Sunday, April 23, 2006

Medical marijuana Walter In Denver: "If you pay attention to these sort of things you couldn't miss Thursday's FDA pronouncement on medical use of marijuana: "'A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.' "And if you follow the issue at all you know that's simply garbage. In 1999 the National Academy of Sciences (an organization devoted to actual science, as opposed to the FDA) published an overview of research on medical uses of marijuana. Although the research is incomplete, (because of political barriers) there is quite a bit of evidence that pot is a useful medicine. "The FDA also ignores Sativex, a prescription drug available in Canada and Europe, which is essentially just liquid marijuana. It's been proven to be helpful for a variety of ailments. "The FDA sounds here much like Bagdad Bob in his last days as Iraq's spokesman, except they don't have that charming take on the English language." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 11:31:49 AM    comment []

Attack of the Viral Campaign Ads Wired: "In Nevada's gubernatorial race, Democratic Party candidate Jim Gibson has been hampered by a sonorous personal style that many see as dull. But last week, he livened up that staid image by issuing an animated attack ad lampooning his opponent for once taking a campaign donation from Enron. Gibson's ad places him at the forefront of this year's hot political advertising trend: animated attack ads designed to be spread virally through blogs and e-mail. In the ad, Gibson's opponent is shown charging into the lair of a Darth Sidious-like emperor. But instead of slicing up his evil highness with a lightsaber, she happily snatches up a pile of money." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 11:25:41 AM    comment []

Fall ballot initiatives Voters will be deciding many issues on the fall ballot according to the Loveland Daily Reporter Herald. They write, "When state lawmakers failed to address the growing tension between energy companies and landowners, Plan B was already in the works: Ask the voters. On issues ranging from immigration and gay marriage to money in politics, voters and advocacy groups are also hoping to put questions on the November ballot to settle conflicts that the Legislature was unable or unwilling to resolve. A total of 139 proposals were filed by Friday's deadline to join that process, but not all of them will end up on the ballot. Included in the mix are several versions of the same proposal as proponents test different ways of wording them. The final cut will come next month. "John Gorman, a Glenwood Springs real estate agent, thinks voters will be receptive to his proposal to make sure oil and gas developers pay the 'fair value' of damages they cause to surface property owners. The industry did agree that it should pay some damages, but Gorman said they were able to stop a stronger bill from being passed... "Petitions to ban gay marriage and bar most state services for illegal immigrants have already been filed, but a legal challenge has kept backers of the immigration proposal from beginning to the collect the approximately 100,000 signatures they'll need to be sure of making the ballot. Eminent domain critics are collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment in case state lawmakers fail to pass a proposal that prevents the government from taking property to turn it over to developers. Still waiting for reviews are proposals to allow pharmacists to provide emergency contraception without a doctor's prescription - a proposal vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens - and to ban cash gifts to lawmakers. That[base ']s something lawmakers have failed to do for three years... "Taking the initiative: "Marriage: A constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman; a constitutional amendment barring the state from recognizing a legal status similar to marriage, such as domestic partnerships. "Immigration: A constitutional amendment barring the state from paying for non-emergency services for illegal immigrants. "Money in politics: A constitutional amendment barring state lawmakers from receiving gifts worth more than a total of $50 each year; add a section to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights barring people who contribute $500 or more to a pro-tax campaign from receiving a job, a contract or other benefit from the tax. "Oil and gas: A constitutional amendment requiring that mineral extractors, including oil and gas developers, pay the fair value for damages they cause; a constitutional amendment to impose a new 1 percent tax on oil and gas producers to pay for school construction and repairs. "English immersion: A constitutional amendment to require English-immersion classes for students still learning the language. The classes would usually last no longer than a year and could include students of different ages and who have different native languages as long as they are at similar levels in English. "Miscellaneous: A statutory change to allow those 21 and over to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana; a constitutional amendment to bar nuclear weapons from being stored in Colorado; declare the third Friday of each October as St. Hooky's Day, encouraging workers to call in sick. More on the fall ballot from the Wash Park Prophet. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 10:33:44 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 5/2/06; 6:52:24 AM.