Steve DeAngelo is an inspired leader, with close to four decades of activism and advocacy in the cannabis reform movement. His vision and leadership have been featured by news teams from around the globe, including major news outlets in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. The media has featured Steve DeAngelo’s landmark Harborside Health Center in their coverage in the emerging cannabis industry in California and nationwide for a reason; Harborside Health Center has established a unique, nonprofit model of legitimacy and professionalism. It is a place where safe access, compassionate and responsible use, and high-quality, lab-tested medicine is offered to patients in great need of relief from a wide range of medical conditions. Patients come first at Harborside.

Steve has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, the BBC, Fortune Magazine and literally every major network news source in the country. His creation of a model medical cannabis dispensary and lifelong cannabis activism, coupled with his extensive knowledge in this arena, has made him one of the most respected speakers in the cannabis and hemp industries.His activist education started early.

Stephen DeAngelo was born in Philadelphia in 1958 and raised in Washington, D.C., where his father worked for the Kennedy administration. Steve was heavily influenced by his parents’ involvement in the Civil Rights movement, and his time spent in India when his dad worked for the Peace Corps (1967-1969). When the family returned to the United States, the Vietnam War and its atrocities were prominent in the news. Feeling the turbulent signs of the times, young Steve began skipping school to attend antiwar demonstrations. In 7th grade he organized a sit-in at his school, in solidarity with an antiwar demonstration. By the time he was a young teenager, incidents such as the Kent State massacre made him aware that political dissent could very well result in going to jail or being shot. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop Steve. At 16 years old he dropped out of school to join the Yippies, and was the key organizer of the annual Fourth of July White House (cannabis) Smoke-Ins in front of the Capitol buildings.

Steve spent several years as a street activist, learning valuable skills in event planning, stage management, and promotion. As he matured from a teenager into a young man, Steve took his skills into the entrepreneurial arena, putting them to work in the music industry. He became an independent concert promoter, nightclub manager and record producer. He soon renovated two movie theaters and converted them to live music venues – a new model developed way before its time. He played a key role in the rehabilitation of the Adams Morgan neighborhood, with the opening of the Beat Club and renovation of Ontario Theater from movies to live performances. To this day, movie theaters are being renovated and made into music venues across the country. From the very beginning of his career, Steve has been ahead of the times, and set a new course for the future. So is the way with visionary leaders.In 1984, Steve decided to complete his interrupted education at the University of Maryland, graduating summa cum laude in just two-and-a-half years. After graduation he opened the legendary Nuthouse, which High Times magazine called a “D.C. version” of the famous Family Dog in San Francisco. During the first Bush administration, this proved to be a refuge for Washington, D.C., cannabis activists and notables, including Kunstler, Wavy Gravy and Jack Herer.

In 1986, cannabis activist Jack Herer showed up at the Nuthouse, waving a tattered tabloid manuscript of his soon-to-be-famous book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Jack’s book outlined the hidden history of the link between industrial hemp and cannabis, and the conspiracy to make both of them illegal. The Emperor deepened Steve’s realization that cannabis was a good plant, not an evil plant. After reading it, he decided to focus his efforts on promoting the book’s message far and wide. After helping Jack edit and publish the manuscript, Steve became a prime organizer of the first ever Hemp Museum and Hemp Tour, which brought the news about hemp to hundreds of universities nationwide.

Displayed in that tour were balls of twine made from hemp, which college students found to be an excellent material for macramé jewelry, and began purchasing in ever-growing quantities. Before long, Steve had completely exhausted the available supply of twine in the United States, so he traveled to Eastern Europe in search of a reliable supplier. That trip led to the 1990 founding of Ecolution, a pioneering company that manufactured hemp clothing and accessories, and exported them to retail stores in all 50 states and 21 foreign countries. This company again enabled Steve to cross-pollinate his extraordinary leadership and activism skills – and established Ecolution as the most professional and mainstream U.S. hemp company.

Steve sees hemp and cannabis as one issue, not two. He believes that the 1937 legislation that made cannabis illegal was passed due to influence from corporate interests like the Hearst and DuPont Corporations, which saw hemp as a threat to their investments in timber and plastics.

In 1998, two years after California passed its landmark medical cannabis initiative, Steve played a key leadership role in the passage of Washington, D.C.’s medical cannabis legislation, Initiative 59. Despite winning with 69% of the vote, and in every single precinct in the city, the US Congress used its power to veto implementation of I-59. Shocked and disillusioned by this violation of majority rule, Steve decided to move to California where, unlike D.C., medical cannabis legislation was not subject to a congressional veto.

Steve arrived in California in 2000, and immersed himself in the local medical cannabis milieu. He was one of the original founding members of Americans for Safe Access, the premier advocacy group for medical cannabis patients. He wrote and produced For Medical Use Only, a short documentary film; helped organize several legal cannabis gardens, and invented a new form of cannabis concentrate. All the while, he laid plans for a new type of medical cannabis dispensary. Steve got the chance to put his plans in action October of 2006, when he won a highly competitive RFP process, and was issued a medical cannabis dispensary license by the city of Oakland. Steve launched Harborside Health Center (HHC) to bring a new model of professionalism and integrity to the industry. Harborside quickly gained recognition for its free holistic care clinic, laboratory-tested medicine, low-income care package program, cannabis-friendly substance misuse program, and wide array of other patient services. This innovative approach generated widespread acceptance and acclaim from the community, city council, and law enforcement officials in Northern California and beyond.

As media coverage spread the word of his exemplary not-for-profit business model and straightforward commitment, Steve became inundated with requests to share his vision and business acumen. In response, he created “CannBe,” a management and consulting firm which brought an A-team of medical cannabis professionals under one roof, and put them at the service of existing and prospective dispensary operators. The CannBe model emphasized local ownership and control, with a focus on legal integrity and positive community relations.

“Out of the Shadows and Into the Light” epitomizes Steve’s mission. His work to expose the myths created about cannabis, and to promote the positive science that has emerged about it, aims to enlighten the public on the many benefits of the cannabis plant.

This is an important time in history to empower the country to change its image and perception of cannabis. Steve DeAngelo and Harborside Health Center are leading the way and on the edge of the ladder in discovering and demonstrating the many benefits of this amazing plant.

Barack Obama should pay attention. In 2008, young voters were enthused and turned out for him by the millions.

But now? The campus/youth enthusiasm factor has declined sharply. The deficiency seriously imperils Obama’s re-election effort.

There’s one issue, though, that might reignite youthful enthusiasm. That issue is marijuana – partly its medical use, but especially Americans’ right to recreational use free of potential arrest and possible prison time.

Today’s grim reality is that police continue to arrest youth for marijuana possession by the hundreds of thousands. But each arrest is a red flag of danger, threatening life prospects for a young man or woman suddenly saddled with a permanent “drug arrest” record that’s easily located by employers, landlords, schools, credit agencies and banks.

Small wonder then that 62 percent of young Americans ( ages 18 to 29 ) now favor legalizing marijuana, as a Gallup poll reported.

And it’s not just youth these days. Gallup this year found 50 percent nationwide support for legalizing marijuana use – the most ever, up from a measly 12 percent in 1969 to 30 percent in 2000 and 40 percent in 2009.

A ballot measure to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana received 46.5 percent of the vote in California last year. Parallel measures are likely to be on the 2012 ballots in Colorado and Washington. Odd political bedfellows – Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ron Paul, R-Texas – recently introduced a legalization bill and now have 19 co-sponsors. Paul even gets applause advocating legalization in Republican presidential debates.

But what about President Obama? In 2004 he endorsed marijuana decriminalization. He was candid about his early pot use and in 2006 told a group of magazine editors: “When I was a kid, I inhaled, frequently.” By his run for president in 2008, he was slipping away from decriminalization but at least talked of a “public health” approach, emphasizing drug treatment instead of prison, giving drug-reform advocates hope for a new day in national policy.

But Obama as president has been a clear disappointment to reform forces. In White House-initiated electronic town halls, respondents – heavily weighted to original Obama supporters – have repeatedly put marijuana at the top of their issue lists. But the White House has either laughed off or provided dismissive retorts.

Obama’s Drug Policy Office claims the drug war is over, replaced by a focus on shrinking demand, “innovative, compassionate and evidence-based drug policies.” But Obama has not once singled out marijuana – a substance arguably far less harmful to the human body than alcohol – for special consideration. Nor has he spoken to the harm to youth caused by 800,000 yearly arrests. Or moved to stem the billions of dollars a year spent on marijuana-related arrests.

This is clearly not the “change” Obama’s enthusiastic supporters of 2008 expected. And it’s deeply ironic. Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance notes that if local police departments had been enforcing marijuana laws as harshly in the early 1980s as many do today, “there’s a good chance a young Columbia student named Barack Obama could have been picked up – and not be in the White House today.”

Nadelmann suggests that both the White House Drug Policy Office and the Justice Department enforcement divisions have been “co-opted” by holdover appointees deeply invested in anti-marijuana rhetoric and “let’s just bust them” drug enforcement.

Facing the 2012 election, Obama is not likely to advocate, suddenly, marijuana decriminalization. But he could announce that it’s time for a serious national dialogue on the issue, and that it will be a hallmark of his second term. He could express his dismay that 800,000 people, mostly young ( and heavily black and Hispanic ), are being arrested each year for marijuana possession – even as 50 percent of Americans favor legalization. He could focus on the massive costs of enforcement, the deep social costs of imprisonment. Let all America, youth included, join in the debate, he could urge.

A new openness to marijuana reform could help to reignite, on campuses and among high numbers of young people, the hope for “change” that really means something. Perhaps even prospects for the president’s own re-election.

“By selling the amount of cannabis that I’ve sold, I am now eligible for more than three federal death penalties.” So says Steve DeAngelo, protagonist of the Discovery Channel miniseries “Weed Wars,” at the beginning of each episode, immediately alerting viewers that this is not standard reality TV.

As founder and executive director of Oakland-based Harborside Health Center, a medical-marijuana collective that DeAngelo claims is “the largest cannabis dispensary on the entire planet” — he won’t be voted off the island or lose the singing competition in the final round. Instead, DeAngelo faces severe legal consequences for the activities documented in “Weed Wars,” which airs its first season finale Thursday.

“Weed Wars” offers unprecedented access into the medicinal-cannabis universe, from entrepreneur-activists like DeAngelo to growers, sellers and patients, all operating on the edge of legality.

“It’s the first real chance that [medical cannabis] providers have had to get their own story out there,” notes Aaron Lachant, associate at Los Angeles-based Fenton Nelson, who runs the healthcare-focused law firm’s medical-marijuana litigation practice. “Previously, the narrative around medical marijuana has always been dominated by state and federal government, city councils and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This show helps make it a national debate, and not just a California issue.”

Though groundbreaking, “Weed Wars” may be just an opening salvo in what is shaping up to be a growing reality sub-genre devoted to illicit substances. The show has scored well with key demos, averaging just under a million viewers a week. Meanwhile, Discovery’s Dec. 6 premiere of “Moonshiners” — a series focused on the exploits of illegal alcohol distillers in the Appalachian backwoods — earned the network close to 3 million viewers, its highest ratings for a series debut.

“The topic is in the zeitgeist right now,” says Nancy Daniels, executive vice president of production and development for the Discovery Channel. “Both shows present an inherent level of drama and stakes that works for any show, with characters operating on the edge of the law that really pop on TV. We’re not taking a side — we’re just showing what’s happening with a hot-button issue.”

National Geographic Channel, meanwhile, is bringing back its investigative documentary series “Drugs Inc.” for a second season, with new episodes set to broadcast Jan. 1. And later this spring, National Geographic will present new series “American Weed”: where “Drugs Inc.” exhaustively explores numerous aspects of the multi-billion-dollar illegal-drug trade throughout the world, “American Weed” focuses specifically on the marijuana-legalization movement of Colorado.

“The incredible disconnect between local authorities’ approval and federal law is playing out with a lot of drama in many communities,” says Michael Cascio, National Geographic Channel’s executive vice president of production, “and we follow a group of people dealing with the new reality.”

According to Shirley Halperin, co-author of “Pot Culture: The A-Z Guide to Stoner Language and Life,” the wave of pot-based programming jump-started with the surprise success of CNBC’s 2009 documentary special “Marijuana Inc.: Inside America’s Pot Industry.” “The ratings are there, advertisers are there,” she says. “Weed’s place in pop culture is at critical mass.”

Indeed, “Weed Wars” executive producer Chuck Braverman (whose diverse résumé includes directing episodes of “Beverly Hills 90210″ and Oscar-nominated documentaries) says it’s taken a while for TV to catch up. “The irony is, two years ago, I had a marijuana-related project, and every network passed on it.”

News Hawk – 420 Warrior 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Los Angeles Times
Author: Matt Diehl
Contact: www.latimes.com-contact us
Copyright: Copyright 2011 Los Angeles Times
Website: articles.latimes.com

My perspective has changed over the past year. Yes, there are profiteers and people who just want to get high among the medical marijuana fold, but I believe the vast majority of people working in the field are sincere. Even if their ultimate goal is legalization, they see that at least protecting people who are sick and need the medicine is a sincere and effective step.

Even further, I now believe that ending marijuana prohibition has the potential to make so many positive changes in the United States that legalization can’t wait. Here’s why:

The War on Drugs is lost

The War on Drugs is an utter and farcical failure. It was doomed from the start because it was developed counter to the scientific evidence available at the time and was conceived of as a political tool against President Richard Nixon’s enemies. Since it kicked off in 1972, the country has spent $1 trillion on this failed policy, 37 million people have been arrested for drugs ( 10 million for marijuana ) yet more people use drugs than ever before, illegal drugs are readily available in practically every community, most of the violence associated with drugs is due to their illegality, and foreign drug cartels routinely bring illegal drugs across our national borders in amounts that police are incapable of slowing down. When it comes to the War on Drugs we’re flushing money down the toilet.

Marijuana is safe medicine

And if you doubt that people are sick and need medication, look at the $300 billion a year ( according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism ) we spend on pharmaceutical drugs. The pharmaceutical industry is among the nation’s most profitable. On the way to those profits in 2010, according to statistics from the Food and Drug Administration, there were 82,774 deaths and 471,291 serious outcomes ( i.e. death, hospitalization, life-threatening, disability, congenital anomaly ) were attributed to prescription drug mistakes. In comparison, there has never been a reported marijuana overdose death. Not only is it safe, but the most common side effect is you get a bit of euphoria. OK, you can get dry throat too, but that beats the long list of negative side effects listed for most medications on TV commercials.

Harm to ethnic communities

The original criminalization of marijuana in the 1930s was in part a move to send Mexicans back to Mexico during the Great Depression. The 1972 declaration of the War on Drugs was aimed at blacks and hippies. The consequences of the war have been devastating on those communities while not stopping drug use. Police have fought the drug war more vigorously in black and Hispanic communities than in affluent white neighborhoods. And even when middle-class whites get arrested, due to being able to afford more competent defense and disparities in sentencing, they don’t go to jail in nearly the numbers as others.

When an urban person of color gets arrested for a nonviolent drug offense, their life takes a downswing they may never recover from. They go to jail and their families are ripped apart. They meet other criminals in jail who teach them how to conduct a life of crime. When they get out of jail, they’ve been out of circulation for a number of years, any education they were getting is over; they’re ineligible for federal education funding because they have a felony record. Without education or job skills, there’s little chance for employment. Pretty much all they have to fall back on are the criminals they met while in jail. The community loses a possible productive citizen, the family loses a potential breadwinner and the user is probably going back to jail at a cost to taxpayers

Police are addicted to drug money

Police know the War on Drugs is lost, but it is so profitable they won’t tell the truth. Police get federal money, foundation money and forfeiture money for pursuing the failed drug war. It behooves them to pump up the statistics on their anti-drug efforts because they get paid. Recently, in Bay City, a lawyer complained that the city should save the cost of participating in the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team. The ensuing discussion revealed that the federal government gave Bay City police a $60,000 grant to participate in the drug enforcement team. In Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing recently announced that police could use more than $2 million in drug forfeiture money to purchase crime-fighting technology that the city could not otherwise afford.

In an atmosphere where education dollars are hard to come by, where budget cuts threaten the existence of social services, where health care costs have nearly paralyzed the nation, anti-drug money still flows without impediment into dark coffers across the nation.

There’s money to be made

I believe a lot of the talk among political entities about being able to control dosage and purity of the drug is partly cover for deciding just who is going to make the profits from a plant that has been used by indigenous peoples since the dawn of history. In a Dec. 5 press release, California’s Union of Medical Marijuana Patients revealed that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is “about to award an exclusive license to Kannalife Sciences, Inc. of New York to develop medical therapeutics based on the chemistry of cannabis.”

There’s big money to be made, and the folks who handle big money want to keep it for themselves. In 2005, Milton Friedman and 500 economists supported a Harvard study showing that legal taxed and regulated marijuana would produce annual savings and tax revenues of $10-$14 billion for the United States. California pot sales alone already are an estimated billion-dollar industry. It’s not like we couldn’t use that kind of money in Michigan.

Science supports medical marijuana

There is no factual basis for marijuana prohibition. There are at least a couple of thousand peer-reviewed scientific articles out there that support the medical use of marijuana for treating diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and numerous other ailments including chronic pain. The only science contradicting these favorable findings comes from scientists working for anti-drug organizations – and they have the credibility of the scientists who claim that global warming does not exist.

There are a lot more things that I learned about marijuana over the past year. I’ve learned about how the active ingredients in marijuana work, and that it’s not all about THC. I’ve learned that whole plant medications can be more effective than synthesizing one “active” component. I’ve learned that polls show the vast majority of Americans support medical marijuana and a slim majority supports out-and-out legalization. I’ve learned enough about marijuana that I believe that changing our laws and attitude toward the weed could indeed change our nation.

News Hawk – 420 Warrior 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Author: Larry Gabriel
Contact: letters@metrotimes.com
Copyright: 2011 C.E.G.W./Times-Shamrock
Website: Detroit Metro Times

According to the court, penalizing the personal use of drugs violates the “free development of personality.”

The court found that Legislative Act No.2, 2009, which banned the personal use of drugs, “implies the nullification of fundamental rights, and it represses and sanctions with the severest punishments (imprisonment) the personal decision to abandon one’s personal health, a choice that corresponds to their own decision and does not infringe on the rights of other members of society.”

According to newspaper El Tiempo, the Supreme Court set the “personal amount” of drugs at 20 grams of marijuana.

Colombia’s highest court based its ruling on the case of a minor who had nearly 80 grams of marijuana in his possession. While the court decided the amount exceeded personal use, they took the opportunity to overturn the general ban on personal consumption.

The landmark ruling overturns legislation passed by Colombia’s Congress in 2009 that penalized the carrying of all amounts of illegal drugs. The passing of the bill was considered a success for Uribe, who for years had been trying to ban drugs, claiming the decriminalized dosage was undermining efforts to combat micro-trafficking of drugs in the cities.

NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: colombiareports.com
Author: Travis Mannon
Copyright: Colombia news | Colombia Reports
Contact: Colombia news | Colombia Reports
Website: Colombia Supreme Court decriminalizes drugs for personal use

New Jersey’s six approved dispensaries could be open by the end of the year, serving patients who have certain debilitating medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis or terminal cancer, or those whose conditions are not responding to other treatments.

Last month, Mr. Christie said he wouldn’t move forward with the program until he received assurance that those carrying out the law wouldn’t be prosecuted. Critics said he was deliberately trying to delay or kill the program for political reasons.

In response to New Jersey and other states with budding medical marijuana programs, the Justice Department issued a memo on June 29 reiterating that small, focused state programs would not be a top priority for law enforcement.

“It is likely not an efficient use of federal resources to focus enforcement efforts on individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or their caregiver,” the department said.

Mr. Christie said that while the memo did not directly address the issue, his experience as a former U.S. attorney allowed him to read between the lines.

“They were clearly trying to send us a signal,” he said. He also cited then-candidate Barack Obama’s comments to an Oregon newspaper in 2008, when he said prosecution of medical marijuana users and dispensers would not be “real high” on his priority list as president.

Other states’ programs have been criticized for being too lax.

The recent federal memo said large-scale “commercial cultivation, sale and distribution” of pot for “purported medical purposes” had expanded, and the federal government never intended to “shield” those types of activities from prosecution.

New Jersey’s program is considered one of the strictest in the nation. Patients are limited to a 2-ounce supply every 30 days, and the active ingredient, THC is limited to a maximum of 10%. So far, 92 physicians from 19 counties have registered to participate in the program, according to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Diane Riportella, 55, of Egg Harbor Township, has Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the fatal disease that breaks down nerves that control muscles. She said marijuana replaces several pain drugs=ADwithout the side effects=ADand helps her deal with her condition.

“Emotionally, to be told that you’re going to be dying, that you have a fatal disease, that alone will take your breath away and make you want to crawl in a hole,” she said. “With the marijuana, I get a sense of peace, tranquility. It helps me to eat because I have lost my flavor for food. And it really calms me down when I’m in my deepest and darkest times, when I feel that there’s no hope.”

Patients say it still will not be easy to get marijuana. Ms. Riportella said her husband would have to travel an hour to the nearest dispensary to pick it up, and each of them would have to pay $200 to participate.

NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact: wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
Website: The Wall Street Journal
Details: MAP: Media Directory
Author: Lisa Fleisher

The DEA is a law enforcement bureaucracy. The medical opinions of law enforcement bureaucrats should be of little interest. We do not ask cops to make laws; we pay cops to enforce the laws established by constitutions or enacted by the people or the decisions of their representatives.

Furthermore, what drug a person takes for an illness should be between that person and his or her physician. Drug laws – like laws that regulate rape, murder, arson, property crimes and almost all criminal matters – should be the purview of states. That’s a right wing, conservative Republican view of the world that is shared by the left-leaning Obama administration regarding the regulation of medical marijuana. Nothing in the Constitution grants the federal government, let alone a lone bureaucracy such as the DEA, to regulate drugs. Efforts by the federal government to regulate alcohol failed miserably, just as the efforts to regulate drugs have empowered black-market criminals. The war on drugs is a deadly and expensive political indulgence of the past that our country can no longer afford.

The agency’s statement came in response to a 2002 petition by supporters of medical marijuana who want the drug reclassified. The ruling means, in the view of the federal bureaucrats, that even a terminal cancer patient cannot use marijuana to control severe pain even if it is the best course of treatment as recommended by the patient’s physician. The DEA would prefer the patient go on other drugs – something created and sold by pharmaceuticals. Most prescription-strength pain relievers, unlike marijuana, are liver toxins that have the ability to kill upon overdose. Most, unlike marijuana, are so physically addictive that withdrawal can be deadly. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, such as aspirin, kill more than 7,000 Americans each year who either overdose intentionally or by accident. Tobacco has killed an average of 430,700 Americans each year, based on research from the Centers for Disease Control. Alcohol has killed more than 110,000 Americans each! year. Adverse reactions to prescription drugs have killed more than 32,000 Americans each year.

Marijuana, a drug that should not be used for recreation, has been the direct cause of this many deaths each year: Zero. We are able to buy aspirin – a pharmaceutical that can kill. But the government says no to marijuana – a drug that quite likely has the safest track record of any drug in history – even if a physician says it is what we need. This is the type of insanity that led President Ronald Reagan to say: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

The Gazette is against bad things. We oppose recreational use of marijuana, unless legalized in our state. We oppose rape, murder, violent crimes and crimes motivated by hate.

Though we oppose forest fires, we stand behind Sheriff Terry Maketa and other law enforcement officials who take great care in issuing burn bans. As Maketa explained this year, it is important to never warn against extreme fire danger when there is not genuine danger. That’s because people will condition themselves to discard fire warnings if they appear exaggerated by authorities.

The ongoing schedule 1 classification of marijuana – as a drug akin to heroin – is an obvious indulgence of bureaucratic exaggeration. It seems clear that DEA officials want to demonize marijuana because it guarantees the DEA’s ongoing funding and growth. This ruling does nothing to harm the reputation of medical marijuana, and everything to diminish the reputation of the DEA. We must demand that government employees stop lying to the Americans they are paid to serve with integrity and truth.

NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)
Copyright: 2011 The Gazette
Contact: Submit a Letter – Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Website: Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Details: MAP: Media Directory
Author: Wayne Laugesen

What is Autism?

Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders, or PDD. These disorders also include Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). Autism is a disorder of neural development, characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. Parents will usually see signs of Autism within the first two years of their child’s life.

A Mother Struggles To Save Her Son

Mieko Hester Perez is the mother of an autistic child, his name is Joey. Joey was diagnosed with Autism when he was 18 months old. By the time Joey was 9 years old, his battle with Autism was threatening his life. He weighed only 46 lbs. and his bones where showing on his chest. The conventional medicines that the doctors prescribed were not doing much for him, though he took 13 of them each day, up to three times a day. His appetite was poor, he was hurting himself physically, and his doctor ultimately gave him six months to live. Desperate to save her son, Mieko began looking for an alternative.

Mieko began researching Cannabis and Autism on the internet and at the library. It was at the library that she began reading research done by Dr. Bernard Rimland and Dr. Lester Grinspoon. Mieko was raised in a religious environment and worked in the legal profession for 15 years. She had a difficult decision to make: Should she go against her life’s background and try Cannabis as a medicine for Joey or not? She decided Yes, and was rewarded with wonderful results. Today, Joey is flourishing with new communicative expressions and he’s gained over 40 lbs. He’s happier, healthier, better behaved & is more productive than ever. His performance at school is quite literally through the roof. His body is no longer overcome by synthetic drugs, and Joey is only required to take three prescription drugs now.

The Unconventional Foundation For Autism

When Mieko Hester Perez saw the amazing results that medicinal Cannabis produced for Joey, she wanted to share his story, and help other children. In order to do this, she started the Unconventional Foundation for Autism three years ago, when she made an oath to Joey after being interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. Her goal was to help just one other family with an autistic child, that was her reason for going public with Joey’s treatment.

The mission of UF4A is three-fold: (1) to raise awareness and support for families afflicted with this mysterious and misunderstood condition known as Autism; (2) to raise funds for Cannabis-based medical research and clinical trials; and (3) to campaign for a rescheduling of Cannabis from Schedule 1 narcotic (no accepted medical benefits) to a lower schedule so that the appropriate research may be conducted, and so that all patients have access to medication without fear of prosecution.

A listing on Schedule 1 is tantamount to a research blockade and, frankly, is unacceptable where millions continue to needlessly suffer. The Schedule 1 listing fails to reflect the prevailing medical view that Cannabis has accepted medical benefits.

UF4A is quickly becoming a leading advocate in the fight for nationwide investigation, research and analysis of the legalization of Medical Marijuana; contributions will directly help support the advancement of our mission.

A Chat with Mieko Hester Perez

I was given the privilege of speaking with Mieko recently. If there is one thing I learned, it was that helping children with Autism is extremely important to her. She receives many phone calls daily, from parents who want to know what she did and how she did it. She does everything in her power to help, she believes no family should be left behind. She knows first-hand what it’s like to have an autistic child, the pain and the heartache. It has become her passion to help other families.

Mieko Hester Perez has had interviews with all five of the major television networks, in the hope of spreading awareness about Autism and medicinal Cannabis. These interviews have helped a great deal, they are a main reason she receives so many calls from parents.

Joey was first diagnosed with Autism when he was 18 months old. At the age of five, he began taking prescribed medications to treat symptoms associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. According to Mieko, this was still fairly early on in the diagnosis, and there were no “true” medications to treat his Autism. Through her research, she found psychotropic medications that were commonly used and she started Joey on three medications. Throughout the next five years, Joey was placed on every medication that was available to treat children with Autism. She tried a total of 13 medications. They were not working, however, they were causing Joey to have liver damage, seizures, and facial tics. When asked how much the medications cost, and how much was covered by programs such as Medicaid, Mieko had this to say, “Children on the Autism spectrum are covered through the state if you have a qualifying diagnosis, so you be the judge of who wins in the diagnosis of Autism.”

I was curious as to whether or not Mieko was concerned with only giving Joey Cannabis as medicine, leaving the pharmaceutical medications behind. Her response was that she is not against pharmaceuticals. She is, however, against all those toxic medications for children with warning labels that say: side effects include death and liver failure for children between the ages of 3 to 13.

Joey had eating disorders when he was on the pharmaceutical medications. He lost his appetite, and he would rarely want to eat. When he did, it was mostly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mieko made sure to keep plenty of the favorite foods he would eat on hand. She informed me that he had one to three foods that he would eat, and that every three months or so those would change. She had Joey on a gluten free, casein free diet. For those who don’t know, this is a very restrictive diet, and not easy to accomplish. Gluten is found in most foods, and gluten free foods are expensive. Joey was sure to have had a nutrition deficit due to his appetite, and that is plain to see in the photos of him from a few years ago. The GFCF diet did not seem to help him much at the time he was on the pharmaceuticals. I asked Mieko if she had problems getting Joey to eat medical Cannabis, as he was having such difficulty eating. She told me that the first few weeks were trial and error as the entire introduction to using medical Cannabis was overwhelming for her, just too much information at one time. However, within a few weeks of beginning medical Cannabis, Joey acquired a taste for his GFCF brownies, and the rest is history.

When Joey was on the pharmaceutical medicines only, his aggression was amplified. His OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and his compulsion to hoard things was also excessive. He had a “behavioral plan” in school, or IEP. He would have glossy eyes and was always edgy. Mieko said Joey had unpredictable behavior and it was a total nightmare. Schools that teach autistic children do not have certain plans for children that are on specific medications; however they do have behavioral plans to help address aggressive behavior. Joey was on such a plan. Today, Joey is doing so well in his education program that he is no longer on a behavioral plan, which is absolutely astounding. His behavior has greatly improved. She related this story to me, “There were nine people sitting in my living room when Joey began to bang on the walls in frustration. I placed a gluten free, casein free brownie in his hand no bigger than a silver dollar, and by the last bite, I had a room full of grown men with tears in their eyes. What they had witnessed was science in the most compelling visual proof of how effective Cannabis is for children on the Autism spectrum. Joey’s eye contact had improved; he began to be social, laughing appropriately. He became more engaged with the people in the room. This is not often heard or seen when you are describing children diagnosed with Autism.”

Finding the right strain of Cannabis for Joey was a wild west venture for Mieko, as she is a non-Cannabis consumer. She was able to find a discreet delivery service, and a year later was confident enough to walk into a garden, then a collective. She has tested so many strains that some days she felt like a “strain-ologist”. The strain Star Dawg has had the most profound effect for Joey. Mieko feels that this strain may very well be the game changer for children diagnosed with Autism. Another strain she feels is appropriate for children on the Autism spectrum is called LA Confidential. The Cannabis she uses as medicine is grown organically, through a technique called Veganics. Veganic agriculture is an approach to growing that encompasses a respect for animals, the environment, and human health. Also known as “stockfree” “vegan organic” and “plant-based,” this is a form of agriculture that goes further than organic standards, by eliminating the use of products that are derived from confined animals and by encouraging the presence of wild native animals on the farmland. Steep Hill Labs provides the testing for the medicinal Cannabis, and DNA Genetics provides seeds for the parents who wish to grow their own medicine. She has seen firsthand some collectives that are in the business for the wrong reason. She has also visited ones that are operating a true compassionate and legal collective that parents such as herself can feel safe going to. At The Unconventional Foundation for Autism, she takes the learning curve out of finding a good collective for parents that is safe and compassionate. She feels it’s her obligation to do so. Mieko stands up for collectives that understand the importance of the connection between Autism and medical Cannabis.

Thankfully, Joey has a spindle of “Angel” growers that never leave him without his medicine. There have been some times when he was late in getting his medication, and at those times aggressive behaviors do surface. Mieko states it is nothing like the behaviors she had endured before treating Joey with medical Cannabis. For almost three years now, Joey has been using Cannabis as medicine. To Mieko, long term use seems to be one of the most powerful scientific break-throughs for treating Autism. Mieko has this to say about medicinal Cannabis:, “Cannabis is not a cure for Autism, but it provides a better quality of life for children on the spectrum. When I look into my son’s eyes I see a little boy in there and as I speak with other parents who have chosen this treatment, they also state similar results. It’s not a miracle, it’s Science.”

I asked Mieko if she had any particular medical reports that stood out to her in regards to Cannabis and Autism. Her response was that there are no medical reports that state Cannabis is a safe and effective medication. However, if you connect the dots to the scientific research and papers written by Dr. Bernard Rimland and Dr. Lester Grinspoon, you may find an educated opinion that should be an option for children on the Autism spectrum.

As far as dosage is concerned, Joey only needs to consume a Cannabis infused brownie once every 3 days or so. As long as he keeps Cannabis in his system, it helps him greatly. According to Mieko, with Autism each child has a different DNA makeup. The amount that works for Joey may not work for the next child or adult, but one thing for sure is “we have the strain” that works across the board. The Unconventional Foundation for Autism is currently compiling dosage information through surveys in an attempt to find a consensus on dosage.

About Mieko Hester Perez and the UF4A, in her own words

I am a single mother of a special needs child…when I’m not being a mom of 3 children.

I’m a Corporate Compliance legal researcher and secretary. I am President of CA Corporate & Attorney Services Inc. They are a public court record retrieval & research firm in Los Angeles. They possess over 15 years of experience in providing nationwide civil, criminal, real estate and family law legal support for law firms & companies.

And now I’m Executive Director of The Unconventional Foundation for Autism. I have over 10 years of experience using my legal expertise to advocate for children with special needs by helping parents understand the special education composite of laws set in place to protect our children.

Celebrity Purpose

UF4A has been reaching out to celebrity figures that have shown support for the medical Cannabis movement. These celebrities are willing to further the awareness of Autism and the use of Cannabis as an alternative safe and effective treatment. This issue is not about getting high but saving lives, particularly young lives of our precious children.

Our groundbreaking research gives artists an opportunity to align their brand with a prevailing issue facing children and parents throughout America. Those parents who cringe at the mention of Cannabis in lyrics will develop a new and positive perception towards the plant and artists.

Mieko and Joey are helping eliminate the stigma associated with this potentially extraordinary totally natural “green” medicine/herb. In the face of humanity and compassion, the influence of celebrity support is tremendous. Celebrities have been seen wearing the UF4A.ORG orange wristband in support of scientific research for children diagnosed with Autism.

Recently a signed guitar from Willie Nelson was donated by Kevin Lyman, the promoter of the County Throw Down Tour. It seems Mieko’s passion is becoming contagious to save a life. Artists are stepping up to help her with the foundation to reach millions of families in one simple act of gratitude.

It is this writer’s hope that the great things that have been happening for Mieko and Joey are spread throughout the U.S.A. and in turn, throughout the world. This has been happening, and I hope it continues to happen. In turning to Cannabis out of a need to save her child, Mieko has demonstrated great courage and ultimately, has proven that Cannabis works in treating children with Autism.

Here are a few videos of Mieko’s previous interviews, as well as some pictures of Joey.

For More information, Please Visit UF4A.ORG

Jacob Ebel
420 Staff Writer
420 Magazine

Yet only four months after the agency committed its “no medical pot” stance to print, it announced its intent to allow for the regulation and marketing of pharmaceutical products containing plant-derived THC — the primary psychoactive ingredient in Cannabis. (Alternet)

DEA can try to frame this any way they like, but the bottom line remains that authorizing cultivation for pharmaceutical companies is the end of the debate. Over. Done. Whatever nuanced distinctions the enemies of medical marijuana seek to advance from this point forward will be devastated by the simple fact that new medicines are being made out of marijuana with the blessing of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Conspiracy theories will abound, of course, regarding the potential for a widespread campaign to shut down state-level medical marijuana programs and instead shove expensive pills down the throats of patients, while arresting providers and cultivators who refuse to comply. That isn’t going to happen. As much as the DEA and their corporate co-conspirators might fantasize about it, a full-scale assault on the medical cannabis industry is simply impossible from both a practical and political standpoint. These laws were put in place by the people and they won’t be done away with over our objections.

On the contrary, the emergence of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals has real potential to vest corporate interests with a stake in the drug’s overall reputation. Rather than distancing themselves from the origins of their products, manufacturers of THC-based medications will recognize that associating their product with marijuana is in fact a shrewd marketing ploy. Marinol has already done exactly that. People love pot and that’s going to be the key to selling these pills. As a result, we could soon be witnessing a seemingly impossible scenario in which pharmaceutical companies actually share our frustration when some drug war idiot comes along claiming THC causes schizophrenia.

Obviously, it’s unlikely that our goals will ever align perfectly with those of the pharmaceutical industry, but they’re clearly better at working with the DEA than we’ll ever be. Rather than viewing the situation as a threat to our continued progress, I think we need to recognize that various forms of industrialization will be the inevitable result of our hard work to de-stigmatize the drug. As that process unfolds, we’ll encounter numerous new and interesting opportunities to reframe the conversation about the dangers of marijuana. Even if this latest move by DEA is nothing more than a cynical attempt to thwart our progress somehow, I imagine it will backfire just as surely as every other tactic they’ve deployed in the drug war debate thus far.

NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: StoptheDrugWar.org
Author: Scott Morgan
Copyright: 2011 StoptheDrugWar.org
Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org
Website: DEA Finally Admits Marijuana is Medicine | StoptheDrugWar.org

420, 4/20, and 4:20! 420 means many things to many people, myself included. I first heard the term 420 when I was in my early 20’s, and had no idea what it meant until I asked. I learned it meant that on April 20th, Cannabis users celebrate their beloved plant, and that at 4:20 it’s time to blaze a joint, or take some bong rips, etc. The term 420 conjures up positive energy for us who use the term, and brings a smile to our faces.

420 is also a way of speaking for Cannabis users. We might say things such as: “There are 420 uses for this plant” or “I have 420 things to do today” or “It’s almost 4:20, what are your plans?”.

You get the idea. If you are speaking to someone, and want to know if they partake, it’s as easy as inserting the term in the conversation, and if they smile, then you know. If you get the dumbfounded look, well, they just don’t get it. As Cannabis users, the fear of being outcast from society, fired from our jobs, or thrown in jail is always prevalent. Using the term 420 is a way for us to find each other safely. As much as we believe that we are in the right, there are obviously those that disagree with us. 420 is a way to speak to test the waters, and find 420 people. The Cannabis movement is rising quickly, and I can’t imagine an easier way to find sympathetic people than the term 420. Where would we be without this great term? In Seattle, there is a radio station whose DJ made use of the term daily, at 4:20, and listeners would call in, and you could hear them smoking, it was great. The Gettysburg Address begins: “Four score and twenty years ago”. That is 420. However you decide to use the number, it brings positive energy and good feelings.

Remembering Jack Herer – The Emperor of Hemp

Jack Herer (June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010) was the modern day founder of the movement to legalize Cannabis Hemp. Without him, and his friend, Captain Ed Adair, the Cannabis movement would not be where it is today. Jack’s book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes”, was published in 1985 and is in it’s 11th Edition. To quote the back cover of the book:

“If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the Greenhouse Effect and stop deforestation; then there is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of providing the overall majority of the world’s paper and textiles; meet all of the world’s transportation, industrial and home energy needs, while simultaneously reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil, and cleaning the atmosphere all at the same time… and that substance is — the same one that did it all before — Cannabis Hemp… Marijuana!”

Mr. Herer has a specific strain of Cannabis named in honor of his work, and he ran for President of the U.S. twice. The first time was in 1988, he received 1,949 votes, the second in 1992, receiving 3,875 votes. He ran as the Grassroots Party Candidate.

I did not know Mr. Herer personally, but from having read about him, I admire his dedication and his passion for our beloved flower and Hemp. I believe he was right, that we do need to go back to Nature and start using Hemp for our clothes, our fuel, to build our homes and cars, etc. It is without a doubt the best and only plant, for the job.

420 Observances

Every year on 420, there are many cities and places that celebrate the famous Hempy holiday. Here are some of the top places.

San Francisco, CA. Every year thousands of people flock from all over CA. to San Fran’s Hippie Hill, located in Golden Gate Park near Haight-Ashbury.

Tallahassee, Florida. Named the #2 most pot smoking city in the U.S, thousands gather in Tallahassee for the annual 420 celebration. Some major places are Tallahassee Mall, or Florida State University campus.

The University of California, in Santa Cruz, has a celebration that takes place in the Porter College Meadow.

At the University of Colorado, in Boulder, thousands attend the yearly celebration. The attendance reached 11,000 in 2008.

In Ottawa, Ontario, thousands gather on Parliament Hill and Major Hill and look toward the Peace Tower as they light up at 4:20.

Montreal, Quebec sees thousands gather at the Mont-Royal monument to enjoy 4/20.

In Auckland, New Zealand, a 420 group meets annually at the Daktory.

This 4/20, let us celebrate what 420 means to each of us as individuals and as a human race. In doing so, let us not forget to take hits for Jack Herer, as a toke of appreciation for all his hard work, and for paving the way for us 420 Activists. Hempy 420 Everyone!

Jacob Husky

420 Magazine Staff Writer