“It’s time to use science and common sense to direct our efforts — not ideology, not positions of the past, but a fresh look at what the data tells us. We also need the willingness to rethink old positions and particularly to change direction when the science says it’s time to change direction”
That’s from a recent keynote address on drug policy. Who said it?
Update: Billy Bob gets a point for being the first to guess that it was by “Deputy Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, A. Thomas McLellan. Gil Kerlikowske’s #2 guy.” It was delivered to the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD 46) of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday in Miami, Florida.
Of course, McLellan works for Kerlikowske, for whom changes of direction are not even in his vocabulary, so it’s not likely that the ONDCP or the administration are going to actually, in any significant way, follow those words.
But hearing them said can embolden others, and open up the minds of individuals who otherwise have been closed by government propaganda. And that’s where the real battles are that we’ll win — with the people, not the bureaucracy.
Consider this an open thread
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ethan Nadlemann
Obama, I’d guess.
Zippy the Pinhead
It was said by Deputy Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, A. Thomas McLellan. Gil Kerlikowske’s #2 guy!
Pretty good news. I’ve always thought that Obama knew the Drug War was a joke, and that he’d reverse its direction. It’s just that he does it in his textbook slow and methodical way. The next step is the removal of cannabis from Schedule 1, which I’m betting happens within the next six months.
Let’s remember though, all these changes we’ve been seeing are nice but, without being CODIFIED, they mean nothing to an incoming administration. An election could move us back to square one. I say codify each and every step we make forward, in order for there to be no two-step slippage back.
Heres something I found interesting.
THC (tetrahydrocannabiol) is another of the cannabinoids that has been shown to be neuroprotectant in cell cultures, but this protection was believed to be mediated by interatction at the cannabinoid receptor, and so would be accompanied by undesired psychotropic side effects.
Although it has been unclear whether cannabimimetric activity plays a role in neuroprotection against glutamate induced neurological injury, the teaching in this field has clearly been that a cannabinoid must at least be a antagonist at the NMDA receptor to have neuroprotective effect. Hence cannabinol, a cannabinoid devoid of the psychoactive effect has not been useful as a neuroprotectant.
This above is from the patent language. It got me thinking. I’m no brain,but from what I can understand about the above statement is that They dont use THC because as it states,”cannabinol, a cannabinoid devoid of the psychoactive effect has not been useful as a neuroprotectant”, regular cannabinoids ,if used, will make you a little high, make you feel good. Now what is wrong with feeling good if your sick?
This also got me thinking of marinol. It must be a cannabinol, hence the synthethic version of THC or regular cannabinoids, you know -the ones that make you a bit high and feel good. So if I understand this correctly…marinol is the cannabinol they speak of,which makes it useless. If so, why are they putting a useless produce on the market to sell?
If anyone reading this sees anything I’m missing or not understanding, please enlighten me.
Oh by the way, my last post info is from US Govt Cannabinoid Patent 6,630,507. If ya didnt know, look it up. http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/pdfs/patent_id/6630507.html
It takes time for the pharmaceutical companies to adjust for the upcoming shift in their sales,and they are probably selling their stock off in some of their medicines,I would be if I was in that field.
And the banks are probably redirecting their monies,since
they will lose laundering all that cartel cash.
And the police organizations are having meetings to decide what to do with all their narc squads extra time, they will still have large commercial grows to contain even if weed is completely legalized.
And then there is the extra time the regular patrol officers will have because they aren’t making drug arrests. They may have to actually try to prevent crime
and investigate more.
The removal of marijuana from schedule 1 will eventually cause one of the largest shifts in wealth,from criminal activities,corruption and the spin-off industries that exist because of the prohibition,mostly back into the hands of the consumer.
If Americans grow their own,and keep big industry,big pharmacy,and big brother out of it.
dexanabinol
It would seem that McLellan’s compass has a needle in it where as Kerlikowske’s only has a pin. I guess its the one he pulls before he jumps ship.
One night I was smoking a choco blunt of some kind regs and watching a drug war documentary. I thought to myself Yea I might even do drugs if they were legal.
Winds Of Marijuana Law Reform Rebuffed At White House
Pollack: There’s a culture war in which marijuana is one of the key fronts.
McLellan: People make a living debating this on stage. You know? That’s hard for me to believe, that there’s a living to be made going around debating about marijuana’s benefits and why you ought to legalize drugs and crap like that. It’s just like a silly discussion to me.