Father: Synthetic Marijuana Destroying Family

Courtesy of:  Save Our Society from Drugs

NBC News: Harborside Health Center Owner Steve DeAngelo has no issues with the law by stating "we are absolutely in violation of Federal law."

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

High on the Job, a Serious Problem with all Substances

April 24th is Denim Day, the Day we say There is No Excuse for Rape

IDIOT ALERT - Hey Snoop Lion, You Make Smoking look so Cool you should change your name to Snoop Camel. IDIOT!

Anti-Heroin PSA

4/21 National Surprise Drug Test Day

Terrorism Expert Dr. Paul Chabot to Donate "Eternal Battle Against Evil" Book Proceeds to The One Fund Boston, Inc. for Boston Marathon Bombing Victims

Terrorism and Cartel Expert, Dr. Paul Chabot announced today all proceeds from his comprehensive and informative book "Eternal Battle Against Evil"will be donated to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  A special fund was established by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino who announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc.  Dr. Chabot's book can be purchased at:    www.battleevil.com

The Fix: Russell Brand "FreeHab" Gets Federal Funding

Russell Brand's rehab program, Freehab, has recieved $500,000 in federal funds from the Los Angeles City Council. The nonprofit, no-cost drug treatment program plans to use the money to expand and renovate an 88-bed facility previously run by People in Progress, a nonprofit organization that went bankrupt last year. 

“When I spent some time in downtown Los Angeles, I was astonished by the degree and severity of homelessness in our community,” says Brand, “it’s astonishing that we’ve learned to acclimate to this extreme condition of people who are the same as us being cast aside.” 

Freehab already has two satellite locations in Hollywood and Skid Row, and they plan to accommodate about 200 people when they open the new center this fall. Councilman Richard Alarcon praised Brand’s efforts, especially after the loss of People in Progress. “[The closure] came as a shock and it created a gap in resources,” he says. So when Brand approached the councilman about running his own treatment program, Alarcon suggested using some money which was originally allocated to a different project. 

The council voted 12-0 to approve the funding yesterday. Brand, now ten years clean, has been extremely vocal about his own battles with addiction. He has become a powerful advocate for the addiction and recovery community, and continues to express his belief that addicts, like himself, who were once a “terrible detriment to society” are capable of change.

Source:  www.thefix.com

AP/MN Star News: AG Eric Holder - Marijuana's Effect on Children a Factor as Justice weighs States' Legalization

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER Associated Press WASHINGTON—How it affects children will be one factor the Justice Department weighs as it determines how to respond to the legalization of marijuana in Washington state and Colorado, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Thursday.

"When it comes to these marijuana initiatives, I think among the kinds of things we will have to consider is the impact on children," along with factors such as violence connected to trafficking and organized crime, Holder told a House Appropriations subcommittee. He commented in response to questions about ballot initiatives legalizing the drug that passed last year."We are certainly going to enforce federal law," Holder said.

Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and one congressman pressed Holder to challenge the state initiatives in court. Holder said he hasn't decided what to do.

In December, President Barack Obama said in an ABC interview that the federal government won't go after recreational marijuana use in the two states that have legalized it. When asked if he supported legalization, he responded, "I wouldn't go that far."

Holder reminded the panel of that, and added, "I'm not for it either."

But Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican, said that the president didn't take a position on the initiatives, and urged the Justice Department to do so.

"Your department could choose to attempt to overturn those laws," said Harris, a physician. That would send a message to America's youth that marijuana is not a safe drug, he added. "Kids need clear messages and I'm afraid we're not sending them one," he said.

Harris pressed Holder on when a decision might come, "because children are dying from drugs. It is a scourge ... can you give me a general idea of when that decision's going to be made?"

Holder would only say, "As quick as we can."

Source:  www.StarTribune.com

Minnesota Public Radio News: U.S. Drug Czar R. Gil Kerlikowske Speaks at National Press Club, Discusses Marijuana Legalization Issues and Recovery

Boston be Strong. America is Praying for You.

MSG Roy Benavides: Lest We Not Forget, Our True American Heros Tell Our Kids to Stay Away from Drugs

High Rates of Cannabis Use in People with Mental Illnesses

By Mark Cowen, Senior medwireNews Reporter - 12 April 2013

Compr Psychiatry 2013; Advance online publication

medwireNews: People with mental illnesses have a significantly higher prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis use disorders (CUDs) than mentally healthy individuals, researchers report.

"Extrapolating our results to the general population, we estimate that persons with a diagnosable primary mental illness constitute almost 75% of all cannabis users, with a particularly high prevalence of more frequent cannabis use and CUDs in this population," say Shaul Lev-Ran (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and team.

The prevalence of cannabis use and CUDs (cannabis abuse or dependence as defined by DSM-IV criteria) was particularly increased among patients with certain personality disorders (PDs) and bipolar I disorder.

The researchers studied data on 43,070 individuals, aged 18 years and older, who participated in the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

Of the respondents, 12,659 had experienced mood, anxiety, personality, or substance abuse disorders (SUDs) in the previous 12 months.

The researchers found that the prevalence of weekly cannabis use, less than weekly cannabis use, and CUDs over the past 12 months among individuals with mental health disorders was 4.4%, 5.4% and 4.0%, respectively, compared with corresponding rates of 0.6%, 1.1% and 0.4% among those without mental illnesses.

Weekly cannabis use and CUD rates were highest among individuals with antisocial PD (13.4 and 12.0%, respectively), dependent PD (10.5 and 14.2%, respectively), histrionic PD (9.9 and 9.8%, respectively), and bipolar I disorder (9.6 and 9.4%, respectively).

Overall, 72.2% of all individuals who used cannabis and 81.8% of those with CUDs had a mental illness.

After accounting for sociodemographic variables, the team found that respondents with a mental illness were a significant 5.2 times more likely to have used cannabis in the past 12 months than those without a mental illness. This increased risk remained significant after further adjustment for any non-cannabis SUD, at an odds ratio of 2.5.

In addition, individuals with a mental illness were 8.0 times more likely to have CUDs than mentally healthy individuals, after adjustment for sociodemographic variables. And this increased risk also remained significant after further adjustment for non-cannabis SUDs, at an odds ratio of 3.2.

Lev-Ran et al conclude in Comprehensive Psychiatry: "Our findings emphasize the importance of proper screening for frequent cannabis use and CUDs particularly among individuals with mental illness, and focusing prevention and treatment efforts on the mentally ill."

medwireNews (www.medwirenews.com) is an independent clinical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2013

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CNN: U.S. Government Moves to Ban 'Fake Pot'

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. government moved on Friday to essentially prohibit the sale or distribution of three synthetic forms of marijuana, also known as "fake pot."

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a legal notice classifying the substances as Schedule 1 drugs. It said they are popular on the street and represent a serious public health issue.

The Justice Department, working with federal health officials, has determined the substances, with street names like Spice and K2, have resulted in many visits to emergency rooms or calls to poison control centers.

The most common reactions are vomiting, anxiety, hallucinations, seizures, high blood pressure, or loss of consciousness, the DEA said.

Officials say nearly all the synthetic marijuana mixtures are imported from Asia — mostly China and India.  Five other forms of "fake pot" were banned two years ago, authorities said.

The posting of the notice on Friday means the prohibition can take effect within 30 days.

Source:  www.cnn.com

TP: Rape Victim Shaming and Blaming Causes Victim Suicide!

Seventeen months ago a Canadian teen was allegedly gang-raped by four of her peers and the photo evidence of the rape spread across her community. But unlike the situation that unfolded in Steubenville, where the victim was at least given the comfort of knowing her assailants received some measure of punishment (even if the media took their side), this case ended in tragedy: The victim was taken off life support by her family on Sunday, three days after attempting to end her own life.

Seventeen-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons’ suicide was the harrowing end to a story involving not only sexual assault, but also the issues of harassment and victim-blaming that are problematic symptoms of rape culture. According to her mother Leah Parsons’ post on her Facebook, Rehtaeh was subject to significant bullying from her peers, who labeled her as a “slut”:

“The [p]erson Rehtaeh once was all changed one dreaded night in November 2011. She went with a friend to another’s home. In that home she was raped by four young boys…one of those boys took a photo of her being raped and decided it would be fun to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community where it quickly went viral. Because the boys already had a “slut” story, the victim of the rape Rehtaeh was considered a SLUT.”

Parsons didn’t know about the assault until days after it happened, when Rehteah broke down in the kitchen crying. At that point, it was too late for a rape kit — which may have contributed to the fact that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) dropped their investigation after a year without charges.

But there were other issues with the investigation as well, Parsons told the Halifax Chronicle Herald: “[t]hey didn’t even interview the boys until much, much later” and “nothing was done about [the photos] because they couldn’t prove who had pressed the photo button on the phone.” She was told that even the distribution of the photos was “not really a criminal issue,” despite the fact that Rehtaeh was 15 at the time, meaning the photos constituted child pornography.

While the investigation was ongoing, Rehtaeh struggled with anger and depression leading to her hospitalization on one occasion. She also moved to a different city to avoid harassment of her peers, including a barrage of texts asking “Will you have sex with me?” and telling her “You’re such a slut.” The Steubenville victim similarly faced harassing text messages after her identity was revealed by news coverage, including threats resulting in charges against two teens.

Source:  www.thinkprogress.org

Smoking Kills: Debbie Austin, Famous for "Voicebox" Anti-Smoking Ad Dies

AP: California Man Severely Burned in Hash Oil Explosion

The Associated Press COTTONWOOD, Calif. — A Northern California man suffered burns to his face and hands in an explosion at his home while he was allegedly making hash oil from marijuana, authorities said.  Jeffrey Isaiah Bolds, 22, of Cottonwood, Calif., received second- and third-degree burns in Monday's blast, said Sgt. Les James of the Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force.

The damage was mostly confined to Bolds' bedroom, James said.  A 17-year-old girl and her 2-month-old infant who were in the house were unharmed, and the infant was later placed into protective custody with Shasta County Children and Family Services, authorities said.

At the time of the explosion, Bolds was using flammable liquids to extract hash oil, James said.

The oil is made from loose marijuana leaf and stem pieces often thrown out because of their poor quality. The weed crumbs are packed into a pipe and butane is poured through it.

Heat is used to separate the butane, and what's left is the oil.  But without good ventilation, the vapors can build up and pose an unseen and dangerous threat because they don't dissipate quickly.

An open flame, static electricity or anything that can spark the gas could lead to an explosion.

The U.S. Fire Administration - a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - noted in a February bulletin that the number of hash oil explosions is increasing.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/04/09/2463004/calif-man-severely-burned-in-hash.html#storylink=rss#storylink=cpy

Lil Wayne supports Russell Simmons Petition to End the War on Drugs and here are some of the reasons...the first 2 minutes pretty much sum it up

Simmons petition: globalgrind.com/endthewarondrugs/

Russell Simmons Offers "Pie in the Sky" Ideology to End the War on Drugs

By Alexandra D. Datig

Yesterday, Russell Simmons had an opinion piece featured in the Huffington Post (which made false claims on the number of prison inmates behind bars.  Simmons number 2.3 million.  Reality, 1.610 million)  calling for the end of the drug war.  This may be a popular thing to say, but reality on what ending the war on drugs would look like is another story.  Surely, in a perfect world, like the one Russell Simmons lives in, this would be a wonderful idea.  The world however, is not perfect and ending the war on drugs today would mean losing the war on drugs tomorrow.

Quite frankly, the world would be better served if Mr. Simmons made some substantial financial contributions to prison re-entry and recovery programs.   Simmons should stick to his craft and help clean up the lyrics in rap music, which has fueled the mindset of black on black crime, violent felons, drug abuse and degradation and violence against women.   

The war on drugs will never stop.  Not as long as we have drug cartels infiltrating our nation and domestic criminal networks looking to make a buck off those who are gullible enough to believe in a “two wrongs make a right” argument such as; drugs like marijuana are safer than alcohol.

In his fairytale-like rant in the HuffPost, Simmons uses buzz word after buzz word, churning the same rhetoric we have been hearing from drug legalization enthusiasts.  Most importantly however, Simmons wants to change the ratio of blacks that have been incarcerated on drug charges, that have little opportunity to get out of the life of crime once he or she gets out of prison.  Surely, the situation Simmons describes is dire and has been public knowledge for some time, but Simmons should also know that the solution is not simple.

A few days ago, the Department of Justice released a speech by United States Attorney General Eric Holder on the problems of incarceration and re-entry into society.  Re-entry is an enormous challenge because while the idea of releasing prisoners early seems like a novel concept for some people, the reality is they have limited or no skills to survive once he or she re-enters society.  

Prisoners are used to being taken care of.  Housing prisoners can cost between $24,000 to $55,000 per year.  Prisoners who re-enter societies have little means to find work which supports this level of income.  Therefore, he or she often reverts back to a life of crime leading back to incarceration.  A tragedy of circumstance, yes.  A reason to end the war on drugs?  No. 

If we are gong to help people and rehabilitate them successfully, prisons need to be reformed from within.  Mr. Simmons should know that.  Mr. Simmons should also know while his pie in the sky ideas of legalizing drugs sound like music to him and his ilk, reality of rehabilitating those who become drug dependent is a challenge we have yet to fully realize.  

The United States has more than 7 million addicts and no effective way to treat them (35 million drug dependent Americans qualify for Obamacare, (R. L. Kirkish, 2013).  Ending the war on drugs with no solution on how to handle drug cartels that are now producing more methamphetamine due to the suppression of the marijuana market, remains to be the inconvenient consequence of legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana.  Legitimizing illegal drugs has not and will not bring about real solutions on how to combat the problem of making drugs more available to addicts or to get rid of drug cartels.  Yet Mr. Simmons wants to end the war on drugs and legalize them.  So far, the forecast proves to be catastrophic.    

Faces of Meth:

New Pew Poll Flawed, President Obama too busy Brewing Beer in the White House to Enforce his own Policies on Opposing Marijuana Legalization

By Alexandra D. Datig

The new poll regarding marijuana legalization, released today by the Pew Research Center, shows a blatant disregard from the Obama Administration and does not accurately reflect the sentiment of the American people.  We have more than 300 million citizens living in the U.S. and the Pew Research Center’s poll, which reflects the opinion of 1,501 persons polled, is unlikely to be the opinion of an entire country!  Pew Research should try to poll communities who have had to ban marijuana dispensaries in states where marijuana is legal under state but not federal law.  Clearly, Pew has chosen their “sampling” to serve a desired outcome. 

Given the fact that the Obama Administration is also not taking a frontline approach to preventing drug use, it is no surprise the country has lost the President’s ability to lead on this issue.  Various news publications are using the new Pew poll to sway public opinion right into the hands of a liberal agenda, silencing the voice of all the American people, while playing into the hands of liberal campaign donors. 

Citizens and advocates who have made sacrifices and worked hard to help enforce the Obama Administration’s policies on opposing marijuana legalization are being baited and switched!  The President’s deafening silence is dismissive of those he counted on in his first term, who now seem no less than irrelevant to him.  United States Attorney General Eric Holder, who has made several statements regarding corrective action by the Department of Justice, regarding marijuana legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington State, has also been missing in action! 

Currently, marijuana is being sold to voters as “safer than alcohol” while the marijuana lobby has partnered with the alcohol industry in Colorado and Washington State, in an effort to plan a regulated federally illegal marijuana market.  In the meantime, President Barack Obama has his own brewery at the White House.  What’s next?  The Obama version of Billy Beer?