undergo chemo...which was so painful, he wanted to die, instead.

Mrs. Grinspoon had heard some things about cannabis and chemo. She had their son smoke a jpint

prior to chemo. After this session, instead of throwing up, he asked if they could stop for a sub sandwich on the way home!

Dr. Grinspoon witnessed, firsthand, how cannabis can improve the quality of life in those suffering from illness.

He has been a medical cannabis advocate ever since.

Bliss,
Ben
_________________
"We are the Ones we have been waiting for."
~Hopi Elder ~

"In Lak'ech"
~ Ancient Mayan: "I am another YOU." ~

**Fyrefly1** · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:35 am Post subject:

A real believer...
_________________
Fyrefly1
"All truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, 19th Century Philosopher

Stokes · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:04 am Post subject:

One of my favorites Cool

---------------------------------------
Learn

There are no truths, only stories.
-Simon Ortiz, Acoma Pueblo poet

You and I are among the more than 70 million Americans who have used cannabis -- and possibly among the more than ten million who use it regularly. We know that people smoke marijuana not because they are driven by uncontrollable "Reefer Madness" craving, as some propaganda would lead us to believe, but because they have learned its value from experience. Yet almost all of the research, writing, political activity, and legislation devoted to marijuana has been concerned only with the question of whether it is harmful and how much harm it does. The only exception is the growing medical marijuana movement, but as encouraging as that movement is, it represents only one category of marijuana use. The rest are sometimes grouped under the general heading of "recreational", but that is hardly an adequate description of, say, marijuana's capacity to catalyze ideas and insights, heighten the appreciation of music and art, or deepen emotional and sexual intimacy.

These kinds of marijuana experiences, which I like to call "enhancement", are often misunderstood and under-appreciated -- not only by non-users, but even by some users, especially young people who are interested mainly in promoting sociability and fun. Most of marijuana's powers of enhancement are not as immediately available as its capacity to lift mood or improve appetite and the taste of food. Some learning may be required, and one way to learn is through other people's experience. Some colleagues and I hope to promote this kind of learning by assembling an anthology of accounts of cannabis enhancement experiences. It is our hope that these stories will ultimately provide the basis for a book. Toward that end, we seek to identify contributors who are willing to share their knowledge of the uses of cannabis.

Accounts judged to be useful will be posted on this web site as they are received. The longer ones will be presented as Essays and the shorter ones as Brief Accounts. Interesting comments received on any of these contributions to the web site will be presented at the end of the essay or brief account. Some contributors may wish to share their e-mail address. If and when the collection is of a quality and quantity which would justify publication as an anthology, a book proposal will be written.

A little about me. I am on the faculty (emeritus) of the Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry. I have been studying cannabis since 1967 and have published two books on the subject. In 1971 Marihuana Reconsidered was published by Harvard University Press. Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine, coauthored with James B. Bakalar, was published in 1993 by Yale University Press; the revised and expanded edition appeared in 1997. Other books include The Speed Culture: The Use and Abuse of Amphetamines in America, Cocaine: A Drug and its Social Evolution, Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, and Psychedelic Reflections.

I have posted as the first essay on the web site "A Cannabis Odyssey", an essay about my personal involvement with this issue. I identify myself as a cannabis user, but contributors who wish to remain anonymous can; some may want to use a pseudonym.

Most contributors will know what they want to write and how to go about it. However, for those who are in doubt, I suggest you read a few of the essays to get a sense of some of the ways these ideas can be presented. I hope you will be interested in submitting a contribution.

Cordially,

Lester Grinspoon, M.D.

PS: Please click here to learn more about medical uses of marijuana. http://www.rxmarihuana.com

A Cannabis Odyssey: http://www.marijuana-uses.com/essays/001.html
_________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where love is, there God is also.

-Mahatma Gandhi

**Mystic Power** · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:15 am Post subject:

I really enjoyed Carl Sagan's essay:

http://www.marijuana-uses.com/essays/002.html

In part:

I do not consider myself a religious person in the usual sense, but there is a religious aspect to some highs. The heightened sensitivity in all areas gives me a feeling of communion with my surroundings, both animate and inanimate. Sometimes a kind of existential perception of the absurd comes over me and I see with awful certainty the hypocrisies and posturing of myself and my fellow men. And at other times, there is a different sense of the absurd, a playful and whimsical awareness. Both of these senses of the absurd can be communicated, and some of the most rewarding highs I've had have been in sharing talk and perceptions and humor. Cannabis brings us an awareness that we spend a lifetime being trained to overlook and forget and put out of our minds. A sense of what the world is really like can be maddening; cannabis has brought me some feelings for what it is like to be crazy, and how we use that word 'crazy' to avoid thinking about things that are too painful for us. In the Soviet Union political dissidents are routinely placed in insane asylums. The same kind of thing, a little more subtle perhaps, occurs here: 'did you hear what Lenny Bruce said yesterday? He must be crazy.' When high on cannabis I discovered that there's somebody inside in those people we call mad.

When I'm high I can penetrate into the past, recall childhood memories, friends, relatives, playthings, streets, smells, sounds, and tastes from a vanished era. I can reconstruct the actual occurrences in childhood events only half understood at the time. Many but not all my cannabis trips have somewhere in them a symbolism significant to me which I won't attempt to describe here, a kind of mandala embossed on the high. Free-associating to this mandala, both visually and as plays on words, has produced a very rich array of insights.

There is a myth about such highs: the user has an illusion of great insight, but it does not survive scrutiny in the morning. I am convinced that this is an error, and that the devastating insights achieved when high are real insights...

Follow Your Bliss,
Ben
_________________
"We are the Ones we have been waiting for."
~Hopi Elder ~

"In Lak'ech"
~ Ancient Mayan: "I am another YOU." ~

**Fyrefly1** · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:32 am Post subject:

Boy, it's nice to read this, coming from such an esteemed scholar, astronomer and astro-physicist!

Makes me feel good knowing that he and I have thought along the same lines and that his insights have in many ways paralleled mine...

We are in Great company!

Smile

_________________
Fyrefly1
"All truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, 19th Century Philosopher

Stokes · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:48 am Post subject:

Here's a well stocked cupboard filled with more chicken soup for the "cannabis soul."

http://www.marijuana-uses.com/read.html Smile

A Single Episode

By Gentle Person

My introduction to cannabis was in 1968 while still in the US army. A friend and I were on a trip to Mexico and during a conversation I mentioned that I was curious about and would like to try marijuana. Well it seems that I certainly had spoken to the right person, as he had been, unknown to me, a user for some time. Soon I was spending weekends with him and his wife and cannabis became an important part of my life. However, after leaving the military, going to college, and eventually getting married I reached the point with our children that it became obvious that explaining this habit to them in the face of all the negative propaganda was not worth the effort. For over 20 years I did not smoke or for that matter drink alcohol.

My youngest of four children is now 20 and in college. About three years ago I made the decision to try marijuana again. It was everything and more that I remembered. Now I use it on a very occasional basis, once or twice a month at best, and only when circumstances are favorable, as smoking is a spiritual experience and one that should be approached only at the proper time. There is nothing I dislike more than to be put into any type of negative circumstances or environment when smoking and I go to great lengths to avoid interruptions and negativity when I decide to light up. Time is too short and this experience is too special to waste. As a side note, all of our children know and accept that I use this substance. I have smoked only in front of my oldest daughter and none of the others. While she tried it, it is not something that she likes. Also, my wife does not use marijuana, but she is accepting of my use. While I feel strongly that marijuana is medicine, physically and spiritually, it is not for everyone. It will take people to places where some simply do not want to go.

For the purpose of this essay, it seems that rather than trying to go into why or what or how this has affected me over the years that perhaps simply trying to describe a single episode might be helpful for those who are seeking to understand the attraction this substance has for me and many others. Rolling a jpint

is a ritual done very carefully and with great anticipation. I crush the leaves and buds between my fingers, as I do not want them to be overly fine. Also, I am careful to remove all stems and seeds from the mixture. Then, using two papers, I roll it into a jpint

. The most I will use at any time is one. Very often, half of a jpint

will be adequate. I find that an ounce of quality bud will easily last almost a year. It is impossible to say what I enjoy the most while smoking. In fact, whatever I am doing at the time I am smoking is what I enjoy the most. Thinking, music, food, television, conversation, walking, sex, and even doing chores around the house are all extremely enjoyable, as any activity is intensified and brought into clear focus, making it special at that time. Some of the most common and mundane activities take on an entirely different perspective and become new, exciting, and absolutely enjoyable after a smoke - doing the dishes, cutting the grass, preparing a meal all become fun and enjoyable. I have experienced at various times the complete range of emotions, from intense gut busting laughter, to utter awe of something beautiful and amazing, to appreciation and tears at taking down the Christmas tree or looking at family pictures and realizing how exquisite those memories and feelings are. Things that are normally ignored and not seen are illuminated and just become special.

This time, however, let's take the dog for a walk. I live in Florida, within walking distance of the ocean and beach. Fortunately, there is enough open and uncrowded space that it is possible for me to walk and have a smoke without disturbing anyone or being disturbed. The dog loves these walks and gets very excited as I make my preparations. She knows. Leaving the house we go about a half of a mile to an open and unoccupied space. I light up. The first puff or two is full of anticipation. What will my experience be this time? What will be special and noteworthy? Well, best just to continue walking and I make a conscious decision - no worries. Plenty of time to consider the bothersome worries later.

It is really nice here. It is January, but the weather is clear and the temperature is mild. The sun is setting and it is slowly getting dark. Another puff. Hold it for a moment or two. Oh well, nothing seems different. Another couple of puffs. Almost finished, but surely I can get another hit or two. Well, there it is, another jpint

finished. This walk is so nice. The dog is really enjoying herself. I realize that I love walking. In fact, I love so many things. Can it be that the dog understands? Hard to determine, but she is responding to the lightest touch of the lead and seems to know exactly what I want her to do. We pass a golf course. It is so pleasant to see the greens and fairways trimmed so neatly and it really is a beautiful place. It is easy to understand why so many enjoy that game.

We are getting closer to the ocean. Dog is getting excited, as she loves the beach. This time of the year the beach is deserted. I sit on the boardwalk and the dog gets to run and explore. She is very lucky as she is able to just be what she is - a dog. I watch the waves roll in and think. How peaceful and beautiful and lovely this is. How fortunate and blessed I am to have this experience. The waves continue their rhythmic pounding with the white surf highlighted by the moon. It is unbelievably beautiful. This beauty is more than what I see and experience with my senses; I am a part of this picture. The surf, the sand, the dog, the sky with its stars and the moon are all part of me. Somehow, we are connected in subtle ways that are simply indescribable and unknowable to the rational mind. But in my heart, my emotions, I know that above this physical reality, we are connected. I have merely been given a glimpse of what can be.

Thoughts continue to roll. I think about my business and what this or that client needs or wants from me. I realize that my clients trust me and respect my judgment and how important it is for me to make every effort to help them achieve their goals. Then I start thinking about my wife and how much I love her. And my children. I realize that there is so much in this world that I love. In fact, that love is not separate from us. We are love. While each of us is the center of our personal universe, revolving around us like so many planets are the ones we love and care about. From the intensely personal to the ones who for whatever reasons are farther away. But still, our ultimate success in this life has to be measured by how much love can we give. And what we give always returns to us in magnified in ways both sublime and wonderful. We are created to love and every experience, both good and bad, ultimately is there to help us understand and comprehend this.

How long have we been here? It is time to return to the house. I call the dog and she comes willingly, hoping that I have a biscuit in my pocket. Lucky dog, I do. Well, I get up slowly and start walking home. It has been perhaps an hour and a half. Things are still nice, but the intensity is not what it was. I am relaxed and feel very comfortable. Mellow is the proper word. Walking back is special as we are now on a sidewalk with palm and pine trees with thick undergrowth on both sides. Like walking through a natural lofty cathedral with the moonlight - ah old friend, the moon - shining through the overhanging branches and spreading gentle light and shadows everywhere I look. Then an owl swoops overhead and gives both dog and me a very serious jolt of adrenaline. My God, what was that! How much do we miss by being under roof and protected by street lights so much of our lives? Then I realize that all of this is a gift from nature and that while there are other keys to unlock this door, cannabis also is a gift sent to help us gain an understanding and appreciation for all that life is and has to offer.

At the house, my wife is gone, taking a class at the local college. I decide to spend some time surfing the net and listening to some old music. Oh, perhaps a bite of that tapioca pudding. Does my wife know how good this is? Can anyone know how utterly delightful this is? I am not sure, but I know she will notice that it has disappeared and certainly will take the opportunity to tease me about it later. Naturally I will deny finishing it, but this is just one of the silly games we constantly play. Finally my wife returns and tells me about her class. This one is on genealogy. It is amazing who our ancestors are and what they had to do to survive. It is getting late and time to turn in. Even brushing my teeth feels great and I spend more time than usual flossing and brushing - it just feels good. Simple living and high thinking, what else is needed to find happiness? Contrary to what seems to be prevalent thought, real happiness comes from within each of us.

Well that is about it. For this type of activity, I and others like me are condemned by our government and by many in our society. It simply does not make sense. While I feel change is in the air, thanks largely to the Internet enabling more and more people to speak out, we have a very long way to go and it is a national disgrace that we have so many innocent and even ill people rotting in our jails and penitentiaries for using this substance.
_________________
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Where love is, there God is also.

-Mahatma Gandhi

**Torkel** · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:22 pm Post subject:

Thanks, guys, for the links & clips.

It gives me a pleasant feeling to read others experience/views on using cannabis. Smile

Peace,

Torkel
_________________
Miller vs U.S. (230 F 2nd 486,489): "The claim and exercise of a Constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime."

Miranda vs Arizona (384 U.S. 436, 125): "Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule-making or legislation which would abrogate them."

HAGANS vs LAVINE (415 US 533 N-3,note 5): "Once JURISDICTION is challenged it must be proven by the Plaintiff."

**Fyrefly1** · Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:53 am Post subject:

Here's another article from Dr. Lester Grinspoon on the "Pharmaceuticalization of Marijuana"

http://www.rxmarijuana.com/Pharmaceuticalization.htm
_________________
Fyrefly1
"All truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, 19th Century Philosopher

ReverendCaveGrower · Cannabis Sacrament Minister Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 220